Gophers football fans are frustrated, whether the Axe stays or not

The Gophers football team has a chance to do something Saturday it hasn't done in more than three decades — defeat its two biggest rivals, Wisconsin and Iowa, in the same season.

It's been 33 years, to be exact. Not since 1990 have the Gophers concluded a season in possession of both Paul Bunyan's Axe and Floyd of Rosedale.

A generation of fans have never witnessed that feat. There have been eight different Gophers head coaches in that span, counting interims. Heck, the Big Ten conference was still mathematically correct back then with 10 teams.

Those two rivalry games matter more to Gophers fans than any other on the schedule. Fans celebrate for days when the team brings home one of the trophies. But both of them?

Party time, right?

This is where it gets complicated.

In what can only be explained as peak Gophers football experience, a win Saturday versus the Badgers would complete the rare east-south border conquest… in a 6-6 season that has been roundly disappointing.

Normally, wins over Iowa and Wisconsin would signal a special season. The mood surrounding the program right now is hardly celebratory because of the totality of the season. The weight of infuriating losses and another squandered opportunity to win the Big Ten West serve as a bucket of cold water over the head.

One needn't look hard to find fan frustration; it's probably more than P.J. Fleck has experienced in his seven seasons as coach. The nature of the losses combined with Fleck's conservative coaching style have drained fans of their patience.

I wanted to take the temperature of a few acquaintances who can be characterized as Gophers loyalists. They don't know one another.

I posed a question and offered anonymity in exchange for honest responses: How would you feel/view a Gophers win and to have both the pig and axe in a 6-6 season with other bad losses and no Big Ten West title?

Their answers via text message:

Fan 1: My reaction is: mixed. It'd be like going to an upscale restaurant and having a great steak and wine, but the appetizers, sides and desserts were all so surprisingly disappointing that you can't help but be unhappy with the meal.

Fan 2: I was not one of those fans that said I'd be happy with only having two wins as long as it was the rivals. Down seasons happen, but successful seasons should be expected where prime opportunities are capitalized on, and this season and many other recent ones have been a struggle. So the quick answer is that I'd be happy with the two trophies but not happy with the season at 6-6 when the opportunity was there to win 1-3 more games. The deeper issue is the philosophy when we're in the lead. I get the explanation, but I don't agree with it and it's extremely difficult to watch and support.

Fan 3: Beating Iowa and Wisconsin in the same season would be a big milestone. But this season, and sadly many of Fleck's best years, are defined by missed opportunities. It's frustrating and deflating to have never made a Big Ten Championship. Fleck has needed to change his best and he hasn't done it.

Fan 4: In year 7, I expected much more than what P.J. delivered. Gophers fans don't expect to win the Big Ten, but we do expect to yield teams that compete each week, show signs of continuous growth and provide hope that the team is headed in the right direction. After what I've seen this season, I can't say we are there. Beating Wisconsin and Iowa is nice, but honestly should be something which happens every other year or so. That should be the expectation, not a surprise or a pipe dream.

The guess here is that many others share similar thoughts and emotions. This has been a trying season. Fans are understandably frustrated.

A win over Wisconsin on Saturday would provide a respite from the bad vibes and allow the Gophers to hold their two most coveted rivalry trophies. The nagging feeling of blowing a winnable division again will linger, though. The season cannot be summed up in two games.