Over 100 years of football games. Zero trophies. Duke and North Carolina State will meet for the 87th time on Saturday, with the Blue Devils looking for their fourth straight win in the series. While the ACC schools certainly have more contentious rivalries, we can’t overlook the tradition associated with Duke-NC State.
Which begs the question … why is there no trophy?
Nothing cements the bitterness of a college football rivalry like watching opposing players pose for photos with the coveted trophy after the game and take possession of it for the next year.
Let’s make the case for and against the Duke-NC State rivalry adopting a trophy.
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The case for a trophy
While this may not be the biggest football rivalry in North Carolina, the history alone between Duke and NC State deserves to be treated like a legitimate matchup. Colleges that are half an hour apart battling it out on the gridiron since 1924 is no regular football game. While they’ve skipped some years along the way, the Blue Devils and Wolfpack are scheduled to meet annually through 2030, making this the perfect time to add a trophy to the festivities.
“Now we get to play every year,” former NC State head coach Dave Doeren said in 2024. “So that will add to [the rivalry], being as close as we are to Durham and as close as Durham is to Raleigh, it’s natural to have that kind of feel.”
And what might that trophy look like? Well, I’m so glad you asked.
We’ve got the super jacked and angry mascots with colorful accents, the iconic towers representing the two schools (Duke Chapel and NC State Memorial Belltower) and, of course, the triangle shape to represent the famous North Carolina Research Triangle.
So you’re telling me there are people against watching ecstatic players and coaches hoist this bad boy over their heads after a rivalry win? What are we doing?
The case against a trophy
Detractors will diminish the Duke-NC State rivalry, pointing to the fact that UNC is a much bigger rival for each school. In fact, some might suggest that Wake Forest and Clemson are also bigger rivals to NC State than Duke. Not to mention that the Blue Devils and Tar Heels have played for the Victory Bell since 1948.
Should we really detract from the more established showdowns with a manufactured rivalry trophy for Duke-NC State?