Alabama-Auburn. Michigan-Ohio State.

Ithaca College versus SUNY Cortland.

In the pantheon of college football rivalries, one of these things is ostensibly not like the others. But try telling that to fans of the Ithaca Bombers and the Cortland Red Dragons — or to hordes of devotees across the country enraptured by sports rivalries that are largely unknown beyond their region.

On Saturday, Ithaca and Cortland played the 61st Cortaca Jug game at MetLife Stadium, more than 200 miles from their campuses in central New York.

Despite that distance, the matchup became the most-attended football game in Division III history, with 45,161 fans watching Ithaca defeat Cortland, 32-20. The game averages about 10,000 fans when it is played on one of the schools’ campuses.

But the boosting of the crowd size is not a gimmick, rather a reflection of the game being played closer to New York City, where some fans will have a chance to go conveniently for the first time.