There’s something so beautiful about it.

Several feet tall, 76.2 pounds, and a whole lot of grandeur. That’s what Penn State football should be competing for this weekend.

Penn State football has no rivalries and no rivals. The Big Ten wasn’t wrong in seeing to it the Nittany Lions had no protected rivalries since nobody really cares about Penn State, and Penn State really cares about nobody — at least to a level of a “rivalry.” Regardless, it hurt losing the chance to play for the Land-Grant Trophy this year.

Folks have mixed feelings about the trophy considered one of college football’s “ugliest” to the Neanderthal mind. To those of us at Onward State, it’s clearly a blessing on God’s green earth (and turf).

This year, 2024, stings. For the first time since 2013, Penn State will not play Michigan State for the Land-Grant Trophy.

Perhaps, we took playing for the Land-Grant Trophy for granted. Like clockwork, Penn State played Michigan State at the end of the regular season. We weren’t rivals, per se. Penn State doesn’t look down on Michigan State like it does Rutgers and Maryland, and we don’t have the same issues with the Spartans as we do with Ohio State and Michigan.

That’s what’s made playing for the Land-Grant Trophy so special. It was something we could all bond over, regardless of school affiliation. There was something that brought together two otherwise somewhat random schools. Other than playing in the same conference, what do Michigan State and Penn State have in common?

The Land-Grant Trophy reminds us of what we have in common. Both of our schools are land-grant institutions — the first two land-grant institutions, in fact. We both take immense pride in our schools and our football teams, even if Penn State takes a bit more pride to the tune of 32,000 home fans on Saturdays.

And, of course, the Land-Grant Trophy reminds us that we share this son-of-a-bitch block of wood that we compete over for no reason other than pride and tradition. The Land-Grant Trophy is the best part of college athletics. There is no reason for Penn State and Michigan State to have a trophy, but we do. This year, without the Land-Grant Trophy, something feels missing.

We can’t fill that void left by the trophy. However, we can acknowledge and be thankful for the blessings it’s given each of us.

So, here’s to the Land-Grant Trophy. May we relish in its return for the 2025 college football season when the Nittany Lions and the Spartans return to a shared field to their “fierce rivalry.” For now, let’s remember all the Land-Grant Trophy has given us and appreciate what is to come.