STRONG DISLIKE WEEK: THE BATTLE FOR THE MALORT/LUTEFISK TROPHY

Northwestern and Minnesota are charter members of the Big Ten, with Minnesota obviously having a winning record against the Wildcats. Minnesota plays for quite possibly the best collections of trophies in college football, yet they don't have one against Northwestern. This must change

In the past few years the discourse on the internet between Northwestern and Minnesota fans has crystallized into STRONG DISLIKE WEEK. The twitter fights have been epic, and the snark flying faster and faster. Something must be done!

Luckily, current and former OTE "writers" had a delightful conversation on Twitter.

@mikjones24 Sadly, I've heard that the Nebraska/Northwestern rivalry is stronger.

— Chris H. (@GoAUpher) September 30, 2015

@GoAUpher @mikjones24 It's very hard to come up with a trophy that encapsulates the mild dislike between Northwestern-Minnesota.

— Chad (@RevDJEsq) September 30, 2015

@RevDJEsq @GoAUpher @mikjones24 it’s not a mild dislike, it’s #STRONGDISLIKEWEEK

— LincolnPark Wildcat (@LPWildcat) September 30, 2015

@LPWildcat @RevDJEsq @mikjones24 So a statue of someone's face after they drink expired milk? Yes?

— Chris H. (@GoAUpher) September 30, 2015

@GoAUpher @LPWildcat @mikjones24 A jar of pickle juice, surrounded by parking tickets?

— Chad (@RevDJEsq) September 30, 2015

@RevDJEsq @GoAUpher @mikjones24 someone’s face after drinking a shot of Malort

— LincolnPark Wildcat (@LPWildcat) September 30, 2015

@LPWildcat @GoAUpher @mikjones24 A bottle of Malort (Northwestern) and a plate of Lutefisk (Minnesota). Done.

— Chad (@RevDJEsq) September 30, 2015

@RevDJEsq @GoAUpher @mikjones24 is Lutefisk a foul tasting dish? I’ve never had it. If so, I can get behind the Malort-Lutefisk trophy

— LincolnPark Wildcat (@LPWildcat) September 30, 2015

@LPWildcat @GoAUpher @mikjones24 It's basically gelatinous fish in lye. So yes, it's foul.

— Chad (@RevDJEsq) September 30, 2015

@RevDJEsq @LPWildcat @GoAUpher @mikjones24 @purplebuckeye I refuse to be involved with anything that has that rotted fish on it.

— Ben Dawson (@BenjaminJDawson) September 30, 2015

@BenjaminJDawson @RevDJEsq @GoAUpher @mikjones24 @purplebuckeye OH YES YOU WILL

— LincolnPark Wildcat (@LPWildcat) September 30, 2015

@LPWildcat @BenjaminJDawson @RevDJEsq @GoAUpher @mikjones24 I stand with Ben. #NoRottenFishTrophy

— Ted Glover (@purplebuckeye) September 30, 2015

Ted's not a Minnesota Gophers fan, so I'll ignore his plea.

Malort, for those of you who aren't from the Chicago area, is a Wormwood based Swedish schnapps and quite possibly the foulest tasting beverage I've ever had in my life. Everyone drinks a shot of it at least once in a bar in Chicago.

Minnesota fans hate Lutefisk.  Northwestern fans hate Malort! Ok, here's my proposal for a trophy!

Game preview: Northwestern vs Minnesota.

Northwestern last week:

The Wildcats had a scare against Ball State, where 3 turnovers and poor play gave Ball State a 10-7 lead at halftime. NU QB Clayton Thorson alternated between Good Clayton and Bad Clayton. Bad Clayton had two fumbles and one hideous interception, when Good Clayton was responsible for three touchdowns. Luckily the 'Cats turned it around in the second half and won the game 24-19.

This week

The key matchup of the day will be Northwestern's offensive line vs Minnesota's defensive line. Northwestern will especially have to watch out for stud Gopher DT Steven Richardson. Basically, the Gophers will be stuffing the box to shut down Justin Jackson and the stable of WIldcat RB's and hope that Bad Clayton shows up, instead of Good Clayton beating them through the air. However, 3/4ths of Minnesota's secondary is out with injuries, so I'm feeling confident.

On the other side of the ball, Northwestern needs to get pressure on Mitch Leidner and shut down the Gopher's running attack, basically daring the Gophers to beat Northwestern through the air. This game is going to be a knock down streetfight, with teams fighting for each yard in a classic three yards and a cloud of dust game. I dont even think we'll see more than 20 points combined in this game.

Retro Program of the week!

Gophers are dumb. GO CATS!