Wisconsin Football: 3 takeaways from shutout win over Minnesota in Week 13

For the 14th straight season, Wisconsin football hoisted Paul Bunyan’s Axe against Minnesota. Here is what we learned from the shutout win.

Since 1890, the Wisconsin Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers have squared off on the gridiron in the longest-standing rivalry in college football. No two teams have faced one another more times than the Badgers and Gophers, who met on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in Minneapolis for their 127th meeting all time.

The Badgers have owned the rivalry in the 21st century, and that continued in 2017. For the 14th straight year, Wisconsin retained Paul Bunyan’s Axe in a 31-0 blowout of the Golden Gophers. Wisconsin remained among the dwindling number of undefeated teams around the country with their 17th straight victory spanning back to 2016.

Now they prepare for a Big Ten championship showdown with Ohio State that could put the Badgers in position for a spot in the College Football Playoff. It has been a season to remember so far in Madison, after they capped a 12-0 regular season with an emphatic takedown of their oldest rival.

What will the College Football Playoff selection committee do on Tuesday, after two of the four teams ahead of Wisconsin dropped their first games of the season? And what did we learn from the Badgers’ first shutout of 2017? Keep reading for three thoughts on what to take away from the beatdown on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.