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Read Mike's top 25 college football rivalry trophies of all time including the Fremont Cannon, Old Oaken Bucket, Floyd of Rosedale, and more.
Since the college football rivalry names were a hit, we'll go for another one with the best college football trophies. There are so many trophy games in college football that it can be hard to remember all of them. We are just doing the best with another top 25.
First, we need to establish a few guidelines. We will only include trophies that are fought between two teams in this list. Many teams play for bells, cannons, axes, and wagon wheels. If your team wants one of those trophies to make it on this list, it had better be unique or have an excellent story behind it. The story means as much or more than the trophy does in this countdown. I also passed on the trophy for the Riot Bowl since neither university (only its fans) has adopted it. The unofficial trophy is half gas can, half Bud Light case. It's glorious!
@JakeBrendTV & @DerekDuke25 no Riot Bowl Rivalry in the rundown, shameful. It has a freaking trophy. 🏆 #Cycloneers pic.twitter.com/CVqA2eUeIz
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We will also only include FBS schools on this list. Unfortunately, that means The Troll between St. Olaf and Concordia isn't on here (the game is called the Lefse Bowl. It doesn't get any more Scandinavian than that). Neither is the Piney Woods Trophy of two pistols fought for between Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. Maybe that makes a comeback when SFA moves up to FBS. You know it's coming. We still have a lot of great trophies on this list. Strap on in! This is going to be a fun ride!
Defunct Trophies That Would Have Made The List
Beer Barrel - Tennessee vs. Kentucky
It was discontinued in 1997 because the powers that be thought it promoted alcohol abuse. I've been to both states. One old barrel doesn't promote alcohol abuse. It could be the hundreds of distilleries that do. The great stories surrounding the Beer Barrel are as great as the trophy itself. Tennessee lost the 1953 game but stole the barrel before Kentucky could claim it. The Wildcats retaliated by dog-napping Smokey and holding him for ransom until the barrel was returned.
The Kentucky and Tennessee game, once upon a time, played for a beer barrel as the trophy. It was stopped when 2 UK football players died in an alcohol related car wreck, but now that beer is sold at games, we all want it to come back. It has a 100 year tradition. pic.twitter.com/XyhSIeiNkW
— 🍊🍊Capt'n Cornjuice🥃🥃 (@BoCamaro) November 2, 2024
Vanderbilt even got in on the fun. They stole the barrel from Kentucky before a basketball game. It was returned after a Vanderbilt loss. As for where the barrel has been since 1997, it is a well-guarded secret by Tennessee, which was the last team to officially possess the barrel. However, a Tennessee coach posted a photo of the barrel on Twitter back in 2019. It does still exist! If that trophy does make a comeback, it would definitely make this list!
Peace Pipe - Oklahoma vs. Missouri
This rivalry is back on with both teams members of the SEC, but the peace pipe trophy -- which was an actual peace pipe built on a tomahawk donated by the Pawnee tribe -- was lost by Oklahoma in the mid-1970s. I wonder if they smoked a different kind of tobacco out of it and misplaced it...
Bourbon Barrel - Indiana vs. Kentucky
Discontinued for the same reason as the beer barrel. This rivalry was never as heated.
Tiger Rag - LSU vs. Tulane
LSU bought out the rest of the series because they didn't want to play Tulane anymore. The rag was a satin flag divided diagonally with the school colors of each school on opposite sides, with the seal of Louisiana in the middle. The rag was destroyed by a fire at Tulane's University Center in 1982.
Paddlewheel - Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
Source: "With the discontinuation of the annual series following the 2012 season, a mutual decision was made prior to this year’s matchup to no longer present the [Paddlewheel] trophy to the winning team."
Crushing news to break. The River City Rivalry just won't be the same. pic.twitter.com/EWR5snLNd5
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) September 4, 2023
As with the Beer Barrel, there is no reason this one can't make a comeback if the teams agree to start playing again (or wind up in the same conference again...there's a lot of that going around).
Victory Bell - Nebraska vs. Missouri
We said that the bell better have a good backstory. After all, there are still NINE bells awarded as rivalry trophies. This particular bell was stolen from a church in Seward, Nebraska, in 1892 and used as a competition prize between two Nebraska fraternities. The bell was repurposed as a rivalry trophy between the schools, which played for almost 120 years before conference realignment ruined this rivalry as well. The bell currently resides in a trophy case at Nebraska in case the teams meet again.
Seminole War Canoe - Miami (FL) vs. Florida
Looks like the Seminole War Canoe will continue to reside at the @UMSHoF …not that we were worried! It was permanently retired after the gator quit the annual series!@JoeTessESPN pic.twitter.com/sJoSNLMYq1
— @umsportshalloffame&museum (@UMSHoF) August 31, 2024
Unlike many of these defunct trophies, this one is still intact, and its whereabouts are known. Florida's cancellation of the annual series pissed Miami off enough to take their canoe and go home. Even when this game is played now, Miami refuses to exchange the canoe anymore since Florida broke the annual agreement in 1987.
Rusty Toolbox - Iowa vs. Wisconsin (kind of)
As far as strictly “trophies” go, the old Rusty Toolbox is behind only Floyd for Iowa. The Iowa and Wisconsin managers go at it again tonight.
Iowa has won 4 in a row. pic.twitter.com/85IUKR8FGC
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) November 1, 2024
The managers for each school play a flag football game for this beauty. I guess that it's not truly a rivalry trophy, but it is the pinnacle of being a manager for a football team. We probably need more trophies like this.
(25) Golden Screwdriver - Fresno State vs. Hawaii
56 meetings. Fresno State leads 30-25-1
Why? After the 2002 meeting that Hawaii won in Fresno, Fresno fans were throwing things at the Hawaii players on the way back to the locker room. Hawaii coach June Jones was nearly hit by a screwdriver. Later that decade, the ESPN radio station in Fresno called on fans to create a trophy for this game, the most-played in Fresno football history. The Golden Screwdriver was born.
Give this trophy its own seat on the charter flight back home!!! #HawaiiFB #GoldenScrewdriver pic.twitter.com/6YdvHupbXg
— Tombo Ahi (@tomboahi) November 3, 2024
As per usual, fans of both teams have embraced this trophy, but the schools "officially" don't support it. Former Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich approved of it in 2016, and the athletic departments of both schools have come around. Administration is a slower-moving animal.
(24) Bayou Bucket - Houston vs. Rice
46 meetings. Houston leads 34-12
Why? When this became a yearly game for the Houston schools in the Southwest Conference back in the 1970s, the schools decided that it deserved a trophy. When asked what Houston was famous for, someone quipped, "dirty bayous." So they got a dented gold bucket and had a trophy built around it.
The Bayou Bucket is officially back. @RiceFootball and Houston announce the series will be played in 2024 and 2025. pic.twitter.com/EVxnCstNp9
— The Roost (@AtTheRoost) January 25, 2024
This is called the ugliest trophy in college football by some, but the fans love it. Fans of both schools line up for hours to get photos with it. Why? Because it's college football's version of the Stanley Cup. Before the Bucket goes into the trophy case, every player from the winning team gets a day with it.
There have been babies bathed in the bucket. Someone had a crawfish boil in it. Some have filled it with ice and put beer in it. What was a gold bucket may now be ugly, but this trophy has seen more than any other trophy in college football. This one isn't just preserved in a trophy case. This trophy gets to live!
(23) Ninth Island Trophy - UNLV vs. Hawaii
34 meetings. Hawaii leads 19-15
Why? This has been a rivalry in the WAC and Mountain West for many years. Vegas has the nickname of the "ninth island" thanks to its popularity with Hawaiian vacationers. This trophy was unveiled in 2017 and has become quite popular.
Hawaii is playing UNLV at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas today in the Ninth Island Showdown. The winner will go home with the most beautiful trophy in college football. pic.twitter.com/5wLHeDCiIT
— The Sporting Tribune (@SportingTrib) September 30, 2023
This is one of the more unique trophies around. The fans and players love it. However, the choice of a pineapple as the trophy centerpiece has caused rival schools to refer to it as the "Swinger's Trophy."
(22) Royal Rivalry - James Madison vs. Old Dominion
5 meetings. James Madison leads 3-2
Why? These teams are rivals in many other sports, so it made sense for it to carry over to football when James Madison moved up to FBS in 2022. A trophy was created for this game in 2023.
The James Madison and Old Dominion are playing for this new official trophy tonight in the Royal Rivalry (Dukes vs Monarchs): pic.twitter.com/doLjekZdfb
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 29, 2023
It is the newest trophy on the list. A battle between Dukes and Monarchs deserves a trophy worthy of royalty. This trophy is both unique and visually titillating, so even though it's new, it earns a spot on the list.
(21) Platypus - Oregon vs. Oregon State
128 meetings. Oregon leads 69-49-10
Why? In 1959, Oregon thought it should have a trophy for the winner of the "Civil War." A platypus was chosen because it is the only animal with characteristics of a duck (bill) and a beaver (tail), the mascots of the two schools.
Oregon and Oregon State play for a wooden sculpture of a platypus because platypi look like half-duck half-beaver hybrids. Look at what they are taking from us pic.twitter.com/zKZxqjwumw
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) August 4, 2023
The trophy itself didn't last long. Oregon students stole the trophy from Oregon State's trophy case after the 1959 game and kept it after the 1960 game ended in a tie. Oregon returned the trophy after the 1961 game, but the trophy was again repeatedly stolen and restolen by members of the rival schools. The trophy was lost until 1986, when the creator of the trophy spotted the Platypus at Oregon's Leighton Pool trophy case, commemorating a series of water polo victories by the Ducks.
No one believed that it was the actual trophy and was left locked in the trophy case until it was renovated in 2000. In 2004, a writer for The Oregonian lamented that the Civil War needed a trophy. He was contacted by the creator of the trophy, and the writer started a state-wide platypus hunt for the missing trophy. It was found in a closet in Oregon's basketball arena.
The trophy was given back to the schools so they could exchange the trophy once again. Both schools declined because the trophy was too abstract. Now the trophy is exchanged between the Alumni Associations of both schools. This is the only known trophy that is so ugly that neither school wanted to play for it.
(20) Silver Spade - New Mexico State vs. UTEP
101 meetings. UTEP leads 60-39-2
Why? In 1955, it was decided that the rivals needed a trophy for the game. The spade is a replica of an old prospector's shovel that was found in the Organ Mountains between the two cities in the early 1900s. Fearing the actual shovel was too fragile, the replica was made as a traveling trophy for this rivalry.
FINAL: UTEP 42, NMSU 35
After going down 24-7, UTEP scored 35 consecutive points to run away with the win over its Battle of I-10 rival at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
The Silver Spade Trophy and Mayor’s Cup is headed back to El Paso. pic.twitter.com/viKvw2AmBf
— Sam Guzman (@SamGuzmanTV) December 1, 2024
The Mayor's Cup, also known as the Brass Spittoon (not to be confused with the one between Indiana and Michigan State), came later. The brass spittoon can't make the list on its own merit, but when you put a silver spade with it -- that is an exact replica of a miner's spade in the early 1900s -- you have a trophy worthy of this list!
(19) Jeweled Shillelagh - Notre Dame vs. USC
95 meetings. Notre Dame leads 50-37-5
Why? This trophy was introduced in 1952 for the 25th anniversary of the first game in 1926. It was donated by the Notre Dame Alumni Association of Los Angeles to be a traveling trophy. The winning team gets to add another jewel each year.
Bring the Jeweled Shillelagh Home✌️ pic.twitter.com/umkT41nBEN
— Barstool USC (@BarstoolSC) November 30, 2024
This one is definitely unique. What is a shillelagh, you may ask? Well, for those of you who aren't Irish, it is an Irish club made from oak saplings. It can be used as a weapon or a walking stick. When USC beat the Irish in 1996, Notre Dame refused to hand over the shillelagh, claiming that there was no more space on it for jewels.
The Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles commissioned a newer (and longer) shillelagh to be used for future meetings. The original shillelagh is now retired and currently on display at Notre Dame. Notre Dame and Michigan State also play for a shillelagh, but it's not jeweled. It's just a stick.
(18) Old Oaken Bucket - Indiana vs. Purdue
126 meetings. Purdue leads 77-43-6
Why? The schools have met annually since 1920. In 1925, the alumni associations of both schools decided that they needed a trophy, so they chose the bucket that was used to bring water to the football field in Bloomington for many years. The winner of the game gets to add a bronze letter to the chain (I for Indiana, P for Purdue) on the bucket. That chain is now 100 letters long!
The battle for the Old Oaken Bucket is here.
📍 Memorial Stadium
⏰ 7:00 p.m.
📺 FS1#iufb pic.twitter.com/EWs42DmtGJ— The Hoosier Network (@TheHoosierNet) November 30, 2024
Many teams play for buckets, but not many have played for the same bucket for 100 years. It's still a big deal for fans and players.
(17) Wagon Wheel - Kent State vs. Akron
67 meetings. Akron leads 37-28-2
Why? In 1944, the dean of Kent State donated this wheel, claiming that it was discovered on the site of Kent State University and that it was the wagon wheel of Akron University founder John Buchtel. This story may or may not be true, but it tied the two schools together, and it stuck.
Wagon Wheel: ELITE rivalry trophy pic.twitter.com/7BcpHQqHGF
— Hustle Belt (@HustleBelt) November 1, 2023
Utah State and BYU also play for an old wagon wheel, but the backstory of this one puts it on the list. These schools are only 10 miles apart, so there could be truth to the legend of John Buchtel. However, it may be best not to let the truth get in the way of a good story (or a good trophy).
The legend goes that this wagon wheel was unearthed in 1902 while building Kent State University. The story goes that Buchtel was searching for land for his namesake college in 1870 near present-day Kent when his carriage became stuck in the mud. His horses ended up pulling the carriage apart, and they never got the wheel out of the mud. Buchtel moved on from that site and created his college in Akron in 1872, which eventually became Akron University.
(16) Saddle - TCU vs. Texas Tech
67 meetings. Texas Tech leads 33-31-3
Why? The teams played each other every year from 1956 until the dissolution of the Southwest Conference in 1995. As with many rivalries, they "needed" a trophy. The saddle was chosen due to Lubbock being in West Texas and Fort Worth's motto, "Where the West begins."
What’s old is new again. The Saddle Trophy is back for the West Texas Championship with TTU. #BeatTech pic.twitter.com/1EPFCg5Zhr
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) November 14, 2017
The saddle was introduced in 1961 and lasted until 1970 when it was lost. No one knows where the original saddle went. The replica trophy was introduced in 2017 and is one of the more unique rivalry trophies out there.
(15) Victory Bell - USC vs. UCLA
94 meetings. USC leads 51-34-7
Why? The bell was given to the UCLA student body by the Alumni Association in 1939 for the cheerleaders to ring after each Bruin point. Before the 1941 game, USC fans dressed as UCLA students stole the bell (and the truck attached to it) and hid it from the Bruins for more than a year in various locations around Los Angeles. USC students took pictures with the bell and published them in newspapers to taunt UCLA.
This resulted in an escalating prank war that caused the USC president to threaten to cancel the rivalry. A compromise was reached in which schools would play for the bell every year. Big deal, right? It's just a bell! Well, this bell was formerly attached to a locomotive. It is made of brass and weighs nearly 300 pounds!
Ja’Kobi Lane, then Gavin Meyer ringing the Victory Bell after #USC’s win pic.twitter.com/CYLNIctzVA
— Antonio Morales (@AntonioCMorales) November 24, 2024
Instead of a truck, the bell is now hauled around on a cart. The winner of the bell is allowed to paint the cart with the school's colors for that year, which is why the USC players are ringing a UCLA-colored bell. In a sport where there are nine bell trophies, -- including five Victory Bells -- this one had to have a special story (and be really large) to make the list.
(14) Okefenokee Oar - Florida vs. Georgia
102 meetings. Georgia leads 56-44-2
Why? Because people thought the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" promoted alcohol abuse. Look, I went to college. We didn't need encouragement to drink. At any rate, the oar is carved from a 1000-year-old cypress tree that once stood in the Okefenokee Swamp that straddles the border between Florida and Georgia. It has a good backstory, even though the trophy is relatively new.
Okefenokee Oar #WLOCP #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/diXOEsvXYI
— JRAB (@JRabDawg) October 21, 2018
Even though the administrations of the two schools have come up with a clever name (War For The Oar), it hasn't quashed the use of "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" and likely never will. These two teams don't need another reason to hate each other. If you read my list of rivalry names, you know a lot of the history. Now it has a unique and meaningful trophy. It's just a bonus that they can beat each other with it.
(13) Golden Hat - Oklahoma vs. Texas
120 meetings. Texas leads 64-51-5
Why? This trophy started in 1941. The city of Dallas donated it as a trophy to be claimed yearly by the victor of this game. The trophy was donated as gratitude for holding the game in Dallas during the Texas State Fair, a tradition that has been done every year since 1929.
Dillon Gabriel putting on the Golden Hat and dapping up The Boz.
DG cemented himself in OU Football history today #Sooners pic.twitter.com/LHwearvo0K
— Chris Williams (@CWillTV) October 7, 2023
The original hat was made of bronze, but a reconditioning of the trophy in the 1970s turned it gold. Whatever the color is, it is a perfectly wearable 10-gallon hat that gets passed around to the players on the winning team.
Generational heroes from both sides have worn this hat. The iconic image of Vince Young donning the hat in 2005 signified his redemption from a rough couple of years in the Shootout. Who can forget Jalen Hurts wearing the hat? Or Colt McCoy living a childhood dream to wear the golden hat?
One of the most iconic images was of Baker Mayfield galloping off the field on an invisible horse while wearing the hat.
Baker Mayfield waited patiently for possession of the golden hat…and then galloped off the field at the Cotton Bowl on an imaginary horse. pic.twitter.com/pz0viRbPkJ
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) October 15, 2017
(12) Illibuck - Ohio State vs. Illinois
103 meetings. Ohio State leads 68-30-4
Why? In 1925, Ohio State gave Illinois a live turtle to commemorate the win. A turtle was picked because of its long life span. They figured this could be a travelling trophy for a long time since turtles lived more than 100 years on average.
#illini and Ohio State play for THE best rivalry trophy:
The Illibuck, a wooden turtle.
In 1925, it was alive
"Chosen for its longevity to symbolize the enduring rivalry, sadly lived for only about two years. It passed away on April 14, 1926."
Sold out game in 2025.… pic.twitter.com/TdxQBPxHql
— Carson Gourdie (@GourdieReport) August 6, 2025
The two schools are currently on the 10th carving of the Illibuck since the scores are carved onto the back of the turtle after every game. They keep running out of room. They will carve fewer Illibucks in the future since Ohio State and Illinois don't play every year anymore, but this is still the second-oldest traveling trophy in the conference.
(11) Paul Bunyan - Michigan vs. Michigan State
117 meetings. Michigan leads 74-38-5
Why? Michigan State joined the Big Ten in 1953, and the governor decided that this game needed a trophy for the victor. Although Paul Bunyan is from Minnesota, he was chosen as the trophy because Michigan produces a lot of lumber.
The greatest rivalry trophy in college football 🔥 pic.twitter.com/snQulGp8Ra
— THE RED RANGER (@THEREDRANGER3) May 29, 2025
At first, the schools seemed to be embarrassed by the rough-looking wooden lumberjack. Michigan even neglected to engrave the scores of the 1955 and 1956 games on the trophy. Michigan State added them when they got the trophy back. In 1999, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr called it "the ugliest trophy in college football, but when you don't have him, you miss him."
(10) The Bones - Memphis vs. UAB
17 meetings. UAB leads 10-7
Why? This rivalry was heated from the beginning, even to the point that fans were arguing over who had the best tailgating barbecue. The schools introduced this trophy in 2006, which is a 100-pound bronze rack of ribs.
One of the greatest rivalry trophies in the sport, a 100-lb bronze rack of ribs, returns today in the first Battle for the Bones between Memphis and UAB in 11 years. pic.twitter.com/mm3ZcOcwRh
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 21, 2023
The "Battle For The Bones" still features a tailgating barbecue contest before each meeting.
(9) Little Brown Jug - Minnesota vs. Michigan
106 meetings. Michigan leads 78-25-3
Why? Michigan was riding a 28-game winning streak heading into the 1903 contest in Minneapolis. Coach Fielding Yost sent the student manager to buy something to carry water because Yost was afraid that Gopher fans would sabotage Michigan's water supply. After Minnesota fans stormed the field for playing mighty Michigan to a tie, the jug was left behind in the chaos.
A custodian brought the vacated jug to the Minnesota Athletic Department. They painted it gopher brown to commemorate playing Michigan's "point-a-minute" offense to a tie. The two schools next played in 1909, and both schools decided to make this commemorative jug a traveling trophy to encourage a friendly rivalry.
Little Brown Jug updated, the OG CFB rivalry trophy #GoBlue #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/OpGC4G0yOd
— MVictors (@MVictors) November 6, 2023
The jug is the oldest traveling trophy in college football. Arizona's Territorial Cup dates to 1899, but it didn't become the traveling trophy until more than 100 years later.
(8) Keg Of Nails - Cincinnati vs. Louisville
54 meetings. Cincinnati leads 30-23-1
Why? This originally was exchanged between fraternities of both schools, signifying that the winning team was "tough as nails."
College football needs the keg of nails @joshheird @LouisvilleFB @GoBearcatsFB @JeffBrohm @CoachSattUC pic.twitter.com/FcNzOrve9g
— Garrett Martin (@KYgwaiLo) June 30, 2023
Though these schools don't play every year, this is still an active trophy. The keg was brought to the 2022 Fenway Bowl between Cincinnati and Louisville, where the Cardinals kept the keg for the third straight meeting.
(7) $5 Bits Of Broken Chair - Minnesota vs. Nebraska
64 meetings. Minnesota leads 37-25-2
Why? Twitter. A friendly wager between Goldy Gopher and Faux Pelini blew up. Now the trophy makes appearances to raise money for a charity of each school's choice.
Hey @FauxPelini, how about a friendly wager for this weekend's game? Team that gets the most points gets a conference win? Seem fair?
— Goldy the Gopher (official) (@GoldytheGopher) November 20, 2014
@GoldytheGopher OK how about if we win you give me $5, if you win I get to smash a wooden chair over your back
— Faux Pelini (@FauxPelini) November 20, 2014
.@FauxPelini just as long as we can turn that $5 or bits of broken chair into a trophy for next year's game
— Goldy the Gopher (official) (@GoldytheGopher) November 20, 2014
Some Gopher fans created a trophy before that 2014 game. Minnesota claimed the chair after a 28-24 win in Lincoln. The trophy was abandoned in the 2016 game because Nebraska Coach Mike Riley was not aware that they were supposed to take the trophy after the win. This time, Nebraska fans resurrected and created the current trophy.
It's real, and it's spectacular. "@GoldytheGopher: Detailed looks at the #BitsOfWoodenChairTrophy with @FauxPelini. pic.twitter.com/fZF401TXYo"
— Very Tall Zubaz Man (@GoAUpher) November 21, 2014
Fans of both schools use the chair to raise money for pediatric brain cancer. The money raised is split evenly between the two schools. Due to conference expansion, this game isn't played in football every year. In years where Nebraska and Minnesota don't meet in football, the trophy is wagered for volleyball games.
(6) Old Oil Can - Fresno State vs. San Jose State
62 meetings. San Diego State leads 31-27-4
Why? In 2011, the schools decided that the nearly 90-year-old rivalry needed a trophy. So why an oil can? Because a 1930s-era oil can was found at a construction site at San Diego State. The alumni associations decided that the old oil can would make a perfect trophy since it likely came from a time when automobiles carried extra oil and water on trips through the mountains.
The trophy San Diego State and Fresno State play for - the Old Oil Can. pic.twitter.com/9wjlTEZdm1
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) November 26, 2023
The trophy is meant to commemorate what used to be treacherous travel through Tejon Pass on Highway 99 for fans traveling back and forth during the early days of this rivalry.
(5) Iron Skillet - TCU vs. SMU
103 meetings. TCU leads 53-43-7
Why? Legend has it that a SMU fan was frying frog legs in the skillet at a tailgate before the game in 1946. A TCU fan was upset at the desecration of the frog and told the man that the game should decide who keeps the skillet. The wager was accepted. SMU won and took the skillet. It has been the trophy since.
Dating back to 1915, TCU and SMU have played each other 101 times.
The legendary “Iron Skillet” has disputed origins depending on who you ask, but the winner of the meeting between the Horned Frogs and the Mustangs takes home the trophy each year.
TCU leads the series 52-42-7. pic.twitter.com/a7U9UoFbxw
— The Get Back Coach (@TheGBCoach) March 28, 2023
(4) Stanford Axe - Stanford vs. California
127 meetings. Stanford leads 65-51-11
Why? In 1899, Stanford students used this axe to behead a scarecrow dressed in Cal's colors.
The axe made another appearance at a Stanford-Cal baseball game, with Stanford students chopping up blue and gold ribbon after each good play by the Cardinal. Cal fans were fed up with this and stole the axe.
A chase ensued through the streets of San Francisco (the baseball games were played in San Francisco), with the axe being passed between Cal students. One Cal student hid the axe in his overcoat, but the police were checking the pockets of every ferry back to Berkeley, with the head of Stanford's student body helping in the search. One student jumped the ferry to Oakland with the axe and took the train back to Berkeley.
The axe was then taken to a bank vault for safekeeping. For the next 31 years, the axe only saw the light of day for baseball games against Stanford and Big Game rallies. The axe was transferred by armored car to and from the bank vault.
In 1930, a group of 21 Stanford students had had enough of the shenanigans and plotted to steal the axe back. Four of the Stanford students used camera flashes to blind the Grand Custodian of the Axe after the Big Game rally, while the rest disguised themselves as Cal students, grabbed the axe, and ran. The group of students all piled into three different cars heading in three different directions.
A few of the other students dressed as Cal students led the search astray by leading them away from where the cars were going. The axe was returned to Stanford and was paraded around the campus. Stanford also stored the Axe in a Palo Alto bank vault.
The universities, with fear of seizing the axe by both sides becoming more heated, decided to use the Axe as a trophy for the Big Game. That hasn't stopped the theft of the Axe, though. It has been stolen another seven times since 1933. The last was in 1978 when Cal students crafted a fake axe and replaced the real one with the fake.
It’s called the STANFORD Axe for a reason…
This Saturday, let’s remind everyone exactly where it belongs. Time to bring the Axe home to The Farm! #GoStanford #BeatKal 🌲🤓 pic.twitter.com/XBwuDpRWjW
— Stanford Football Updates🌲 (@stanfballupdate) November 18, 2024
Now, the Axe is closely guarded by teams of students from both schools during the game to prevent further theft. Not only that, but the students stare at each other until the winning team comes to capture (or retain) the axe.
Here it is...
The traditional stare down before the axe gets relinquished.@CalBears247 @Stanford_247 pic.twitter.com/ohiGDtv0zg
— Lorenzo J. Reyna (@LJ_Reyna) November 19, 2023
The hate is still so deep between the schools that the final score of the 1982 meeting is changed depending on which side controls the axe. Stanford refuses to acknowledge Cal's win in arguably the most iconic play in college football history.
39 years ago today, “The band is on the field!!!!!” 🏟pic.twitter.com/Umu085CkIn
— TodayInSports (@TodayInSportsCo) November 20, 2021
(3) Paul Bunyan's Axe - Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
134 meetings. 63-63-8 record
Why? The old trophy was lost. Wisconsin's letterwinners organization created a 6-foot-long axe on which the scores would be recorded on the handle.
The most played rivalry game between two FBS football teams is Wisconsin and Minnesota with 134 career meetings. This past November Minnesota won back Paul Bunyan’s Axe to even the all time series 63-63-8. pic.twitter.com/opTWUXNk1h
— College Football Live (@CollegeFBonX) February 18, 2025
From 1930 to 1943, Minnesota and Wisconsin played for the Slab of Bacon, which was actually a piece of black walnut carved with an M or a W in the center, depending on which way you hung the trophy. The word "bacon" was carved at both ends to signify that the winning team had brought home the bacon.
Minnesota's 1943 victory resulted in the fans rushing the field. A Wisconsin student was assigned to give the trophy to a Minnesota student after the win, but couldn't find them in all of the commotion. The trophy was allegedly sent to Minnesota's locker room, but coach George Hauser refused it, suggesting that the tradition be suspended until after World War II. Wisconsin lost track of the trophy, so they created the new one.
The Slab of Bacon remained lost for more than 50 years. In 1992, Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez joked that "we took home the bacon and kept it." Maybe they did. The trophy was rediscovered in 1994 by a Wisconsin intern in a storage closet at Camp Randall Stadium. The trophy had been maintained up until 1970 with the scores painted on the back. It is now on display at Camp Randall Stadium.
With the new trophy came new traditions. The winning team storms the sideline of the other team (if they don't currently hold the axe) and ceremoniously chops down the goalposts with the axe.
(2) Floyd Of Rosedale - Iowa vs. Minnesota
118 meetings. Minnesota leads 63-53-2
Why? Before the 1935 game, Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson bet Iowa Governor Clyde Herring a Minnesota prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota would win the game. Minnesota won the game. The Iowa prize hog was donated by Rosedale Farms in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Governor Herring named the hog "Floyd" after the Minnesota governor and personally walked the hog into his office after Minnesota won.
This caused quite a stir since gambling was illegal, and delivering the animal across state lines violated Federal gambling laws. U.S. Attorneys declined to prosecute the case. The original Floyd died of cholera eight months later.
The states decided that offering up live hogs was bound to get them in trouble again, so Governor Olson commissioned a sculptor in St. Paul to capture Floyd's image on a bronze statue. The schools have played for "Floyd of Rosedale" every year since.
FLOYD OF ROSEDALE TROPHY FACTS:
• 98 lbs of PURE bronze
• 21 in long x 15.5 in high
• 1st awarded in 1936
• 10th oldest trophy at FBS level
• original trophy was live hog donated for the 1935 game by Rosedale Farms (near Fort Dodge, Iowa)The BEST trophy in CFB. 😍😍 pic.twitter.com/WWYgKFAbNH
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) September 17, 2024
(1) Fremont Cannon - UNLV vs. Nevada
50 meetings. Nevada leads 29-21
Why? UNLV started a football team in 1969 and suggested a traveling trophy for the victors of the Battle for Nevada. The trophy is an exact replica of a cannon used by American explorer John Fremont in the mid-1800s. The actual cannon was abandoned in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1843 due to heavy snow.
The Fremont Cannon 🧨 #BattleForNevada pic.twitter.com/UIS72A9q9g
— Emily Van Buskirk (@Emilnem) December 1, 2024
The cannon is the largest (545 pounds) and most expensive (it cost $10,000 to build it in 1970) trophy in college football. This was a fully functional cannon that was fired by the team that owned the cannon after every touchdown they scored in the rivalry game.
In 1999, UNLV students and players attempted to lift the cannon during the victory celebration and dropped it. UNLV paid $1,500 to refurbish the cannon, but it has not been able to fire since that incident. The team that possesses the cannon is allowed to paint the wooden carriage of the cannon in the school's colors.
There's my list of the best rivalry trophies. Which ones would you add?
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