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MOST INTENSE RIVALRIES
According to aggregate data from Know Rivalry, on a 200-point scale.
For college football fans, rivalries are the sport’s heartbeat. The lore, the history, the traditions and the unforgettable moments define the game. To celebrate the most intense week of the season, FanSided is taking an in-depth, interactive look at the rivalries that shape college football.
EXPLORE
ABOUT
At FanSided, we know rivalries are the heartbeat of college football. This year, we dug into every corner of Rivalry Week: the pettiest fanbases, the heated matchups you’ve never heard of, the wildest pranks, the data behind the spite and the games that could shape the College Football Playoff. What we’ve built is an in-depth look at the traditions, history and chaos that make these rivalries unforgettable. PRODUCED BY Ian Levy and Megan Melle CONTENT BY Alicia de Artola, Chris Kline, Chris Landers, Cody Williams, Ian Levy, Mark Powell, Megan Melle, Wynston Wilcox and Zach Rotman DESIGN BY Michael Castillo and Elliot Gerard
Know Rivalry has surveyed more than 30,000 college football fans, asking them to allocate 100 “rivalry points” across opponents of their favorite team — all 100 can go to one team, or they can be distributed across multiple rivalries. By adding up the points allocated from each team in a rivalry, they are able to use data to measure rivalry intensity.
181.3
151.2
157.4
158.6
147.4
144.5
143.6
140.7
138.9
BACK TO TOP
UGAvs.GT
Clean, Old Fashioned Hate
OREvs.WASH
the cascade clash
MICHvs.OSU
the GAME
BAMAvs.AUB
the iron bowl
UTvs.A&M
CFB's BIGGEST HATERS
Hey, look! Another thing Missouri fans do better than Kansas fans! When surveyed by KnowRivalry, Tigers fans scored on five rivals — Kansas, but also Arkansas, South Carolina, Nebraska and Tennessee — but their scores were extremely high across categories and rivals. Prejudice and schadenfreude scores were highest for Kansas, but the poor Gamecocks were the biggest targets for discrimination.
Missouri Tigers
Their animosity for Pitt is not the only reason Mountaineers fans rank among the biggest haters in college football. When surveyed by KnowRivalry, their prejudice scores were actually higher for Penn State, Maryland and Virginia Tech than they were for Pitt, and they had the second-highest schadenfreude score of any school, with the Hokies scoring almost as high as Pitt.
West Virginia Mountaineers
This rivalry is clearly rooted in geographic proximity, as they've only played three times, with Syracuse winning all three matchups. Despite that thin history, when surveyed by KnowRivalry, Buffalo fans had the highest average score of any school in prejudice and schadenfreude, and tied for the highest in discrimination — the three categories of sports hate.
Buffalo Bulls
READ MORE
College football's most infamous rivalry moments
By Cody Williams
MISSvs.MSU
the EGG bowl
UT vs. A&M
MICH vs. OSU
BAMA vs. AUB
UGA vs. GT
ORE vs. WASH
MISS vs. MSU
Eggs, iron and holy hate: How college football rivalries got their names
By Chris Landers
College football's pettiest rivals (and why we love them)
The biggest haters in college football
By Ian Levy
Dos and don'ts for talking college football at Thanksgiving
By Wynston Wilcox
By the numbers: The ultimate Rivalry Week breakdown
By Zach Rotman
Rivalries are the last stand in a college football hellscape
By Alicia de Artola
The most heated rivalry you've never heard of
By Mark Powell
The Ultimate Guide to Rivalry Week: CFP Implications, heated feuds and more
The wartime origins of college football’s most famous fight songs
By Megan Melle
MICHIGAN VS. OHIO STATE NOVEMBER 29 | 12 ET | FOX
RIVALRY BY THE NUMBERS
H2H WINS
51
62
NAT'L TITLES
9
12
HEISMANS
7
3
ALL-AMERICANS
93
88
BIG TEN TITLES
39
45
ENROLLMENT
60K
52K
ENDOWMENT
$8B
$19B
NOBEL LAUREATES
5
10
NCAA TITLES
31
OLYMPIC GOLDS
52
71
RIVALRY BY OTHER MEASURES
BOWL GAMES
55
NFL DRAFT PICKS
489
414
PRO H.O.F.
11
QB Tom Brady
ALL-TIME RIVALRY TEAM
RB Archie Griffin
RB Eddie George
WR Cris Carter
WR Desmond Howard
TE Jim Mandich
OL Orlando Pace
OL Steve Hutchinson
OL Dan Dierdorf
OL John Hicks
OL Jake Long
DE Mike Vrabel
DE Aiden Hutchinson
DT Cam Heyward
DT Mark Messner
LB Chris Spielman
LB LaMarr Woodley
LB James Laurinaitis
CB Charles Woodson
CB Ty Law
S Jack Tatum
S Jabril Peppers
US PRESIDENTS
0
1
There are a dizzying array of great rivalries in college football: Backyard Brawls and Holy Wars, battles for axes and iron skillets. But only one of them carries so much weight, such primal intensity, that it hardly needs a name at all. Most rivalries are born and develop through football. Michigan vs. Ohio State simply uses football as a conduit, less a sporting event than a loosely organized war between two ways of life. This hate isn’t clean, and it isn’t old-fashioned. It predates statehood, has launched wars and compelled presidents to intervene, the grudge growing stronger each year for nearly two centuries. All of which collides, once every year, underneath a slate-gray sky on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Woody and Bo waging a ten-year war. Desmond Howard hitting the Heisman. The Game of the Century. The Spot. They reverberate still because, for the people who have played in it and the fans who carry it with them, they transcend the sport itself. Michigan-Ohio State isn’t just a game; it’s The Game, the one to which all others aspire, the only thing that matters. And now, for the 120th time, it’s time for these two teams to put it all on the line. —Chris Landers
THE GAME
HOME
As college football’s all-time winningest program, the Wolverines are steeped in history, and with that history comes a certain standard — not just in athletic prowess but in personal conduct. The idea of the Michigan Man is a sacred one, and Ohio State is everything that a Michigan Man is not. (While Bo Schembechler was widely praised for his good-heartedness, Woody Hayes hated Michigan so much he even refused to buy gas across state lines.) The Buckeyes are vulgar, crass and everything wrong with the new state of affairs in college athletics; the Wolverines, meanwhile, didn’t even install lights at Michigan Stadium until 2010. This is old money vs. new money, the love of the game vs. win-at-all-costs.
WHY MICHIGAN HATES OSU
An Ohio State fan reads all of that and thinks, “just who do you think you are?” To Buckeye fans, the Wolverines are elitist snobs, a bunch of fancy-pants law-school grads who love reciting facts about World War II and never fail to mention that they went to a Public Ivy. Michigan believes there’s something different, something special, about the Michigan Man, but to Ohio State, they’re just as maniacal about winning college football games as everyone else. The only difference is that they put on airs.
WHY OHIO STATE HATES MICHIGAN
Let The Game begin. Michigan —one of the sport’s early Western powers— dominates the first meeting with Ohio State, as G.D. Stuart scores three times en route to an easy 34-0 win. They finish 6-1-1, while a fledgling OSU program in just its seventh year of existence goes 1-7-1.
1897
Under head coach Fielding Yost, Michigan becomes one of the sport’s preeminent programs, winning six national titles (including four straight from 1901 to 1904) and going 17-3-1 against their rivals to the south.
1901-1926
OSU hires Francis Schmidt as head coach. He is undeterred by doubters, telling members of the media Michigan “put their pants on one leg at a time.” Sure enough, Ohio State wins four in a row from 1934-1937, and a new tradition is born: the “Gold Pants Charm,” awarded to winning Buckeye.
1934
Michigan has fallen on hard times, hoping new coach Bo Schembechler can return them to glory. Barry Pierson takes a punt for a score and records three of Michigan’s six interceptions to lead UM to a shocking 24-12 win over defending champ Ohio State. And just like that, the Ten-Year War is born.
1969
As was often the case with Hayes and Schembechler, the winner would go to the Rose Bowl for a shot at a title. Except no one won in the rain. Michigan scored 10 unanswered to force a tie. Controversially, the Big Ten then announced its members had voted to send OSU to Pasadena.
1973
Ohio State and Michigan had never met ranked 1-2 in the AP poll until Nov. 18, 2006, just one day after Schembechler’s tragic passing. Billed as the Game of the Century, it did not disappoint. Eventual Heisman winner Troy Smith delivered a 42-39 Ohio State win in Columbus.
2006
Ohio and Michigan militias engage in a conflict over the Toledo strip. President Andrew Jackson eventually strikes a compromise to give Toledo to Ohio and the UP to Michigan. But while the war ends, animosity never does, simmering until it finds an outlet in a new game called football.
1835-1836
RIVALRY TIMELINE
On the surface, Ohio State is on top of the world right now. After Ryan Day finally got over the hump and won it all last year, his team outlasted Texas in Week 1 and has been essentially unchallenged as the No. 1 team in the country ever since. New DC Matt Patricia orchestrates a dominant defense, new QB Julian Sayin is a Heisman frontrunner and star wideout Jeremiah Smith remains maybe the single-most imposing player in college football. Of course, none of that matters to anyone in Columbus, because none of that changes the fact that it’s been 2,191 days — six years and five straight losses — since the Buckeyes beat Michigan. Last year’s upset was quite possibly the most shocking, and the most painful, in this rivalry’s history, as the unranked Wolverines came into the Horseshoe at the end of a lost season and kept Ohio State out of the Big Ten title game. And now, Sherrone Moore has the chance to do it again in 2025. While last year’s Michigan squad was just playing out the string, this year’s edition has plenty to play for of their own: With a win in The Game, the Wolverines not only keep their conference championship hopes alive, but they could also vault themselves into the College Football Playoff. Between Sayin and five-star true freshman Bryce Underwood, we’ve got fresh faces under center on both sides, both facing pressure they’ve never felt before. Who will rise to meet the moment?
WHAT TO KNOW THIS YEAR
Tom Harmon does it all | 1940
In the final game of his iconic Michigan career, Harmon saved his best for last, throwing for 151 yards and two scores, rushing for 139 and two more and even picking off three passes en route to a 40-0 win.
Spielman is everywhere | 1986
The 1986 game is best remembered for Jim Harbaugh’s pregame guarantee and Ohio State’s missed kick late, but the Buckeyes wouldn’t have even been in a position to win were it not for Chris Spielman, who set a single-game school record with 29 tackles.
Biakabutuka runs wild | 1995
Eddie George and the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes got top billing entering the 1995 game, but it was Tim Biakabutuka who got the last laugh, carrying the underdog Wolverines to a 31-23 win with 313 rushing yards, which is still a rivalry record.
BIGGEST PERFORMANCES
TEXAS VS. TEXAS A&M NOVEMBER 28 | 7:30 ET | ABC
77
37
NATIONAL TITLES
4
2
63
34
368
306
73K
$17B
8
57
21
98
14
We should have known that these two teams just couldn’t quit each other. Texas and Texas A&M spent more than a decade apart, 13 years spent insisting that, Actually, this wasn’t even a rivalry at all. We don’t even think about them. Why would you suggest such a ridiculous notion? But now that the conference realignment carousel has brought them back together, we can finally drop the act: The Longhorns and Aggies wouldn’t know what to do without each other. These are the two oldest public institutions in Texas, a relationship that dates back to the aftermath of the Civil War. Generations of Texans have been defined by this rivalry, one that holds within it all the conflicts and contradictions of normal life. The Lone Star Showdown came back like it never left last season, with a 17-7 slugfest in College Station that sent Texas on to the SEC Championship (and, eventually, the semifinals of the College Football Playoff). And the encore might be even better: This time, it’s A&M that comes to Austin as the top-five favorite, with the Horns hoping to spoil their rival’s bid for a dream season. But really, rankings and playoff pictures are secondary when these two teams get together. This is a battle for the soul of Texas, for who really runs the most football-crazy state in the country.
LONE STAR SHOWDOWN
QB Vince Young
RB Ricky Williams
RB Earl Campbell
WR Roy Williams
WR Mike Evans
TE Martellus Bennett
OL Jake Matthews
OL Bud McFadin
OL Dan Neil
OL Justin Blalock
OL Richmond Webb
DE Brian Orakpo
DE Myles Garrett
DT Steve McMichael
DT Ray Childress
LB Von Miller
LB Dat Nguyen
LB Derrick Johnson
CB Aaron Glenn
CB Kevin Smith
S Earl Thomas
S Lester Hayes
PRO HALL OF FAME
CONF TITLES
33
18
59
53
“Hate” is such a strong word, really. The average Texas fan’s posture toward the Aggies is really like an older brother talking to his younger sibling: You’re just jealous. The Horns have what A&M wants — the tradition, the success, the titles — and it drives them crazy, so much so that they’re willing to drop $75 million on a head coach (and then an extra $76.8 million to make that coach go away after he just about drives the program into the ground). The Aggies can sling all the insults they want, but it won’t change the fact that Texas football runs this state.
WHY TEXAS HATES TEXAS A&M
The Aggies have a simple nickname for Texas fans and alumni: sips, as in sipping tea, whiling away the hours in their ivory tower while A&M students were off working the land and fighting wars. White collar against blue collar, lawyers against farmers, the fancy-pants flagship in the state capital against the ag school out in the sticks; A&M has always felt that Texas looks down on them, ever since (to hear an Aggie tell it) the Horns used political connections to weasel their way into more funding when the school was founded in the late 19th century. This is more than just a rivalry, really — this is class warfare.
WHY TEXAS A&M HATES TEXAS
It’s almost eerie, the way the roles have been reversed. Like 2024, one team enters as the No. 3-ranked team in the country, firmly in the driver’s seat for a spot in the SEC title game. And like 2024, one team enters at three losses, not completely dead in the race for a CFP spot but very much on the outside looking in. Of course, it’s Texas A&M with everything to lose this time around. Marcel Reed and a ferocious pass rush have the Aggies just one win away from locking up its first trip to Atlanta. Mike Elko’s team is seasoned, tough and has elite athletes all over the field. They’re also about to face their toughest test of conference play. The Aggies have managed to play only the bottom half of the SEC up to this point, and with all due respect to Florida and Arkansas, trying to survive Texas in Austin is another beast entirely. Sure, the Horns haven’t lived up to the lofty expectations that came with a preseason No. 1 ranking, and sure, Arch Manning might not be the prince that was promised just yet. But Steve Sarkisian and Co. have already manhandled Oklahoma and Vandy this season; the talent remains very real, and nothing would flip the narrative like a win over their arch rival.
Colt McCoy goes off | 2009
Colt McCoy had his way with the Aggies more than once, but the 2009 matchup was as good as it got. In a 49-39 win for the Longhorns, McCoy threw for 304 years and 4 touchdowns, adding another 175 yards on the ground, including a 65-yard scamper to the end zone in the second quarter. Put that together with his stats from the win in 2008, and in two years, McCoy threw for 615 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 224 yards rushing and another 3 touchdowns on the ground.
Cyrus Gray can't be tackled | 2010
After two years of getting picked apart by Colt McCoy, the Aggies got revenge with a return to smashmouth football. Their 24-17 win in 2010 was powered by Cyrus Gray who piled up 223 yards on 27 carries with a pair of touchdowns — an 84-yarder in the second quarter and a 48-yarder in the fourth that provided the final margin of victory.
Justin Tucker wins the finale | 2011
With Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 for the SEC after the 2011 season, this matchup appeared to be the end of a historic rivalry. In a tough game that featured six turnovers and saw Texas came back from a 13-point deficit, the hero was kicker Justin Tucker, who hit three PATs and a pair of field-goals, including a 40-yarder as time expired to give Texas the win.
Just a year after the University of Texas decides to start fielding a football team, the varsity squad notches its first win over Texas A&M, blanking the Aggies 38-0. Texas starts the series with seven straight victories, while A&M won’t even score a point against their rivals until 1902.
1894
The Aggies burn their first on-campus Bonfire. Initially conceived of as a way to generate enthusiasm for the athletic department as a whole, Bonfire is eventually tied to the annual game against Texas, symbolizing A&M’s burning desire to beat the team from Austin.
1909
President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, just a few days before he’s set to address the Texas football team the night before the A&M game. The teams decide to play the game as scheduled, and it’s a barnburner: No. 1 Texas score 12 unanswered and seal the program’s first-ever national title.
1963
After decades of misery, A&M finally enacts some revenge, blasting the No. 13 Horns in Austin, 37-12. It marks a turning point in the rivalry: Behind the Wrecking Crew defenses of Jackie Sherrill and R.C. Slocum, A&M goes 10-1 against Texas from 1984 to 1994, allowing more than 14 points just twice.
1984
Eight days before the game, 12 people are killed and 27 injured by the collapse of the Aggie Bonfire. Some things are bigger than a rivalry: The Texas band dedicates its performance to the victims, while the A&M band concludes by walking off the field in a silent cadence. A&M wins 20-16.
1999
A&M is set to head for the SEC the following year, leaving the future of the rivalry unclear. So Texas hands the Aggies one final L on the way out the door. Case McCoy leads a drive into field-goal range, setting up Justin Tucker for the game-winning kick. They won’t meet again for 13 years.
2011
ALABAMA VS. AUBURN NOVEMBER 29 | 7:30 ET | ABC
84
416
300
The Kick Six, Cam Newton’s comeback on the way to a national title, Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe hitting walk-off touchdowns — the Iron Bowl never disappoints. It’s a rivalry forged in intensity and rooted in Birmingham’s industrial history, where the game was played for more than 40 years. The name couldn’t be more fitting for one of the South’s fiercest, most enduring matchups. Alabama and Auburn carry a rich, often chaotic history into every meeting. Even when one side is down, the underdog is never out. And while Alabama has dominated in recent years, Auburn is always eager to play spoiler. It’s as compelling as any showdown during Thanksgiving rivalry week, but there’s a reason it closes the day. It’s the game everyone circles, the one that rarely disappoints, and the one that always feels bigger than the stakes already suggest. — Wynston Wilcox
THE IRON BOWL
30
16
78
47
For Alabama fans, Auburn is like the house fly you just can’t kill. They’re annoying, they win in this series every now and again, and sometimes they even compete nationally. Winning the SEC is old hat for the Crimson Tide, which is why they have their sights set on contending on a national level. Deep down, nothing irks Alabama fans more than the idea of Auburn stumbling into their spotlight, even for a moment. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t overlook this game by any means, but they’re just so used to winning it that they look for every reason to keep Auburn at bay. The last time Auburn won the Iron Bowl was pre-COVID; shoo fly.
WHY ALABAMA HATES AUBURN
To sum it up in one word: Entitlement. Alabama has largely been college football royalty with legendary coaches in Bear Bryant and Nick Saban churning out national championships with ease. The Crimson Tide rarely lose this game, but when they do, Auburn still has to sit back and watch them run college football year after year. Bragging rights is at the forefront, but this is about respect. Auburn demands respect on and off the football field and Bama refuses to give it to them.
WHY AUBURN HATES ALABAMA
The Iron Bowl returns after a 41-year hiatus. Between player per diem and officiating issues, the series had to be put on pause. In the first game back, Alabama crushed Auburn 55-0, which is still the largest margin of victory in the Iron Bowl.
1948
The world is officially introduced to the Iron Bowl. OK, maybe not the world yet, but the country could finally watch the Iron Bowl on TV, as the 1964 game was the first nationally televised Iron Bowl game. None other than Joe Namath led the Crimson Tide to a 21-14 victory over Auburn.
1964
Bear Bryant makes history when Alabama defeated Auburn 28-17 — the win made Bryant the all-time winningest coach in FBS history with 315 wins. It was also a significant win as it marked the ninth-straight win over Auburn, which is the longest-standing winning streak in the series.
1981
Cam Newton’s Heisman campaign was in limbo and Auburn's chances of reaching the then BCS title game were on the verge of slipping away, down 24-0. Newton led a comeback, winning 28-27. The rest was history. He won the Heisman, national championship and went No. 1 in the draft.
2010
Nick Saban called a timeout late to take a 57-yard, potential game-winning field goal. Only the kick was short, Auburn’s Chris Davis caught the live ball and returned it from the back of his own end zone for a touchdown. Pandemonium ensued. “Auburn’s gonna win the football game!"
2013
Auburn should have ended Alabama’s playoff hopes in this game after forcing the Crimson Tide into a fourth and 31. The game was on the line, and Jalen Milroe connected with Isaiah Bond for the game-winning touchdown with 32 seconds left, leaving Auburn fans absolutely stunned.
2023
The most intriguing thing about this year’s rendition of the Iron Bowl is that Kalen DeBoer can get his second-straight win in the series and further validate the Crimson Tide as national contenders again. But this game won’t mirror DeBoer’s first. This time, he’ll face an Auburn team led by an interim coach after Hugh Freeze’s firing. And oddly enough, Auburn enters in the most comfortable position possible: with nothing to lose and everything to gain. A loss is just another mark on an already disappointing season. But a win would let them claim they knocked off one of the nation’s top teams and threw a wrench into their rival’s title push.
QB Cam Newton
RB Derrick Henry
RB Bo Jackson
WR Julio Jones
WR Amari Cooper
TE Ozzie Newsome
OL John Hannah
OL Ryan Kelly
OL Willie Anderson
OL Steve Wallace
OL Forrest Blue
DE Kevin Greene
DE Quinten Groves
DT Jonathan Allen
DT Quinnen Williams
LB Takeo Spikes
LB Karlos Dansby
LB Rolando McLain
CB Kareem Jackson
CB Carlton Davis
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
David Langner | 1972
David Langner might have the single greatest stretch of plays in the Iron Bowl. With Bama leading 16-3, Langner returned consecutive blocked punts by Bama for touchdowns and then recorded the game-sealing interception to give the Tigers an improbable 17-16 win.
Give it to Bo! | 1983
Bo Jackson ran all over Alabama in the 1983 edition of the Iron Bowl. He had touchdown rushes of 71 yards and 69 yards to cap off his 256 rushing yard performance on the day. The Tigers defeated Alabama 23-20, capping off an undefeated SEC slate and beating Bama in their first game post Bear Bryant.
Amari Cooper | 2014
Amari Cooper adopted the “Coooop” nickname in the NFL, which fans cheered after every big play he made. Long before he adopted that name, though, he torched Auburn for 224 receiving yards on 13 catches with three touchdown catches in the 2014 edition of the Iron Bowl. Cooper will forever be a Crimson Tide legend thanks to his illustrious post-Alabama NFL career.
42K
$1.2B
28
15
GEORGIA VS. GEORGIA TECH NOVEMBER 28 | 3:30 ET | ABC
72
35
422
248
43K
53K
$2B
$3B
6
Is there a better summation of the feud fomenting between college football rivals than clean, old-fashioned hate? Probably not. On the surface, this rivalry isn’t exactly a unique setup. The two biggest schools in a state don’t like each other? Not shocking. But the feelings between these two schools are particularly vitriolic. And it’s worth noting just how vociferous both sides remain in their disdain, despite rather lopsided results over the past couple decades. This rivalry between SEC and ACC foe is steeped in decades of tradition. Georgia Tech students learn the lyrics of ‘To Hell With Georgia’ as a rite of passage. The University of Georgia has more than a century of blatant sleights from Tech fans to fuel their rage. This is much more than an in-state rivalry. It is a battle between two schools diametrically opposed to one another, from academic purpose to social etiquette. The bad blood runs deep. — Christopher Kline
CLEAN, OLD-FASHIONED HATE
17
56
Mostly petty beefs and squabbles a century in the making, which is the root of all great rivalries. Tech fans made a point to antagonize UGA players and fans before the Jackets even had a football team of their own. Over the years, both student bodies have taken on very distinct personalities. Tech is the haughty engineering school, flaunting their academic superiority in the face of a less accomplished sports department. Basically: Tech is a bunch of nerds who can’t keep up on the football field, and whose entire personality is some David vs. Goliath mythologizing of their annual matchup with UGA. Get a life.
WHY GEORGIA HATES TECH
Tech wrote “To Hell with Georgia!” into their official fight song over a century ago, first published in the ‘Blueprint’ yearbook in 1908. What Tech fans did to UGA fans in those early years, UGA fans returned in kind. UGA has become a football powerhouse since the turn of the century — the preeminent, gaudy SEC program, replete with national titles and an infinite NIL pool. But Tech remains the better school. There is a more refined quality to Tech fandom, whereas UGA students are uncouth and arrogant, focused solely on football and unable to defend their school on actual merit. And when it comes to the football teams, the Bulldogs only recently caught up to Tech in national championships, lest we forget.
WHY TECH HATES GEORGIA
Before Tech officially started its football team, the UGA-GT rivalry was already in full bloom. In 1891, Georgia faced Auburn in Athens. Auburn students invited Tech students to the game to cheer against UGA. Tech students obliged. Jeers and taunts spilled from students wearing gold and white.
1891
GT plays their first game vs. UGA in Athens, allegedly inviting romantic interests of UGA players from a nearby all-girls school to cheer on the “Blacksmiths.” Tech wins 28-6 and irate UGA fans chase Tech back to the train with rocks and knives. Myth? Who cares.
1893
UGA students celebrate the end of a two-year gap caused by WWI. During the parade, a tank float reads “UGA in ARGONNE” and a yellow donkey float reads “TECH IN ATLANTA,” poking fun at GT for playing during wartime. Furious, Tech cancels all athletic competition with UGA for five years.
1919
Tech’s Bobby Dodd wins eight in a row in the rivalry from 1949-1956. In 1964, a feud between Dodd and Alabama’s Bear Bryant results in GT’s exit from the SEC. UGA’s Vince Dooley takes over in 1963 and wins five in a row from 1964-68.
1944-68
Tech beats UGA, 40-23, for the second-straight season en route to a national championship — leading many to believe the tide was turning in the Yellow Jackets’ favor after the Bulldogs had grabbed a clear advantage. UGA wins the next seven meetings.
1990
Tech wins three straight showdowns against UGA to round out the millennium before the Bulldogs hire a guy named Mark Richt. He would hold the job for 15 years and mount a 13-2 record against Tech, etching his name in Bulldogs lore.
2001
UGA outlasts Tech, 44-42, in an eight-OT game. Among the greatest games in the rivalry, it proves even when UGA is a superior team, with a mightier recruiting apparatus, Tech will scrap and claw and make this game worth watching. Tech’s Haynes King and UGA’s Carson Beck each score five TDs.
2024
This is the most anticipated Georgia-Georgia Tech matchup in more than a decade. The Yellow Jackets built on the momentum of last season, and a near-win over UGA, to emerge as a real ACC contender in 2025. Haynes King is adding to his Tech legacy with each game. Head coach Brent Key, a former Tech star who knows this rivalry well, almost pulled it off last season in eight overtimes. On the road, no less. Now the game shifts back to Bobby Dodd Stadium, and it feels like the most level the playing field has been since Tech’s improbable run to the Orange Bowl in 2014. For both teams, a College Football Playoff berth is on the line. Neither team controls its destiny in its respective conference, which puts added weight on what has become a premium non-conference showdown to finish out the campaign. This will be UGA QB Gunner Stockton’s first rendition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. The Bulldogs have receded slightly from the upper echelon of college football over the past couple years. This is every bit a statement game for Georgia, who’d like to put any doubt of their superiority to bed after nearly blowing it (on several occasions) last season. The CFP playoff committee will be closely watching this game for both teams, which is a first. Let the fireworks begin.
QB Stetson Bennett IV
RB Herschel Walker
RB Nick Chubb
WR Calvin Johnson
WR Terrence Edwards
TE Brock Bowers
OL Shaq Mason
OL Matt Stinchcomb
OL John Davis
OL Ben Jones
OL Royce Smith
DE David Pollack
DE Pat Swilling
DT Richard Seymour
DT Rock Perdoni
LB Jarvis Jones
LB Ben Zambiasi
LB Keith Brooking
CB Ken Swilling
CB Willie Clay
S Terry Hoage
S Jake Scott
Herschel takes over | 1980
With a Sugar Bowl berth on the lines, Herschel Walker delivered 205 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a convincing 38-20 victory for the top-ranked Bulldogs. And with that, his legacy was well and truly secure in Athens.
Oliver locks Megatron | 2006
Matched up against the indomitable Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson all game, junior cornerback Paul Oliver delivered the defining performance of his UGA career. He held Johnson to two catches for 13 yards in an all-out rock fight. He also sealed a comeback victory with an interception on Tech’s final drive, as the unranked Bulldogs won 15-12.
King becomes a legend | 2024
An eight-overtime game in Athens immediately became one of the most memorable showdowns in the history of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. UGA won, 44-42, in the end, but Tech quarterback Haynes King stamped his name in Georgia Tech lore, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 110 yards and three scores as a runner. It was one of the gutsiest individual performances in recent memory, even if the result did not favor Tech in the end.
OREGON VS. WASHINGTON NOVEMBER 29 | 3:30 ET | CBS
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Forget East Coast bias when it comes to rivalry week, especially in the Cascade Clash. Washington and Oregon squared off for the first time at the turn of the 20th century in 1900, and the feud in the Pacific Northwest has continued ever since. The 285-mile distance along I-5 between the two campuses makes the geographical portion of the rivalry obvious, but the ebbs and flows of the two programs strengthened it. For more than a decade in the late aughts through the mid-2010s, the Ducks held bragging rights with 12 straight victories over the Huskies. But when Washington broke that streak, the rivalry’s intensity has become fiercer than ever. Even with Washington’s recent trip to the CFP National Championship Game, the 118th meeting this year will still represent a familiar script: the Huskies trying to spoil Oregon’s Playoff hopes and to maintain a mental edge over Dan Lanning. For all the head coach has done in Eugene, beating his rival has proven difficult, with the 2024 victory being just his first in four tries. — Cody Williams
THE CASCADE CLASH
Yes, the Ducks also have an in-state rival down in Corvallis, but there is a saying in Eugene: “The Beavers are our rivals, but the Huskies are our enemies.” Decades of being the lesser opponent in the rivalry matchup will certainly lead to that sentiment. While the modern college football fan might only remember the past 20 years in which Oregon has had the advantage, the memories of Washington’s superiority are engrained in the DNA of longtime Ducks fans, and that bad blood is passed down from generation to generation. That Washington has even played spoiler to dominant Oregon teams in recent years only furthers that feeling.
WHY OREGON HATES UW
It’s not exactly unfamiliar territory heading into the Cascade Clash in Seattle. Oregon is on the road — historically a house of horrors for Dan Lanning — with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. At 10-1, the Ducks are firmly positioned to make the CFP, but a loss to Washington could shuffle the deck just enough to put them on the bubble and in danger of missing an at-large bid. And Huskies fans would love nothing more than to push their rivals to that fate. Washington doesn’t carry the same postseason hopes, despite an impressive 8-3 season. A CFP bid isn’t realistic, but the chance to win nine regular-season games, and potentially a 10th during bowl season after a middling 2024, would undeniably lift the vibes around the program. Still, all of that likely pales compared to the opportunity Jedd Fisch’s team has to break Eugene’s collective heart. Another Oregon loss would drop Lanning to 1-4 against Washington since taking over, giving the Huskies yet another piece of bragging rights to hold over his head.
QB Warren Moon
RB Napoleon Kaufman
RB LaMichael James
WR Reggie Williams
WR Rome Odunze
TE Mark Bruener
OL Lincoln Kennedy
OL Gary Zimmerman
OL Olin Kreutz
OL Penei Sewell
OL Max Unger
DE Nick Reed
DE Ron Holmes
DT Haloti Ngata
DT Steve Emtman
LB Dave Wilcox
LB Troy Dye
LB Tom Graham
CB Dana Hall
CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
S Mel Renfro
S Lawyer Milloy
Dillon runs all over | 1996
Corey Dillon would’ve been on the all-rivalry team had he played more than one season. His dominance in 1996 made a case for him. Although the Ducks started to turn the tides of the rivalry, they had no answer for Dillon, who rushed for the first three touchdowns of the game and didn’t look back. He reeled off 259 yards on 32 carries, along with a 36-yard catch, for nearly 300 yards of total offense in a 33-14 Washington victory.
LaMike can't be stopped | 2010
In the heart of “The Streak,” when Oregon won 12 straight, LaMichael James left his imprint on the rivalry. He took 26 carries for 121 yards and punched in three touchdowns, leading the Ducks to a commanding 53–16 rout.
Jake Browning hangs 70 | 2011
Ending “The Streak” for Oregon, Washington QB Jake Browning created an iconic moment of his own, one that reportedly earned him 500 push-ups in practice. It was with “The Point” at Ducks linebacker Jimmie Swain, but Browning deserved to point given the way he dismantled the Ducks. This accounted for a ridiculous eight touchdowns (six passing, two rushing) en route to a 70-21 win by the Huskies.
Washington and Oregon faced off for the first time in 1900, with their northwest proximity making them natural opponents. Oregon dominated the first meeting 43-0, but that would certainly not be a sign of things to come in the early days of the rivalry.
1900
43
The seeds of the hatred of the Ducks in Seattle can be traced back to the rivalry’s origins. Washington’s dominance in the early days of these matchups under Gil Dobie led to Oregon refusing to schedule UW. But then we have instances (or so fans believe) of the Ducks allegedly “snitching” on rules violations. This rivalry really took a turn in 1994 with Kenny Wheaton’s game-winning interception, “The Pick” as it’s better known, which signaled Oregon catching up to the Huskies’ longstanding dominance. Ducks fans like to forget the history of the rivalry, which only further fuels the modern-day hatred from Washington’s side.
WHY UW HATES OREGON
Perhaps the biggest spark for Oregon’s lingering resentment in the early decades of this rivalry came when the Ducks had the strongest case to represent the Pacific Coast Conference in the Rose Bowl. Washington, however, lobbied Montana to cast its vote for Cal.
After Oregon had ended a six-game losing streak (and 11 of the last 12), Ducks receiver Larry Hill was aiming to catch the game-winning touchdown on the final play of a tie game. Washington fans actually entered the field of play and tackled Hill to prevent him from making the grab.
1962
Washington’s dominance continues in the rivalry, going 17-3 against Oregon, and winning the 1991 National Championship.
1974-1993
“The Pick” by Kenny Wheaton, then a freshman for the Ducks, signals a changing of the guard for Oregon as they toppled Washington in this meeting.
1994
Oregon’s dominance turns the tides of the rivalry with a 12-game winning streak over the Huskies, a run that included two National Championship Game appearances for the Ducks, four Pac-12 titles and an overall losing record posted by the Huskies (62-88) over that span as well.
2004-2015
The rivals met for the first time as Top 10 teams in the AP poll. The Huskies won an instant classic with a Michael Penix Jr. touchdown pass and Oregon missed kick. The Ducks also fell short at their shot at revenge (and a CFB Playoff berth) in the final Pac-12 Title Game as we knew it.
OLE MISS VS. MISS STATE NOVEMBER 28 | 12:00 ET | ABC
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Rivalry games are special, and few are as uniquely named or as fiercely contested as the Egg Bowl. The rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, two teams separated by just 112 miles, is simply a part of life. You grow up picking a side, you marry into one or you get dragged into it whether you want to or not. With no professional football teams in Mississippi, your family, your coworkers and your neighbors are almost certainly on one side or the other. From the Immaculate Deflection to the infamous dog-leg end zone celebration, the Egg Bowl has no shortage of unforgettable, chaotic moments. And truly, the team with nothing to lose always seems just as likely to come out on top. It may not be the oldest rivalry in the South, and it might not be the most prominent, but the Friday after Thanksgiving belongs to the Egg Bowl. While you’re still working through leftovers, two schools fueled by pure, mutual hatred give you a showdown that never disappoints. – Wynston Wilcox
THE EGG BOWL
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Mississippi State fans feast on all the shortcomings of Ole Miss, between the scandals and years John Vaught spent beating down the Bulldogs, the Rebels don’t waste their time worrying about the little brother Bulldogs. They’re the more inferior football program that just can’t seem to match Ole Miss on the gridiron. Even if Mississippi State has the largest margin of victory (65-0) that won’t overshadow just how much more inferior the Bulldogs are to Ole Miss. Even when Dak Prescott had a chance at College Football Playoff stardom, he couldn’t get past the Rebels, a sign that Mississippi State will never be on the same level as Ole Miss.
WHY OLE MISS HATES STATE
Ole Miss are the elitist in Mississippi State fans eyes, the school where your value is measured by what fraternity or sorority you represent. The school that’s always at the center of scandal in their eyes and thinks they’re better than their southern counterparts. Ole Miss is the more successful program between the two and treats Mississippi State like the bald-headed, step child. Mississippi State has always lamented Ole Miss for its political and financial favoritism it got since Mississippi State opened in 1880. That’s just the surface of why this rivalry cuts deep for so many fans involved. This rivalry is more than sport, but football is the perfect ground to let your anger loose.
WHY STATE HATES OLE MISS
Mississippi State (called Mississippi A&M back then) wins the first iteration of the Egg Bowl, shutting out Ole Miss 17-0. The game was delayed 40 minutes over the eligibility over an Ole Miss player that played at Mississippi State the year before.
1901
Ole Miss wins the first Golden Egg trophy in the heated rivalry. Before then it was just for bragging rights, but the 1927 game featured the first time hardware was introduced as a prize for the winner.
1927
Legendary Ole Miss coach John Vaught went on a 17-game winning streak over Mississippi State in the series, meaning he lost just seven times during his first stint leading the Rebels.
1947-1964
The series’ final game in Jackson after 17 years playing in a neutral site. The games were returned to campus sites, which to this day alternates between Oxford and Starkville every year. MSU won the first ever game in Jackson and Ole Miss won the final.
Dubbed “The Piss and the miss” after Elijah Moore replicated DK Metcalf’s “dog urinating” celebration, Ole Miss was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which was assessed on the PAT try. In perfect, dramatic fashion, the memorable celebration cost Ole Miss a win.
2019
Lane Kiffin has been one of the most talked about coaches in college football this year, for good reason too. He has the Rebels on the cusp of their first College Football Playoff appearance as the No. 6 team in the country, also putting himself as the top candidate for the plethora of schools needing a new coach. Kiffin’s only loss in the Egg Bowl came in 2022 and it could be his last ever Egg Bowl if he leaves Oxford this winter. As has been the case for much of the series in modern times, Ole Miss is the favorite, but it doesn’t mean the Bulldogs are going to bow out. Let the cowbells ring loud and often the Friday after Thanksgiving because Mississippi State has its eyes on a big upset in the final game of the year. The Bulldogs, though middling at 5-5 this year, have managed to scare Texas and Tennessee into overtime games, but came up short. The Bulldogs are determined to not let another ranked team escape with a win for the third time this year at home after losing to Georgia. They stunned Arizona State in Week 2 of the season and it ended up igniting belief within Stark-Vegas that the Bulldogs aren’t a pushover this season. The only fitting way to end a season that was nearly heroic is to take down big brother Ole Miss.
QB Archie Manning
RB Deuce McAllister
RB Jerious Norwood
WR DK Metcalf
WR Donte Moncreif
TE Evan Engram
OL Charles Cross
OL Laremy Tunsil
OL Michael Oher
OL Bobby Massie
OL Gene Hickerson
DE Randy Charlton
DE Montez Sweat
DT Fletcher Cox
DT Chris Jones
LB Patrick Willis
LB Joe Fortunato
LB Larry Grantham
CB Walt Harris
CB Mike Hilton
S Jimmy Patton
S J.T. Gray
The Deuce is loose | 2000
Deuce McAllister ran rampant over the Mississippi State defense, rushing for 121 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in the Rebels’ 45-30, shootout win in the Egg Bowl. McAllister also had a passing touchdown in his game to cap off his dominant performance. The dominant game helped the Rebels finish the year 7-4 and end a two-game losing streak in the Egg Bowl.
Feed Moncrief | 2012
Donte Moncrief stapled his name in Egg Bowl lore after he went nuclear against Mississippi State in the 2012 edition of the heated rivalry. He caught seven passes for 173 yards with three touchdowns, leading the Rebels to a 41-24 drubbing over the Bulldogs. Moncrief’s receiving yards in that game tied a school record.
Dak battles for OT win | 2013
Dak Prescott didn’t have the best game numbers wise, but he did come off the bench after being sidelined with an injury for a couple games to lead the game-tying touchdown drive and then had a three-yard rush for the eventual game-winning one in overtime for the 17-10 win. Prescott had just 115 passing yards and 29 rushing yards with a touchdown run.
