The Bowling Green–Toledo football rivalry is annual

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

rivalry game Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both ...

between

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

members

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

(BGSU) and the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

(UT). The universities are separated by about along

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

(I-75). The

Bowling Green Falcons The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Div ...

and

Toledo Rockets The Toledo Rockets are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Toledo. The Rockets compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The ...

have exchanged two traveling trophies; the Peace Pipe Trophy (1980–2010), and the Battle of I-75 Trophy (2011–present). Toledo currently leads the series 42-41-4.

History

The game is sometimes referred to as The Black Swamp Showdown and the Battle of I-75, as the cities of Toledo and

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

are both located on I-75, just apart, and in the Black Swamp area of Northwest Ohio.

Traveling trophies

Peace Pipe Trophy

In 1980, a scale-down replica was fashioned and placed on top of a trophy created by former UT football player Frank Kralik. The Peace Pipe Trophy is a miniature replica of an American Indian sacred

ceremonial pipe A ceremonial pipe is a particular type of smoking pipe, used by a number of cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas in their sacred ceremonies. Traditionally they are used to offer prayers in a religious ceremony, to make a ceremonial ...

, sitting atop a trophy with both football teams' logos. Kralik donated the trophy to the university to be given to the winner of each year's football game, which like many other

college football rivalries This is a list of List of sports rivalries, rivalry games in college football in the United States. The list also shows any trophy awarded to the winner of the rivalry between the teams. NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ...

is usually the last game of the regular season for both teams. Though the two schools play in different divisions in the

, they have yet to meet in the

MAC Championship Game The MAC Football Championship Game is a football game between the winners of the East and West divisions of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to determine the conference champion. History The game has been played since 1997, when the conferenc ...

. The awarding of the Peace Pipe Trophy was discontinued after the 2010 game. The schools agreed to change the trophy after conversations with members of the American Indian community. Taken into consideration was the spiritual symbolism of the

to the American Indian community, as well as the NCAA's push to remove inappropriate American Indian nicknames and symbols associated with member's athletic teams. The Peace Pipe Trophy will be permanently housed in the Toledo football trophy case as the Rockets won the last battle for the Peace Pipe in 2010.

Battle of I-75 Trophy

Beginning in 2011, the two schools started playing for the Battle of I-75 Trophy. Sponsored by Taylor Kia Automotive Group, it replaced the Peace Pipe Trophy. The Battle of I-75 Trophy was designed by Jeff Artz, who also designed the

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

(awarded to America's top college football wide receiver). Toledo leads 10–2.

Recent Toledo domination

Toledo won nine straight games from 2010 to 2018. The 2017 contest was, "a snoozer as they blew out the Falcons 66-37 before a crowd that barely dented the Doyt’s capacity. Coaches on both teams agreed, "the fiercest and most-heated rivalry in the Mid-American Conference has lost some luster, and that's probably because of the lopsidedness". In 2019, on the 100th anniversary of the rivalry, Toledo's streak ended as Bowling Green, a 26-point underdog, defeated the Rockets. The Falcons coached by first-year Head Coach Scot Loeffler dominated all game. Walk-on Grant Loy got his first career start at QB, rushing for 137 yards and a TD while throwing for another. The Falcons Defense led by Brandon Perce held the dominant Toledo offense to only 7 points as the Falcons won 20–7. Toledo resumed their winning ways in 2020 to continue to lead the overall series.

Notable games

2010: First primetime game

On November 17, 2010, Toledo and Bowling Green met for the first primetime game in series history. The game was held in Toledo and broadcast by ESPN2,

Dave Neal Dave Neal, son of Bob Neal and Melody Gadziala, is a two-time Emmy Award winning American sportscaster currently employed by ESPN. He has 2 sons, Sam and Lil Pete. He is from Atlanta, Georgia and attended Lakeside High School. Broadcast caree ...

and

Andre Ware Andre Trevor Ware (born July 31, 1968) is an American sports analyst and commentator and a former American football player. He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award winner as a quarterback for the University of Houston. He was t ...

on the call. Toledo Rockets came into the game with a 6–4 record on the season. The Bowling Green Falcons came into the game at 2–8 on the season. The game was the last time they play for the Peace Pipe Trophy due to conversations with members of the American Indian community. Taken into consideration was the spiritual symbolism of the

to the American Indian community, as well as the NCAA's push to remove inappropriate American Indian nicknames and symbols associated with member's athletic teams. Toledo defeated Bowling Green 33–14. The Rockets gained 537 yards and held the Falcons to 254 yards. Toledo forced five turnovers (three fumbles and two interceptions) in the game and gave up one interception. Toledo took a 26–7 lead at halftime. Then they only score fourteen points all together in the second half.

Game results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowling Green-Toledo football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Bowling Green Falcons football Toledo Rockets football 1919 establishments in Ohio