Rivals Rivalry Week: Five rivalries sidelined by realignment

For every Alabama-Auburn and Michigan-Ohio State that’s still going strong today, there’s a deceased college football rivalry. No factor has contributed more to the graveyard than conference realignment. And while some of these storied games will eventually be renewed, things between the involved schools may never be the same.

Below, Rivals.com takes a look at five once-great rivalry games that were killed (or at least temporarily put out of commission) by conference realignment.

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Last Game: 27-25 Texas (2011)

All-time series: Texas leads 76–37–5

Notes: The Aggies and Longhorns rivalry died with Texas A&M’s jump from the Big 12 to the SEC. There has been plenty of posturing from both sides when it comes to renewing the rivalry, but no actual forward progress has taken place. Texas leads the all-time series with the Aggies and won nine of the teams’ last 12 meetings.

Quotable: “Listening to our former students and our alumni base and knowing a lot of Texas alums, it's important that we play again."

-- A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin to ESPN.com in 2015

Spread for a fictional, neutral-site game in 2016: A&M -8.5

Last Game: 24-10 Missouri (2011)

All-time series: Missouri claims to lead 57-54-9. Kansas claims Mizzou leads 56–55–9 because of a disputed result in a 1960 game.

Notes: One of the oldest rivalries in college football, the first game of this series was played in 1891 and the last was played in 2011, before Mizzou relocated to the SEC. Both sides are on record stating a desire to renew The Border War, but there’s been almost no measurable progress toward doing so. Both sides hold a 10-10 record over the series’ last 20 games.

Quotable: “I don’t know the ins and outs of how it would get pulled off. They know, administratively here, that I would love to play the game and they have taken it from there.”

-- Missouri head coach Barry Odom to Rivals.com in October 2016

Spread for a fictional, neutral-site game in 2016: MU -18.5

Last Game: 21-20 West Virginia win (2011)

All-time series: Pitt leads 61–40–3

Notes: The Backyard Brawl will restart in the year 2022 after an 11-year lull created by West Virginia’s decision to leave the Big East for the Big 12. Pitt later fled the conference and landed in the ACC. The all-time series is relatively close by old-rivalry standards but Pitt has won seven of the last 10 meetings.

Quotable: “Pitt and West Virginia have a long and storied rivalry that dates back to the 19th century. I’ve learned there is a lot of passion surrounding this game and we’re pleased to be able to rekindle that history.”

-- Pitt athletics director Scott Barnes at 2015 press conference

Spread for a fictional, neutral-site game in 2016: WVU -7.5

Last Game: 31-7 Arkansas (2014 Texas Bowl)

All-time series: Texas leads 56-22

Notes: Texas and Arkansas have managed to get together a handful of times since the two stopped regularly playing in 1991, when Arkansas left the now defunct Southwest Conference for the SEC. Since then, the teams have met five times, including twice in the postseason. Texas won the series’ first 14 meetings, outscoring Arkansas 379-20.

Quotable: "Here we were, this outpost in northwest Arkansas. (The game) was a great source of pride for the state."

--Former Arkansas quarterback Bill Montgomery to ESPN.com in 2003

Spread for a fictional, neutral-site game in 2016: Arkansas -3.5

Last Game: 23-20 Oklahoma (2010)

All-time series: Oklahoma leads 45–38–3

Notes: The Sooners and Huskers will resurrect their rivalry for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Still, what was once a annual or semi-annual meeting of two national powers is no more. Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten following the 2010 season, effectively putting the rivalry, which boasts a relatively close all-time record, on ice. The rivalry is one of streaks. Oklahoma once won 16 in a row from 1943-1958, while the Huskers’ longest winning streak stands at seven, a run that took place during Nebraska’s dominance of the early-to-mid 1990s.

Quotable: "Classic rivalries like Oklahoma-Nebraska are part of college football's historic fabric."

-- Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione in a 2012 written statement

Spread for a fictional, neutral-site game in 2016: OU -3.5