Playing in an expanded Big 10 conference, currently with 18 total schools, including the defending College Football Playoff champion Ohio State Buckeyes, creates a difficult environment to build a winning program. This is the scenario many Big 10 teams like the Minnesota Golden Gophers face in 2025.
Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck has just agreed to a one-year contract extension. He’ll be in this role until 2030, following an 8-5 campaign in 2024.
There’s currently a quarterback vacancy for Fleck to address following former QB Max Brosmer heading to the NFL. Brosmer was one of the most productive signal-callers in Fleck’s tenure with Minnesota, finishing 2024 with a 66.5 percent completion rate, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Drake Lindsey is expected to take over QB1 duties for the Golden Gophers this season. The sophomore carries a big frame with prototypical size at 6-5, 230 pounds. Yet he only completed 3-of-4 pass attempts for 50 yards and a touchdown during his freshman year.
The good news for Fleck and Minnesota’s outlook in the Big 10 lies in the return of junior RB, Darius Taylor. He paced the Golden Gophers with 205 carries for 986 yards and 12 scrimmage touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Lindsey, or whoever winds up earning the starting quarterback role, will be able to lean on a veteran wide receiving corps. Miami (OH) transfer, Javon Tracy, is the biggest name, finishing with a 57-818-7 stat line for the Redhawks in 2024.
Defense has been consistently strong under Fleck since his arrival in 2017. Last year, Minnesota finished ninth in the country in points allowed per game, surrendering 16.9 points on average.
The offense will likely run through Taylor in the backfield. Fleck’s ground-and-pound identity allows the Golden Gophers’ offense to methodically chew the clock and control time of possession, although they’ll need to find a way to keep pace against several stacked Big 10 opponents in 2025.
Minnesota’s outlook in the Big Ten in 2025 does not project as a significant improvement from their eight-win season in 2024. However, fans and bettors can sign up with the Underdog fantasy promo to receive bonus rewards as a newly registered customer, adding incentive to watching another potentially mediocre team compete in a Power 4 conference.
The NIL era has allowed super teams to form in college football. Minnesota isn’t quite ready to be appointed a super team, primarily due to its lack of quarterback depth and experience.
If the Golden Gophers want to build off of last year’s results, they’ll have to give their best player, RB Darius Taylor, at least 300 carries in 2025. Then, more talent is needed to fill the front-seven, particularly the defensive line, to remain a stout defensive unit.
Fleck’s team is an old-school, blue-collar roster. The Golden Gophers will have to continue grinding out wins in the trenches on both sides of the line of scrimmage to remain competitive in 2025.
If Minnesota winds up hitting on a quarterback, despite a lack of experience, there is the potential to make a run based on favorable matchups. Weaker Big 10 opponents on the upcoming schedule include Rutgers, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin.