Top 15 college football rivalries

Icon Sportswire // Getty Images What makes for a great college football rivalry? Three main ingredients can be found consistently across some of the greatest competitions: First, it helps when the rival is geographically close. When schools are within the same state or a neighboring state, fans of both schools live close enough to feed a  long-lasting competition yearlong–plus they can drive to the game every season. Second, the teams need to be closely matched as competitors; no one wants to watch a game when the outcome is always a foregone conclusion. Third, a rivalry needs plenty of lore and storied history–the longer, the better. The 15 football rivalries featured here check all of those boxes and more. To celebrate school spirit, Best Universities compiled a list of the most evenly matched, long-running college football rivalries in the U.S., using data from Stathead. Rivalries were ranked based on how closely each team’s total wins compare in a given rivalry. Only rivalries with at least 90 games played were considered. Additionally, due to limitations of the dataset, only games where at least one team was counted as a “major school” (equivalent to the current Division I Football Bowl Subdivision) were included, so records may not match all-time totals calculated elsewhere. Most of these 15 rivalries date back not one but two centuries ago–to the 1890s. Fans buy tickets and mark their calendars months ahead and regard the “big game” between their alma mater and its archrival as one of the highlights of the season every year. #15. Iowa|Minnesota Icon Sportswire // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Oct. 26, 1901 – Games played: 114 – Series record: Iowa leads 61-51-2 – Difference: 10 games (8.8%) This rivalry really heated up in 1935 when the Minnesota and Iowa governors waged a bet on the game with a prize hog on the line. Minnesota won the hog, but beginning in 1936 a bronze hog trophy (called “Floyd of Rosedale”) has gone to the winner every year since. At the height of the rivalry in 1960, both teams were undefeated when they met with the Big 10 Championship and a Rose Bowl berth at stake. Minnesota won that one too, but Iowa still boasts a decisive edge in the series’ long history. #14. Oregon|Oregon State Steve Dykes // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Nov. 25, 1916 – Games played: 105 – Series record: Oregon leads 54-45-6 – Difference: 9 games (8.6%) This natural rivalry between Oregon’s two biggest schools, located only 50 miles apart, was called “The Civil War” for decades before the term was officially scrapped in 2020 due to its perceived associations with slavery. The financial support of Nike, whose co-founder Phil Knight was a University of Oregon track star, has favored the Ducks in recent decades, as they’ve won 12 of the last 15 showdowns. Despite the Ducks’ dominance and the removal of the game’s nickname, however, the Thanksgiving weekend classic is still a season highlight for both teams. #13. Red River Showdown: Oklahoma|Texas Tim Warner // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Oct. 4, 1902 – Games played: 114 – Series record: Oklahoma leads 59-50-5 – Difference: 9 games (7.9%) Texans outnumber Oklahomans by a ratio of nearly 8-to-1 and outnumber their neighboring state in major professional teams by 8-to-none. But residents of the Sooner State have the edge in one department: The Oklahoma Sooners have beaten the Texas Longhorns more often at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl, where the game is played. The “Showdown” will continue even after the two teams’ impending switch from the Big 12 to the SEC. #12. Rice|Southern Methodist Bob Levey // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Nov. 17, 1916 – Games played: 90 – Series record: Rice leads 48-41-1 – Difference: 4 games (7.8%) This was always a big game because Rice University and Southern Methodist University are the two leading private universities in Texas, and they’re in the state’s two biggest cities. But Rice (Houston) and SMU (Dallas) haven’t met since 2012 because SMU moved to a different conference. Although SMU won more games, Rice won the last one in 2012 (36-14) as well as the first (an unbelievable 127-3 blowout). #11. Revivalry: Baylor|Texas Christian Layne Murdoch // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Oct. 3, 1903 – Games played: 111 – Series record: Baylor leads 57-53-7 – Difference: 7 games (7.2%) Texas is so big that 90 miles is just a hop down the road, a distance fans of Fort Worth’s Texas Christian Horned Frogs and Waco’s Baylor Bears drive every year for their annual showdown. Baylor won or tied the first 10 straight games, but TCU has been the dominant team in recent years, winning six of the last seven games. The lowest-scoring game was their very first one in 1899, a 0-0 tie. The highest-scoring game was a 61-58 thriller that Baylor won at home in 2014. #10. Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry: Auburn|Georgia Mike Zarrilli // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Nov. 27, 1902 – Games played: 118 – Series record: Auburn leads 60-52-6 – Difference: 8 games (6.8%) Southerners love their football–high school, pro, and especially college–so this annual matchup is treasured. Although the Georgia Bulldogs have won 13 of the last 17, there have been some nail-biters–none as stirring as the 56-49 Georgia win in 1996, marking the 100th meeting of the two teams and the first overtime game in SEC history, a game that actually required four overtime periods before the Southern dust settled. #9. America’s Game: Army|Navy Game Icon Sportswire // Getty Images – First game at major college level: Nov. 28, 1891 – Games played: 121 – Series record: Army leads 61-53-7 – Difference: 8 games (6.6%) Patriotism is on full display at this game, arguably the most storied rivalry of them all. The contest for military-branch bragging rights annually matches the U.S. Military Academy Black Knights (West Point, New York) and the Navy Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland). As “America’s Game,” it’s been played at 18 different stadiums, but most often in Philadelphia, including this year’s game (Dec. 10). The next five will be played in five different East Coast cities. #8. Border War: Colorado State|Wyoming