Axe Poll

[GopherRock]

I know that in college football, the big rivalry games are always supposed to be played the last week of the season. We already have such a scrap with Iowa, and more often than not the Axe game resides on or near the Iowa game.

However, I am one man who prefers the Axe being played in mid-October. Usually this means that all the trophy games aren't packed into one furious stretch drive.

Mid-October is also the time when the drive across Wisconsin, to or from Mad-town, is at its most tolerable. The fall colors are at their peak, so you get the full palate of colors, instead of just solid green or drab gray.

Anyone else agree?

 

[gopheraschells]

Mid-October is also the time when the drive across Wisconsin, to or from Mad-town, is at its most tolerable. The fall colors are at their peak, so you get the full palate of colors, instead of just solid green or drab gray.

Anyone else agree?

no i dont care how "pretty" the leaves are. the game is meant to be played at the end of the year when seasons are on the line

 

[Rotundo]

Middle is better. Having Iowa and UW as our last two games is not helpful.

 

[mplsbadger]

I prefer end of year.

This makes for an interesting discussion if you throw in the idea of B10 expansion. Right now for end of season rivalry games you have:

Michigan vs. OSU
Michigan St. vs. PSU
Indiana vs. Purdue

And two games from these groups:
Minnesota/Iowa/Wisconsin and Wisconsin/Illinois/Northwestern

This is disappointing and unfair as the last group of teams sometimes don't get a bye in their Big Ten schedule (although I think the Gophers almost always get a 'rivalry day' game because two of the other four teams are their 'permanent' rivals).

With Big Ten Expansion you could solve this and add the following PERMANENT rivalries:

Iowa vs. NEBRASKA
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
Illinois vs. Nortwestern

or

Northwestern vs. NOTRE DAME
Minnesota vs. Iowa
Wisconsin vs. Illinois

or

Penn State vs. PITT/RUTGERS/SYRACUSE
Northwestern vs. Michigan State
Wisconsin vs. Illinois
Minnesota vs. Iowa

Your thoughts?

 

[alltimetwinsfan]

Northwestern vs. NOTRE DAME
Minnesota vs. Iowa
Wisconsin vs. Illinois

...yes, this should be exactly what it'll take to get Notre Dame into the Big Ten.

 

[caliGopher]

northwestern and illinois

play each other at the end of the year every year.......more heritage in that in state rivalry of sorts than between PSU and MSU, although that game has taken on an interesting twist in its relatively young time frame.

 

[mplsbadger]

northwestern and illinois play each other at the end of the year every year.......more heritage in that in state rivalry of sorts than between PSU and MSU, although that game has taken on an interesting twist in its relatively young time frame.

Not this year.

Saturday, November 21
Purdue at Indiana
Minnesota at Iowa
Ohio State at Michigan
Penn State at Michigan State
Wisconsin at Northwestern

That's the rub, in order to avoid the same team (Wisconsin) finishing a week early every year, they rotate them.

 

[mplsbadger]

...yes, this should be exactly what it'll take to get Notre Dame into the Big Ten.

Agree it may not be ideal from the ND perspective but it's not totaly far fetched. They've played 47 times, more than ND's played Michigan. They could play the game annually at Soldier Field if it were an end of year rivalry game. I actually think it would be pretty cool. However perhaps MSU is a better match as their series has been more competitive.

Kind of an academic discussion anyway.

Opponent Freq.
Navy 82
Purdue 80
Southern California 80
Michigan State 72
Pittsburgh 64
Army 49
Northwestern 47
Michigan 36

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

I prefer mid-October. There are lots of schools that play a big rival earlier in the season. Florida/Tennessee play in late September...Florida/Georgia play in late October...Texas/Oklahoma play in early October...Michigan/MSU play in October. With us having 2 big rivals instead of 1 clear one, it's better to split them up.

 

[GopherDeuce]

I also prefer the mid-october slot. We also have a jug game mixed in there somewhere, and the PSU bell...it's not like we couldn't use a match up with rivalry intensity in the beginning of the season because we can't seem to keep up in late season anyway.

 

[pharmacygopher]

As long as Iowa is the last game of the year, I prefer October.

 

[grunkiejr]

I prefer to go back to Wisconsin being the last game of the year--the way it was prior to ~1980--and put Iowa toward the beginning of the season.

 

[Ski U Master]

We should bookend the B10 season with Iowa and Wisconsin. I would prefer Iowa first and Wisconsin last, but either way is cool with me.

 

[mplsbadger]

I prefer to go back to Wisconsin being the last game of the year--the way it was prior to ~1980--and put Iowa toward the beginning of the season.

Curious, does anyone know what were the 'last week' rivalries when the conference played a full round robin schedule (pre Penn State)? Were they consistent for U of M, UW, MSU, ILL, NW, IA?

 

[Schnauzer]

I like the mid-October option. The important thing about big rivalry games is to have them at the same time every year. Exactly when that is isn't as important as just making sure that it is always at the same time. It gives everyone a feeling of time in space and "sameness" that surrounds the game. If you have seen the HBO special on the OSU/Michigan rivaly... it is one of the things they highlight as fuel for the rivalry... it is always played at the same time. So, my recommendation would first be to make sure that both Iowa and Wisconsin are always played at the same time each year - to eternity. Next, I like having one of them last and the other during prime fall weather (early or mid October).

 

[wait!what?]

IDK when they play, just win the axe and then tell WI the axe will reside in MPLS until the slab of bacon is returned to the team that won the final contest where the slab was a trophy.

 

[dpodoll68]

IDK when they play

Oct. 3 this year, Oct. 9 next year, Oct. 15 the following, Oct. 13 after that...

This information can easily be found without having to ask.