Top 5 P4 Games That Should Happen, But Never Have

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated May 15, 2025 9:43 AM ET

For as long as college football has been played, amazingly there are elite programs that have never met on the field. Here are the top five that need to happen:

1. Alabama vs. Oregon

While historically Alabama is well ahead of Oregon, this is a matchup that would draw the attention of the nation. Oregon has firmly established itself as one of the top programs in the country during this century, while the Tide has long been a winning brand that continues to prosper.

2. Michigan vs. LSU

Michigan is the winningest program of all-time with 1,012 victories, while LSU has long been one of the top programs in the SEC. It is surprising that these two haven’t played in a bowl game considering all the Big Ten/SEC ties, but it is time to make it happen. Plus, there was the Les Miles drama from 2011, who turned down the Michigan job as a Wolverine alum while being the head coach at LSU.

Sep 7, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan fans cheer at Michigan Stadium. © Junfu Han-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

3. Clemson vs. Oregon

Oregon is quickly back on the list. Considering the coast-to-coast distance of these two schools it makes sense that they’ve never played, but with how successful both programs have become it would be an extremely fun matchup.

4. Texas vs. Florida State

Florida State is very familiar with Lone Star State opponents. They have played Texas A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, North Texas, SMU, Rice and even Abilene Christian, East Texas A&M, Western Texas College and Sul Ross State. Yet they haven’t played Texas, which makes little sense.

Oct 8, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy (8) celebrates with fans while wearing the Golden Hat trophy after the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl.© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

5. Virginia Tech vs. Penn State

The two campuses aren’t necessarily close, but 370 miles is close enough to make it very odd that these two have never played. This was very close to being remedied as Penn State was set to visit Blacksburg in 2020 with a return game set for 2025, but COVID killed that series. It has yet to be rescheduled, but needs to be.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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