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American college football rivalry From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Illibuck is a trophy awarded to the winner of the college football rivalry between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Ohio State Buckeyes football teams.
| First meeting | November 15, 1902 Tie, 0–0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 18, 2017 Ohio State, 52–14 |
| Next meeting | October 11, 2025 |
| Trophy | Illibuck |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 103 |
| All-time series | Ohio State leads, 68–30–4[2] 2010 vacated win not included |
| Trophy series | Ohio State leads, 64–23–2 2010 vacated win not included |
| Largest victory | Ohio State, 48–0 (1996) |
| Longest win streak | Ohio State, 15 (1968–1982) |
| Current win streak | Ohio State, 8 (2008–present) 2010 vacated win not included |
The Illibuck is a carved wooden turtle that serves as the trophy awarded to the winner of the game. Two junior honorary societies, Bucket and Dipper of Ohio State and Atius-Sachem of Illinois, are responsible for the care of the Illibuck. Originally the "trophy" was a live turtle when the tradition began in 1925, picked for its expected long life as a symbol of the anticipated long life of the rivalry. From 1919 to 1933, the Illinois–Ohio State game was the regular-season finale for both teams. Since the original turtle's death on April 14, 1926,[3] ten wooden replica Illibucks have been carved, each with the scores from games on its back.[4] The Illibuck is the second oldest trophy passed between Big Ten Conference football programs (the Little Brown Jug was created in 1903).
The rivalry once included the smoking of a "peace pipe" between members of the two junior honorary societies, which occurred at halftime of the game. This practice has not been done for many years. However, the trophy is still presented to the winning school of the previous year's contest between quarters.
The series was temporarily interrupted during the 2003 and 2004 seasons when Ohio State and Illinois did not play each other. When the teams met in 2005, Illinois presented the trophy to Ohio State for winning the 2002 game. Ohio State leads the overall series 68–30–4 and the trophy series 63–23–2.
In 2011, the Big Ten expanded to 12 teams and split into two divisions. Ohio State and Illinois were both placed in the Leaders Division, meaning they would play each other every year. But in 2014, the league expanded to accommodate the addition of Maryland and Rutgers, which placed Illinois in the West Division and Ohio State in the East Division.[5] Therefore, the two schools no longer met annually.
The teams went seven seasons without a match-up, from 2018 through 2024. The game scheduled for November 28, 2020, was cancelled by Ohio State due to a high number of COVID-19 cases among the program.[6]
With the 2024 expansion of the Big Ten and removal of divisions, Ohio State and Illinois will now meet at least twice in each five-year cycle.[7]
| Illinois victories | Ohio State victories | Tie games | Vacated wins |
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