highwayman
Knows Less Than PJ Fleck
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3. Minnesota
The Big Ten West is just plain wide open this season. The smart money has to be on Wisconsin*because even though Melvin Gordon is gone, and Gary Andersen followed him out the door, Paul Chryst steps into a very familiar situation. Meanwhile Nebraska has a new coach and an entirely new system to work in on offense, Iowa still worships the Field Position God over the Points God, Northwestern has fallen back to Earth in recent years, and Illinois and Purdue are still totally Illinois and Purdue.
Then there's Minnesota. Yes, the Gophers lost key players like David Cobb, Maxx Williams, but they're still poised to make noise in the division next season. They have an excellent coaching staff, and they also have the benefit of getting both Wisconsin and Nebraska in Minneapolis this season. Sure, the cross-divisional draw of Ohio State and Michigan isn't exactly kind, but at least Michigan will be coming to Minnesota as well. Now, I feel like the ceiling here for the Gophers would be a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten, but honestly, 6-2 will probably be enough to get the job done in the West. As for beating whoever wins the East, well, that's another situation entirely.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...5199485/friday-five-conference-title-sleepers
via http://cbssportsapp.com
The Big Ten West is just plain wide open this season. The smart money has to be on Wisconsin*because even though Melvin Gordon is gone, and Gary Andersen followed him out the door, Paul Chryst steps into a very familiar situation. Meanwhile Nebraska has a new coach and an entirely new system to work in on offense, Iowa still worships the Field Position God over the Points God, Northwestern has fallen back to Earth in recent years, and Illinois and Purdue are still totally Illinois and Purdue.
Then there's Minnesota. Yes, the Gophers lost key players like David Cobb, Maxx Williams, but they're still poised to make noise in the division next season. They have an excellent coaching staff, and they also have the benefit of getting both Wisconsin and Nebraska in Minneapolis this season. Sure, the cross-divisional draw of Ohio State and Michigan isn't exactly kind, but at least Michigan will be coming to Minnesota as well. Now, I feel like the ceiling here for the Gophers would be a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten, but honestly, 6-2 will probably be enough to get the job done in the West. As for beating whoever wins the East, well, that's another situation entirely.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...5199485/friday-five-conference-title-sleepers
via http://cbssportsapp.com