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P.J. Fleck makes pitch to play Minnesota-Wisconsin game during Champions Week
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Why not?
That was essentially the explanation P.J. Fleck provided when discussing the possibility of Minnesota and Wisconsin rescheduling the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, which was canceled two weeks ago due to an influx of positive COVID-19 cases within the Golden Gophers program.
“Wisconsin-Minnesota is one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football,” Fleck said during his Monday press conference. “We would love to play that game, and I think Wisconsin would say the same thing.
“I hope it all works out, but nobody knows what’s going to happen. …Why not?”
The B1G implemented a Champions Week this season, where teams from the East would be pitted against squads from the West based on order of finish in the respective divisions. The goal would be to also avoid rematches.
Since the game was canceled, and considering there’s really nothing left for either team to play for this season in terms of a conference title or College Football Playoff bid, why not play one of the longest-standing rivalries in the sport?
It would be fun for both fan bases, both teams and for the B1G.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB