The Illinois–Missouri football rivalry, also known as the Arch Rivalry, is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

between the

Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini football program represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. The Fighting Illini are a founding member of ...

team of the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

and

Missouri Tigers football The Missouri Tigers football program represents the University of Missouri (often referred to as Mizzou) in college football and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Missouri's ...

team of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

. Both schools consider it a friendlier, secondary rivalry compared to their other rivalries like the Border War and Northwestern, but it still generates interest from students and alumni, especially those in and around

Greater St. Louis Greater St. Louis is a bi-state metropolitan area that completely surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis, the principal city. It includes parts of both Missouri and Illinois. The city core is on the Mississippi Riverfront on t ...

. Both schools have considerable alumni from the area. Although match-ups generally have not taken place annually, in recent years, the series has been played more frequently. It was the opening game of the season for both teams, for the 2007 through 2010 seasons. After the 2010 season, the series has ceased through 2026, when the two schools will renew the game. On November 6, 2011, Missouri accepted an invitation to join the SEC in 2012. As a result, any future meetings between the two schools will be labeled as a Big Ten vs. SEC matchup. The schools first met in 1896, and played sporadically until 1966. They played six straight seasons from 1975–80, helping to start a series in men's basketball. That series has been played in all but one year since 1980, and is known as

Braggin' Rights Braggin' Rights (known for sponsorship reasons as McBride Homes Braggin' Rights, previously Busch Braggin' Rights) is the annual men's college basketball contest between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference ...

. Unlike the Arch Rivalry, the annual Braggin' Rights game is still an active tradition. On November 20, 2017, both schools announced a renewing of the series to start in 2026. The series will be played on the campuses of the two schools.

Venue

The series started in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, in 1896. For the majority of the history of the series, it had traded off between Memorial Stadium in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

, and

Faurot Field Faurot Field ( , ) at Memorial Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium in Columbia, Missouri, United States, on the campus of the University of Missouri. It is primarily used for football and serves as the home field for the Missouri Tigers' progra ...

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

. In 2002, the games returned to St. Louis where they played at

The Dome at America's Center The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and the Edward Jones Do ...

. Missouri has claimed victory at every game since the series returned to St. Louis. Missouri leads 5–1 when played in Columbia. The series is tied 5–5 for games played in Champaign.

Game results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Illinois-Missouri football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Illinois Fighting Illini football Missouri Tigers football

Venue

Game results

See also

References