Paul Bunyan's Axe is a symbol of one of the most heated rivalries in college football, representing the oldest and most-played rivalry in Division I-A football, with 118 editions dating back 1890.

The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series, 59-51-8, while the Badgers lead the Axe's series, 34-24-3.

Earlier, the schools played for the "Slab of Bacon", a piece of wood with an M or a W, depending from which angle one would look on it. Minnesota led that series 11-3 until the trophy was "lost" in 1943.

It would not resurface until 1994 after the renovation of Camp Randall Stadium and the "Bacon" was found in a storage room. To this day Wisconsin "holds" the trophy in its football office (despite being 3-11 during the trophy's overall series).

The Paul Bunyan Axe would be instituted as the trophy in the series in 1948 (Gophers would be 3-1 in that stretch until the Axe was instituted); the scores of each game are recorded on the axe's handle, which is six feet long.

When the game ends, if the team holding the trophy wins, they run to their own sideline, take the axe and carry it around the field. If the team not holding the trophy wins, they are allowed to run to their opponents' sideline and "steal" the axe away.

Last year, the Badgers defeated the Gophers 35-32 in 2008 to retain the axe in Madison.

However, this year will be quite different to say the least.

In a game of balanced teams, the Gophers (3-1) face an undefeated Badger (4-0) team that has yet to play outside the confines of Camp Randall Stadium with their biggest win being this past week, 38-30 over a Michigan State still searching for it's soul.

However, Minnesota has yet to tally a big win as their two notable performances include their prior victory over Northwestern, 35-24, and their close loss to then #8 Cal, 35-21 which they were tied at 21 entering the fourth quarter.

Both teams are obviously seeking respect in a Big Ten full of under-achievers now with #15 Penn State falling from grace and #9 Ohio State trying to remain a top 10 team. With teams like Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan stepping up into the alotted role of a dark horse in the Big Ten.

Offensive Rush

Wisconsin Badgers—197.8 Yards/Game, 10 Rushing TD's
Minnesota Golden Gophers—105.8 Yards/Game five Rushing TD's

Until last week, one might say that Wisconsin holds a distinct advantage in the running game. Then Duane Bennett ran for 89 yards and three touchdowns as part of a 166 yard effort by the Gophers.

However, Wisconsin sophomore John Clay also put up 142 yards and a score of his own and has averaged 99.5 yards a game. Unlike Minnesota's three headed combo though, Clay is the primary running threat with junior Zach Brown (172) is his alternate that has put yardage similar to Bennett (210).

Overall, Minnesota's offensive line is still learning to use their bulk size and charge ahead for yards versus the pass blocking they're accustomed to. On top of that, Bennet and Eskridge are still learning how to read holes in run-blocking schemes.

Wisconsin has shown more balance in their play-calling however compared to Minnesota's pass-heavy offense.

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