Minnesota and Wisconsin’s battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe will always matter

Minnesota hosts Wisconsin on Saturday in the 134th meeting between the longtime rivals. The Gophers enter the showdown at 6-5 and the Badgers are 4-7. A neutral observer might question the importance of this year’s game. No matter how much the sport of college football changes, the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe will always be one of the most important games on the calendar.

When P.J. Fleck was hired by the Gophers in 2017, they had lost 13 straight games to the Badgers. He’s now 4-4 against Minnesota’s biggest rival, and he’s aiming to do something that hasn’t been in the series since the 1980s. The last time Minnesota beat Wisconsin four times within a five-year stretch was 1986 to 1990. A win this Saturday would mark the Gophers’ most success in the rivalry since Barry Alvarez was hired by Wisconsin in 1990.

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The Gophers entered the Iowa game on October 25 with a 5-2 record. After getting blown out 41-3, they’ve lost three out of their last four games, and they’re limping into the final week of the season. If they add a loss to Wisconsin to their 2025 resume, it would be hard to view this season as a success.

Gophers’ 2025 (with a loss to Wisconsin)

You never want to put the cart before the horse, but this game feels huge for Minnesota. A loss would make it hard for even the most optimistic Gophers fan to put a positive spin on this season.

When the Badgers started their season 2-6, there were serious questions about head coach Luke Fickell’s future with the program. Wisconsin’s AD Chris McIntosh announced on Nov. 6 that the school would retain him for another season, and they’ve quietly turned around their season.

Over the last three weeks, Wisconsin has home wins over No. 23 Washington and No. 21 Illinois, and it played a relatively competitive first half against No. 2 Indiana. Fickell was tasked with the hardest schedule in the country, according to ESPN’s FPI, and his team has steadily improved throughout the season.

Someone who doesn’t follow college football closely, or doesn’t consider themselves a fan of Wisconsin or Minnesota, might question the importance of this game. A 6-5 team playing a 4-7 team, why does it matter?

A win for the Gophers would give Fleck and his staff something to hang their hat on. A season that has fallen a bit off the rails could be saved by their most success against their biggest rival in nearly 30 years. A loss would give Fickell a winning record against Minnesota and provide Wisconsin with some serious momentum heading into the offseason, despite a disastrous start to 2025.

There’s always a storyline or narrative that will make this game interesting. As corporate executives continue to try and change college football in the worst ways possible, I can only plead that rivalries remain a core tenet of this great sport.