Minnesota will wrap up its 2026 regular season the way it always seems to end up — across the field from Wisconsin, with Paul Bunyan's Axe on the line. The Gophers play at the Badgers on November 27, 2026, with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff, closing out the schedule on the road in Madison.
It isn't close to a formality anymore. Minnesota beat Wisconsin 17-7 in a snow-globe finish this past November in Minneapolis to keep the axe for the fourth time in the last five meetings, with Darius Taylor breaking off a 49-yard touchdown run. John Nestor had two interceptions and a fumble recovery on defense. The win pushed Minnesota's all-time edge in the series to 64-63-8 and left the Gophers at 7-5 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play, while Wisconsin finished 4-8 and 2-7.
That history is exactly why this date matters even a year out. Minnesota has owned this series lately, and heading to Camp Randall gives Wisconsin a chance to try to take the axe back on its own field for the first time in that recent stretch.
The rest of Minnesota's 2026 schedule builds toward this finale with a mix of home dates and marquee Big Ten trips. The Gophers open September 3 against Eastern Illinois, then get into a stretch that includes Washington on September 26, Michigan on October 3, Purdue and Indiana before the season winds down toward the trip to Wisconsin. Minnesota and Mississippi State meet September 12, and Minnesota and Akron meet September 19.
Kickoff times and home/away designations for several of those midseason games are still TBA, but the finale at Wisconsin is locked in. For Gophers fans, it's the same script as every other year: circle late November, because the axe is going to be on the line one more time.
