A pig, tomahawk, bucket and wooden box at stake in Big Ten rivalry games

A pig, tomahawk, bucket, and wooden box at stake in Big Ten rivalry games

football trophies

Rivalry week has arrived in the Big Ten, and spaces are being cleared in trophy cases stretching from Minneapolis to State College.

At stake Saturday: a bronze pig, a tomahawk, a bucket and a giant wooden box celebrating the nation’s two oldest land-grant universities. OK, so the last one is a little lame, but this year, the Penn State-Michigan State clash is even more important than The Game (Ohio State-Michigan). Not only will the winner hoist the Land Grant Trophy, but also the hardware everyone covets — the Big Ten championship trophy. Two of the other games have major bowl implications, while Purdue will bid farewell to its all-time winningest coach. Here’s a closer look at the Big Ten’s four trophy games Saturday.

Indiana at Purdue: Old Oaken Bucket

For the second straight year, the Boilermakers and Hoosiers square off in what figures to be an emotion-charged intrastate clash.

Last November, Indiana fulfilled a promise to its late coach, Terry Hoeppner, by beating Purdue on a last-minute field goal to clinch the school’s first bowl berth since 1993. Now the spotlight will be on Joe Tiller, who will coach his final game at Purdue after 12 seasons at the school. Tiller finishes as the Boilermakers’ all-time winningest coach and carries a 9-2 record against Indiana into Saturday’s game (ESPN2, noon ET). The teams play for the Old Oaken Bucket, a relic that is over a century old, which was said to have been used by General John Hunt Morgan during a trip through Indiana in the Civil War. The teams’ first meeting ended in a 0-0 tie, so an I-P link was attached to the bucket. Since then, an “I” or “P” link for the winning team has been added to the bucket’s chain, and Purdue holds a 68-36-5 record in the series against Indiana. Though both teams are struggling this season, a victory Saturday will springboard the winner toward 2009. “That’s what’s great about playing a rivalry game the last week of the season,” Indiana coach Bill Lynch said. “Regardless of how your season’s gone, this one’s the one your kids are going to remember. That’s why having this game at the end is better than having this in the middle of the season.”

No. 15 Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State: Land Grant Trophy

It’s rare when any Big Ten game eclipses Michigan-Ohio State, but this one certainly qualifies.

Penn State can earn its second league title in four seasons and a trip to the Rose Bowl with a victory, while Michigan State can claim at least a share of the league title, and a possible BCS berth if it pulls the upset in Happy Valley (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET). The Spartans need a win and an Ohio State loss in order to reach the Rose Bowl. The postseason implications add flavor to a rivalry that seems a bit forced. Penn State needed an end-of-season rival when it joined the Big Ten in 1993, and Michigan State happily obliged. Former Spartans coach George Perles designed the Land Grant Trophy, which features pictures of campus landmarks — Michigan State’s Beaumont Tower and Penn State’s Old Main — as well as a Spartan and a Nittany Lion. The trophy celebrates the nation’s two pioneer land-grant schools, which were founded only 10 days apart in 1855. And no, Joe Paterno wasn’t Penn State’s coach at the time. Penn State holds an 11-4 edge in the series, but Michigan State won last year’s meeting in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to post a 35-31 victory.

Illinois at Northwestern: Sweet Sioux Tomahawk

One of the league’s more competitive rivalries often slides under the radar, but there’s plenty at stake in this year’s clash.

Illinois needs a victory to become bowl-eligible and avoid the embarrassing Rose Bowl-to-no-bowl flop. Northwestern knows it will be going bowling, but the Wildcats can improve their postseason placement with a win against the Fighting Illini. The teams’ situations were reversed last year, as Northwestern went to Memorial Stadium needing a win to secure a bowl spot. Illinois pounded the Wildcats 41-22, snapping a four-game slide in the series. Despite having three more losses, Illinois enters Saturday’s game as a slight favorite, most likely because of a high-powered offense led by quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn. Northwestern counters with a much-improved defense that has shut out four teams in the second half this season. Since 1993, the team with the better record has won 14 out of 15 times. The teams have played for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk since 1945. The original game trophy was a wooden Indian, but because of transportation issues, the teams downsized to the tomahawk. Illinois holds a 52-45-4 edge in the all-time series.

Iowa at Minnesota: Floyd of Rosedale

One of the more unique trophies in college football will be at stake Saturday, as Minnesota mercifully ends its lease at the Metrodome against streaking Iowa. The teams will play for the Floyd of Rosedale, a bronze pig awarded to the winner of the annual rivalry since 1935

The pig actually helped settle tensions between the bordering states. In 1934, Iowa accused Minnesota of intentionally trying to rough up star running back Ozzie Simmons and vowed, from Gov. Clyde Herring on down, that similar tactics wouldn’t be taken lightly in Iowa City. Minnesota Gov. Floyd Olson responded with a wager — the game’s winner would receive a prize hog from the other state — that calmed things down. Minnesota won the game and received a hog from Rosedale Farms that it named after the governor. Floyd the pig died a few years later, but Olson had a bronze statue made in his likeness. Minnesota holds a 39-32-2 edge in the Floyd of Rosedale series and a 59-40-2 advantage in the all-time rivalry, but Iowa has won six of the past seven meetings, including last year’s contest. A win Saturday would give Iowa victories in five of its past six games, and would possibly put the Hawkeyes in a New Year’s Day bowl. Minnesota has dropped three straight after a 7-1 start and needs a win to improve its bowl placement.

Originally posted by Adam Rittenberg on Espn.com.