<P> The Minnesota -- Wisconsin football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers . It is the most - played rivalry in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , with 126 meetings between the two teams . The winner of the game receives Paul Bunyan 's Axe , a tradition that started in 1948 after the first trophy , the Slab of Bacon , disappeared after the 1943 game when the Badgers were meant to turn it over to the Golden Gophers . Minnesota and Wisconsin first played in 1890 and have met every year since , except for 1906 . Wisconsin leads the series 60 -- 59 -- 8 . Wisconsin took the series lead for the first time after shutting out Minnesota 31 -- 0 in the 2017 game ; Minnesota had led the overall series since 1902 , at times by as many as 20 games . </P>
<P> The Minnesota -- Wisconsin football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers . It is the most - played rivalry in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , with 126 meetings between the two teams . The winner of the game receives Paul Bunyan 's Axe , a tradition that started in 1948 after the first trophy , the Slab of Bacon , disappeared after the 1943 game when the Badgers were meant to turn it over to the Golden Gophers . Minnesota and Wisconsin first played in 1890 and have met every year since , except for 1906 . Wisconsin leads the series 60 -- 59 -- 8 . Wisconsin took the series lead for the first time after shutting out Minnesota 31 -- 0 in the 2017 game ; Minnesota had led the overall series since 1902 , at times by as many as 20 games . </P>
how many years have the badgers won the axe
how many years have the badgers won the axe
60
60