![\"SDSU](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SUT-L-azfoot-1023-02.jpg\")
SDSU cornerback Darren Hall (23) drinks from the Old Oil Can after the Azttecs\u2019 2019 victory over Fresno St. Photo by Chadd Cady, The San Diego Union-Tribune<\/p>\nFlat-screen TVs in the San Diego State football office and players\u2019 lounge began playing a hype video two weeks ago on a continuous loop.<\/p>\n
The video features highlights of SDSU scoring touchdowns and making tackles in various games against Fresno State over the past decade. Sprinkled in among the game action are a dozen shots of The Old Oil Can, the traveling trophy that represents a rivalry that dates back more than a century.<\/p>\n
Midway through all the quick cuts, the screen goes blank but for the words \u201cBeat The Team Up North,\u201d a statement repeated at the end of the presentation as well.<\/p>\n
The video replays every 90 seconds. That means it plays 960 times a day. It will have been played more than 10,000 times by the time the Aztecs leave Friday afternoon for Saturday\u2019s game in Fresno.<\/p>\n
Talk about getting in some reps.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think rivalry games are different,\u201d SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. \u201cI\u2019ll never say that it\u2019s just another week. It\u2019s not. Anytime that there\u2019s a trophy and a history around that trophy, that means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
SDSU has played the Bulldogs more than any other opponent, and the Aztecs lead the all-time series 31-27-4. They beat Fresno State the last time the teams met on the field, winning 33-18 for a season-ending victory in 2023 at Snapdragon Stadium. The Bulldogs handed SDSU a gut-wrenching loss a year earlier at Valley Children\u2019s Stadium, scoring two touchdowns in the final 69 seconds for a 32-28 win.<\/p>\n
From virtually the moment he was hired, Lewis embraced the rivalry with the Bulldogs and the trophy that goes with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s written within the fabric of the program,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWe\u2019ve put our own style and personality in our brand to this proud program. But, to me, it\u2019s the traditions, the pageantry, the rivalries, that make programs in college football unique. When you show up to a spot, you embrace that wholeheartedly.\u201d<\/p>\n
SDSU cornerback Darren Hall (23) drinks from the Old Oil Can after the Azttecs\u2019 2019 victory over Fresno St. Photo by Chadd Cady, The San Diego Union-Tribune<\/p>\n
Lewis is all in on this one, so much so that players and coaches aren\u2019t allowed to say Fresno State or the nickname Bulldogs when discussing their opponent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a swear jar for it if you say that F-word or use the B-word this week,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cIt\u2019s a work week and it\u2019s The Team Up North. There\u2019s no other way around it. Words matter. \u2026 We don\u2019t use their name. It\u2019s the Oil Can Game against The Team Up North.\u201d<\/p>\n
SDSU (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) is a 3-point favorite against Fresno State (5-2, 2-1) in its bid to retain The Old Oil Can. The trophy is displayed in SDSU\u2019s locker room as an ever-present reminder for the Aztecs. It has moved about the building this week, to the weight room during lifts, as well as out to the practice field, where a staffer held it for players to tap as they took the field.<\/p>\n
![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/OilCan1.jpg\")
San Diego State linebacker Tano Letuli approaches The Old Oil Can Trophy on Wednesday as he walks down to the SDSU practice field. (Kirk Kenney \/ San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
The SDSU-Fresno State\u00a0rivalry dates to 1923, when the Aztecs claimed a 12-2 victory over the Bulldogs. Results from each of the 62 games between the teams are recorded on the oil can.<\/p>\n
Why an oil can?<\/p>\n
The SDSU and Fresno State alumni associations held a contest in 2011 to create a trophy that would represent the rivalry. Among the 65 submissions was one that detailed the discovery of a 1930s-era oil can from Fresno that was supposedly uncovered at SDSU during an on-campus building project.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe oil can likely came from a time when Aztec and Bulldog fans traveled to football games between the two schools via the old, twisting, precipitous Grapevine section of Highway 99 over Tejon Pass,\u201d Fresno State Alumni Association executive director Jacquelyn K. Glasener explained at the time.<\/p>\n
An antique oil can was purchased to create the trophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWaking up and coming to the building early in the morning, being able to see that oil can means a lot to us,\u201d SDSU senior center Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want that going anywhere. This rivalry means a lot to me. Being here all five years of my college career, it\u2019s always a big game when we play The Team Up North.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand the history of the oil can,\u201d SDSU sophomore linebacker Owen Chambliss added. \u201cWe just want to keep it in-house and make sure we\u2019re representing the past Aztecs well for what they fought for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis ratcheted up the rivalry virtually the moment he was hired here two years ago, even then using \u201cThe Team Up North\u201d in place of Fresno State. The phrase was originally coined by Ohio State coach Woody Hayes to avoid the word \u201cMichigan\u201d passing from his lips.<\/p>\n
Lewis, a tight end at Wisconsin from 2004-07, traces his appreciation for rivalries to his Big Ten roots. Wikipedia lists 101 college football rivalry games that include some kind of trophy. It seems like half of them involve Big Ten teams (oddly enough, there isn\u2019t one for Michigan-Ohio State).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s the Land of Lincoln Trophy (Illinois-Northwestern), Illibuck (Illinois-Ohio State), Purdue Cannon (Illinois-Purdue), Old Brass Spittoon (Indiana-Michigan State), Old Oaken Bucket (Indiana-Purdue), Floyd of Rosedale (Iowa-Minnesota), Paul Bunyan Trophy (Michigan-Michigan State), Little Brown Jug (Michigan-Minnesota), George Jewitt Trophy (Michigan-Northwestern), Land Grant Trophy (Michigan State-Penn State), Governor\u2019s Victory Bell (Minnesota-Penn State), Heartland Trophy (Iowa-Wisconsin), Paul Bunyan\u2019s Axe (Minnesota-Wisconsin).<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Paul Bunyan axe was really cool, and it stayed in our locker room for four straight years,\u201d Lewis bragged. \u201cRivalries have always been a big deal, and they\u2019re amplified with the experiences that I\u2019ve had. I don\u2019t shy away from that. Never have, never will.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for The Old Oil Can, Lewis said: \u201cEvery day matters. Twelve days count. That one means a little more. It\u2019s just the way that it is. I know that\u2019s the reality of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why any day that we have full pads on, we have The Old Oil Can period, where there\u2019s a winner and there\u2019s a loser,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThat thing is top of mind for us every single day, and there is something that we do within our program almost every single day that is a reminder to our guys that that game means more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fresno State is the only rivalry trophy SDSU has with an opponent. The Bulldogs also play for the Valley Trophy with San Jose State and the Milk Can with Boise State. It seems like the Aztecs should to get something started with Boise State, especially with both teams moving to the reconstituted Pac-12 next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat decision is way above my head,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWhen coaches try to get it going, it usually doesn\u2019t last. It\u2019s probably worth spitballing. It\u2019s probably worth seeing how we could organically generate something as we go.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad that our partners in this one are coming with us (Fresno State also is joining the new Pac-12) and we\u2019ll be able to sustain that because last year felt a little incomplete not having a rivalry game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of The Team Up North, how is Fresno State referring to SDSU?<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t know, don\u2019t care,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/OilCAn2.jpg\")
The Old Oil Can Trophy on the sideline during Wednesday\u2019s workout on the SDSU practice field. (Kirk Kenney \/ San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
In his Monday meeting with the media, Fresno State coach Matt Entz made it obvious within moments of sitting down: \u201cGreat opportunity this week, play a really good football team, San Diego State. In my opinion, the best team we played since, probably, Kansas. Have a ton of respect for what Coach Lewis has done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entz didn\u2019t say whether that respect extended to how Lewis refers to the Bulldogs. This much is known, Entz hasn\u2019t emphasized the rivalry nearly as much as The Team Down South.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked a little bit about the traveling trophy this morning,\u201d Entz said Monday. \u201cJust gave our guys a quick history about what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finding a filler phrase for a rival isn\u2019t new for Lewis. When he was head coach at Kent State, Lewis called the school\u2019s rival \u201cThe Team Down The Road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked who that was, Lewis didn\u2019t bite.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can Google it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
(Akron is the answer)<\/p>\n
What if someone accidentally said the F-word? What would be the punishment?<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t come across someone who said it yet,\u201d Ulugalu-Maseuli said, \u201cso I\u2019m not too sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally Published: October 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Flat-screen TVs in the San Diego State football office and players\u2019 lounge began playing a hype video two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1327,181,74,76,75,305,127],"class_list":{"0":"post-19176","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-college-sports","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego-headlines","12":"tag-san-diego-news","13":"tag-sdsu-aztecs","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}