Get College Rivalry essential facts below. View Videos or join the College Rivalry discussion. Add College Rivalry to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media.
Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically better known to the general public. These schools place an added emphasis on emerging victorious in any event that includes their rival. This may include the creation of a special trophy or other commemoration of the event. While many of these rivalries have arisen spontaneously, some have been created by college officials in efforts to sell more tickets and support their programs.
Definition of a sports rivalry
Rivalries traverse many different fields within society. A rivalry develops from the product of competition and ritualism between different parties. A rivalry is defined as "a perceptual categorizing process in which actors identify which states are sufficiently threatening competitors".[1] Ritualism is "a series of ... iterated acts or performances that are ... famous in terms 'not entirely encoded by the performer'; that is, they are imbued by meanings external to the performer".[2] Everyone that is part of the sports event in some capacity becomes a part of the ritualism. Teams get together before the game to warm up, coaches shake hands with each other, captains have a determinant of who gets the ball first, everyone stands during the national anthem, the fans sit in specific areas, they make certain gestures with their hands throughout the game, they wear specific gear that is associated with the team, and they have the same post-game practices every game of every season of every year.[3] It is through this consistency of playing the same teams yearly that "these rivalries have shown remarkable staying power".[4] Specifically, it is society's drive to disrupt these original rituals that start rivalries. Horst Helle says, "society needs a particular quantitative relationship of harmony and disharmony, association and competition, favour and disfavour, in order to take shape in a specific way".[2] Society is drawn to this in sports because this is a principal characteristic in everyday life, which can be seen in historic religious rivalries, such as the contemporary example of sectarianism in Glasgow. Within an area, differences between two types of people can drive the start of a rivalry. Competition and support keep the rivalry going.
In sports, competition tests who has better skill and ability at the time of the game through play. Many rivalries persist because the competition is between two teams that have similar abilities. Spectators gravitate towards competitive rivalries because they are interesting to watch and unpredictable. Society follows competitions because competitions influence "the unity of society".[5] Being loyal to one team in a rivalry brings a sense of belonging to a community of supporters that are hoping that the team they are rooting for wins. The fans of the two different teams do not sit next to each other because this disrupts the community. In a similar way, competition displays an indirect way of fighting.[5] Society does not condone direct fighting as a way of getting something so this is the most passive aggressive way of fighting. Because this is an acceptable practice, there are many supporters of competition as they fuel a way for the people to participate in a rivalry without the consequences of fighting. However, when the competition is not enough in sports and the tensions are high fighting does ensue.
Important contributors that fuel a rivalry
An important precursor to having a rivalry is having intense competitive play between two sports teams within the ritualistic structure of the game. A competition is "a form of struggle fought by means of objective performances, to the advantage of a third [party]",[6] which in sports is driven by the team dynamic, and external outlets such as the fans and the media. These external outlets give rivalries more distinctive importance. An example of a rivalry that embodies this is the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.
The team dynamic
In such sports as basketball and football there is a stress on the importance of teamwork. This is so because the team is a smaller society that needs to function properly. This means that they need good communication and get necessary goals accomplished for the team. Because of this, the individual on the team is seen as less important than the group as everyone works toward the goal of making the group the best it can possibly be. Players do this "in the form of obedience to authority, group loyalty, and the willingness to sacrifice for the good of the group."[7]
The spectators
The spectators, also known as fans, of sporting events are the largest population associated with the event. Fans exhibit "intangible feelings of pride, solidarity, and pleasure" for a particular team[8] and brand loyalty, which means that they "heavily identify[y] with a particular team or university and have shown that the self-esteem of these ardent fans can be affected by their team's success in competition".[3] This is important in rivalries because fans can determine the outcome of the game and the overall mood throughout the game. The fans have a lot of power because of this fact and therefore possess indirect power and determination on the outcome of the game.
The media
The media connect the team, with the fans and the rest of the world. "The media do[es not] 'tell it like it is.' Rather, they tell it in a way that supports the interests of those who benefit from cultural commitments to competition, productivity, and material success."[9] This is known as consumerism because the media influences society's emotions to think of the rivalries in a way that will get people to be as passionate about the game as they want to be. It is spectators' enjoyment of sports and the associated rivalries that drive media sport consumption.[9]
Each sport has an annual intercollegiate showdown between the two prestigious schools, known as the "Intercol". These are considered by the two colleges to be the most important games of the season, and the fiercely fought matches draw big crowds of students and old scholars from both schools. The Intercols have been played for over 100 years. The Cricket Intercollegiate match has been competed in since 1878. According to Richard Sproull this is "the oldest unbroken annual contest in the history of cricket" (Weekend Australian 5/6 December 1992). For the sport of rowing, the intercol is competed during South Australia's 'Head of the River Regatta', on the second to last Saturday of the first school term, with one of the two school's taking out the statewide title nearly every year since its beginning.
In 1991, the following legend was printed in the Centennial Rugby Programme, dubbed - "The Battle of The Colours", for the 100th anniversary of the annual Nudgee vs Terrace rugby match. The legend has it that the two St Joseph's, who both wore the Christian Brothers traditional Blue and White, played off in a Rugby game to decide who would keep the prestigious colours. As the story goes Nudgee won the match seeing them keep the colours with Gregory Terrace changing to the now famed Red and Black. This fierce rivalry has continued ever since in every sport yet Rugby continues to stand head and shoulders above the rest, with crowds of up to 10 000 attending First XV fixtures. As two of the biggest Rugby schools in Australia the schools also compete for the St Joseph's Cup.
Intercollege Sport has been played between Jane Franklin Hall, Christ College and St. John Fisher College for many years, with many sports played, most importantly Rugby, Cricket and Australian Rules football. These matches are fiercely contested, indeed playing a part in the winning Rugby side is considered the crowning achievement in ones time at college. Jane Franklin Hall has had the edge in sporting prowess over the years in most sports - with its winning streak in Soccer extending back to the mid 1980s, for example - apart from Rugby which is very tightly contested, with Christ College coming out the victor more often over recent years. Each year, the colleges compete for the Intercollege Cup, which is decided based on points earned from sporting results. Each sport is allocated various points for first, second and third, and weighted to reward the college that wins the more prestigious sports of Rugby, Football and Cricket, with Rugby given the highest weighting.
Rivalry started in the 1830s when the Free University of Brussels was established as a non-religious and freethinking university whereas the old Catholic University of Leuven - refounded in 1835 - remained under Church control. The rivalry survived the division of the two original foundations into separate Dutch-speaking and French-speaking establishments, in 1968 and 1970 respectively. Nowadays control of the Church over the two catholic universities has diminished and they are largely pluralist, accepting students and professors from all religions and backgrounds, but the rivalry with the two secular universities in Brussels continues. This rivalry finds expression mainly among academics and traditional student activities as intercollegiate sports remain largely developed in Belgium.
These two schools are cross-city rivals in Ottawa, Ontario and have historically had the largest football rivalry in the country. The Carleton Ravens and the Ottawa Gee-Gees played the annual Panda Game from 1955 to 1998, which consistently garnered a national spotlight and was renowned for its size and popularity. The Panda Game was absent for 15 years after Carleton shut down their football program, but was revived in 2013 when Carleton restarted their football program.[11]
The rivalry is also on display on the basketball court, where both schools' teams are among the best in Canada.
These two universities have one of the oldest rivalries in Canada. Western, located in London, Ontario and Queen's, located in Kingston, Ontario are two of the older schools in Ontario and are both notable academic institutions. The rivalry is ever present in Football when the two schools meet every year.
Historically, Toronto and York compete at the Annual Red & Blue Bowl Football Game, which attracts alumni and many students from both universities. Other rivalries exist in hockey, rowing and academics, which both score quite well.
All three schools are located in the city of Toronto
Sichuan University and Chongqing University: Chengdu, the home of Sichuan University, and Chongqing, the home of Chongqing University, are rival cities in southwestern China due to historical and geographic reasons, and the relationship between these two cities leads to the rivalry between these two flagship universities of their areas (Similar to Michigan-Ohio State rivalry).
Business Schools:ESSEC Business School and HEC Paris have been fierce rivals with HEC topping most rankings and ESSEC often coming second.[19] However, ESSEC has long been considered an entrepreneurial powerhouse, more dynamic and open-minded than HEC, whilst the latter has constantly been accused of snobbish attitudes due to the elitist mindset of its student population. Whether either assumptions are true or false, those two schools have produced the elite of French business circles, alongside the other "Parisian" business school ESCP Europe, which is usually ranked third in France.[20]
Engineering Schools:
The famous engineering schools, such as ParisTech members, usually compete in national sports tournaments, but also in technological competitions such as the French Robotics Cup or the Mash Marathon. In these situations some of the schools chose to form alliances, like Supélec and Arts et Métiers ParisTech that build common robots.
Other Schools:
The "Critérium" of the Institut d'études politiques (IEP) is an annual multi-sport competition between the 9 IEPs. It is traditionally held on the last weekend of March with the host city changing every year. It is the occasion for the IEPs located in French regions to challenge the more prestigious IEP Paris (known as "Sciences Po"). A final opposing Paris to, for example, Lyon would see students from all over France cheering for Lyon, especially with the anthem "Province unie, tous contre Paris !" ("Province united, all against Paris !", the "province" being a somewhat pejorative term used to designate any place in France outside of Paris). The Paris students would respond by boasting their status as a Grande école and élite institution.[]
-The two faculties are situated side by side. When ?nek Bayram? (literal meaning, The Cow Festival, idiomatic meaning: The Nerd festival), the traditional festival of the Faculty of Political Sciences is being celebrated, the booing from the Faculty of Law is also a long tradition.
King's College London and University of Bradford also have a departmental rivalry. King's College London's War Studies department faces Bradford University's Peace Studies department, in an annual football match for the 'Tolstoy Cup'. The rivalry between 'War' and 'Peace' studies teams is one of the great sporting rivalries, being featured at number four on the Financial Times list of "Great College Sports Rivalries".[37]
Lancaster University and University of York have a rivalry which has lasted since the formation of the universities at similar times in the 1960s. There is an annual sports competition between the university named the Roses Tournament, which takes its name after the 15th Century civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The first event was held in 1965 and has been an annual tradition ever since.
University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University have a rivalry being the cities two principal universities with the battle for the 'varsity cup' taking place every year when over 1,000 students from both universities compete in over 15 different sports.[39]
Edinburgh Academy and Merchiston Castle School Since 1858 the oldest continuous rugby fixture in the world. As of 2008 Edinburgh Academy has produced 103 rugby internationalists and Merchiston 62. They compete annually for the Sesquicentenary Trophy.[40]
The Perse School and The Leys School Annual matches in all sports. Until The Perse moved site in 1960 the two schools were situated about 500 metres apart, joined by Lensfield Road.
George Heriot's School and George Watsons College, rivalry between schools extends back to the 1700s due to both schools being on opposite sides of Lauriston Road from each other. The rivalry was at a high during the mid 1800s with parties from both schools conducting raids on each other and a wave of "thefts, violence, mass riots and bullying". This violence and rivalry subsided with the relocating from Watson's and the change to both School becoming day schools rather than boarding. Today the rivalry extends only to the sports pitch although there is rumour of a raid in the 1970/80s of a group of Watsonian finding themselves in the Heriots cafeteria with several stink bombs.[42]
School rivalries are important in the United States, especially in intercollegiate sports. Rivalries within conferences are list below. Some rivalries, such as the Indiana-Kentucky rivalry, take place between two schools from different conferences.
The Caltech-MIT rivalry is unusual for both the geographic distance between the schools (their campuses are separated by about 2500 miles and are on oppositecoasts of the United States) and the focus on elaborate pranks rather than sporting events.
ACC rivalries
Basketball and football are typically the hot-button sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), though most rivalries bridge across all sports. The most notable rivalries include:
Battle of Bristol (Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech) - first played in 1897, currently holds the record for most attended football game 156,990 in attendance at Bristol Motor Speedway. September 10, 2016
Governor's Cup (Louisville vs. Kentucky) - first played in 1912, but the modern football rivalry did not begin until 1994. The 1994 meeting was the first between the teams in 70 years.
Basketball is typically the hot-button sport in the America East Conference, though most rivalries bridge across all sports. The most notable rivalries include:
The Big East Conference, founded as a basketball conference, is a league of 11 Division I schools, with only UConn playing FBS-level football. The conference, while centered in the northeast, is also geographically diverse, stretching from Nebraska to New England. Current rivalries include:
Butler Bulldogs and Xavier Musketeers - among the most successful Division I men's basketball programs in the 21st century, the two schools were founding members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference,[45] and were also two of the three Midwestern schools invited to join the Big East at its relaunch in 2013.
DePaul Blue Demons and Marquette Golden Eagles - originally Division I independents, both joined Conference USA and the original Big East at the same time, and are among the "Catholic 7" that formed the current Big East after breaking away from the former members of the conference who all sponsored Division I Football Bowl Subdivision-level football. One of several sports rivalries involving teams from Chicago and Milwaukee, alongside the Brewers-Cubs rivalry and (by proxy) the Bears-Packers rivalry. The rivalry reached its zenith in the late 1970s, when both DePaul and Marquette were national powers. However, the rivalry has, as of late, heavily favored Marquette, with the Milwaukee school winning approximately four out of every five meetings since the early 1990s.
Georgetown Hoyas and St. John's Red Storm' -- these two "Catholic 7" schools, neither of which plays Division I FBS football (Georgetown plays in Division I FCS, and St. John's has no football program), had their basketball teams rise to prominence in the 1980s, having numerous meetings that impacted the NCAA Championship as well as the Big East title. Both teams were known for their charismatic coaches, John Thompson at Georgetown and Lou Carnesecca at St. John's. Rivalry has declined in recent years. This rivalry has also influenced other sports, as the two schools' baseball teams opened Citi Field on March 29, 2009 with the third game of a three-game series that started at Georgetown. The Hoyas won the game, and the series.
Georgetown Hoyas and Villanova Wildcats -- these two Division I FCS football schools share an intense rivalry in basketball, stemming from Villanova's defeat of John Thompson's Hoya team in the 1985 NCAA championship game. The rivalry takes on a religious tone as Augustinian (Villanova) versus Jesuit (Georgetown). Jokes about the opposing orders fly back and forth during the week preceding Villanova-Georgetown. In recent years the rivalry has undergone somewhat of a revival, with both teams enjoying success in the regular season and recent NCAA tournaments. This rivalry continues in the reconfigured Big East.[46]
Providence Friars and Villanova Wildcats -- the two smallest schools in the original Big East battle each year. The rivalry is also elevated by the Catholic orders which run the schools; Providence's Dominicans and Villanova's Augustinians.
St. John's Red Storm and Seton Hall Pirates - two local "Catholic 7" schools battle every year in basketball. New York vs New Jersey bragging rights are on the line as well as competing for many local basketball recruits in the area.
- Non-conference
Notre Dame-UConn women's basketball rivalry - a rivalry that started in the 1990s when both schools were members of the original Big East, intensified in the 2000-01 season with three pivotal matchups (one of which became the focal point of a published book), and became nationally significant in the 21st century, especially after UConn's rivalry with Tennessee went on a 13-year hiatus. Notre Dame was responsible for more than half of UConn's losses from 2011 to 2019 (8 out of 15).
Tennessee-UConn women's basketball rivalry - the women's basketball rivalry between the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers and the University of Connecticut Huskies is one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball, and perhaps the only one to reach national consciousness out of the women's game. This rivalry was halted in 2007 due to a falling-out between the schools' head coaches (respectively Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma), and did not resume until 2020 (four years after Summitt's death).
Big Ten rivalries
Universities in the Big Ten Conference in the Midwest have more rivalries than Universities in the Southeast.
Ohio State University and Pennsylvania State University - there is no trophy, but these teams play every year in the Big Ten. The first meeting between these two teams dates back to the early 1900s. Due to recent scandals with both programs, Ohio State vacated their 2010 victory due to the tattoo scandal.
Texas Tech University and Texas Christian University (TCU) - one of the biggest rivalries in the Big 12. Both athletic directors have stated that they were in a rivalry. Every year these two teams play for the Saddle Trophy. Texas Tech and TCU are definitely each others biggest rivals making this one of the most prolific rivalries in college football. It has once again become an annual matchup as TCU has joined the Big 12 Conference with Texas Tech.
University of Kansas and University of Missouri - The Border War includes all athletic events between the two schools. The rivalry ostensibly traces its roots to the 1850s, when skirmishes - widely known as "border wars" - between the two states marked the beginning of the Civil War. Before Missouri's departure for the SEC, this was the oldest continuous football rivalry west of the Mississippi, and the second oldest in Division I FBS history.
University of Oklahoma and University of Nebraska - this rivalry was once one of the most storied rivalries in the history of college football, highlighted by the 1971 "Game of the Century" between #1 Nebraska and #2 Oklahoma.[51] However, the rivalry diminished somewhat after the creation of the Big 12 in 1996 placed the two teams in different divisions, meaning that the game was no longer played annually. It ended for the time being once Nebraska joined the Big Ten.[52] The rivalry will resume temporarily when Oklahoma hosts Nebraska in 2021 and Nebraska hosts Oklahoma in 2022.[53]
George Mason University and James Madison University. Rivalry in Basketball. JMU has the all-time lead but Mason has won 22 out of the last 25 games. This is an inter-conference rivalry after Mason's 2013 move to the A10.
United States Naval Academy and Princeton University, a traditional rivalry seen now most evidently in Lightweight Rowing, compete annually for the Murtaugh Cup and Waterpolo where both schools commonly play each for the League Championship. Navy defeated Princeton for the 2009 and 2008 Championship.
United States Military Academy and Yale University, the proximity of these two institutions and the success of their football programs earlier in the century led to a bitter rivalry.
Cornell University and Colgate University, primarily in football and hockey. Colgate's sports teams were named the "Red Raiders" in response to Cornell's "Big Red". Colgate and Cornell have played 119 football games against one another and 127 hockey since 1958; Cornell leads both series.
Cornell University and University of Pennsylvania - football rivalry dating to 1893; with 122 games, it is the 5th most played college football game. The only year Cornell and Penn did not play was in 1918. For a time played on Thanksgiving; since 1995, the winner has been awarded the Trustees Cup. Penn leads in the series 71-46-5. The Cornell-Penn series is the 2nd longest uninterrupted series played (since 1919).
The Pac-12 Conference falls neatly into six regional pairings, leading to strong natural rivalries. Three of these pairs are cross-state rivals, one pair is within the same metropolitan region (San Francisco Bay Area), and one pair vies for bragging rights within the same city (Los Angeles).
Oregon: University of Oregon and Oregon State University - (all sports) in the Civil War. This is the seventh-longest rivalry game in college football history. The alumni association of the winning school receives the Platypus Trophy, a wooden trophy that had been lost for more than 40 years before being rediscovered in 2005.
Rocky Mountains: University of Colorado and University of Utah. The Rumble in the Rockies in football was one of the most prominent rivalries from the early to mid-20th century. It was discontinued after 1962, but was revived in 2011 when the two schools were reunited in the Pac-12.
University of Arizona and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (basketball and softball) - In the mid-1990s, Arizona and UCLA, as the two strongest basketball teams in the Pac-10, often clashed for dominance in the conference and for the conference championship. As in softball in the 1990s the two teams combined for nine of the ten championships awarded. And both combine for 19 national championships of 34 contended.
Stanford University and University of Southern California (USC) - two of the major private universities in California and the only two private schools in the Pac-12, these two schools are highly competitive in most sports. Recent football upsets of the long successful Trojans (24-23 Stanford in 2007, the biggest point-spread upset in NCAA football history and an end to USC's 6-year home winning streak and 55-21 in 2009, the most points ever scored against the Trojans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) have led to a rekindling of the long-standing rivalry.
Additional non-conference rivalries involving Pac-12 schools (the most famous of which is arguably Notre Dame-Southern California) can be found in other sections of this article.
Boston College - a game between the only two Catholic colleges that have Football Bowl Subdivision football programs. They compete for the Ireland Trophy. The rivalry has also been dubbed "The Holy War". This is one of several rivalries that have been revived on an intermittent basis following Notre Dame's 2013 entry into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC); while Notre Dame remains an independent in football, it has agreed to play five games per season against ACC schools, and to play all other ACC members at least once every three years. The first game under this new arrangement was won by Notre Dame at Fenway Park in 2015.
Michigan State University - a series that includes one of several "Games of the Century", the 1966 matchup that ended in a 10-10 tie. The teams play for the Megaphone Trophy. The game will be played less often in the future, due both to Notre Dame's new ACC commitments and the Big Ten increasing its conference schedule to nine games in 2016.
Northwestern University - a rivalry that had its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s and even featured a Shillelagh trophy much like the ones that go to the winner of the Notre Dame-USC and Notre Dame-Purdue games. This rivalry game has been played infrequently in recent years.
Purdue University - The Shillelagh Trophy. To be played less often in the future for the reasons mentioned in the Michigan State discussion.
University of Miami - initially an easy win for the Irish, became a rivalry that was at its peak in the 1980s and often held national title implications. This is another rivalry that was revived following Notre Dame's arrival in the ACC; the first games under the new deal were in 2016 and 2019, with the next matchup expected to be in 2022. See also: Catholics vs. Convicts.
University of Michigan - a game between two of the winningest college football programs of all time. This rivalry went on hiatus after the 2014 season due to Notre Dame's ACC commitments.
United States Military Academy (Army) - a rivalry held almost every year from an initial meeting in 1913 to the 1950s, in the era when the two were among the top schools in the nation, the two now play infrequently, with the most recent game occurring in 2016 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
United States Naval Academy (Navy) - a rivalry which Notre Dame has dominated. Navy won this game in 2007 for the first time since 1963, and again in 2009, 2010, and 2016, somewhat reversing the lopsided nature of the rivalry the previous four decades. It is one of the longer-running series in college football and is always hard-fought on both sides. Before Navy became a football-only member of the American Athletic Conference in 2015, the two schools were the longest-standing independents in Division I FBS. The rivalry is officially scheduled through the 2026 season, and is expected to continue indefinitely.
University of Pittsburgh - longtime rivals that shared Big East Conference affiliations (except in football) and ACC affiliations when both schools joined the ACC in 2013. Many of Notre Dame's most famed talents such as Joe Montana, Lou Holtz and Johnny Lujack hail from the Pittsburgh area. The "public vs. private" aspect as well as always having opposing team members that have played with or against each other since grade school has given the contest a unique distinction of dividing neighborhoods or even families during a fall Saturday. This rivalry will be played once every three years as part of Notre Dame's agreement to play five ACC schools per season.
Georgia Tech - played on and off since the early mid-20th Century as a North vs. South rivalry of sorts. Following Notre Dame's arrival in the ACC, the rivalry resumed in 2015 and 2018, with the next meeting expected to be in 2021.
Butler University and Valparaiso University - while this was an all-sports rivalry in the Horizon League from Valparaiso's arrival in 2007 to Butler's departure in 2012, it has its roots in football, in which the two schools first played in 1927 and have played annually since 1951. Currently, they are conference rivals in the Pioneer Football League. The current rivalry trophy, the "Hoosier Helmet", was created prior to the 2006 season to commemorate the football rivalry.[59]
Butler University and Xavier University[45] - Longtime Midwestern private-school rivals, they are two of the three Midwestern schools that were invited by the "Catholic 7" to join the reconfigured Big East Conference in 2013.
Drake University and University of Northern Iowa play for the DUNI Trophy. Members of the Missouri Valley Conference, they are rivals in almost all sports except football. While both operate FCS football programs, Drake plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League and UNI in the scholarship-granting and highly competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Iowa and Nebraska
Drake University and Creighton University - former Missouri Valley Conference rivals play for the I-80 Trophy.[] The schools had been together in the MVC from 1928 until Creighton left in 1948, and again from Creighton's return in 1976 until 2013, when Creighton joined the new Big East.
Eastern Michigan University, Central Michigan University, and Western Michigan University - intrastate rivalry. Winner of head-to-head round-robin receives the Michigan MAC Trophy for football and men's basketball
Creighton University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Battle between schools that were long the only two Division I schools in the state of Nebraska. This rivalry is exacerbated by the fact that one is a private and Catholic school and the other is the primary public university in the state. Also, Omaha and Lincoln represent the two largest cities in Nebraska, separated by only roughly 50 miles (80 km). Primarily a basketball rivalry, although baseball has become a heated sport of contention within the last ten years.[]
University of Nebraska at Kearney and University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha) - Mostly a football and wrestling rivalry. Both schools were almost always in the top five in Division II wrestling. The football teams played for the Nebraska Bell, a trophy that was introduced to the Football rivalry in 2002. Omaha has the series 25-8 over Kearney.[] However, the football rivalry ended after the 2010 season when Omaha dropped football, and the all-sports rivalry went dormant in 2011 when Omaha moved to Division I in all sports.
The Dakotas
North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University - These two interstate rivals play for the Dakota Marker trophy in football, representing markers that were placed along the ND/SD border after they were split apart in 1889. The Dakota Marker rivalry was announced after both teams entered Division I sports in 2004, playing the first Dakota Marker Game. While the Marker is only a football trophy contested within the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the rivalry exists in other sports, with both schools also being members of The Summit League.
University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University - These schools have played for the Nickel Trophy for football since 1894. They played for it until North Dakota State made the move to Division I FCS in 2004. North Dakota currently leads the series 62-46-3. The two schools resumed the football rivalry in 2015, meeting in Fargo, and will resume annual play in 2019, starting in Fargo. The rivalry was rekindled in non-football sports in 2018 when UND and NDSU were reunited in the Summit League, and will become a conference rivalry in football in 2020 when UND joins NDSU in the MVFC.
University of Cincinnati and Xavier University - two schools located 3 miles (4.8 km) apart from each other, one public, the other Catholic, makes for a vicious college basketball rivalry. The game has been historically known as the Crosstown Shootout. The 2011 game was marred by a bench-clearing brawl, which led to an official renaming of the rivalry game as the Crosstown Classic. After three years without significant incidents at the neutral U.S. Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati, the rivalry returned to campus sites in 2015, and the "Crosstown Shootout" name returned.
Wright State University and University of Dayton - also a crosstown public-Catholic rivalry. Dayton is located in the city proper, and Wright State is in the suburb of Fairborn but has a Dayton mailing address.[]
University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University - this rivalry is fought in most sports, but most intense is men's basketball, where the two schools meet annually, and have played each other over 125 times.
Northeastern rivalries
New Jersey
Rutgers University and Seton Hall University, a rivalry played out solely between the two institutions' men's basketball teams. Long a conference rivalry in the original Big East, it continued even after the conference's 2013 split (with Rutgers moving to the Big Ten a year later). The two schools have agreed to continue the men's basketball series through the 2020-21 season.
Princeton University and Rutgers University, Despite their long-standing football rivalry dating back to the first intercollegiate football game in 1869, these two schools have not met on the gridiron since 1980. They continue to compete in every other sport. The two universities also continue this rivalry off the field in one of the longer running intercollegiate prank wars, the Rutgers-Princeton Cannon War.
Long Island University (LIU) and St. Francis College (St. Francis Brooklyn), primarily a basketball rivalry between two schools in Brooklyn less than a mile apart. The rivalry is also known as the Battle of Brooklyn. The two men's basketball teams first played in 1928, when LIU consisted solely of what is now that institution's Brooklyn campus. In 1975, by which time LIU had added what is now the Post campus in Nassau County, New York, the Brooklyn campus and St. Francis formalized their rivalry, holding an annual game. Both are currently members of the Northeast Conference, and now play two regular-season games each season in basketball, although only one of the two games is officially designated as a "Battle of Brooklyn" matchup. While the schools are rivals in all sports that both sponsor, the "Battle of Brooklyn" name is officially applied only to the men's basketball, women's basketball, and men's soccer rivalries. The women's basketball rivalry was brought under the "Battle of Brooklyn" umbrella in 1993-94, under the same conditions as the men's basketball rivalry; men's soccer officially became a "Battle of Brooklyn" in 2013-14. The rivalry took its current form in the 2019-20 school year, when LIU merged the athletic programs of its two main campuses--the NCAA Division I LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and Division IILIU Post Pioneers--into a single Division I athletic program competing as the LIU Sharks. The men's rivalry remains a geographic "Battle of Brooklyn" in some sports (including basketball) but not in others, as some sports of the unified LIU program (including basketball) are based in Brooklyn and others (including soccer) at Post.
Manhattan College and Fordham University; primarily a basketball rivalry between these two Catholic schools in The Bronx. Also known as the Battle of the Bronx. Its 100th basketball game was played on November 28, 2007.
Marist College and Siena College; many fans and sportswriters dubbed this match-up as "The Battle of I-87" because of the two-hour proximity of each school on Interstate 87 highway (coincidentally, the approximate distance between the two is 87.4 miles). It is said that no other two colleges in the Mid-Hudson Region have a hatred and distaste for one another than the Marist Red Foxes and Siena Saints. Although this rivalry exist in all sports, it is most heated during the basketball season. Whether it's held at McCann Field House or the Times Union Center, both school's visiting fans come in droves, so eventfully conflicts are bound to happen on the court or in the stands. In 2009, the two school's club-level ice hockey teams established the 87 Challenge Cup, an annual three game round-robin challenge for a replica I-87 road sign; both of the team's logos and winning years are engraved on the back. Siena leads that series, 2-1.
University at Albany (Albany) and Siena College (men's basketball) for the Albany Cup
University at Albany (Albany) and Stony Brook University - Like Albany-Binghamton, a New York public-school rivalry that mostly plays out in the America East Conference. The two schools' football teams, which had played in separate conferences throughout their histories in that sport, became conference rivals in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013.
SUNY New Paltz and Vassar College (men's rugby) contest the Hudson River Rivalry in the Tri-State Rugby Conference and formally the METNY Rugby Union. The schools also have a rivalry in men's volleyball, with both competing in the single-sport United Volleyball Conference.
Syracuse University and Cornell University, primarily in lacrosse. The two schools are separated by an hour and faced off in the classic 2009 NCAA lacrosse championship game.
Two of the three Catholic schools in the Big Five, Saint Joseph's and Villanova, have their own rivalry known as The Holy War.
With Drexel University, physically adjacent to Penn, the group becomes the City 6. Drexel and Penn have their own rivalry, the Battle of 33rd Street. This is geographically the closest rivalry in NCAA Division I, with the schools' basketball arenas separated by about 0.3 miles/500 m.
University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State University - a traditional football rivalry for both schools, the teams have not played each other since 2000. This football rivalry was renewed in 2016, with the teams playing a 4-game series through 2019. The rivalry continues to exist in other sports and between alumni and fans.
University of Pittsburgh and Villanova University is an intraconference basketball rivalry that has existed since both schools were members of the Eastern 8.
Cheyney University and Lincoln University - the two oldest black colleges or HBCU in America. The schools compete in everything athletic or academic. Two teams compete annually in the heated thanksgiving weekend Basketball game. The reinstatement of Lincoln's football program will add more fire to the rivalry.[]
Franklin & Marshall College and Dickinson College "Conestoga Wagon Cup" - winner historically received a Conestoga Wagon that was passed between the two schools; however, in 2000 when Franklin & Marshall won the game, the Wagon was retired to the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Sports and Fitness Center, but the game is still played each year close to Homecoming.
Summit University & Keystone College This rivalry is the biggest game for the two colleges due to closeness of location and the friendly relations of the school's makes the games in all sports so competitive. There is no football at these schools. They are a 20-minute drive separating campuses.
Summit University & Cairn University These teams are the premiere NCCAA teams in the nation fighting it out for top dog in Men's and Women's Soccer. There is no football at these schools. The games are wild and rough with all to play for. They are blood boiling games. The schools passionately dislike each other.
New England
The Battle of Whitney Avenue- a college hockey series between ECAC hockey members Quinnipiac and Yale. The schools met in the 2013 National championship game.
The Baseball Beanpot, an annual rivalry tournament which began in 1989. The participants are the same as in the hockey Beanpot, except that Boston University, which has no baseball program, is replaced by UMass.
Green Line Rivalry - Boston College vs. Boston University - One of the best known and fierce rivalries in NCAA Hockey, but also included football before BU terminated its football program in 1962 - Has been called the greatest rivalry in all of sports[65]
'University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University - known as the Backyard Brawl. The football version of the rivalry ended for the time being after the 2011 season, with WVU moving to the Big 12 and Pitt announcing its future departure for the ACC. The men's basketball rivalry resumed in the 2017-18 season, and the football rivalry will resume from 2022-2025.
Syracuse University and Georgetown University traditional basketball rivals, dating to pre-Big East. The rivalry temporarily ended in 2013 when Syracuse left the original Big East for the ACC and Georgetown broke away with the rest of the "Catholic 7" to form the current Big East. The schools resumed their men's basketball series in the 2015-16 season.[66]
University of Pittsburgh vs Syracuse University is a longstanding annual eastern and intraconference rivalry in both football, played continuously since 1955, and basketball. This remains a conference rivalry in the ACC, with their football matchup being one of several "protected" cross-divisional rivalries in that sport (i.e., guaranteed to be held annually).
Penn State University and West Virginia University, a northeastern football rivalry that has been played infrequently since Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference.
University of Pittsburgh and University of Cincinnati - one of the newer rivalries and known as the River City Rivalry, the winner was awarded the Paddlewheel Trophy. The 2009 game had Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, both ranked in the Top 25, playing for, essentially, the Big East championship and a BCS bowl berth. The rivalry went dormant after Pitt's ACC move; the next football games between the schools are scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
Princeton University and Syracuse University - the two teams have clinched 14 NCAA men's lacrosse div. I champions in last two decades; two powerhouses ties NCAA div. I championship series, 2-2.
Syracuse University and Johns Hopkins University, a major NCAA men's lacrosse rivalry. The two schools combine for 20 national titles and have a heated rivalry against each other.
Appalachian State University and Georgia Southern University - these two schools, with roots as teachers' colleges and similar enrollments, have an annual football rivalry that was one of the most intense at the FCS level, with the two combining for nine FCS national titles. From 1993 to 2013, this was an annual matchup in the SoCon; both schools joined FBS and the Sun Belt in 2014.
Auburn University and University of Florida - historically one of the Southeastern Conference's longest rivalries, these SEC opponents were removed from annual competition during the 2002 scheduling decision to reduce permanent division opponents to one team. Auburn continued to play Georgia, while Florida kept LSU, much to the chagrin of older fans.
Clemson University and University of Georgia - a rivalry between nearby schools that had national title implications in the early 1980s, but has been played less often since the SEC went to an eight-game conference schedule.[]
University of the Cumberlands and Union College - these NAIA schools, located in adjacentcounties in eastern Kentucky, have a football rivalry that was first played in 1905, but was not an annual affair until 1985. The schools have played for the Brass Lantern, representing the region's coal mining legacy, since 1995, and have been rivals in Mid-South Conference football since 2002 (Cumberlands is a full member, and Union a football-only member).
Duke University and University of Maryland - this is a recent rivalry, sparked because of Maryland's increased competitiveness in NCAA basketball. The two teams have long been competitive in basketball, and Maryland is known for its visceral hatred of Duke.[67] However, Maryland's 2014 departure for the Big Ten ended the rivalry for the time being.
Duke University and University of North Carolina - The two schools are only 9 miles (14 km) apart; the football teams play for the Victory Bell, which the winning team paints in their school's shade of blue. The basketball rivalry is one of the most high-profile in all of U.S. sports (see Carolina-Duke rivalry).
East Carolina University and North Carolina State University - Two of the largest universities in the state of North Carolina. "The Battle for the Barrel" is a trophy which ECU currently holds as the victor of the most recent game in 2016.
University of Florida and Florida State University[47] - Heated rivalry between two college football powerhouses. The battles between Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier provided some of the rivalry's most memorable games. In the mid-1990s, this game almost always had national championship implications.[]
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Florida International University (FIU) - A Miami-area rivalry that plays itself out annually in football's Shula Bowl and conference basketball games. It was a conference rivalry from 1993 to 1998 in the TAAC (now the ASUN); the two schools were reunited for football in 2005 and other sports in 2006 when FAU joined the Sun Belt. The two schools moved together to C-USA in 2013.
Furman University and Wofford College - the oldest football rivalry in South Carolina, involving SoCon members located in the two main cities of Upstate South Carolina (respectively Greenville and Spartanburg). In modern times, this has effectively become a crosstown rivalry, as the two cities are now at the core of the state's largest metropolitan area.
Georgia Southern University and Georgia State University - An in-state rivalry, both schools lay claim to the initialism "GSU". Although the football rivalry is still relatively young, both schools have shared an intense rivalry in other sports, particularly men's basketball, since the 1970s.
Grambling State University and Southern University - the Bayou Classic in football is the most famous HBCU rivalry. For decades, it had been the only such matchup televised annually by one of the country's four major over-the-air television networks, but NBC has since moved the game from its main network to its cable/satellite NBCSN channel.[]
Jackson State University and Southern University - the Boombox Classic is the annual match-up between JSU and SU. The name is a reference to the two schools' marching bands - JSU's being the "Sonic Boom of the South" and SU's being "The Human Jukebox".
University of Kentucky and Indiana University, locally significant in football and nationally important in men's basketball, sometimes referred to in football as the Bourbon Barrel Trophy. See Indiana-Kentucky rivalry. The basketball rivalry ended for the time being in 2012 when the two schools could not agree on the location for the games (though the teams have played in the NCAA tournament twice since the last regular-season game in 2011).
University of Kentucky and University of South Carolina - while these two SEC schools have significant rivalries in other sports, this matchup is most significant in men's soccer, as these are the only two SEC members that field varsity soccer teams for men. Both are currently single-sport members of Conference USA, with their rivalry known as the SEC Derby.
University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee - a border war, UT has dominated UK over the last quarter century in football and UK in men's basketball. In addition to the important ball games, blood banks in the home cities of each university[](Lexington, Kentucky and Knoxville, Tennessee) compete to see who can raise the most units of blood. This is known informally as the Blue-Orange Crush. The football game is traditionally known as "The Battle for the Beer Barrel," named for the orange and blue barrel that the winning team once received.
University of Maryland and North Carolina State University - Hostility has increased in the football rivalry during recent years. Also, has a tradition of competitive basketball, including what has been called the greatest college basketball game ever played, the 1974 ACC Championship game.[69] Another rivalry that ended with Maryland's move to the Big Ten.
University of Maryland and University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) - historically dominated by Maryland, this budding lacrosse rivalry was intensified in the 2007 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament when the Retrievers upset the Terrapins in College Park. It heated the following year when tournament committee chairman and Terrapins head coach Dave Cottle set up UMBC to travel far from their fanbase to avoid playing them in the tournament, sparking accusations in the lacrosse world of using politics to avoid a matchup.
Rhodes College and Sewanee: The University of the South - The longest-running (continuously played) college football rivalry in the South, starting in 1899. Since 1954 the winner of this game has been awarded the Orgill Trophy.
University of Richmond and The College of William & Mary - known as the "Oldest Rivalry in the South",[70] this is the fourth oldest rivalry in college football, with the Tribe first battling the Spiders in 1890. The Tribe is up all-time, 59-52-5
University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University - General Robert Neyland, the coach who brought a winning tradition to the University of Tennessee, was originally brought in to "beat Vandy", as Vanderbilt dominated the series in the early part of last century. In 2005, Vanderbilt beat the University of Tennessee for the first time in over two decades - one of the then-longest streaks in the NCAA.[]
Virginia Tech and Radford University - The rivalry is heated for every sport in which the two New River Valley schools compete, but in soccer one of the largest trophies in the nation is contested when they play annually for "The New River Rock".[]
Washington College and Salisbury University - a storied Division III men's lacrosse rivalry, highlighted by the annual War on the Shore for the Charles B. Clark Cup, played alternately in Chestertown, Maryland, (home of Washington College) and Salisbury, Maryland. The 2006 War on the Shore was held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The rivalry is also present to a lesser extent in all sports, as the two schools are the only Division III institutions on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
These rivalries involve Texas schools that are not currently members of the Big 12 Conference. In two of these rivalries, both sides involved were members of the old Southwest Conference, four of whose schools were founding members of the Big 12. Another rivalry involves an old SWC team against an Oklahoma rival.
United States Air Force Academy (Air Force) and Colorado College - Men's ice hockey and women's soccer. The two schools, both within the city of Colorado Springs, are not rivals in most sports, since Air Force is a member of NCAA Division I and CC is a member of the non-scholarship Division III. However, CC is one of a small number of Division III schools with special permission from the NCAA to award scholarships in two sports as a Division I member, and therefore competes alongside Air Force on an even footing in those sports. In men's ice hockey, the two schools have a long-standing rivalry known as the Battle for Pikes Peak; in women's soccer, CC is a single-sport member in Air Force's home league, the Mountain West Conference (MW).
Boise State University and University of Idaho - an all-sports rivalry that lost some of its edge when Boise State left the WAC for the MW in 2011, and still more when Idaho returned to FCS football in 2018.
Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego - The two most successful programs in the California Collegiate Athletic Association from 2000 to 2020, the period in which UCSD (now in the Division I Big West Conference) was a CCAA member. They were fierce rivals in all sports before UCSD's Division I move.
University of Denver and Colorado College - (ice hockey) Battle for the Gold Pan Played between the superpowers of college hockey in the State of Colorado. Played since 1949. Widely considered to be the most heated and longstanding rivalry in college hockey, it is one of the sport's most played rivalries in the United States with over 300 games between the two school (of which nearly 30 games were in the playoffs, and 40 games required overtime). Both schools were charter members of the WCHA in 1951, and became charter members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in 2011, which started play in 2013.
Gonzaga University and Eastern Washington University - a longtime men's basketball rivalry, but much less competitive since the rise of Gonzaga's program to national prominence in the 21st century. Gonzaga is in the city of Spokane, and EWU is in nearby Cheney.
Gonzaga University and University of Washington - an emerging, though intermittent, men's basketball rivalry. The winning school could claim bragging rights as best in the state. Has been on hold as neither program is willing to agree to restart the rivalry after Gonzaga's rise to prominence.
University of Hawai?i and California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) - All sports. Both were members of the WAC from 1992 to 2012, but have now separated, with Hawai?i leaving for the Big West and Fresno State to the MW. In football, however, it is still a conference rivalry, as Hawai?i football joined the MW alongside Fresno State. When MW football split into divisions in 2013, Fresno State and Hawai?i were placed in the same division, ensuring annual matchups for the foreseeable future.
University of Hawaiʻi and Brigham Young University - Football and volleyball. BYU has a significant following in Hawaii--the school has a branch campus in Hawaii, and the LDS Church also operates a temple near the Hawaii campus. The football version has been off-and-on since the MW broke away from the WAC in 1999, separating the two schools. In men's volleyball, it was long a conference rivalry in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation before Hawaii's primary home of the Big West Conference launched a men's volleyball league in the 2018 season (2017-18 school year).
University of Idaho and The University of Montana, with the football teams playing for the Little Brown Stein. The rivalry between border-state schools, both current members of the Big Sky Conference in non-football sports, with Montana also a football member of the conference, has its roots in football. The schools first played in football in 1903, and regularly played until Idaho moved to what is now Division I FBS in 1996. The all-sports rivalry lost some of its edge at that time, as Idaho also left the Big Sky, not returning until 2014. With Idaho reverting to FCS football and rejoining Big Sky football in 2018, the football rivalry has once again become an annual affair.
Saint Mary's College of California and Gonzaga University - Men's basketball rivalry that has become quite heated as Saint Mary's became the only consistent challenger to Gonzaga's WCC conference title streak in the late 2000s.
UC Davis and Sacramento State - the two programs compete in all sports for the annual Causeway Cup, and specifically in the Causeway Classic (football) for the Causeway Carriage and Causeway Trophy. In most sports, it is a non-conference rivalry, with UC Davis in the non-football Big West and Sacramento State in the football-sponsoring Big Sky. In two sports, football and men's soccer, it is a conference matchup--UC Davis is a football member of the Big Sky and Sacramento State is a men's soccer member of the Big West (the Big Sky sponsors women's soccer but not men's).
UC Irvine and California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State) - Black and Blue Rivalry Series: The two Southern California schools compete in various sports such as baseball, basketball and volleyball to accumulate points for every victory. The school with the most points at the end of the year wins a surfboard.
UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly SLO - Blue-Green Rivalry: Battle for the Central Coast with an emphasis on sustainability. The most intense has become the competition in men's soccer, where the matchup has featured 5 of the top 15 attended regular season soccer matches in NCAA history, all of which have happened since 2007. Women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, and baseball also are heated matchups.[74]
Coppin State University and Morgan State University - separated by 5 miles, this traditional East vs. West Baltimore basketball is a traditional powerhouse HBCU and MEAC Rivalry Tabbed the "Battle of Baltimore".
Cheyney University and Lincoln University - the two oldest black colleges, or HBCUs, in America, both located in Pennsylvania and also two of the few such schools outside the South. The schools compete in everything athletic or academic. Men's and women's teams compete annually in the heated thanksgiving weekend basketball games. The reinstatement of Lincoln's football program will add more fire to the rivalry.[]
Central State University and Wilberforce University[] - Like Cheyney and Lincoln, these are also rare examples of HBCUs outside the South. This is also a crosstown rivalry, with both schools located in the small community of Wilberforce, Ohio. In addition, Central State began as a department within Wilberforce University before becoming a separate institution and a public school.
Grambling State University and Southern University - the Bayou Classic in football is the most famous HBCU rivalry, and for decades had been the only such matchup televised annually by one of the country's four major over-the-air television networks (NBC has since moved the game from its main network to its cable/satellite NBCSN network).
Norfolk State University and Hampton University - a now-dormant effective crosstown rivalry; both schools are located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area on opposite sides of the eponymous harbor. The football version is called the Battle of the Bay. The rivalry was interrupted when Hampton left the MEAC for the Big South Conference in 2018, but resumed a year later.
Virginia Union University and Virginia State University - another virtual crosstown rivalry, this one involving Division II schools in the CIAA. Virginia Union is a private university in the state capital of Richmond, while Virginia State is a public school in nearby Ettrick.
Florida A&M University and Southern University - the oldest interconference rivalry and questionably the oldest in HBCU history. Dates back to 1941 and was played consecutively for 55 yrs, which ended in 2001 because of a heated confrontation between Pete Richardson of Southern and Billy "Joe" Taylor of Florida A&M.[] Will become a conference rivalry in 2021 when FAMU joins the SWAC.
Xavier University of Louisiana and Dillard University - crosstown rivalry between two NAIA schools, both members of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, located in New Orleans. Since the two schools have been members of the GCAC since its formation in 1981, the men's and women's basketball teams play this Crosstown Classic game at least twice a year.
Indiana Wesleyan University and Taylor University - the schools are separated by less than 15 minutes in rural NE Indiana, and have an intense rivalry in NAIA athletic events.[]
Tabor College (Kansas) and Bethel College (Kansas) - These two Mennonite Schools which are only a few miles apart find a friendly rivalry that stems from a denominational split in the 1860s. Their soccer teams compete in the Menno-Cup and Football teams compete in the Menno-Bowl every year.[]
Houghton College and Roberts Wesleyan College - these two former conference rivals, located within Western New York in the Genesee River Valley have a heated rivalry with the Men's soccer game being the biggest draw for each school.
^Thompson, William (2001). "Identifying Rivals and Rivalries in World Politics". International Studies Quarterly. 45: 557. doi:10.1111/0020-8833.00214.
^ abSeligman, Adam B. (Winter 2009). "Ritual, the Self, and Sincerity". Social Research: An International Quarterly. Johns Hopkins University Press. 76 (4): 1073-1096.
^Santhanam, S. (2012-07-31). "The Capital transition". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved . There were players like Hari Gidwani who would skip a Ranji game to play for his Hindu College. Matches between traditional rivals Hindu and St Stephen's used to generate a lot of interest.