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03/28/2025
EIGHT COLLEGE FOOTBALL RIVALRIES THAT COULD BE REVIVED IN SPRING GAME FORM...
There is method to the madness that is Mike Gundy. One of the greatest faces of Oklahoma State football is hoping that there can be some resolution to the Bedlam Series going away in football vs. arch rival Oklahoma. This is a result of the Sooners leaving for the SEC along with Texas in the latest wave of realignment. At this time, there are no plans in place to get the Bedlam Series going again.
Gundy may have coached and played quarterback on the nail side of this hammer vs. nail rivalry, but it is good for the sport of college football to have it continue in some fashion. I would rather see their respective athletic departments have the stones to make sure this game gets played annually. Four other SEC teams play an in-state rival out-of-conference every season, so why cannot Oklahoma? Gundy was feeling himself a bit like he usually does before spitting out this hellfire of a Bedlam take. “That’s something we’ve talked about. I think it’s a great idea . Honestly, for us, we should do a home and home with OU in the spring. They should come here on the 19th. I think their’s is earlier in the year, we should go down there and play a home-and-home against each other in the spring. Charge $25 a head, they can use it for NIL, we can use it for NIL. If they don’t want to do two in one spring, we can do one here this year, do it there next year, and split the gate. Because we get tired of practicing against each other.” Again, I know he would much rather face Oklahoma in November, but I appreciate the creativity here. Here is Bedlam and seven other college football rivalry series that can be reignited in a spring game.
THE KEG OF NAILS: CINCINNATI BEARCATS VS. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
When I was putting this together, I was looking for rival teams who do not play in the same league who longer play each other, preferably ones with 100-plus meetings to date between them. Putting The Keg of Nails on this list seems like a bit of a reach, but who would not want to watch the Scott Satterfield Bowl annually every spring be played between Cincinnati and Louisville going forward? Cincinnati and Louisville are in the same geographic region along the Ohio River. WIth UC becoming Power Four in recent years, that would add even more gravitas to this rivalry game that been played 54 times before. Their most recent meeting was in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston, Massachusetts of all places, right after Satterfield left Louisville to take over the Cincinnati program. It was weird in the moment, but I would love to see the Keg of Nails be handed out far more often.
BATTLE FOR THE RAG: LSU TIGERS VS. TULANE GREEN WAVE
I am going to be totally honest here. LSU and Tulane should play every year. While it has been decades since Tualne last competed in the SEC, this used to be a fierce rivalry between the Green Wave and the Tigers. They play for something known as the Tiger Rag. While they have met 98 times to date, the last time the Greenies took on the Bayou Bengals was back in 2009. What are we doing? This may come from a point of LSU knowing it is better than Tulane, but it is not like the Greenies are some scrub at a lower level. Yes, they may compete in The American, but Tulane has been one of the better programs in the Group of Five the last few years. It would not be the least bit surprising if they made the College Football Playoff over LSU this season. I expect both will be in contention for bids. As it is with all of these, I would much rather see this one happen in the fall and not in a spring game.
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS VS. UCLA BRUINS
This underrated rivalry has gone to the wayside in the latest wave of realigment. For years, Cal and UCLA competed in all things Pac-12, Pac-10 and even Pac-8. These are the two flagship public schools in the state of California. However, with UCLA following USC to the Big Ten and Cal going to the ACC alongside Stanford, this secondary rivalry out west has the potential of going away entirely. To date, Cal and UCLA have played each other 94 times. This rivalry may not have the history of others in the sport or in the region, but it should be played annually. I understand the complexities of both teams competing in other leagues, but other schools have figured it out long before the Golden Bears and the Bruins got to this point. For the sake of helping out with travel, this game must happen. Of the handful of rivalries that have been threatened with realignment, I have a feeling this one sticks.
BATTLE OF THE BRAZOS: BAYLOR BEARS VS. TEXAS A&M AGGIES
One of the best rivalries that went away as a part of 2010-12's realignment has to be the Battle of the Brazos between the Baylor Bears and the Texas A&M Aggies. It is named for the Brazos River that flows by both Texas schools. Not only did they used to compete in the Big 12 together, but came over to help for that league in the mid-1990s in the wake of their former league, the Southwest, collapsing. With Texas A&M joining the SEC in 2012 along with fellow former Big 12 team Missouri, it swiftly ended a bulk of rivalries for both teams. It has been a shame that Missouri and Texas A&M have not made it a point to get some of their biggest rivals back on the schedule even once in the wake of them leaving their former league. Both have created new ones, but Battle of the Brazos was cool. These teams have played each other 108 times but not even once since Texas A&M left for the SEC.
KEYSTONE CLASSIC: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS VS. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
While these two bitter in-state rivals have played the game a few times in recent years, the Keystone Classic should be one of the better rivalries in the country, and it is sadly not. This may have something to do with neither team ever playing in the same league before, as well as Penn State being a national independent for the better part of its history. Still, they have played this 100 times. Although it may not behoove Penn State to put Pitt on the schedule that already features nine Big Ten games, similar things can be said about Pitt who may want to pick up additional wins outside of they eight they have to play in the ACC. Furthermore, Pitt is always going to prioritize getting the Backyard Brawl on the schedule over the Keystone Classic. Pitt views West Virginia as its biggest rival anyway. Regardless, it is a shame the two flagship schools in football-crazy Pennsylvania hardly ever play.
STANFORD CARDINAL VS. USC TROJANS
With the Pac-12 falling to pieces as we know it, many great rivalries in that league have gone to the wayside. This includes one that defined the heart of it in Stanford vs. USC. To date, the Cardinal and the Trojans have played each other 103 times. Had the Pac-12 not collapsed in on itself, this in-state rivalry would have carried on forever. However, USC left for the Big Ten and Stanford to the ACC. As it the case with Cal-UCLA, neither team views the other as its biggest rival. Both probably dislike Notre Dame more, with Stanford hating Cal and USC despising UCLA. Regardless, the Pac-12 made it a point to make sure all four of its former California schools played each other annually as a part of their scheduling, despite them being split up into two divisions for years. This game needs to return. The same thing applies to Cal-UCLA in that playing this game could cut down on costs of travel, too.
BEDLAM SERIES: OKLAHOMA SOONERS VS. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
The Bedlam Series is the one that generated the synthesis of this article. While it is certainly one of the saddest ones to go, it is also one of the most lopsided rivalries in college football history. The Bedlman Series has been played 118 times on the college football gridiron, but Oklahoma has thoroughly dominated in it. The Sooners lead the Cowboys 91-20-7. They have owned Bedlam. Although it would be in bad taste, I could totally see Oklahoma State trying exceptionally hard to eat in at the deficit during a spring game. Would they do cartwheels in the steets of Stillwater if they stunned the Sooners at Boone Pickens in April? That would be a sight! Regardless, this rivalry harbors a lot of animosity, as well as great football tradition in-state. Plus, its name is one of the best out there. The sooner we can get the Sooners and Cowboys to play in the latter part of November, the better.
BORDER WAR: KANSAS JAYHAWKS VS. MISSOURI TIGERS
Just stop it and figure it out, please! The only rivalry game I need to see played again is the Border Ward between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers. These two fanbases absolutely hate each other. It went away in the 2010-12 era of realignment that saw Mizzou leave for the SEC along with Texas A&M. Yes, Texas A&M ran away from Texas for years, but guess who showed up last year? For years, we have tried to give Missouri a new SEC rivalry. It has gone about as well as trying to make fetch happen. The best way I can say it is Arkansas hates Texas and Missouri hates Kansas. This game should be played at the end of every season. They have played each other 120 times, but have not met on the college football field since 2011. I was still in undergrad at Georgia way back then. This would be a way to ignite some fiery passion into a spring game, since they choose not to play.
