15 College Football Rivalries That Have Lost Their Luster

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Rivalries are a large part of college football, and there are some that are the best in all of sports.

With the changing college football landscape, there are conferences and teams that are not as good as they once were.

This can have a negative effect on a rivalry. While some have withstood the test of time, others are certainly not what they used to be.

Here are 15 college football rivalries that have lost a little bit of their luster over the years.

15. Notre Dame vs. Navy

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This rivalry has been played every year since 1927, and even though Notre Dame has dominated for most of that time, this rivalry is not what it once was.

It seems like nobody really cares about this game anymore except the fans of these two teams.

This year they will be opening the season in Dublin. This should make it a little more interesting and maybe will help renew the rivalry a little bit.

14. Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

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These two teams play every year for the Commonwealth Cup, and as of late it has not been much of a rivalry.

The Hokies have won eight in a row and 12 out of the last 13.

At one point before this stretch, the series was virtually even, but recently it has been complete domination by Virginia Tech.

13. Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH)

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The Battle for the Victory Bell is the oldest non-conference rivalry in college football and this once even series has been dominated recently by Cincinnati.

While many people may not consider this to be a big-time rivalry, at one point it was one of the biggest in college football.

Miami still leads the all-time series between the teams, but the Bearcats have won six in a row.

12. Tennessee vs. Alabama

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The Third Saturday in October was dominated by Tennessee throughout the latter part of the '90s, and then it was fairly even for a five-year span.

Over the past five years, however, the Crimson Tide have dominated, winning all but one game by 24 points or more.

There is no question that the Third Saturday in October is not what it once was.

11. Notre Dame vs. Army

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This is another of the older rivalries that is nowhere close to what it once was.

The first game between the two teams was way back in 1913 and the series has been so lopsided in recent years that it is now hardly even considered a rivalry.

Still, Notre Dame has won the last 14 meetings, and it is not looking like Army will be able to compete anytime soon.

10. UCLA vs. USC

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USC and UCLA are city rivals that have been playing since before 1930.

The series was at one point very competitive, with UCLA even dominating most of the '90s.

Recently, however, it has been all Trojans, as they have only lost once in the past 13 years.

Even though they are still city rivals and fighting for the same recruits, this game is definitely not what it once was.

9. Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

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The annual Battle for Paul Bunyun's Axe is the oldest rivalry in FBS, dating all the way back to 1890.

While many people in the south may not know too much about this rivalry, there is no question that at one point it was one of the best in college football.

Over the past few years, the Minnesota football program has been on quite a downward spiral. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been excellent in recent years. They have won eight in a row and are 17-5 since 1990.

Not much of a rivalry here anymore.

8. Georgia vs. Georgia Tech

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Known as "Clean, Old Fashioned Hate," this rivalry between the two biggest programs in Georgia has been dominated by one team over the past decade.

The Georgia Bulldogs have won 10 of the past 11 matchups, and Georgia Tech has been no match in recent years.

Dating back to the 1991 season, Georgia has won 17 of the 21 times these two teams have played.

7. California vs. Stanford

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Everybody knows about the historic 1982 game played between these two teams, but is there much else that is really significant about this rivalry.

These two teams have met 114 times dating back to 1892, and even though it has been relatively even over the past few decades, the rivalry just does not seem to be what it once was.

Maybe it is because these two teams have not been on a national scene with the exception of the Andrew Luck Stanford teams.

Either way, there is a lot to be desired with this rivalry.

6. Florida vs. Tennessee

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These two teams have only played 41 times, even though the series began in 1916, but during the '90s, this was one of the best rivalries in college football.

From 1990-2004, when both teams were competitive, Florida held a slight 9-6 advantage.

In recent years, the Gators have won the last seven meetings, and it does not look like Tennessee is turning it around anytime soon to make this interesting again.

5. Notre Dame vs. USC

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This is one of the most well-known rivalries in college football and may be the most popular as far as cross-country rivalries are concerned.

Even though Notre Dame and USC fans will certainly say this is still one of the best rivalries in college football, there is no question that it has lost a lot over the years.

The Trojans have won nine out of the last 10 meetings and appear to be headed for more domination in the coming years.

Notre Dame has a long way to go to catch up with the Trojans.

4. Oregon vs. Oregon State

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"The Civil War"—as it is referred to—began in 1894 and was one of the strongest rivalries in the west...when both teams were good.

Oregon has continued to improve and the Beavers have regressed in recent years. Oregon has won the last four meetings and completely dominated three of them.

What was once back and forth during the '90s and the early part of this century is now a blowout win at the end of the season for the Ducks.

3. Florida State vs. Florida

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This is a more recent rivalry, as these two teams met in 1958 for the first time.

At one point in time these were two of the top five programs in the country and while these two teams are still good, there is no question that this is nowhere close to what it once was.

Florida has won six of the last eight meetings and while these two teams have struggled in recent years, there is a chance this rivalry could get back to what it was about 10 years ago.

2. Army vs. Navy

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There is no rivalry in college football with more tradition than the Army-Navy game. These two teams first met in 1890 and have played 112 times since then.

Navy has dominated winning the past 10 meetings, but that is not the only reason why this rivalry has lost some of its luster.

Neither of these teams are real good anymore, and it does not appear like that is going to change.

1. Florida State vs. Miami

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During the '90s and the early part of this century, these were two of the meanest teams in college football, and nobody wanted to play them.

So, when they got together, it was quite a contest. Florida State dominated the latter part of the '90s and Miami took over from 2000-2004.

Florida State has won four of the past six meetings and it appears evenly matched, but neither of these teams are what they once were, particularly Miami.

Until the Hurricanes return to the national prominence they once held, this rivalry will continue to fade.