Gophers football to play at Wisconsin on Black Friday
Minnesota celebrates their 23-16 victory over Wisconsin by chopping the goal post with the Paul Bunyan axe following a college football game between the University of Wisconsin Badgers and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers on November 26, 20 ((Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team will end its 2024 regular season at rival Wisconsin, but it won’t be in a traditional Saturday slot.
One of the oldest rivalries in college football will be played on Black Friday at 11 a.m. as the Gophers and Badgers will battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The two teams have met 133 times, and Minnesota has won 62 of them.
Last year, the Gophers lost to the Badgers 28-14 to end the regular season 5-7. Minnesota then got an invite to the Quick Lane Bowl due to their high APR score. They ended the season with a win over Bowling Green.
The Gophers also announced start times for four other games this season:
- Minnesota hosts North Carolina at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 to open the regular season, a game you can watch on FOX 9.
- The Gophers will host Rhode Island at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7
- The Gophers will host Nevada at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14.
- Minnesota will host Maryland for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff will either be at 11 a.m., 2:30 or 3 p.m. and that will be announced at a later date.
P.J. Fleck has three wins over the Badgers in seven seasons, winning consecutive games in 2021 and 2022 before last year’s loss. With the Big Ten West title on the line in 2019 and ESPN’s College GameDay in town, the Gophers lost to the Badgers 38-17.
Fleck is 50-34 in seven seasons with the Gophers, including a 29-32 mark in Big Ten play.