The battle for the axe has been a part of rivalry weekend for years now. In the next couple of years, Wisconsin-Iowa will take its place. Why? Well, Wisconsin-Minnesota hasn’t been a rivalry for the last 15 years. Badgers dominated Minnesota throughout those 15 years. It hasn’t been close. Michigan-Ohio State has a similar thing going but the difference is Michigan has been at Ohio State’s level for the last couple of years. Minnesota has only one 10 year season in the last 15 years. Coincidentally enough, that’s the last time Minnesota beats Wisconsin.

Jake Coan continues at quarterback – I’m really interested in Jack Coan tomorrow because he seems to be getting better each week. Purdue game featured some strong throws from Coan including two huge touchdowns in the fourth quarter to Danny Davis. It seems like he adding connections with his wide receivers which is a positive. Minnesota struggled a bit against the pass this season and maybe some early playaction might lead to some opportunities with the Gophers stacking the box against Jonathan Taylor.

Can the Badgers stop the pass? – One of the things that stood out to me last week was how Rondale Moore did whatever the fuck he wanted to the Badgers corners. Tyler Johnson is a stud. He is a great wide receiver for Minnesota. Johnson could give the Badgers hell this weekend. Granted, Tanner Morgan is not the quarterback that David Blough is for Purdue. Morgan has been decent replacing Zack Annexstad, yet I would be stunned if this redshirt freshman threw for over 250 yards.

The Jonathan Taylor encore – Taylor will finish his second season at Camp Randall on Saturday. Taylor rushed for 321 yards last week. Fatigue could be a factor, so, we may see more Garrett Groshek than we did last week yet Taylor should still eat versus the Gophers. They’re not a team well versed in stopping the run. Look for Taylor to have a big day on the ground.

Prediction: Wisconsin is an 11-point favorite. The first time they’ve been favored since the Northwestern game. That feels like too many points in a rivalry game where Minnesota has to win to get bowl eligible. Gophers defense has been strong since moving on from their defensive coordinator too. Defense allowed only 34 points in the last two games. This game is tight with Taylor breaking a big one late to put it on ice. Wisconsin 28 Minnesota 20

Charlie.