The Biggest College Football Rivalries: A Tradition of Passion, Pride, and Championships

Betting on college football rivalries can be a little risky. Even if there is a talent gap between the teams, a game between bitter rivals can be hard to predict. The 2024 matchup between eventual national champion Ohio State and a struggling Michigan team is a perfect example, as the underdog Wolverines came away with an upset victory.

Many of the top rivalry games occur during the final weekend of the regular season, but that is not always the case.

Let’s take a closer look at the top college football rivalries as you can decide what is the top college rivalry in football.

The Best College Football Rivalries

It all started in 1869 when Princeton and Rutgers were split national champions. No title was crowned in 1871, but through 1900, either Princeton or Yale earned at least a share of the national title. That made the Princeton-Yale matchup the first of the rivalries that shaped the spot. The fact that the annual meetings between Harvard and Yale are known as “The Game” speaks volumes about that college football rivalry.

The first time no Ivy League schools were considered college football national champions was in 1914 when Army, Illinois, and Texas earned that honor with perfect seasons.

The Nebraska vs Oklahoma rivalry was another huge annual clash, along with the Army-Navy game. It is not always easy for college football betting on massive rivalry games.

These days, no rivalry impacts the setting of the College Football Playoff field more than the one between Alabama and Georgia.

What Defines A Great College Football Rivalry?

When looking at the best college football rivalries, something must be at stake when the teams meet. That was the case when Michigan and Ohio State were battling for Big Ten and national supremacy. Notre Dame has several series that became bitter rivalries.

From the late 1980s and through the 1990s, the showdowns between Florida State and Miami were must-see TV, and quite often, the top spot in the national polls was at stake.

Having a series where either team can win, regardless of the site, is crucial to building a college football rivalry.

Teams that recruit the same players are always a way to get the blood boiling in a rivalry. That was the case in the Michigan-Ohio State and Florida State-Miami battles.

Why College Football Rivalries Are Unique

When the college football playoff national champion was crowned based on national polls, a loss to a rival could be viewed as an elimination game in the national title chase.

That isn’t necessarily the case now that the College Football Playoffs moved from four to 12 teams.

Coaches can win 80% of their games, but struggles in rivalry games could jeopardize their jobs. Before the Ohio State Buckeyes won the first 12-team CFP title, rumors were circulating about Day’s future after his team lost to Michigan again.

Fans from both programs circle the calendar for the annual regular-season matchup, which impacts how much money comes in from donors.

1. The Game: Ohio State vs Michigan

Fans of the Yale and Harvard program scoff each year when the annual showdown between Ohio State and Michigan is referred to as “The Game.” The truth is that it has been decades since Harvard and Yale have been players on the national scene.

Michigan and Ohio State won the last two national titles. Even if that wasn’t the case, there is nothing like the regular-season final when the Wolverines meet up with the Buckeyes.

Both teams annually send plenty of stars to the NFL. The games usually don’t disappoint, with two of the nation’s top programs battling it out for 60 minutes in the Ohio State vs Michigan rivalry.

2. BYU vs Utah (The Holy War)

BYU and Utah were in the same conference for decades, and the annual meeting often had a say in the Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference races.

Things changed when Utah moved to the Pac-12 in 2011. Although there were no games between the teams in 2014 and 2015, the rivals agreed to meet each year even though the Cougars and the Utes were no longer conference rivals.

BYU and Utah are now in the Big 12. However, with BYU finishing tied for seventh in the 2024 Big 12 standings and Utah ending up tied for 10th, the Holy War doesn’t have the same impact on the conference race.

The BYU vs. Utah game is still a big deal for both schools. The Holy War name comes from the fact that BYU’s student population consists mostly of students who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, while Utah has many students who belong to the LDS Church as well.

3. The Red River Showdown: Oklahoma vs Texas

The Oklahoma-Texas rivalry has withstood the move to various conferences. Time will tell if the series resonates on the national scene.

Unlike many of the top college football rivalries, the annual Oklahoma vs Texas games are not played on campus as the game is played in Dallas.

The teams’ first meeting came in 1900. In the mid-1930s, they began playing on either the first or second Saturday of October, with the OU vs. Texas winner receiving the Golden Hat Trophy.

The game is called the Red River Rivalry, Red River Showdown, or the Red River Shootout because the Red River separates Oklahoma and Texas.

4. Oregon vs Oregon State (The Civil War)

Oregon and Oregon State have the fifth-most-played rivalry in major college football history. It started in 1894 when it was called the Oregon Classic.

The name was changed to the Civil War in 1929. There has been recent pushback on the Civil War name.

The Oregon vs Oregon State game is played on campus at either Eugene or Corvallis.

The teams are no longer in the same conference, with Oregon joining the Big Ten and Oregon State one of the two teams left behind when conference realignment ended the Pac-12.

Oregon leads the series 69-59-10, with both teams having eight-game winning streaks in the series.

It remains to be seen what happens with the rivalry. Oregon is expected to compete for the national title in the coming years, but the same can’t be said about Oregon State.

5. The Egg Bowl: Ole Miss vs Mississippi State

Some might be surprised to learn that Mississippi State has the longest win streak in the series. The Bulldogs won 13 games in a row from 1911 to 1925.

Ole Miss leads the Egg Bowl series 66-46-6 after winning the last two games.

Ole Miss is a contender in the SEC, while Mississippi State has fallen on hard times.

The winner of the Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State game received the Golden Egg Trophy, which is how the game became known as the Egg Bowl.

Mississippi State’s last win came in 2022 in the final game Mike Leach coached before his death.

6. The Backyard Brawl: West Virginia vs Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has won 63 of the 107 meetings against West Virginia, including a 53-0 win in 1904.

The Panthers won 15 games in a row against the Mountaineers from 1929 to 1946.

The rivalry lost some appeal when the teams didn’t play from 2012 to 2021, with Pittsburgh in the ACC and West Virginia playing in the Big 12.

The West Virginia vs Pittsburgh series resumed in 2022, with the home team winning each of the last three meetings.

7. Notre Dame vs USC

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Southern California Trojans have combined to win 39 national titles.

The list of legendary players is led by multiple Heisman Trophy winners who have played in the Notre Dame vs USC game over the years.

The teams first met in 1926, with Notre Dame winning 13-12. The Fighting Irish lead the series 49-35, with Notre Dame winning 11 games in a row from 1983 to 1993.

Notre Dame has won six of the last seven meetings.

8. The Iron Bowl: Alabama vs Auburn

There are so many rivalries in the SEC, but there is something special about the annual matchups between Auburn and Alabama.

Auburn’s last win came in 2019 in a classic 48-45 game. Two years later, Bryce Young drove Alabama 97 yards for the tying score as the Iron Bowl went into overtime for the first time.

In 2023, Auburn was on the verge of beating the Crimson Tide. That changed when Jalen Milroe connected with Isaiah Bond on the go-ahead touchdown on a 4th-and-31 play with 32 seconds remaining.

Alabama has won the last five Iron Bowl games, and the Crimson Tide leads 51-37-1 in the Auburn vs. Alabama series.

9. Army vs Navy Game

The Army vs. Navy Game has entered a new era, with the teams playing in the same conference. In 2024, Army finished undefeated in the American Athletic Conference, with Navy tied for third.

Both teams got off to impressive starts in the 2024 season, with Navy winning the annual showdown 31-13. In the early days of the series, 25 of the first 26 games were played in Philadelphia.

The game’s site has changed over the years as the longtime rivals meet in mid-December.

The game is the final one in the race for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

The Army-Navy game once had an impact on the national rankings, but that hasn’t been the case in recent years.

The Roles Of Rivalries In College Football

With just one game scheduled between bitter rivals each season, a win or a loss can completely define a season.

When Miami won its first national title during the 1983 season, its only loss came in the season-opener to Florida. Bumper stickers were made that proclaimed Florida as the state champions even though the Hurricanes were voted the top team in the nation.

The result of rivalry games can impact recruiting and change the legacies of coaches and players.

College football fans live for rivalry games, as do the networks that air the games.

The Dallas Morning News poll asked which college football rivalry tops the charts. Michigan-Ohio State came in at No. 1, followed by Army-Navy and then Texas-Oklahoma. What would your top three rivalries be?

When Is The First of the Top Rivalry Games In 2025?

Pitt plays at West Virginia on Sept. 13. The Oregon State vs Oregon game is scheduled for Sept. 20 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. The Oklahoma-Texas game is set for Oct. 11 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.