BleedGopher
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per Rachel:
Divided loyalties aren’t uncommon in the friendly border states with the portmanteau “Minnesconsin.” University tuition reciprocity makes cross-border families and friendships inevitable. According to Wisconsin’s Alumni Association, there are 26,623 Badgers living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
While the annual Gopher-Badger rivalry dates back to 1890, this year’s game in Minneapolis has something not seen for some time in these parts: high stakes.
Until last year, Paul Bunyan’s Axe had made its home in Madison for 14 straight years. Bringing the trophy back to the East Bank was a highlight for the Gophers, but neither team could stop Northwestern from winning the Big Ten West.
This year, the winner Saturday will be crowned and likely headed to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, if not the four-team national College Football Playoff.
The Gophers bring the pent-up demand of not having smelled the roses since 1962. Meanwhile, the Badgers rode a resurgence that led the football program to Pasadena in 1994. Wisconsin has gone to southern California four times since then, most recently in 2013.
Badgers football fans are familiar with winning, while Gopher boosters are busy replacing years of practiced indifference with the zeal of the newly converted.
Go Gophers!!
Divided loyalties aren’t uncommon in the friendly border states with the portmanteau “Minnesconsin.” University tuition reciprocity makes cross-border families and friendships inevitable. According to Wisconsin’s Alumni Association, there are 26,623 Badgers living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
While the annual Gopher-Badger rivalry dates back to 1890, this year’s game in Minneapolis has something not seen for some time in these parts: high stakes.
Until last year, Paul Bunyan’s Axe had made its home in Madison for 14 straight years. Bringing the trophy back to the East Bank was a highlight for the Gophers, but neither team could stop Northwestern from winning the Big Ten West.
This year, the winner Saturday will be crowned and likely headed to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, if not the four-team national College Football Playoff.
The Gophers bring the pent-up demand of not having smelled the roses since 1962. Meanwhile, the Badgers rode a resurgence that led the football program to Pasadena in 1994. Wisconsin has gone to southern California four times since then, most recently in 2013.
Badgers football fans are familiar with winning, while Gopher boosters are busy replacing years of practiced indifference with the zeal of the newly converted.
Go Gophers!!
