Ranking Top 5 Biggest Rivalries in College Football History Ahead of Georgia-Alabama

With No. 2 Georgia visiting No. 6 Alabama on Saturday night, here’s how 10 storied matchups stack up on national interest, fan intensity and recent classics.

Fireworks go off after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the USC Trojans 48-20 at Notre Dame Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama meet for the third time in two seasons Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, and the top-10 clash offers a fitting backdrop for ranking one of the biggest rivalries in college football history.

While the clash of SEC titans is a big rivalry right now, where does it rank among the sport's best rivalries?

Honorable mentions

BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) runs for a touchdown against Utah Utes defensive tackle Pupu Sepulona (45), cornerback Elijah Davis (9) and linebacker Levani Damuni (3) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Holy War: BYU vs. Utah - BYU has won three straight in the Holy War after Utah won the nine meetings before that. The Cougars’ 24-21 win in Provo last October hinged on three Utah fourth-down failures inside BYU territory, which kept then-No. 15 BYU unbeaten. With both programs in the Big 12, the Nov. 7 game in Salt Lake City carries conference stakes on top of the in-state bitterness.

Miami vs. Florida State - Miami leads the series 37-33 after quarterback Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes in a 28-22 win in Tallahassee last October. Florida State finished that season 5-7, and the programs have rarely been nationally relevant at the same time in recent years, which keeps this rivalry outside the top five. The Seminoles visit Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 17.

World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party: Georgia vs. Florida - Georgia’s 24-20 win last November was its fifth straight in the series and its eighth in the past nine meetings, though the Bulldogs needed a fourth-and-1 stop and a late touchdown run from running back Chauncey Bowens to escape. EverBank Stadium renovations move the game to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 31, the first meeting in Georgia’s capital city. The rivalry heads to Tampa in 2027 before returning to Jacksonville in 2028.

Lone Star Showdown: Texas vs. Texas A&M - The Lone Star Showdown returned in 2024 after a 13-year break, and Texas has won both meetings since, including a 27-17 win over third-ranked, previously unbeaten Texas A&M in Austin last season. That Black Friday game averaged 13 million viewers, the most-watched weekday college football game on record. The teams meet again Nov. 27 in College Station at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Oregon vs. Washington - Washington beat Oregon twice in 2023, including in the final Pac-12 championship game, before the Ducks took the next two meetings after both schools joined the Big Ten. Oregon’s 26-14 win in Seattle last November preceded a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The rivalry closes the regular season again Nov. 28 in Eugene.

5. American's Game: Army vs. Navy

Navy Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath (11) rushes during the game against the Army West Point Black Knights at M&T Bank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Army-Navy earns its spot through the weight of the game itself, which holds a national audience regardless of where either academy stands in the playoff race. The 2025 meeting averaged 7.84 million viewers, CBS’ largest college football audience of the season, one year after the 2024 game drew 9.4 million, its biggest audience since 1989.

Navy trailed 16-10 in Baltimore last December before quarterback Blake Horvath found Eli Heidenreich for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 6:32 left. The score gave the 22nd-ranked Midshipmen a 17-16 win and a second straight victory in the series.

“Who wouldn’t go to him?” Horvath said of Heidenreich, Navy’s career leader in receiving yards.

Navy then sang its alma mater second, the tradition reserved for every winner in this series.

4. Notre Dame vs. USC

USC Trojans center Justin Dedich (57) prepares to snap as Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III (56) defends in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Notre Dame-USC ranks fourth because no other intersectional rivalry carries its national weight, linking South Bend and Los Angeles in a series that began in 1926. The teams have played for the Jeweled Shillelagh since 1952, and both sides have dominated for long stretches: Notre Dame went 11-0-1 from 1983 through 1995, while USC won eight straight on the field from 2002 through 2009.

The current era belongs to the Fighting Irish, who’ve won eight of the past 10 meetings, including a 34-24 victory in South Bend last October, and lead the series 51-37-5.

The schools couldn’t agree on scheduling terms after 2025, so USC opened this season against San Jose State instead. A four-game series resumes Aug. 31, 2030, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which keeps the rivalry on this list despite the pause.

3. Red River Rivalry: Texas vs. Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) tries to get by Texas Longhorns linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith (26) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Red River Rivalry has the most distinctive setting in the sport, and Saturday’s game marks the 97th straight year it’s been played at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET in Dallas, four hours before Georgia and Alabama take the field in Tuscaloosa.

Texas leads the series 65-51-5, and recent results have swung hard. Oklahoma won a 55-48 shootout in 2021, Texas answered with a 49-0 rout in 2022, and the Sooners won 34-30 in 2023 before the Longhorns took the last two meetings.

The 2025 game, a 23-6 Texas win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma, averaged 8.7 million viewers, the best Red River audience since 2009. Both programs moved into the SEC together in 2024, which keeps the game an annual conference matchup.

2. Iron Bowl: Alabama vs. Auburn

Auburn Tigers interim head coach DJ Durkin and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer shake hands after the game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Iron Bowl produces finishes no other rivalry can match. In 2013, Auburn’s Chris Davis returned a missed 57-yard field goal attempt more than 100 yards on the final play for a 34-28 win, a moment now known as the Kick Six.

Ten years later, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe hit receiver Isaiah Bond for a 31-yard touchdown on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds left, rescuing the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes in a 27-24 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Control of the series has shifted in long runs. Auburn won six straight from 2002 through 2007, handing then-Alabama coach Nick Saban a loss in his first Iron Bowl. Alabama now leads 52-37-1 after a 27-20 win at Auburn last November extended its own streak to six games, and that one-sided stretch keeps the Iron Bowl just behind the top spot.

1. The Game: Ohio State vs. Michigan

Ohio State tackle Austin Siereveld celebrates with fans after the win over Michigan on Nov. 29. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State-Michigan ranks first because no rivalry combines its history, national audience and championship consequences. Michigan leads the series 62-52-6 across 121 meetings dating to 1897, and the Ten Year War between Ohio State coach Woody Hayes and Michigan coach Bo Schembechler from 1969 through 1978 put a Big Ten title on the line nearly every year.

Michigan won four straight from 2021 through 2024, including an upset in Columbus, before Ohio State won 27-9 in Ann Arbor last November. Each school has won a national title in the past three seasons, and Ohio State’s 2024 championship made it the first program to win it all after losing The Game.

The 2025 meeting averaged 18.4 million viewers, and it was the fifth straight year The Game was the most-watched regular-season matchup. Fox has slotted the 2026 edition for noon ET.