The Bayou Bucket is getting a makeover.

The 44-year-old trophy will have a new look when it is presented Sept. 1 to the winner of the crosstown rivalry between Rice and the University of Houston, Touchdown Club of Houston executive director Neal Farmer said.

“It’s been around since the 70s, so it’s pretty beat up,” Farmer said. “It’s already ugly to start with.”

How much of a makeover will depend on cost. The original cost of the trophy was $179.20 in 1974.

“Cost will be the main factor,” Farmer said.

Farmer said the original brass bucket will remain intact. He said there is some ‘structural integrity’ with some of the wooden parts that need to be fixed.

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“I’ve seen it after the game when it’s presented to the winning team immediately after the contest be dropped,” Farmer said. “I know there are some structural integrity questions about it.”

The Bayou Bucket is mounted on a wooden ornate base and stands between 2½ and 3 feet tall. Farmer said there is also discussion whether to keep the four antique football player figures on each corner and kicker in the middle or go with a modern look.

The scores of each game are engraved on two sides, although it has yet to updated from last year when the schools resumed the rivalry after a three-year hiatus.

Houston has won the Bayou Bucket 30 of 41 meetings since it was first awarded in 1974.

UH-Rice joins UCLA-Southern California as the only games in the nation that feature two FBS schools from the same city.