7 Dying College Football Rivalries That Should Be On The Schedule Every Single Season

Nothing beats a rivalry game; even if the teams have nothing to play for, they give it their all out of pure hatred for the opponent. But over the course of college football history, we have lost some annual rivalries that most people wish would come back, and none of them stick out more than these.

These fading college football rivalries should be a yearly staple.

College football is known for having historic rivalries that go back over a century. We even dedicate the last week of the season to “Rivalry Week.”

Most schools still play their main rival at some point during the year, but a few don’t anymore, and some secondary rivals don’t either.

Rivalries end for various reasons, but most of the time it’s conference realignment separating the schools, like they are breaking up a fight, which they kind of are.

Whatever the reason, we have been stripped of some classic annual traditions that provided a lot of entertainment in their heyday.

Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma

This rivalry has the most fitting nickname of all: Bedlam. When these schools met, points were scored at will, and the game often went off the rails (fun fact: the name comes from the schools’ wrestling programs, whose matches often drew loud, unruly crowds).

Although this rivalry is fairly one-sided (OU leads 91-20-7), OSU actually holds the current winning streak (1) after winning the last Bedlam game in 2023.

The schools have met 118 times but no longer play annually after Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC ahead of the 2024 season.

Oregon vs. Oregon State

These two schools from the same state earned the nickname “Civil War,” and the rivalry includes many historic battles.

The schools first met in 1894, when Oregon Agricultural University (now Oregon State) defeated the University of Oregon “Lemon-Yellows” (now the Ducks) 16-0.

We lost this rivalry this year, as 2026 marks the first season in 80 years that Oregon will not play Oregon State. Although it is also fairly one-sided, with Oregon holding a 70-49-10 all-time record vs. Oregon State, it’s still a shame to see it go.

Oregon left the Pac-12 ahead of the 2024 season for the Big 10, but the rivalry held strong for one more home game for each school while the teams were in different conferences.

TCU vs. SMU

TCU and SMU play for a trophy worth playing for every year: the Iron Skillet. Legend has it that an SMU fan was tailgating, frying frog legs in a skillet, and a TCU fan suggested the game’s winner take the skillet and the frog legs.

Unlike most of these, TCU and SMU survived for years without playing in the same conference. From 1915 to 2025, the schools played only seven seasons without each other.

The schools don’t play this season and have no game scheduled, so it’s unclear when TCU will dust off the skillet and put it on the line to play its cross-town rival.

Kansas vs. Missouri

One of the oldest and most hate-filled rivalries the sport has to offer, Kansas and Missouri stopped playing annually when Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012.

The two teams’ mascots (Jayhawks and Tigers) come from Civil War militias in which the states literally went to war.

The schools renewed “The Border War” with a home-and-home series for 2025/2026, but they won’t meet again until 2031.

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

Many Nebraska fans consider Oklahoma the school’s biggest rival; now OU fans will always say theirs is Texas, but it’s still a shame the schools don’t play anymore.

Like many of these, Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big 10, effectively ending this historic, competitive rivalry. OU leads the all-time matchup 47-38-3, but they lost seven straight to the Cornhuskers from 1991-1997.

The schools played a home-and-home series in 2020/2021 but won’t meet again until 2029.

Michigan vs. Notre Dame

Michigan and Notre Dame first met in 1887, and Michigan literally had to teach Notre Dame how to play beforehand. By 1909, Notre Dame defeated Michigan 11-3 in Ann Arbor.

Frustrated by the loss, Michigan then refused to play Notre Dame, and the schools didn’t meet for 33 years. The rivalry was renewed and played periodically, then every year from 1978 to 2014.

The schools did a home-and-home series in 2018/2019 but won’t do that again until 2033.

Pitt vs. West Virginia

Pittsburgh and West Virginia’s rivalry is nicknamed “The Backyard Brawl” because the schools are only 75 miles apart.

The rivalry stems largely from the cultural contrast between rural Appalachian West Virginians and steel-city Pittsburghers. That, and the 2007 upset when unranked Pitt knocked off an unbeaten, number-two-ranked West Virginia in their 100th meeting.

Conference realignment once again ruined a great rivalry when WVU left for the Big 12, and Pitt subsequently left for the ACC ahead of the 2012 season.

The schools renewed the rivalry and have played every year since 2022. But they will take a brief break, then renew the rivalry and play every year from 2029 through 2036.