Editor’s note: This article is part of our Bragging Rights series, exploring rivalries that form the backbone of college football throughout the 2026 season.
Pam Beesly is Texas. Roy Anderson is Texas A&M. Jim Halpert is Oklahoma.
Pam and Roy have been together and are comfortable together. That they belong together is obvious, at least to Roy. But Jim has more to offer and is ultimately impossible to resist. This love triangle from “The Office” helps illustrate a common college football rivalry dynamic — the hate triangle.
Texas is everything to Texas A&M. It represents the biggest possible win and worst possible loss on the schedule, now that they’re playing again after a 13-year break (the one good thing about the latest realignment shift). But ask Texas fans, and you will hear more often than not: “Oklahoma is our biggest rival.”
It’s the biggest possible win on an annual basis, no doubt. Worst possible defeat? In reality, the in-state relationship makes a loss to the Aggies less tolerable than one to the Sooners. Miserably intolerable.
How does that apply to mockumentary sitcom romances of the 2000s? Maybe it’s like Pam being more willing to overlook a Jim mistake than a Roy mistake. Or maybe that analogy has reached its limit.
In this attempt to identify each Power 4 college football team’s biggest rival, we lean heavily on Scott Dochterman’s 2025 list of the sport’s 100 greatest rivalries, but we also have some split win/loss answers.
They almost always involve a high-profile team that has another high-profile rival across state lines, but must deal with a lesser in-state program that can make life hell for a year by pulling an upset.
Equal partnerships
Auburn-Alabama: This has a case as the king of rivalries exactly because these people can’t get away from each other, ever. It’s also been quite lopsided of late — Bama’s got six straight and 14 of 18 to stretch its series lead to 52-37-1.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 2
Army-Navy: It’s not Power 4, but it must be mentioned because it also might be the greatest of all. The pride in singing second, and the disappointment in singing first, simply make this different.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 4
Minnesota-Wisconsin: There may be no better rivalry reward than Paul Bunyan’s Axe. There’s absolutely no better trophy history in a series, considering these two played for the “Slab of Bacon” before it was lost in the 1940s.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 10
What rivalry games should teams wear their home colors?
Ralph D. Russo
Kansas-Missouri: This ignores the in-state bitterness of Kansas vs. Kansas State, but I’ve reached out to a fan in the know on this (as with many of these) and have been assured Missouri and the Border War is the clear No. 1.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 19
Ole Miss-Mississippi State: The “Egg Bowl” is a Thanksgiving weekend staple, at times accompanied by extra fixings.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 23
Clemson-South Carolina: The “Palmetto Bowl” has been dominated by Clemson historically, but South Carolina has had some good stretches in the 21st century.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 24
Pittsburgh-West Virginia: If you’ve got a nickname, you’re legit. “Backyard Brawl” comes with some of the nastiest fan behavior you’ll find anywhere.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 26
Utah-BYU: “Holy War” is surprisingly lopsided in Utah’s favor (59-35-4) given BYU’s high profile since the 1980s. The current era is the best it’s been.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 28
Stanford-Cal: The Stanford people are still mad about how the 1982 game ended. Not saying they shouldn’t be, just saying, “The Play” from “The Big Game” says it all.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 29
Iowa-Iowa State: This is a really hard one that almost qualified for the hate triangle, because Iowa may hate Nebraska the most now and might value wins over Wisconsin more. But when in doubt, in-state is usually the answer.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 32
TCU-Baylor: The most-played rivalry in the history of the state of Texas, it didn’t mean much to non-Texans before the 21st century. But it’s all grown up now.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 35
Indiana-Purdue: Indiana has obviously moved on to bigger things, and at some point soon we may be talking about IU-Ohio State or IU-Oregon as a rivalry on the rise, while Purdue lies in wait to spring occasional upsets. But for now, the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket — which Purdue leads 77-44-6 — prevails.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 49
Arizona-Arizona State: Did you know the Territorial Cup is the oldest traveling rivalry trophy in the sport? Unless you’re a fan of one of these teams, you probably learned that by reading this.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 54
North Carolina-NC State: It’s a tough call on Tobacco Road, where basketball comes first. Despite the greatness of UNC-Duke on the hardwood, football passions peak with this one.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 57
Illinois-Northwestern: Does this get people excited? Not necessarily. Illinois aspires for more. But it’s Chicago’s Big Ten team against a team that needs recruiting success in Chicago to be at its best.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 70
Virginia-Virginia Tech: It has not been especially competitive since Frank Beamer turned Virginia Tech into a national power — UVA has three wins since 1998 — but it’s got a nice, chippy, ag school vs. elitists vibe.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 78
Kentucky-Louisville: Unlike Duke and North Carolina, this hoops-first rivalry also matters most on the gridiron. If we’re being real, there’s a lack of options here for both.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 79
Cincinnati-Miami (Ohio): We can’t do this list without a dose of MACtion, and Cincinnati and longtime rival Miami can’t stop playing after this season. Or at least they shouldn’t. Figure it out, folks.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 83
Colorado-Colorado State: Now that Nebraska is no longer a thing for the Buffs, and with nothing consistently special emerging in the Big 12, it’s about taking care of home.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 91
UCF-USF: Orlando vs. Tampa, baby! It’s new, with UCF joining the FBS in 1996 and USF starting its program in 1997, and the future is uncertain. But the “War on I-4” has been intense on and off the field, and these two need to figure out a resumption.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 97
Maryland-Rutgers: What else to do with these two? The Big Ten has protected this as an annual rivalry, for what it’s worth. They are joined in mutual indifference.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: Not even close
Complicated relationships
Michigan-Ohio State/Michigan State: For Ohio State, it’s simple. It’s Michigan. For Michigan, a loss to the Spartans is the worst-case football scenario. That has a case as the ugliest of rivalries. Michigan hasn’t fallen since 2021, after a stretch of 10 MSU wins in 14 years.
The Athletic rivalry rankings: Ohio State-Michigan 1, Michigan-Michigan State 16
Texas-Oklahoma/Texas A&M/Oklahoma State: By the way, Texas isn’t the only “Red River Rivalry” school with an in-state foe that represents an unbearable loss. So this is actually a hate box? And Oklahoma State is Dwight Schrute?
The Athletic rivalry rankings: Texas-Oklahoma 3, Texas-Texas A&M 15, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State 25
Texas fans might consider Oklahoma to be a bigger rival, but losing to in-state rival Texas A&M is more painful. (Scott Wachter / Imagn Images)
USC-Notre Dame/UCLA: Thankfully, USC and Notre Dame will resume their series. The Bruins have figured out a way to beat the Trojans six of the past 14 meetings, which might surprise some. That’s not acceptable on USC’s side of town.
The Athletic rivalry rankings: USC-Notre Dame 5, USC-UCLA 14
Tennessee-Alabama/Vanderbilt: For the record, Nick Saban once tweaked Toomer’s Corner by claiming he considered Tennessee a bigger rival than Auburn. The third Saturday in October is special and gets Vols fans going like no other Saturday. But there’s no shame in watching the other side smoke cigars. There’s great shame in losing to Vanderbilt — it’s happened six times since 2011, after happening once between 1976-2004.
The Athletic rivalry rankings: Tennessee-Alabama 11, Tennessee-Vanderbilt 80
Oregon-Washington/Oregon State/Washington State: Here we are again with a marquee rivalry that is the must-win for both programs involved, and their must-not-lose games within state lines. The “Apple Cup” and “Civil War” will continue to be played, with some breaks. Resources would suggest they’ll be competitive less and less.
The Athletic rivalry rankings: Oregon-Washington 21, Oregon-Oregon State 27, Washington-Washington State 30
Florida-Georgia/Florida State/Georgia Tech … but also, Miami (Fla.): OK, try to follow along on what we’ll call a pentagon of peeved. Georgia and Florida State are too close to call as Florida’s main rival. Meanwhile, Florida is the game Georgia wants to win. But Georgia Tech is the one it can’t lose. Also, Miami and Florida are too close to call as Florida State’s main rival. Just keep playing all these games, please.
The Athletic rivalry rankings: Miami-Florida State 7, Florida-Florida State 9, Florida-Georgia 12, Georgia-Georgia Tech 31
Unrequited loathing
Penn State: Ohio State has to be it. They’ve had lots of big games, mostly won by Ohio State. Which hurts because Ohio State mostly cares about Michigan.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 8
LSU: Like Penn State, LSU is too strong a program to be left to the dating apps. But that’s how it goes sometimes. Alabama is the clear answer in this era, and those two have had some doozies.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 13
Nebraska: It should be Oklahoma, and the loss of that as one of the great annual games in college football is one of the worst things about the mangling of the conferences. That and Nebraska’s fade as a program leaves the Huskers hungering for a win over Iowa at the end of each regular season.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 44
SMU: TCU is the clear answer. They battle for Dallas-Fort Worth hearts and minds. Is it disrespecting SMU to count Baylor as TCU’s main rival? Possibly. That was a tough call.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 46
Arkansas: LSU is the one. And it wasn’t long ago that this was one of the SEC’s must-see matchups. This has been annual since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992, but the question now is whether Arkansas (1-9 in the last 10) can get back into LSU’s league.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 48
Kansas State: Let’s call it Kansas, even if Kansas has more bitterness for Missouri. For the record, Kansas leads the “Sunflower Showdown” 64-55-5 even though Kansas State has won 17 straight. Yes, 17 straight.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 59
Duke: Well, of course it’s North Carolina. “The Battle for the Victory Bell” is at times more than a diversion before intrasquad scrimmages.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 77
Texas Tech: Though the Red Raiders would like to get something going with Texas, Baylor is the right call here. With money mattering more than ever, the Red Raiders have zoomed past the Bears of late.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 82
Syracuse: Somehow, through all the silly conference shuffling, Syracuse and Pittsburgh have played every year since 1955. Both programs have richer histories than some may realize, too.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: 88
Boston College: “Holy War” should probably apply to a series with a longer history and more competitiveness, but BC and Notre Dame have had some classics.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: Not ranked
Houston: Houston used to dominate Texas Tech and now it’s the other way around. But that’s where the Cougars are trying to get as they approach their fourth season in the Big 12.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: Not ranked
Wake Forest: North Carolina could work for a lot of ACC programs, but Duke is the answer. The tailgates may be fancy when these proud private schools meet, but there’s no wine or cheese on the field.
The Athletic rivalry ranking: Be serious
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