Best College Football Rivalry Games

Army vs. Navy

Played every year since 1890 with the entire brigade and corps standing for all 60 minutes, this is the rivalry where records don't matter and country does. The 1963 game, played six days after JFK's assassination at his request, remains the sport's most poignant showdown. No oth

First Played: 1890Games Played: 124Trophy/Nickname: Commander-in-Chief's TrophyRivalry Intensity: 10/10

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Ohio State vs. Michigan (The Game)

Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler turned a border squabble into the sport's benchmark rivalry during the '10 Year War,' and it hasn't cooled since. The 2006 'Game of the Century,' the brutal 2021-2023 brawls, and Jim Harbaugh's constant needling have kept it the most-watched regula

First Played: 1897Games Played: 120Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 10/10

added by IJR

Alabama vs. Auburn (Iron Bowl)

An in-state feud so bitter it was suspended for over 40 years in the early 1900s before resuming in 1948, and it's been civil war ever since. Auburn's 2013 'Kick Six'—a blocked field goal returned 109 yards on the final play to end Alabama's national title defense—is the single m

First Played: 1893Games Played: 88Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 9.8/10

added by IJR

Texas vs. Oklahoma (Red River Rivalry)

Played annually at the Texas State Fair in a stadium split exactly down the 50-yard line, this is neutral-site chaos at its finest. The 2003 game where Oklahoma throttled #1 Texas 65-13 remains a program-defining humiliation, and the Golden Hat trophy has been fought over since 1

First Played: 1900Games Played: 118Trophy/Nickname: Golden HatRivalry Intensity: 9.5/10

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Florida vs. Georgia (World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party)

Long housed in Jacksonville as a neutral-site spectacle, this SEC East showdown has decided conference titles more often than almost any other rivalry. The nickname itself, born from the tailgate culture surrounding the game, tells you everything about the stakes and the party. H

First Played: 1904Games Played: 100Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 9.3/10

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USC vs. UCLA

Two programs sharing the same city and often the same recruiting board, this rivalry has decided Rose Bowl berths and Heisman races for nearly a century. The Victory Bell, stolen back and forth in a 1940s prank war, now travels to whoever wins. With both schools now in the Big Te

First Played: 1929Games Played: 93Trophy/Nickname: Victory BellRivalry Intensity: 9/10

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Harvard vs. Yale (The Game)

The oldest and most traditional rivalry in the sport, dating to 1875 and predating the forward pass entirely. It's less about national title implications and more about Ivy League pride, tailgate tradition, and the sheer weight of history—this is the game college football rivalri

First Played: 1875Games Played: 137Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8.8/10

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Florida vs. Florida State

A relatively young rivalry by sport standards but instantly one of the fiercest once Bobby Bowden built FSU into a power in the 1980s. Steve Spurrier's constant trash talk as Florida's coach turned this into personal warfare, and the 1996 'Choke at Doak' rematch for the national

First Played: 1958Games Played: 66Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 9/10

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Miami vs. Florida State

Two swagger-heavy programs that traded national championships throughout the late '80s and '90s, producing an absurd run of Heisman winners and future NFL stars on both sidelines. Wide Right I and Wide Right II—missed FSU field goals that saved Miami's title hopes in 1991 and 199

First Played: 1951Games Played: 65Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8.5/10

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Oregon vs. Oregon State (Civil War)

The Pacific Northwest's marquee rivalry, played every year since 1894 regardless of either team's record, because pride alone fuels it. The 2000s saw both programs peak simultaneously, turning the annual finale into a de facto conference title eliminator more than once. Realignme

First Played: 1894Games Played: 127Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8/10

added by IJR

Clemson vs. South Carolina

An in-state rivalry so heated that pregame brawls have broken out on multiple occasions, most notoriously the 2004 bench-clearing fight that got both teams banned from bowl games. Clemson's dominant 2010s dynasty run only sharpened the Gamecocks' hunger for the upset. Tailgates s

First Played: 1896Games Played: 121Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8.2/10

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Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate)

The nickname says it all—this is one of the sport's most unapologetically bitter rivalries, dating back to 1893. The 1978 'Big Chicken' incident and decades of coaching feuds between Vince Dooley and Bobby Ross kept tempers boiling. Georgia's ascension into a modern dynasty has o

First Played: 1893Games Played: 117Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8/10

added by IJR

Tennessee vs. Alabama (Third Saturday in October)

Once the SEC's marquee October date, this rivalry peaked when both programs were perennial national title contenders under Bear Bryant, Johnny Majors, and later Nick Saban. Tennessee's 15-year losing streak from 2006-2019 made every eventual Volunteer win feel like a program-alte

First Played: 1901Games Played: 104Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8.3/10

added by IJR

Stanford vs. Cal (Big Game)

Home to 'The Play'—the unforgettable 1982 five-lateral kickoff return through the Stanford band on the field that still gets replayed every year. Beyond the axe trophy and Bay Area bragging rights, this rivalry carries an academic rivalry subtext unlike almost anywhere else in th

First Played: 1892Games Played: 125Trophy/Nickname: Stanford AxeRivalry Intensity: 7.8/10

added by IJR

West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh (Backyard Brawl)

A blue-collar, physical rivalry rooted in Appalachian pride that went dormant for over a decade after Big East realignment before roaring back in 2022. The hatred never faded during the hiatus—fans kept the trash talk alive online for years waiting for a resumption. Few rivalries

First Played: 1895Games Played: 104Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 7.7/10

added by IJR

Kansas vs. Missouri (Border War)

Rooted in actual pre-Civil War border conflict between Kansas and Missouri, this rivalry carries more historical weight than almost any other on the list, even if the football itself has been uneven. Conference realignment paused the series for over a decade after Missouri left f

First Played: 1891Games Played: 120Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 7.5/10

added by IJR

Texas A&M vs. Texas (Lone Star Showdown)

Once an annual Thanksgiving tradition and one of the state's fiercest rivalries, this series went dark for 12 years after A&M's 2012 move to the SEC, denying fans a rivalry many considered non-negotiable. Its 2024 revival as a marquee SEC crossover instantly reignited old grudges

First Played: 1894Games Played: 118Trophy/Nickname: —Rivalry Intensity: 8/10

added by IJR

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (Paul Bunyan's Axe)

The most-played FBS rivalry in history, contested since 1890 for a giant wooden axe awarded to the winner each year. It rarely carries national title stakes, but the trophy tradition and sheer longevity make it a Big Ten institution. Wisconsin's long recent stranglehold on the ax

First Played: 1890Games Played: 133Trophy/Nickname: Paul Bunyan's AxeRivalry Intensity: 7/10

added by IJR