Wisconsin has won 16 of the last 17 meetings against Minnesota, dating back to 2004. Can UW retain Paul Bunyan's Axe in enemy territory once again like it did during the 2019 regular-season finale?

The Badgers (8-3 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) have reeled off seven straight wins heading into this weekend, but the Gophers (7-4, 5-3) still have a shot at the division championship with a victory and some help.

BadgerBlitz.com presents our five burning questions for the Saturday afternoon matchup inside Huntington Bank Stadium (3 p.m. CT, FOX) between the two rivals.

It's a big game week for both divisions. In the East, No. 2 Ohio State heads to No. 5 Michigan for a Saturday morning battle to see who will compete for the conference's championship (11 a.m. CT, FOX). Both teams sit at 10-1 on the season. The Buckeyes' lone loss came against No. 11 Oregon in non-conference play, while the Wolverines fell to No. 12 Michigan State.

The math is easy with this division -- whichever team wins in Ann Arbor, they're heading to the Big Ten Conference championship game. For the West, the same holds true for Wisconsin, but it gets trickier if the Badgers slip in the Twin Cities.

If UW falls to Minnesota, as stated in the conference's weekly release, it would need Iowa and Purdue to fall.

Iowa could win the division with a victory over Nebraska on Friday PLUS a Wisconsin loss. Then there's Minnesota, where a win against Bucky, an Iowa loss and a Purdue victory sends P.J. Fleck's program to its first conference championship game.

BadgerBlitz.com called it out earlier this week, as Minnesota continues to grind out yards on the ground in an extremely productive manner. It averages 204.3 yards per game, good for 23rd in the FBS and third in the Big Ten, despite losing Big Ten running back of the year Mohamed Ibrahim, Trey Potts and Bryce Williams to season-ending injuries.

Minnesota has had to rely on youth in its backfield with the duo of Ky Thomas and Mar'Keise Irving. Thomas, a redshirt freshman from Topeka, Kan., holds four 100-yard rushing days this season on way to 625 yards on 4.9 yards per carry and four touchdowns. Irving, a true freshman and former Wisconsin recruiting target, went over the century mark against Maryland and Northwestern. The Chicago, Ill., product currently ranks third on the team in rushing yards (531) and has gained 5.2 yards per attempt with four touchdowns of his own.

Wisconsin, however, sits first in the country in rushing defense (64.3 yards per game). It allows a mere 2.2 yards per carry, and the most the unit has given up is 179 yards on 50 carries to Army on Oct.16. Only four teams have accumulated more than 100 yards rushing against UW in 2021, and the Badgers have recorded 77 tackles for loss in 11 contests.

So who wins the line of scrimmage here?

I feel I've repeatedly asked about Wisconsin's run game in one form or another of late. It's obvious why, as the bread-and-butter of this offense has been consistently efficient and productive during the seven-game winning streak.

UW averages 267.1 rushing yards per game in this span, and it ranks first in the Big Ten and ninth overall for the season with 229.4 per contest.

Braelon Allen's emergence with injuries and attrition to the tailback room make these sustained results even more impressive. After his career-high 228-yard performance against Nebraska, Allen continues to jump up in the Big Ten standings. Entering this weekend, he sits tied for first in the conference in yards per carry (7.6), second in rushing yards per game (106.2), fourth in total rushing yards (1,076) and fifth in rushing touchdowns (12).

Minnesota, however, stands out against the run this year. The Gophers rank fourth in the nation in total defense (289.5 yards per game) and 12th in rushing defense (103.6 yards per game).

Only No. 2 Ohio State gained over 200 rushing yards this season against this unit, and that came during the opener. I've called this out a couple times previously, but Minnesota has given up 141 or more rushing yards in three of its last four games. Northwestern (80th in the nation in rushing offense), Illinois (61st) and Indiana (109th) all hit that threshold.

Both programs like to run. Both programs have shown they can stop the run. What happens if that plays out on Saturday in the Twin Cities?

Minnesota and Wisconsin rank 117th and 118th in the nation, and 12th and 13th in the Big Ten, respectively, in passing offense. The Gophers air it out for about 163.5 yards per game, while the Badgers have gained 161.3 per contest -- mostly from the arm of quarterback Graham Mertz for the latter.

In terms of receiving targets, Wisconsin may pose the edge here. Wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell leads the team in receptions (33), receiving yards (453) and touchdown catches (five), while third-year sophomore Michael Brown-Stephens averages 18 yards per catch 21 receptions with a touchdown.

Wisconsin boasts wide receivers Danny Davis III (27 receptions, 418 yards, two touchdowns) and Kendric Pryor (26, 373, three), along with tight end Jake Ferguson (39, 390, two). Though not over the 20-reception threshold this year himself, sophomore Chimere Dike (17 receptions, 225 yards, one touchdown) has shown his potential as well.

That said, even that may be tough to come by. Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in passing defense (and ranks sixth in the nation) with 173.5 yards per game allowed. Minnesota gives up 185.9 yards per contest, good for third in the conference and 13th in the FBS.

Sudden change opportunities could swing the game in either direction. However, those may be hard to come by on Saturday.

Minnesota has only coughed up the ball 10 times in 11 games in 2021. Seven have come via interception from the arm of fifth-year senior Tanner Morgan, while the team has lost three fumbles.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, has pulled in 18 turnovers during the last five games. With the teams mirroring each other in many ways, taking advantage of potential Minnesota mistakes will be key when presented.

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