- USC and Notre Dame aren’t going to play their rivalry the next few seasons? You’ve got to be kidding.
- Alabama-LSU will drop off annual docket after SEC schedule changes.
- Nebraska-Oklahoma would be welcome by any college football fan who respects tradition.
The last round of SEC expansion re-established the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, but conference realignment has taken more than it’s given on the rivalry front.
Not only that, but the SEC’s elimination of divisions also will stop some rivalries from occurring annually. Both inside and outside of the SEC, games that were once part of the fabric of college football are no longer played every year.
On this edition of ‘SEC Football Unfiltered,’ a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams highlight eight rivalry games they’d wish to save or restore on an annual basis. These are games that have either already gone away, or a series that will be interrupted in the near future.
Several of the rivalries have ties to current SEC schools, but the hosts also dip into Big Ten and Big 12 terrain to restore some lost rivalries.
We’re saving/restoring eight college football rivalries
∎ Nebraska vs. Oklahoma: The 1971 matchup of these teams, pitting No. 1 versus No. 2, ranks among the greatest games ever played. Neither program is what it used to be, but anyone who respects college football’s tradition knows this game has a place on the annual calendar. — Adams
∎ Nebraska vs. Colorado: After the Big 12 formed in the mid-1990s, Colorado replaced Oklahoma as Nebraska’s Thanksgiving week opponent, and this rivalry rose to the billing. Those who grew up on college football in the ’90s remember this as must-watch fare, alongside some Thanksgiving leftovers. — Toppmeyer
∎ Southern Cal vs. Notre Dame: This storied rivalry that gave us the ‘Bush Push’ will undergo interruption. These teams are not scheduled to play each other for at least the next few years. So, let’s get this straight: Notre Dame will play SMU this season and USC will play Rutgers, but Notre Dame-USC will not occur. What a farce. — Adams
∎ Michigan vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame used to play USC, Michigan, Penn State and Miami, all in the same season. Come 2027, the Irish are scheduled to play none of those teams. Mercy. Golden Domes vs. Maize and Blue was once appointment viewing, and it would be again if the teams had the nerve to schedule each other. — Toppmeyer
∎ Alabama vs. LSU: This game defined the SEC West for so many years. In some seasons, it defined the college football season, period. Both teams have other rivals, sure, but few games consistently match the stakes of this one, and there’s no love lost between these two. That’s good for any rivalry. — Adams
∎ Florida vs. Tennessee: At the rivalry’s heyday in the 1990s and early 2000s, few games were better or more important. Steve Spurrier called East Tennessee home before he turned Gator. He brought so much juice to this series. Just because something isn’t what it once was doesn’t mean it can’t still be really good. That applies here. — Toppmeyer
∎ Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State: Start with the name, Bedlam. Few rivalries have a better name. In-state rivalries like this one are part of college football’s backbone. This here is a classic case of realignment interfering with a good rivalry. OU owns the series, but Oklahoma State scored some signature wins, including in the last installment in 2023. — Adams
∎ Kansas vs. Missouri: There ought to be a rule: If ‘War’ is in the rivalry’s name, it must be played annually. Such is the case here. The Border War rivalry predates football, deriving its name from the bloody years of fighting between pro- and anti-slavery factions along the Kansas-Missouri border leading up to the Civil War. Missouri’s Big 12 exit interrupted the series until it renewed last year. After 2026, there’ll be another hiatus. Ah, realignment. — Toppmeyer
Also on this episode
∎ Toppmeyer and Adams react to Joey Aguilar losing his bid for another season as Tennessee’s quarterback. One host takes up for the NCAA’s quest to enforce its eligibility rules, while the other host has less sympathy for the NCAA.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
- Apple
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- iHeart
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.