For 83 years, University of Illinois and Ohio State  have had a little tradition going on, known as the Illibuck. The Illibuck, named for a combination of the words Illini and Buckeyes, the mascots of the schools, is a competition held each fall.

The bet: which school will win the football game.

The prize: a turtle, the Illibuck.

Why a turtle? Well, in 1925, people from U of I and Ohio State decided to make the competition between our schools interesting by offering a turtle as the prize for whichever team claims victory in football. This prize began as a live turtle, which lived with the winning school, and this turtle was then shipped back and forth between states.

Yet, in 1927, the turtle died while having a sleepover at a fraternity house at U of I. So now, the Illibuck is really a piece of wood designed to look like a turtle that cannot be killed.

An honorary society from each school, Atius-Sachem at U of I, and Bucket and Dipper at Ohio State, send representatives to present last year’s winner with the Illibuck at halftime. In previous years, these representatives also smoked a peace pipe, but this has not been done for a while.

This game is happening on Saturday at U of I, and everyone around campus is wondering if once again, the Illini can beat Ohio State and claim the Illibuck for another year. Last year’s victory was a solid one for U of I, who doesn’t always have the most stable track record in football. Plus, it was really exciting on a personal level for me, since all my cousins from Cincinnati go to Ohio State and have been tormenting me about my choice to go to U of I. This victory really shut them up. It was amazing.

So, good luck, U of I! Let’s keep that Illibuck another year!