Gophers football opens as 1.5-point underdog to desperate and struggling Badgers

Wisconsin will be looking to snap a four-game skid and make a bowl game for the 23rd straight year.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck celebrates a blocked punt against Penn State during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Nov. 23, 2024. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Despite giving fourth-ranked Penn State all it could handle on Saturday, the Gophers football team opens as a 1.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, for its Black Friday matchup against struggling arch-rival Wisconsin.

It's a bit of a curious line. Minnesota went toe-to-toe with the Nittany Lions Saturday, falling 26-25, while the Badgers are coming off an ugly 44-25 blowout loss at Nebraska. That being said, it's always a battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe, the Badgers do have home-field advantage with the game taking place in Madison, Wis., and Wisconsin will be coming in desperate.

With the loss to the Cornhuskers, the Badgers fell to 5-6 on the season, putting them at risk of missing out on bowl eligibility. Wisconsin currently has a 22-year bowl streak, which is the third longest in the FBS, trailing only Georgia (25) and Oklahoma (27). Luke Fickell and company will be motivated to keep that streak alive with a win on Friday.

But again, the Badgers are clearly floundering and are in the midst of a four-game losing skid. While they did push No. 1 Oregon to its limit on Nov. 16, the other three losses have been by 15 points or more. Wisconsin recently fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo, and the team's current playcaller remains somewhat of a mystery.

The Gophers, meanwhile, fell to 6-5 on the season with the loss to the Nittany Lions. They'll be looking to avoid a three-game losing skid when they take on the Badgers. Though they didn't get the result, the Gophers played arguably their best game of the season on Saturday. And they'll certainly be motivated to reclaim the Axe after last year's defeat.

Related: 5 things that stood out from Gophers' narrow loss to No. 4 Penn State

How sweet would it be to see the Gophers march into Camp Randall Stadium, knock the Badgers out of bowl contention and reclaim the Axe? We'll see if that comes to pass when the rivalry game kicks off at 11 a.m. on Friday.