College Football Rivalry Week 2025 By The Numbers

COLUMBUS, OHIO – NOVEMBER 30: Quinshon Judkins #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after a first down during the first half of a college football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

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As college football enters Rivalry Week, the tension is existential with important bragging rights at stake. No. 1 Ohio State will battle No. 18 Michigan in the 120th edition of “The Game.” They face off with playoff futures at stake, but the spotlight burns brightest on Ryan Day, who is looking to avoid dropping five straight to the Wolverines. In the SEC, the Lonestar Showdown between No. 17 Texas and No. 3 Texas A&M will see the Longhorns trying to earn a playoff spot, while the Aggies look to protect an unbeaten season under Mike Elko. In Mississippi, Lane Kiffin’s post-Egg Bowl future looms larger than the game itself as the college football world waits to see whether he stays at Ole Miss or chooses to take his talents to the Bayou or the Swamp. Rivalry Week always brings a slew of stellar stories across the college football landscape. Here is a look at the numbers behind what this week’s rivalry games mean to college football fans around the country.

Historic And Burgeoning College Football Rivalries

Some of this week’s rivalry games trace their roots back to the 19th century, forged in an era when games were played in muddy fields and the forward pass was still a novelty. Yet, Rivalry Week is also being reshaped in real time. Conference realignment has revived dormant feuds and given life to new ones.

Oldest Rivalries In College Football

Some rivalries slated for Week 14 stretch back to the very origins of college football. Duke and Wake Forest first met in 1889, making theirs the oldest matchup on the schedule this week. Meanwhile, Minnesota and Wisconsin prepare to face off for Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 135th time, marking the most-played rivalry in the sport’s history.

Newest Rivalries In College Football

Not all Rivalry Week matchups are steeped in annual tradition. Arkansas and Missouri will play for the Battle Line Trophy for just the 17th time, a product of the SEC’s recent reshuffling.

College Football’s Cross Town Rivalries And Road Warriors

Rivalries in college football are often framed by emotion, tradition, and postseason implications, but as we learned in history class, geography is destiny. Some of the sport’s fiercest matchups are rooted in sheer proximity: students who grew up together, families split by zip codes, and campuses that share city skylines. Others span vast distances, fueled less by local tension and more by conference alignments or institutional history.

College Football Crosstown Rivals

Nowhere is the geographic closeness of a college football rivalry more literal than in Los Angeles. Just 12 miles separate the campuses of USC and UCLA, but heading into this year’s game for the Victory Bell, the gap on the field feels much wider. No. 15 USC enters Week 14 in need of a strong close to the season after a tough loss to No. 7 Oregon effectively ended its playoff hopes. The Trojans are 21.5-point favorites over a struggling 3–8 UCLA team.

College Football Long Distance Duels

There is long-distance, and then there is Honolulu to Laramie. When Hawai’i and Wyoming face off for the Paniolo Trophy, they span more than 3,000 miles and four time zones. Born in 1978, the Paniolo Trophy (named after the Hawaiian word for “cowboy”) honors the shared ranching heritage of two places that seemingly have very little in common.

Most Competitive And Most Lopsided College Football Rivalries

College Football Rivalries By The Odds

This year, three rivalry games have spreads of -1.5 and represent the three most competitive games per the oddsmakers. The home team is favored in all three games. Wake Forest travels to Duke to take on a Blue Devil squad that still has a shot (albeit long) at making the ACC Championship Game. In the Sunshine State, Florida State will travel to The Swamp to take on the Florida Gators in a battle for the Makala Trophy. The Gators are playing for pride and bragging rights while Florida State will go bowling with a win on Saturday. Finally, Minnesota is a slight favorite at home against Wisconsin.

The two most lopsided spreads of the week involve three teams from the state of Indiana. The sportsbooks have Stanford as a 32.5 point underdog at home against a surging No. 9 Notre Dame team in the 100-year anniversary of the first game between the two schools. Back in the Hoosier State, No. 2 Indiana is favored by 28.5 points when traveling to Purdue to play for the Old Oaken Bucket on Friday night.

College Football Rivalries By The History Books

Among this weekend’s rivalry games with at least 50 prior meetings, three have historically been dominated by one team, winning at least 65% of the matchups. The most lopsided is the annual battle between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Vanderbilt Commodores where the Volunteers have won 79 of the 119 games played in the series. This year’s edition of the rivalry game potentially has playoff implications as No. 14 Vanderbilt will try to notch a win at No. 20 Tennessee. Also in the SEC, the Texas Longhorns have won 77 of 119 meetings in the Lone Star Showdown against Texas A&M. In the Big 12, Colorado holds a 45-21-1 series lead against Kansas State. This year, No. 3 Texas A&M and Kansas State, both historically underdogs in their respective rivalries, enter as favorites in the latest chapter of their heated matchups.

One rivalry stands out as the most evenly matched: neither team holds a majority of wins. In 118 meetings between Illinois and Northwestern, Illinois leads with 58 victories, but with five ties, neither side has won more than 50% of the time.

The Importance Of College Football Rivalries

Rivalry Week in 2025 represents a convergence of past, present, and postseason implications. Matchups stretch from 19th-century roots to realignment-era renewals, from crosstown clashes to cross-continental duels. But one thing is for sure: no metric captures the motivation that comes from genuine hate between rivals. Whether it’s a 1-point spread or 30, whether the series is dead even or historically lopsided, every rivalry game this week will be played with the intensity of a playoff. It is part of what makes college football special.