Fiesta Bowl 2012: Why Ugly Trophy Is a Travesty for Respected Bowl

When the current Fiesta Bowl trophy was designed in 2002, the organizers went for an outlandish look unlike anything college football fans had seen before. Even though they accomplished that goal, the extra frills ended up turning it into one of the most ugly trophies awarded during bowl season.

To say they went over the top would be a monster understatement. According to the Fiesta Bowl's official website, the piece is decorated with sterling silver, 18-karat gold, diamonds and is lit through an LED system.

Individually, the pieces aren't all that bad. When you put them together, however, the trophy looks like a kid's art project that was done at the last minute with objects just thrown together based on what he had in the house.

It's an example of uniqueness trumping common sense. The line between awesome and insane is a thin one, but I'd say the Fiesta Bowl ended up on the wrong end of this one.

That's especially true when you consider how prestigious the bowl game has become. It's one of the most important games of the season and, as a part of the BCS, regularly features some of the nation's elite programs.

Usually when that's the case, tradition is the name of the game. There's something to be said for attempting to take a home a trophy which has been around for decades.

Instead, Stanford and Oklahoma State are forced to battle for a multi-level, multi-color monstrosity. It will certainly stand out in the trophy case of the winner to say the least, just not in the way they would be hoping for.

Hopefully, the next time the Fiesta Bowl officials go back to the drawing board on a trophy design, they are able to figure out a better way to spread out the massive amount of cash they lay down to create it.

It can't be much worse than the current version at least.