List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I

This is a list of the most-played college football series in NCAA Division I. The Lehigh–Lafayette rivalry, known as "The Rivalry," is the most-played in Division I at 155 games. Lehigh and Lafayette are members of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The most-played Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) series is the Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry, at 129 games. In some cases, during the early years of college football when distant travel was prohibitive, these teams played each other more than once per year. [lower-alpha 1]

Series listed here are not necessarily continuous series, and several of the series listed below were ended (or interrupted) by the 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment. It also includes several games that are not considered notable rivalries, but are between teams that, mainly due to conference alignment, have been played 100 or more times.[lower-alpha 2] Most of the games are in-conference match-ups. Nevertheless, conference affiliation is not necessarily an impediment to playing an annual game, and this list features match-ups of teams that have rarely or never shared an athletic conference. [lower-alpha 3]

This table is for listing all NCAA Division I football series with at least 100 games played. Wins and losses are given respective to the team leading the series.

Games

• Fully complete through December 13, 2020.
• V column stands for vacated victories. Vacated victories are different than forfeited victories. Recently, the NCAA has used the vacating procedure instead of requiring forfeitures when teams are penalized for violating NCAA rules. NCAA procedures require that the winning team adjust its record to remove a win that is vacated. However, the losing team is not allowed to reduce the number of losses on its record.[1] This means that the win-loss-tie record doesn't add up to the total number of games played which is a key element of this list. Therefore, "V" column is used to make sure the total games adds up to the columns in the table. There should be a note included in the "V" column documenting the vacated game. (Confounding this problem is that the NCAA's official record that lists the most played rivalries, does not reflect the vacated games.)

Games	Series leader	Opponent	Rivalry or trophy name	Conference	W	L	T	V	First game	Last game	Notes	Source
155	Lafayette	Lehigh	The Rivalry	Patriot	79	71	5		1884	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
142	Yale	Princeton	Princeton–Yale	Ivy	78	54	10		1873	2019[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 5]	[2]
136	Yale	Harvard	Harvard–Yale football rivalry	Ivy	68	60	8		1875	2019[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 6]	[2][3]
130	William & Mary	Richmond	Capital Cup	Colonial	63	62	5		1898	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
130	Wisconsin	Minnesota	Paul Bunyan's Axe	Big Ten	62	60	8		1890	2020	[lower-alpha 7][lower-alpha 8][lower-alpha 9]	[4][5]
126	Penn	Cornell	Trustees' Cup	Ivy	75	46	5		1893	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
125	Oregon	Oregon State	Oregon–Oregon State football rivalry	Pac-12	66	49	10		1894	2020	[lower-alpha 10]	[4][6]
125	Georgia	Auburn	Deep South's Oldest Rivalry	SEC	61	56	8		1892	2020	[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 12]	[4][7]
125	North Carolina	Virginia	South's Oldest Rivalry	ACC	63	58	4		1892	2020	[lower-alpha 13] [lower-alpha 14] [lower-alpha 15]	[4]
124	Miami (OH)	Cincinnati	Victory Bell (Battle for the Bell)	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	59	58	7		1888	2019[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 17][lower-alpha 18][lower-alpha 19]	[4][8]
124	Yale	Brown		Ivy	84	35	5		1880	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
123	Stanford	California	Big Game (Battle for the Axe)	Pac-12	65	47	11		1892	2020		[4][9]
123	Harvard	Dartmouth	Dartmouth–Harvard football rivalry	Ivy	72	46	5		1882	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
122	Purdue	Indiana	Old Oaken Bucket	Big Ten	74	42	6		1891	2019[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 11][lower-alpha 20]	[4][10]
121	Navy	Army	Army–Navy Game	Non-conf.	61	53	7		1890	2020	[lower-alpha 21]	[4][11]
120	Missouri	Kansas	Border War	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	57	54	9		1891	2011	[lower-alpha 22][lower-alpha 23]	[4][12][13]
119	Montana	Montana State	Great Divide Trophy (The Brawl of The Wild)	Big Sky	72	41	5	1[lower-alpha 24]	1897	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2][14]
119	Harvard	Brown		Ivy	87	30	2		1893	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
118	Kansas	Kansas State	Kansas–Kansas State football rivalry	Big 12	64	49	5		1902	2020	[lower-alpha 25][lower-alpha 26]	[4][15][16]
118	Texas	Texas A&M	Texas–Texas A&M football rivalry	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	76	37	5		1894	2011	[lower-alpha 22]	[4][17]
117	Ole Miss	Mississippi State	Egg Bowl	SEC	63 [lower-alpha 27]	46	6	2[lower-alpha 28]	1901	2020		[4][18]
117	Clemson	South Carolina	Palmetto Bowl	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	71	42	4		1896	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[4][19]
117	Nebraska	Kansas	Kansas–Nebraska football rivalry	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	91	23	3		1892	2010		[4][20]
116	Michigan	Ohio State	Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry	Big Ten	58	51	6	1[lower-alpha 29]	1897	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[4][21]
116	Tennessee	Kentucky	Kentucky–Tennessee football rivalry	SEC	81	26	9		1893	2020		[22]
116	Texas	Oklahoma	Red River Showdown	Big 12	62	49	5		1900	2020
116	TCU	Baylor	The Revivalry	Big 12	56	53	7		1899	2020		[4][23]
115	Oklahoma	Oklahoma State	Bedlam Series	Big 12	90	18	7		1904	2020	[lower-alpha 30]	[4]
115	South Dakota State	South Dakota	South Dakota Showdown Series	MVFC	55	53	7		1889	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
115	Tennessee	Vanderbilt	Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry	SEC	77	33	5		1892	2020	[lower-alpha 31]	[4][24]
114	Georgia	Georgia Tech	Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	68	41	5		1893	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[4]
114	Minnesota	Iowa	Floyd of Rosedale	Big Ten	62	50	2		1891	2020		[25]
114	North Carolina State	Wake Forest	NC State–Wake Forest rivalry	ACC	67	41	6		1895	2020		[4][26]
114	Illinois	Northwestern	Land of Lincoln Trophy	Big Ten	55	54	5		1892	2020
113	LSU	Mississippi State	LSU–Mississippi State football rivalry	SEC	75	35	3		1896	2020
113	Michigan	Michigan State	Paul Bunyan Trophy	Big Ten	71	37	5		1898	2020
112	Washington	Washington State	Apple Cup	Pac-12	74	32	6		1900	2019[lower-alpha 4]
112	Princeton	Harvard	Harvard–Princeton football rivalry	Ivy	57	48	7		1877	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
112	North Dakota	North Dakota State	Nickel Trophy	Non-conf.	62	47	3		1894	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
112	Washington	Oregon	Oregon–Washington football rivalry	Pac-12	60	47	5		1900	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[27]
112	Utah	Utah State	Battle of the Brothers (Beehive Boot)[lower-alpha 32]	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	79	29	4		1892	2015	[lower-alpha 22]	[4]
112	Colorado State	Wyoming	Bronze Boot (Border War)	MW	59	48	5		1899	2020	[lower-alpha 33][lower-alpha 34]	[28]
111	Princeton	Penn	Penn–Princeton football rivalry	Ivy	67	43	1		1876	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
110	New Mexico	New Mexico State	Battle of I-25 (Rio Grande Rivalry)	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	72	33	5		1894	2019[lower-alpha 4]
110	North Dakota State	South Dakota State	Dakota Marker	MVFC	63	42	5		1903	2019[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 11]	[2]
110	North Carolina	North Carolina State	North Carolina–NC State football rivalry	ACC	68	36	6		1894	2020	[lower-alpha 11]
109	New Hampshire	Maine	Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket	CAA	57	44	8		1903	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
109	LSU	Ole Miss	Magnolia Bowl	SEC	64	40	4	1[lower-alpha 35]	1894	2020		[29]
108	Texas A&M	Baylor	Battle of the Brazos	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	68	31	9		1899	2011	[lower-alpha 22]	[4][30]
108	Illinois State	Eastern Illinois	Mid-America Classic	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	57	42	9		1901	2019[lower-alpha 4]
108	North Carolina	Wake Forest	North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry	ACC	70	36	2		1888	2020	[lower-alpha 11]	[4]
107	Cornell	Columbia	Columbia–Cornell football rivalry	Ivy	66	38	3		1889	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
106	North Carolina	Duke	Victory Bell	ACC	61	39	4	2	1888	2020		[31]
105	Washington State	Oregon State		Pac-12	55	47	3		1903	2020
105	Washington	Oregon State		Pac-12	67	34	4		1897	2020		[32][33]
105	Alabama	Mississippi State	Alabama–Mississippi State football rivalry	SEC	83	18	3	1[lower-alpha 36]	1896	2020
104	Nebraska	Missouri	Victory Bell	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	65	36	3		1892	2010	[lower-alpha 22]
104	Pittsburgh	West Virginia	Backyard Brawl	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	61	40	3		1895	2011	[lower-alpha 22]
104	Missouri	Iowa State	Telephone Trophy	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	61	34	9		1896	2011	[lower-alpha 22]
104	Michigan	Minnesota	Little Brown Jug	Big Ten	76	25	3		1892	2020		[34]
104	Iowa State	Kansas State	Farmageddon	Big 12	51	49	4		1917	2020		[35]
103	Western Illinois	Illinois State		MVFC	51	47	5		1904	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2][36]
103	Dartmouth	Cornell	Cornell–Dartmouth football rivalry	Ivy	61	41	1		1900	2019[lower-alpha 4]		[2]
103	Ohio State	Illinois	Illibuck Trophy	Big Ten	68	30	4	1[lower-alpha 37]	1902	2017		[37]
103	Alabama	Tennessee	Third Saturday in October	SEC	57	38	7	1[lower-alpha 38]	1901	2020
102	Virginia Tech	Virginia	Commonwealth Cup	ACC	59	38	5		1895	2020
102	Wisconsin	Northwestern		Big Ten	60	37	5		1890	2020		[38]
100	Penn State	Pittsburgh	The Keystone Classic	Non-conf.	53	43	4		1893	2019[lower-alpha 39]		[40][41]
100	Utah	BYU	Holy War (Beehive Boot)[lower-alpha 40]	Non-conf.[lower-alpha 16]	62	34	4		1896	2019[lower-alpha 4]	[lower-alpha 41]	[42]

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games
• Winsipedia appears to have the most accurate information on FBS rivalry games by using the compare feature.

Notes

1. Lehigh vs. Lafayette and Wiliam & Mary vs. Richmond, for example.
2. For instance Brown's series with Harvard and Yale, and Oregon State's series with Washington and Washington State.
3. For instance Miami (Ohio)-Cincinnati and Army-Navy
4. Game will not be played in the 2020 fall college football season due to Covid-19 scheduling changes.
5. Most-played rivalry within the Ivy League.
6. The NCAA incorrectly lists the record as 78-60-8 in its 2020 FCS record book
7. Most-played rivalry within the Big Ten Conference.
8. Became the longest uninterrupted series in FBS history in 2012 – continuous since 1907 – supplanting the Kansas–Nebraska series.
9. Became the longest uninterrupted series in all college football history in 2020 – continuous since 1907 – supplanting the Lafayette–Lehigh series.
10. Most-played rivalry within the Pac-12 Conference.
11. Can potentially be played twice in one season, with rematch in the respective conference championship game.
12. Most-played rivalry within the Southeastern Conference.
13. Most-played rivalry within the Atlantic Coast Conference.
14. Disputed series record: North Carolina forfeited their win in 1956 (or 1957) but there was no NCAA sanction.
15. Winsipedia.com number of games played is incorrect
16. Formerly an in-conference rivalry.
17. Most-played intra-state rivalry.
18. Most-played rivalry that is currently non-conference.
19. Most-played rivalry between FBS teams outside the Power Five conferences.
20. Since 2014, this is the only "protected" cross-division rivalry in the Big Ten.
21. Traditionally the last game of the college football regular season, played second Saturday in December.
22. As of 2019 no future games are scheduled.
23. Kansas forfeited 1960 win.
24. Montana vacated its last five wins of 2011 season due to NCAA violations. This included a regular season win over Montana State.
25. Most-played rivalry within the Big 12 Conference.
26. Disputed series record: Kansas State claims Kansas leads the series lead 64-47-5, based on a game that the Big Eight conference ruled Kansas had to vacate in 1980. Kansas claims a very narrow interpretation of NCAA statistical guidelines that don't reference games that conference committees vacate. The NCAA did not act on the 1980 vacation. The winsipedia.com database does not delete the victory from Kansas' win total, while it does delete games that are officially vacated by the NCAA.
27. Mississippi State forfeited 1976 and 1977 games, which by NCAA guidelines are changed to Ole Miss wins. This is different than vacated games, which are only removed from the offending team's win totals. In this series, there are both forfeits and vacations, which makes the different treatment particularly apparent.
28. Ole Miss vacated 2012 and 2014 wins against Mississippi State which are removed from its win totals, but not added to Mississippi State's win totals.
29. Ohio State vacated all of its win during the 2010 season due to NCAA violations. This included a win over Michigan.
30. Some sources claim that Oklahoma forfeited the 1972 game. OU Forfeit 8 games in 1972 This is not included in the NCAA source.
31. Disputed series record: Vanderbilt records show that Tennessee has 75-33-5 series lead due, including Vanderbilt's 1918 victory. Tennessee records do not count games played in 1918 since the team was "unofficial [team] formed from Army West Point recruits and students. " This list entry accepts the Vanderbilt contention given the unusual circumstances that all college football teams faced in 1918 when the War Department took over training for many college students.
32. Beehive Boot also involves BYU
33. Most-played rivalry within the Mountain West Conference.
34. Most-played conference rivalry between FBS teams outside the Power Five conferences.
35. 2013 win by Ole Miss vacated. Incorrectly treated in the LSU media guide as a forfeit, with win credited to LSU and loss credited to Ole Miss.
36. Alabama forfeited a game in 1993 that officially results in a Mississippi State win instead of an Alabama loss. Alabama vacated the game in 2005, which results in removal of the game from Alabama's win column, but not an added win for Mississippi State.
37. Ohio State vacated all of its win during the 2010 season due to NCAA violations. This included a win over Illinois.
38. Alabama vacated its 2005 win against Tennessee, meaning a win is deducted from Alabama total. Alabama also forfeited its 1993 tie, which changes that game from a tie to a win for Tennessee
39. Penn State vs. Pittsburgh was not scheduled to be played in 2020. The series was not interrupted due to COVID-19.[39]
40. Beehive Boot also involves Utah State
41. Disputed series record: BYU does not recognize 6 games played before 1922 (3 wins for each school).

References

Specific references

1. NCAA Statistics Policies & Guidelines (PDF), NCAA, p. 23, retrieved November 2, 2020
2. "Football Championship Subdivision Records" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 83. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
3. "The Game: Harvard-Yale 2017 - Harvard Alumni".
4. "Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 185. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
5. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
6. "Winsidpedia College Football Database: Oregon vs. Oregon State". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
7. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Georgia vs. Auburn". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
8. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH)". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
9. Stanford Football Media Guide 2019. 2019. p. 112.
10. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Purdue vs. Indiana". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
11. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Navy vs. Army". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
12. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Missouri vs. Kanas". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
13. Kansas 2011 Football Media Guide. 2011. p. 196.
14. "NCAA penalizes Montana football program". The Marshall News Messenger. Marshall, Texas. AP. July 27, 2013. p. B3. Retrieved February 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
15. "Sports People". New York Times. August 27, 1982. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
16. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Kansas vs. Kansas State". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
17. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Texas vs. Texas A&M". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
18. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
19. "Winsipedia College Football Database: South Carolina vs. Clemson". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
20. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Nebraska vs. Kansas". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
21. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Ohio State vs. Michigan". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
22. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Tennessee v. Kentucky". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
23. "Winsipedia College Football Datbase: TCU vs. Baylor". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
24. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt". Retrieved November 19, 2019.
25. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Minnesota vs. Iowa". Winsipedia. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
26. {{Cite web|url=http://www.winsipedia.com/north-carolina-state/vs/wake-forest%7Ctitle=Winsipedia College Football Database: North Carolina State vs. Wake Forest|website=Winsipedia.co|access-date=November 7, 2020}
27. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Washington vs. Oregon". Retrieved November 18, 2019.
28. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Colorado State vs. Wyoming". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
29. "Winsipedia College Football Database: LSU vs. Ole Miss". Winsipedia. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
30. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Texas A&M vs. Baylor". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
31. Tysiac, Ken (September 20, 2011). "UNC football takes a big hit". The Charlotte Observer.
32. "WInsipedia College Football Database: Washington vs. Oregon State". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
33. 2019 University of Washington Football Media Guide. 2019. p. 213.
34. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Michigan vs. Minnesota". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
35. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Iowa State vs. Kansas State". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
36. http://www.chicagonow.com/prairie-state-pigskin/2017/11/rivals-since-8th-grade-keene-and-torgerson-epitomize-the-isu-wiu-football-rivalry/
37. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Ohio State vs. Illinois". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
38. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Wisconsin v. Northwestern". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
39. Bodani, Frank (February 12, 2018). "No Pitt for Penn State football in 2020. When will they meet again?". York Daily Record.
40. "Winsidpedia College Football Database: Pittsburgh vs. Penn State". Retrieved November 17, 2019.
41. Bodani, Frank (February 12, 2018). "No Pitt for Penn State football in 2020. When will they meet again?". York Daily Record. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
42. "Winsipedia College Football Database: Utah vs. BYU". Retrieved November 18, 2019.

General references. Vacated games are not treated consistently with NCAA's own rules for reporting in these publications and the lists have missing games.

• The NCAA Division I FBS record book: "Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. pp. 182–183. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• The NCAA Division I FCS record book: "Football Championship Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. p. 82. Retrieved 2 November 2020.