Saturday's football game against Duke is more than just a fight to finish out of last place in the ACC--it also involves a 55-year-old tradition.

Since 1913, the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils have duked it out, but it took two head cheerleaders in the '40s to give the battle a prize, the "Victory Bell."

Right now, the old train bell lives in the Kenan Football Center. It's been there for 13 years, and some players see it as a permanent fixture in the locker room.

Team captain Jeb Terry said,"A lot of the guys take the bell for granted. When you first get here you think it's always here. It's just the victory; it's the bell in the locker room. We ring it all the time when we get excited in the locker room, messing around, someone will go and ring the bell, and we'll all get excited."

But Carolina's true freshmen seem to know the importance of a win against Duke.

Coach John Bunting knows the team has to work hard to keep the bell.

He said, "Isaiah Thomas reminded me that he already knows about the bell, and he was guaranteeing that we'd get that back. I said, 'That's terrific that you're guaranteeing me that, but we've got a long, long ways to go to make that happen.'"

Although the Victory Bell has been painted Carolina Blue for most of the rivalry, Duke nearly snatched it last year.

The placekicker who made the game-winning Carolina field goal said he's willing to preserve that victory.

"I want to keep it here for as long as I can," said Dan Orner. "And if I have the opportunity to help the team out, I want to do it as best I can and fortunately enough, I was able to help and keep the Victory Bell there at Carolina."

UNC fans hope Orner and the Heels take that dedication to the field and make sure the bell stays safe for another year.