Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with Paul Bunyan's Axe after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 37-15 at Camp Randall Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. ((Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - It doesn’t get any bigger than this.
University of Minnesota football coach PJ Fleck treats each week for the Gophers, each opponent, as a “1-week championship season.” That week-to-week mentality becomes real life this Saturday as the No. 8-ranked Gophers (10-1) host No. 12-ranked Wisconsin (9-2) at TCF Bank Stadium. The winner takes the Big Ten West title, and will meet Ohio State on Dec. 4 to decide the Big Ten Championship.
The game is a sellout, and ESPN’s College GameDay will be at Northrop Mall for a live broadcast Saturday morning. That’s right, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and Lee Corso will be in Minneapolis. Chris Fowler and Herbstreit will call the Gophers/Badgers game later in the afternoon.
Minnesota, like it was when it hosted then No. 4-ranked Penn State, will once again be in the national spotlight. Despite expected snow, wind and cool temperatures, thousands of fans are expected to descend on Dinkytown.
“I’d like to be able to have the largest crowd GameDay has ever seen. It’s program-changing, this is becoming a national program,” Fleck said Tuesday.
It’s not lost on Fleck or the players how big it is to have College GameDay come to Minneapolis. After the Gophers beat Maryland 52-10, Fleck made a nearly three-minute pitch post game to have the crew in town for the Penn State game. It was a longshot, with LSU playing Alabama that same Sunday.
But with the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on the line, and the winner claiming the Big Ten West title, there isn’t a bigger stage for the two rivals to play on. It’s another sign that the nation is paying attention to Gopher football, which hasn’t happened a lot recently. Fleck on Tuesday compared hosting GameDay to the Kentucky Derby and The Master’s.
Minneapolis will be ready. After all, it’s hosted the NCAA Basketball Final Four, the Super Bowl and south metro neighbor Chaska hosted the Ryder Cup.
It also helps that both teams did their part in winning last week to set up Saturday’s showdown. The Gophers made big plays against a depleted Northwestern team in a 38-22 win, while Wisconsin grounded and pounded its way to a 45-24 win over Purdue.
Minnesota/Wisconsin is one of the biggest rivalries in the Big Ten. If Badgers’ players have any difficulty getting up for the game, there’s a picture in their locker room of the Gophers celebrating at Camp Randall Stadium last year after a dominating 37-15 victory, the first for Minnesota in 14 years.
The Gophers have spent the past year parading Paul Bunyan’s Axe around the state. It’s been to weddings, anniversary parties and proudly displayed all over the Gophers’ facility. The plan is to keep it in Dinkytown after Saturday.
“Our state of Minnesota hadn’t seen the Axe for 15 years, I mean that’s like finding your long lost grandfather,” Fleck said. “That’s what rivalry trophies are and that’s why they’re so passionate. When Minnesota gets it, Minnesota gets to share it with whoever Minnesota wants to share it with. It’s Minnesota’s for that year, that’s what’s fun about rivalry trophies.”
Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan, a Kentucky native, gets a good view of the trophy every day in the Gophers’ practice facility. He had to learn about the rivalry when he first got on campus, but found out soon enough how the state embraces the program when it’s successful.
He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and his focus this week is on going “1-0 in the Wisconsin Championship season.” Do that, and the Gophers are headed to Indianapolis to face Ohio State for a Big Ten title.
“It’s something you dream about as a kid when you think about it. You’re in the backyard thinking alright this is 4th and 10 to go to the Big Ten Championship,” Morgan said. It’s a dream that you think about when you’re young. You want to play in big-time games, I think all good competitors do.”
It’s also going to be a bittersweet day for 12 Gophers seniors playing their final game at TCF Bank Stadium. Plymouth native and senior linebacker Thomas Barber is one of five Minnesota natives who will play their final home game. The others are Sam Renner, Tyler Johnson, Kamal Martin and Carter Coughlin.
They’re 10-1, ranked No. 8 in the country and haven’t lost at TCF Bank Stadium this year. It’s their time to show the nation what Gopher football is.
“We’ve talked about it. We said this is what we came here for, to bring this type of attention to Minnesota. We’re all proud that we’re able to be part of it, now we’ve got to out there and show what we can do,” Barber said.
Fleck made it very clear that Saturday’s result will not define the Gophers. They’ve won 10 games for the first time in 115 years. They’ve won seven Big Ten games for the first time ever. They’re a virtual lock for a New Year’s Six bowl game, regardless of Saturday’s result.
It would’ve been great to beat Iowa, then clinch the Big Ten West at Northwestern. But, what better way to earn a spot in the Big Ten title game and potentially solidify a spot in the Rose Bowl than by beating your biggest rival on your home field in front of a sold out crowd?
It’s as good a reason as any for College GameDay to be in town. Now it’s up to the Gophers to finish the job, and keep making history.
“Saturday, win or lose, will not define where this program is headed, but it’s a huge game and it’s really exciting,” Fleck said. “There’s a lot on the line, and who would want it any other way?”