This is a list of the most-played college football series in NCAA Division I. The Lehigh–Lafayette rivalry, known as "The Rivalry," is the most-played in Division I at 158 games. Lehigh and Lafayette are members of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The most-played Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) series is the Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry, at 132 games. In some cases, during the early years of college football when distant travel was prohibitive, these teams played each other more than once per year. [a]
Series listed here are not necessarily continuous series, and several of the series listed below were ended (or interrupted) by either the 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment or the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes several games that are not considered notable rivalries, but are between teams that, mainly due to conference alignment, have been played 100 or more times.[b] Most of the games are in-conference match-ups. Nevertheless, conference affiliation is not necessarily an impediment to playing an annual game, and this list features match-ups of teams that have rarely or never shared an athletic conference. [c]
This table is for listing all NCAA Division I football series with at least 100 games played by the end of the 2023 season. Wins and losses are given respective to the team leading the series.
Games Edit
- Updated through September 23, 2023
- The "V" column indicates vacated victories to make sure all the games are documented in the list - W+L+T+V=Total. A note documenting each vacated game is included in the "V" column. Vacated victories are different than forfeited victories. In recent years, the NCAA has used the vacating procedure instead of requiring forfeitures when teams are penalized for violating NCAA rules. NCAA procedures require that the winning team adjust its record to remove a win that is vacated. However, the losing team is not allowed to reduce the number of losses on its record.[1] This means that the win–loss–tie records for some series will not add up to the total number of games without adding the vacated games in the V column. Confounding this problem is that the NCAA's official record of the most played rivalries, does not reflect the vacated games. Also, to be officially correct, the two media guides of the teams will not match since the team that lost a vacated game is not allowed to reduce the number of losses.
See also Edit
Notes Edit
- ^ Lehigh vs. Lafayette and William & Mary vs. Richmond, for example.
- ^ For instance Brown's series with Harvard and Yale, and Oregon State's series with Washington and Washington State.
- ^ For instance Cincinnati–Miami (Ohio) and Army–Navy
- ^ sortable to see which games are still to be played in a given season
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Ivy League.
- ^ The NCAA incorrectly lists the record as 78–60–8 in its 2020 FCS record book
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Big Ten Conference.
- ^ Became the longest uninterrupted series in FBS history in 2012 – continuous since 1907 – supplanting the Kansas–Nebraska series.
- ^ If "uninterrupted" is interpreted as having been played in every calendar year, this became the longest uninterrupted series in all college football history in 2020 – continuous since 1907 – supplanting the Lafayette–Lehigh series. However, the Lafayette–Lehigh series has been played in each football season since 1897, with both schools' home conference of the Patriot League having moved its fall 2020 season to spring 2021.
- ^ Next game Nov 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Can potentially be played twice in one season, with rematch in the respective conference championship game.
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Southeastern Conference.
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- ^ Disputed series record: North Carolina forfeited their win in 1956 (or 1957) but there was no NCAA sanction.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Formerly an in-conference rivalry.
- ^ Most-played intra-state rivalry.
- ^ Most-played rivalry that is currently non-conference.
- ^ Most-played rivalry between FBS teams outside the Power Five conferences.
- ^ Northwest Championship also involves Washington and Washington State.
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Pac-12 Conference.
- ^ Since 2014, this is the only "protected" cross-division rivalry in the Big Ten.
- ^ Montana vacated its last five wins of the 2011 season due to NCAA violations. This included a regular season win over Montana State.
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Big 12 Conference.
- ^ Disputed series record: Kansas State claims Kansas leads the series lead 63–51–5, based on a game that the Big Eight conference ruled Kansas had to vacate in 1980. Kansas claims a very narrow interpretation of NCAA statistical guidelines that don't reference games that conference committees vacate. The NCAA did not act on the 1980 vacation.
- ^ Kansas forfeited 1960 win.
- ^ Mississippi State forfeited 1976 and 1977 games, which by NCAA guidelines are changed to Ole Miss wins. This is different than vacated games, which are only removed from the offending team's win totals. In this series, there are both forfeits and vacations, which makes the different treatment particularly apparent.
- ^ Ole Miss vacated 2012 and 2014 wins against Mississippi State which are removed from its win totals, but not added to Mississippi State's win totals.
- ^ Ohio State vacated all of its wins during the 2010 season due to NCAA violations. This included a win over Michigan.
- ^ Some sources claim that Oklahoma forfeited the 1972 game. OU Forfeit 8 games in 1972 This is not included in the NCAA source.
- ^ Disputed series record: Vanderbilt records show that Tennessee has 76–33–5 series lead due, including Vanderbilt's 1918 victory. Tennessee records do not count games played in 1918 since the team was "unofficial [team] formed from Army West Point recruits and students. " This list entry accepts the Vanderbilt contention given the unusual circumstances that all college football teams faced in 1918 when the War Department took over training for many college students.
- ^ LSU vacated wins in 2012, 2013 and 2015
- ^ Mississippi State forfeited games to LSU in 1975 and 1976. This was in the era when wins were added to LSU and losses added to Mississippi State.
- ^ Tobacco Road also involves Duke and North Carolina.
- ^ Northwest Championship also involves Oregon State and Washington State.
- ^ Most-played rivalry within the Mountain West Conference.
- ^ Most-played conference rivalry between FBS teams outside the Power Five conferences.
- ^ Northwest Championship also involves Oregon and Oregon State.
- ^ It is possible that the two teams play a second game in the NCAA playoffs. This happened in the 2022-23 season when South Dakota State beat North Dakota State in the FBS national championship game and during the regular season.
- ^ Baylor forfeited their tied game in 1910, giving a win to Texas.
- ^ Baylor media guide has mistake in 2023 showing the overall record as 79-29-4 at the top of the series record, but corrrectly showing the breakdown of the record at Waco and Austin adding to 80-28-4.
- ^ Tobacco Road also involves Duke and Wake Forest
- ^ Beehive Boot also involves BYU
- ^ 2013 win by Ole Miss vacated and 2012 and 2014 wins by LSU vacated.
- ^ LSU media guide differs from Ole Miss. Its guide does not remove the loss from the 2013 game when Ole Miss had to vacate its win. This is consistent with NCAA policy on vacated games since the losing team's record is unaffected by vacated wins.
- ^ Tobacco Road also involves Duke and NC State
- ^ Tobacco Road also involves NC State and Wake Forest
- ^ North Carolina vacated their wins in the 2008 and 2009 due to the 2010 football scandal.[21]
- ^ Both schools claim to have won their 1889 game by forfeit, but most neutral recordkeepers list a win for North Carolina.
- ^ California forfeited their 1999 win and USC vacated their 2005 win, both of which were due to ineligible players.
- ^ Northwest Championship also involves Oregon and Washington.
- ^ Northwest Championship also involves Oregon and Washington State.
- ^ Alabama forfeited a game in 1993 that officially results in a Mississippi State win instead of an Alabama loss. Alabama vacated the game in 2005, which results in removal of the game from Alabama's win column, but not an added win for Mississippi State.
- ^ West Virginia and Pittsburgh are scheduled for a 4-game series from 2022–2025 [24]
- ^ Alabama vacated its 2005 win against Tennessee, meaning a win is deducted from Alabama total. Alabama also forfeited its 1993 tie, which changes that game from a tie to a win for Tennessee.
- ^ Minnesota and Michigan are in different divisions of the Big 10. Next game scheduled for 2023.
- ^ USC vacated their 2005 win after the Reggie Bush scandal.
- ^ Virginia and Virginia Tech did not play in 2022 due to a deadly shooting of three UVA players near the end of the season. The game was cancelled, not forfeited.
- ^ Ohio State vacated all of its wins during the 2010 season due to NCAA violations. This included a win over Illinois.
- ^ Ohio State and Illinois are in different divisions of the Big 10. Next game scheduled for 2024.
- ^ The 1980 game is disputed between both sides, however most say that Kansas forfeited the game giving a win for Iowa State.
- ^ Northwest Championship also involves Oregon State and Washington.
- ^ The 1978 and 1979 games were both forfeited by Oregon, giving two wins for Washington State.
- ^ Tobacco Road also involves North Carolina and NC State.
- ^ Washington 2023 media guide documents 102 games, but the number of wins doesn't match the number of games documented. Therefore, Cal Media Guide and Winsipedia with 57-41-4 is given preference.
- ^ Beehive Boot also involves Utah State
- ^ Disputed series record: BYU does not recognize 6 games played before 1922 (3 wins for each school).
- ^ a b c Georgia recognizes a 1904 game as its first game against Florida, thus according to Georgia there have been 101 games of which Georgia has won 55.
- ^ No future games are scheduled.[43]
References Edit
- Specific references
- ^ NCAA Statistics Policies & Guidelines (PDF), NCAA, p. 23, retrieved November 2, 2020
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Football Championship Subdivision Records" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 83. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ "The Game: Harvard-Yale 2017 - Harvard Alumni".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 185. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Stanford Football Media Guide 2019. 2019. p. 112.
- ^ "NCAA penalizes Montana football program". The Marshall News Messenger. Marshall, Texas. AP. July 27, 2013. p. B3. Retrieved February 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sports People". New York Times. August 27, 1982. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- ^ Kansas 2011 Football Media Guide. 2011. p. 196.
- ^ "Texas vs. Oklahoma". Winsipedia.com.
- ^ "LSU Football, Les Miles Must Vacate Wins Due to NCAA Infractions - Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ Mississippi State University (August 1, 2023). Mississippi State Football 2023 Media Guide.
- ^ Louisiana State University (August 1, 2023). LSU Football 2023 Media Guide.
- ^ "2023 FB Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). New Mexico State University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ Baylor University (August 2023). Baylor football 2023 Media Guide.
- ^ "2023FBMediaGuideComplete (PDF)" (PDF). University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- ^ "LSU Football, Les Miles Must Vacate Wins Due to NCAA Infractions - Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Ole Miss vacating 33 football wins after violations". ESPN.com. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "2023 Ole Miss Football Media Guide" (PDF). 2023. p. 57. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "2023 LSU Football Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "EIU Football History" (PDF). EIU Football Record Book. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Tysiac, Ken (September 20, 2011). "UNC football takes a big hit". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ 2019 University of Washington Football Media Guide. 2019. p. 213.
- ^ "Rivals since 8th grade, Keene and Torgerson epitomize the ISU-WIU football rivalry".
- ^ "Future Schedules Pitt Panthers Football".
- ^ "2023 West Virginia University Football Guide by Joe Swan - Issuu". issuu.com. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ "2023 Pitt Football Media Guide (full) (PDF)" (PDF). Pitt Panthers #H2P. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ "Dartmouth Game by Game against Yale". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Cornell Game by Game against Princeton". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Future Big 10 Football Schedules 2022-2025" (PDF).
- ^ University of Southern California (August 1, 2023). USC Football 2023 Media Guide. p. 114.
- ^ "2022 Stanford Football Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). Stanford University Athletics. p. 116. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
- ^ "2023 SMUFB Digital Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). SMU Athletics. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- ^ Texas Christian University (August 2023). TCU football 2023 Media Guide.
- ^ "Columbia Game by Game against Pennsylvania". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Dartmouth Game by Game against Princeton". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON 2023 MEDIA GUIDE & RECORD BOOK (PDF). 2023.
- ^ "2023 Cal Football Information Guide (PDF)" (PDF). California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- ^ "Maine Game by Game against Rhode Island". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ "Bucknell Game by Game against Lafayette". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
- ^ "Columbia Game by Game against Yale". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "CollegePressBox.com ... Everything but the pre-game meal!". collegepressbox.com. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Central Michigan 2023 Football Media Guide" (PDF). p. 101. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Bodani, Frank (February 12, 2018). "No Pitt for Penn State football in 2020. When will they meet again?". York Daily Record.
- ^ Bodani, Frank (February 12, 2018). "No Pitt for Penn State football in 2020. When will they meet again?". York Daily Record. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Brown Game by Game against Dartmouth". College Football Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- General references. Vacated games are not treated consistently with NCAA's own rules for reporting in these publications and the lists have missing games.
- The NCAA Division I FBS record book: "Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. pp. 182–183. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- The NCAA Division I FCS record book: "Football Championship Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. p. 82. Retrieved 2 November 2020.