College Football: 5 best small-school rivalries of all time
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College football small-school rivalry No. 1: DePauw vs Wabash
The top game on our list comes from the ranks of Division III and maybe the thing that’s made it most famous over the years is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Monon Bell Classic between DePauw and Wabash, and the aptly named “Monon Bell Classic”.
That trophy, of course, is the Monon Bell, which is a 300-pound locomotive bell from the Monon railroad. The two teams have played for the trophy since 1932.
DePauw and Wabash are two schools that are 27 miles apart in the state of Indiana and they have played each other every year since 1911, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Even though it’s a Division III game, it’s gotten plenty of national publicity and is generally broadcast each year and in the past has been on ABC, ESPN2, and Fox Sports.
In addition to playing for the Monon Bell, there have been several heists and attempted heists of the bell from each other over the years, which is just another reason it deserves recognition as one of college football’s best small-school rivalries.
Next. 45 Best College Football Rivalries of All Time. dark