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An axe, an egg and some old-fashioned hate: Ranking the 2025 college football Week 14 rivalry games
Week 14 represents the culmination of the regular season in College Football. And whilst some schools will be eyeing a place in a conference title game - or even a spot in the playoffs - others will still be looking ahead to the weekend with relish.
Beginning on Thanksgiving Thursday and not ending until the early hours of Sunday morning, there are more than twenty games between bitter enemies on the schedule.
With ‘Rivalry Weekend’ upon us, let’s attempt to rank the 2025 edition of Week 14 college matchups.
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23: Air Force @ Colorado State
An understated rivalry game in the best of years, there’s very little on the line for Air Force or Colorado State this season.
Battling for the Ram-Falcon Trophy, Air Force is 14-3 in this series since Troy Calhoun became head coach. Considering CSU’s poor season, it’s hard to see this one bucking the trend.
22: Houston @ Baylor
It’s difficult to get excited about a rivalry game that has nothing notable about it other than two teams being in the same state who used to meet regularly in the Southwest Conference. But it’s nice to see it reignited with Houston moving to the Big 12 last year.
With both teams showing little interest in defense, a Texas shootout could be on the cards.
21: Northwestern @ Illinois
Again, another rivalry steeped in little more than geographic location; at the very least, this game has historical interest when it comes to the trophies they fight for.
For 64 years, the prize was the ‘Sweet Sioux Tomahawk’, a carved wooden ‘cigar store’ Indian, until both schools decided to be more respectful towards Native Indian imagery and history.
Instead, they now play for the ‘Land of Lincoln’ trophy, but the result this weekend will mean little when it comes to the Big Ten.
20: The Heroes Game - Iowa @ Nebraska
Not much in the way of history with this one, with only 14 games between the schools since they started playing for a trophy. But using the game to recognize individuals from both states for acts of heroism in their communities is a nice touch.
This should be a competitive game between two teams looking ahead to better things.
19: Battle for the Freemont Cannon - UNLV @ Nevada
Another inter-state rivalry, there’s bad blood between the Rebels and the Wolfpack, stemming back to 1993 when head coach Jeff Horton left Nevada for UNLV in what is now known as the ‘Red Defection’.
They play for the Fremont Cannon, which is painted red or blue depending on who won it the year before. With the Rebs looking to cement a Mountain West title game berth, this one could get pretty spicy.
18: North Carolina @ NC State
The first of two ‘Tobacco Road’ rivalries this weekend, this one will feel more prevalent on the basketball court than on the gridiron. But a defeat to a school just thirty miles away would be the most humbling end to the first season of the Bill Belichick era in Chapel Hill.
17: Battle on the Bayou - Louisiana-Monroe @ Louisiana
A cool nickname for the rivalry bumps this up a few spots, because there hasn’t been much throughout history to set this game apart from any other.
The Ragin’ Cajuns edge the series 33-26, but it might be worth tuning in to see if either school breaks out some cool alternative uniforms - something both teams have been known to do.
16: Notre Dame @ Stanford
An iconic, storied rivalry between two elite academic institutions, Stanford’s modern-day malaise has likely turned this game into a one-way track meet in 2025.
Notre Dame poured 70 on Syracuse last weekend, and the Cardinal will be under the cosh this weekend against a Fighting Irish side determined to cement their playoff place.
15: The Palmetto Bowl - Clemson @ South Carolina
A sneaky underrated game that usually delivers fireworks the last weekend in November, these two preseason favourites could have, in another world, been jostling for playoff relevance right now.
But both Clemson and South Carolina have had seasons to forget - and their head coaches are feeling heat that neither is accustomed to.
14: Vanderbilt @ Tennessee
In years and decades past, the Volunteers wouldn’t have even been considered this a rivalry. Such has been the rise of this Vanderbilt program under Clark Lea, and it’s now the Commodores who are fighting for a playoff spot, not their Knoxville neighbours.
There was a 0-0 tie in 1900, but with Diego Pavia and Joey Aguilar under center, that’s likely not happening on Saturday.
13: UCLA @ USC
A storied Los Angeles rivalry. Red versus Blue, public school versus private school; despite there being just 14 miles between the two, UCLA and USC share very little in common.
Whether it’s at the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl, this game is usually played in front of a beautiful California sunset.
The Trojans’ loss to Oregon last week likely removes any playoff connotations in this one, but it’s still an iconic West Coast matchup.
12: Wake Forest @ Duke
Tobacco Road, Part 2: Wake & Duke might not like each other, but this rivalry doesn’t often resonate outside of North Carolina.
But this season is different; despite expecting to prop up the ACC, Jake Dickert has Wake Forest at eight wins. And Duke, despite being 6-5, somehow still has a route to the conference championship game and the playoff spoils that await the winner. I smell chaos.
11: The Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana @ Purdue
Any rivalry game that takes its name from a poem is going to get bonus points from me. Indiana and Purdue are used to fighting to avoid the Big Ten wooden spoon - and to be fair, the Boilermakers are very much in that conversation.
But they have the chance to play spoiler in this 135-year-old rivalry by upsetting the Hoosiers, who are undefeated and looking to win the Big Ten for the first time since 1967.
10: The Commonwealth Clash - Virginia Tech @ Virginia
A series dominated by the Hokies, the battle for the Commonwealth Cup hasn’t often been much of a spectacle. But roles are reversed this season, with the Cavaliers flying high under Tony Elliott.
Win, and Virginia nails down a place in the ACC title game. But Virginia Tech, buoyed by the appointment of James Franklin, will be looking to break the hearts of their most hated rivals.
9: Florida State @ Florida
There’s not a lot on the line this year when the Seminoles head to Gainesville, with both programs far from the levels they expect. But in terms of drama, intrigue and high-octane football, this game ALWAYS delivers.
FSU haven’t forgiven their neighbours for ‘planting the flag’ at Doak Campbell Stadium last year. Perhaps they return the favour in the swamp…
8: Oregon @ Washington
Despite both schools having high-profile in-state rivals, there is a special level of hatred on display when Oregon and Washington face off.
For years the purview of the Pac-12, this bitterness has survived the switch to the Big Ten. Can the Huskies shock the Ducks and put their playoff position in peril?
7: Paul Bunyan’s Axe - Wisconsin @ Minnesota
The coolest trophy in college football, bar none; Wisconsin and Minnesota face off every year for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, a six-foot hatchet that has the scores of past meetings carved into the handle.
But it gets better; the axe is a newer trophy, replacing the ‘slab of bacon’ in 1948. That’s right. Bacon. Who cares what the contest is like - these two schools just get it.
6: The Territorial Cup - Arizona @ Arizona State
One of the longest rivalries in college football, Arizona & Arizona State have been fighting for the Territorial Cup since 1899.
It’s as traditional as it gets, with the game never being played outside of Tempe (in odd-numbered years) or Tucson (even years).
And with both teams flying in the Big 12 and the Sun Devils still with one eye on the conference title, it should be a physical, fast-paced Arizona-style dust-up.
5: Clean, Old Fashioned Hate - Georgia vs Georgia Tech
The only rivalry game this weekend to be played on a neutral field, Georgia & Georgia Tech routinely square off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium every November.
Despite being known for underdog wins under Brent Key, the Yellow Jackets have lost seven in a row to the Bulldogs. But for the first time in some time, both are ranked and in the playoff conversation.
Could Tech shock the world?
4: The Egg Bowl - Ole Miss @ Mississippi State
Played every year on Thanksgiving, there isn’t a rivalry game on this list more vicious than the Egg Bowl. Mississippi is a state divided over turkey as the Rebels and Bulldogs tear lumps out of each other.
Ole Miss are comfortable favourites, but head coach Lane Kiffin’s future is bringing another level of drama to this year’s contest, with LSU and Florida waiting in the wings…
3: The Lone Star Showdown - Texas A&M @ Texas
When A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC, one of the South’s biggest and best rivalry games was put on ice. But with the Longhorns following suit last year, the Lone Star Showdown is back!
The Aggies are flying high and guaranteed a playoff place, but Texas could muscle their way in with a win and help from elsewhere. Bevo or Reveille? Arch Manning or Marcel Reed? This is one not to be missed.
2: The Iron Bowl - Alabama @ Auburn
The fact that the Iron Bowl isn’t the best game on the slate this weekend tells you everything you need to know about Week 14.
Something ALWAYS happens in this game, and it’s usually to do with Auburn shocking the world - see ‘the Camback’ or the ‘Kick Six’ for details.
But Alabama have had their moments too, and needs this one after their shock loss to Oklahoma in Week 12. Can interim head coach DJ Durkin pull off the upset?
1: Ohio State @ Michigan
As far as rivalries go, nothing comes close. These two schools won’t even say each other’s names during rivalry week, such is the level of hatred between them.
The ‘Snow Ball’, the ‘Ten Year War’, ‘Urban’s Run’, and now ‘Ryan Day’s Drought’ - college football history is pockmarked with big moments that this game has delivered.
Can Ohio State break the four-year hoodoo that has haunted them despite a national championship? Or can Big Blue gatecrash the playoffs at the Buckeyes’ expense? Find out for free on DAZN this Saturday!
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