For Gophers senior guard Jon Christenson, beating Wisconsin and taking back Paul Bunyan's Axe is imminent.
"When we win this Saturday, we go on to a bowl game," Christenson said Tuesday.
For Minnesota (5-6, 2-5), a win over the Badgers (8-3, 5-2) would mean not only revenge -- the Gophers haven't won the border battle since 2003 -- but bowl eligibility.
"Not having beat them yet in my career, it's something that will be pretty special when we do," added Christenson, a Minnetonka native who is 0-4 against the Badgers.
Christenson's confidence is striking because the Badgers are 2-1/2-point favorites to win their 12th consecutive game against the Gophers on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.