Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe 2022: Minnesota vs Wisconsin Kickoff Time, TV Channel, Prediction for Rivalry Week
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The arrival of Week 13 of the college football season means the arrival of rivalry week. Few rivalry games are bigger than the annual Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers.
Here's everything you need to know about the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe on Saturday.
Where is Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe 2022?
The 2022 Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe will be played in Madison, WI at the Badgers' Camp Randall Stadium. Camp Randall Stadium holds a capacity of 80,321 seats and was built in 1917. Wisconsin is 4-2 at home this season, while the 7-4 Golden Gophers are 2-2 on the road.
Dating back to 2000, Wisconsin is 10-1 when playing the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe in front of its home crowd.
When is Minnesota vs Wisconsin Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe?
The 2022 Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe is scheduled for Week 13 of the college football season. The game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET and airs live on ESPN.
Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe Minnesota vs Wisconsin Prediction and Odds 2022
Our Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe prediction is from The Duel's official Minnesota vs Wisconsin betting preview.
Saturday's weather in Madison looks fine with temperatures near 50 degrees and winds 10-15 MPH. This low total is worth attacking to the over, and it's up 2 points from Sunday's opener in Las Vegas. Minnesota's rushing attack should continue to have success even against the Badgers' solid run defense. Gophers RB Mohamad Ibrahim is No. 3 in the country rushing for 1,524 yards and leads the nation with 19 rushing touchdowns. Ibrahim rushed for an incredible 263 yards vs. Iowa last week against the Hawkeye's very similar run defense as the Badgers.
The Gophers' passing game has struggled over the last six games with starting QB Morgan missing some time. But backup Athan Kaliakmanis has a strong arm and is more mobile. His accuracy has not been good, but he did pass for 175 yards at Penn State a month ago against a little better pass defense than the Badgers in his first start.
The Gophers defense has kept them in games holding opponents to 64 yards below their season average. Wisconsin has held their last three opponents to under 200 yards of offense and won three of their last four games. But Badgers QB Graham Mertz has tossed 9 INT's with just 57% accuracy and he'll need to be better for a Badgers win.
All NCAAF betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: MINN: (+138) | WISC: (-166)
Spread: MINN: +3.5 (-115) | WISC: -3.5 (-105)
Total: 35.5 — Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)
Final Score Prediction: Minnesota: 23 | Wisconsin: 20
Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe History
Minnesota and Wisconsin have faced off 131 times since their first meeting in 1890. The rivalry has been a near even split, with the Badgers notching 62 wins to Minnesota's 61. There have also been eight ties in the series.
Wisconsin's dominated the rivalry since 2000, though, winning 18 of the last 22 matchups. Minnesota captured the victory, 23-13, in last year's meeting.
Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.