These Big Ten rivalries bring the heat and the hate

Many of the most heated rivalries in the conference are older than the conference itself. Here are the top five.

1. Michigan versus Ohio State

These two programs hate each other so much that the coaches typically don't refer to the other school by name. The two winningest programs in college football history have met 120 times with the Wolverines holding a 62-51-6 advantage in the series, including the last four in a row.

Fourteen times they've met with both squads in the AP Top Five. The Buckeyes won eight in a row between 2012 and 2019, 15 out of 16 2004-2019. Between them, they've won 21 national championships and earned 38 Rose Bowls.

The 2025 game will usher in a new era in the rivalry as both coaches break in a new quarterback. Thee Ohio State University will defend their 2024 national championship with Julian Sayin at the controls, while 2023 champ Michigan tries to return to the elite level with Bryce Underwood operating the offense.

The Wolverines' 13-10 upset last November nearly ended in a riot.

2. Michigan versus Michigan State

This rivalry was featured in the 1983 movie "The Big Chill" as the central characters were former Spartans. The game plays in the background in one scene, and four of the principals square off for a little front yard football in another.

In-state rivalries nearly always have a little something extra, because the intensity makes its way to the grocery store and the flags on the front porch. Folks give each other the side-eye over a tee shirt or a hat, all year long.

In East Lansing and Ann Arbor they play for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, and the only thing that slows this rivalry down is that the Wolverines have had so much more success. Michigan leads the all-time series 78-34 with five ties. Go Blue claims 12 national titles while the Spartans hold a share of half that many.

In 2021, both teams were undefeated and in the Top Ten. MSU's Kenneth Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-33 comeback victory.

In 2022, the two teams brawled in the tunnel after the game.

In 2015, the Spartans beat first-year Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh with a miracle comeback, a bad snap on a punt on the last play of the game, a fumble returned for a touchdown.

Great moments like that fuel a rivalry, sustaining it when one program falls on hard times.

3. Oregon versus Washington

Though new to the Big Ten these rivals have hated each other unbated for 126 years. It's been bitter and caustic, a cross-state feud replete with old grievances and contemptuous chortles on both sides.

Washington won three straight in 2022 and 2023, knocking the Ducks out of playoff contention both seasons. They dominated the Webfoots in 2016 and 2017 when Chris Petersen was coach, winning the 2016 game 70-21 in Autzen Stadium.

Oregon has owned the series since 1994, winning 21 of the last 30. Washington owns the history with a 63-49 edge, five ties.

In the most recent meeting Oregon won by four touchdowns.

Oregon fans refer to the week of the game as "Husky Hate Week." The UW faithful deride the Ducks for "1,234,657 Uniform Combinations, Zero Natties." So far it's an evergreen dismissal that unfortunately sticks. The two bitter foes clash again in Seattle on Saturday November 29.

4. Iowa versus Wisconsin

Played for the Heartland Trophy, this one is vintage Big Ten. Wisconsin leads 49-46-2, so it's hotly-contested.

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports notes that when the conference was divided into divisions, one of these two teams won the Big Ten West seven out of ten times. The Hawkeyes visit Camp Randall this year on October 11.

5. Minnesota versus Wisconsin

This game hasn't been for high stakes since the 1960s, but it's the most-played rivalry in Division I football with 134 meetings dating back to 1890. They play for Paul Bunyan's Axe, and the lifetime series is a dead statistical tie, 63-63-8.

"The Border Battle" is a protected rivalry in the Big Ten, meaning that it's played every year.

Though it hasn't always been a Top 25-type matchup, the passion is undeniable. Wisconsin has never won a national championship, Minnesota claims seven, the last in 1960.

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