{"id":1017050,"date":"2026-08-22T12:55:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T12:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1017050\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T12:55:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T12:55:23","slug":"whos-your-real-rival-college-football-has-a-lot-of-love-well-hate-triangles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1017050\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s your real rival? College football has a lot of love (well, hate) triangles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> This article is part of our Bragging Rights<\/a> series, exploring rivalries that form the backbone of college football throughout the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

Pam Beesly is Texas. Roy Anderson is Texas A&M. Jim Halpert is Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cThe Office\u201d helps illustrate a common college football rivalry dynamic \u2014 the hate triangle.<\/p>\n

Texas is everything to Texas A&M. It represents the biggest possible win and worst possible loss on the schedule, now that they\u2019re 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: \u201cOklahoma is our biggest rival.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

How does that apply to mockumentary sitcom romances of the 2000s? Maybe it\u2019s like Pam being more willing to overlook a Jim mistake than a Roy mistake. Or maybe that analogy has reached its limit.<\/p>\n

In this attempt to identify each Power 4 college football team\u2019s biggest rival, we lean heavily on Scott Dochterman\u2019s 2025 list of the sport\u2019s 100 greatest rivalries<\/a>, but we also have some split win\/loss answers.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Equal partnerships<\/p>\n

Auburn-Alabama:<\/strong> This has a case as the king of rivalries exactly because these people can\u2019t get away from each other, ever. It\u2019s also been quite lopsided of late \u2014 Bama\u2019s got six straight and 14 of 18 to stretch its series lead to 52-37-1.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking:<\/a> 2<\/p>\n

Army-Navy:<\/strong> It\u2019s not Power 4, but it must be mentioned because it also might be the greatest of all. The pride in singing second<\/a>, and the disappointment in singing first, simply make this different.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 4<\/p>\n

Minnesota-Wisconsin:<\/strong> There may be no better rivalry reward than Paul Bunyan\u2019s Axe. There\u2019s absolutely no better trophy history in a series, considering these two played for the \u201cSlab of Bacon\u201d<\/a> before it was lost in the 1940s.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 10<\/p>\n

What rivalry games should teams wear their home colors? <\/p>\n

Ralph D. Russo<\/p>\n

Kansas-Missouri:<\/strong> This ignores the in-state bitterness of Kansas vs. Kansas State, but I\u2019ve reached out to a fan in the know on this (as with many of these) and have been assured Missouri and the Border War<\/a> is the clear No. 1.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 19<\/p>\n

Ole Miss-Mississippi State<\/strong>: The \u201cEgg Bowl\u201d is a Thanksgiving weekend staple, at times accompanied by extra fixings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 23<\/p>\n

Clemson-South Carolina:<\/strong> The \u201cPalmetto Bowl\u201d has been dominated by Clemson historically, but South Carolina has had some good stretches in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 24<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh-West Virginia:<\/strong> If you\u2019ve got a nickname, you\u2019re legit. \u201cBackyard Brawl\u201d comes with some of the nastiest fan behavior you\u2019ll find anywhere.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 26<\/p>\n

Utah-BYU:<\/strong> \u201cHoly War\u201d is surprisingly lopsided in Utah\u2019s favor (59-35-4) given BYU\u2019s high profile since the 1980s. The current era is the best it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 28<\/p>\n

Stanford-Cal:<\/strong> The Stanford people are still mad about how the 1982 game ended. Not saying they shouldn\u2019t be, just saying, \u201cThe Play\u201d from \u201cThe Big Game\u201d says it all.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 29<\/p>\n

Iowa-Iowa State:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 32<\/p>\n

TCU-Baylor:<\/strong> The most-played rivalry in the history of the state of Texas, it didn\u2019t mean much to non-Texans before the 21st century. But it\u2019s all grown up now.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 35<\/p>\n

Indiana-Purdue:<\/strong> 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 \u2014 which Purdue leads 77-44-6 \u2014 prevails.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 49<\/p>\n

Arizona-Arizona State:<\/strong> Did you know the Territorial Cup is the oldest traveling rivalry trophy in the sport? Unless you\u2019re a fan of one of these teams, you probably learned that by reading this<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 54<\/p>\n

North Carolina-NC State:<\/strong> It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 57<\/p>\n

Illinois-Northwestern:<\/strong> Does this get people excited? Not necessarily. Illinois aspires for more. But it\u2019s Chicago\u2019s Big Ten team against a team that needs recruiting success in Chicago to be at its best.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 70<\/p>\n

Virginia-Virginia Tech:<\/strong> It has not been especially competitive since Frank Beamer turned Virginia Tech into a national power \u2014 UVA has three wins since 1998 \u2014 but it\u2019s got a nice, chippy, ag school vs. elitists vibe.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 78<\/p>\n

Kentucky-Louisville:<\/strong> Unlike Duke and North Carolina, this hoops-first rivalry also matters most on the gridiron. If we\u2019re being real, there\u2019s a lack of options here for both.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 79<\/p>\n

Cincinnati-Miami (Ohio):<\/strong> We can\u2019t do this list without a dose of MACtion, and Cincinnati and longtime rival Miami can\u2019t stop playing after this season. Or at least they shouldn\u2019t. Figure it out, folks.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 83<\/p>\n

Colorado-Colorado State:<\/strong> Now that Nebraska is no longer a thing for the Buffs, and with nothing consistently special emerging in the Big 12, it\u2019s about taking care of home.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 91<\/p>\n

UCF-USF:<\/strong> Orlando vs. Tampa, baby! It\u2019s new, with UCF joining the FBS in 1996 and USF starting its program in 1997, and the future is uncertain. But the \u201cWar on I-4\u201d has been intense on and off the field, and these two need to figure out a resumption.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 97<\/p>\n

Maryland-Rutgers:<\/strong> What else to do with these two<\/a>? The Big Ten has protected this as an annual rivalry, for what it\u2019s worth. They are joined in mutual indifference.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: Not even close<\/p>\n

Complicated relationships<\/p>\n

Michigan-Ohio State\/Michigan State:<\/strong> For Ohio State, it\u2019s simple. It\u2019s Michigan<\/a>. For Michigan, a loss to the Spartans is the worst-case football scenario. That has a case as the ugliest of rivalries<\/a>. Michigan hasn\u2019t fallen since 2021, after a stretch of 10 MSU wins in 14 years.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry rankings: Ohio State-Michigan 1, Michigan-Michigan State 16<\/p>\n

Texas-Oklahoma\/Texas A&M\/Oklahoma State:<\/strong> By the way, Texas isn\u2019t the only \u201cRed River Rivalry\u201d school with an in-state foe that represents an unbearable loss. So this is actually a hate box? And Oklahoma State is Dwight Schrute?<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry rankings: Texas-Oklahoma 3, Texas-Texas A&M 15, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State 25<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n 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)<\/p>\n

USC-Notre Dame\/UCLA:<\/strong> Thankfully, USC and Notre Dame will\u00a0resume their series<\/a>. The Bruins have figured out a way to beat the Trojans six of the past 14 meetings, which might surprise some. That\u2019s not acceptable on USC\u2019s side of town.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry rankings: USC-Notre Dame 5, USC-UCLA 14<\/p>\n

Tennessee-Alabama\/Vanderbilt:<\/strong> For the record, Nick Saban once tweaked Toomer\u2019s 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\u2019s no shame in watching the other side smoke cigars. There\u2019s great shame in losing to Vanderbilt \u2014 it\u2019s happened six times since 2011, after happening once between 1976-2004.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry rankings: Tennessee-Alabama 11, Tennessee-Vanderbilt 80<\/p>\n

Oregon-Washington\/Oregon State\/Washington State:<\/strong> 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 \u201cApple Cup\u201d and \u201cCivil War\u201d will continue to be played, with some breaks. Resources would suggest they\u2019ll be competitive less and less.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry rankings: Oregon-Washington 21, Oregon-Oregon State 27, Washington-Washington State 30<\/p>\n

Florida-Georgia\/Florida State\/Georgia Tech \u2026 but also, Miami (Fla.):<\/strong> OK, try to follow along on what we\u2019ll call a pentagon of peeved. Georgia and Florida State are too close to call as Florida\u2019s main rival. Meanwhile, Florida is the game Georgia wants to win. But Georgia Tech is the one it can\u2019t lose. Also, Miami and Florida are too close to call as Florida State\u2019s main rival. Just keep playing all these games, please.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry rankings: Miami-Florida State 7, Florida-Florida State 9, Florida-Georgia 12, Georgia-Georgia Tech 31<\/p>\n

Unrequited loathing<\/p>\n

Penn State:<\/strong> Ohio State has to be it. They\u2019ve had lots of big games, mostly won by Ohio State. Which hurts because Ohio State mostly cares about Michigan.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 8<\/p>\n

LSU:<\/strong> Like Penn State, LSU is too strong a program to be left to the dating apps. But that\u2019s how it goes sometimes. Alabama is the clear answer in this era, and those two have had some doozies.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 13<\/p>\n

Nebraska:<\/strong> 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\u2019s fade as a program leaves the Huskers hungering for a win over Iowa at the end of each regular season.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 44<\/p>\n

SMU:<\/strong> TCU is the clear answer. They battle for Dallas-Fort Worth hearts and minds. Is it disrespecting SMU to count Baylor as TCU\u2019s main rival? Possibly. That was a tough call.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 46<\/p>\n

Arkansas:<\/strong> LSU is the one. And it wasn\u2019t long ago that this was one of the SEC\u2019s 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\u2019s league.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 48<\/p>\n

Kansas State:<\/strong> Let\u2019s call it Kansas, even if Kansas has more bitterness for Missouri. For the record, Kansas leads the \u201cSunflower Showdown\u201d 64-55-5 even though Kansas State has won 17 straight. Yes, 17 straight.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 59<\/p>\n

Duke:<\/strong> Well, of course it\u2019s North Carolina. \u201cThe Battle for the Victory Bell\u201d is at times more than a diversion before intrasquad scrimmages.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 77<\/p>\n

Texas Tech:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 82<\/p>\n

Syracuse:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: 88<\/p>\n

Boston College:<\/strong> \u201cHoly War\u201d should probably apply to a series with a longer history and more competitiveness, but BC and Notre Dame have had some classics.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: Not ranked<\/p>\n

Houston:<\/strong> Houston used to dominate Texas Tech and now it\u2019s the other way around. But that\u2019s where the Cougars are trying to get as they approach their fourth season in the Big 12.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: Not ranked<\/p>\n

Wake Forest:<\/strong> 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\u2019s no wine or cheese on the field.<\/p>\n

The Athletic rivalry ranking: Be serious<\/p>\n

The Bragging Rights series is part of a partnership with Modelo.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of our Bragging Rights series, exploring rivalries that form the backbone of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1017051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[43],"tags":[406986,3917,35604,3920,47225,35594,1373,1428,392,1372,12806,1318,23536,2500,3915,9443,1379,8798,8797,35607,8795,3914,1426,4739,7800,9444,1317,1315,1316,11995,35603,3910,1380,13874,4733,21286,30698,9445,1364,1381,35606,8796,3916,14971,62,222,1366,35602,22503,9662,8799,35595,67,132,68,32858,35605,1374,20974,1344,27637,1427],"class_list":["post-1017050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-arizona-state-su","tag-baylor-bears","tag-boston-college-eagles","tag-byu-cougars","tag-california-golden-bears","tag-cincinnati-bearcats","tag-clemson-tigers","tag-college-football","tag-culture","tag-duke-blue-devils","tag-florida-state-seminoles","tag-football","tag-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets","tag-houston-cougars","tag-illinois-fighting-illini","tag-indiana-hoosiers","tag-iowa-hawkeyes","tag-iowa-state-cyclones","tag-kansas-jayhawks","tag-kansas-state-wildcats","tag-louisville-cardinals","tag-maryland-terrapins","tag-miami-hurricanes","tag-michigan-state-spartans","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-minnesota-golden-gophers","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-nebraska-cornhuskers","tag-north-carolina-state-wolfpack","tag-north-carolina-tar-heels","tag-northwestern-wildcats","tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-oklahoma-sooners","tag-oklahoma-state-cowboys","tag-oregon-ducks","tag-oregon-state-beavers","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-pittsburgh-panthers","tag-purdue-boilermakers","tag-rutgers-scarlet-knights","tag-smu-mustangs","tag-sports","tag-sports-business","tag-stanford-cardinal","tag-syracuse-orange","tag-tcu-horned-frogs","tag-texas-longhorns","tag-texas-tech-red-raiders","tag-ucf-knights","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-virginia-cavaliers","tag-virginia-tech-hokies","tag-wake-forest-demon-deacons","tag-washington-huskies","tag-washington-state-cougars","tag-west-virginia-mountaineers","tag-wisconsin-badgers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1017050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1017051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1017050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1017050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1017050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}