The biggest rivalry games in college football for Week 9

The Paul Bunyan Trophy goes to the winner of the annual Michigan-Michigan State rivalry game. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

In-state rivalries and border wars highlight the college football slate for Week 9 of the 2025 season. Several of these rivalries date back to the 1800s, and most carry with them plenty of bad blood. Here is a look at the history behind each rivalry game being contested at the Football Bowl Subdivision Level this weekend.

*All times Eastern

Boise State at Nevada, Friday 10:00 pm

The rivalry weekend kicks off Friday night when a rejuvenated Boise State team travels down to Reno to face Nevada in a matchup of traditional conference rivals. The future of the series, however, is up in the air with Boise State set to join the Pac-12 Conference with the start of the 2026 season. The game is not currently scheduled beyond 2025, though neither school has a complete schedule for 2026 yet. This rivalry began in 1971 and was tightly contested initially, but Boise State has dominated in this century, winning 17 of the last 19 meetings.

Virginia at North Carolina, Saturday noon

Quarterback Chandler Morris will lead No. 16 Virginia against rival North Carolina on Saturday. | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Two weeks ago we had the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry between Auburn and Georgia, and this weekend we get the South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Auburn-Georgia rivalry actually predates the North Carolina-Virginia rivalry by 245 days, and both rivalries had been contested a total of 129 times coming into the 2025 season. The competitiveness of this rivalry has given it unique standing among the longtime rivalries in college football, with North Carolina holding a slim 66-59-4 series lead. Virginia comes into this weekend’s game ranked No. 16 in the country, however, and has been installed as a 10.5-point favorite.

Kansas State at Kansas, Saturday noon

The Governor’s Cup will be on the line when in-state rivals Kansas and Kansas State meet in Lawrence on Saturday. Known as the “Sunflower Showdown” since 2010, a nod to the Kansas state flower, this is the fourth-longest uninterrupted series in college football, having been contested for 114 consecutive years. Neither Kansas nor Kansas State is especially content with how this season has transpired, but a win Saturday against their rival could spur either squad to a strong second half and bowl eligibility.

Bowling Green at Kent State, Saturday noon

Eddie George will get his first taste as head coach of the Falcons' rivalry with Kent State this weekend in the MAC showdown. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The rivalry between Mid-American Conference foes Bowling Green and Kent State was borne out of the two schools’ shared heritage. Both schools were created in 1910 as a result of the Lowery Bill, which was signed into law by the Ohio governor that year to establish a pair of teacher training schools, one in northeast Ohio and one in northwest Ohio. These schools would become Kent State and Bowling Green, and ten years after their establishment, the football programs representing the schools first met on the field of battle. 

Ball State at Northern Illinois, Saturday 3:30 pm

The second MAC rivalry game on the schedule Saturday will see Ball State and Northern Illinois battle for the Bronze Stalk Trophy, which depicts the corn stalks that can be found growing abundantly near each schools’ campus. While Northern Illinois and Ball State reside in states sharing a border, what really makes this a rivalry is the near parity between the two schools since they first met in 1941. The series is currently tied 25-25-2 with Ball State winning the last three meetings. Northern Illinois, despite being just 1-6 on the season, is a touchdown favorite at home going into Saturday’s game.

San Diego State at Fresno State, Saturday 3:30 pm

When Fresno State and San Diego State first met on the football field back in 1923 they were both junior colleges participating in the Southern California Junior College Conference. The 300-plus miles between the two schools was a long drive in those days, and cars carried extra cans of oil on trips of that length in case of emergency. When a Fresno oil can was found on San Diego State’s campus, a rivalry trophy was born. In 2011, the Old Oil Can was made into an official trophy, which will go to Saturday’s winner.

Texas A&M at LSU, Saturday 7:30 pm

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed will look to keep his Heisman candidacy alive when the Aggies travel to face LSU Saturday night. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The only rivalry game this weekend featuring a pair of Top 25 ranked teams sees Texas A&M looking to keep their perfect record alive in Death Valley on Saturday night. While the first contest between the two programs was played way back in 1899, the rivalry has been contested sporadically over the last 126 years as they have rarely been part of the same conference. That changed in 2012 when Texas A&M joined the Southeastern Conference. This is now a protected rivalry in the SEC, and the two teams are scheduled to face each other every year at least through 2029.

Colorado State at Wyoming, 7:30 pm

Another border war takes place Saturday night in Laramie, and this rivalry is actually known as the “Border War.” The series got off to an inauspicious start when the referees for the first contest in 1899 disagreed on the rules and a Wyoming forfeit was declared by the referee provided by Colorado State (then known as Colorado Agricultural College). That sparked a fight between the two teams, and they have been battling on the gridiron ever since. Despite being separated by a border, Colorado State and Wyoming’s campuses are just 65 miles apart, and both fan bases travel well to support their teams against their rival.

Michigan at Michigan State, Saturday 7:30 pm

Michigan State players hold up the Paul Bunyan Trophy after their win over rival Michigan in 2011. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Outside of the Iron Bowl, there may not be an intrastate rivalry with as much bad blood as there is between Michigan and Michigan State. Phrases like “little brother,” “pride comes before the fall,” and “trouble with the snap,” raises bile into the throats of the respective fan bases. This rivalry has been played 117 times since 1898, with the winning team parading around the bulky Paul Bunyan Trophy, widely regarded as one of the ugliest rivalry trophies in college football. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though, and both of teams would love to hoist that big lumberjack Saturday night.

Tennessee at Kentucky, Saturday 7:45 pm

Although not the oldest rivalry in college football, and not the oldest being played this weekend, Kentucky-Tennessee nevertheless has one of the longest histories in the sport, dating back to 1893. Kentucky dominated that first meeting 56-0, but the Volunteers hold the all-time series lead 84-26-9. That mark is highlighted by a 26-game winning streak by Tennessee from 1985-2010. A beer barrel trophy, initially awarded during Prohibition, used to go to the winner of this game, but that tradition was ended in 1998 when two Kentucky players died in a drunk driving accident a week before that year’s game was to be played.

Colorado at Utah, Saturday 10:15 pm

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders (R) and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham are caretakers of the Rumble in the Rockies rivalry now. | Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

One of the most alliterative rivalries in college football, Colorado and Utah face off late Saturday night for a Rumble in the Rockies. This rivalry dates back all the way to 1903 and was contested nearly every year until 1962, when it went on a nearly 50-year hiatus as the two schools shuffled between different conferences. It wasn’t until both schools were part of the Pac-12 starting in 2011 that the rivalry resumed. Utah has dominated the rivalry since, winning 11 of the last 14, though Colorado won last year’s meeting by a final of 49-24.

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