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Wisconsin Football: Five positives to take away from the season

By Tanner Nestle

ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 13: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers tries to outrun the tackle of Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half on October 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 38-13. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 13: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers tries to outrun the tackle of Devin Bush #10 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half on October 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 38-13. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football Paul Bunyan's Axe
MADISON, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 24: The Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrate with Paul Bunyan’s Axe after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 37-15 at Camp Randall Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Axe Week will mean something for the first time in 14 years

This is the ultimate positive spin on a bad story. The Badgers losing the Axe to Minnesota, at home, is just so terribly awful. It was the perfect way to cap off what was such a disappointing regular season.

But now the Badgers are hungry. The Gophers won’t be taken lightly in 2019. The Axe is something many graduating senior classes were never without. Complacency is natural with that kind of long-term success. That will be the case no longer.

The seniors from last season who won’t be with the team can’t earn the Axe back. But if there’s anything I understand about the culture within the Wisconsin Football program, it’s that the current roster will do everything they can to win it back for those seniors. T.J. Edwards, D’Cota Dixon, Ryan Connelly, Michael Deiter, and Alec Ingold, among many other great players, will never again get to play for the Axe. That’s not something this team will ignore.

Let us also not forget the fact that Wisconsin should simply be better than Minnesota next year. One could argue they were better than Minnesota last year, but that’s not what we’re here for. The Badgers should take back the Axe next year. And when they do, it’ll be that much sweeter to everybody wearing Badger Red.