As the Arizona Athletic program began its weekend action, three Wildcat teams faced off against Arizona State for bragging rights and the upper hand in a rivalry which has pit the two schools against each other since 1899.

The oldest rivalry in the NCAA got a facelift with the start of the 2009-10 season. Sponsor State Farm Insurance Agency began the State Farm Territorial Cup Series Trophy, a series of 18 athletic competitions between ASU and the UA.

The term “”Territorial Cup”” had long been limited to play on the gridiron. However, with this new system, each sport will be worth one point. When one of the universities reaches a total of 9.5 points, the school to be crowned the winner. There are 17 sports contending to earn points, and the winner of each point will be determined by a singular head-to-head game, the Pacific 10 Conference Championship results or all head-to-head games, depending on the sport.

In an event of a tie, half a point will be awarded to each school.

Although the football matchup between the Wildcats and the Sun Devils will no longer be the game of importance only in terms of the bragging rights of the territory, it still has some pull. In the event of a tie, the university that wins the Territorial Cup football game and the university with the higher finish in the Director’s Cup Standings will be the determining factors.

The trophy

• The original Territorial Cup is still in use today, making it the oldest award given for a rivalry game, as certified by the NCAA.

• The makers of the trophy, Reed and Barton, originally listed the worth of the trophy as $20 in their 1910 catalogue. It is worth $439.89 in 2007 dollars.

• The new design of the State Farm Territorial Cup Series Trophy will also be manufactured by Reed and Barton and will incorporate an updated version of the original trophy mounted on a base that will feature all the sports in which the UA and ASU compete. The trophy is set to be revealed this spring.

— Source: territorialcupseries.com