icepirate13
"11 Nagurskis would be murder
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2009
- Messages
- 393
- Reaction score
- 37
- Points
- 28
Minnesota
This is as big of a boom-or-bust team on this list. The Gophers went 9-4 last year despite having one of the worst passing attacks in the Big Ten. It's puzzling because quarterback Tanner Morgan (who will be back for his sixth year) has fallen far from his outstanding 2019 season (3,253 yds, 30 TDs) to just 10 touchdowns and nine picks in '21. Mohamed Ibrahim will be back after missing nearly all of the season after rupturing his Achilles in the season opener against Ohio State (he rushed for 163 yards in that game). That, plus new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrcca (who was the OC on that 2019 team), should help the passing game open up.
The Big Ten West is a bit wide open with the usual suspects of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Purdue as the favorites and Nebraska and Illinois rebuilding. Minnesota finished second in that competitive division last season and has gotten much better ... just off health alone. The schedule is daunting (at Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin; home against Purdue and Iowa), but the Gophers have a shot at winning the West and being a dangerous opponent for Ohio State ... or whoever comes out of the East.
This is as big of a boom-or-bust team on this list. The Gophers went 9-4 last year despite having one of the worst passing attacks in the Big Ten. It's puzzling because quarterback Tanner Morgan (who will be back for his sixth year) has fallen far from his outstanding 2019 season (3,253 yds, 30 TDs) to just 10 touchdowns and nine picks in '21. Mohamed Ibrahim will be back after missing nearly all of the season after rupturing his Achilles in the season opener against Ohio State (he rushed for 163 yards in that game). That, plus new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrcca (who was the OC on that 2019 team), should help the passing game open up.
The Big Ten West is a bit wide open with the usual suspects of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Purdue as the favorites and Nebraska and Illinois rebuilding. Minnesota finished second in that competitive division last season and has gotten much better ... just off health alone. The schedule is daunting (at Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin; home against Purdue and Iowa), but the Gophers have a shot at winning the West and being a dangerous opponent for Ohio State ... or whoever comes out of the East.
