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] 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. Wins and losses are given respective to the team leading the series.
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.
^ 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.
^Disputed series record: Kansas State claims Kansas leads the series lead 63–52–5, 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.
^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.[13]
^Mississippi State vacated 2018 win against Ole Miss which removes one win from its total but does not remove a loss from Ole Miss.[14]
^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 78–33–5 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.
^Most-played conference rivalry between FBS teams outside the Power Five conferences.
^Colorado State does treats the 1899 game, which it later forfeited after a 12–0 victory, like a vacated game, and removes one victory from its win column, while not increasing the number of wins it credits to Wyoming.
^Northwest Championship also involves Oregon and Oregon State.
^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 correctly showing the breakdown of the record at Waco and Austin adding to 80-28-4.
^2013 win by Ole Miss vacated and 2012 and 2014 wins by LSU vacated.[25][13]
^ 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.
^Both schools claim to have won their 1889 game by forfeit, but most neutral recordkeepers list a win for North Carolina. Duke media information still counts the game as a win.
^Northwest Championship also involves Oregon and Washington.
^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.[55]
^Alabama forfeited a game in 1993 that officially results in a Mississippi State win instead of an Alabama loss.[56]
^Mississippi State correctly has an extra loss in its "versus all opponents" section compared to the record shown in this list. A team is not supposed to change its record when an opposing team vacates a game, unlike when it forfeits a game.
^Northwest Championship also involves Oregon and Washington State.
^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.
^ The schools differ on the series record. Iowa State's media guide has a 1907 victory over Nebraska on November 2, 1907, but the Chicago Tribune and Des Moines Register both cite a 10–9 Nebraska victory.[77][78]
^Ohio State vacated all of its wins during the 2010 season due to NCAA violations. This included a win over Illinois.
^Tobacco Road also involves North Carolina and NC 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.
^ 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.
^Disputed series record: BYU does not recognize 6 games played before 1922 (3 wins for each school).
^ abcGeorgia recognizes a 1904 game as its first game against Florida, thus according to Georgia there have been 102 games of which Georgia has won 56.
General references. Vacated games are not treated consistently with NCAA's own rules for reporting in these publications and the lists have missing games.