This year marked the first Bronze Stalk trophy game between the Ball State University and Northern Illinois University football teams, but there is another team with which Ball State shares a trophy game. It's the team Ball State beat two weeks ago 31-24.
The past three seasons have been dominated by Central Michigan University and Ball State when it comes to the Mid-American Conference. Central won each of the past two seasons and Ball State has already won the MAC West Division and is a heavy favorite to win the MAC Championship Game this season. In addition Ball State finished second in the MAC West a season ago and Central finished second this season.
The yearly game between the two schools has essentially become a battle for the MAC Championship trophy. It's not your typical trophy game, but it's a trophy game nonetheless.
If Nate Davis and Dan LeFevour come back for their senior seasons it will likely be the fourth-straight year that one of the two teams wins the MAC.
While we are on the topic of Ball State and trophy games, there are some other games that should have trophies.
Miami has for decades been Ball State's biggest rival. The schools are separated by approximately 70 miles and have a long history of close games and animosity toward one another.
The rivalry hasn't been much in recent years - thank you divisions - in part because both teams haven't been good at the same time, but a trophy should be created between the two schools. It could also help revitalize the game.
As for the name of the trophy I suggest it be named the "Our Town Isn't Quite as Bad as Your Town." That name works, but something tells me neither school would like it, so maybe it should just be the "Red Bird Trophy."
A team that is not in the MAC but with which Ball State has a definite high level of animosity is Indiana University. Ball State and Indiana have squared off in each of the last three seasons - Indiana won the first two and Ball State won this year. The two athletics directors need to work out a permanent matchup that happens every year to make this rivalry grow.
Up until this year I would have said a trophy for that game should be "Not the Worst Team in the State," but with Ball State's dominance this season the name doesn't fit. An interesting twist to this trophy game could be that the winner gets the trophy and the loser gets Bill Lynch.
Some other possibilities are the University of Toledo and Navy. Toledo is a divisional opponent and is normally one of the better teams in the MAC. Navy, as many of you know, has played Ball State the past two years. The first year Ball State won in overtime thanks in large part to a blocked field goal. This year Ball State beat Navy by 12, likely leaving the Midshipmen starving for revenge and redemption.
Right now Ball State still has just the one true trophy game, which many consider a joke (Seriously, who names a trophy the Bronze Stalk?), but that can and should change.
Write to Levin at ltblack@bsu.edu
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