Penn State cornerback Jordan Smith and linebacker Brandon Bell carry the Land-Grant Trophy as safety Marcus Allen celebrates after their Big Ten East division championship after the 45-12 win over Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 26, 2016. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com HARHAR
You likely know about Paul Bunyan, the Little Brown Jug and the Land Grant Trophy.
But how much do you know about the Purdue Cannon, Floyd of Rosedale and the Freedom Trophy?
The Big Ten has no shortage of rivalry trophies, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Here’s all 16 of them, ranked:
Wisconsin safety Madison Cone (31) and defensive end David Pfaff (52) carry the Freedom Trophy following an NCAA college football game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. Wisconsin won 37-21. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)AP
The intent here is noble and based on the history of the two stadiums: Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium is built on a Civil War training ground and Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium was named to honor veterans.
But the trophy has never really caught on, probably because it’s never changed hands. Wisconsin has won all seven games of the series since the trophy was instituted in 2014.
A trophy that started via a Twitter wager between a mascot account and parody account has been begrudgingly accepted by the two schools, if not actively promoted. The original trophy was so beloved that it was misplaced, requiring a new one to be made.
The Heartland Trophy after Wisconsin beat Iowa 27-7 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)AP
The Iowa-Wisconsin series has a ton of history, with 95 meetings dating back to 1895. The Heartland trophy has less history, dating back to 2004, when the schools decided the rivalry needed a trophy. So yes, Iowa competes for trophies of both a pig and a bull.
Penn State offensive line coach Matt Limegrover hoists the Governor's Victory Bell trophy after their 29-26 overtime win over Minnesota. Running back Saquon Barkley scored on a 25-yard touchdown run to give the Nittany Lions the win at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 1, 2016. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com HARHAR
This trophy came into being when Penn State opened its Big Ten tenure with a 1993 game against Minnesota. It’s been a fairly unremarkable rivalry ever since, and the trophy has no historical significance to it.
Does Minnesota really need four rivalry trophies? Paul Bunyan’s axe should probably make kindling out of a couple of them.
When Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, there was a rush to catch the Huskers up in the rivalry trophy department. Hence the Heroes Game Trophy, which is just a block of wood with a football on top.
The new tradition also honors people who have performed heroic acts in both communities. But there’s little distinguishing about this trophy.
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh stands in front of a replica of the George Jewett Trophy. The trophy will go to the winner of the Michigan-Northwestern game each year it is played. Andrew Kahn, MLive.com
The trophy honors a unique part of both schools’ history: Jewett was Michigan’s first Black player, then transferred to Northwestern and was the Wildcats’ first Black player. He scored touchdowns for both teams in the rivalry way back in the 1890′s.
Introduced in 2021, it’s the Big Ten’s newest rivalry trophy. But did Michigan-Northwestern really need a traveling trophy? Michigan has dominated the series, 59-15-2, and they only play about once every three years.
Indiana players celebrate with the "Old Brass Spittoon" after defeating Michigan State in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana won in overtime, 24-21 (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)AP
The spittoon dates back to the 1800′s, when it was in use at a trading post. It was bought from an East Lansing antique shop in 1950 by a Michigan State student who thought that the Spartans-Hoosiers rivalry needed a trophy. Seventy-two years later, it’s still getting passed back and forth between the two teams (and hopefully getting cleaned out on a regular basis.)
The cannon was first brought to an Illinois-Purdue game by Purdue students back in 1905 and last fired in 2001 before being retired. The schools now trade a replica trophy that is disappointingly small. If you want to see a real cannon fired in Big Ten country, you’ll have to head to Rutgers.
Purdue players lift the Old Oaken Bucket after they defeated Indiana 44-7 in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in West Lafayette, Ind.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)AP
Indiana sure likes its random antiques as trophies. The bucket is approaching its 100th anniversary; found on a southern Indiana farm in 1925, it’s believed to date back to the early 1800′s and was in use during the Civil War.
A unique aspect of the bucket: the winner gets to add a chain link of a “P” or an “I” after each game; after nearly a century, the bucket has some serious hardware attached to it.
Illinois offensive lineman Doug Kramer puts the Land Of Lincoln trophy on his head after his team's 47-14 win over Northwestern in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)AP
This trophy is a hat. Specifically, a bronze replica Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat. That’s what fans of Illinois and Northwestern chose in 2008 to be passed between the two rivals in honor of a quite famous Illinoisan.
The in-state rivalry was previously for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, before that trophy was retired in 2008.
Ohio State offensive linesman Jack Mewhort (74) celebrates with the wooden turtle trophy named Illibuck after beating Illinois during an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, in Champaign, Ill. Ohio State won the game 60-35. Illibuck is a carved wooden turtle that serves as the trophy awarded to the winner of the game since 1925. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)AP
This one has one of the more colorful trophy histories: when Illinois and Ohio State decided they needed a rivalry trophy in 1925, they picked a live turtle; the animal’s long lifespan was meant to show the anticipated longevity of the Illinois-Ohio State rivalry. But the turtle died just two years later (according to the University of Illinois Library, it spent his two years living in fraternity houses and other campus buildings and died of stress.)
So for the past 95 years a wooden turtle has been passed instead. Tradition also once called for students of both schools to smoke a peace pipe on the field at halftime of the game, but that element has also died.
Wisconsin punter Connor Allen (90) holds up Paul Bunyan's Axe during the post game celebration after Wisconsin beat Minnesota 38-17 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)AP
Michigan-Michigan State may have Paul Bunyan himself, but the Gophers and Badgers compete for his axe. Since 1948, the winner of a series that the schools say is the most-played in college football takes home the wooden axe, which has the year’s score inscribed on the handle.
The axe is fine, but we prefer its precursor: the Slab of Bacon trophy, which was discontinued in the 40′s.
Iowa offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum, right, carries the Floyd of Rosedale trophy off the field with teammates after an NCAA college football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 27-22. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)AP
In the 1930′s, the governors of Iowa and Minnesota bet a live pig on the outcome of the annual matchup (as Midwest governors do). Like the other animals on this list, a live one was eventually replaced with a statue. And at 96 pounds, it’s surely one of the heftiest trophies on the list.
Michigan State players celebrate the 37-33 victory over Michigan by hoisting the Paul Bunyan trophy on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021 in East Lansing. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake MayJake May
Minnesota typically lays claim to Paul Bunyan and plays Wisconsin for its axe, but Michigan’s two Big Ten schools play for Bunyan himself. Governor G. Mennen Williams conceived the trophy in 1953 as a way to honor the state’s logging history, and it’s been traveling back and forth throughout the state ever since.
The fact that it serves one of the conference’s best rivalries and is visually memorable puts it near the top of this list.
Minnesota safety Cedric Thompson pretends to drink from the Little Brown Jug after Minnesota beat Michigan, 30-14, at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, September 27, 2014. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News ANN ARBOR NEWSANN ARBOR NEWS
This trophy not only claims to be the oldest in FBS college football but also has one of the best origin stories: Michigan coach Fielding Yost suspected that Minnesota would taint the water supply in a 1903 game in Minneapolis, so he ordered a manager to buy a water jug of their own. After Michigan left it behind following a 6-6 tie, it became the series’ traveling trophy and is now one of the better-known ones in college football.
Penn State players hoist the Land Grant Trophy following the 39-24 win over Michigan State on Senior Day, Dec. 12, 2020. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
Ah, the Land Grant Trophy. Wood paneling, shelves for days, three different statues, photos. It truly has it all. Former Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis one memorably described it as “a bunch of bowling trophies put together.”
Dreamed up by George Perles and Joe Paterno when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten, the trophy has developed a cult following. enn State broached the idea of retiring it a few years back but it survived and is now ironically beloved.
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