  the michiganâminnesota football rivalry is an american college football rivalry between the michigan wolverines football team of the university of michigan and minnesota golden gophers football team of the university of minnesota. the little brown jug is an earthenware jug that serves as a trophy awarded to the winner of the game. it is one of the oldest and most played rivalries in american college football, dating to 1892. the little brown jug is the most regularly exchanged rivalry trophy in college football, and the second oldest rivalry trophy overall, next to the 1899 territorial cup (which did not become a travelling/exchange trophy until 2001). contested between arizona and arizona state (which did not become a four year college until 1925). both universities are founding members of the big ten conference. as a result of the big ten not playing a complete round-robin schedule, michigan and minnesota occasionally did not play. in 2011, with the conference's initiation of divisional play, michigan and minnesota were both placed in the big ten's legends division under the new two-division alignment. however, when the conference expanded again three years later, the teams were split into opposite divisions (michigan in the east, minnesota in the west). the conference stated there will be only one protected crossover matchup under the new alignment, indiana vs. purdue for the old oaken bucket, meaning the rivalry will not be contested every year.{{cite website | title="report: u-m, msu to play in big ten 'east'" | url = http://www.foxsportsdetroit.com/colle
College_football_rivalries_in_the_United_States Michigan_Wolverines_football Minnesota_Golden_Gophers_football