The Five Longest Continuous Rivalries in College Football

It’s Rivalry Week. Every team except Army and Navy will be playing its last regular-season game this week, and there are more than just bragging rights on the line. Ole Miss will lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff if the Rebels win the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. Texas will keep its slim CFP hopes alive if the Longhorns can knock off Texas A&M, and Virginia can make it to the ACC Championship Game if the Cavaliers defeat arch rival Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Cup.

However, none of those rivalries are among the five longest continuous rivalries in college football. All of these rivalry games have been contested every season for the past 100+ years, and The Rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette started in the late 19th Century.

Lehigh – Lafayette

The rivalry between Lehigh and Lafayette is not only the most-played rivalry game in college football, but it is also the longest continuous rivalry in the sport. These teams have met a whopping 161 times, starting when the Lafayette Leopards crushed the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 56-0 all the way back in 1884. Lafayette leads the overall series 82-74-5 too, but Lehigh has won the last two games in this rivalry. 

Lehigh celebrated with abandon after beating Lafayette 38-14 in 2024. The Mountain Hawks’ fans stormed the field and tore down goalposts made of reinforced steel. Then, they carried a goalpost out of the stadium and walked it over four miles before depositing it in the Lehigh River. That earned the consternation of the Leopards, and they are already preparing to welcome the Mountain Hawks back to Easton Field next season. 

Minnesota – Wisconsin

You would expect most of the longest-running rivalries to involve northeastern schools, but instead, the Midwest is home to the second-longest consecutive rivalry in college football. Minnesota and Wisconsin have squared off every season since 1907, and the two state schools play for one of the best rivalry trophies in all of college football, Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

If not for the great Teddy Roosevelt, this rivalry game would have been played annually since 1890. However, President Roosevelt suspended all college football rivalry games in 1906, citing safety concerns for both players and fans. The Chicago Tribune reported that 18 players died during the 1904 season, and 19 players died in 1905. That led to Roosevelt urging the sport to modernize, leading to innovations that eventually made it the most popular sport in America.

The Golden Gophers and Badgers adopted a Slab of Bacon rivalry trophy that was awarded annually from 1930 to 1943, when the process was halted due to the war. Minnesota dominated the rivalry at that time, winning 11 of the 14 games, but Wisconsin has ruled the roost for the last 30 years. The Badgers have hoisted Paul Bunyan’s Axe in 24 of the last 30 games.

North Carolina State – Wake Forest

This rivalry is not as well-known as other rivalries in the Tar Heel State. Duke and North Carolina are the biggest rivals in the state, and the rivalry between UNC and North Carolina State is a big one, too. However, neither rivalry has run for as long as the one between NC State and Wake Forest.

The Wolfpack and Demon Deacons have met annually since 1910. Their first meeting in 1895 resulted in a 4-4 tie, but NC State won the next ten games in this series to grab a lead that they will probably never lose. NC State leads the series 70-43-6 after the 2025 edition of this rivalry.

Wake Forest’s campus was originally just 18 miles away from NC State’s campus in downtown Raleigh. However, a generous donation from a tobacco baron led the university to move to Winston-Salem in the 1950s. The Demon Deacons play in a stadium that has the smallest capacity in all the Power Four conferences, but they have rebuilt a once-dormant football brand.

Kansas – Kansas State

The Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State has been played annually since 1911. The Jayhawks and Wildcats did not meet on the field in 1910 due to eligibility concerns, but they now play in one of the low-key fiercest rivalries in college football.

Kansas leads the series by either 10 games or 12 games, depending on which school you believe. The discrepancy lies with the 1980 game between these schools that saw the Jayhawks beat the Wildcats 20-18. The Big Eight Conference demanded that Kansas forfeit due to using an ineligible player, but the Jayhawks still count the game as a win, while the Wildcats give themselves the victory.

This series was dominated by Kansas up until the late 1980s. Then, Kansas State hired Bill Snyder, and the legendary football coach rejuvenated what had been the losingest team in the sport. The Wildcats beat the Jayhawks in 11 consecutive seasons between 1993 and 2003, and they currently hold a 17-game winning streak over their in-state rival.

Iowa State – Kansas State

Kansas State is the only school to be on this list twice. Iowa State and Kansas State have played every year since their first meeting back in 1917, making this the longest rivalry that has never been interrupted in the FBS. The Cyclones lead the Wildcats 55-50-4, but this rivalry is set to come to an end in 2027 as the Big 12 now has a rotating schedule.

These schools take part in a rivalry known as Farmageddon. Both Iowa State and Kansas State are very agriculturally intensive, and Ames and Manhattan are very rural college towns. The Wildcats are disappointed this rivalry is coming to an end, though, as they came close to taking the series lead over the Cyclones during the Bill Snyder years.

Iowa State and Kansas State made history by playing in Dublin to start the 2025 season. Both teams had a lot of rust, but the Cyclones emerged victorious to win for the third straight year. These teams were in the Top 25 at the start of the season, yet they are now just 4-4 in conference play.