Sibling rivalries are ugly.
It’s true whether it is people growing up in the same house or football teams hailing from the same state.
The bonds of a shared address are woven with jealousy, fear, redemption and yes, somewhere in there, love. Throw in tens of thousands of passionate fans and it gets even better.
To the younger brother there is nothing better, and I mean nothing, than knocking off the cocky, condescending big brother. And to the older party, there is nothing worse, absolutely nothing, than actually losing to that pesky, upstart little sibling.
Take a look at the 16 big brother-little brother matchups in 2016. Each features a Power 5 team and a non-Power FBS team from the same state. They’re ranked from the most-likely to the least-likely, historically speaking, that the smaller school can pull-off an upset.
What’s not included are games pitting FBS teams vs. FCS teams from the same state (i.e. Arizona State vs. Northern Arizona), or non-Power teams vs. fellow non-Power teams in the same state (i.e. Cincinnati vs. Miami OH).
16. Indiana–Ball State
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 4:00pm ET
Where: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
All-Time Series Leader: Indiana, 4-3-0 (57.1%)
Last-Five: Ball State, 3-2 (60%)
Indiana is one of only three big brothers listed who have a losing record vs. its 2016 little-brother in their last five meetings.
The Hoosiers have lost three straight to Ball State (2012, 2011 and 2008), last winning in 2007 in Bloomington.
15. NC State at East Carolina
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, Noon ET
Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
All-Time Series Leader: NC State, 16-12-0 (57.1%)
Last-Five: East Carolina, 3-2 (60%)
Not only has NC State dropped two straight to ECU (in 2013 and 2010), it is 1-3 all-time in Greenville, the only win there coming in 2007.
14. Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 3:00pm CT
Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN
All-Time Series Leader: Vanderbilt, 13-3-0 (81.2%)
Last-Five: Middle Tennessee, 3-2 (60%)
Despite Vandy’s overwhelming all-time advantage over Middle Tennessee, it dropped three straight to the Blue Raiders from 2001-05.
The Commodores are 1-3 vs. MTSU when both schools were classified in the FBS, the only win coming last season, a 17-13 victory in Murfreesboro.
13. Cal at San Diego State
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 7:30pm PT
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
All-Time Series Leader: California, 4-3-0 (57.1%)
Last-Five: California, 3-2 (60%)
Cal is the first big brother on our list to have a winning record vs. its smaller counterpart in their last five meetings.
The Golden Bears have won two straight vs. the Aztecs, but have never beaten them in San Diego where they’re 0-3 all-time. The two haven’t clashed there since 1995.
When: Friday, Sept. 2, 6:00pm MT
Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO
All-Time Series Leader: Colorado, 58-22-2 (72%)
Last-Five: Colorado, 3-2 (60%)
Colorado-Colorado State is the only annual fixture on our list, the two schools squaring off 82 total times and consecutively since 1995.
The Buffs have managed to win three of the last five and six of the last 10, but haven’t won two straight over the Rams since 2010-11.
11. Florida State at USF
When: Saturday, Sept. 24
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
All-Time Series Leader: Florida State, 2-1-0 (66.7%)
Last-Five: Florida State, 2-1 (66.7%)
USF’s only win vs. Florida State came in 2009 when it traveled to Tallahassee and upset the No. 18 Seminoles 17-7. It was the first time the two schools had ever met on the gridiron.
FSU has won two straight since then by an average of 16.5 points.
When: Friday, Sept. 23, 7:00pm CT
Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
All-Time Series Leader: TCU, 48-39-7 (54.8%)
Last-Five: TCU, 4-1 (80%)
No two teams have met more times on our list than TCU and SMU, clashing 94 times since 1915. Though 80% of these games were played before the Southwest Conference disbanded in 1996, the two schools have met 19 times since, keeping the cross-town rivalry current.
The Horned Frogs haven’t dropped a game to the Mustangs since 2011, one of only two losses in the last 10 meetings. The other came in 2005, also TCU’s most recent defeat at SMU.
When: Saturday, Nov. 19
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, TX
All-Time Series: 0-0-0 (0%)
The Aggies and Roadrunners are the only big brother-little brother in 2016 to have never met previously in football.
The matchup lands at No. 9 based on Texas A&M’s 82-27-3 (74.5%) all-time record vs. the current members of Conference USA. Each of the 27 total losses came to old-Southwest Conference foe Rice, who the Aggies haven’t fallen to since 1980. They’ve won 17 straight over the Owls since.
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 2:30pm CT
Where: McLane Stadium, Waco, TX
All-Series Leader: Baylor, 38-36-7 (51.2%)
Last-Five: Baylor, 5-0 (100%)
The first of Baylor’s two little-brother match-ups in 2016, the Bears have beaten SMU 12 straight times.
The most recent loss came in 1986, a 27-21 defeat in Waco. SMU posted a 6-5 that year, the last winning record it would enjoy until 1997 when it would resurface in the WAC at 6-5.
When: Friday, Sept. 16, 7:00pm CT
Where: Rice Stadium, Houston, TX
All-Time Series Leader: Baylor, 48-30-2 (61.3%)
Last-Five: Baylor, 5-0 (100%)
Baylor has won seven straight games over Rice, last losing in 1992 in Houston. The two schools have met four times since the Southwest Conference shut down in 1996, the Bears winning the last two (in 2015 and 2011) by an average of 39 points.
6. Penn State–Temple
When: Saturday, Sept. 17, Noon ET
Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
All-Time Series Leader: Penn State, 39-4-1 (89.8%)
Last-Five: Penn State, 4-1 (80%)
Penn State’s loss at Temple last season was the first since 1941, the Nittany Lions scoring a 38-0-1 run vs. the Owls since then.
The Nittany Lions are 24-0-1 vs. Temple in Happy Valley, the tie a 7-7 draw in 1950.
5. Boston College at UMass
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, Noon ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
All-Time Series Leader: Boston College, 19-4-0 (82.6%)
Last-Five: Boston College, 5-0 (100%)
Boston College has won eight straight vs. the Minutemen and 13 of the last 14. The last loss came in 1978, a 27-0 blowout at UMass.
The two schools have only played once, in 2014, since UMass moved back into the FBS ranks. Beginning in 1901, BC-UMass is also the oldest series on our list.
4. Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech
When: Saturday, Oct. 15
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
All-Time Series Leader: Georgia Tech, 1-0-0 (100%)
Last-Five: Georgia Tech, 1-0 (100%)
Georgia Tech is the first of four big brothers in 2016 who have never lost to their younger sibling. It lands here at No. 4 because the Yellow Jackets have only played Georgia Southern once.
Tech is also perfect vs. the Sun Belt, holding a 3-0 all-time record vs. its current membership.
3. Florida Atlantic at Miami (FL)
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 6:00pm ET
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
All-Time Series Leader: Miami (Fla.), 2-0-0 (100%)
Last-Five: Miami (Fla.), 2-0 (100%)
Miami’s outscored FAU by an average of 26 points in its only-ever two meetings (in 2013 and 2015). It’s only-ever loss to an in-state non-Power team came in 2010 when the Hurricanes fell to USF 23-20.
When: Saturday, Sept. 10, 6:00pm CT
Where: Darrell K. Royal – TX Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
All-Time Series Leader: Texas, 4-0 (100%)
Last-Five: Texas, 4-0 (100%)
Tied for the most likely win vs. a little brother, Texas has won four straight vs. UTEP in a series that stretches back to 1930. It’s most recent win was a 64-7 blow-out in 2009 in Austin.
T1. Bowling Green at Ohio State
When: Saturday, Sept. 3, Noon ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
All-Time Series Leader: Ohio State, 4-0 (100%)
Last-Five: Ohio State, 4-0 (100%)
Tied with the Longhorns at the top is Ohio State, which has never lost to Bowling Green and is 32-1-0 all-time vs. the current MAC. The only such loss came all the way back in 1894, when the Buckeyes fell to Akron.
Ohio State and Bowling Green’s short series didn’t kick off until 1992 and was last played in 2006.
Historical data courtesy of Stassen.com.