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College football rivalries: Ranking the 10 best rivalry trophies

By Phil Poling

The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy sits on a table before President Trump's presentation to the U.S. Military Academy football team, the Army Black Knights, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 6, 2019. (Photo by Cheriss May) (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy sits on a table before President Trump's presentation to the U.S. Military Academy football team, the Army Black Knights, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 6, 2019. (Photo by Cheriss May) (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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BERKELEY, CA – NOVEMBER 22: Stanford Cardinal players celebrate with the Axe after they defeated the California Golden Bears in the Big Game at California Memorial Stadium on November 22, 2014 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BERKELEY, CA – NOVEMBER 22: Stanford Cardinal players celebrate with the Axe after they defeated the California Golden Bears in the Big Game at California Memorial Stadium on November 22, 2014 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

9. California vs. Stanford – The Stanford Axe

The Stanford Axe is another trophy that pre-dates the 20th century; Cal and Stanford first met in 1899. Originally a standard 12-inch axe, the trophy has since been modified to just include the axe head mounted on a wooden plaque. The scores of previous matchups are displayed on it.

Stanford’s won nine straight in the rivalry – their longest winning streak of the series – giving them a 59-43-10 advantage over Cal. The Golden Bears best rebuttal is simply, “We’ve won five national championships to your two,” but that doesn’t always matter in rivalries, especially when you’re beating your opponent handily year-in and year-out.

One dispute each side has when possessing the trophy is from a particular game. Yes, that game, thanks to, “The Play.” After five laterals, a Cal kick return resulted in an apparent touchdown for the Golden Bears as their player crossed the goalline, plowing through a Stanford band member who’d started celebrating prematurely. The Golden Bears won, 25-20, but Stanford always changes the score to read, “California 19 – Stanford 20,” claiming one of the laterals was a forward pass.

On Nov. 23, though, these two will resume their rivalry. The winner gets an axe. The loser, well, they get to try again the following year. The last time Cal won, Jahvid Best was the running back. Will 2019 be the year they finally take back The Stanford Axe?