Conference realignment has created some intriguing new rivalries that will only grow more important in time but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss some of the college football classics that that we’ve lost over the years. We’re in a nostalgic mood, so here is a look at four college football rivalry games that we would love to see back on the schedule.
Texas Longhorns vs Texas A&M Aggies
Late Meeting: 2011
The Lone Star Showdown between the Longhorns and Aggies is always one of the first that comes to mind when college football fans think about the rivalry games that were ruined as a result of conference realignment and for good reason. Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012 and has not looked back. They’re stature as powerhouse program has grown while some of the luster of the Longhorns has been lost.
The fact that these two schools don’t play against one another is something even the casual college football fan misses. There aren’t many fan bases that hate one another as much as the Longhorns and Aggies, and it would be an absolute spectacle to see these two teams play again after years of animosity quietly building over the past few seasons.
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Pittsburgh Panthers vs West Virginia Mountaineers
Last Meeting: 2011
The Backyard Brawl is a rivalry of two schools separated by 75 miles on Interstate 79. It dates all the way back to 1895 but hasn’t been reignited since 2011. The arrival of new athletic directors at both schools has sparked talk about the possibility of revisiting the annual showdown.
The proximity of the two schools pushed the rivalry from on the field to the recruiting trail and those that experienced the rivalry between the two schools have pushed hard to bring back the old days when the Panthers and Mountaineers had their annual, physical clash.
Florida Gators vs Miami Hurricanes
Last Meeting: 2013
The rivalry between these two schools still definitely exists on the recruiting trail where they compete annually to land the top recruits in the nation but they don’t have an annual series and that is something football fans in the state would love to see change. The two schools met every year from 1938 to 1987 – nearly 50 years – so there is clearly history.
There is no doubt that the proximity of the programs and the state’s passion for college football would help fuel the rivalry if they were able to create an annual three-way tournament with Florida State.
The Gators, Hurricanes and Seminoles have an annual round-robin trophy called the Florida Cup that they established in 2002 but only Florida State plays both rivals on an annual basis. If Florida and Miami did the same, it would add to a classic rivalry that we would love to see renewed on an annual basis.
Kansas Jayhawks vs Missouri Tigers
Last Meeting: 2011
The best college football rivalries are fueled by proximity and that was certainly the case when Kansas and Missouri went head-to-head. The fan bases for both schools fully hated one another and the fact that Missouri relocated to the SEC in 2011 hasn’t changed that despite the fact that they haven’t played since.
The series between the Jayhawks and Tigers was also the second-most played rivalry in college football and fans for both programs have to be hating the fact that they don’t get to see those teams clash on an annual basis in the Border War.
There have been reports that Kansas has an “open invitation” to renew the series with Missouri but they have yet to accept it yet. That’s because Missouri’s stature has grown since they moved to the SEC. At the same time, the Jayhawks have scuffled and while the passion for a rivalry still exists between the two teams, there is the feeling that facing Kansas is somewhat beneath Missouri. Maybe if the Jayhawks program can get right we’ll see this rivalry once more.
