College Football Rivalry Games That Should Make a Return
While conference realignment has been a success for several college football programs, the shock wave of change ripped apart some of the game's best annual matchups.
Bring up a rivalry game that doesn't happen anymore, and realignment is usually to blame.
New conferences and scheduling regulations make it tougher for high-profile contests to return, while old-fashioned bitterness over the changes has been the cause of death for some rivalries.
College football still has plenty of excellent rivalry games each and every year, but there are a few holes in the annual schedule when it's compared to the past.
Here's a look at 10 historic rivalry games that have gone by the wayside and need to make a return in some form or fashion down the road. While a few should be annual matchups again, any number of scheduled meetings for others would be welcome for fans everywhere.
Which rivalry game do you want to see make a return? Let's hear it in the comments below.
Arkansas vs. Texas
1 of 10
Series record: Texas leads, 56-22
Last meeting: 2014
Future matchups: None scheduled
A classic rivalry between two former Southwest Conference powers, Arkansas and Texas are two schools with plenty of history and plans for getting back to title contention in the next few seasons.
While the Longhorns dominated several stretches of this series, the Razorbacks notched a few landmark wins, including three straight victories from 1964 to 1966. Then there was the 1969 "Game of the Century," when No. 1 Texas defeated No. 2 Arkansas, 15-14, en route to a national title.
Although Arkansas' move to the SEC in 1991 ended the annual rivalry, the two teams have played a few times since 2000, including last season's Texas Bowl. Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, who said beating Texas was "borderline erotic" earlier this summer at SEC media days, sounds open to a return for the series, per Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press.
If Texas can't get a series sorted out with a certain rival to be named later, a revival of the matchups with Arkansas would be a fun one to see. With Arkansas on the rise in the SEC and Texas looking to rebuild under Charlie Strong, this series could be a great clash between ranked opponents down the road.
Auburn vs. Georgia Tech
2 of 10
Series record: Auburn leads, 47-41-4
Last meeting: 2005
Future matchups: None scheduled
This matchup doesn't have the name recognition as some of the other ones on this list, but the Auburn-Georgia Tech rivalry was huge for both schools once upon a time.
Auburn and Georgia Tech were conference rivals for decades, continuing their rivalry through the 1987 season even after the Yellow Jackets became independent and then a member of the ACC. This dormant rivalry also has the distinction of featuring two schools that were once coached by John Heisman, the namesake of the sport's biggest award.
According to Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the two schools talked about a potential home-and-home series earlier this year. The last two times these schools met, Georgia Tech defeated Auburn. It was in 2003 and in 2005—the year before and the year after the Tigers' undefeated 2004 campaign.
With both teams now established forces in their respective conferences, a revival for Auburn and Georgia Tech would be an attractive matchup to add to their respective rivalries with Georgia.
BYU vs. Utah
3 of 10
Series record: Utah leads, 54-31-4
Last meeting: 2013
Future matchups: 2016, 2017 and 2018
If you're looking for hate on this list, you've come to the right place. BYU and Utah is an intense in-state rivalry with buckets of bad blood and some serious religious overtones—it's called the "Holy War" for a reason.
The BYU-Utah rivalry is also an excellent matchup on the field. Six of the last eight meetings have been decided by single digits, and there have been two overtime games within the past decade.
The series is on the second part of a two-year hiatus this season. As Utah athletic director Chris Hill said in 2012, he was concerned about the Utes "overscheduling" with the home-and-home against Michigan, according to Lya Wodraska of the Salt Lake Tribune. But the two schools agreed to add a pair of home-and-home dates for 2017 and 2018, with the one already scheduled in 2016.
While fears of a ceasefire for the Holy War have faded with the 2017 and 2018 announcement, the Cougars and the Utes need to go ahead and lock down a permanent return for this rivalry. It's one of the fiercest rivalries fans can find anywhere in the country.
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Cincinnati vs. Louisville
4 of 10
Series record: Cincinnati leads, 30-22-1
Last meeting: 2013
Future matchups: None scheduled
Trophies separate rivalry games in college football from heated matchups in other sports, and it's a shame that the game for one of the sport's best pieces of hardware is no longer being contested.
Cincinnati and Louisville competed for the Keg of Nails in a rivalry that followed the two schools in their journeys from the Missouri Valley to the old Metro Conference to the Conference USA and finally to the Big East—which is now the American Athletic Conference.
The two schools are separated by just 80 miles on Interstate 71 and were cut from the same cloth for a while as mid-majors trying to bust the BCS. But Louisville left the AAC after the first year of its rebrand for the ACC, so this series could be gone for good.
With their proximity, shared history and killer trophy, the return of the Cincinnati-Louisville rivalry would be a welcome sight in college football. An annual series would be challenging to schedule, considering Louisville's annual nonconference matchup with Kentucky, but the Keg of Nails deserves to come out again.
Florida vs. Miami
5 of 10
Series record: Miami leads, 29-26
Last meeting: 2013
Future matchups: None scheduled
Florida, Florida State and Miami have a round-robin trophy called the Florida Cup, which was established in 2002 by the state's sports foundation. But the cup has only had five true winners since its inception, because although Florida State plays Florida and Miami every year, the Gators and the Hurricanes don't have an annual series.
The Florida-Miami rivalry, which was contested annually from 1938 to 1987, would open up a true three-way fight for supremacy in Florida. The victor would get both in-state bragging rights and some much-needed momentum as they race to catch up with Florida State.
One barrier to this game's return to the college football landscape is location. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said before the 2013 game that he was open to renewing the series but only as a neutral-site matchup, per Zac Ellis of Sports Illustrated.
These two Florida schools cross paths in recruiting battles for some of the state's top athletes. Why not bring that competition back to the football field?
Kansas vs. Missouri
6 of 10
Series record: Missouri leads, 57-54-9
Last meeting: 2011
Future matchups: None scheduled
Much like the Holy War, the Border War is also a nasty rivalry between two schools and fanbases that just plain hate each other. It also has incredible history, as Kansas-Missouri is the second-most played rivalry in college football.
But conference realignment ended this fierce series back in 2011, when Missouri headed to the SEC. Since then, the Jayhawks have fallen fast, while the Tigers have won back-to-back division titles in their new conference.
Still, no matter the records, this series would be a heated one from the moment it restarts. And that may happen in the next few years—Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said in 2014, per David Morrison of the Columbia Tribune, that Kansas has an "open invitation" to renew the rivalry.
Unlike other schools in the SEC East, Missouri doesn't have a permanent nonconference rival. But as Kansas tries to rebuild under new head coach David Beaty, the Tigers could get one and add some more venomous chapters to their history with the Jayhawks.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame
7 of 10
Series record: Michigan leads, 24-17-1
Last meeting: 2014
Future matchups: None scheduled
As Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated noted last season, before Michigan and Notre Dame's final meeting for a while, this isn't the fiercest or most historical rivalry for either team. But it is one of the most passive-aggressive in all of sports.
"Notre Dame says it can't keep playing Michigan," Rosenberg wrote. "No more room on the schedule. ... But two days before kickoff [last year], Notre Dame announced ... a series with Ohio State—which, of course, is Michigan's biggest rival. This is like breaking up with somebody by saying, 'It's not you. It's me. I really want to date your sister.'"
Throw out the hurt egos and the on-again, off-again nature of the rivalry and just look at how appealing Michigan-Notre Dame would be as a series. These are the two winningest programs in major college football. They each have iconic names, figures, stadiums and helmets that stand out in the sport.
While Notre Dame said it dropped Michigan in order to play more ACC teams—a bizarre effect of conference realignment—the Irish obviously have room for big-name opponents. Give Jim Harbaugh some time to rebuild Michigan, and these matchups could have major title implications.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
8 of 10
Series record: Oklahoma leads, 45-38-3
Last meeting: 2010
Future matchups: 2021 and 2022
For a long time, rivalry games didn't come with any bigger championship implications than Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The two former conference foes were fixtures in the top 10 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and they squared off in a "Game of the Century" as No. 1 and No. 2 in 1971. While Nebraska won that matchup, Oklahoma took nine of the next 10 tense, tightly contested meetings.
Nebraska decided to make a break for the Big Ten earlier this decade, making the 2010 Big 12 Championship Game the most recent meeting between the two powers. The two teams agreed to play each other in a home-and-home series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1971 game, according to Huskers.com. But more meetings in the future look unlikely.
Perhaps the rivalry's return in 2021 and 2022 will spark some more meetings between the two. While a lot can change for both programs between now and then, the star-studded history between the Huskers and the Sooners will always make football fans clamor for the rivalry's return.
Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia
9 of 10
Series record: Pittsburgh leads, 61-40-3
Last meeting: 2011
Future matchups: None scheduled
Pittsburgh and West Virginia are only separated by 75 miles on Interstate 79. But the historic Backyard Brawl has a bigger gap to deal with these days—conference realignment.
When Pittsburgh and West Virginia went their separate ways, it ended a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1895. The Backyard Brawl features all the strong feelings of a close-proximity rivalry, and the two schools still battle it out on the recruiting trail for some of the area's top recruits.
With both schools changing athletic directors recently, talks of a renewed rivalry have increased. West Virginia's Shane Lyons told Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last month that scheduling Pittsburgh was one of his top priorities at his new job.
Of all the rivalries on this list, the Backyard Brawl looks like it has the best chance of returning. That's great news for fans of both schools and for college football in general, because this series has featured some memorable moments over its long history—including 2007's shocking result.
Texas vs. Texas A&M
10 of 10
Series record: Texas leads, 76-37-5
Last meeting: 2011
Future matchups: None scheduled
Last, but certainly not least, the Lone Star Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M is the one rivalry that always comes to mind when fans think of series that have been affected by conference realignment.
Texas A&M left Texas and the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012, but not after the Longhorns defeated the Aggies on a last-second field goal on Thanksgiving Day of 2011. Since their separation, Texas A&M has emerged as the recruiting powerhouse for the state, as Texas looks to restore its glory under Charlie Strong.
Few rivalries bring out the bitterness between two sets of fanbases like Texas and Texas A&M—both of their respective fight songs reference the other school. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the egos, and the two historic in-state rivals can't seem to come to any agreement on future meetings.
If this rivalry game ever comes back, it'll immediately be must-see TV. While Texas A&M now has new conference rival LSU as its Thanksgiving week opponent, the Aggies need to play the Longhorns again on rivalry weekends.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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