A stadium split between two fan bases in contrasting colors at dusk during a late November rivalry game.

College Football Rivalries Ranked: The 10 Biggest, With History

The biggest rivalry in college football is Michigan vs. Ohio State, known simply as The Game, first played in 1897 and contested 121 times through 2025. The rest of our top five: the Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn), the Red River Rivalry (Texas vs. Oklahoma), Army vs. Navy and Notre Dame vs. USC. The oldest rivalry in college football is Yale vs. Princeton, dating to 1873, and the most-played is Lafayette vs. Lehigh, which reached its 161st meeting in 2025.

Our ranking weighs three things: what is usually at stake (conference titles, playoff spots), how long and how often the teams have played, and how far the game reaches beyond the two fan bases. Every meeting count and first-meeting year below comes from the schools, NCAA.com or the Associated Press.

College football rivalries ranked at a glance

Rank Rivalry Teams First meeting Meetings through 2025
1 The Game Michigan vs. Ohio State 1897 121
2 Iron Bowl Alabama vs. Auburn 1893 90
3 Red River Rivalry Texas vs. Oklahoma 1900 121
4 Army-Navy Game Army vs. Navy 1890 126
5 Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh Notre Dame vs. USC 1926 96
6 Paul Bunyan's Axe Minnesota vs. Wisconsin 1890 135
7 Egg Bowl Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State 1901 122
8 Texas vs. Texas A&M Texas vs. Texas A&M 1894 120
9 The Game (Ivy League) Harvard vs. Yale 1875 141
10 The Rivalry Lafayette vs. Lehigh 1884 161

1. Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Game

Michigan vs. Ohio State is the biggest rivalry in college football because it so often decides the Big Ten and shapes the playoff. Michigan won the first meeting 34-0 in 1897, and the teams have played in the regular season finale every year since 1935 except 1942 and 2020, per Ohio State Athletics.

Ohio State won the 121st meeting 27-9 in Ann Arbor in 2025, snapping Michigan's four-game winning streak. Michigan leads the series 62-53-6 by its own count, per Michigan's postgame notes. Ohio State's official record excludes a vacated 2010 win. The 2026 game is Saturday, November 28, at noon ET at Ohio Stadium.

2. Alabama vs. Auburn: the Iron Bowl

The Iron Bowl is the most bitter in-state rivalry in the sport. Alabama and Auburn first met on February 22, 1893, at Lakeview Park in Birmingham, and Auburn won 32-22, per NCAA.com. The schools could not even agree on that first game: Alabama counted it as the last game of its 1892 season, Auburn as the first of 1893.

The name came from Auburn coach Shug Jordan in the early 1950s, a nod to Birmingham's iron industry, and the game was played annually at Birmingham's Legion Field from 1948 until 1989. Alabama won the 90th edition 27-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2025, its sixth straight win in the series, per Alabama Athletics.

3. Texas vs. Oklahoma: the Red River Rivalry

The Red River Rivalry is the best neutral-site rivalry in college football. The game has been held in Dallas every year since 1912 and at the State Fair of Texas since 1929, with the Cotton Bowl stadium splitting crimson and burnt orange at the 50-yard line, per Texas Athletics.

Texas won the first meeting 28-2 in 1900. The winner takes the Golden Hat, a gold-plated cowboy hat awarded since 1941, and the two state governors exchange the Governor's Cup. Texas beat previously unbeaten No. 6 Oklahoma 23-6 in 2025 and leads the series 65-51-5, per NCAA.com.

4. Army vs. Navy: the Army-Navy Game

The Army-Navy Game is the most meaningful rivalry in the sport, played by future officers. It started in 1890, when Navy won 24-0 at West Point. Navy beat Army 17-16 in Baltimore on December 13, 2025, in the 126th meeting, per NCAA.com. Navy leads the all-time series and holds the record streak, 14 straight wins from 2002 to 2015.

When Army and Navy have both beaten Air Force, as they had in 2025, the Army-Navy winner also takes the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, the prize among the three service academies. NCAA.com noted that 2025 was only the ninth time the trophy was on the line in this game. The 2026 game is Saturday, December 12, at MetLife Stadium, per West Point.

5. Notre Dame vs. USC: the Jeweled Shillelagh

Notre Dame vs. USC is what Notre Dame calls "the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football," a coast-to-coast series that began in 1926 when Knute Rockne's team traveled by train and won 13-12. The teams have met 96 times, with Notre Dame leading 53-38-5, and the winner takes the Jeweled Shillelagh, per Notre Dame Athletics.

The catch in 2026: the series is on pause. In December 2025 the schools announced the rivalry would pause beginning in 2026, with Notre Dame's scheduled trip to Los Angeles replaced by a deal with BYU, per FOX Sports. In August 2026 they scheduled four games from 2030 to 2033, starting on August 31, 2030, in Los Angeles, with USC visiting Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2031.

6. Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: Paul Bunyan's Axe

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin is the most-played rivalry in major college football. The 2025 game was the 135th edition, a 17-7 Minnesota win in the snow, per the Associated Press via FOX Sports.

The first game, a 63-0 Minnesota win in 1890, is written on the handle of the trophy itself. The schools originally played for the Slab of Bacon, first awarded in 1930, until it went missing in the early 1940s. In 1948 the Wisconsin W Club introduced Paul Bunyan's Axe, a six-foot trophy with every score written on the handle, per Minnesota Athletics.

7. Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State: the Egg Bowl

The Egg Bowl is Mississippi's in-state feud and one of the most-played series in the SEC. The 2025 game was the 122nd meeting and the 98th Battle for the Golden Egg, per Mississippi State Athletics. The Golden Egg trophy was introduced in 1927 after a postgame fight between the two student bodies at the 1926 game in Starkville.

The schools have met every year since 1901 except 1943, when World War II canceled the game. Since the Egg Bowl returned to campus sites in 1991, the series has been dead even: the teams split the 34 games through 2024, 17-17.

8. Texas vs. Texas A&M

Texas vs. Texas A&M is the most-played series for both schools. The teams first met in 1894, and the 2025 game in Austin was their 120th meeting, per Texas A&M Athletics. With both schools now in the SEC, the game carries conference stakes again: A&M entered the 2025 meeting trying to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

9. Harvard vs. Yale: The Game

Harvard vs. Yale is the original "The Game." The first meeting was played in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1875, a hybrid of rugby and soccer with 15 players a side, and Harvard won 4-0, per NCAA.com. Yale won the 141st meeting 45-28 in 2025 and leads the series 72-61-8.

10. Lafayette vs. Lehigh: The Rivalry

Lafayette vs. Lehigh, simply called The Rivalry, is the most-played rivalry in college football. The schools first played in 1884, and Lehigh won the 161st meeting 42-32 in 2025, per Lehigh Athletics. NCAA.com notes the only years without a game were 1896, over an eligibility dispute, and 2020, when the game moved to spring 2021.

What is the oldest rivalry in college football?

The oldest rivalry in college football is Yale vs. Princeton, first played in 1873, according to an NCAA.com list built from NCAA record books. Harvard vs. Yale (1875), Princeton vs. Penn (1876) and Princeton vs. Harvard (1877) follow. The first known college football game was played in 1869.

College football rivalry trophies

College football rivalry trophies are often stranger than the games. These are the trophies on the line in the rivalries above, with sources linked in each section.

Trophy Rivalry Awarded since
Golden Hat Texas vs. Oklahoma 1941
Golden Egg Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State 1927
Paul Bunyan's Axe Minnesota vs. Wisconsin 1948 (Slab of Bacon from 1930)
Jeweled Shillelagh Notre Dame vs. USC Series paused from 2026; next game scheduled for 2030
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy Army, Navy and Air Force Contested among the three service academies

Rivalry games often decide who reaches the conference title games and, from there, the playoff. Our guide to the College Football Playoff format explains how those results feed the 12-team bracket, and our college football overtime rules guide covers what happens when a rivalry game is tied after four quarters.

Pick a side for rivalry week

Rivalry week is when every jersey in the stadium means something. Our college football jerseys page covers both sides of the biggest games, including the Ohio State Buckeyes Caleb Downs jersey, the Michigan Wolverines Tom Brady jersey and the Auburn Tigers Bo Jackson jersey.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest rivalry in college football?

Michigan vs. Ohio State, known as The Game, is widely considered the biggest rivalry in college football. The teams first met in 1897 and have played 121 times through 2025. Since 1935 it has been the regular season finale in every year but two. Michigan leads the series by its own count, 62-53-6.

What is the oldest college football rivalry?

Yale vs. Princeton is the oldest rivalry in college football, first played in 1873, according to NCAA record books. Harvard vs. Yale followed in 1875. The most-played rivalry is Lafayette vs. Lehigh, which began in 1884 and reached its 161st meeting in 2025. In the FBS, Minnesota vs. Wisconsin is the most-played rivalry.

What is the most-played rivalry in college football?

Lafayette vs. Lehigh, known as The Rivalry, is the most-played rivalry in college football, with 161 meetings since 1884. In major college football, the most-played rivalry is Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, which reached its 135th meeting in 2025. The winner of that game takes home Paul Bunyan's Axe.

When is college football rivalry week in 2026?

Rivalry week is traditionally Thanksgiving weekend, which in 2026 ends with Saturday, November 28. That is the date of Michigan at Ohio State, with a noon ET kickoff at Ohio Stadium. The Army-Navy Game comes later, on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Are Notre Dame and USC playing in 2026?

No. Notre Dame and USC announced in December 2025 that the rivalry would pause beginning in 2026, and Notre Dame's 2026 trip to Los Angeles was replaced by a game with BYU. The next scheduled meeting is August 31, 2030, in Los Angeles, with USC visiting Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2031.

Sources

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