Camping World Bowl Game Will Not Feature Schwartzwalder Trophy

West Virginia and Syracuse might have a sordid past as Big East rivals, but you’d never know it by what’s not  at stake in this month’s upcoming Camping World Bowl.

Mountaineer fans are just over two weeks away from a see-your-old-ex-girlfriend-at-your-high-school-reunion Bowl matchup with former rival Syracuse. Plenty of WVU fans are looking forward to another bout with the Orange — the first since the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl, mind you — but unfortunately, the rivalry’s chief prize won’t be up for grabs.

Official: Schwartzwalder Trophy NOT at stake in Camping World Bowl.

— Nate Mink (@MinkNate) December 2, 2018

Historically, West Virginia and Syracuse have contended for the Schwartzwalder trophy. The trophy was injected into the rivalry in 1993, after the death of former West Virginia player and eventual Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Syracuse leads the overall series 33-27, but West Virginia holds an edge in trophy games, 11-8. West Virginia’s run includes an eight-year stretch from 2002-09 where the Mountaineers never lost to the Orange. (You might remember that the Mountaineers had some awfully good players during the 2000s.)

As was the case in 2012, the Schwartzwalder trophy will not be on the line against our old friends in the north. However, something else is: Dana Holgorsen is 0-2 against Syracuse, and the Mountaineers have now dropped their last three to ‘Cuse overall.

Trophy or not, that alone should be plenty of motivation for West Virginia.