Inside weird and wonderful college football rivalry trophies USC Stanford Michigan

"And we've reached the part of the season ( Week 14) when rivals go head-to-head for the opportunity to hoist a trophy high and secure bragging rights for the year. Intense matchups such as Stanford-Cal can take on greater significance when historical trophies such as the Victory Bell, Territorial Cup and a 24-karat-plated 200-pound boot are at stake. These celebrated traditions will take center stage as the college football regular season enters its final week."

"The axe debuted on April 13, 1899, at a campus rally for the Stanford baseball team, which was in the middle of a series against Cal. Two days later in San Francisco, the axe was stolen by Cal students after the baseball game. A chase unfolded and the axe handle was cut off during the pursuit. The Cal students successfully escaped with the axe blade and kept it for 31 years."

"The trophy features an axe head mounted on a large wooden plaque that lists all the outcomes from the previous games. When Stanford possesses the axe after a win, it modifies the score from the infamous 1982 game known as " The Play." The score on the trophy gets adjusted in Stanford's favor to reflect a 20-19 win. Whenever Cal wins, it changes the score back to the true outcome 25-20."

Rivalry trophies have shaped college football traditions for over a century, peaking in significance during Week 14 when teams compete for bragging rights. Historic prizes include the Victory Bell, Territorial Cup and a 24-karat-plated 200-pound boot, augmenting games such as Stanford-Cal. The Stanford Axe originated in 1899 when five Stanford students purchased an axe; the blade was stolen by Cal students two days after its debut and retained for 31 years. In 1930 the Immortal 21 recovered the blade, and in 1933 both schools agreed to contest the axe. The trophy displays an axe head on a wooden plaque and features an adjustable score reflecting the 1982 "The Play" controversy. Cal and Stanford have faced each other 128 times since 1892, constituting the sixth-longest active FBS rivalry.

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