Commonwealth Cup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Virginia Tech cheerleaders welcome the Virginia football team to Lane Stadium as the teams prepare for the 2004 battle for the Commonwealth Cup

The Virginia and Virginia Tech teams meet after the 2006 battle for the Commonwealth Cup.

The Commonwealth Cup is a football game played between the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Typically, this series is played on a Saturday close to Thanksgiving and the winner has bragging rights in football for the next year. The trophy is an important component of the greater Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry. Though the two schools first met in 1895 and have played annually since 1970, the Cup is a relatively new tradition, beginning in 1996. Currently, Virginia Tech holds the cup, having won the 2007 matchup by the score of 33-21. The Commonwealth Cup trophy itself is four feet high and contains the scores of all of the games in the Virginia-Virginia Tech series.^[1]

Virginia Tech leads the all-time series between the schools 47-37-5, and the Cup series 9-3. Despite the two teams only recently being part of the same conference, Virginia Tech has matched up against Virginia more times than any other opponent in its history and Virginia has played Virginia Tech more than any other opponent except for the University of North Carolina (South's Oldest Rivalry).

[edit] Trophy

The trophy awarded to the winner of the Commonwealth Cup game is also referred to as the Commonwealth Cup, and was created in 1996. Constructed of marble and cherry wood, the Cup stands four feet tall and is capped by a silver-plated cup. The cup is engraved with the names of the two schools and is mounted atop a trapezoidal base that makes up most of the trophy's length. The results of every Virginia-Virginia Tech football game are engraved on the sides of the base, and the front of the base features a stylized map of Virginia with Blacksburg and Charlottesville represented by stars on the map.^[2]

[edit] All-Time Results

Virginia victories shaded in ██ navy blue. Virginia Tech victories are shaded ██ maroon. Ties are shaded ██ gray.

[edit] Significant games

In 2004, the battle for the Commonwealth Cup took on a new significance as the two teams were now both members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Not only did the game count for bragging rights within the state, but it also would have an effect on the ACC title. Both teams entered the 2004 match-up able to clinch a share of the ACC championship with a win. Ultimately, Virginia Tech would prevail and go on to win the ACC outright in their first year in the conference.

The 2007 showdown between the two teams in Charlottesville decided who would represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game, both came in ranked nationally, Virginia Tech at #8 and Virginia at #16. Ultimately, Virginia Tech prevailed 33-21 and would go on to beat Boston College, ACC Atlantic Division Champions, for the ACC Championship.

[edit] See also

• Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry
• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

[edit] References

1. ^ hokiesports.com
2. ^ Hokiesports.com Commonwealth Cup Trophy Accessed October 12, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Official VT Athletics Site
• Official UVA Athletics Site