The Minnesota–Penn State football rivalry is an American college football

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between the

Minnesota Golden Gophers football The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its incept ...

team of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

and the Penn State Nittany Lions football team of Pennsylvania State University. The Governor's Victory Bell is awarded to the winner of the game.

History

The Governor's Victory Bell was first presented in 1993 to commemorate Penn State's entry into the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

, with their first league game coming against Minnesota. Penn State won the trophy during the first four matchups, Minnesota the next four, and Penn State the next four after that. In 2008, Penn State recorded the first shutout of the series when they beat Minnesota 20–0; the previous low score for each team was 3 for Minnesota in 1994 and 7 for Penn State in 2004. Minnesota won the matchup in 2013 with a 24–10 victory. In 2019, the #17 Gophers retook the Victory Bell by beating #4 Penn State 31-26. In 2010, after the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

joined the Big Ten as its 12th member, the conference was split into two divisions. Penn State and Minnesota were placed in different divisions and thus, beginning in 2011, the rivalry would be held only four times every ten years. In 2014, the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

and

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

joined the Big Ten and in 2016, the conference increased its schedule to nine games. Currently, the two schools will play each other at least twice during every six-year scheduling cycle. Penn State leads the series 10–6. In 2019, Both teams were undefeated with Penn State ranked #4 and Minnesota ranked #17. This was the first matchup in which both teams were ranked. The game went down to the wire and ended with a dramatic interception by the Gophers in their own end zone to win 31-26. In 2022, Penn State beat Minnesota easily in a White Out game, taking back the trophy with a score of 45-17.

Game results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minnesota-Penn State football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Minnesota Golden Gophers football Penn State Nittany Lions football Big Ten Conference rivalries

History

Game results

See also

References