PJ Fleck has the Minnesota Golden Gophers right where he wants them. When Fleck was hired in the winter of 2016 expectations were high. He was coming off of an undefeated regular season at Western Michigan and a close loss to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl. Although his first year on campus didn’t go as planned, the Gophers progress parallels the first couple years of his time in Kalamazoo. Coming off of a season where he had the youngest team in college football, Fleck returns more starters than anyone in the Big Ten West and has a schedule favorable enough to make a run at the division crown.

Prestige Ranking (if NCAA Football 20 existed): 3 stars

2018 Record: 7-6

Losses came to Maryland, Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, and Northwestern.

Projected Returning Starters

Offense: 9

Minnesota has the most returning starters of any team in the Big Ten West. They return quarterbacks Zack Annexstad and Tanner Morgan who both saw the field in 2018. Annexstad was the starter before getting injured and Morgan played very well in his place. Both will likely see the field again this season. They return a lot of talent in the backfield with Mohamed Ibrahim, Rodney Smith, and Shannon Brooks. Brooks and Smith are both coming off of ACL injuries but can be two of the most explosive backs in the conference when healthy. Ibrahim rushed for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns in his freshman campaign and adds more depth to a backfield that is not short on weapons.

The receiving core includes one of the best wideouts in the conference with Tyler Johnson. Johnson caught 12 touchdowns and went for 1,169 yards, both of which were single-season school records. He is back for his senior season and will light up any Big Ten secondary. His partner in crime, Rashod Bateman, is also back. Bateman brought in 704 receiving yards and six touchdowns giving him a very solid freshman season.

Defense: 6

After firing defensive coordinator Robb Smith midway through last season, the Gopher defense looked much better in the later parts of the season. Joe Rossi took the interim position and now owns the job full time. He has six returning starters who look to improve on a great second half in 2018. Carter Coughlin is the star returner off the edge. Coughlin is a freak who is looking to improve on his 9.5 sack season a year ago. Antione Winfield Jr, who was a freshman All-American in 2016, is back from injury and will anchor the safety position for Rossi. This Gopher defense may have lost their two leading tacklers but they have a lot of talent here and will be able to shock a lot of people in the Big Ten West.

Special Teams: 3

They return senior punter Jacob Herbers and Winfield along with Demetrious Douglas had punt returns for touchdowns last season.

Key Losses:

Donnell Greene, Jared Weyler, Blake Cashman, Jacob Huff, and
Emmit Carpenter.

They lost two starters on the offensive line and their two leading tacklers. The biggest loss might actually be Emmit Carpenter who graduated as the most accurate kicker in school history.

Key Newcomer – Offense: Nnamdi Adim-Madumere

The 6’3″ 226-pound receiver will be able to make a lot of sneaky plays in this Gopher offense. With Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman getting most of the attention in the passing attack, Adim-Madumere will be a matchup nightmare with his size and speed.

Key Newcomer – Defense: Micah Dew-Treadway

Dew- Treadway didn’t have a whole lot of success during his time in South Bend, but he is set to play a major role on this Minnesota Defense. With defensive tackle being the biggest question mark on that side of the ball, Dew-Treadway has the most experience at that position. He’ll have two freshmen underneath him so unless they adjust quickly to the Big Ten, you’ll be seeing a lot of him on the defensive front.

Breakout Player of the Year: Rashod Bateman

After putting himself on the map last season as a true freshman, Bateman played mostly second fiddle to Tyler Johnson. With Johnson back, Bateman still finds himself in that role but with the season Johnson is coming off of, most defenses will be keying him hard. That leaves space for Bateman to have a lot of success. I picture this as an Antonio Brown and Juju Smith- Schuster scenario. I don’t expect any sophomore slump from Bateman and see him having an even better second season.

Wins Conference if:

Minnesota could very easily win the Big Ten West. All of the hype in the division is going to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Northwestern but I think people are sleeping on the Golden Gophers. They’re still young but they’re more experienced and extremely talented. They have an extremely favorable schedule, not having to play Michigan, Ohio State, or Michigan State. If they can get consistent quarterback play and the defense holds up, watch for Minnesota to be representing the West in Indianapolis come December.

Alcohol Prediction: Dark Horse Black Ale

That’s exactly what Minnesota is. They’re a Dark Horse

Outlook 2019:

If you haven’t figured it out by now, it’s very clear that I’m high on Minnesota in 2019. They return a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They could have one of the best running back duos in the conference and maybe the country if they stay healthy. The defense is nothing to sleep on and PJ Fleck is an incredible coach. Minnesota is my dark horse pick to win the West and I’m even tempted to have them as my favorite. A 9-3 or 10-2 season might be a stretch but that kind of season wouldn’t shock me in the slightest.

AUG 29 vs South Dakota State W

SEPT 7 at Fresno State W

SEPT 14 vs Georgia Southern W

SEPT 28 at Purdue W/L

OCT 5 vs Illinois W

OCT 12 vs Nebraska W/L

OCT 19 at Rutgers W

OCT 26 vs Maryland W/L (Potential trap game)

NOV 9 vs Penn State L

NOV 16 at Iowa L

NOV 23 at Northwestern W

NOV 30 vs Wisconsin W

Check out the rest of our CFB Team Previews here