College Football has many huge rivalries, but which are the biggest? After crunching the numbers, we’ve found the ones that are historically the most heated!
Rivalries are an integral part of college football culture, fueling the passion of the fans, bringing attention from the media, and helping to shape the legacy of the sport too.
Intense matchups between different teams can lead to tribalism and heated clashes, which is a core feature of the sport. Picking sides for these battles is what makes the sport as big and as popular as it is, giving fans something to get behind.
Though there are plenty of memorable and popular college football rivalries, it can be difficult to narrow down the biggest. So, in order to work it out, we’ve created an index to rank the top ten biggest college football rivalries in history!
Giving each clash a score between 0 and 100, we’ve rated every rivalry based on various metrics such as the length of the feud, meetings per year, competitiveness, fan sentiment, and digital engagement. After combining all these factors, the results revealed which teams have the most hostile contests.
Keep reading below to discover the biggest college football rivalries!
What the numbers show about the biggest rivalries
If we just look at the plain data, these are the biggest rivalries in college football. If you’re interested in learning more about how we worked these out, have a read of our methodology at the bottom of the page.
1. Army-Navy Game
Topping our rankings is the clash between Army and Navy, with it being highlighted as the most intense rivalry in college football. After looking at all the different factors, their index score comes to a total of 75.66.
This fierce feud, known as ‘America’s Game’, has existed for the joint-longest out of all the rivalries having been around for a whopping 137 years!
Considering that Army and Navy have met a total of 127 times, the two teams average 0.92 meetings per year. This means that they’re almost guaranteed to face off against each other every year, which gives the fans something to look forward to.
Not only do they meet a lot, but the games are also closely contested clashes, with a competitiveness score of 92.9. The sides are incredibly well-matched, with Army just leading the way with 64 wins compared to Navy’s 55.
As the teams are so evenly matched, there’s also a high amount of passion among fans. Their fan rivalry intensity score stands as the second highest in the top ten: an impressive 157.4!
Despite the competitive and heated nature between the two teams, their online following isn’t quite as big as some other teams on this list. With 1,150,000 views on YouTube, it’s nothing to be sniffed at, but falls far behind other rivalries on this list.
Regardless, the combined strength of their metrics across the board makes this statistically the biggest rivalry in college football!
2. Red River Rivalry
Runner-up in our rankings is the battle between border rivals Oklahoma and Texas. Their index score narrowly misses out on top spot, coming to 75.59 (only 0.07 off the Army-Navy game).
Having existed for 127 years, it’s another long-standing clash in college football. Though first played in 1900, it’s been annually renewed since 1929, with the two teams playing 121 times in that period. A frequent fixture in the calendar, Oklahoma and Texas have played each other an average of 0.95 times a year.
Throughout their meetings, the two teams appear to be fairly evenly matched. However, with Oklahoma taking home 65 wins, vs Texas’ total of 51, they currently lead the historical feud. As 14 wins separate both teams, the competitiveness score is just lower than top spot, standing at 88.4.
As Oklahoma and Texas are closely matched on the whole, emotions can clearly run high within their fanbases, with the rivalry intensity score coming to 138.9.
Though it’s slightly less competitive than first place, it has almost three times the viewership of the Army-Navy game, totaling 3,253,000 YouTube views. Despite this, there are still multiple rivalries that have much more online traction and attention!
Overall, however, their scores place them in second place for our rankings!
3. Third Saturday in October
Rounding out the top three is Alabama against Tennessee, which is interestingly named the ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry. This showdown has been assigned a score of 73.28 after taking all metrics into account.
As you could potentially guess, the matchup is named after the date the game was traditionally played on. This did change after the 1992 football season, however, as the Southeastern Conference split into East and West divisions.
Though it’s existed for 126 years, this clash has been a formal rivalry for the joint shortest amount of time in our top ten rankings. The two teams may have first faced off against each other in 1901, but have only played each other on 108 occasions, giving them a lower meetings per year average of 0.86.
With 60 wins for Alabama and only 40 for Tennessee, it’s a slightly more one-sided fixture, resulting in a lower competitiveness score of 81.5. The fan rivalry intensity score of 67.8 then appears to follow the same pattern of being a lower figure too.
However, with 8,217,000 YouTube viewers, they have the second-largest online following out of the top ten rivalries. Largely helped by their viewership being so high, they manage to solidify their position in the top three!
4. Duel in the Desert
Moving onto fourth place, the game between Arizona and Arizona State is awarded a position in the top five. Scoring 71.73 in the index, they fall just behind the ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry.
This clash was first played in 1899, meaning it’s been around for 128 years. Since then, they haven’t always had regular games, though, having only met on 99 different occasions. With less than 100 matches in 128 years, it gives them the second-lowest meetings per year in our top ten, with 0.77.
When looking at the results of this game, it paints the picture of a tightly fought contest. Arizona’s 52 wins and Arizona State’s 45 gives them a high competitiveness score of 92.9; the same as the Army-Navy rivalry in top spot!
Matching the highly competitive nature of the game, the fan rivalry intensity score is also impressive. Coming to 181.3, it’s the highest out of all the teams and is 23.9 points more than the next highest (the ‘Army-Navy’ rivalry)!
Surprisingly though, their online following contrasts with this drastically. With only 238,100 views on YouTube, it’s almost half that of the next lowest in the rankings! That said, when considering the closeness of the rivalry and the intense passion from the fanbase, they deserve to be in fourth.
5. Minnesota-Wisconsin
Completing the top five biggest college football rivalries is Minnesota versus Wisconsin. Falling only 0.39 behind the ‘Duel in the Desert’, they have an index score of 71.34.
Having existed for 137 years, it joins the ‘Army-Navy’ as being the longest-standing feud between teams on this list. And with 135 recorded matchups, a meetings per year of 0.99 is the highest out of all the conflicts! Not only is it the most-played rivalry in our index, but also in the NCAA Division I!
Throughout the 135 meetings, it’s very evenly matched. Looking at the numbers, Minnesota’s 64 wins beats Wisconsin’s 63, and gives them a competitiveness score of 99.3 – the highest of all the rivalries!
Despite this, the fan rivalry intensity score isn’t proportionately as high, only being 109.8. Similarly, digital engagement has the same trend, as YouTube views are disproportionate compared to the rivalry’s competitiveness (404,300).
Though it has lower figures for both the fans and digital engagement, the competitiveness of the fixture and how closely matched the teams are gives this clash a place in the top five.
6. Oregon-Washington
With an index score of 71.03, the rivalry between Oregon and Washington (aka the Cascade Clash) just misses out on being a part of the five biggest clashes in college football. With similar metrics across the board too, it’s only 0.31 points behind Minnesota against Wisconsin in the index!
After 127 years of the rivalry’s existence, the two teams have played each other 118 times, giving them an average meetings per year of 0.93. Over the course of these matches, Oregon have come out on top 63 times as opposed to Washington’s 50.
Looking at the balance of these results, the contest has a competitiveness score of 89, making it the third highest in this metric among the top ten. Then, regarding fan rivalry intensity, the game scores 112.5 and beats both Minnesota versus Wisconsin (109.8) and the ‘Third Saturday in October’ (67.8) rivalries.
Digital engagement here is also relatively high compared to other team feuds, with 2,728,000 views on YouTube making it the fourth highest in our top ten rankings.
Taking all of this into account, the Cascade Clash has a fairly balanced rivalry. Considering its 127-year history and strong online viewership, it earns sixth spot.
7. Alabama-LSU
With a history that dates back to 1895, adversaries Alabama and LSU (Louisiana State University) place in seventh position for our list, with a score of 69.67 in our index.
Over the 132 years that this rivalry has been played, the two opponents have only faced each other 90 times – that’s only 0.68 meetings per year!
When the two have played, though, Alabama have dominated the proceedings, managing to claim victory on 58 occasions compared to LSU’s 27. Because of their impressive winning capabilities in this fixture, the competitiveness score comes to 65.6 (the lowest in our index). The same can also be said for the fan rivalry intensity score which only comes to 56.
What counteracts this, however, is the digital engagement that the fixture gets. Standing out as by far the most of any rivalry, this matchup has 10,120,000 YouTube views – 1,903,000 more than the ‘Third Saturday in October’, which comes second in this metric!
Despite having the lowest competitiveness and fan rivalry scores, the extreme online engagement boost this feud into seventh position.
8. Palmetto Bowl
Clemson and South Carolina’s rivalry goes back as far as 1896 and represents a clash between two of South Carolina’s biggest universities. The index score total came to 68.91, with a few strong scores across the board.
The 131-year-old rivalry has been played 122 times throughout its history, meaning that the two sides have met an average of 0.93 times per year. However, one side has managed to see significantly more success than the other.
Clemson have come out on top 30 times more than South Carolina, with 74 wins compared to their opponents’ 44. Because of the control that Clemson have enjoyed over the course of the rivalry, it gives a slightly lower competitiveness score of 75.4.
Though this is the case, it hasn’t deterred the fans, with their passion remaining strong. The fan rivalry intensity score for this matchup is the fourth highest, standing at 136 and only just behind that of the Red River Rivalry (138.9).
If we then look into online engagement too, results show a strong 1,214,000 views on YouTube, placing them in fourth for this metric alone.
Boosted by their higher meetings per year and the elevated digital engagement, the Palmetto Bowl rivalry ends up in eighth.
9. Oregon-Oregon State
Coined the ‘Civil War’, the rivalry between Oregon and Oregon State has been played since 1894. Showing consistently solid numbers on the whole, this matchup scored 68.81 in the index.
After being around for 133 years, it’s the second longest rivalry in our index; and, having been played 129 times, ‘the Civil War’ occurs an average of 0.97 times every year.
Again though, this rivalry has historically been led by one team: Oregon have managed to win on 70 occasions, which is 21 more times than Oregon State’s 49. With a level of dominance, it’s led to a middle-of-the-road competitiveness score of 83.7.
Regardless of the control that Oregon has in this clash, however, a score of 114.1 for the fan rivalry intensity shows that tensions remain elevated between the two camps. Then, for the final metric, they’ve managed to accrue a total of 1,000,000 YouTube views. This represents a solid online presence, though it still only betters two other feuds in our rankings for this statistic.
With a reasonable online following, a long-standing history with consistent meetings, and notably engaged fans, Oregon versus Oregon State comes in ninth place.
10. Egg Bowl
The final entry into our rankings and completing the top ten college football rivalries is the ‘Egg Bowl’. This clash is between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, receiving an overall score of 67.89 for our index.
Beginning in 1901, the feud has existed for 126 years and has been played 122 times in that period. This means that the matchup has been a frequent fixture, with an average of 0.97 meetings a year.
Dominating the proceedings, Mississippi State has taken control, winning 67 times and only losing 46. Considering that Ole Miss has 21 fewer wins, the fixture isn’t up there with the most competitive, receiving a score of 82.8.
Looking towards the fans, though, they’ve managed a score of 118.8 for the intensity of their rivalry, placing fifth for this statistic. Then, with 1,038,000 views on YouTube, their digital engagement is seventh best.
So, with moderate scoring overall, the ‘Egg Bowl’ rivalry rounds out the rankings and places in tenth position.
Which rivalries missed out on the top ten?
Now we’ve covered ten of the biggest rivalries in college football, let’s discuss which ones just missed out on the list.
The feud between Bowling Green and Toledo just missed out on tenth place, being only 1.04 behind the Egg Bowl rivalry. Despite their competitiveness score of 100 and a strong fan rivalry intensity of 151.2, their low online engagement and the length of the rivalry lets them down. Having only existed for 108 years and only receiving 73,000 YouTube views, their score suffers too much to place higher.
Twelfth place is then taken up by the Battle of the Bricks between Miami and Ohio. With no particularly strong stats, they just can’t match up to some of the other rivalries out there. Their weaker metrics such as only having a 119-year history and a fan rivalry intensity score of 101.1 leaves them just short of the ten fiercest college football clashes.
Which teams have the most rivalries?
Out of the top 20, some teams actually appear in multiple rivalries throughout. For example, Oregon, Alabama, and Georgia all appear in two! As they’re included in more rivalries, they automatically set themselves apart as unique teams within college football.
It seems to show that certain sides have an ability to create more rivalries than others. With most of these rivalries also being geographical (in the same state or neighboring states), it clearly demonstrates that they’re somewhat of a benchmark for any opposition in the region.
What does the data show us about college football rivalries?
When considering all the data, it’s clear that some college football rivalries are bigger than others on paper. Our top ten ranking is able to show that regional rivalries are both common and fierce, with multiple showing up in our index. Things such as geographical proximity can clearly have an influence on the intensity of the rivalry, giving fans more to base their investment in the fixture on.
But it must be remembered that these rankings are purely off the numbers and remove the raw emotional connection that fans will have to their teams. If you purely based it off the online engagement, Alabama versus LSU would top the rankings with ease. But this contrasts with the passion of fans, as the rivalry intensity score is the lowest of the top 20. So, it’s clear that there are many other ways in which the biggest rivalries can be determined.
When all is said and done, though, rivalries are an important part of sports and help inspire both passionate fans and loyalty from players.
If you’re interested in supporting your team against their rivals, either in a one-off match or an entire season, head over to the NCAAF betting page with Betway! Here, you’ll discover the most up-to-date odds for all the biggest games in a college football season, allowing you to stay in touch with the action from home!
Methodology
To identify the biggest college football rivalries, we evaluated each rivalry across five data points designed to capture history, intensity, fan perception, and digital engagement. Rivalries were included based on data availability across the sources used, ensuring each matchup could be assessed on a comparable basis.
The first measure was length of rivalry, using the earliest recorded meeting year listed on Wikipedia rivalry or matchup history pages. We then calculated meetings per year by dividing the total number of matchups by the total number of rivalry years, giving us a simple measure of how frequently the two teams have faced each other over time.
Our competitiveness score was also based on all-time series data from Wikipedia. Using each rivalry’s all-time win-loss-tie record, we calculated how close the series has been historically. Rivalries with a narrow gap between the two teams’ win totals scored more highly, while rivalries dominated by one side scored lower. This allowed us to reflect not just longevity, but how evenly contested the matchup has been.
To measure fan sentiment, we used Know Rivalry’s fan-based rivalry data. Specifically, we used each rivalry’s combined fan perception score, which captures how strongly both fanbases identify the matchup as a rivalry. This provides a structured measure of rivalry intensity rooted in supporter perception.
Finally, to capture digital engagement, we measured YouTube interest around each rivalry using a standardized search method based on the two teams. For each matchup, we searched YouTube using the format Team A vs Team B college football highlights, took the top five non-sponsored video results, and summed their total view counts.
Each of the five data points was then normalized on a 0 to 1 scale so they could be compared on an equal footing. We then applied equal weighting across all five factors and combined them into a final score out of 100. The resulting ranking is designed to show which college football rivalries stand out most when considering their history, frequency, competitiveness, fan intensity and digital attention together.
Data correct as of April 2026.
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