The Iron Bowl. The Game. The Red River Rivalry. Those college matchups between hated rivals are well-known and USA TODAY’s college football ranked the 10 best rivalries.
But hatred doesn’t stop at the FBS level. There are plenty of small-school rivalries with big-time disdain for each other.
As we enter Rivalry Week, here are some of the best small-school college football rivalries at the FCS level, Division II and Division III.
The Rivalry: Lehigh vs. Lafayette
When it’s just called ‘The Rivalry,’ then you know.
The most-played rivalry in college football (161 meetings), they’ve been playing since 1884. That’s less than 20 years after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. And the 150th meeting of the schools was played in Yankee Stadium.
Monon Bell: Wabash vs DePauw
“As alumni, it still holds a considerable position just barely shy of God, family and friends,” said Allen Murphy, a 1976 Wabash graduate.
The first football game between DePauw and Wabash was played on in 1890, and it’s the oldest continuous small college rivalry west of the Alleghenies.
Since 1890, the two schools have faced each other 131 times with Wabash holding a 63-59-9 lead. The 300-pound Monon Bell trophy, was a gift of the Monon Railroad taken from one of the railroad’s locomotives. DePauw’s campus, in Greencastle, is 28 miles south of Wabash College, in Crawfordsville, on U.S. 231.
Brawl of the Wild: Montana vs Montana State
The fourth-oldest rivalry in the FCS, these in-state rivals have been playing since 1897. This November’s Brawl of the Wild was the 124th all-time meeting.
The schools are on opposite sides of the Continental Divide and play for The Great Divide Trophy, which weights 306 pounds. Since 1993, it’s been the last game of the regular season, usually deciding the Big Sky Conference title. The schools have combined for 40 conference titles and five national titles.
In 2022, ESPN brought ‘College GameDay’ to a freezing Bozeman.
The Biggest Little Game in America: Williams vs. Amherst
Amherst and Williams first met in 1884 and have met 139 times overall, the most games played between Division III rivals and the fourth-most of any NCAA level.
ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ came to Williamstown in 2007, marking the first time the program chose a D-3 school as host.
Extra trivia: The first college baseball game was played between the two Massachusetts schools in 1859.
Anchor-Bone Classic: Ferris State vs Grand Valley State
Only 66 miles separate these Division II powers, who have played since 1972.
Ferris State is the reigning Division II national champions, and has won the national title in three of the past four seasons.
Grand Valley State is among D2’s all-time winningest program and has four national titles (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006).
‘I mean this is big-time college football being played right here in West Michigan with two programs that are regularly in the top 10,’ Ferris State coach Tony Annese said after his team’s 38-31 win over GVSU on Oct. 25. ‘What a blessing for West Michigan.’
Tuskegee vs. Morehouse
Nicknamed ‘The Granddaddy of All Classics’, it is the oldest rivalry among HBCUs and longest running Division II game in the nation. Morehouse and Tuskegee have been playing since 1902 and at a neutral site since 1936. Most of the rivalry was played in Columbus, Georgia (1936-2019, 2024) but was moved to Montgomery, Alabama this season.
Morehouse won this year’s game 27-20, but Tuskegee leads the all-time series, 73-31-8.
Some more notable small-school rivalries
- Black Hills Brawl: Black Hills State vs. South Dakota Mines (140 meetings)
- The Capital Cup: William & Mary vs. Richmond (136 meetings)
- Turnpike Tussle: Emporia State vs. Washburn (120 meetings)
- Battle for the Brice Cowell-Musket: Maine vs. New Hampshire (115 meetings)
- Bayou Classic: Southern vs. Grambling State (76 meetings)
- Battle for the Golden Horseshoe: Cal Poly vs. UC Davis (51 meetings)
- Battle of the Domes: Idaho vs. Idaho State (47 meetings)
IndyStar reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow contributed to this story.
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