Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

One team is playing at an elite level and it's not Minnesota. Speaking of ELITE, it looks to me like the gopher kids have quit on their self-promoting, loudmouth coach. The rowboat is sinking and fast. This team won 9 games last year, for God's sake.

BUT

This game is for the AXE and generally the records get thrown out. This is the Superbowl for Minnesota and they would love nothing more than to spoil Wisconsin's unbeaten season, like they did in 1993, as a far inferior team. A win would also make them 6-6 and eligible for a bowl game.

I'll have to keep up on the tea leaves this week as for where their heads are at. I will also pay close attention to UW's injury list because they have played two extremely physical games in the past two weeks.

On paper, Minnesota has no chance, because they are bringing a sinking rowboat to a game with a floating machine powered by 3 Cummins turbo diesels.

But games aren't played on paper.

I give you a ton of credit, Mr. Yao Ming (If you've met GR you'd get it).

You show up no matter what. Even at MH's house last year and that snow storm on Sunday.

Dood, you are the perfect example of a great fan. And a good friend too.

I imagine this will be fugly with Wisc winning by 35, trying to score committee style points.

I feel your pain man.  In one respect getting repeatedly crushed by Wisc.  this year's 17-9 loss was first by less than 3 scores since the year after I graduated from Purdue.

And the other, just the wads of awful awful football I've had to watch most of the last decade and kept going to the games.  After 5 d-1a wins in 4 years under Hazell, Brohm has had 5 this year and it's been worth the wait.  I must say from afar I've been perplexed at some of the antics and seemingly overall goal by Fleck to beat everyone's expectations into submission subtly.  Maybe he simply knew this wasn't a good squad this year.  It certainly is the opposite approach Brohm has taken but there is more than 1 way to cook the meal.  Looking back, it really seems like that late rally by Purdue vs Minn when we were outplayed for probably 58 mins of the game, was a turning point to the negative for Minn.

Regardless, being a longtime season ticket holder comes with high's and low's, nearly all lows the last decade, rewarded with lots of crazy, unexpected up's and down's this year, but ending with a Bucket game I am very excited for this weekend, where winner goes bowling and loser goes home.

After turning it on over the final 20 game minutes, Wisconsin can now focus on Ohio State, a Big Ten championship, and a likely College Football Playoff bid...assuming they can handle Minnesota again, as they have 13 consecutive times.  The Gophers ruined an undefeated season for the Badgers in 1993, and would like to do so again, however it seems unlikely.  The series hasn't just been one sided, the games themselves have been lopsided, with Minnesota failing to stay within single digits since 2009.  For Minnesota to have a shot, it seems like Wisconsin would have to get caught looking ahead.  While that is always possible, Wisconsin finished against Minnesota prior to 3 of their 4 Big Ten Championship Game appearances, and won those 3 games by an average of 17 points.  Minnesota broke out two weeks ago in an offensive explosion against what has become the worst defense in the Big Ten in Nebraska, but any hopes that they had finally figured things out were put to rest last week when they were held to 182 yards, and only 7 first downs, to 5 turnovers, in a shutout loss at Northwestern.  Demry Croft can be effective when Minnesota is making things happen on the ground, but when they don't, he is a huge liability.  Absolutely nothing is working against this monster Wisconsin defense right now, leading the conference in ypp allowed both on the ground (2.5 ypc) and through the air (5.4 ypa).  For their part, only Rutgers and Nebraska are surrendering more yards per carry than Minnesota.  So you want to beat Wisconsin, but you can't stop the run?  Good luck with that.  The question here isn't whether Wisconsin will win, but by how much.  It's almost impossible to imagine an undefeated Big Ten champion being left out of the playoffs, but to strengthen the resume, they may want to avoid the type of ugly win that the committee doesn't like.  It's a rivalry game, and I think Minnesota still has enough fight left in them to prevent getting their doors blown off.  Plus, considering the already mounting injury report, with Ohio State to follow, I wouldn't be surprised if Chryst starts pulling guys in the third quarter.
WISCONSIN 35, MINNESOTA 13

God help me, I actually like this


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