5 of the weirdest rivalries in college football

One of the things that makes college football so special is the many great rivalries in the game. With the changing landscape of college football, we will lose some of these rivalries while new ones may originate.

Some rivalries are more well-known and shine brighter, but there are lots that many never even knew existed. While most of these are likely less known due to the lower status of the schools or less tensions between programs/fan bases, they still hold importance to some.

Here are 5 of the weirdest rivalries both past and present in college football.

UConn vs UMass

This makes sense because of the closeness of the schools, but it is funny that it is between two of the historically worst teams in the FBS. Since UConn joined in 2000 and UMass in 2012 the schools have a combined record of 134-281.

Fans have also come up with an interesting name, that you can figure out yourself, to call the matchup between these two.

This rivalry dates back to 1897 when Massachusetts Agricultural College played Storrs Agricultural College. It was brought back in 2012 when UMass joined the FBS and at the moment is set to be played through 2027.

The Minutemen lead the series all-time with a record of 38-37-2 but the Huskies have won seven of the last ten meetings.

Missouri vs Iowa State - Telephone Trophy 

This rivalry stems back to when Missorui was in the Big 12 with Iowa State and was first played in 1896. What makes this one so odd or great is what they play for. 

The Telephone Trophy has been awarded to the winner since 1959. That’s right, the winner gets a beautiful trophy of a painted rotary telephone that sits on top of a wooden base.

The trophy originated from the 1959 game when problems arose with the telephones on the sideline that were used to communicate with the sidelines. Some technical issues made it so that coaches from one team could hear the coaches from the other. 

Missouri leads the all-time series with a record of 61-34-9, but sadly these two teams have not met since 2011. Hopefully this rivalry will be renewed in the near future and that telephone will ring once again.

Hawaii vs Wyoming - Paniolo Trophy

It is weird to think of Hawaii being a rival with anybody, but I guess tensions run high when the Rainbow Warriors meet with the Cowboys. These two schools are separated by over 3,000 miles and the rivalry seems to be nothing more than being conference foes.

It began in 1978 when both schools were part of the WAC and was renewed in 2012 when Hawaii joined the Mountain West.

The winner of the game is awarded a prize with the Paniolo (“cowboy” in Hawaiian) Trophy which was created in 1979 by a group of Wyoming natives who lived on the island.

The schools have met every year since 2020 but will not play this season. Wyoming leads the series all-time with a record of 17-11.

UConn vs UCF - The Civil ConFLiCT

Another weird rivalry with the UConn Huskies involved. This battle between the north and south really makes no sense but it has a cool name and some interesting history. 

This is a newer rivalry that originated in 2013 when both schools were part of the AAC. Former UConn head coach Bob Diacco was a huge supporter of this rivalry as he basically spoke it into existence, created its name “Civil ConFLiCT”, and even created a trophy for it which was rejected and laughed at by UCF.

The trophy has caused lots of controversy as many question its current whereabouts and claim it may be lost. UCF has played into this by posting videos of the trophy but many believe it is a fake.

UCF leads the series all-time with a record of 6-2, but this rivalry will be put on ice with the Golden Knights recent move to the Big 12.

Illinois vs Ohio State - Illibuck Trophy

There seems to be a lot of games labeled as rivalries between Big 10 schools that are odd. I believe the current state of these two programs being polar opposites makes this one feel weird with Ohio State living and breathing football and Illinois not quite at that level.

This matchup does have some interesting history though. They first met in 1902 in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. 

The winner of the game receives the Illibuck trophy which is a wooden turtle that has been around since 1927. Prior to that the winner actually got a live turtle but that only lasted for one year after the turtle sadly died.

Ohio State leads the series with an all-time record of 69-30-4 but many remember this rivalry for the 2007 game when the Illini went into Columbus and upset the top ranked Buckeyes.

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