Sports

10 College Football Rivalries Lost to Realignment That Need to Return

By Steven Lassan Athlon Sports

Updated May 19, 2026 6:21 AM

College football's realignment and expansion drastically reshaped the membership of several conferences over the last 15 seasons. And as a result of the shifting landscape, along with conferences playing more games in league play now, several memorable rivalries went from annual showdowns to on extended hiatus or to a scheduled series or two whenever a couple of contests can be crunched into the schedule.

The Notre Dame-USC annual series is arguably the biggest casualty, but the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State, along with the Bedlam rivalry between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, are also among the top rivalries on hiatus.

On the positive side, realignment and expansion brought old rivals in Texas-Texas A&M and BYU-Utah back into the same conference home, ensuring annual matchups into the near future.

Which lost rivalries to realignment need to return? Athlon Sports details 10 series we want to see scheduled in the near future:

Bedlam has been on hiatus since Oklahoma departed the Big 12 for the SEC in 2024. The Sooners dominated their in-state rival, winning seven out of the last 10 matchups to bring the all-time series to 91–20–7 over the Cowboys. However, Oklahoma State got the last laugh in ‘23. The Cowboys won 27-24 to hold bragging rights until the next matchup on the gridiron takes place. Hopes of a return for this series in the near future appear slim with no contests scheduled.

In terms of college football aesthetics, it doesn't get much better than seeing the helmets and uniforms of Notre Dame and USC meeting on the same field in South Bend or in Los Angeles. And outside of the abbreviated 2020 campaign, the Trojans and Fighting Irish met every year from 1945-2025. However, the future of this series is in doubt. USC and Notre Dame won't meet in ‘26 and the 2030 season could be the first opportunity to see these two historic programs match up once again.

The bitter Backyard Brawl rivalry between the Mountaineers and Panthers was played every season from 1943-2011. However, with West Virginia leaving for the Big 12, and Pitt departing for the ACC, this series between two programs separated by 75 miles went on hiatus from 2012-21. The rivalry was renewed in ‘22 and has been played in each of the last four years. These two teams are not scheduled to meet from 2026-28. However, the series will resume in ‘29 through the ‘36 season.

Among FBS rivalries, only Wisconsin-Minnesota, Georgia-Auburn, and Virginia-North Carolina have played more times than Oregon-Oregon State. After the Ducks' departure to the Big Ten after the 2023 season, these two teams maintained the rivalry with games in ‘24 and ‘25. However, the future of this series is in doubt. Oregon and Oregon State won't play in ‘26 or ‘27 and no matchups are scheduled beyond that timeline.

After a 13-year break, the Border War between Kansas and Missouri returned to the gridiron in 2025 with a 42-31 victory by the Tigers. These two teams will meet again in ‘26, as the Jayhawks host Missouri on Friday, Sept. 11. This rivalry has been played 121 times with the two programs sharing conference membership in the Big 8 and Big 12. However, after the ‘26 matchup, the series is set for another hiatus from 2027-30 and will resume from 2031-32.

Oklahoma and Nebraska met every season from 1928 to 1997 and produced plenty of memorable games, including the ‘71 Game of the Century and four consecutive top-five matchups from 1984-87. However, the annual series ended once both teams moved from the Big 8 to the Big 12 and were placed in opposite divisions. Since the ‘98 season, the Cornhuskers and Sooners have met only 10 times. These two teams faced off in a high-profile non-conference series from 2021-22 and are set to play again in 2029-30.

This Midwest rivalry between two of college football's most iconic programs is set to resume in 2033-34 after an extended disruption in the series. The Wolverines and Fighting Irish met 31 times over the 1978-2014 window. These two teams took a hiatus in 2015-17, before a two-game series in 2018-19. Another extended wait is coming for this rivalry once again, as Michigan and Notre Dame will play a two-game set from 2033-34.

The War on I-4 series doesn't have the extended history of some of the other rivalries on this list, but UCF and South Florida combined for several entertaining battles over 14 meetings. The Knights won six games in a row from 2017-22, with the series ending following their departure from the American to the Big 12. These two programs are separated by fewer than 100 miles. However, no future meetings are scheduled between the Bulls and Knights.

This matchup was a staple of the Black Friday slate when both programs were members of the Big 12. However, this rivalry has been largely dormant since Colorado departed for the Pac-12 (and later returned to the Big 12), and the Cornhuskers left for the Big Ten in 2011. These two programs rekindled the rivalry in 2018-19 and again in 2023-24. No future games are scheduled, giving Nebraska a commanding 50-21-2 edge in the series.

With the SEC moving to nine conference games, along with Florida's annual showdown against Florida State, the Gators may not have room (or the desire after last season's 26-7 romp) to rekindle this series against Miami anytime soon. However, these two teams played annually from 1944 until 1987. Just nine matchups have been played since ‘88, including a two-game series from 2024-25. With the history between these two programs, along with the annual talent in the Sunshine State, more games between the ‘Canes and Gators would be a win for college football fans.

This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 5:58 AM.

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