Stagg-Paterno Trophy on the left, Rose Bowl trophy on the right

And there you have it, the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy made it’s first public appearance today during the initial kickoff of the B1G Mobile Tour at the Big Ten offices in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Consider me a minimalist, but I’m a fan. The trophy, to be presented to the winner of the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game is essentially a modified replica of its Rose Bowl brethren. Dull. Unimaginative. Threadbare.

But who said football trophies should be creative anyways? The opportunity for creativity when it comes to combining a silver football with the corresponding platform it rests on is minimal at best. And we’ve all seen what can happen when you start designing ‘creative‘ football trophies.

Ugh. Throw a camel and some sheep in there and I think someone in Iowa is missing their nativity scene.

Frankly, we should all consider ourselves lucky that the Big Ten went with a simplistic, yet elegant version of a time-tested institution in light of the monstrosity the Iowa Corn Growers Association rolled out for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. An eyesore that lasted a little less than four days before cooler heads prevailed and the trophy tossed.

At the very least, the dull design of the Championship trophy should avoid ruffling any feathers. And at best, the design will serve as an fitting reflection of the conservative conference it represents.

Penn State fans will get a chance to to have their picture taken with the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy when Nebraska makes it’s Happy Valley debut as a conference foe on November 12th.