There have been three Big Ten Championship Games in the last three years. The Wisconsin Badgers have played in (and won) two of them.
In the 2011 game, the Badgers beat Michigan State 42-39 in a thrilling contest that went back and forth in heart-stopping action. Quarterback Russell Wilson was the MVP of the game, as he threw three touchdown passes
In the 2012 contest, the Badgers destroyed Nebraska 70-31 as Wisconsin ran for a whopping 539 yards. Running back Montee Ball was the MVP, as he ran for 202 yards and had three touchdowns.
Current Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon had 216 yards rushing and one touchdown in that game on just nine carries.
The Badgers have a chance to get to their third championship game in four years if they can defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.
A win for the Badgers would let them keep Paul Bunyan's Axe for the 11th consecutive year—plus it would give Wisconsin the West Division title and a berth in the title game against Ohio State on December 6.
The last time the Badgers had this much on the line versus the Gophers was in 1962, when the two teams also met at Camp Randall. The winner would (of course) win Paul Bunyan's Axe and (more importantly) the Big Ten title and go to the Rose Bowl.
Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelwrote a great piece about that game earlier this week.
Winning the Axe was not a big deal back in those days, as senior end Pat Richter said when he reflected on the game played 52 years ago.
"None of those things ever came to our attention," Richter said.
The former athletic director of the Badgers said the game was about one thing.
"It came down to us winning the game and going to the Rose Bowl," Richter said.
Wisconsin was the No. 3 team in the country that day as it met No. 5 Minnesota. The Badgers won 14-9 in a very hard-fought battle.
The win gave the Badgers a trip to Pasadena to play USC. The 1963 Rose Bowl is considered one of the very best bowl games of all time, as the Badgers lost 42-37 to the Trojans.
The Badgers scored 23 unanswered points in the the final quarter of the game.
Winning Paul Bunyan's Axe has become more visible in the past couple of decades when the Badgers and Gophers play—certainly since Barry Alvarez arrived in Madison in 1990.
The series for the Axe started in 1948. The Badgers currently have a 39-24-3 advantage in the series.
In addition, no two teams in the FBS have ever played more. The series between the two teams started in 1890 and—with the exception of 1906—they have played every year since then. In the overall series, the Gophers hold a 59-56-8 edge over the Badgers.
Head coach Gary Andersen of the Badgers knows how important winning the Axe is, as he talked about that last year in a press conference via uwbadgers.com:
The first day I was here, Coach [Barry] Alvarez walked me through and I saw the Axe sitting in the trophy case. It doesn't take too long to realize how important it is.
As we all know, in rivalries like this, it's a one-game championship. It's three hours and whatever minutes it takes to get it done.
The game on Saturday is definitely more about winning the Axe. It's about getting a chance to win the Big Ten title.
The winner of the game between the 9-2 Badgers and the 8-3 Gophers will get that opportunity against Ohio State.
The Badgers have the 18th-ranked offense in the FBS and have the second-best defense in the country.
The offense is led by Gordon, who is having a possible Heisman Trophy-winning season. Gordon has rushed for 2,109 yards (which is No. 1 in the country) and 25 touchdowns. No. 25 also has 15 receptions for 147 yards and two more scores.
The Badgers are using a two-quarterback system offensively (although Joel Stave has been getting most of the playing time recently). Stave has thrown for 827 yards with six touchdown passes versus four picks.
Tanner McEvoy is used at quarterback most often in running situations, as he has run for 560 yards and six touchdowns.
Overall, Wisconsin is ranked second in the FBS in running the football.
Defensively, the Badgers are led by a very active group of linebackers. The list includes Vince Biegel, Joe Schobert, Derek Landisch and Marcus Trotter. Landisch leads the team with eight sacks, while Biegel has six.
Kicker Rafael Gaglianone is ranked 15th in the country in field goal percentage, as he has made 15 out of 18 kicks.
Minnesota is only ranked 95th in the FBS in offense and and 33rd in defense. That gives testament to the excellent job done by head coach Jerry Kill and his staff.
The offense is led by running back David Cobb, who has rushed for 1,430 yards and 12 touchdowns. Cobb is questionable for the Wisconsin game due to a hamstring injury.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner is also a fine runner, as he has 408 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. He has also thrown for 1,445 yards with 10 touchdown passes versus eight interceptions.
Defensively, the Gophers are second in the Big Ten with 27 forced turnovers. They also have a turnover margin of plus-11.
Defensive back BrieanBoddy-Calhoun leads the team with four interceptions. He also leads in passes defended (11) and is tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (two).
The Gophers are also very good—for the most part—on special teams. JalenMyrick leads the Big Ten in kickoff returns with a 27.3-yard average. Punter Peter Mortell (originally from Green Bay) leads the Big Ten in punting with a 44.8-yard average.
Minnesota also has very good coverage units on kickoffs and punts.
The weak point for the Gophers on special teams is their kicking game. Ryan Santoso has made only 10 of 16 field-goal attempts. He has missed four of his last six attempts.
Bottom line: The game on Saturday will be very big for a couple of reasons.
Yes, the winner will get Paul Bunyan's Axe, but the game means a lot more than that.
The winner gets a chance to win the Big Ten championship.
Wisconsin has won nine Big Ten titles since 1952, including three straight from 2010-2012. A win on Saturday will give Andersen a chance to claim his first (in just his second year on the job as head coach).
Minnesota has only won two Big Ten titles since 1960, with the last one happening way back in 1967. The 1960 Minnesota team also won the National Championship.
Winning the Axe will be nice, but having the opportunity to win the Big Ten championship is even better.
I'm sure Paul Bunyan would even agree.
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