Previewing Week 4 college football rivalry games

It is a big weekend of rivalry games in college football, with several ranked teams competing against in-state rivals that would love to pull the upset. Teams will be battling to win Iron Skillets, ancient Irish weapons and even a Golden Screwdriver. Here are the storylines behind the ten rivalry games being played in College Football’s Week 4.

*All times Eastern

Tulsa at Oklahoma State, Friday 7:30 pm

The first rivalry game of the weekend kicks off Friday night as Tulsa will travel 70 miles down the Cimarron Turnpike to face Oklahoma State. The rivalry between the two schools, which was first contested in 1914, is aptly named the Turnpike Classic. There is a question whether Oklahoma State should still consider Tulsa a rival, considering the Cowboys have won the last ten meetings between the two schools, including every game in this century. After suffering a 69-3 blowout at the hands of Oregon in their last game, however, Oklahoma State should want to play up any angle they can to keep the fan base engaged, even against a 1-2 Tulsa team whose only win was against FCS Abilene Christian in the season opener.

SMU at TCU, Saturday noon

The Battle for the Iron Skillet is of the most consistent rivalries on either SMU’s or TCU’s schedules. This game has been contested over 100 times since the two teams first played in 1915. However, the future of this rivalry is unclear because at this time it is not scheduled to be contested in 2026 or for the foreseeable future. That puts added emphasis on a game that is already expected to be close. SMU was ranked in the Top 25 before dropping a close game to Baylor in Week 2. TCU comes into the contest 2-0 and just outside the Top 25, but the winner could vault back into the Top 25 after Saturday.

Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon, Saturday 3:00 pm

Heisman Trophy candidate Dante Moore leads the Oregon Ducks in their "Civil War" rivalry game against Oregon State Saturday. — Heisman Trophy candidate Dante Moore leads the Oregon Ducks in their "Civil War" rivalry game against Oregon State on Saturday. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon State Beavers and the Oregon Ducks will renew their “Civil War” rivalry on Saturday in Eugene. What do you get when you cross a beaver and a duck? A platypus, of course, and there is no more fitting trophy for these in-state rivals to play for than the Platypus Trophy, a wood-carved statue that vaguely resembles a platypus and was lost for more than four decades before being rediscovered in 2007. The Trophy now is awarded to the winning school’s alumni association. It would be a shock if the trophy does not stay with the Oregon Alumni Association after Saturday’s game, as the Ducks are 35.5-point favorites.

Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss. Saturday 3:30 pm

While not the most well-known rivalry game for either school, Tulane and Ole Miss are long-standing rivals who date their first meeting on the gridiron back to 1893. Since they do not play in the same conference, the game has been only sporadically played, with Saturday being only the ninth meeting between the two teams in the last 30 years. Ole Miss is currently on a 13-game win streak in the series, though a couple of those victories are contested. The Rebels were forced to vacate the 2010 and 2012 wins against the Green Wave due to NCAA penalties. The Rebels are 12.5-point favorites hosting Tulane this Saturday.

Purdue at No. 24 Notre Dame, Saturday 3:30 pm

In-state rivals Purdue and Notre Dame will meet for the 89th time in their schools’ histories. The Fighting Irish hold a sizable lead in the series, and have not lost to Purdue since 2007. Saturday’s meeting is expected to continue that streak, even with the Irish starting the season 0-2. The winner of the Purdue-Notre Dame game is awarded the Shillelagh Trophy. A shillelagh is a wooden stick, usually with a knotted end, that was used in Ireland hundreds of years ago for farming and combat. First-year Purdue head coach Barry Odom would love nothing more than to bring the Shillelagh Trophy back downstate with the Boilermakers after Saturday’s game.

South Carolina at No. 23 Missouri, Saturday 7:00 pm

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer hoists the Mayor's Cup after the Gamecocks beat Missouri last year. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers love rivalry games and have one of the longest list of rivals of any FBS program. Joining the SEC in 2012 was a good reason to create new rivalries, and South Carolina was happy to oblige. The campuses of both programs are located in Columbia, and the mayors of Columbia, Missouri and Columbia, South Carolina at the time decided to create the Mayor’s Cup to award to the winner each year. Being awarded a notch in their win column is more important to both teams. South Carolina needs to rebound from their first loss of the season, and Missouri is just starting to pick up steam under first-year starting quarterback Beau Pribula.

Florida at No. 4 Miami, Saturday 7:30 pm

When Florida and Miami meet, especially early in the season, there is often a lot at stake. At least one school has been ranked in the last 12 meetings, and both were ranked in seven of those games. This year, the most significant thing at stake may be Florida head coach Billy Napier’s job, as the Gators are slumping at 1-2 on the season. Saturday’s meeting will be the first in the season-long competition for the Florida Cup, a three-way rivalry between Florida, Miami and Florida State. The team that goes 2-0 against their opponents in those two games in seasons when all three play each other is the winner of the Florida Cup, with a tie determined by fewest points allowed across the two games.

Southern Miss @ Louisiana Tech, Saturday 7:30 pm

Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss will revive their rivalry after a three-year hiatus when the two teams meet in Shreveport Saturday night. Dubbed “Rivalry in Dixie,” Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss have met 53 times dating back to 1935. The Golden Eagles hold a commanding lead in series wins, although Louisiana Tech has won two of the last three meetings between the two teams. Both programs come into this contest with 2-1 records, and the spread is just a field goal so the game has added meaning for the 2025 season at large.

Washington at Washington State, Saturday 7:30 pm

The Washington Huskies have a 68% winning percentage in Apple Cup games. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Of the rivalry games being contested this weekend, only Oregon-Oregon State has been played more than the Apple Cup. Saturday will mark the 117th football meeting between Washington and Washington State. Were it not for COVID-19, this series would have been uninterrupted going back to the 1945 season. Washington State won last year’s contest in Seattle 24-19, but even with the game being back on their campus in Pullman this weekend, the Cougars are nearly three-touchdown underdogs. Washington is 2-0 on the season, and has No. 1 Ohio State coming to town the weekend after the Apple Cup.

Fresno State at Hawaii, Sunday, midnight

A pair of 2-1 teams will meet in Honolulu to revive their annual rivalry, but with the game starting on Sunday for those in the Eastern time zone not many may be awake to see it. The Fresno State-Hawaii rivalry is nicknamed “The Battle for the Golden Screwdriver,” because former Hawaii head coach June Jones once alleged that a screwdriver had been thrown at him by the Fresno State student section. That inspired a Fresno radio station to create a Golden Screwdriver trophy to commemorate this game, and the moniker stuck. Fresno is a three-point favorite over Hawaii this weekend, and leads the overall series 30-25-1.

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