College football’s longest meeting streak is over, as the Minnesota-Wisconsin game is canceled. It’s one of seven Week 13 FBS games to have been postponed or canceled as of Tuesday night.
The two were to meet in Madison on Saturday, but Minnesota has had positive COVID tests in the program and has paused all football activities. The team played without 22 players and three staff members, including offensive line coach Brian Callahan, in their win last Friday against Purdue; ESPN reports that another nine student-athletes and six staffers have tested positive since.
Since the Minnesota-Wisconsin game is canceled, the Badgers will have just five games (at most) on their record. That means they would most likely be ineligible for the Big Ten Championship. The conference had set six games as the minimum to qualify, although ESPN describes other (unlikely) scenarios here. However, Wisconsin’s loss to unbeaten Northwestern last weekend likely renders it a moot point. The remaining games on their schedule are a home game against #12 Indiana on December 5, and a trip to #24 Iowa on the 12th.
Should they be able to resume play, Minnesota is scheduled to face #8 Northwestern at home on December 5, and travel to unranked Nebraska a week later. This is the first game cancellation the Golden Gophers have had this season.
Series History
The Badgers and Golden Gophers first played in 1890, and have met every year dating back to 1907. The first meeting was the most lopsided, with Minnesota winning 63-0. Wisconsin leads the series with 61 wins to Minnesota’s 60. The two have also tied eight times, most recently in the 1956 meeting. Since 1948, they’ve played for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Before that, they played for the Slab of Bacon. (No, I’m not kidding). The longest winning streak in the series was 14 straight for Wisconsin, from 2004-2017.
