With more than 130 schools and more than 130 years of history, there’s a rivalry somewhere in college football every week. Some are titanic showdowns, others are petty border disputes, but all mean a lot to the rivals involved. This season, we’ll tell you the triumphant, the heartbreaking, and the ridiculous of rivalries across the country. Today: some old-school shenanigans.
Schools: The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Unlike… some Iowa and Minnesota, whose tenure in the Big Ten can still be counted in days, have been there from the beginning. Minnesota was part of the conference’s formation in 1896, and Iowa joined three years later. Between them, they claim 12 national titles voted for in the polls, none since 1960, a year in which both claimed the title. Uncomfortable.
The series: Overall, Minnesota leads 63-52-2. Iowa holds a one-game advantage in the trophy exchange, 44-43-2. Iowa has won 18 of the last 22 and eight of the last nine…but Minnesota is the reigning trophy holder thanks to last year’s 12-10 rout.
The trophy: The Floyd of Rosedale trophy is a 95-pound behemoth of solid bronze. It’s unwieldy, but much easier than a real pig, which competing state governors wagered on in 1935. Instead of trading the pig back and forth, schools created a trophy and began awarding (and trading) it the following year.
“I was a little naive about it until they walked across the field after the 12-10 win in 1981,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz recalled earlier this week, “and I thought, boy, they’re pretty excited about shaking hands, and then I realized they wanted to come get the trophy that was right behind us.”
Notable games
1903: So you think Iowa’s inability to score is a new phenomenon? Check this out: The Hawkeyes once had a stretch where they scored just 4 points against Minnesota… More than 20 yearsIowa and Minnesota began playing in 1891. Iowa scored 4 points in that game and wouldn’t score another point against Minnesota until 1911. Highlight/low point of that streak: a 75-0 thrashing of Minnesota in October 1903. Ouch!
1934: This 48-12 Minnesota victory was significant for several reasons. First, the game featured Ozzie Simmons, one of the few black players at the time. Minnesota players beat Simmons so hard that he left the game. One sportswriter described the day in the kind of language not often seen anymore: “The wild attack of the rampaging Norsemen struck without warning in the opening minutes of the battle. The ferocious Vikings ran riot, leaving destruction in their wake as they rampaged and battered the Iowa defense.”
Another historical note: the game was narrated on the radio by a young reporter named Ronald Reagan, who would later go on to greater achievements.
1935: Iowa fans were justifiably infuriated by Minnesota’s treatment of Simmons the previous year, and they threatened Gopher players and coaches if anything similar happened again. “If the referees will tolerate harsh tactics like Minnesota used last year,” Iowa Governor Clyde Herring said, “I’m sure the crowd will not.” Minnesota Governor Floyd B. Olson defused the tension by betting a pig on the outcome of the game. Herring accepted, and the game (another Minnesota victory, but by only 13-6) proceeded without incident.
1960: Iowa was ranked No. 1 and Minnesota No. 3 when the 1960 version came out. Minnesota won 27-10 and took the AP Poll title. But Iowa beat Ohio State and Notre Dame and won the Litkenhous Poll (there were a lot of polls back then), so both schools claim 1960 as their title year.
2019: There haven’t been many matchups in this series where both teams have been ranked, but in 2019, No. 7 Minnesota was undefeated and facing No. 22 Iowa in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 20-3 lead and held it for a crushing 23-19 loss to end Minnesota’s perfect season.
2023: Controversy! Trailing 12-10 with just over a minute left in the game, Iowa return specialist Cooper DeJean waved his hand as he ran toward a punt, then scooped it up off the rebound and returned it for a go-ahead touchdown. Or did he?
The officials determined that he had been waving his hand on what appeared to be a fair catch signal, causing the ball to become dead where he caught it at midfield. Iowa was unable to move into field goal range and Minnesota was awarded the latest win in the series. The victory marked Minnesota’s first win in Iowa City this millennium.
This year: This is the first time the two schools have ever met; the game was typically played in late October or mid-November. Ah, the joys of conference realignment. Both teams come into the game with a 2-1 record, and this is their first conference game of the 2024 season. According to BetMGM, Iowa is a 2.5-point favorite, and the over/under is 35.5 — exactly as you’d expect. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will stream on NBC and Peacock. There will be a Pig Trophy ceremony to follow.