Wisconsin @ Minnesota preview
Huntington Bank Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 24, 2018 ) Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 15
No. 9 Minnesota can clinch its first Big Ten West Division title when it hosts 14th-ranked Wisconsin in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe on Saturday. The Golden Gophers beat Northwestern 38-22 in Week 13 to maintain their one-game lead at the top of the division standings, and hope to book their first trip to the conference championship game while keeping their College Playoff Football hopes alive by knocking off the Badgers in back-to-back years.
"I don't think you could write a better story at least from a college football world perspective," Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck told reporters. "College Gameday, the Twin Cities and Big Ten championship on the line in the longest-standing rivalry in college football." Wisconsin cruised past Purdue 45-24 to set up a winner-take-all clash in one of the most important editions of the rivalry to date. The Badgers have won three consecutive games since dropping back-to-back contests against No. 1 Ohio State and Illinois, and hope to avenge a 37-15 loss to the Golden Gophers last season, which snapped their 14-game winning streak in the rivalry while booking a rematch with the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 7. "There is a lot of motivation for this game and it comes down to playing good football," Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst told reporters. "Our guys know the history of this rivalry and they understand what's in it for this year."
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Minnesota -2
ABOUT WISCONSIN (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten): Jack Coan completed 15-of-19 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help the Badgers finish with 606 yards of offense, which is the most since amassing 627 against Nebraska in 2014. Jonathan Taylor racked up 222 yards on the ground to go along with a touchdown in the win over the Boilermakers to finish with 200 or more rushing yards for the 12th time in his career. Cornerback Faion Hicks and Cole Van Lanen are both questionable with head injuries while safety Collin Wilder will miss the first half against Minnesota after he was ejected for targeting against the Boilermakers.
ABOUT MINNESOTA (10-1, 7-1): Tanner Morgan showed no ill effects from the concussion he suffered in the previous week as he threw for 211 yards and four TD passes in the win over Northwestern to give him 26, which broke the program's single-season passing touchdown record previously held by Adam Weber (24). Tyler Johnson hauled in seven passes for 125 yards and a touchdown while Rashod Bateman added seven catches for 78 yards and three TDs against the Wildcats to become the first wide receiver duo in program history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in the same season with 1,025 and 1,023 respectively. Tight end Jake Paulson is questionable for Saturday after suffering an ankle injury against Northwestern.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Minnesota has won 14 of its last 17 games dating back to last season.
2. Taylor has rushed for over 200 yards in three consecutive outings.
3. Johnson has at least one reception in 34 straight games.
PREDICTION: Minnesota 27, Wisconsin 24