One of the lasting consequences of the recent wave of major realignment in college football is the loss of long-term rivalries.
Among the costs of conferences bolstering their membership and filling their coffers are the annual meetings between Texas-Texas A&M, Missouri-Kansas, West Virginia-Pitt, and Nebraska-Oklahoma. While truly tragic, these losses also emphasize the value of the long-standing rivalries which still exist at the top level of college football.
With 130 FBS members playing 12 games apiece, approximately 780 matchups (minus FCS games) will take place during the 2019 season. Of these, only 41 – or roughly 5% – will feature a series that has 100-plus previous meetings.
The breakdown by current conference affiliation is SEC vs. SEC (8), Big Ten vs. Big Ten (7), Big 12 vs. Big 12 (7), Pac-12 vs. Pac-12 (7), ACC vs. ACC (6), SEC vs. ACC (2), MWC vs. MWC (1), MWC vs. Independent (1), American vs. Independent (1), and American vs. MAC (1).
Each represents a shared rivalry experience that links the fans of the late 1800’s (when the sport looked more like rugby) to those before the AP poll was installed in 1934, to those in the post-War years, to the BCS era, and to today’s fans in the early years of the College Football Playoff.
No matter how obscure or seemingly undesirable, these matchups are some of the treasures of the sport.
Given that historic sources can vary widely on the statistical data between two programs, we’ve used Sports Reference-College Football as the sole source for purposes of consistency.
100: Northwestern at Wisconsin – Saturday, Sept. 28
First meeting in 1890, Wisconsin leads 59-36-5 (61.5%) but has dropped three of the last five. Consecutive meetings: 1934-2000.
100: Tennessee at Alabama – Saturday, Oct. 19
First meeting in 1901, Alabama leads 55-38-7 (58.5%) and has won 12-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1944-2018 and 1928-42.
100: Virginia Tech at Virginia – Friday, Nov. 29
First meeting in 1895, Virginia Tech leads 58-37-5 and has won 15-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1970-2018, 1945-66 and 1923-42.
102: Alabama at Mississippi State – Saturday, Nov. 16
First meeting in 1896, Alabama leads 81-18-3 (80.9%) and has won 11-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1948-2018.
102: Iowa State at Kansas State – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1917, Iowa State leads 50-48-4 (51%), its win last season snapped a 10-game losing skid. Consecutive meetings: 1917-2018.
103: Oregon State at Washington State – Saturday, Nov. 23
First meeting in 1903, Washington State leads 53-47-3 (52.9%) and has won five-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1945-86 and 1927-42.
103: Washington at Oregon State – Friday, Nov. 8
First meeting in 1897, Washington leads 65-34-4 (65%) and has won seven-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1991-2018 and 1945-87.
104: Duke at North Carolina – Saturday, Oct. 26
First meeting in 1888, North Carolina leads 59-41-4 (59.2%) but has dropped three-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1922-2018.
105: USC at Cal – Saturday, Nov. 16
First meeting in 1915, USC leads 70-30-5 (69%), last season’s loss snapped a 14-game winning streak. Consecutive meetings: 1926-2018.
106: LSU at Ole Miss – Saturday, Nov. 16
First meeting in 1894, LSU leads 62-40-4 (59.8%) and has won three-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2018. Rematch of the 1959/60 Sugar Bowl.
106: North Carolina at Wake Forest – Friday, Sept. 13
First meeting in 1888, North Carolina leads 69-35-2 (66%) but the two have split the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1944-2004 and 1919-42.
108: North Carolina at NC State – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1894, North Carolina leads 66-36-6 (63.9%) but has dropped the last three. Consecutive meetings: 1947-2018 and 1919-43.
108: Texas at Baylor – Saturday, Nov. 23
First meeting in 1901, Texas leads 78-26-4 (74.1%) and has won four-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2018 and 1923-1942.
109: New Mexico State at New Mexico – Saturday, Sept. 21
First meeting in 1894, New Mexico leads 71-33-5 (67.4%) but the two have split the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1946-2018 and 1919-42.
109: Oklahoma at Kansas – Saturday, Oct. 5
First meeting in 1903, Oklahoma leads 76-27-6 (72.5%) and has won 14-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1903-97.
110: Colorado State at Wyoming – Friday, Nov. 22
First meeting in 1899, Colorado State leads 58-47-5 (55%) but has lost three-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1946-2018 and 1929-42.
111: Michigan State at Michigan – Saturday, Nov. 16
First meeting in 1898, Michigan leads 70-36-5 (65.3%) but the two have split the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2018 and 1910-42.
111: Oregon at Washington – Saturday, Oct. 19
First meeting in 1900, Washington leads 60-46-5 (56.3%) but the two have split the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2000 and 1922-42.
111: Washington State at Washington – Friday, Nov. 29
First meeting in 1900, Washington leads 73-32-6 (68.5%) and has won six-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2018 and 1921-42.
112: Cal at Stanford – Saturday, Nov. 23
First meeting in 1892, Stanford leads 59-43-10 (57.1%) and has won nine-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1946-2018, 1919-42 and 1892-1905.
112: LSU at Mississippi State – Saturday, Oct. 19
First meeting in 1896, LSU leads 74-35-3 (67.4%) and has won 17 of the last 19. Consecutive meetings: 1944-2018 and 1926-42.
112: Minnesota at Iowa – Saturday, Nov. 16
First meeting in 1891, Minnesota leads 62-48-2 (56.3%) but has lost four-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1931-2018.
112: NC State at Wake Forest – Saturday, Nov. 2
First meeting in 1895, NC State leads 66-40-6 (61.6%) but has lost two-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1910-2018.
112: Northwestern at Illinois – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1892, Illinois leads 55-52-5 (51.3%) but has lost four-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1927-2018.
113: Georgia at Georgia Tech – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1893, Georgia leads 67-41-5 (61.5%) and eight of the last ten. Consecutive meetings: 1925-2018.
113: Oklahoma at Oklahoma State – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1904, Oklahoma leads 88-18-7 (81%) and has won four-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1910-2018.
113: Ole Miss at Mississippi State – Thursday, Nov. 28
First meeting in 1901, Ole Miss leads 62-45-6 (57.5%) but the two have split the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1944-2018, 1915-42 and 1901-11.
113: Vanderbilt at Tennessee – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1892, Tennessee leads 75-33-5 (69.2%) but Vandy has won three-straight. Consecutive meetings from 1945-2018 and 1925-42.
114: Baylor at TCU – Saturday, Nov. 9
First meeting in 1899, TCU leads 55-52-7 (51.3%) and has won the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1945-95 and 1925-42.
114: Ohio State at Michigan – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1897, Michigan leads 58-50-6 (53%) but Ohio State has won seven-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1918-2018 and 1900-12.
114: Oklahoma vs. Texas – Saturday, Oct. 12 (at Dallas, Texas)
First meeting in 1900, Texas leads 62-47-5 (56.6%) but Oklahoma has won three of the last four. Consecutive meetings: 1929-2018 and 1900-17. Rematch of 2018 Big 12 championship game.
114: Tennessee at Kentucky – Saturday, Nov. 9
First meeting in 1893, Tennessee leads 80-25-9 (74.1%) and has won eight of the last ten. Consecutive meetings: 1944-2018, 1919-1942 and 1906-16.
116: Clemson at South Carolina – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1896, Clemson leads 70-42-4 (62.1%) and has won five-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1909-2018.
116: Kansas State at Kansas – Saturday, Nov. 2
First meeting in 1902, Kansas leads 65-46-5 (58.2%) but Kansas State has won ten-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1902-2018.
119: Army vs. Navy – Saturday, Dec. 14 (at Philadelphia, PA)
First meeting in 1890, Navy leads 60-52-7 (53.4%) but has lost three-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1930-2018.
121: Indiana at Purdue – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1891, Purdue leads 74-41-6 (63.6%) and has won the last two. Consecutive meetings: 1920-2018.
122: Oregon State at Oregon – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting 1894, Oregon leads 65-47-10 (57.4%) and has won 10 of the last 11. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2018 and 1912-42.
123: Georgia at Auburn – Saturday, Nov. 16
First meeting in 1892, Georgia leads 59-56-8 (51.2%) and has won five of the last six. Consecutive meetings: 1944-2018, 1919-42 and 1898-1916. Rematch of the 2017 SEC championship game.
123: Miami OH at Cincinnati – Saturday, Sept. 14
First meeting in 1888, Miami Ohio leads 59-57-7 (50.8%) but has dropped 13-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1945-2018 and 1909-42.
124: Virginia at North Carolina – Saturday, Nov. 2
First meeting in 1892, North Carolina leads 64-56-4 (53.7%) but has lost two-straight. Consecutive meetings: 1919-2018.
128: Wisconsin at Minnesota – Saturday, Nov. 30
First meeting in 1890, tied 60-60-8, Minnesota’s win last season snapped a 14-game losing skid. Consecutive meetings: 1907-2018 and 1890-1905.
Historical statistics courtesy of Sports Reference-College Football.