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Mike Marteny takes a look at 30 once great college football rivalry games that are no longer played. Who is your school's long-lost rival?
Conference realignment is all the rage right now as conferences look to monopolize good teams to get better TV deals and teams look for more security. Money has destroyed much of what makes college football special. The collapse of the Pac-12 and the radical changes in the Big 12 have led to many rivalry games going away. Some conferences are too large to guarantee some once-storied rivalries every season. Some of these rivalries went away simply because both sides were looking for a way out, and both made lame excuses.
We'll take a look at the best rivalries that are no longer played every season. Some of these have managed to keep going with a series of games here or there, but many of them are not guaranteed beyond two years, and many will have gaps in them as they are played. Honestly, there's not much excuse for this. Oklahoma and Texas have played for over a century. In most of those years, they were not in the same conference. Oklahoma was in the Big 8, and Texas was in the Southwest Conference.
All of these need to be brought back. Sadly, most will not be played every year, even if they do make a brief comeback. For the purpose of this piece, we will not include teams that are in the same conference (even though Auburn and Florida, once a great rivalry, have only played four times since 2003). We will also exclude those that aren't dead yet. That means Farmageddon, Bridger's Battle, the Apple Cup, and the Bronze Stalk, all ending because of conference realignment (not Farmageddon ... the Big 12 is just dumber than dumb for not protecting the longest consecutively played rivalry in college football) in 2026, will not be included. Let's enjoy this stroll down memory lane!
30. Arizona vs. New Mexico
Arizona leads 45-20-3. Last played: 2024
This was a rivalry, but it never had a clever name attached to it. It's unfortunate. However, it did have a trophy. The Kit Carson Rifle was retired in 1997 because of the history attached to it.
The Kit Carson Rifle for the UNM-Arizona rivalry was pretty neat. We need something that stands out. pic.twitter.com/az1nsCwsFD
— Brandon Aragón (@brandonaaragon) September 23, 2025
These teams played every year from 1920 to 1977 except for a hiatus during World War II. The series has only been played seven times since 1977, with Arizona winning five of those matchups. There hasn't been much of a push to renew this rivalry since it has been mostly dormant for 49 years.
29. Mississippi vs. Tulane
Mississippi leads 45-28. Last played: 2025
I know what you're thinking. These teams played twice last season, so how is this defunct? Better yet ... how is this even a rivalry? I'm glad you asked. Both were charter members of the SEC, but they were in conferences before that as well, from 1899 until the SEC formed in 1932.
They played every year from 1936 until Tulane left the SEC in 1965. Even after Tulane left the SEC, the two teams were pretty good about keeping the rivalry going. They played all but one year between 1974 and 1993 when the series was first renewed.
The teams have only played 11 times since, with two of those being last season. Mississippi has dominated the series lately, winning all 15 games since 1989 and 32 of 36 since 1951. Tulane won all 12 meetings from 1919 to 1939, dominating the series in the early days.
Despite different runs of dominance, the teams have only met twice when both schools were ranked (1956 and 2023). Tulane is Mississippi's oldest rival, and the most played one outside of the SEC. For Tulane, only the rivalry with LSU is older (by one week).
28. Nebraska vs. Kansas
Nebraska leads 91-23-3. Last played: 2010
When Nebraska left the Big 12 in 2011, this series was the longest uninterrupted series in college football. Nebraska and Kansas had played every year since 1906. Nebraska didn't lose a game in the series from 1917 to 1943.
It gets worse. Nebraska won 36 consecutive games (no ties) from 1968 to 2004. Kansas ended the streak in spades. The Jayhawks scored 76 points on Nebraska in 2007, the most that the school has ever allowed to any opponent. Thank you, Bill Callahan!
Kansas actually held its own early in the series. The Jayhawks won four of the first five games from 1892 to 1896. The 1897 game led to the dissolution of the Western Interstate University Football Association.
Nebraska won the game due to darkness because of a lengthy argument over a Nebraska touchdown that continued until it was too dark to finish. Nebraska was declared the victor, and the WIUFA refused to rule on the situation.
27. Black and Blue Bowl - Memphis vs. Southern Mississippi
Southern Mississippi leads 40-22-1. Last played: 2012
This series was played in every season from 1952 until 2012, with the exception of the 1980 season. It was named the Black and Blue Bowl partially because of the team colors, but also because of the physical nature of the games.
Memphis left Conference USA for the American Conference in 2013, thereby stopping the rivalry. The teams have a home-and-home scheduled for 2027 and 2030, meaning that even if the rivalry continues after that, it will be intermittent.
This was fairly lopsided throughout the years, but Memphis and the Eagles have split the series since the turn of the century.
26. Texas vs. Texas Tech
Texas leads 55-18. Last played: 2023
As members of the Southwest Conference and the Big 12, these two teams played every season from 1960 to 2023. Texas won eight of the nine meetings before 1960 and dominated the early days of this series.
Tech didn't win back-to-back games against Bevo until 1967-68 and didn't do it again until 1988-89. Despite the early dominance by Texas, this series became important in the later years of the Big 12.
The most famous game was the 2008 meeting when Texas Tech, led by standout Michael Crabtree, beat the top-ranked Longhorns. 10 of the last 16 games of the series were decided by 10 points or less, but Tech only won four of them.
In 1996, when both universities had a chancellor for the first time, the teams created a trophy for the rivalry. The Chancellor's Spurs were given to the winner each year. There are no current plans to renew this rivalry.
It’s officially TU hate week. These are up to grabs. The Chancellors Spurs trophy for the winner of the game next Saturday in Austin, TX #TuckFexas #WreckTU #GunsUp @TexasTechFB @TechAthletics pic.twitter.com/QIzXwpja5F
— Andrew (@laidback275) November 19, 2023
25. Iowa State vs. Nebraska
Nebraska leads 86-17-2. Last played: 2010
These teams played every year from 1926 until 2010. The fun fact that I have for this game is that the final one was played on the day of my wedding. The winning Nebraska touchdown was scored as we were cutting the cake.
There was rousing applause from the crowd, but it wasn't for us (even though we didn't know it at the time). That's what happens when you get married in Nebraska during football season.
If anyone could have had the game on in the church, they would have. My wife thought that one of my groomsmen was watching the game on his phone during the ceremony, when in actuality, he was only taking a couple of pictures from the altar in case she wanted them.
The rivalry was dominated by Nebraska. Iowa State's win in 1992 was the only game that Tom Osborne ever lost to a team that finished the season with more losses than wins.
Iowa State won three of the last nine games of the series, but has not shown an interest in rekindling the rivalry of teams separated by only 225 miles.
24. Texas vs. Baylor
Texas leads 81-28-4. Last played: 2023
Only Oklahoma and Texas A&M have played against Texas more than Baylor. Both were founding members of the Southwest Conference and the Big 12. This series is very lopsided, but before Texas left for the SEC in 2024, Baylor had won six of the last 14 meetings.
It had been about even since the Robert Griffin III years in Waco. These campuses are only a little over an hour apart, so it was a natural rivalry.
Baylor effectively ended the Mack Brown era at Texas by beating him in his last game as Longhorns coach. This was played every year from 1923 to 2023, except for three years during World War II. There are no plans to revive this series.
23. SMU vs. Rice
SMU leads 49-41-1. Last played: 2023
These teams played in the Southwest Conference, the WAC, and Conference USA together until 2012, playing every year except for the two that SMU missed for the "death penalty." SMU left Conference USA for the American in 2012, suspending the series.
Rice joined the American in 2023, meaning the series was back on ... until SMU left for the ACC in 2024. The teams first met in 1916, with Rice winning 146-3.
A traveling trophy called the Mayor's Cup was introduced in 1998 to go to the winner of the game. It was, at the time, a longstanding rivalry. Rice won nine of the 16 games for the Mayor's Cup.
SMU won four of the last five games in the series. There are currently no negotiations to extend the series.
22. Missouri vs. Nebraska
Nebraska leads 65-36-3. Last played: 2010
This rivalry officially dates back to 1892 when both were charter members of the WIUFA. Missouri forfeited the first game, refusing to play because Nebraska had a black player (George Flippin) on the team.
Flippin later joked that he was good enough to beat the University of Missouri football team all by himself. Missouri agreed to play against Flippin and the Cornhuskers for the next two seasons, winning both games.
That was the last time Missouri held an upper hand in the series. These teams played every year from the formation of the Missouri Valley in 1922 until Nebraska left the Big 12 in 2011.
Missouri almost got this series back to zero in 1962 (22-23-3) before Bob Devaney turned Nebraska into a powerhouse. Nebraska won every game in the series from 1979 to 2002. These teams played for the Victory Bell, which was an actual church bell stolen from a church in Seward, Nebraska, in 1892.
Missouri-Nebraska
Trophy: Victory Bell
Nebraska leads 65-36-3
•Series dates back to 1892, tied for the third-oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi and last played in 2010
•The Victory Bell trophy was exchanged by the QEBH and Innocents honor societies at MU and NU
(1/3) pic.twitter.com/B9O8xk5JYG
— TrueZOU (@TrueZOU1839) June 10, 2024
It was exchanged between fraternities at Nebraska until no one could decide who it belonged to anymore. The university offered it as the traveling trophy for this game.
The Victory Bell is now held by Nebraska, with a replica at Missouri to commemorate the once-proud rivalry. There are no plans to resume the series.
21. Georgia Tech vs. Auburn
Auburn leads 47-41-4. Last played: 2005
These teams played every year from 1906 to 1987, even after Georgia Tech left the SEC in 1963 to become independent. This game has only been played twice since 2003 and 2005. Georgia Tech won both of those matchups. No other ones have been scheduled.
The first three games of this series were played in Atlanta, with Auburn going 2-0-1, winning by a combined 120-0. For Tech's first trip to Auburn, the Auburn students greased the train tracks, making it unable to stop at the station. The train didn't stop until five miles after Auburn.
The Tech players had to walk the five miles back to town and were beaten handily 45-0. Auburn students mocked them on the way back to town, some in their pajamas, starting the Wreck Tech Pajama Parade in subsequent home games.
Before the days of the AP Poll, teams just had reputations by region. Auburn was considered a close second to John Heisman's 1917 Georgia Tech "Golden Tornado" squad, which Heisman called the best team he ever coached.
Tech beat Auburn 68-7 and went on to be crowned national champions. Tech won all but one game in the series from 1915 to 1930.
20. Iowa State vs. Missouri
Missouri leads 61-34-9. Last played: 2011
@IASTATEAD - I think it’s time to schedule a home and away with Mizzou.
Mizzou has a solid program, there’s fatigue playing fcs programs, and we need to bring the Telephone Trophy home. It hasn’t even seen the bridge… pic.twitter.com/3FWSGSA2Wm
— Paul Gerksss (@PGehrks) September 23, 2024
Missouri's move to the SEC in 2012 killed this longstanding rivalry, complete with a very interesting trophy. It's an old rotary telephone atop a wooden base with the winning team engraved on the plaque.
The travelling trophy was given to the victor every year from 1959 until the suspension of the series in 2011. There have been no plans from either school to renew the rivalry. It was never that heated, but it was played every year from 1908 to 2011, with only a year off (1918) during World War I.
19. Colorado vs. Nebraska
Nebraska leads 50-21-2. Last played: 2024
In the first few years of the Missouri Valley Conference, Colorado took control of this series and actually led it 10-9-1. When Nebraska hired Bob Devaney in 1962 and then Tom Osborne, the Cornhuskers only lost to Colorado once in 24 years (1967). Then Bill McCartney happened.
One of the wilder things about the Colorado-Nebraska rivalry is it was basically made up from nothing. Bill McCartney got to CU in 82, decided the Buffs needed a rival & declared the Huskers would be it
CU became a national power and the rest is historyhttps://t.co/wq1MG5CIuX
— Craig Meyer (@ByCraigMeyer) September 9, 2023
When McCartney was introduced as the Colorado coach in 1982, he proclaimed Nebraska as Colorado's biggest rival. He led Colorado to an upset of Nebraska in 1986 and beat it back-to-back in 1989 and 1990 for the first time in 30 years.
The Big 12 (the first of the super-mega-big-conferences) axed Nebraska and Oklahoma because of the divisions, leading Colorado to be Nebraska's Thanksgiving weekend rivalry game. This continued until Nebraska left for the Big Ten in 2011.
The game has been played four times since then, with Colorado winning three of them. These teams actually played for a bison head trophy for 10 years before Colorado allegedly lost it in 1962.
This game may be played again from time to time, but it won't match the intensity of the late 1980s and early 2000s. Colorado and Nebraska have split the last 14 meetings.
18. The Weekender - USC vs. California; USC vs. Stanford
USC leads Cal 72-32-6. Last played: 2023. USC leads Stanford 65-34-3. Last played: 2023
This is another rivalry that the Pac-12 killed. USC had played Cal more than any other opponent (112 times ... maybe). As with any rivalry, there is some dispute over historical records.
The first "American football" meeting was in 1915, but these schools played rugby matches in 1912 and 1913. Cal counts those (1-0-1) in the series. USC does not. The name of the rivalry refers to the weekend trip to the Bay Area for USC fans.
The Cal and Stanford games alternated as away games every season, meaning that either Cal or Stanford was a road game each year, but not both. Therefore, it gets one entry.
The Stanford rivalry was far more heated than the Cal one due to Stanford actually being good at football. This series also counts some of the rugby matches before football, but they have agreed upon which games.
This rivalry took hold in the early 1930s. USC had won three national championships in five years. After Stanford's loss to USC in 1932, the Stanford freshmen on that team vowed never to lose to USC again. The "Vow Boys" made good on that promise.
In 1972, USC coach John McKay said Stanford had "no class" and that he'd "like to beat Stanford by 2,000 points." Stanford coach Jack Christiansen retorted that he wouldn't "get into a urinating contest with a skunk."
When McKay's son was considering going to Stanford, he told him, "If it were between Stanford and Red China, I would pay your way to Peking." The younger McKay ended up playing for his dad at USC.
In 1980, the Stanford band rolled a horse skeleton on wheels onto the field, ridden by a skeleton in a Trojan helmet, a parody of USC's mascot. In 2007, Stanford was a 41-point dog to USC. It ended up winning 24-23. It is considered one of the greatest college football upsets of all time.
Stanford upsets #1 USC at the Coliseum
• Stanford was a 41 point underdog
• USC had won 35 straight home games prior to this game
• Stanford started its backup QB Tavita Pritchard
• At the time this was the largest point spread upset in CFB History
• The start of the… pic.twitter.com/tP1Y5n75Bn— College Football Report (@CFBReport) October 24, 2023
Two years later, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh and USC's Pete Carroll got in a shouting match after the game, with Stanford deliberately running up the score by going for a two-point conversion.
17. Syracuse vs. Penn State
Penn State leads 43-23-5. Last played: 2013
These teams played every year from 1922 to 1990, except for one year off for World War II. This was an intense rivalry in the 50s and 60s, with Syracuse winning 11 games to Penn State's 10.
Lenny Moore intercepted a pass in the 1953 game to seal the Penn State victory and was shoved out of bounds into the Syracuse bench. A bench player jumped on Moore, and a brawl ensued. Fans from the stands jumped onto the field and were battling with players. The fighting went on for several minutes before order was restored.
Syracuse football struggled in the early 1970s, leading to Penn State's dominance in the series. The Nittany Lions won 16 straight from 1971 to 1986. The series was suspended in 1990 because it wasn't competitive enough.
The teams have only played three times since 1990, with Penn State winning all three games. There are plans for a home-and-home in 2027 and 2028.
16. Beltway Brawl - Maryland vs. Virginia
Maryland leads 46-32-2. Last played: 2024
This series was played every season from 1957 until 2013, when Maryland left the ACC for the Big Ten. Virginia is still Maryland's most-played rival. When you think of heated rivalries, this is not one that normally comes to mind, but make no mistake about it. The teams don't like each other.
It's like any other state that borders another state. They compete for athletes and students. Maryland dominated the series in the 1970s and 1980s, but Virginia took over in the 1990s.
Maryland won the last four games of the series, including the ones played in 2023 and 2024. Those are the only games played since Maryland left the ACC.
As with any good rivalry, there were points of contention. In the 1988 game, Maryland quarterback Neil O'Donnell was hurt in the fourth quarter. Backup Scott Zolak led a touchdown drive with Maryland down seven. There was no overtime in those days, so Maryland went for two and the win.
Ricky Johnson caught the ball, but it was knocked loose by Keith McMeans. One official ruled catch, the other ruled incomplete.
The incomplete ruling stood, causing Maryland coach Joe Krivak to follow the officials to the locker room and state, "If it takes every ounce of energy, I'm going to get you out of this league."
Before the 2002 meeting, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said that Maryland expected to beat teams like Duke and Virginia. Virginia took offense and whipped the Terps by 35 points behind Matt Schaub. That cost Maryland an ACC title.
15. Black Diamond Bowl - Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
West Virginia leads 30-23-1. Last played: 2022
The teams played every year from 1973 to 2005 when Virginia Tech left the Big East for the ACC. The teams have only met three times since Tech left the Big East. Both teams are located in the Appalachian Mountains in coal mining areas, so the "black diamond" trophy is a coal reference.
The series was hotly contested because of a reputation for tough players, tough fans, and tough coaches. Games in this rivalry featured coaches like Bobby Bowden and Frank Beamer. Players like Michael Vick and Amos Zereoue made names for themselves in this series.
Bowden was once given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the 1974 game, considered the game that made this a true rivalry.
West Virginia's toughest game of its first undefeated season in 1988 was in Blacksburg. After the game, coach Don Nehlen said, "Playing here is like airplane landings. Anyone you can walk away from is a good one."
The next season, the Hokies beat West Virginia in Morgantown for the first time since 1967. The 1994 victory for Virginia Tech saved Frank Beamer's job. He failed to lead the Hokies to a bowl from 1987 until the 1994 season.
The win against West Virginia turned the season, and started a string of 23 consecutive bowl games for the Hokies. Vick led the Hokies to a victory as a freshman in 1999, down by a point with 1:15 left. That led Tech into the National Championship Game.
#PlayOfTheDay (1999): Virginia Tech's Michael Vick scrambles to set up game-winning FG at WVU - VT moves to 8-0 pic.twitter.com/nunII97ePp
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) July 5, 2016
14. BYU vs. Utah State
BYU leads 51-37-3. Last played: 2022
This game was played on the first Friday of October every season as the Mormon (Latter-day Saints) hold one of their semiannual worldwide General Conferences on that day.
And BYU claims its prize, the Old Wagon Wheel. pic.twitter.com/GgoxvCHV0p
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 2, 2021
Both schools are dominantly LDS practitioners and played for the Old Wagon Wheel. There were a few gaps in scheduling, particularly in the late 90s and early 2000s, but BYU's joining the Big 12 put this series on hold, possibly for good.
There was a clause in the contract that allowed BYU to back out and pay a buyout if it ever joined a conference. BYU's joining the Big 12 in 2023 activated the clause, and there are no plans to schedule further meetings.
This was a big cultural event for the LDS members in Utah. This rivalry likely lasted longer than most of these smaller regional ones because BYU was independent for so long.
13. Battle of the Brothers - Utah vs. Utah State
Utah leads 80-29-4. Last played: 2024
This series was played every season from 1912 to 2009, with one year off during each World War. The series has been played only four times since 2009. The teams have not been in the same conference since 1961. When they were in the same conference, this was a "rivalry week" game on or just after Thanksgiving.
Utah State had to agree to a "two-for-one" scheduling to get the 2024 game in Logan. The Aggies will play in Salt Lake City in 2026 and 2031 in return. This has been a lopsided series of late. Utah State has only one win in 16 meetings since 1998.
12. Bear Bowl - California vs. UCLA
UCLA leads 57-35-1. Last played: 2023
When the Pac-12 as we know it blew up after the 2023 season, this game had been played every year since 1933. That made the Bear Bowl the second-longest uninterrupted rivalry behind Farmageddon. This series survived all of World War II and even survived the COVID pandemic when Pac-12 schools only played seven games.
With both schools now in different conferences, the game hasn't been played in the last two seasons. There is an agreement for renewal for a four-game series starting this fall, but there are no agreements beyond that one.
This game was played on "All-University Weekend," an event to celebrate the achievements of the UC system. It strayed from that in the last decade, and the following meetings will be in September. UCLA dominated this series in the 80s, not losing any of the 10 games to break the series open.
11. Cincinnati vs. Louisville
Cincinnati leads 30-23-1. Last played: 2022
Fenway Bowl x Keg of Nails | 2022. pic.twitter.com/PminqUhsr9
— The Cardiac Cardinal (@_Cardiac_Card) July 2, 2025
This rivalry didn't have a name, but it did have that sweet trophy up above. Yes, it is a keg. Yes, it is filled with nails. Yes, it is a replica. The original keg of nails was lost by Louisville during the construction of office facilities.
My conspiracy theory is that they broke open the keg and used the nails to save money, though this is completely unfounded. This rivalry traveled through the Missouri Valley, to Conference USA, to the Big East, to the American Conference.
Louisville moved to the ACC following the 2013 season, ending the rivalry. The series was played in all but four seasons from 1966 to 2013. It is the oldest rivalry for Louisville and the second-oldest for Cincinnati. The Bearcats won the first dozen games of this rivalry series.
Louisville only lost one game between 1998 and 2007 to close the gap. The only meeting since 2013 was impromptu in the 2022 Fenway Bowl. The Keg of Nails was retained by Louisville. There are no current plans to revive this series.
10. Battle for the Iron Skillet - TCU vs. SMU
TCU leads 54-43-7. Last played: 2025
This series was played in all but seven years (1919, 1920, 1925, 1987, 1988, 2006, and 2020) after the first meeting in 1915. The 2025 meeting is the last one until at least 2030 since TCU refused to renew the series.
🏈 The legendary SMU-TCU "Battle for the Iron Skillet" ends this Saturday, Sept 20, at 11 a.m. at TCU. Since 1915, this iconic Texas football rivalry has shaped DFW sports history. From the 1935 "Game of the Century" to the iconic skillet trophy, relive the legacy. @SMU @TCU… pic.twitter.com/LU6OIAwQau
— The Dallas Express News (@DallasExpress) September 18, 2025
It only stopped for World War II, the "death penalty," and COVID. This one isn't even a conference casualty, which makes it all the more disappointing. TCU dominated the early years of this rivalry with stars such as Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien.
The "Pony Express" SMU teams took over the rivalry, winning 15 straight games from 1972 to 1986, when SMU was found guilty of paying players. TCU again dominated the series from the 2000s to the 2010s. SMU only won twice between 1999 and 2018.
Each team won three of the last six meetings of the series. TCU's refusal to renew the series has led to more bad blood between the schools, making the chances of this rivalry continuing slim. Unless, of course, the next round of realignment brings SMU to the Big 12.
9. Battle for the Rag - LSU vs. Tulane
LSU leads 69-22-7. Last played: 2009
This series was played annually from 1911 to 1996, despite Tulane leaving the SEC in 1966. The series has only been played six times since then.
They agreed upon a series extension in 2006, but LSU bought out the remainder of the series after 2009, after Tulane refused to play all of the remaining games in Baton Rouge (who wouldn't?).
LSU did agree to one future game in New Orleans, but that game still hasn't happened in 15 years. It appears unlikely that this series will ever happen again.
This was hotly contested in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and Southern Conference before both became charter members of the SEC. Tensions got so heated between fans (and players) that a riot broke out DURING the 1938 game in Baton Rouge.
A late hit by LSU broke Tulane QB Bronco Brunner's ankle. Several players were ejected for fighting at various stages of the game, but finally, the dam broke in the fourth quarter. Players from both teams started fighting. So did the benches.
Then the fans joined in on the field with pieces of the stands for weapons. The game finally ended, but the riot started back up when Tulane fans ripped down the goalposts after beating LSU 14-0. LSU fans retaliated, and the fighting went on well into the night.
The "rag" was created as a symbol of sportsmanship in 1940. If LSU won, it was called the "Tiger Rag." When Tulane won, it called it the "Victory Flag."
42 years ago tonight November 27th.1982 a 3W & 7L 25 point underdog Tulane Team upset #6 LSU 31-28. The most disappointed and heartbroken I have ever felt leaving Tiger Stadium... pic.twitter.com/YygHKbpWQK
— richard condon (@CondonBeingReal) November 27, 2024
Many attempts have been made to give LSU a rival since this series ended. Honestly, it was mercy. Tulane only won four times after it left the SEC in 1966 and hasn't won at all since 1982. No other rivalry has stuck. This is still LSU's most fierce rival, and it refuses to play it.
8. Battle of the Brazos - Baylor vs. Texas A&M
Texas A&M leads 68-31-9. Last played: 2011
This rivalry effectively ended when Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2011. There are no current plans to revive the series, which was played every season from 1931 to 2011. Baylor sued to keep the Aggies from leaving the Big 12, which has led to more bad blood between the schools.
This used to be one of the most heated rivalries in sports. The campuses are only 90 miles apart. Brawls and pranks have resulted in the death of one student and even one mascot (allegedly).
During halftime of the 1926 game, the Baylor homecoming floats were paraded on the field at halftime. When a float (a car pulling a flatbed trailer) carrying several female students approached the A&M Corps of Cadets, a cadet grabbed the car's steering wheel, causing one of the women to fall off.
Who killed Charles Sessums?
During the halftime of 1926 Battle of the Brazos game between Baylor & Texas A&M in Waco, a brawl broke out between students and fans of both schools that involved blunt weapons.
During the chaos, A&M cadet Charles Sessums was struck by a chair on the… pic.twitter.com/NlBarLYd0j— Texas Football Life (@txfblife) June 13, 2024
Baylor students brandished folding chairs and planks of wood used for yard markers as weapons, and a large brawl broke out. The student who fell from the float was injured but recovered. One Texas A&M cadet died from injuries suffered in the brawl.
Prank wars were common between rivals, and this series was no exception. In 1936, Texas A&M painted the Baylor flagpole to look like a barber pole and placed A&M signs across campus.
It was common among Southwest Conference schools to steal live mascots. They even had a contest to see which school could successfully kidnap the most live mascots.
In 1946, Baylor placed its bear in the custody of the Waco police so Aggie students couldn't find it. The bear cub was successfully stolen in 1950, but the Aggie students didn't make it back to College Station without the bear destroying the car.
Some say that the bear was turned loose in the countryside outside of Waco. Some say that the bear cub died from injury. Some say it was never caught. Four years later, Aggies once again stole a different bear cub, but were smart enough to put it on a flatbed trailer.
The bear and trailer were found under a bridge on the way to College Station. Baylor ended its tradition of the live mascot on the sidelines in 2003.
Former U.S. congressman Tom DeLay was expelled from Baylor for taking part in painting one of A&M's buildings green during rivalry week.
7. Keystone Classic - Pittsburgh vs. Penn State
Penn State leads 53-43-4. Last played: 2019
These teams have played 100 times since 1893. Penn State hasn't played anyone else more. Pitt has, but that's another rivalry on this list. This was once considered the best rivalry north of the Mason-Dixon line (sorry, Ohio State-Michigan) and was the big game annually for both programs.
Want to hear something crazy?
Penn State-Pitt-West Virginia used to play in a 3 way rivalry for the Old Ironsides Trophy.
Then one day Penn State LOST THE TROPHY, which contributed to the decline of the rivalry.
College football has been robbed of a great, unique tradition. pic.twitter.com/Wv1VKKZtiy
— The 4 Horsemen Podcast (@HorsemenPod) May 11, 2024
From 1904 to 1984, Pitt, Penn State, and West Virginia played a round robin every season for the Old Ironsides Trophy. Penn State "lost" the trophy in 1984 when it was supposed to turn it over to West Virginia. There has been no trace of the trophy in 42 years.
Starting in 2000, Penn State wanted an unbalanced number of home games in the series, resulting in Pitt telling it to get lost. Penn State's reasoning for this was that only 23 of the prior 96 games had been played in Happy Valley.
There was a four-game renewal from 2016-19, but Penn State refused an offer for another four-game series starting in 2026. Penn State won 10 of the last 12 meetings of the series.
6. Bedlam - Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma leads 91-20-7. Last played: 2023
Oklahoma's departure for the SEC at the end of the 2023 season left this rivalry series in limbo, and Oklahoma State has little interest in reviving it. This series was played every season from 1910 to 2023 without interruption, even though the schools were in separate conferences for 40 of those seasons.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the earliest this series could possibly resume would be 2031. As of now, there is no agreement among the schools to resume the series, and the reception has been lackluster on at least one end.
As far as the fans go, it seems like we are the only ones who really want this to happen. While the rivalry is historically one-sided (Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders never beat Oklahoma), the games are usually close.
Oklahoma State cost the Sooners a shot at the title in 2001 and 2002. Nine of Oklahoma State's 20 wins in the series are in the last 30 years.
5. Border War - Kansas vs. Missouri
Missouri leads 57-55-9 (maybe). Last played: 2025
Border War
Missouri-kansasTrophy: Indian War Drum
Mizzou leads 57-54-9
•Was the second-most-played FBS rivalry when the series ended in 2011
•The tradition of “homecoming” originates from the 1911 matchup in Columbia
(1/4) pic.twitter.com/MATQjEkd3L
— TrueZOU (@TrueZOU1839) June 10, 2024
This was the second-most-played game in college football history when Missouri joined the SEC in 2012, with 120 meetings. The Border War was played for the first time in 14 years last season, and it was as spirited as ever.
The teams started the series in 1891 and missed only one season until 2011 (1918 due to World War I). This series is so old that Civil War veterans who fought on opposite sides of the war were on the sidelines when the game was played.
They often got into as many scuffles as the players on the field. These teams played for the Indian War Drum. The trophy was lost in the early 1980s, but the Taos Indians of New Mexico built a new one.
The original was located in a basement at Read Hall on the Missouri campus many years later. It now resides in the College Football Hall of Fame.
This was always a heated rivalry, and as is true in any real rivalry, the schools can't agree on wins and losses. The point of contention is the 1960 meeting. Missouri said Kansas had an ineligible player. Kansas still disagrees.
Missouri was ranked No. 1 entering the game, but was beaten by the Jayhawks 23-7. Kansas became the first team in college football history to face three No. 1 teams in the same season. Kansas player Bert Coan had transferred in from TCU after the 1959 season.
He allegedly transferred because of a disagreement with TCU's trainer, but after an investigation, it was determined that Kansas donor (and AFL co-founder) Bud Adams flew Coan from his home in Texas to a football All-Star game in Chicago in the summer of 1959.
65 years ago today, University of Kansas Football and Basketball were handed postseason bans stemming from an NCAA violation case involving boosters providing benefits to and tampering with star Football transfer Bert Coan, as well as providing Wilt Chamberlain a free car. pic.twitter.com/xtwvM7c8OW
— NIL 𝘯𝘰𝘵 NLI (@NILnotNLI) October 26, 2025
Adams and Coan denied any wrongdoing, but the Big Eight ruled Coan ineligible and retroactively awarded the win to Missouri. That sent the Tigers to the 1961 Sugar Bowl instead of Kansas.
In 2007, 47 years after the controversy, Coan admitted that he was illegally recruited by Adams, and it affected his decision to transfer.
4. Notre Dame vs. USC
Notre Dame leads 51-37-5. Last played: 2025
The teams first played in 1926, and the only interruptions in the series were from 1943 to 1945 for World War II and in 2020 due to COVID. Now, it ends because neither side could agree on when to play the game.
Unreasonable demands were made by USC, so Notre Dame scheduled BYU instead in 2026. This was a very heated rivalry thanks to the schools winning a combined 22 national championships and 15 Heisman Trophies.
89 College Football Hall of Famers and 26 Pro Football Hall of Famers played in this rivalry. This has one of the strangest beginnings to an annual series in college football ... if you believe it.
The story goes that USC was looking for a nationally prominent opponent. USC sent athletic director Gwynn Wilson and his wife to Lincoln, where Notre Dame was playing Nebraska on Thanksgiving Day.
The idea was pitched to Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne after Notre Dame's loss, and he resisted the idea because of the travel involved. While Rockne was talking with Wilson, Wilson's wife convinced Mrs. Rockne that a trip to sunny Los Angeles once every two years was better than a trip to snowy Nebraska.
The series was agreed upon shortly afterward. The "wives' tale" is commonly accepted, but most historians now dispute it. The real reason is that Notre Dame was looking to play in the Rose Bowl, but Stanford and Cal refused to play them because of the "low scholastic standards."
USC reached out, proposing that the Irish play the Trojans instead. Even in the 1920s, Notre Dame had a large alumni base on the West Coast and assisted in coaxing the university into accepting the proposal.
For those asking, USC-Notre Dame has been played at a neutral site twice, in 1927 and 1930 at Soldier Field. It is absolutely insane how big Soldier Field used to be. People estimate 120,000 were at this game.
Credit to: @OneFootDown https://t.co/1RKB2hHqkV https://t.co/btouRnW1pw pic.twitter.com/XkhxxPizoR
— The Burger Pauper (@OmarRashonBorja) September 24, 2025
The second game of the series, held in Chicago's Soldier Field, attracted some 120,000 spectators. That's considered the largest attendance for a college football game. That established this rivalry as a big game.
USC's 1931 win from down 14-0 was called "the biggest upset since Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over that lantern" by USC, and clinched USC's second national title.
Between 1960 and 1982, Notre Dame and USC won a combined eight national titles, and the game was almost always the key to the title.
3. Backyard Brawl - West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh leads 63-42-3. Last played: 2025
A brief hiatus for World War II was the only interruption in this series from 1919 until the Big East folded in 2011. West Virginia went to the Big 12, and Pitt went to the ACC, thereby ending the seasonal rivalry.
Pitt had stretches of dominance, most notably in the 1930s and 1970s, but West Virginia has been the bully of late. The Mountaineers have won nine of the last 13 meetings.
The schools renewed the rivalry from 2022 to 2025, and it was just as heated as before it went on hold. There is another four-year renewal of the series starting in 2029.
The Game That Altered College Football History:
West Virginia was #2 going into the final regular season game, needing a HOME win vs (4-7) Pitt to secure a spot in the National Championship.
WVU missed 2 FGs in the 1st Quarter.
The rest is history.
— College Football Report (@CFBReport) July 13, 2024
The 100th meeting of the Backyard Brawl in 2007 was the most famous one of the series. West Virginia entered the game ranked second in the BCS rankings. A win all but assured the Mountaineers a berth in the National Championship Game.
A 4-7 Pittsburgh team won the game 13-9. Rich Rodriguez (who is now back in Morgantown) left for Michigan after the game.
The 2022 meeting -- the first game in 11 years in the series -- set a Pittsburgh city record for attendance at a sporting event. This is one of the few rivalries on this list that still has a hope of getting the series back every season.
2. Florida vs. Miami (FL)
Miami leads 31-27. Last played: 2025
These teams played every year except 1944 between the start of the series in 1938 and 1987, when Florida elected to keep Florida State as a yearly rival instead of Miami. Miami's official stance is that the Hurricanes were becoming too good at football, so Florida dodged them.
That's partially true. The real reason is that the SEC went to seven conference games in 1988, meaning that in some seasons, Florida would only have three conference home games. It needed six home games at the time to still receive funding from the athletic department.
Since there were only 11 games in a college football season, it couldn't risk having both Florida State and Miami as away games in any given year. So yes, Florida had a choice, and it chose Florida State.
⭐️Fun Fact Friday⭐️
Miami/Florida used to play for the Seminole War Canoe Trophy. It’s an authentic Seminole war canoe, carved from a 200-year-old Everglades cypress tree felled by lightning. The trophy has not been given out since 1987. The Gators & Hurricanes play this weekend pic.twitter.com/SU7f9o85Bd
— Pypeline (@Pypeline_) September 19, 2025
In retaliation, Miami kept the traveling trophy, the Seminole War Canoe, and has refused to relinquish it in the two losses since the end of the rivalry series.
Steve Spurrier wanted to get this back to an annual rivalry when he was hired in 1990, but the SEC raised the number of conference games to eight and added a conference championship game, so Florida was forced to back out.
You can blame the SEC more for killing this rivalry than Florida, though it may be on again if Miami joins the SEC, which is not as far-fetched as you may think. As for the games, they were just as heated as you think.
The 1971 game is still infamous for the "Gator Flop," in which all 11 defenders flopped in unison to let John Hornibrook score a touchdown to get Florida the ball back.
Florida quarterback John Reaves needed 14 yards to break Jim Plunkett's all-time passing yards record, but threw an interception with little time left in the game. Florida used its timeouts to prevent Miami from running out the clock, then flopped to let Hornibrook score. Reaves completed a 15-yard pass to break the record as time expired.
In 1980, Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger called a timeout to kick a 25-yard field goal on the final play despite leading 28-7. He did so in response to Florida fans pelting Miami players with oranges. Urban Meyer returned the favor in the 2008 renewal of the rivalry. Miami fans accused him of kicking the field goal to cover the 22-point spread.
The teams have only played four times since that game, and nine times since 1987. The home-and-home expired last season, and there are no plans for another renewal.
1. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Oklahoma leads 47-38-3. Last played: 2022
This was arguably the best rivalry in college football when the Big 12 killed it with divisions and refused to protect it. These teams played every year from 1922 to 1997. Texas vs. Oklahoma is a tradition for the Texas State Fair. This was the Thanksgiving weekend game.
The two teams met with both ranked in the top 10 18 times. Nine times, both teams were ranked in the AP top five. Oklahoma went 6-3 in those games. They also met twice as the top-two-ranked teams in the AP and twice as the top-two-ranked BCS teams.
38 years ago today: No. 2 OU beat No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln, 17-7.
Nebraska QB Steve Taylor said before the game: “The flat out truth is OU can’t play with us. The Sooners aren’t good enough. Let me tell you. It might not even be close. And I mean that.”
He was wrong. OU rolled… pic.twitter.com/oOvhEaNhI3
— The REF (@KREFsports) November 21, 2025
Oklahoma won 16 straight games between 1943 and 1958. The 1959 win for Nebraska ended Oklahoma's record of 74 consecutive conference wins. This series became heated when Bob Devaney turned Nebraska into a national power.
It came to a boil under Tom Osborne and Barry Switzer, both of whom were made head coaches in 1973. Switzer won 13 of the 18 meetings between the two, coining the term "Sooner Magic" for Oklahoma's success in what was often the biggest game of the year.
Nebraska hired two former Bud Wilkinson coaches who brought the Oklahoma offense to Nebraska in the late 1950s. Bill Jennings, who won the 1959 game against his alma mater, was later ostracized in Norman and run out of his hometown for his role in a scandal that eventually ended with Wilkinson's resignation.
Jennings was eventually cleared of all wrongdoing, but the damage was done. He never returned home, but he did install the offense that Bob Devaney used to make this into a yearly must-watch game.
The 1971 meeting is often considered the best college football game ever. The teams have only met 12 times since 1997, with Oklahoma winning seven of the last eight games.
I was at the only loss, the last scheduled conference game between the two in 2009. Ndamukong Suh demolished Oklahoma by himself in that game.
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