Familiarity breeds contempt: 2 games Saturday are among the most-played rivalries in nation

On3 imageby:Mike Huguenin10/06/22

MikeHuguenin

Two of the nation’s oldest rivalries will be played Saturday: Auburn-Georgia and Oklahoma-Texas. The rivalries are among the 25 most-played games in FBS history; indeed, Auburn-Georgia moves into a (temporary) tie for second this weekend.

Here’s a look at the 25 most-played rivalries in the nation.

131

Minnesota-Wisconsin. They famously play for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. They meet for the 132nd time to end the regular season on November 26. The schools first met in 1890, and Wisconsin leads 62-61-8.

127

North Carolina-Virginia. They play for the 128th time on November 5. They first met in 1892, and UNC leads the series 64-58-4.

126

Auburn-Georgia. The Bulldogs and Tigers first played in 1892 and have played annually since 1944. Georgia leads 62-56-8. Arguably the most famous coach at each school went to the other: Vince Dooley is an Auburn alum and Pat Dye a Georgia alum.

Cincinnati-Miami (Ohio). The Bearcats beat the RedHawks on September 17. That gave them a 16-game winning streak in the series – and a 60-59-7 series lead. The schools first met in 1888.

Oregon-Oregon State. A lot of folks still call it “The Civil War,” though the schools discourage that. They play November 25 to close out the regular season. The first one was in 1894, and Oregon leads 67-48-10.

124

California-Stanford. They first met in 1892 and play this season on November 19; Stanford leads 65-48-11. Think of this as a “class struggle” game (as numerous rivalries are): You have the state-school folks in Berkeley against the private-school folks in Palo Alto.

123

Indiana-Purdue. This season’s meeting for the Old Oaken Bucket is November 26, the final weekend of the regular season. The schools first played in 1891, and Purdue has a commanding 75-42-6 advantage.

122

Army-Navy. They meet December 10 in Philadelphia, which is one week after the conference championship games and one week before the start of the bowls. The service academies first met in 1890, and Navy leads 62-53-7.

120

Kansas-Missouri. They first met in 1891 but haven’t met since 2011, which was the last season Mizzou was in the Big 12. Before that, the teams had met every season since 1918. Kansas leads 57-54-9.

119

Kansas-Kansas State. This season, the teams meet November 26 to close out the regular season. (Then again, in what is shaping up to be a wild season in the Big 12, maybe they meet again the next week, too, in the conference title game.) They first met in 1902 and Kansas leads 64-50-5.

118

Clemson-South Carolina. The teams first met in 1896. Starting in 1960, the teams have met on the final weekend of the regular season (except for 2020, because of COVID). Before that, the game was held on a Thursday in conjunction with the state fair, which meant it always was in Columbia. The first time the teams met at Clemson was 1960. This season’s game is November 26, and Clemson leads the series 72-42-4.

Mississippi State-Ole Miss. This season’s “Egg Bowl” will be November 24, which is Thanksgiving. As to the series record, this rivalry has both NCAA-mandated forfeits (two by Mississippi State) and vacated wins (two by Ole Miss). In terms of what actually happened on the field, Ole Miss leads 64-48-6. They first played in 1901.

Texas-Texas A&M. Another defunct rivalry. The teams haven’t met since 2011, the last season the Aggies were in the Big 12. But, hey, once the Longhorns join the SEC, this has to be an annual game again, right? They first met in 1894, and Texas owns a big lead: 76-37-5.

117

Baylor-TCU. This season’s game is November 19. TCU leads the series 57-53-7; the first meeting was in 1899.

Kansas-Nebraska. Yet another defunct rivalry. The teams haven’t met since 2010, the last season Nebraska was in the Big 12. As for whether it was a true “rivalry”? The series began in 1892 and Nebraska leads 91-23-3.

Kentucky-Tennessee. The teams meet on October 29 this season. They have met annually since 1944 and first met in 1892. The Vols own a big advantage: 82-26-9.

Michigan-Ohio State. The best college football rivalry in the nation? If this isn’t No. 1, it’s No. 2. They first played in 1897 and meet November 26 this season. The Buckeyes’ eight-game winning streak in the series was snapped last season, and Michigan leads the series 59-52-6.

Oklahoma-Texas. One of the top three “border state” rivalries, with Florida-Georgia and Michigan-Ohio State. Soon, as with Florida-Georgia, it’ll be an annual SEC rivalry. The schools first played in 1900 and Texas leads 62-50-5.

116

LSU-Mississippi State. Raise your hand if you knew LSU’s most-played opponent was Mississippi State. The Tigers won this season’s meeting on September 17 for a 77-36-3 lead. The teams first played in 1896.

Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. The “Bedlam” game is November 26 this season. Despite Oklahoma State’s win last season, this is a one-sided affair: OU leads the series 90-19-7. Oklahoma State already has said this series ends when OU heads to the SEC; the first game was in 1904.

Tennessee-Vanderbilt. This season’s game is November 26. It’s not as one-sided as “Bedlam,” but it’s close: The Vols lead the series 78-33-5. They first played in 1892.

115

Georgia-Georgia Tech. This season’s game is November 26. Georgia has won 17 of the past 20 in the series and leads 69-41-5. They first plated in 1893.

Illinois-Northwestern. They play November 26 for the “Land of Lincoln” trophy. The Illini lead 56-54-5 in a series that began in 1892.

Iowa-Minnesota. They meet November 19 for the best trophy of them all: Floyd of Rosedale. Hey, nothing says “intense rivalry” like a bronze pig. The schools first played in 1891 and Minnesota leads 62-51-2.

NC State-Wake Forest. When these schools first met in 1895, the campuses were about 20 miles apart: NC State in Raleigh and Wake Forest in Wake Forest, N.C. Wake Forest University moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1956, and the campuses now are about 105 miles apart. This season’s meeting is November 5. NCSU leads the series 67-42-6.