Ranking College Football's Unusual Trophies

The latest installment of the most-played rivalry in major college football, Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, ended with the Badgers triumphantly holding up Paul Bunyan's Axe — our top-ranked trophy among all of college football's current unusual trophies. By Ryan Fish (@RyanMFish)

Ranking College Football's Unusual Trophies

1. Paul Bunyan’s Axe — Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (since 1948)

Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s fitting that the oldest rivalry in the FBS awards college football’s best trophy to the winner. Not much better than hoisting an axe after a big victory

2. Fremont Cannon — Nevada vs. UNLV (since 1970)

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Hard to even call this a trophy... It’s an actual cannon (albeit one that became inoperable in 1999). Tough to argue against that.

3. Floyd of Rosedale — Iowa vs. Minnesota (since 1935)

Brad Rempel/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Iowa and Minnesota used to battle for a live pig each year. The trophy replica is among college football’s best.

4. Golden Hat — Oklahoma vs. Texas (since 1970)

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Trophies that double as headwear deserve high praise.

5. Paul Bunyan Trophy — Michigan vs. Michigan State (since 1953)

Damian Strohmeyer

It’s not the axe, but a statue of Paul Bunyan is pretty impressive in its own right.

6. Golden Boot — Arkansas vs. LSU (since 1996)

John Biever

Four feet tall, 175 pounds and molded out of 24-karat gold. That pretty much speaks for itself.

7. Stanford Axe — California vs. Stanford (since 1933)

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Not an actual axe. But the blade and plaque together make this a classic.

8. Victory Bell — UCLA vs. USC (since 1942)

Eric Chan/Flickr

As far as “Victory Bells” go, this one is the cream of the crop.

9. Old Oaken Bucket — Indiana vs. Purdue (since 1925)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The bucket itself is pretty sweet. So is the chain of I’s and P’s that represent the winners of Purdue-Indiana over the years.

10. Golden Egg — Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss (since 1927)

Jim Lytle/AP

The timeless trophy presented to the best team in the state of Mississippi. In college football, that’s a pretty big deal.

11. Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy — Alabama vs. Auburn (since 1948)

Todd J. Van Emst/AP

A game as big as the Iron Bowl deserves a legitimate trophy. This one doesn’t disappoint.

12. Jeweled Shillelagh — Notre Dame vs. USC (since 1952)

Lucy Nicholson/AP

This is some cool (and expensive) hardware for the winner of USC-Notre Dame to take home.

13. Little Brown Jug — Michigan vs. Minnesota (since 1903)

Leon Halip/Getty Images

The Jug isn’t even that “little.” Michigan-Minnesota has been a one-sided affair over the years, but this trophy remains a college football trademark.

14. Commander in Chief’s Trophy — Air Force vs. Army vs. Navy (since 1972)

Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire

The best Armed Forces school gets an impressive prize.

15. Territorial Cup — Arizona vs. Arizona State (since 2001)

Chris Coduto/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The original cup so illustrious that the schools created a replica to hand out after every game. The replica isn’t too shabby, either.

16. Illibuck — Illinois vs. Ohio State (since 1925)

Jeff Haynes/AP

Delightfully quirky and oddly charming.

17. Magnolia Bowl Trophy — LSU vs. Ole Miss (since 2008)

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Solid all around.

18. Legends Trophy — Notre Dame vs. Stanford (since 1989)

Smaild1978 via Wikipedia

Stanford-Notre Dame is a college football staple. This trophy lives up to the rivalry.

19. Wagon Wheel — BYU vs. Utah State (since 1948)

Ryan Talbot/Utah State University Athletics

Regionally appropriate? Yes. Awesome? Also yes.

20. Wagon Wheel — Akron vs. Kent State (since 1946)

David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images

Like the endless debate between the Old Crow Medicine Show or Darius Rucker song, it’s tough to call whether this trophy (the original) or the BYU-Utah State version is better. In both cases, I’ll take the newer one.

21. Keg of Nails — Cincinnati vs. Louisville (since 1929)

Al Behrman/AP

Probably one of the more underrated trophies in college football. Unsure when we’ll see it again, though, as the Cincinnati-Louisville rivalry remains on hiatus.

22. Chancellor’s Spurs — Texas vs. Texas Tech (since 1996)

Uttechgirls/Wikimedia Commons

A pretty sweet prize for the Texas-Texas Tech winner.

23. Cy-Hawk Trophy — Iowa vs. Iowa State (since 2012)

Charlie Neibergall/AP

Great trophy (and name) for a great rivalry.

24. Bronze Boot — Colorado vs. Wyoming (since 1968)

Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images

One of college football’s cooler, lesser-known trophies.

25. Paniolo Trophy — Hawai’i vs. Wyoming (since 2012)

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

“Paniolo” is Hawaiian for “Cowboy.” Cool and appropriate for the winner of Wyoming-Hawai’i.

26. The Belt — South Alabama vs. Troy (since 2016)

Courtesy of USA Athletics

It’s hard not to get pumped up about winning a championship belt. Cue the Aaron Rodgers touchdown celebration.

27. Heartland Trophy — Iowa vs. Wisconsin (since 2004)

Patrick S. Blood/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The rivalry is over 100 years old, but the trophy has only been around since 2004. Solid, but not entirely satisfying.

28. Victory Bell — Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH) (since 1890s)

John Minchillo/AP

The rivalry is storied, but recently one-sided: Miami hasn’t beaten Cincinnati in over a decade. The trophy still hasn’t lost its luster, though.

29. Commonwealth Cup — Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (since 1996)

Michael Shroyer/Getty Images

Pretty cool. Though it feels like Virginia-Virginia Tech deserves a little bit better.

30. Bridger Rifle — Utah State vs. Wyoming (since 2013)

Troy Babbitt/USA TODAY Sports

For some, winning an actual rifle and waving it around after a big victory seems awesome. For others, it’s unsettling. The Rifle is a relatively new trophy, so time will tell whether it becomes illustrious or incendiary.

31. Megaphone Trophy — Michigan State vs. Notre Dame (since 1949)

Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

Not quite a classic, but still stately and unique.

32. Old Brass Spittoon — Indiana vs. Michigan State (since 1950)

Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

The Spittoon is fun and interesting. That being said, a trophy based on something that you spit into can only be regarded so highly.

33. Jefferson-Eppes Trophy — Florida State vs. Virginia (since 1996)

Courtesy of Florida State University Athletics

It’s a regal-looking trophy, but the one-sided and infrequent nature of the Virginia-Florida State rivalry knocks this one down a few spots.

34. Victory Bell — Duke vs. North Carolina (since 1948)

Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images

After some debate, Duke and North Carolina decided to keep the tradition of having the winning team spray paint the trophy’s platform. That’s a good call.

35. Old Oil Can — Fresno State vs. San Diego State (since 2011)

Alex Gallardo/AP

The Old Oil Can dates all the way back to… 2011. That being said, this is one of college football’s best new trophies.

36. Dakota Marker — North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State (since 2004)

Bruce Crummy/AP

Simple and representative of the monuments that marked the border between the Dakotas when the territory was split. Sometimes, less is more.

37. Heroes Trophy — Iowa vs. Nebraska (since 2011)

Nati Harnik/AP

This one fits the budding Iowa-Nebraska rivalry pretty well.

38. O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy — Boston College vs. Clemson (since 2008)

Jeff Blake/The State/MCT via Getty Images

Angry leather helmet-era football players make for solid trophies, apparently.

39. Black Diamond Trophy — Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia (since 1997)

Courtesy of the Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech and West Virginia will renew their rivalry in 2017 after a 12-year hiatus. It’ll be nice to see this trophy make a comeback.

40. Ram-Falcon Trophy — Air Force vs. Colorado State (since 1980)

David Merrill/Icon Sportswire

Unsure if the glass case adds to the trophy or takes away from it. Either way, this one is solidly middle tier.

41. Bedlam Bell — Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (since 2000)

Billy Adams/Icon Sportswire

The name is great. The rivalry is good. The trophy is… alright.

42. James Bonham Trophy — South Carolina vs. Texas A&M (since 2014)

@AndyShain

Texas A&M and South Carolina’s new rivalry needed a trophy to go along with it. All things considered, this was a good choice.

43. Ireland Trophy/Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl — Boston College vs. Notre Dame (since 1975)

Stanley Hu/WireImage

The worst of the best? Or maybe the best of the worst?

44. Battle Line Trophy — Arkansas vs. Missouri (since 2015)

L.G. Patterson/AP

The states stacked on top of one another makes this trophy almost Golden Boot-esque. Nice, but nothing special.

45. Governor’s Cup — Kentucky vs. Louisville (since 1994)

James Crisp/AP

Bigger, but not necessarily better than other comparable trophies.

46. Land Grant Trophy — Michigan State vs. Penn State (since 1993)

Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Visually, there’s a lot going on here. Probably a little too much.

47. Purdue Cannon — Illinois vs. Purdue (since 1943)

Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

This trophy sounds awesome, right? And it is, until you realize it’s smaller than a football.

48. Silver Spade — New Mexico State vs. UTEP (since 1955)

Andres Leighton/AP

It’s a cool-looking shovel. At the end of the day, though, it’s still just a shovel.

49. Apple Cup — Washington vs. Washington State (since 1962)

Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire

Washington and Washington State sit atop the Pac-12 for the first time in a while, but this trophy is still lower-middle tier at best. How do you like them apples?

50. Iron Skillet — SMU vs. TCU (since 1950s)

Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire

Unsure whether winning something that you cook breakfast on is unique and charming or just kind of lame. Leaning toward the latter.

51. Shillelagh Trophy — Notre Dame vs. Purdue (since 1957)

Courtesy of the University of Notre Dame Athletics

This one just leaves you wanting a bit more.

52. Milk Can — Boise State vs. Fresno State (since 2006)

Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images

Nothing to write home about.

53. Crab Bowl Trophy — Maryland vs. Navy (since 2010)

Mitch Stringer/Icon Sportswire

It’s certainly unique, but not all that interesting. This seems more like a trophy that would be handed out at a hypothetical Joe’s Crab Shack Bowl.

54. Bayou Bucket — Houston vs. Rice (since 1974)

Robert Chambliss/Icon Sportswire

Definitely not the Old Oaken Bucket.

55. Governor’s Victory Bell — Minnesota vs. Penn State (since 1993)

Ann Heisenfelt/AP

Seems to lack the same grandeur that the other “Victory Bells” have. The same can be said for the rivalry, too.

56. Don Shula Award — Florida Atlantic vs. Florida International (since 2002)

Jim Rassol/Sun Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images

If only this trophy matched the Coach Shula’s greatness. If it embodied any Dolphins head coach, it would be Tony Sparano.

57. Victory Cannon Trophy — Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan (since 2008)

Gary Shock/Western Michigan University Athletics

For something as cool sounding as “The Victory Cannon,” this one is pretty dull.

58. Land of Lincoln Trophy — Illinois vs. Northwestern (since 2009)

Chuck Rydlewski/Icon Sportswire

A mediocre trophy fit for a mediocre rivalry.

59. Textile Bowl — Clemson vs. NC State (since 1981)

Courtesy of Clemson University Athletics

*Yawn*

60. The Bell — Marshall vs. Ohio (since 1997)

Courtesy of Ohio University Athletics

You’d think with a title like “The Bell,” this would be a little more storied or impressive.

61. Bronze Stalk Trophy — Ball State vs. Northern Illinois (since 2008)

Courtesy of NIU Athletics

Does the winning team actually want to take this home?

62. $5 bits of Broken Chair Trophy — Minnesota vs. Nebraska (since 2014)

Nati Harnik/AP

Props to the @FauxPelini twitter account for basically starting this trophy. That’s the only cool thing about it, though.

63. Battle of I-75 Trophy — Bowling Green vs. Toledo (since 2011)

Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire

You know what really gets players and fans hyped for a big rivalry game? A 20-mile stretch of Interstate in Northwest Ohio.

64. Kuter Trophy — Air Force vs. Hawai'i (since 1980)

@NaKoaFootball

Looks like a candy dish you'd find in your grandparents' house.