Your Voice: Ditch the Trophy and Award a Cy-Hawk Cup

If anything can be learned from , it is Iowans' intense passion for college football, and how hard it can be to establish a new icon in the present day. 

Officials from the Iowa Corn Growers Association took the criticism to heart for the trophy  and are asking fans to offer suggestions and help choose a new trophy. 

Here is what one fan thinks should be awarded to the winner of the Iowa-Iowa State football game — a cup. Let us know what you think of his suggestion, offer your own ideas by commenting below or emailing us, or vote in .

"Something rarely used in college football as a trophy is a cup. This is particularly significant to this rivalry because Iowa State's nickname is the Cyclones.

I would have a cup created much like you would find as the reward in European soccer tournaments. A quality size (the rivalry is significant and important; however, this is not the national championship, so let's find a nice middle ground), that is shaped like a cup with one significant difference.

I suggest natural ridges/ripples in the cup that inspire the image of a cyclone. For the handles of the cup, I suggest two golden Hawkeyes, with their sharp, proud beaks connecting the top, and their talons connecting further down towards the base.

The wings would be arched straight behind the bird as a predatory bird appears when swooping down to pounce on prey that can be found on the ground. The base of the trophy would be a solid place for the rivalry game records, or you could try something like the Indy 500 trophy or the Stanley Cup, and find out what it might look like with the scores etched on the Cyclone/Cup.

If corn is an important part of Iowan society that should be attached to the trophy. I suggest that the trophy be presented with corn in the cup like the Orange Bowl. Feel free to tweak the design, but I believe this is a solid place to start."

— Harrison Clifford