College Football’s Top 3 Rivalry Games To Close 2025 Season
Summary
The initial College Football Playoff rankings set the stage for a climactic November, with major rivalry games near Thanksgiving set to determine conference champions and playoff positioning. These contests attract peak viewership and wagering activity, especially during the holiday weekend. Rivalry games are the lifeblood of the sport, where intense emotions, personal pride, and high stakes—from bowl eligibility to state supremacy—take center stage, regardless of team records.
Key matchups include Ohio State at Michigan, with Big Ten title implications, Texas A&M at Texas in a renewed SEC showdown, and the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. The playoff landscape is also fluid, as the top four ranked teams receive a first-round bye. Other crucial games involving BYU, Texas A&M, Oregon, and Georgia will serve as an appetizer to the main event of Thanksgiving weekend, which features the season’s most passionate and meaningful contests.
The first release of the College Football Playoff rankings on Nov. 4 sets the stage for some of the biggest games of the season ahead in November. That includes some of the biggest rivalry games to look forward to near Thanksgiving that will impact conference races and determine champions, along with the College Football Playoff positioning and selected teams.
The watch and wager action including live/in-game betting will peak over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend during rivalry weekend, as fans give thanks for family, friends, football and a feast while enjoying all the fixings during the most watched and wagered games.
College Football Rivalry Games And Emotions
Rivalry games are considered the lifeblood of college football and some of the most anticipated games of the season. The game, process and recruiting has changed with the transfer portal and Name Image and Likeness (NIL) money involved, but personal pride is still paramount when bitter enemies play for their school, past players, fans, recruiting wars and state supremacy. The underdog may have a losing record and be playing this as their ‘bowl’ game to salvage a lost season, while also trying to ruin the enemy’s season. These games attract special attention and coverage from the media, but thousands of fans and alumni across the nation look forward to at least one contest per season; the game against their biggest rival.
Whether it’s a team’s last home game, revenge rematch, conference championship or bowl eligibility at stake, these rivalry games bring out the greatest emotion and energy from the players, teams and coaches.
Top 3 Rivalry Games
This year’s top rivalry games below will be even more meaningful as we project ahead to what’s at stake for a spot in conference championship games and the College Football Playoff. These are the most watched and wagered games with top sportsbook BetOnline providing sports betting news, updates and betting odds and lines ( ) on favorites as projected based on current power ratings and results.
Ohio State (-10/11) at Michigan – The Buckeyes (8-0 / 5-0) are currently ranked No. 1 in the CFP Poll and the Wolverines (7-2 / 5-1) are No. 21. “The Game” will be most meaningful again and especially if Ohio State wins their three games and Michigan two games leading up to the showdown at the Big House in Ann Arbor. A spot in the Big Ten Championship Game would be at stake. The Buckeye’s won it all last season as national champions capturing the inaugural 12 team College Football Playoff, despite not even playing in the Big Ten Championship Game. But the Buckeyes defeated the conference champion and No. 1 ranked Oregon 41-21 in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. The Wolverines pulled off a shocking road upset last season over the Buckeyes 13-10 as a 20’-point underdog. It was the fourth straight win and point spread cover for Michigan over Ohio State in this heated rivalry, and the previous ten meetings had all gone ‘over’ the posted game total. Last year’s 20.5 spread that was bet down slightly near kickoff was the second-largest spread in this rivalry since 1978, and largest since 2014.
Texas A&M (-3) at Texas – A win by Texas (7-2 / 4-1) at Georgia (7-1 / 5-1) on Nov. 15 would “Hook ‘em” and really add the mustard and mayo to this Texas-sized showdown as Texas A&M (8-0 / 5-0) is tied on top of the SEC standings with Alabama. It would also impact the projected point spread. The Longhorns and Aggies renewed their rivalry last season having not played since 2011 with A&M joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012 and Texas remaining in the Big 12 until joining the SEC in 2024. The Longhorns won at A&M 17-7 as a 5-point road favorite last season. Now the Aggies will be the road favorite in Austin with another bump in their power rating following their recent road win at LSU 49-25 as a 1.5-point favorite on Oct. 25. Texas would have been more than a TD favorite in this matchup at the start of the season, but the luster on the Longhorns has fallen along with their power rating while A&M has been building on coach Elko’s excellence in College Station.
Alabama (-9) at Auburn – The Iron Bowl is always one of the biggest rivalry games of the year. This one is more meaningful for Alabama (7-1 / 5-0) as they remain undefeated in SEC play while pushing for a spot in the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide already beat four-straight ranked teams starting in late September with Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee. That’s created a rising projected point spread for this rivalry game and also impacted by Auburn’s recent firing of head coach Hugh Freeze, who was just 15-19 in his second year coaching on the Plains. War Eagle failed to take flight and fight with all their might under Freeze, and the Tigers offense failed to score more than 24 points in 17 of 22 SEC games. Auburn (4-5 / 1-5) has clearly struggled, and the axe came down following last Saturday’s embarrassing 10-3 home loss to Kentucky (3-5 / 1-5) as an 11-point home favorite. The rising ‘Tide will take more money in this matchup as a big favorite with the pressure mounting in the biggest games ahead before the College Football Playoff. Alabama plays LSU and Oklahoma the next two games at home and then FCS Eastern Illinois before the big rivalry game against Auburn.
Note too that a change from last season’s initial 12-team CFP format has the teams ranked No. 1-4 in the College Football Playoff rankings earning the top-4 seeds and a first-round bye, regardless of whether they win their conference championship or not. The top-4 ranked teams in the Nov. 4 College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama.
Things can change quickly in the standings and rankings down the stretch. The five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids to the 12-team College Football Playoff. The seven highest-ranked teams remaining will round out the 12-team bracket and field.
Be sure to follow, watch and wager on many other key games impacting conference races and the College Football Playoff. That includes in the Big 12 where the No. 7 BYU Cougars (8-0 / 5-0 Big 12) tackle the Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1 / 5-1) in Lubbock on Nov. 8 with the winner alone in first place. Two other Top 25 matchups on Nov. 8 with competitively-lined games with near touchdown road favorites include No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0 / 5-0 SEC) at Missouri (6-2 / 2-2) and No. 9 Oregon (7-1 / 4-1) at No. 20 Iowa (6-2 / 4-1). Other key games ahead include two more big SEC matchups on Nov. 15 with current No. 11 Texas (7-2 / 4-1) at No. 5 Georgia (7-1 / 5-1) and No. 11 Oklahoma (7-2 / 3-2) at No. 4 Alabama (7-1 / 5-0).
Those games are just the appetizer to the full meal deal over Thanksgiving and rivalry weekend for the most meaningful and passionate games of the season.
You can bet on it.
