Huntington Bank Stadium

Each year the Minnesota Golden Gophers play the Wisconsin Badgers for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The rivalry began in 1890 when the Gophers crushed the Badgers 63-0 and is the most played rivalry in FBS history. The two schools had played for the Axe every year since 1948 when it replaced the Slab of Bacon, which was stolen by Wisconsin in 1943. The Gophers lead the all-time series 59-57-8 and hope to hold off the Badgers and extend their slim lead this coming season.

Floyd of Rosedale is awarded to the winner of the annual Minnesota-Iowa football game. The trophy dates back to 1935 when Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson made a bet with Iowa Governor Clyde L. Herring of a prize pig. The Gophers won 13-6, and Herring personally delivered Floyd of Rosedale to Olson. The Gophers lead the all-time series 62-44-2 and will look to extend their lead when these two teams meet this year.

When the Gophers and Wolverines meet they play for the Little Brown Jug. The two teams first met in 1892 when Minnesota took down Michigan 14-6. However, the Little Brown Jug didn’t enter the equation until 1903. Michigan head coach Fielding H. Yost was afraid the Gophers might contaminate the Wolverines’ water, so he had a student manager buy a 5-gallon jug. The game was called early due to severe weather and the jug got left behind. Ever since then the winner of this contest has been awarded the Little Brown Jug. The Gophers won last year’s meeting in Ann Arbor 30-14 and look to win their first game against the Wolverines in Minneapolis since 1977 when these teams play this season.

These two rivals have played fairly regularly in the past. However, things had really heated up between these two when Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. The rivalry has even seen the addition of a semi-official traveling trophy in the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy. The trophy is the first traveling trophy created over the internet as the trophy came as a result of banter over Twitter between Goldy Gopher and a parody account for former Nebraska head coach Bo Pellini, “Faux Pellini.” The Gophers look to extend their current two-game winning streak over the Huskers when they meet at Huntington Bank Stadium this year.