B1G: Best Game Every Week of the 2020 Schedule (Weeks 2, 3 and 4 all include Gophers; The Gophers want to be everything the Badgers are as a program)

[BleedGopher]

per Athlon:

Week 2: Minnesota at Michigan
P.J. Fleck looks to have something special brewing in the Twin Cities. Despite his team's best player, Rashod Bateman, opting out of the 2020 season, the Golden Gophers will still be formidable. The results of this game can set the tone for the season.

Week 3: Iowa at Minnesota
The Hawkeyes were the first team to take down the Gophers a season ago. Now, these two Big Ten West contenders face off on Fleck's turf, and the Gophers are looking for revenge.

Week 4: Wisconsin at Minnesota
The Badgers are comfortable as kings of the West, but the momentum Minnesota has going threatens the crown. The Gophers want to be everything the Badgers already are as a program.

Big Ten Football: Best Game Every Week of the Proposed 2020 Schedule

The Big Ten released a modified schedule in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic this week. Some of the timing of the traditional matchups have changed, but the

athlonsports.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[TurfGopher]

I hate to see it in writing but its true. But I also don't want to get embarrassed in the B1G championship game, which happens to their program often.

 

[BleedGopher]

Wisconsin State Journal chimes in:

The most intriguing games from each week of the Big Ten season

Week 2: Michigan at Minnesota

How the Gophers deal with the success of last season and how the Wolverines handle impatience from their fans are through-lines for the entire season. A big win early in the season could vault the winner into contention and slip the loser toward a disappointing year.

Minnesota must find a new weapon after All-American receiver Rashod Bateman opted out of the season Tuesday due to COVID-19 concerns, but quarterback Tanner Morgan is still in place after a record-setting 2019.

Michigan’s in the opposite situation — its receivers Ronnie Bell and Nico Collins are a formidable 1-2 punch, but quarterback is a question mark. Dylan McCaffrey enters as the likely starter, but he may split snaps.

Week 4: Minnesota at Wisconsin

This is the first time since 2013 that the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe won’t be held on the last week of the regular season, a scheduling tweak designed to allow multiple back-up dates for the rivalry game to be played. It’s also expected to give the winner control of the Big Ten West

Badgers quarterback Jack Coan had his best game against a Big Ten opponent at Minnesota last year, as he battled through wind and snow to throw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard scoring strike to Quintez Cephus. Without Cephus and two-time Doak Walker Award winner Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, Coan will need to elevate the offense with the passing game.

Minnesota’s defense lost linebacker Carter Coughlin and safety Antonie Winfield Jr. to the NFL, so it’s hard to expect much improvement in a defense that ranked seventh in the conference last year with 22.5 points per game allowed.

Week 5: Minnesota at Nebraska

In the first week that bye weeks come into play, this Big Ten West matchup is a test of identity.
Scott Frost has done well recruiting and landing transfers at Nebraska, but lost one of his best offensive playmakers in receiver JD Spielman, who transferred to TCU. At some point, Nebraska’s recruiting successes have to translate to more on-field wins, right? This could be a chance at home for the Cornhuskers to score a win to build upon.

Even with the talent loss Minnesota has seen this offseason, being an “elite” program, as coach P.J. Fleck calls it, means being able to reload quickly and find ways to win.

The most intriguing games from each week of the Big Ten season

While the fate of the Big Ten Conference football season is still to be determined, the league announced the schedule it will play.

madison.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[pk2]

Well, at least Athlon got one of the three game locations correct, which is a greater percentage than usual for them.