Conference realignment taketh, conference realignment giveth.
As college football programs have jumped from conference to conference over the past 15 years, rivalries have been derailed — killed by the almighty dollar, television contracts, and other modern-day college athletics realities.
Yet conference realignment has sparked a renewal of several rivalries that have been missing in action for a while. Oklahoma and Texas’s move to the SEC has reignited old rivalries as they pair up with old Big 12 foes Missouri and Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Colorado has gone back to the Big 12, giving the Buffaloes familiar opponents.
While it’s not necessarily related to conference realignment, Notre Dame will also renew an in-state rivalry that has been missing for the past three seasons.
Here are five rivalries that will be renewed in 2024 that are worth the watch:
Notre Dame at Purdue | Sept. 14
These two in-state rivals first met in 1896 and met annually from 1946-2014, but Notre Dame’s alliance with the ACC shut down the rivalry.
The teams last played in 2021 and will do so again this season. The Boilers have struggled since after taking three of five matchups between 2003 and 2007. Notre Dame has won the previous eight matchups, including the last matchup in West Lafayette in 2013, 31-24.
The Irish lead the all-time series 57–26–2.
Kansas State at Colorado | Oct. 12
Old Big Eight/Big 12 rivals reunite as Colorado has rejoined the Big 12. These teams first met in 1912 and the Buffaloes lead the all-time series 45–20–1. However, K-State has won eight of the past 14 games.
From 1948 to 2010, the teams met annually before Colorado left for the Pac-12. Before departing, the Buffaloes handed Kansas State a 44-36 loss in Boulder in 2010. Deion Sanders & Co. will welcome the Wildcats back to campus for a midseason showdown that should reignite a fantastic rivalry for the sport.
Oklahoma at Missouri | Nov. 9
Because of Oklahoma’s move to the SEC, the Sooners and Missouri Tigers will meet again as conference foes.
The rivalry broke off when Mizzou left the Big 12 after the 2011 season, but the teams had played annually from 1910-1995, excluding a one-year interruption in 1918 due to World War I. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 67–24–5.
The Sooners’ domination of the rivalry has included winning streaks of 14, 12 and 11 since 1946, but the Tigers have had their moments. Most recently, the 18th-ranked Tigers upset No. 1 Oklahoma 36-27 during Mizzou’s 2010 homecoming weekend.
Texas at Arkansas | Nov. 16
An old Southwest Conference rivalry returns as a new SEC matchup. Texas and Arkansas first met in 1894, and Texas leads the all-time series 56–23. Similar to its series with Texas A&M, the overall record doesn’t reflect the recent results.
Since their last meeting as conference foes in 1991, before Arkansas left for the SEC, the teams have met six times. Arkansas has won four of those games, including the past two. Both sides seem eager to bring the game back.
“Our rival has been Texas when we didn’t play Texas,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman recently told ESPN’s Heather Dinich. “You can feel it in the state. We did have an opportunity to play Texas two or three seasons ago, and it was a big, big deal for the state of Arkansas. For us, at least, it’s a great addition to bring an old rivalry back.”
