Notre Dame and USC's Jeweled Shillelagh and other iconic football rivalry trophies

Rivalry games and trophies take center stage amid the campaign for conference titles and College Football Playoff position for teams all over the nation.

Rivalry games that occur once a year are not only important for bragging rights, but they also involve a trophy that holds significant historical value between schools. College football's rivalry games are spread out over the season, but they give the two teams involved something to focus on, regardless of which week they meet during the college football season.

Here are some of the most impressive and interesting rivalry trophies in college football with long traditions.

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The Jeweled Shillelagh

The No. 10 USC Trojans and the No. 21 Notre Dame will face each other in the Jeweled Shillelagh Rivalry Week 7 match-up. This is a long-standing rivalry that dates back to 1926 when the Trojans traveled to South Bend to play the Fighting Irish. The game ended with a 13-12 win for the Fighting Irish and the rivalry between these two teams was born.

The annual rivalry game between Notre Dame and USC is not just about bragging rights. The winner of the game receives the Jeweled Shillelagh, an Irish club made of oak from Ireland, with the end of the club engraved with the words "From the Emerald Isle."

The trophy was first introduced in 1952 to commemorate the annual game between Notre Dame and USC. It was donated by the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles.

After each game, a jeweled ornament is added to the foot-long club. If USC wins, a ruby in a Trojan head is added, marked with the year and game score. If Notre Dame wins, an emerald-stud in a shamrock is added. In past games that ended in a tie, a combined Trojan head and shamrock medallion was added.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish currently lead the series against the USC Trojans 48-38-5. However, the Trojans won the last time they met, with a score of 38-27 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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The Old Brass Spittoon

The Michigan State Spartans will face the Indiana Hoosiers on November 18 and a large Brass Spittoon trophy is on the line.

Since 1950, the Brass Spittoon has been the trophy that rivals Indiana and Michigan State. Michigan State students bought the spittoon for $25 to fire up the Spartans to beat the Hoosiers and make it their rivalry trophy.

The Spittoon has a fascinating history that dates back to the 1800s when it was originally used at a trading post for residents of Michigan and Indiana in an area that is now East Lansing.

According to The State News, the local student newspaper at Michigan State, people passing by the trading post while hunting and fishing in Michigan would use the spittoon that was available there. A chance purchase is now an iconic trophy.

The Michigan State Spartans lead 50-17-2 in the all-time series against the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Golden Egg

A college football trophy that all fans know is the Golden Egg Trophy. Ole Miss will travel to Mississippi State on November 23 for the Egg Bowl.

In 1926, Ole Miss won against their rival Mississippi State, breaking a 13-game losing streak. However, the victory was marked by a chaotic incident where the fans stormed and destroyed the field. To avoid any such mishap in the future, both schools decided to introduce a trophy in 1927 that would be awarded to the winner. After much deliberation, they agreed upon the Golden Egg as the trophy.

Ole Miss leads the Egg Bowl all-time series 64-46-6 against Mississippi State.

The Golden Hat

The Oklahoma Sooners are currently enjoying their bye week following a momentous victory over Texas in the Red River Rivalry, where they regained possession of the Golden Hat trophy with a 34-30 win. Oklahoma's impressive performance allowed them to not only redeem themselves from their 49-0 loss in 2022 but also demonstrated to the college football playoff committee that they deserve to be in the playoff conversation.

The Golden Hat, which is mounted on a large block of wood, has been a part of the rivalry since 1941. Originally made of bronze, it was reworked in 1970 and turned into gold, hence the name.

The Texas Longhorns lead the series 63-51-5 over the Oklahoma Sooners.

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The Little Brown Jug

The Little Brown Jug is a trophy between the Michigan Wolverines and the Minnesota Golden Gophers that dates back to 1909.

The story behind the Little Brown Jug goes like this: The Wolverines were concerned that the Golden Gophers would tamper with their water before the game to gain an advantage. To prevent this, Michigan's coach instructed his staff to buy a water jug for his team. This precautionary measure led to the creation of the now-famous trophy.

Michigan leads Minnesota 76-25-3 in all-time series record.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeweled Shillelagh and other iconic college football rivalry trophies