The oldest rivalry in college football has some added meaning this year, as the winner of the annual Paul Bunyan’s Axe game will get the right to play in the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State. No. 14 Wisconsin hosts No. 18 Minnesota at Camp Randall Stadium for the 124th meeting in this border battle. This is the first time the game will decide a conference race since 1962 and the first time since 2005 that both teams are ranked in both polls.
How to watch Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe is also the battle for the Big Ten West Division title this year.
The Badgers have rattled off six straight victories since inexplicably losing to Northwestern in October. Last week they won a nail biter over Iowa and the week before they set all sorts of records in a dominating victory over Nebraska.
Minnesota is coming off of a win over Nebraska themselves, and have some momentum heading into Madison. The only losses on the docket for the Gophers are at TCU, at Ohio State and at Illinois. Besides the last one, the Gophers have an impressive resume.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Wisconsin radio affiliates and Minnesota radio affiliates.
Online streaming: BTN2GO
Our blogs on these schools
The numbers
Rankings and records: Wisconsin is ranked No. 14 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. Minnesota is ranked No. 22 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. The Badgers have a record of 9-2 and 6-1 in the Big Ten, while the Gophers have a record of 8-3 and 5-2 in conference play.
Vegas: The Badgers opened as a 12.5-point favorite. The line is now 14.5 with an over/under 51.5, per Odds Shark.
Weather forecast: A brisk 30-degree day, with partly cloudy skies and a 20-percent chance of precipitation await the best the B1G West has to offer.
Two things at stake
Paul Bunyan’s Axe, which Wisconsin has won for 10 years straight.
The Big Ten West title and the right to face Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. This is a big game, y’all.
One big matchup
Melvin Gordon vs. Minnesota's defense: Sometimes it's best not to think too hard about matchups. This is clearly the most important matchup of the game and the winner here will most likely be the winner on the scoreboard as well. Gordon is one of the most electrifying men in college football and will be extremely difficult for the Gophers to stop. He has 2,109 rushing yards, which leads the nation, and 25 rushing touchdowns, which -- you guessed it -- leads the nation.
The only team that has been able to hold him under 100 yards has been Western Illinois and they allowed Tanner McEvoy to throw for 283 yards, so you know they had nine guys in the box all game. Minnesota has allowed 154.6 yards per game on the ground, which is exceedingly average. In fact, it puts them right at seventh in the conference. Forcing the Badgers to throw is the only way to beat them, and if Minnesota can slow down Gordon they just might sneak out of Madison with a win, the Axe and a division title.
Further reading
If you need more news on the Gophers, head over to The Daily Gopher. If you’d like more info on the Badgers, Bucky’s 5th Quarter has it all.
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