Greatest Sports Rivalries: College Football

In honor of today's college football rivalry day, and as I watch this Michigan vs Ohio State game, I thought I'd make a post about the best rivalries in all of sports. As an avid sports fan I love a good rivalry (or a derby as it's called in England). It's a match between two teams that have become arch-enemies throughout their history. It often brings the best (or sometimes the worst) out of the players, coaches, and fans. These match-ups are usually the most entertaining games of the season.

Rivalries often develop for various reasons throughout all sports. I believe one of the most common criteria of a good rivalry is based on geography. For example teams that are in close proximity, play in the same division, and face each other at least once a season. Another case of this would be teams that share the same city such as the Manchester Derby. Another common reason for the development of rivalries is championship caliber teams. These are the teams that often top their standings and face off against each other perhaps in the playoffs or the final match for all the marbles. An example of this type rivalry would be the famous El Classico in Spain that matches Real Madrid vs Barcelona.

Throughout history rivalries often come and go, and perhaps fizzle away due to one team dominating the other more frequently. In this post I want to highlight the greatest rivalries in my favorite sports leagues. Rather than make an all around list involving all sports together, I'd rather make a separate list in each respected league. I'm going to make separate posts on my favorite sports leagues: NCAAF, NCAAB, NFL, MLB, NBA, and European Soccer. The criteria I use for this list is history, championship caliber, and overall fame and popularity.


College Football



1. Ohio State vs Michigan ("The Game")

• Overall Record: Michigan leads 58-50-6  
• First Match-up Played: October 16th, 1897
• Total Meetings: 114
• Total National Championships for Michigan: 11
• Total National Championships for Ohio State: 8

2. Alabama vs Auburn ("Iron Bowl")

• Overall Record: Alabama leads 45-36-1
• First Match-up Played: February 22, 1942
• Total Meetings: 82
• Total National Championships for Alabama: 17
• Total National Championships for Auburn: 2

3. Army vs Navy

• Overall Record: Navy leads 60-51-7
• First Match-up Played: Nov 29th, 1890
• Total Meetings: 118
• Total National Championships for Army: 3
• Total National Championships for Navy: 1

4. Cal vs Stanford ("The Big Game")

• Overall Record: Stanford leads 63-46-11
• First Match-up Played: March 19th, 1892
• Total Meetings: 120
• Total National Championships for Cal: 5
• Total National Championships for Stanford: 2 

5. Harvard vs Yale ("The Game")

• Overall Record: Yale leads 67-60-8
• First Match-up Played: Nov 13th, 1875
• Total Meetings: 134
• Total National Championships for Harvard: 7 
• Total National Championships for Yale: 27 

6. Notre Dame vs USC 

• Overall Record: Notre Dame leads 47-37-5
• First Match-up Played: Dec 4th, 1926
• Total Meetings: 89
• Total National Championships for Notre Dame: 11 
• Total National Championships for USC: 11

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

• Overall Record: Georgia leads 51-43-2
• First Match-up Played: Nov. 6th, 1915
• Total Meetings: 96
• Total National Championships for Florida: 3
• Total National Championships for Georgia: 2  

8. Oklahoma vs Texas ("The Red River Showdown)

• Overall Record: Texas leads 62-46-5
• First Match-up Played: Oct 10, 1900
• Total Meetings: 113
• Total National Championships for Oklahoma: 7
• Total National Championships for Texas: 4

9. Michigan vs Michigan St

• Overall Record: Michigan leads 70-36-5
• First Match-up Played: October 12, 1898
• Total Meetings: 111
• Total National Championships for Michigan: 11
• Total National Championships for Michigan St: 6

10. Indiana vs Purdue ("Old Oaken Bucket")

• Overall Record: Purdue leads 75-41-6
• First Match-up Played: Nov 14, 1891
• Total Meetings: 120
• Total National Championships for Purdue: 0
• Total National Championships for Indiana: 0

Honorable Mention:

Florida State vs Miami

Utah vs BYU ("The Holy War")

Alabama vs LSU

Ole Miss vs Mississippi State ("The Egg Bowl")

Texas vs Texas State ("The Lone Star Showdown")

Wisconsin vs Minnesota ("The Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe")

Ole Miss vs LSU ("The Magnolia Bowl")

Colorado St vs Wyoming ("The Border War") 

Washington vs Washington St ("The Apple Cup")
George vs Georgia Tech
Clemson vs South Carolina