While I won't hold my breath waiting for acknowledgment, I also won't abstain from making another Big Ten-fueled suggestion. This time, I'm talking rivalry trophies. The SEC has some, but none with anywhere near the history and distinctiveness of the Big Ten traveling trophies. It doesn't get much better than Floyd of Rosedale, the Little Brown Jug and those of their ilk.
So, keeping with today's rivalry theme, here are six trophy ideas that could breathe life into SEC intra-conference rivalries.
USC vs. Georgia: The Peach Basket
The state of Georgia, also known as the Peach State, gets all the credit for peach production. However, the state of South Carolina yields a larger crop annually. Find a way to get copyright permission and call the game "The Peach Bowl" and have each year's winner make off with a bronzed peach basket, on the side of which every winning team's name and year is engraved.
Tennessee vs. Alabama: The Cigar Box
The winning team in the rivalry used to be given cigars as a reward. The trend stopped because of NCAA rules, although Alabama brought the tradition back in 2005 and self-reported it as a secondary violation before it was banned entirely.
Of all the rivalry games on here, The Third Saturday in October is probably the most well-known. But, a little help is never a bad thing. They should start awarding one of those big wooden old-school cigar boxes — painted half crimson, half orange — to the winner each year with the annual winners inscribed on the box.
Georgia vs. Tennessee: The Hobnail Boot
Georgia fans (and some Tennessee fans) have been trying to make this a reality for years. In 2001, just after the No. 5 Vols scored the go-ahead touchdown with 44 seconds left in Knoxville, true freshman quarterback David Greene led the Bulldogs down the field throwing a game-winning pass to fullback Verron Haynes with five seconds left in the game, sealing a 26-24 upset.
The play led famed UGA radio announcer Larry Munson to exclaim, "We just stepped on their face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose. We just crushed their face!" A hobnail boot has nails in the sole to provide added traction.
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt: Old Betsy (Davy Crockett's Musket)
I've never quite understood why Vandy-Tennessee isn't taken at least as seriously as Kentucky-Tennessee. The Commodores have actually beaten the Vols in the last 25 years. The penultimate game status hurts the rivalry, but an overall lack of exposure is the bigger issue. That would change if you made the famed musket of the King of the Wild Frontier at stake. This one could become a southeastern version of Paul Bunyan's Axe, if done right.
USC vs. Arkansas: GameHog
Maybe I'm completely wrong for saying this, but I think that the annual USC-Arkansas game is by far the weak link of the annual SEC "rivalry" games. I understand that the two became permanent interdivision rivals because they entered the conference at the same time, but the geographic distance is a huge, huge issue and there just isn't much juice to the game. Something needs to happen. In a semi-imitation of Illibuck, I give you GameHog; a half Gamecock, half Razorback creation. Hey, it's at least something.
Mississippi State vs. Alabama: The Exit Sign
Alabama and State are the two closest SEC schools — a mere 90 miles on Route 82 separate Tuscaloosa and Starkville. This rivalry has been pretty lopsided toward Alabama since the beginning of time, but it could become a much more even battle in the years to come with State potentially becoming a force under Dan Mullen.
Anticipating that happening, a move should be made to add a little juice now. What better way than to pay homage to the schools' proximity with an exit sign as a trophy.