While Ohio State football has its sights set on another College Football Playoff run and a second straight national championship, there’s another trophy on the line this weekend — one that’s been part of Buckeye history for nearly a century. When Ohio State faces Illinois in Champaign, the two programs will battle once again for the Illibuck, a symbol of tradition, pride, and Big Ten legacy.

The Illibuck is no ordinary trophy. It’s a carved wooden turtle, the second-oldest rivalry trophy in the Big Ten behind only the Little Brown Jug. The tradition began in 1924, born from the imaginations of two student honorary societies: Bucket and Dipper from Ohio State and Atius-Sachem from Illinois. Originally, the trophy wasn’t wooden at all — it was a live turtle, chosen for its longevity as a symbol of how long the rivalry would endure.

Unfortunately, the original Illibuck didn’t make it long. The turtle died in 1926, leading to the creation of a wooden replica that continues to this day. Since then, ten wooden Illibucks have been carved, each bearing the engraved scores of every game between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Illini. The current version, Illibuck XI, was crafted by Columbus-area woodcarver Ted Scherer, keeping the legacy alive for a new generation of Buckeyes and Illini.

For decades, the rivalry carried deep pageantry. Members of both student groups once met at halftime to smoke a “peace pipe” as a gesture of sportsmanship between the two schools. Though that practice ended long ago, the tradition of passing the Illibuck trophy remains. Today, the societies present the wooden turtle to the winning school of the previous year’s matchup between quarters of the game.

The rivalry itself dates back more than a hundred years, and while it’s been a fierce series, Ohio State has dominated much of the modern era. Since the Illibuck trophy’s inception, the Buckeyes hold a commanding 68–30–4 record over Illinois. Ohio State hasn’t lost to the Illini since 2007, when an unranked Illinois squad shocked the No. 1 Buckeyes 28–21 in the Horseshoe. Since then, the Buckeyes have won every Illibuck meeting in convincing fashion.

The last time the two programs met was in 2017, when Ryan Day was still an assistant coach for Ohio State. The Buckeyes rolled to a 52–14 victory in Columbus, once again hoisting the wooden turtle. The rivalry has seen interruptions over the years — most notably in 2020, when the scheduled matchup was canceled due to COVID-19 — but with the Big Ten’s new schedule format removing divisions, the two teams will now meet at least twice every five years.

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Despite the historical lopsidedness, the Illibuck remains one of the most unique trophies in college football. It stands as a reminder of the deep roots of Midwestern football, where student pride and regional bragging rights once meant as much as national championships do today. For Ohio State, the Illibuck is more than a turtle — it’s a timeless piece of Buckeye tradition, representing nearly a century of competition, dominance, and respect between two founding Big Ten programs.

The Buckeyes (5–0) and Fighting Illini (5–1) are set to kick off at noon Eastern (11 a.m. local time) on Oct. 11. Fans can follow along with full live game coverage and analysis on The OHIO Podcast by joining their Patreon Page for exclusive Buckeye content, insights, and in-depth discussion of the Illibuck showdown.