Liberty Bell

Rog

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Most of you know but anyway, The Gophers were the 1st game they had when they joined the B10and the Gov of Penn. put up the Bell as a traveling trophy.
Haven't heard anything about it like we would if it was the Pig or Ax. I bet most of us without looking it up don't know who has it now. Soooo, all I can say is:
"Saturday, evening, "The Bell will be in our Trophy Case", "Period"
 

Most of you know but anyway, The Gophers were the 1st game they had when they joined the B10and the Gov of Penn. put up the Bell as a traveling trophy.
Haven't heard anything about it like we would if it was the Pig or Ax. I bet most of us without looking it up don't know who has it now. Soooo, all I can say is:
"Saturday, evening, "The Bell will be in our Trophy Case", "Period"

It's the called the Governor's Victory Bell and PSU has it.
 

I remember years ago when we won and broke it.

The bell isn't what the other trophies are but for that team that needed a good win, it was something worthwhile.
 


If this game replaces the victory bell with the Liberty Bell as a trophy, I will be the first to embrace it and say it deserves a place above the axe and pig on our list of must-haves. And, I hope we never fix that crack. It gives it character.
 


The Bell was a dumb idea at the time and should have been a one time thing or retired after like 10 years. Neither team really cares about it and I don't see that changing anytime soon. A traveling trophy based on the simple fact that we were their first Big Ten game is a silly way to try and manufacture a rivalry.

It was also dumb because Minnesota already has three historic trophy games in the conference so had no need for a 4th to be forced on us again based on nothing but the fact that the schedule happened to lay out with us as their first official Big Ten opponent after joining the conference.
 

Since there is no historical or geographical rivalry between Minnesota and Penn State, the only way the Bell is ever gonna matter is if we actually played them every single year or at least the majority of them. With the way divisions have been set up since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, we've only played the Lions 3 times over that stretch, so who cares about the trophy anymore?
 





Order of trophy's:

Pig and Axe
Jug
Broken Chair
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Bell
 

The Bell was a dumb idea at the time and should have been a one time thing or retired after like 10 years. Neither team really cares about it and I don't see that changing anytime soon. A traveling trophy based on the simple fact that we were their first Big Ten game is a silly way to try and manufacture a rivalry.

It was also dumb because Minnesota already has three historic trophy games in the conference so had no need for a 4th to be forced on us again based on nothing but the fact that the schedule happened to lay out with us as their first official Big Ten opponent after joining the conference.

Well said.
 







No. The JUG is the best college football trophy outside of the Heisman.

Would argue that the Axe is the best looking traveling trophy. I would also rank the Axe ahead of the Jug but the story behind the Jug is really cool.
 

Michigan was the top rival we wanted to beat back when we dominated college football. (I’m hoping we will again with P.J. too)
 

That's your opinion and that is fine. I prefer the Axe and Pig over the Jug. I do like the story behind the Jug though.

I know. I'm just busting your chops. There really isn't a wrong answer between the 3.
 

I am nearly certain the Governor's Victory Bell's creation was instigated by U of M grad and then Governor Arne Carlson with his counterpart in Pennsylvania, Bob Casey, sort of going along for the ride. If you think it means little now, in the build up to the first game of the series on 9/4/93, there was very little discussion about the Victory Bell on both the Minnesota and Pennsylvania sides of the coin. You could have completely missed that the Bell was even on the line going into that game, something that is never the case for Floyd, the Axe, and the Jug and somewhat for the $5 Chair for the first couple of years before the original trophy was dumped by the Huskers.

It was a nice gesture and it made sense to commemorate Penn State's entry to the conference after being a national powerhouse as an independent for so long. The execution of the gesture was undermined then and now by geographical separation, the lack of any history between the two teams prior to that first meeting, the irregularity of the teams playing, and the perception that Penn State owns this rivalry and we're the afterthought (they only lead 9-5, but all our wins came consecutively under Mason except the 2013 win). There is no need to retire the trophy, but few would miss it if it was quietly put to rest.
 
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I know. I'm just busting your chops. There really isn't a wrong answer between the 3.

When I made my list I thought about including all 3 on the first line but to me the Axe and Pig are really a step (all be it a very tiny step because like I said the story behind the jug is awesome) ahead. I guess it comes down to we play wisconsin and iowa every year so I just don't think or care about the jug as often.
 

When I made my list I thought about including all 3 on the first line but to me the Axe and Pig are really a step (all be it a very tiny step because like I said the story behind the jug is awesome) ahead. I guess it comes down to we play wisconsin and iowa every year so I just don't think or care about the jug as often.

When I was growing up (1980's) Michigan was a national power, Iowa was a good team and Wisconsin was terrible. Every year when the schedule was published the first game I looked for was the JUG game. I do consider Wisconsin and Iowa to be bigger rivals but IMHO if you win the JUG, it instantly registers on the national scale. Plus, I've been to 10 games against Michigan and the Gophers are winless. The only other conference team I haven't seen them beat in person is Ohio State.
 

When I was growing up (1980's) Michigan was a national power, Iowa was a good team and Wisconsin was terrible. Every year when the schedule was published the first game I looked for was the JUG game. I do consider Wisconsin and Iowa to be bigger rivals but IMHO if you win the JUG, it instantly registers on the national scale. Plus, I've been to 10 games against Michigan and the Gophers are winless. The only other conference team I haven't seen them beat in person is Ohio State.

All solid reasoning. Like I said I don't have a problem with your opinion.
 

When I made my list I thought about including all 3 on the first line but to me the Axe and Pig are really a step (all be it a very tiny step because like I said the story behind the jug is awesome) ahead. I guess it comes down to we play wisconsin and iowa every year so I just don't think or care about the jug as often.

If the rivalry was more competitive, people would care much more about the Little Brown Jug both here and in Ann Arbor. Through our last share of the Big Ten Title in 1967, Michigan had the edge at 34-21-3, but it wasn't a laugher like it became afterwards. From 1934 to 1967, the peak of the Bierman era through the peak of the Warmath era, we had the edge at 17-16-1. Since 1968 it's 41-4 in Michigan's favor with most of their wins being routs, our wins being spread out through the years, the game no longer being played annually well before divisions were in the picture, and a sense that no one really cares anymore on the Michigan side and we only care when we occasionally pull the upset to steal the thing.
 

I am nearly certain the Governor's Victory Bell's creation was instigated by U of M grad and then Governor Arne Carlson with his counterpart in Pennsylvania, Bob Casey, sort of going along for the ride. If you think it means little now, in the build up to the first game of the series on 9/4/93, there was very little discussion about the Victory Bell on both the Minnesota and Pennsylvania sides of the coin. You could have completely missed that the Bell was even on the line going into that game, something that is never the case for Floyd, the Axe, and the Jug and somewhat for the $5 Chair for the first couple of years before the original trophy was dumped by the Huskers.

It was a nice gesture and it made sense to commemorate Penn State's entry to the conference after being a national powerhouse as an independent for so long. The execution of the gesture was undermined then and now by geographical separation, the lack of any history between the two teams prior to that first meeting, the irregularity of the teams playing, and the perception that Penn State owns this rivalry and we're the afterthought (they only lead 9-5, but all our wins came consecutively under Mason except the 2013 win). There is no need to retire the trophy, but few would miss it if it was quietly put to rest.

To make it even worse, the trophy wasn't ready for the first game, and a painting of what the trophy would look like was presented to the winner (PSU). That's a way to start a historic rivalry... NOT! No contest, 4th best out of 4 trophies.

Regarding the Jug, unless the B1G does away with divisions or add teams and redoes the divisions, the Gophers won't play for the Jug more than twice every six years until MI becomes our annual crossover for six years (MI St is our next after Maryland rotates out). That will really remove a lot of the mystique around that trophy. Right now, the Gophers aren't scheduled to play MI until at least 2021, last playing them in 2017. As much as I love the Jug and the origin of it, it's getting to the point you almost forget about it when MI isn't on the schedule.
 

I remember years ago when we won and broke it.

The bell isn't what the other trophies are but for that team that needed a good win, it was something worthwhile.

That was funny. Maybe they should have not fixed it...The Broken Bits of Bell trophy!
 


When it was proposed that Penn State would join the Big Ten only one program voted against the idea: the University of Minnesota. Thus, we played them the first year and the Victory Bell was thought up by the brains somewhere.
 



I say we smash the $hit out of that thing when we win, and in a few years, they can do the same. This will put this trophy out of it's misery.
 




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