Top rivalries: Iron Bowl, The Game, Army-Navy, Red River

Updated Nov. 23, 2021 3:02 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The best college football rivalries can change over time depending on the state of the programs involved.

Go back 25 or 30 years and Miami-Florida State probably would have been near the top of most lists. Nowadays, while still heated and entertaining, ‘Canes-’Noles just doesn't capture the attention of the nation the way it did when at least one those two was at the top of the sport.

Of course, some rivalries have just gone away altogether. For decades, Nebraska-Oklahoma was a lock to be one of the biggest games of the season. Texas-Texas A&M, too. Conference realignment has relegated those to the history books.

The Associated Press asked 42 sports writers and broadcasters to rank the five best rivalries in college football, with points given on a sliding scale (five for a first-place vote, four points for second, etc.).

Four longstanding series separated themselves from the rest according to the results released Tuesday. The top two, as it happens, will be renewed this weekend, with high stakes on the line for three of the four teams involved.

ALABAMA-AUBURN (165 points, 18 first-place votes)

Nickname: Iron Bowl.

Trophy: Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy, named after James E. Foy, a former dean at both schools.

Meetings: 85, Alabama leads 47-37-1.

Signature moment:

Biggest upset: In 1972, No. 7 Auburn beat No. 2 Alabama on the strength of two blocked punts in what would become known as

MICHIGAN-OHIO STATE (150, 10)

Nickname: The Game.

Reward: Before the Big Ten split into divisions in 2011, the winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game earned the conference title 22 times. Bragging rights for these two massive fan bases also cannot be underestimated.

Meetings: 116, Michigan leads 58-52-6.

Signature moment:

Biggest upset: In 1969, the Buckeyes entered the season finale No. 1 in the country and unbeaten, with eyes on a national titl. They were

ARMY-NAVY (125 points, 12)

Nickname: None needed.

Reward: Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, though Air Force also gets a say in where that resides.

Meetings: 121, Navy leads 61-53-7.

Signature moment: Less than a month after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963,

Biggest upset: No. 2 Army was unbeaten under Hall of Fame coach Red Blaik entering the 1950 game with 2-6 Navy and carrying a 28-game winning streak.

OKLAHOMA-TEXAS (88 points, 2)

Nickname (unofficial): Red River Shootout.

Reward: Golden Hat.

Meetings: 117, Texas leads 62-50-5.

Signature moment:

Biggest upset: In what turned out to be Mack Brown's last season as Texas coach, the 3-2 Longhorns beat the No. 12 Sooners 36-20 behind backup quarterback Case McCoy.

FLORIDA-GEORGIA (19 points)

Nickname (unofficial): World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

Reward: Okefenokee Oar.

Meetings: 99 or 100, depending on which school you ask. Georgia leads either 53-44-2 or 54–44–2.

Signature moment: The Gator Stomp. After scoring a touchdown early in the 2007 matchup, Georgia players participated in a full-team, end-zone celebration, incurring a 15-yard penalty that didn't bother Bulldogs coach Mark Richt one bit. The next season, Florida coach Urban Meyer used two late timeouts with his team up 49-10.

Biggest upset: Florida was ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history when

MISSISSIPPI-MISSISSIPPI STATE (18 points)

Nickname: Egg Bowl.

Reward: Golden Egg Trophy.

Meetings: 117, Ole Miss leads 63-48-6.

Signature moment:

Biggest upset: In 1970, Ole Miss was 7-1, No. 10 in the country, bowl-bound and trying to finish the season strong despite having lost star quarterback Archie Manning earlier in the season to a broken arm. The Bulldogs won 19-14 in Oxford to snap a three-game losing streak,

NOTRE DAME-SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (14 points)

Nickname: None, though it is often called college football’s most storied intersectional rivalry.

Reward: Jeweled Shillelagh

Meetings: 92, Notre Dame leads 50-37-5.

Signature moment: The Bush Push in 2005. Defending national champion USC had won 27 straight games, but the Fighting Irish had the Trojans in trouble in South Bend. Quarterback

Biggest upset: In 1964, Notre Dame was unbeaten, No. 1 and lined up to win a national championship when unranked USC rallied from 17-0 down and

FLORIDA STATE-MIAMI (13 points)

Nickname: Sunshine Showdown.

Reward: Used to be a chance to play for a national title. Now, the winning head coach gets to keep his job.

Meetings: 66, Miami leads 35-31.

Signature moment: Wide right. In consecutive seasons (1991-92), the game was a matchup of top-three teams. T

Biggest upset: Florida State was No. 1 in the country when it opened its season against No. 6 Miami in 1988. The upset itself wasn't so stunning as much as how it went down.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

BYU-Utah (9 points)

Michigan-Michigan State (8 points)

Alabama-LSU (3 points)

Florida-Florida State (3 points)

Harvard-Yale (3 points)

Lehigh-Lafayette (3 points)

Minnesota-Wisconsin (3 points)

Pitt-West Virginia (2)

Amherst-Williams (1 points)

Cal-Stanford (1 point)

Clemson-South Carolina (1 point)

Oregon-Washington (1 point)

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com

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