A rivalry can matter a lot and still deliver a rough watch.
That’s the uncomfortable truth college football fans hate to hear. The history can be rich, the dislike can be genuine, and the game itself can still drift into something lopsided or flat. A famous matchup earns its reputation over time, but that doesn’t mean every edition lives up to the billing.
No. 3 on the list is Alabama-Tennessee, a series that has always sounded bigger than whatever Saturday it lands on. “The Third Saturday in October” carries weight, even when the calendar doesn’t cooperate and the game gets pushed elsewhere. For a long stretch, though, the name had more punch than the actual football.
Alabama beat Tennessee 15 straight times from 2007 through 2021, and plenty of those games were never in doubt long enough to justify keeping the starters out there. Tennessee’s 52-49 win in 2022 finally snapped that run and gave the rivalry a needed burst of life.
Fans stormed the field, tore down the goal posts and carried one of them out of Neyland Stadium. It was one of the season’s best finishes.
But one great night doesn’t wipe away a decade and a half of Alabama treating the matchup like just another conference date. The recent games have been more competitive, sure. Still, Alabama-Tennessee has spent most of the modern era missing the one thing a rivalry needs most: uncertainty.
No. 2 is Army-Navy, and this is the one that might make people restless.
It’s one of the sport’s great rivalries, and it’s also overrated because of how often the football itself drags. The respect is real.
The pageantry is real. The pregame ceremony is outstanding, and the sight of both teams standing on the field for the alma maters never gets old.
Then the game starts, and too often the afternoon turns into a grind that ends with both teams combining for 27 points.
Over the past 10 meetings, Army and Navy have averaged 28.7 total points. They haven’t even all been close; the average margin has been more than 12 points.
Navy also ripped off 14 straight wins from 2002 through 2015, which is not a little rut. It’s a long, brutal stretch.
Last season finally gave the rivalry a game worthy of the stage. Navy won 17-16 after trailing in the fourth quarter. That’s the kind of finish people want from this matchup.
The tradition absolutely deserves its national spotlight. The football doesn’t always earn four hours with no other game competing for attention.
And at No. 1, there’s Bedlam.
The name promised chaos. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were supposed to spend generations trading blows, wrecking each other’s seasons and making life miserable for the other side. Instead, Oklahoma turned it into a one-sided story.
The Sooners own a 91-21-7 edge in the series. That’s not some ancient advantage from the leather-helmet era, either. Oklahoma also won 10 of the final 15 meetings before leaving the Big 12.
There were still some memorable games in there. Oklahoma State won the last meeting in 2023, and the series produced wild finishes, huge scoring totals and more than a few days Oklahoma fans would rather forget.
But the bigger picture never changed much. Oklahoma won more than three out of every four meetings and once strung together a 19-game winning streak.
That kind of dominance makes the “Bedlam” label feel almost ironic. The rivalry should return because Oklahoma and Oklahoma State belong on the same field, and regional games are one of the best things college football has going. Just don’t pretend the history was balanced.
It wasn’t. It was a great name, a handful of memorable games and a whole lot of Oklahoma wins.
In Other News...
Oklahoma States Defensive Reset Could Decide How Fast This Team Changes
After a rough 2025 season, Oklahoma States defensive overhaul under new head coach Eric Morris has started with Skyler Cassity, one of the youngest coordinators in college football, taking charge of a unit that needed both a new voice and a new direction. The hire was made to help steady a defense that never found enough answers, and the early emphasis has been on versatility, player development and getting more from the personnel already in place.
Cassity is also asking a few Cowboys to learn new jobs as part of the reset, with rotation and position flexibility built into the plan so the defense can stay fresh and adaptable over the course of games. For Oklahoma State, the bigger question is not just whether the scheme can work, but how quickly a group coming off a difficult year can absorb so much change and turn it into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Hawkins Is Already Raising Expectations For Oklahoma States Offense
Caleb Hawkins is already the kind of addition that changes how an offense is discussed in Stillwater. After transferring to Oklahoma State from North Texas following the 2025 season, the running back arrived with a rsum that already includes multiple accolades, headlined by the NCAA freshman touchdown record and recognition on several All-America teams.
Now the attention is shifting to what comes next, and the preseason buzz is matching the production. Hawkins has been named a preseason candidate for the 2026 Doak Walker Award, an early sign that expectations for Oklahoma States offense are not being kept low for long, even if the awards semifinalist and finalist stages are still ahead before a winner is announced in December 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces A Backup QB Battle That Could Matter Fast
With Drew Mestemaker locked in as Oklahoma States starter, the more immediate question in Stillwater is who becomes the next man up if the Cowboys need a quarterback in a hurry. Fall camp has kept the backup spot open, with transfer Grant Jordan, true freshman Broderick Vehrs and Luke Tepas all taking part in the competition as coaches sort through a role that can matter fast in the early part of the season.
The challenge is bigger than simply arm talent in this Air Raid system, where mental processing and command of the offense are treated as major parts of the job. Jordan brings experience to the table, while Vehrs has drawn attention for his upside, and that balance has made the race worth watching even before a snap is taken in a game that counts. [Read more 🡒]