Big Ten Power Rankings - Week 5 Thread

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ESPN chimes in:

10. Minnesota (8): This was a good opportunity for the Gophers to get off to a 4-0 start with Maryland down to its third-string quarterback. They put up a good fight in a 31-24 loss, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Coach P.J. Fleck warned ahead of the game that Tom Brady was once a backup quarterback, so it didn’t matter whom Maryland put on the field -- the Gophers needed to be ready. A win would have been a big catapult as they still have Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin to face.

http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...difies-its-spot-while-michigan-state-moves-up

Go Gophers!!
 

Detroit Free Press chimes in:

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1, last week: 8): This feels a lot like last year - in the sense that Minnesota was piling up wins, but we still can't take them seriously because of the quality of those wins. Losing to Maryland 31-24 puts us back down to Earth a little bit. The Terps are improving, but that's a game the Gophers should win.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2017/10/02/big-ten-power-rankings-week-6/722849001/

Go Gophers!!
 

Daily Nebraskan chimes in:

8. Minnesota (3-1, 0-1)

Despite having an extra week to prepare for its Big Ten opener, P.J. Fleck’s team laid an egg against Maryland. The rushing attack that propelled the team’s 3-0 start dried up on Saturday and Conor Rhoda was forced to throw the ball a season high 26 times with two passes intercepted. With their next four games against Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois and Iowa, the Gophers have a great chance of pulling ahead to the front of the Big Ten West, but will need to play a lot cleaner than they did on Saturday.

http://www.dailynebraskan.com/sport...cle_df993fd6-a7d0-11e7-ba56-2b51af9d70fb.html

Go Gophers!!
 



Fan Sided chimes in:

9. Minnesota

Minnesota’s offense hasn’t always looked great, but their defense has stepped it up. Through their first three games, they gave up a total of 24 points. That’s why seeing them give up 31 to a Maryland team that played their third-string QB seemed even more peculiar than it already is.

So what went wrong for the Gophers? Complacency would be the easiest explanation, but that doesn’t seem possible for a P.J. Fleck coached team. What was more evident was their gameplan simply didn’t work.

Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith were both held in check. The longest run either of them had was 10 yards. Brooks averaged 3.3 yards per carry, Smith averaged 1.9, and both coughed up the ball. Because of that, Minnesota had to rely on Conor Rhoda more than they would’ve liked. He played poorly, completing only 50 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions to one touchdown.

Combine that with an inspired performance from Max Bortenschlager, and it adds up to a Minnesota loss when they should’ve gone 4-0. The good news is, it’s only one game and they have a chance to bounce back against Purdue. The bad news is, the schedule’s only going to get worse from here on out.

https://fansided.com/2017/10/03/big-ten-football-power-rankings-week-6-minnesota-pj-fleck/3/

Go Gophers!!
 


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