Sometimes conference realignment ruins rivalries, such as Kansas vs Missouri, Texas vs Texas A&M (for a couple more seasons), and now Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State. On the other hand, sometimes it brings old rivalries back. Let’s look at a few rivalries that should be returning once all the conference realignment takes place.
Texas vs Texas A&M
This is a rivalry that we all want back, and we are all excited at the potential of its yearly return once the Longhorns join the SEC in 2024. This game would have been pretty competitive throughout the 2010s if they had played. Hopefully, it comes as a yearly fixture on both of these teams’ schedules. This rivalry provides two schools that absolutely hate each other and has provided many great moments. 2011 was the last time this game was played and Texas won on a walk-off field goal at Kyle Field. I’m sure Aggie fans have a sour taste in their mouth that they would like to get rid of after 13 years. It’s only a matter of time before we know what happens.
Michigan vs Notre Dame
If Notre Dame can find a way into one of the ‘big boy’ conferences, I believe it’ll most likely be the Big Ten. If that happens, then we should get back a rivalry that we don’t get to see as much as we should. Michigan vs Notre Dame is a great rivalry between two historic programs and it should be an annual occurrence. They have played each other 42 times and did so almost every season from 1978 until 2014. They last played a home-and-home series in 2018 and 2019 and aren’t scheduled to play again until 2033. Hopefully, a move to the Big Ten for Notre Dame would reignite this rivalry.
Georgia vs Clemson
There has been a lot of talk about certain ACC teams wanting to leave the conference. I don’t know how much weight those claims hold, but we can still speculate on what would happen if say, Clemson, joined the SEC. They would more than likely renew their annual duel with Georgia, this time as a conference opponent. The series is currently lopsided as Georgia has won 43 out of the 65 meetings, but these teams are both premier programs in the country and have had multiple national championships in the past decade. I would be extremely excited to see this game come back.
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Texas vs Arkansas
Texas joining the SEC brings back more than just the A&M game. We hopefully get to see Texas vs Arkansas every season. We got a taste of it in 2021 and it’s obvious that Arkansas and their fans are ready for this to return. The crowd was electric that night and Arkansas won convincingly. We could and should see this atmosphere in Fayetteville and Austin year in and year out. I’m intrigued to see what happens with this one.
Florida vs Miami
This is another hypothetical that could happen if Miami leaves the ACC and lands in the SEC. Florida vs Miami is a fun game that I would love to see come back. Florida State plays both of these teams, so why shouldn’t they complete the three-team round-robin and play each other every year? It makes more sense to play the game than not, and if Miami does somehow make it to the SEC, this should come back. This is a very even series with Miami winning 29 and Florida winning 27 games in this series. They last played in 2019 and are currently scheduled to face off in 2024.
