BroncoRedux
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2015
- Messages
- 1,193
- Reaction score
- 427
- Points
- 83
Pat Forde (now of Sports Illustrated:
Penn State at Minnesota (16). The other clash of unbeatens. This is probably the biggest Gophers home game since Nov. 18, 1961, when No. 5 Minnesota beat No. 7 Purdue. It’s the first time the Gophers have been 8-0 since 1941, when they only played eight games.
Tireless hype man P.J. Fleck lobbied for ESPN’s College GameDay to make its first-ever stop at Minnesota, but was denied. That’s the only loss Fleck has taken this season. As it currently stands, he has the highest winning percentage (.581) of any Gophers coach since Bernie Bierman, who led the program from 1932-50, minus a few years during World War II.
Now here’s the catch: Minnesota has played nobody. Fans love to say that about other programs, but in this case it is 100% accurate. Per the Sagarin Ratings, the highest-ranked opponent the Gophers have faced is No. 60 Nebraska. It’s hard, in the Power 5, to get this far into a season without having played anyone.
Penn State, which checks in at No. 5, will be a completely different animal.
What to watch: Minnesota has cranked up its running game since conference play started and ranks second in Big Ten play in rushing yards per game at 253 yards per game and 5.41 yards per rush. That collides with a Penn State defense that leads the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing just 67 yards per game and 2.04 yards per rush.
Dash pick: Penn State 27, Minnesota 17.
Pat's wrong.
Penn State at Minnesota (16). The other clash of unbeatens. This is probably the biggest Gophers home game since Nov. 18, 1961, when No. 5 Minnesota beat No. 7 Purdue. It’s the first time the Gophers have been 8-0 since 1941, when they only played eight games.
Tireless hype man P.J. Fleck lobbied for ESPN’s College GameDay to make its first-ever stop at Minnesota, but was denied. That’s the only loss Fleck has taken this season. As it currently stands, he has the highest winning percentage (.581) of any Gophers coach since Bernie Bierman, who led the program from 1932-50, minus a few years during World War II.
Now here’s the catch: Minnesota has played nobody. Fans love to say that about other programs, but in this case it is 100% accurate. Per the Sagarin Ratings, the highest-ranked opponent the Gophers have faced is No. 60 Nebraska. It’s hard, in the Power 5, to get this far into a season without having played anyone.
Penn State, which checks in at No. 5, will be a completely different animal.
What to watch: Minnesota has cranked up its running game since conference play started and ranks second in Big Ten play in rushing yards per game at 253 yards per game and 5.41 yards per rush. That collides with a Penn State defense that leads the Big Ten in rushing defense, allowing just 67 yards per game and 2.04 yards per rush.
Dash pick: Penn State 27, Minnesota 17.
Pat's wrong.