The Best College Football Rivalries of All Time

The best college football rivalries include Michigan vs. Ohio State, the Iron Bowl, Army vs. Navy, the Red River Rivalry and Texas vs. Texas A&M. These games blend decades of history, regional bragging rights and trophies on the line, making them the matchups fans plan entire trips around.

Some games you circle on the calendar the moment the schedule drops. Not because of the rankings. Because of the bad blood, the trophies and the fact that a whole season can turn on a single afternoon.

Rivalry games are different. The tailgates start earlier. The stadiums get louder. Fans who barely follow the sport suddenly know every score from the last 20 years. These are the games where a losing season gets salvaged with one win, and where a perfect season gets wrecked by one loss.

Below are 10 of the greatest college football rivalries ever played, what makes each one worth the trip, and why they still pack stadiums today. Tickets for every rivalry on this list are available at BoxOfficeTicketSales.com, so you can plan your trip before the seats disappear.

10. BYU vs. Utah: “The Holy War”

The Holy War is back where it belongs. After years apart, the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah Utes are reunited in the Big 12, reigniting one of the most heated in-state rivalries in the West. This matchup ties directly to the surge in in-state search interest, with Utah overtaking BYU in recent attention. (We covered that shift in an earlier post if you want the full breakdown.) Reunited conference play only pours fuel on an already intense fire. The Holy War never really cooled off; it just needed a stage again.

9. Texas vs. Texas A&M

First played in 1915, this in-state clash between the Texas Longhorns and the Texas A&M Aggies went dark from 2012 to 2023 as Texas A&M moved to the SEC. Now that both schools share the conference again, the rivalry is officially back. That’s the hook: a genuine “rivalry renewed” story with built-in urgency. Fans haven’t seen this matchup in over a decade, and the appetite for it is enormous—two proud programs, one state and years of unfinished business. Few rivalries return with this much pent-up demand.

8. Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State: “The Egg Bowl”

Since 1932, the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs have battled for the Egg Bowl Trophy, one of the most recognizable names in the sport. It’s a season-ending in-state grudge match with real stakes for both fan bases. There’s fresh intrigue too. With Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU shaking up the SEC West storylines this year, the ripple effects give this year’s Egg Bowl extra bite. A quirky trophy, a bitter rivalry and a shifting conference landscape make this one must-watch.

7. Miami vs. Florida State

First played in 1951, the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida State Seminoles have produced one of the tightest all-time series records on this list. Their peak years overlapped with both programs chasing national titles, giving the rivalry a golden-era glow that older fans still talk about. The wide-right and wide-left field goals, the top-five showdowns, the future NFL stars on both sidelines: this rivalry defined an era of college football. When both programs are rolling, few games in the country hit harder.

6. Florida vs. Georgia: “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”

Played every year at a neutral site in Jacksonville, the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs earned their famous nickname for a reason. The neutral-site format turns the weekend into a massive tailgate festival, with fans from both sides flooding the city in the days leading up to kickoff. It’s a game and a party rolled into one. The stadium splits evenly between orange and red, and the atmosphere outside rivals the action inside. Come for the football, stay for the weekend.

5. USC vs. Notre Dame

Two of the most storied programs in the country, the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, first met in 1926 and have alternated between Los Angeles and South Bend ever since. The winner takes home the Jeweled Shillelagh, one of the coolest trophies in the sport.

There’s added urgency here: this series is reportedly set to pause after 2025. That turns each remaining meeting into a last-chance affair for fans who’ve grown up on this rivalry. If you’ve ever wanted to see USC and Notre Dame square off in person, the window is closing.
Catch it while you still can.

4. Oklahoma vs. Texas: “The Red River Rivalry”

Dating back to 1900, the Red River Rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns is played every year in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas. The Cotton Bowl gets split straight down the middle: crimson on one side, burnt orange on the other.

The setting is half the draw. Corn dogs, fairground rides, and a stadium perfectly divided in two make this a full-day experience, not just a football game. The energy inside is unlike anything you’ll find on a normal home campus.
For a neutral-site atmosphere with a carnival wrapped around it, nothing tops Red River.

3. Army vs. Navy: “America’s Game”

Played every December at a neutral site, the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen have faced off uninterrupted since 1930. This one isn’t about conference standings or playoff seeding. It’s about tradition, service and pageantry.

Before kickoff, the entire Corps of Cadets and Brigade of Midshipmen march onto the field in a spectacle you won’t see at any other game. The result rarely affects the rankings, and that’s exactly the point. This is football stripped down to pride and respect.

Even if you have no allegiance to either academy, Army vs. Navy belongs on your bucket list.

2. Alabama vs. Auburn: “The Iron Bowl”

First played in 1893, the Iron Bowl is pure in-state warfare between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers. There’s no shared division buffer, no way to avoid each other, just two Alabama programs fighting for the right to own the entire state until next November. The signature moment came in 2013. Alabama lined up for a long field goal as regulation expired. The kick came up short, Auburn’s Chris Davis caught it deep in the end zone and returned it 100-plus yards for the win. It’s known simply as the “Kick Six,” and it might be the most stunning finish in the history of the sport. Every Iron Bowl carries that same feeling: one play can flip everything.

1. Michigan vs. Ohio State: “The Game”

First played in 1897, the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes have met more than 121 times, with Michigan leading the all-time series. No nickname needed. Fans call it “The Game,” and everyone knows exactly which one they mean.

Here’s what puts it at No. 1: no other rivalry stacks this much history on top of this many national title stakes. In recent years it’s regularly been a de facto playoff elimination game, with a conference crown, a shot at the championship and a full year of bragging rights all riding on 60 minutes. The history runs deep and occasionally lopsided. Ohio State once lost 86-0 back in 1902, a score that Michigan fans still bring up more than a century later. If you want the single biggest regular-season game in the sport, this is it.

How to Get Tickets to Any of These Games

Rivalry week is unforgiving. Seats sell out fast, and prices climb the closer you get to kickoff. If one of these matchups is on your list, early planning is the difference between a great seat and no seat at all.

The good news: you don’t have to hunt across a dozen sites. Get tickets to these rivalries and every other college football matchup at BoxOfficeTicketSales.com, with secure checkout and tickets delivered straight to your phone.

Pick your rivalry. Book your seat. Then go find out what these games feel like in person.