Albany–Stony Brook football rivalry

The Albany–Stony Brook football rivalry, also known as the Empire Clash and the Battle for the Apple, is an American college football rivalry between the Albany Great Danes and the Stony Brook Seawolves. Both teams represent University centers of the State University of New York, and since 2013 have competed together as football-only members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The two teams have met 19 times on the football field, with Albany currently holding a 12–8 edge in the all-time series. Albany leads 8–7 since 1999, when both programs moved up to Division I.

Since 2013, when both programs joined the CAA together, they have been meeting yearly as part of their conference schedule. The rivalry game was coined the "Empire Clash" in 2013 during their first CAA conference game against each other. Starting in 2015, the winner of the game is awarded The Golden Apple Trophy.

Albany plays home games at Bob Ford Field (capacity 8,500, grass surface, located in Albany, NY) and Stony Brook plays home games at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (capacity 12,300, artificial turf surface, located in Stony Brook, NY).