Bison football head coach Brian Dobie has said publicly many times that the Saskatchewan Huskies are the program in the country that he's always had the most respect for.

"They are always ultra-competitive," Dobie said. "They play Huskie football, and I say that with the utmost respect."

Along those same lines, the Bisons and Huskies have generated a tremendous rivalry over the last two decades.

"In my whole career here – it's now 23 years – we are almost split down the middle of wins and losses against each other," said Dobie.

"So you can call rivalries anything you want, and you can dissect them however you want, but I think a really good rivalry is one where people go toe-to-toe, punch-for-punch, and that's what we've done over 23 years."

Dobie isn't wrong in his assessment. Since he took over head coaching duties in 1996, the Bisons have gone a total of 19-18 against the Huskies, including the playoffs.

A number of moments have helped define the two team's rivalry.

For example, in 1996, the Huskies won the Vanier Cup. They lost just three times in the regular season the following year, but two of those came at the hands of the non-playoff bound Bisons. On the other side of the coin, the Bisons went undefeated in the regular season in 2002 and 2006 but were bounced from the playoffs both years by Saskatchewan.

Fast-forward to more recently, it's been Manitoba who's had Saskatchewan's number in the postseason, beating them in back-to-back Hardy Cup semi-finals in 2013 and 2014. The former was the Bisons first home playoff game at Investors Group Field and came down to a last second field goal block. The latter saw Manitoba come back from as many as 19 points down in the second half to defeat the Huskies on the road.

"There's been so many great games, and so many times where we've broken each other's hearts," Dobie said. And that's sports, and that's a great rivalry."

Fast forward to this season, and both teams have plenty to prove. Manitoba is coming off a tight 30-20 loss to the #6 ranked UBC Thunderbirds, while the Huskies enter week two riding high after a 42-0 victory over the Alberta Golden Bears.

"We know that Saskatchewan is really good. I don't care who they beat, they beat a Canada West opponent 42-0. When you're beating someone 42-0 in this conference, you're really good," Dobie said.

"I'm sure they're like every Saskatchewan team I've ever coached against in my career; disciplined, structured and consistent. Sure, they've got good athletes, but they're going to constantly play high-end football. You're not going to see too many chinks in the armour."

On Manitoba's end, the team is motivated after going score-for-score with a nationally ranked opponent from the week prior and are also amped up to defend their home turf.

"I think this team isn't happy or feeling good about itself because they lost," Dobie said. "But I do think they are confident, angry and determined. If that's the case, we need to prove it [against Saskatchewan]."

The Bisons and Huskies meet once again for the BISON BOWL, this Friday, September 7 at 7 p.m. at Investors Group Field. It's the home opener for Manitoba, with a pre-game tailgate area and orientation events happening all over the U of M campus. Students at the university get in free, as do fans 17-and-under. All other tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the venue on game day.