Should Whitewater-Mount Union be considered a Rivalry?

Over the last 12 seasons, the two Division 3 Purple Powers: UW-Whitewater and Mount Union have faced each other 11 times in those 12 years. Nine of those matchups have been in Salem, Virginia, where the Stagg Bowl is held. The other two were in Non-Conference action in 2002 and 2003 (Once in Alliance, Ohio in 2002, and in Whitewater in 2003). This Saturday, the two will face off yet again but this time for the right to go to Salem for the National Championship game. With all that history between these two teams, should it be considered as a rivalry? To me, I'm half and half on this. To me and to most people, there are a few things that really define a rivalry. Usually both teams flat out hate each other and it's usually has to do with teams in the same division or conference. Basically what I'm saying is that a rivalry is something you find on the schedule every year. So to me, a real rivalry in the true definition is Yankees-Red Sox, Brewers-Cardinals, Cardinals-Cubs, Cubs-Brewers, Packers-Bears, Packers-Vikings, Giants-Dodgers, and I could on and on and on with examples of that. As we found out in 2012, it isn't always guaranteed that they meet every single year. As for the other part of the true meaning of a rivalry, meaning the two teams hate each other. That isn't the case, these two teams have mutual respect for each other. To me the best rivalries in Division 3 Football are the Johnnies and Tommies, Whitewater and Platteville, and you can throw in the Whitewater and Oshkosh rivalry. St. Johns and St. Thomas has a lot more history to it. Whitewater and Platteville is another example of that and you can throw in they play for that Miner's Pick every year. Those Whitewater vs. Oshkosh and Platteville matchups often have the conference title on the line. If you were to talk about hatrid between teams at the D3 level, the perfect example of that is in basketball with Williams and Amherst. Those teams flat out hate each other. As I said, I'm half and half on this. If you base a rivalry on just the last 15 years, then yes without a doubt. They've had great matchups in the games between them. There's a lot of key history with the coaches involved: Bob Berezowitz and Lance Leipold on the Whitewater side, and Larry and Vince Kehres on the Mount Union side.  We'll see how first year head coach Kevin Bullis will fare in his matchups with the Purple Raiders of Mount Union with his first matchup against them on Saturday. Based on talent, you can say the same thing. Mount Union with names like Nate Kmic, Cecil Shorts, Pierre Garcon, and Kevin Burke. Whitewater with names like Justin Beaver, Levell Coppage, Matt Blanchard, Matt Behrendt, and Jake Kumerow just to name a few. Some of those names I've named have gone on to play in the NFL. So to close this out, if you talk about rivalries within the last 15 years with the fact a lot is on the line a majority of time in their matchups absolutely it is. But still not guaranteed every year, but it is still a good thing for Division 3 Football.