Illibuck

{{Infobox sports rivalry

| wide = yes

| name = Battle for Illibuck{{Cite web|url=http://menofthescarletandgray.com/2013/11/13/the-battle-for-the-illibuck-players-to-watch-week-11|title=Battle for Illibuck – Men of the Scarlet and Gray.com|date=November 13, 2013}}

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| team1 = Illinois Fighting Illini

| team1logo = Illinois Fighting Illini logo.svg

| team2 = Ohio State Buckeyes

| team2logo = Ohio State Buckeyes logo.svg

| sport =

| firstmeeting = November 15, 1902
Tie, 0–0

| mostrecent = November 18, 2017
Ohio State, 52–14

| nextmeeting = October 11, 2025

| total = 103

| series = Ohio State leads, 68–30–4
{{nowrap|2010 vacated win not included}}

| largestvictory = Ohio State, 48–0 (1996)

| longeststreak = Ohio State, 15 (1968–1982)

| longestunbeatenstreak =

| currentstreak = Ohio State, 8 (2008–present)
{{nowrap|2010 vacated win not included}}

| currentunbeatenstreak =

| trophy = Illibuck

| trophy series = Ohio State leads, 64–23–2
{{nowrap|2010 vacated win not included}}

| stadiums =

}}

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.

History

Image:Illibuck.jpg

{{OSM Location map

| nolabels = 1

| coord = {{coord|40.04|-85.61}}

| zoom = 6

| width = 295

| height = 250

| caption = Locations of Illinois and Ohio State

| mark1 = Blue pog.svg

| label1 = Illinois

| mark-coord1 = {{coord|40.110556|-88.228333}}

| label-pos1 = top

| label-color1 = black

| mark2 = Red pog.svg

| label2 = Ohio State

| mark-coord2 = {{coord|39.961178|-82.998795}}

| label-pos2 = left

| label-color2 = black

}}

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,{{cite web|title=ILLIBUCK, WHICH DIED, TO BE AT OHIO GAME TODAY—BUT IN EFFIGY|url=http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=DIL19261120.2.11&srpos=5&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-illibuck------#|work=Daily Illini|access-date=November 14, 2015}} ten wooden replica Illibucks have been carved, each with the scores from games on its back.{{Cite web |url=http://bucketanddipper.org.ohio-state.edu/illibuck.html |title=Bucket & Dipper |access-date=November 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818004328/http://bucketanddipper.org.ohio-state.edu/illibuck.html |archive-date=August 18, 2007 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/9220734/big-ten-schools-ok-realignment-9-game-schedule|title=Big Ten schools OK realignment, schedule|date=April 28, 2013|website=ESPN.com}} 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.{{Cite web|title=No. 3 Ohio State cancels Saturday's game at Illinois because of COVID-19 cases, putting the Buckeyes 1 cancellation away from being ineligible for the Big Ten title|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-illinois-ohio-state-big-ten-football-canceled-covid-19-20201128-2fmklgpig5hrno2m655enrzoti-story.html|access-date=November 27, 2020|website=chicagotribune.com|language=en}}

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.{{cite web |title=Big Ten Conference Announces Future Football Schedule Formats for 2024-28 |work=Big Ten Conference |url=https://bigten.org/fb/article/blt39fc5a9dd81251cf/ |accessdate=December 13, 2024}}

Game results

{{Sports rivalry series table

| cols = 2 | series_summary = yes | format = compact

| team1 = Illinois

| team1style = {{NCAA color cell|Illinois Fighting Illini}}

| team2 = Ohio State

| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|Ohio State Buckeyes}}

| legend_forfeit_text = Vacated wins

| note = † Ohio State's victory vacated due to use of ineligible players{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/friv/forfeits.html|title=Forfeits and Vacated Games|website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com}}

| footnote = {{Cite web|url=http://www.winsipedia.com/illinois/vs/ohio-state|title=Winsipedia - Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Ohio State Buckeyes football series history|website=Winsipedia}}

}}

==See also==

References

Category:College football rivalries in the United States

Category:College football rivalry trophies in the United States

Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football

Category:Ohio State University Spirit and Traditions

Category:Illinois Fighting Illini football

Category:Big Ten Conference rivalries

Category:Turtles in popular culture