The Holy Definite Article, seen here in Verdana.
The Traveling The is a trophy whose origins stem from the Ohio State vs. Purdue game on 11/12/2011, which Purdue won in overtime, 26-23. The joke at the time was that since Purdue had beaten 'The' Ohio State, they should take possession of the The until such time as Ohio State (now An Ohio State) was able to earn it back from them.
Over time during the offseason, the concept evolved into a Traveling The that any team could win, although (The) Purdue retained possession of the Holy Definite Article for the start of the 2012 season. Any team taking possession of the The is usually referred to as The (team) for the duration of their reign, unless the team is generally disliked (Notre Dame, USC, etc.).
Note also that the The does not recognize division lines; if Michigan had held the The at the time they were defeated by Appalachian State, for example, then the Mountaineers would have taken possession of the Holy Definite Article.
2012 Winners Of The Traveling The[]
- The Purdue (Week 1)
- The Notre Dame (Week 2)
- The Notre Dame (Week 3)