Week 3 Big Ten Power Rankings Thread

Donate To GopherHole
BleedGopher

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
63,511
Reaction score
21,599
Points
113
Hawkeyes Wire chimes in:

15. Minnesota (2-1)​

The Gophers played a late game on Saturday and fell short, losing to California 27-14 on the road. Minnesota was without star running back Darius Taylor, which left PJ Fleck's squad a little shorthanded. But the Gopher defense really struggled against a Cal offense starting a true freshman quarterback, albeit that quarterback is really good.

hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com

Big Ten football power rankings: Where does Iowa rank after UMass win?

Following a 47-7 victory over UMass, where do the Hawkeyes rank in the newest Big Ten football power rankings?
hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Black Shoe Diaries chimes in:

15. Minnesota​

The Gophers lost to Cal 27-14 in a classic Big Ten-ACC showdown. Conference realignment is dumb sometimes, but in any case, Minnesota just didn’t have any pep, and showed that they may struggle to make a bowl this year. The Bye week beckons.

www.blackshoediaries.com

Big Ten Power Rankings - Week 3

Some movement after some up and down performances
www.blackshoediaries.com www.blackshoediaries.com

Go Gophers!!
 


Fox Sports chimes in:

Minnesota Golden Gophers
#12 Minnesota Golden Gophers
Previously ranked: 11

2-1, 0-0

Result: 27-14 road loss to California

The Gophers were in position to tie this game early in the fourth quarter until two special teams gaffes tilted momentum toward Cal. Kicker Brady Denaburg, a transfer from Syracuse, missed his first field goal of the season on a 51-yard attempt when Minnesota trailed 17-14. And several minutes later, star safety Koi Perich muffed a punt inside his own 10-yard line that was recovered by the Bears, handing them an extremely short field for an easy touchdown. That score pushed Cal’s lead to double digits with 6:55 remaining.

Big Ten Power Rankings: Ohio State, Oregon Reign; Minnesota, Wisconsin Slide | FOX Sports

The Buckeyes and Ducks hold steady at the top, but Michigan and Maryland are climbing fast — while traditional powers like Wisconsin and Minnesota take a tumble.
www.foxsports.com www.foxsports.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Yahoo Sports chimes in:

No. 14 - Minnesota​

Sep 13, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) confers with tight end Jameson Geers (86) at the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Sep 13, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) confers with tight end Jameson Geers (86) at the line of scrimmage during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Record: 2-1 (0-0 in Big Ten)

Result this week: Lost at California

In the Golden Gophers two games against FBS teams, they've looked... not good. Minnesota was missing star running back Darius Taylor for this week's road game at California so that was a big factor in the end result, but I'm to the point where I'm starting to sell my Golden Gophers stock.

sports.yahoo.com

Big Ten Power Rankings: MSU drops after lackluster, injury-filled win vs. Youngstown State

See where Michigan State lands in our latest Big Ten power rankings
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

Go Gophers!!
 



Ducks Wire chimes in:

13) Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1)​

Sep 13, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears defensive back Jasiah Wagoner (8) reaches out to tackle Minnesota Golden Gophers kick returner Koi Perich (3) during the third quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images


Game Result: L 27-14 vs. Cal

Previous Ranking: 10

What's Next: Bye

Analysis: Star running back Darius Taylor was a late scratch before this game due to a leg injury, leading the Gophers without their best player. They couldn't quite get their run game going, putting a limit on their offensive output. The defense had trouble making against Cal's passing attack, surrendering 279 yards and three touchdowns to true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

duckswire.usatoday.com

Big Ten power rankings following Week 3: Ducks hold top two spot after road win

Week 3 was another eventful week for the Big Ten conference, setting off a wave of changes in our weekly conference power rankings.
duckswire.usatoday.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Badgers Wire chimes in:

11. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten)​

Aug 28, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the first half of the game against the Buffalo Bulls at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images


Week 3 Result: 27-14 loss to California

Previous Rank: No. 9 (Down 2)

Analysis: Minnesota was one of several Big Ten teams to suffer a deflating loss in Week 3. The result halts what appeared to be a strong start to the season. Running back Darius Taylor's health is a major variable to watch moving forward; he missed Saturday's loss to Cal after leaving the team's Week 2 win with a leg injury.

badgerswire.usatoday.com

Big Ten Football Power Rankings after Week 3: Final update before conference play

Week 3 of the 2025 college football season is in the books.
badgerswire.usatoday.com

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Black Shoe Diaries chimes in:

15. Minnesota​

The Gophers lost to Cal 27-14 in a classic Big Ten-ACC showdown. Conference realignment is dumb sometimes, but in any case, Minnesota just didn’t have any pep, and showed that they may struggle to make a bowl this year. The Bye week beckons.

www.blackshoediaries.com

Big Ten Power Rankings - Week 3

Some movement after some up and down performances
www.blackshoediaries.com www.blackshoediaries.com

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
Struggle to make a bowl? Because we lost late night west coast P4 game against a 3-0 team with a really talented QB?

Dink.
 



STrib chimes in:

13. Gophers (2-1): Too many mistakes — eight penalties, an interception thrown and a fumble lost — doomed the Gophers in their 27-14 loss at California. The absence of running back Darius Taylor (hamstring) left a hole in the offense that they couldn’t fully fill.

www.startribune.com

Big Ten power rankings: After 0-3 start, UCLA fires head coach as Bruins remain winless

Too many mistakes — eight penalties, an interception thrown and a fumble lost — doomed Minnesota in 27-14 loss at California. The absence of running back Darius Taylor (hamstring) left a hole in the offense that they couldn’t fully fill.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Badge of Honor chimes in:

14. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1)​

No one saw a loss to Cal coming, and most of the nation didn't see it, as it was the late game on the West Coast. However, it doesn't make it less embarrassing for the Golden Gophers. Cal is not a good football team. Mediocre at best, this was a game that Minnesota needed to have.

badgerofhonor.com

Big Ten power rankings after week 3: First coach fired, Minnesota down, and more

We are finally getting into meaningful football in the Big Ten. Week 4 is when we really start to see some fireworks with five conference games. The non-confere
badgerofhonor.com badgerofhonor.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Noel chimes in:

12. Minnesota (2-1)
Last Week’s Result: Minnesota 14, Cal 27
Last Week’s Ranking: #8

gopherhole.com

Big Ten Power Rankings - GopherHole.com

Where do the teams stand entering Week 4 of the season? Our own Noel Thompson gives us his Big Ten Power Rankings. 1. Ohio State (3-0) Last Week’s Result: Ohio State 37, Ohio 9 Last Week’s Ranking: #1 2. Penn State (3-0) Last Week’s Result: Penn State 52, Villanova 6 Last Week’s Ranking: #2 3. […]
gopherhole.com gopherhole.com

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:

No. 14 - Minnesota​

Record: 2-1 (0-0 in Big Ten)

Result this week: Lost at California
Click to expand...
Hard to rank it any other way given the results of the actual games played - we lost, the teams ranked ahead of us didn't. Until the middling teams (MSU, Maryland, Washington, Rutgers, etc) start to play competitive teams and lose, we are right where we deserve to be.

That said, the ACC is hot garbage this year so I could actually see Cal win 10 games. Outside of SMU, pretty much all of their games seem winnable.
 



BleedGopher said:
Badge of Honor chimes in:

14. Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1)​

No one saw a loss to Cal coming, and most of the nation didn't see it, as it was the late game on the West Coast. However, it doesn't make it less embarrassing for the Golden Gophers. Cal is not a good football team. Mediocre at best, this was a game that Minnesota needed to have.

badgerofhonor.com

Big Ten power rankings after week 3: First coach fired, Minnesota down, and more

We are finally getting into meaningful football in the Big Ten. Week 4 is when we really start to see some fireworks with five conference games. The non-confere
badgerofhonor.com badgerofhonor.com

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
A negative take from a Badger Ranker....the loss to Cal is frustrating because the game was winnable but it was far from an embarrassing loss. An embarrassing loss was getting destroyed by Alabama in a game where your team didn't even look like it belonged on the same field.
 

MNVCGUY said:
A negative take from a Badger Ranker....the loss to Cal is frustrating because the game was winnable but it was far from an embarrassing loss. An embarrassing loss was getting destroyed by Alabama in a game where your team didn't even look like it belonged on the same field.
Click to expand...
That’s a good way to put it. It’s a very frustrating loss, but nowhere near embarrassing.

Bowling Green was embarrassing. South Dakota was embarrassing. Blowing a late, huge lead against Northwestern was embarrassing.

Cal is just a loss. It happens.
 

DelawareGopher said:
That’s a good way to put it. It’s a very frustrating loss, but nowhere near embarrassing.

Bowling Green was embarrassing. South Dakota was embarrassing. Blowing a late, huge lead against Northwestern was embarrassing.

Cal is just a loss. It happens.
Click to expand...
Yep. Cal was a tossup game and in tossup games the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins most of the time.
 


Not a ranking from SI’s Pat Forde, but a comment on PJ:

Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work ​

P.J. Fleck (39), Minnesota. He lost his third annual regular-season game against a power-conference opponent, this one 27–14 to California. (The previous two were to North Carolina.) The Gophers opened the game with four straight punts and finished it with a missed field goal and two turnovers on downs. Fleck thumped the tub hard in the summer for the two-way capability of defensive back/offensive utility player Koi Perich, but his offensive role has been limited—three receptions for 55 yards, one rush for a nine-yard loss. Time to incorporate him more into the passing game?
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Not a ranking from SI’s Pat Forde, but a comment on PJ:

Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work ​

P.J. Fleck (39), Minnesota. He lost his third annual regular-season game against a power-conference opponent, this one 27–14 to California. (The previous two were to North Carolina.) The Gophers opened the game with four straight punts and finished it with a missed field goal and two turnovers on downs. Fleck thumped the tub hard in the summer for the two-way capability of defensive back/offensive utility player Koi Perich, but his offensive role has been limited—three receptions for 55 yards, one rush for a nine-yard loss. Time to incorporate him more into the passing game?
Click to expand...
Tell me you didn't watch the game without telling me you didn't watch the game.....
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom