Paul Bunyan's Axe has lived in Minneapolis more often than not lately, and Wisconsin wants it back on its own turf when the rivalry closes out the season at Camp Randall.
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FRI NOV 27 · 6:30 PM CT
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Minnesota's chase for a fifth Axe win in six years runs through a rebuilt Wisconsin roster and a real question mark at quarterback. Drake Lindsey heads into his sophomore season as the guy in Minneapolis after throwing for 2,382 yards and 18 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2025 — exactly the kind of continuity Wisconsin doesn't have. The Badgers went out and grabbed Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph, a dual-threat playmaker who piled up 21 total touchdowns last year, but he's walking into a brand new group of skill players and an offense still trying to find itself under Luke Fickell in year 4.
Fickell survived a 4-8 season that included a fourth loss to Minnesota in five years, and Wisconsin answered with one of its biggest transfer portal hauls under his watch — 33 additions aimed at fixing exactly what sank 2025. Darius Taylor is back in the backfield for the Gophers after a quieter 670-yard season, and Minnesota's defense forced two interceptions from John Nestor alone plus a fumble recovery in last year's meeting. Nothing's been priced on this game yet this far out, but a rivalry finale with a coach on the hot seat tends to draw attention fast once markets open.
That's the tension here — Minnesota brings the better résumé and the guy who's already won the rivalry job, while Wisconsin brings the desperation of a program that needs this specific trophy back to justify the offseason spend. The Gophers finished 2025 at 8-5 and capped it with an overtime Rate Bowl win over New Mexico, validation for a program that's now quietly strung together back-to-back eight-win seasons under P.J. Fleck.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Wisconsin Badgers
Minnesota's form arrow has pointed up for two straight seasons while Wisconsin's has pointed the other way, and the head-to-head trend backs it up — the Gophers have taken the Axe in four of the last five meetings, including last year's 17-7 win in the snow that pushed Minnesota ahead in the all-time series for the first time in program history. That kind of series flip is rare in a rivalry this old, and it's a big reason Fickell's seat keeps getting mentioned every time this game comes up.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Wisconsin Badgers
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Neither roster is fully set this far out — Wisconsin's quarterback room alone has three newcomers competing for reps behind Joseph — so treat any name attached to a starting job in July as a placeholder. What won't change between now and kickoff is the stakes: Camp Randall hosting the last Big Ten weekend of the year, an axe that hasn't left Minneapolis in a while, and a Wisconsin fan base that's run out of patience for moral victories.
