FanPost

Football Rivalry Trophies

O.k., I'm a sucker for rivalry trophies. It adds another level of interest to games and validates actual rivalries. Now, the Spartans have some great rivalries supported by trophies (Megaphone, Paul Bunyan) and some that don't mean much (Brass Spittoon, Land-Grant - yeah, the trophy itself is even ugly). But even the rivalries that don't mean much, having a trophy makes the game interesting; if not for the fans, for the players who have something to take home for their effort. Hey, Wikipedia even has dedicated pages to the MSU-PSU and MSU-IU "rivalries."

With new divisions in place and new members coming into the B1G it's time for a couple more - none of those big blocks of fancy wood plastered with framed pictures and weird shelves sticking out all over (ahem, Land Grant Trophy) - but good, classic, obscure objects that don't even relate to football (Spittoon, anyone). Here are a couple of proposals:

MSU-UW "Lake Michigan Paddle Battle" - an old oar of some sort with scores of the MSU-Wisconsin games etched on in some rudimentary painting scheme. They've played each other a long time, but the rivalry has developed nicely in recent years. Being separated in the divisions has put a damper on it, but a trophy could establish it as a legit rivalry. Sure, they don't have the history of OSU-UM, but why couldn't this be a rivalry ranking right up there (eventually)? Besides, all that separates the two states is a little body of water they share.

MSU-Rutgers "Wooden Shoe Shuffle" - o.k., this will take some explaining. Wooden shoes are synonymous with the Dutch, right? So what do the Dutch have to do with MSU or Rutgers. Let's start with Rutgers: they were founded by Dutch Reformed colonists. It was much later that it became a state university, but the roots are there. Michigan, as a state, has the highest concentration of Dutch-Americans - primarily in West Michigan (hey, Kirk Cousins hailed from HOLLAND Christian High School in Michigan). There is no other connection and I'm not expecting MSU-Rutgers to be a heated rivalry on-field like MSU-UW is becoming, but it's a way to welcome some far-flung new member into the family.

This is a FanPost, written by a member of the TOC community. It does not represent the official positions of The Only Colors, Inc.--largely because we have no official positions.