We are Wisconsin's biggest rival in football?

Submitted by iawolve on

I was just informed by a long time Wisconsin fan that Wisconsin puts the Michigan football game in front of all others, we are their biggest rival. While there is a natural rivalry with Minnesota, they want to beat Michigan even worse. Interestingly enough, I had no idea that was the case. When pressed for the reason, it was because we were so arrogant for so many years when we were consistently beating them. My reply that "Michigan likes to beat Wisconsin but we have more important rivals that we focus on" may have been a poor choice of wording that somewhat validated the person's point. However, I still am not sure I really believed the premise beyond a single person's beliefs. Has anyone on the board heard this before? Is this true?

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LSAClassOf2000

January 18th, 2012 at 6:36 PM ^

I think we should take it as a compliment whenever a team in the B1G says this because it means we matter and have historically been a benchmark in their mind. They have come here to Ann Arbor to try and best us and will often open chapters of their playbook that never see daylight against other teams, and when we travel, many teams have considered it the highlight of their season to upset us in their own house. It is a product of the impression this program has made on college football, and I take some pride as an alum and fan in that. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

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Wisconsin Wolverine

January 18th, 2012 at 6:48 PM ^

Wisconsin claims to hate everyone - in reality, they mainly hate Minnesota, but ghetto-stomping the wimpiest kid on the playground has lost some of its glory lately.  so Bucky is pretty much hunkered over the mangled corpse of Gophey (or whatever the hell he's called) going "WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!? srsly, any of you?  cmon!!  please? fear me?"

Joined: 05/18/2011

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mgobleu

January 18th, 2012 at 6:58 PM ^

They have an inferiority complex because Bucky is an American badger, grossly inferior to most other types of badgers. Wolverines, being more badass than even the vaunted honey badger, is naturally the king of the heap and the biggest target. All this is why Brandon needs to get moving on the mascot thing. Bucky has been making mockery of us for the past few years. /s (do I even have to post the sarcasm sign?)

Joined: 07/02/2008

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Needs

January 18th, 2012 at 10:07 PM ^

I think it started after they fired Moeller and hired Mike White, who cheated and Bo knew it. Bo therefore took the opportunity to just horrifically blow them out a few times. 

There was also the night game in 2000(?) when Henson returned from his foot injury and we won largely due to two egregious mistakes on fumble calls (Anthony Thomas ruled down when the ball had clearly come out and a called fumble by an Illinois back while his knee was down).

Joined: 08/05/2008

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markusr2007

January 18th, 2012 at 7:32 PM ^

Minnesota is, and always, will be Wisconsin's number 1 rival in football, hockey and almost everything else. It's science.  Also, that hatred graduates to Vikings vs.Packers on Sundays. 

Paul Bunyan Axe trophy.

 

Joined: 10/21/2008

MGoPoints: 19372

MSHOT92

January 18th, 2012 at 7:58 PM ^

I'd guess we are everyone's most important rival/win..I know there may be some instate rivalries but within the B1G we have been the bar by which others are measured for so very long...arrogance is a belief...success is backing it up.

Joined: 02/07/2011

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934SState

January 18th, 2012 at 9:41 PM ^

List of schools who consider Michigan their biggest Rival:

MSU, OSU, Minn, Wisc, Illinois, ND, Penn State.

Okay, so maybe not ND with USC (and Navy, duh) and all... but depends who you ask.

Makes you feel good though don't it?

 

Joined: 01/06/2011

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M-Wolverine

January 18th, 2012 at 10:20 PM ^

We're not so and so's biggest "rival"...that's a two way street that involves history and great game. Are we the team everyone wants to beat more than any other? Yes. Because we've been beating their asses for a hundred+ years.

Joined: 10/04/2009

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willow

January 18th, 2012 at 10:28 PM ^

My experience with M football goes back to the 60's but I remember a lot of Wisconsin/Michigan games both home and away.  At the time, Wisconsin had such a bad coach that the HS coaches would even counsel their good players to commit elsewhere (that is out of state).  Anyway, as the Wisconsin fans remember it, we would come in and run the score up on them.  I remember that the 3rd string was in by the 2nd quarter and the water boys were playing in the 4th.  We would still be scoring in the 50's per game because they couldn't stop us.

What they don't remember is that tOSU would REALLY run it up scoring 60+ ppg!  I don't think they hold it against them in the way that they do against us.

I lived in Milwaukee for 10 years and my UW friends would never believe this.  They were really incredulous/offended when I told them that we didn't really consider them a rival on the level of tOSU and MSU and probably never would.

I was so grateful that there was a Michigan Club to watch the games with.  My UW friends always got really crusty on the UM/UW gameday.

Joined: 04/02/2010

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maizenbluenc

January 19th, 2012 at 6:44 AM ^

With those high school coaches saying don't go to Wisconsin, perhaps Michigan had been "stealing" the best line beasts, etc. whereas OSU recruited more within Ohio. Same thing with Illinois. It may be that we were so "arrogant" that Michigan came in and took their talent and then had the gaul to come back and beat them with it.

(Keep in mind that before Title IV, Bo could have 100 plus players on scholarship.)

Joined: 07/21/2009

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M-Dog

January 21st, 2012 at 1:09 PM ^

Cool away M uni's.  Mr Bandon?

I loved that '88 team - Demetrius Brown threw a great long ball, Tony Boles made the wickedest quick cuts without losing speed, Leroy Hoard was a sledgehammer, and John Kolesar was an earlier version of Jr. Hemmingway who could pull down any 50/50 ball.

They beat USC in the Rose Bowl.  Enough said. 

 

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AVPBCI

January 20th, 2012 at 6:24 AM ^

Milwaukee M Fan here

 

I hate dealing with arrogent badgers fans

after OSU, I hate the badgers the most, then MSU, then ND

I been to plenty of games at camp randall, hate the badgers fans

good tailgaiting though

 

Football wise -Michigan and OSU in their minds are the 2 biggest by far !

 

They all rock their ann arbor is a ***** t shirts and think its all cute

 

F those fans ! 2 years ago one of them talked some serious fowl language to my nephew who is 12, i had to let it be known to shut his fowl mouth and if he had a problem, id be more then happy to shut his mouth after the game.

 

I hate all wisconsin sports teams ( except uw-milwaukee)

 

Packers fans are Badgers fans are brewers fans are bucks fans

so basically, i live in Milwaukee, but i hate all Wisconsin sports teams

 

Their is a Lions / Red Wings bar in Milwaukee - it's called BBC's and its on North Avenue

They have every Lions and Red Wings game,and if you ask they will put the tigers games and Wolverines games on for you also

 

Just an FYI if your ever in Milwaukee

 

as for the guy whose parents have the  tailgate just off the corner of breeze terrace and park at my parents rental property (across from the big statue of footballs that looks like di**).  You'll see a stuffed badger that's been featured on ESPN and BTN that my parents set up. 

I know where that is !

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