Yes, Minnesota has national championships that were won before Kennedy was assassinated, and the only one since the bombing of Pearl Harbor was won despite having lost the Rose Bowl. I give Minnesota the proper credit for having that history. But unlike Michigan or Ohio State that history died a long, long time ago. Minnesota has been a completely horrendous football program for the entirety of my life. Wisconsin and Iowa have had phases of incompetence, but nothing sustained quite like Minnesota. Those national championships, Big Ten championships and head-to-head wins against Iowa and Wisconsin mean nothing to any recruit right now. They mean something to fans, most of which probably weren't alive then anyway. They're nice to put into a trophy case at the stadium.
But show a recruit a picture of the last Rose Bowl team at Minnesota and they'll start asking why the picture is in black & white. We are in a what have you done for me lately kind of world. Modern day Minnesota football has no tradition to sell. But you're right, you'd pick Minnesota if you wanted a more urban campus. I would think on the list of reasons for a recruit to pick a school that one is pretty close to the bottom.
