This Trophy Dash Was Decided in September : COLLEGE PRIZES

For some, the past 10 weeks of the college football season have been an anticlimax. After all, once Minnesota-Duluth topped Wisconsin-Superior to gain possession of the Gertie the Goose Trophy in early September, what else was left?

Gertie the Goose qualifies as one of the weirder prizes of any intercollegiate rivalry. But it barely edges out Floyd of Rosedale, a bronzed pig; the Broomhead Trophy; and the Bronze Turkey. Coast Guard defeated Norwich to gain something called the Mug but fell to RPI to lose the Shot Glass; shore leave wasn’t as wild as usual this year.

This weekend, as every fan knows, several crucials are scheduled, the biggest being Mississippi vs. Mississippi State for the Golden Egg (these two put a lot of eggs up on the scoreboard). But if you’ve felt like something was missing this year, it’s probably because Boston University and Northeastern did not meet this year for bragging rights to The Beanpot.

Elsewhere, USC won the Victory Bell, but NCAA officials are exploring rumors that quarterback Rodney Peete did not have the measles and was part of a sophisticated Caltech stunt directed against UCLA.

THE RANKINGS

Silly Prize Result 1. Gertie (Minn.-Duluth def. Wisc.-Sup.) 52-7 2. Bronze Turkey (Monmouth def. Knox.) 49-6) 3. Beanpot (Boston U.-Northeastern) Idle 4. Broomhead* (Rhode Island def. Brown) 17-10) 5. Floyd, Rosedale (Iowa def. Minn.) 31-22 6. Goat (Carleton def. St. Olaf) 25-7 7. Rag (Tulane vs. LSU) ** 8. Golden Egg (Miss. vs. Miss. St.) ** 9. Nickel (N. Dakota St. def. N. Dakota 34-27*** 10. Axe (Stanford tied Cal) 19-19

11. Old Oaken Bucket (Indiana def. Purdue, 52-7); 12. Bayou Bucket (Houston vs. Rice**);13. Apple Cup (Wash. St. def. Washington, 32-31); 14. Telephone (Iowa St. def. Missouri, 21-3); 15. Mug (Coast Guard def. Norwich, 41-20)

16. Bell Clapper (Oklahoma def. Okla. St., 31-28); 17. Victory Bell I (Measles def. UCLA, 31-22); 18. Victory Bell II (Cincinnati def. Miami (Ohio), 34-18); 19. Little Brown Jug (Michigan def. Minnesota, 22-7); 20. Shot Glass (RPI def. Coast Guard, 14-0).

*Named for a supporter named William Broomhead--really.

**Nov. 26.

***Cheapest prize of any college football rivalry.

WAY OFFSIDE: Seventeen seniors on Cal State Disneyland’s football team ditched the last practice, terming it “Senior Skip-Out Day” and angering Coach Gene Murphy. Could it be the start of a trend? Fullerton subsequently whipped Utah State, 23-13.

ILLEGAL PROCEDURE: The U.S. Naval Academy apologized to Yale for an incident in which a cheerleader was passed hand-to-hand through the stands by Middies at a football game.

THE PROS

This has been the Year of the Kicker in the pro Bottom Ten, from the incredible fake-field-goal rumble of Phoenix’s Al Del Greco on national television earlier this year to the old let-’em-block-the-field-goal trick touchdown staged by Luis Zendejas and the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday.

Pitt Bay also stands out. Not only has Harry (the Harried) Newsome set the single-season record for punts blocked (6), but he’s also within 3 of the career mark of 14--and he’s been getting knocked down for less than 4 seasons.

In addition, Mike Webster, the Steelers’ legendary l-o-n-g snapper, let one fly over Newsome’s head from the Pitt Bay 49, which Cleveland recovered at the 2. That’s a 47-yard hike, also believed to be a league record.

Meanwhile, the Packers (2-10) and Buccaneers (3-9) are sinking so low that there’s talk of combining Green Bay and Tampa Bay into one team that would be called Grampa Bay.

THE RANKINGS Swoon Conference*

Team, Record Last Loss Next Loss 1. Rams (0-3) 24-38, San Diego Denver 2. N.J. Jets (0-3) 6-9, Buffalo Miami Bay

*Record in November.

Bay Conference

Team, Record Last Loss Next Loss 1. Green Bay (2-10) 9-19, Detroit Chicago 2. Tampa Bay (3-9) 15-27, Chicago Atlantis 3. Pitt Bay (2-10) 7-27, Cleveland Kansas City 4. Alamo Bay (2-10) 24-38, Cincinnati Houston 5. Miami Bay 5-7) 3-6, Flutie N.J. Jets

AFC West Conference

Team, Record Last Loss Next Loss 1. Denver (6-6) 0-42,N. Orleans Rams 2. Irwindale (6-6) 6-12,Atlantis Seattle 3. Seattle (6-6) 24-27, K.C. Irwindale 4. Kansas City (3-8-1) Def. Seat.,27-24 Pitt Bay 5. San Diego (4-8) Def. Rams, 38-24 San Fr’isco

SPECIAL MONDAY NIGHT BOZ-BASHING: Bo Jackson, Irwindale (6-6) vs. Seattle (6-6).