Minnesota Vs. Rutgers 2024 - Media Predictions

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IceBoxGopher

IceBoxGopher

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Next game up. Here are predictions out for Minnesota Vs. Rutgers

College Football Network has Minnesota winning, 23-14
So much of life in the new Big Ten for middle-of-the-road teams is momentum. The Golden Gophers were pretty much dead in the water before getting a sinking USC Trojans team at home and resurrecting its season.

I’m not even sure Minnesota is playing much better than when it lost two straight back in late September.
The formula isn’t even ground-breaking. The Golden Gophers are playing solid defense, riding a solid running game, and getting enough in the passing game to stay balanced.

Max Brosmer has been perfectly fine, which is a compliment for a quarterback on a team with that formula. But, the Gophers can’t rely on one-score wins — that might catch up with them at some point.

Rutgers, on the other hand, looked strong in the non-conference but has petered out in the Big Ten. It’s not like the non-conference wins are looking worse; the Virginia Tech win actually looks better now than it did.

Instead, it’s like the offense got figured out against Nebraska and the defense got figured out against Wisconsin. Neither unit has been particularly strong in the previous three, as the Scarlet Knights have been outscored 129-59.

I’m not quite sure what’s wrong with the Scarlet Knights, even in doing a statistical deep dive, other than that they’ve seemed to have lost their mojo. Did they find it during the bye week?

Chalk it up to a feeling, but I think the Scarlet Knights keep this close, at least initially. I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota defense, though. An ill-timed turnover or two can flip the script and widen the game. Rutgers isn’t built to play from behind, and when the offense presses, bad things happen.

I’m interested to see if true freshman safety Koi Perich can pick off his fifth pass in as many games for the Golden Gophers. Expect it to be close before Minnesota eventually pulls away for a two-score win in another low-scoring, grind-it-out type of game.

Bang the Book has Minnesota winning 31-21
Max Brosmer has thrown for 1,989 yards this season, with a passer rating of 98. He has 13 touchdown passes and has been intercepted four times. On the ground, Minnesota is averaging 112.9 rushing yards per game. Darius Taylor leads the team with 644 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Daniel Jackson has 642 receiving yards on 56 catches.

Minnesota's defense has been a strong point this season, ranking 16th nationally by allowing just 16.8 points per game. They’ve also been effective against the pass, giving up only 169.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 20th in the country, and holding opposing quarterbacks to a 59.8 passer rating, the 7th-lowest in the nation.

The Daily Gopher (SB Nation) is predicting a 28-21 victory
These are two coaching staffs that know each other very well. P.J. Fleck cites Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano as one of his coaching mentors. Schiano poached both his offensive coordinator and his defensive coordinator from Minnesota. Fleck returned the favor by hiring Corey Hetherman as his defensive coordinator.

The Scarlet Knights also feature two former Gopher starters in Kaliakmanis and safety Michael “Flip” Dixon. You know Minnesota wants this one, and Rutgers needs it to pull their season out of freefall. I think the Gophers are the better team and are playing complementary football right now.
 

When you combine AK’s ability to make adjustments and Minnesota’s pass defense, this should be a double digit Gopher victory. But I’ll take the OMG, we might lose, one score victory that we will get.
 



Picks and Parlays has Minnesota winning 35-13
Minnesota is playing the better football coming into this week and will continue to roll Saturday. Rutgers started the year on a tear and have completely spiraled. Take Minnesota this week to do the work leading to the road win and cover to extend the Rutgers woes.

Sports Chat Place is going with a Minnesota victory
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are playing their best ball of the season with four straight wins. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have allowed 35 or more points in their last three games and their offense is now 85th in scoring offense. Hard to lean toward Rutgers in this spot as this is two teams heading in different directions. Give me Minnesota by a touchdown.

Dimers is predicting a 27-21 Minnesota win
Our independent predictive model gives Minnesota a 66% chance of beating Rutgers.
 



Two of three writers at NJ.com have Minnesota winning
Steve Politi is taking Rutgers, 27-23
I subscribe to the theory that teams will eventually return to the mean, and no matter what the Big Ten standings say, I don’t think Minnesota is nearly as good as its 6-3 record. If the Scarlet Knights win the turnover battle — and they’re due, right, to have a couple? — they’ll have a shot in the fourth quarter of this game. That’s when Athan Kaliakmanis will have his best performance at Rutgers to knock his former team down a couple notches.

Pat Lanni is predicting a 30-21 Minnesota win
In a lot of ways, Rutgers is playing a better version of the team it wanted to be. Maybe that should be expected with all the connections between the coaching staffs. Either way, this is better matchup for Rutgers than, say, Southern Cal.

Minnesota won’t be as explosive, but it executes at a high level in all three phases. Nothing exemplifies that more than its turnover margin, which at +12 ranks sixth nationally. While Rutgers will be better defensively against a balanced Minnesota offense, the Golden Gophers are just better at this point.

Brian Fonseca is going with Minnesota, 20-14
Minnesota is the best team remaining on the Scarlet Knights’ schedule, but it might also be the most beatable opponent on the slate, too. Much like Rutgers, the Gophers are not built to win in blowouts: four of their six wins this season have come by one score, with a 48-23 obliteration of Maryland being the lone exception in Big Ten play.

The Scarlet Knights will have a chance of stealing this game in the fourth quarter after a resurgent performance from their struggling defense, but Minnesota’s superior talent and knack for making big defensive plays down the stretch will allow it to close out a tight victory.

NorthJersey.com is picking Minnesota to win, 27-14
Minnesota, as Schiano said Monday, is one of the hottest teams in the country. Momentum can make a big difference, and Rutgers hasn’t had much of that in recent weeks. The Scarlet Knights could have a tough time scoring against a strong Golden Gophers defense, and their health status is still unclear.

Stat Salt is picking Minnesota to win the game
These teams are trending in completely opposite directions, and I still think there’s room to grow with the Golden Gophers. They’re just a couple of plays away from being 8-1 on the year, which would put them near “powerhouse status” in my rankings system.

This will be a great matchup for Minnesota against a subpar Rutgers defense. The Scarlet Knights have been absolutely gashed during their four-game losing streak, giving up an average of 33.3 points per contest. They’ve allowed at least 35 points in their last three losses!

Finally, it’s worth pointing out that Minnesota is the ninth-best team in the country in terms of turnover margin, posting an average margin of +1.0 this year. Rutgers is just 50th at +0.3. I’ll take the hotter team that takes better care of the ball.

Picks Wise is predicting a Minnesota victory
The Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a matchup that consists of two programs heading in wildly different directions at this point in the season. Minnesota has looked fantastic after a close loss to Michigan, winning four straight including two top-25 wins.

Rutgers on the other hand is 0-4 and 0-3-1 ATS in its last 4. Furthermore, Minnesota ranks 17th in net points per drive over the last four weeks while Rutgers ranks nearly dead last in FBS at 130th. The Scarlet Knights’ defense has mightily struggled against the run, ranking 103rd in EPA/rush and 119th in rushing play success rate allowed. Minnesota likes to run a slow-pace offense and I expect them to lean on the run game in this matchup which should lead to plenty of success.

Furthermore, the Gophers have been much more consistent on offense, especially when it comes to taking care of the ball and finishing drives. Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis has 9 turnover-worthy plays over the last week while Minnesota QB Max Brosmer has 0. Rutgers ranks 110th in 3rd/4th down success rate compared to Minnesota ranking 11th. With all things considered, Rutgers’ woes will likely continue against a rolling Minnesota squad.
 

IceBoxGopher said:
Furthermore, the Gophers have been much more consistent on offense, especially when it comes to taking care of the ball and finishing drives. Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis has 9 turnover-worthy plays over the last week while Minnesota QB Max Brosmer has 0. Rutgers ranks 110th in 3rd/4th down success rate compared to Minnesota ranking 11th. With all things considered, Rutgers’ woes will likely continue against a rolling Minnesota squad.
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I found this section interesting especially the part about the turnover worthy plays. Doesn't shock me that AK isn't protecting the ball well but 9 plays that could have led to turnovers potentially is a lot. Also confirms what we have been seeing with Brosmer in terms of him not putting the ball up for grabs.

It is honestly really hard to think of times where Brosmer has thrown a ball that should have been picked but wasn't. He does a great job not making those dangerous throws so many QBs are prone to making.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I found this section interesting especially the part about the turnover worthy plays. Doesn't shock me that AK isn't protecting the ball well but 9 plays that could have led to turnovers potentially is a lot. Also confirms what we have been seeing with Brosmer in terms of him not putting the ball up for grabs.

It is honestly really hard to think of times where Brosmer has thrown a ball that should have been picked but wasn't. He does a great job not making those dangerous throws so many QBs are prone to making.
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He goes thru his progressions.

Most of those dangerous throws seem to come when the QB locks on to one receiver. We see it and the defense sees it. I think I remember AK doing a lot of that last year.
 



Wally said:
He goes thru his progressions.

Most of those dangerous throws seem to come when the QB locks on to one receiver. We see it and the defense sees it. I think I remember AK doing a lot of that last year.
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The one thing I've noticed when he's locked in on a receiver on a play is that he's great at seeing that it isn't open when it's not, and either throws the ball to an area uncatchable by the defender, or he knows exactly where his safety valve is and lobs it to the back/TE whoever is on that route. We're spoiled with some relatively boring but extremely well disciplined qb play this year and it's been hugely impactful. We needed an experienced guy who could manage a game and make the right throws when needed, and we got him. Completely different team without Brosmer.
 

Wally said:
He goes thru his progressions.

Most of those dangerous throws seem to come when the QB locks on to one receiver. We see it and the defense sees it. I think I remember AK doing a lot of that last year.
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yep. Classic case of "seeing the field". It is a critical QB skill. If you are locked in on one receiver, not only are you not aware of how open your other receivers are, but you are also likely unaware if that safety is closing the distance or that linebacker is shifting over in front of your passing lane.

Very difficult to see and process all that at once but a guy that is good at going through his progressions is typically also good at projecting where defensive guys will be when a potential pass reaches its intended target.
 


The Pioneer Press has Minnesota winning 28-20
Minnesota Offense Vs. Rutgers Defense: Minnesota was able to run over a struggling rushing defense in Illinois last weekend (4.6 yards per carry) and Rutgers is worse… QB Max Brosmer competed only 59% of his passes against Illinois, tying a season low, but OC Greg Harbaugh said it was his best game so far because of how he battled through it and led the U on a key fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Edge: Gophers

Minnesota Defense Vs. Rutgers Offense: Kaliakmanis completes 60 percent when kept clean in the pocket, but only 38 percent when under pressure, per PFF. Edge: Gophers

Prediction: Rutgers coaches having a bye week to prepare for a familiar foe is a real advantage, but Minnesota has been significantly better on the field in the last five weeks. If the U continues to win turnover margin — they are staggering plus-nine across the winning streak — this game could become a blowout.

The Star Tribune has Minnesota winning 27-13
A second consecutive road game isn’t an easy assignment, but this is a case of two teams headed in opposite directions. Rutgers and Kaliakmanis will be fired-up to end a four-game losing streak, and the bye week certainly will help the Scarlet Knights with extra preparation.

Minnesota will withstand that early pressure, and Brosmer will be effective against a defense that’s giving up 281.8 passing yards per game in Big Ten play. The Gophers defense makes sure there’s no comeback.

My expectation: Kaliakmanis and his big arm will have a moment or two, but a Koi Perich interception of the former Gopher highlights Minnesota’s win.

College Football News is picking Minnesota to win, 27-17
Minnesota’s defense is forcing a ton of takeaways. Rutgers doesn’t have a big problem with turnovers, but that’s because it doesn’t take a whole slew of chances.

The Scarlet Knights will have to start pressing, and Minnesota feasts on that with ten takeaways over the last four games.

It’ll come up with a few, the offense will be decent in the last ten minutes when it has to be, and the winning streak will continue - but it won’t be easy.

Gopher Illustrated (247 Sports) is predicting a 26-17 Minnesota win
Rutgers is just so banged up, even off of a bye week. They've got double-digit guys playing through something that can only be fixed after the season with surgeries. I expect the Scarlet Knights to start fast with that extra week to prepare, but Minnesota weathers the storm and pulls away in the second half.
 



Well, that's 15-1 on predictions for Minnesota if I counted them correctly. That's a real indication of how far the team has progressed this season.
 

MNVCGUY said:
It is honestly really hard to think of times where Brosmer has thrown a ball that should have been picked but wasn't. He does a great job not making those dangerous throws so many QBs are prone to making.
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I watched the condensed version of the game (Big Ten football in 60) yesterday. He did have one throw that probably fit in that category (although Altmeyer had one or two as well). After 3 straight stellar passing games, Brosmer had one of his weaker passing games of the season but it was good enough to get the job done anyway. Much of this I credit to Illinois' defensive backs who played with their usual physical tenacity. Kept the no-interception streak going to four games though!
 

Love to see the Gophers offense get a quick start and go up a score or two early. If Rutgers is forced to take chances on offense to play catch-up—not AK’s sweet spot—our D should have a lot of fun.

If Rutgers goes up early, I still like our chances, because with Max, DT, DJ and others, the year’s version of the Gophers can actually come back from a two score deficit.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Love to see the Gophers offense get a quick start and go up a score or two early. If Rutgers is forced to take chances on offense to play catch-up—not AK’s sweet spot—our D should have a lot of fun.

If Rutgers goes up early, I still like our chances, because with Max, DT, DJ and others, the year’s version of the Gophers can actually come back from a two score deficit.
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Rutgers is us from the past few years. If you make them have to throw to beat you they are toast. Their offense is dependent on running the ball.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Love to see the Gophers offense get a quick start and go up a score or two early. If Rutgers is forced to take chances on offense to play catch-up—not AK’s sweet spot—our D should have a lot of fun.

If Rutgers goes up early, I still like our chances, because with Max, DT, DJ and others, the year’s version of the Gophers can actually come back from a two score deficit.
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For sure, did that Vs. Maryland and the team never looked back. First TD was with about 10:40 left in the first quarter, second was with 5 minutes left in the first.
 

Both writers at Athlon Sports are picking Minnesota to win
Josh Skluzacek has Minnesota winning 24-17
Minnesota’s defense is strong and the offense has been clicking. I expect that will continue but Rutgers is coming off a bye and will make it a fight. Ultimately, continuing to win the turnover battle will be the difference for the Gophers.

Tommy Wiita is going with a 30-14 Minnesota victory
Minnesota should handle business in securing their fifth consecutive win on Saturday. Both sides of the ball have been playing well and should continue to do so against a struggling Rutgers team. The game will come down to field position and both teams' run games, and if the Gophers can put a clamp on the Scarlet Knights in that department, they'll secure their seventh win of the year.

Here are the staff picks from Minnesota Gophers On SI
Tony Liebert has Minnesota winning 24-20
On paper, Minnesota has advantages all over the field against Rutgers. Max Brosmer has proven to be a major upgrade at quarterback and the Gophers' offense has been humming during their four-game winning streak. I think Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano will give Minnesota all it can handle, but one or two big plays from the Gophers' plethora of playmakers will be the difference.

Joe Nelson is picking Minnesota, 44-10
Nothing about this game is complicated. Rutgers has been outscored 133-66 during a streak of four straight losses. What's more embarrassing is that the Scarlet Knights have lost to a decent Nebraska team, a wildly inconsistent Wisconsin team, a bad UCLA team and a disappointing USC team.

If you're worse than all four of those teams, you're pretty darn bad. But that's what life is like with a passing game that leaves so much to be desired, and the Gophers know all too well what life with Athan Kaliakmanis is like. The former Gophers QB is going to have a rough day against one of the best pass defenses in the country. I can see a pick-six or two for Minnesota in a blowout win.

Nolan O’Hara takes Minnesota, 33-23
The Gophers are in for an intriguing matchup when they travel to Rutgers on Saturday, taking on their former quarterback, Athan Kaliakmanis. Kaliakmanis is outperforming his numbers from a season ago and has thrown for 1,650 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 54% of his passes.

But over the U's four-game win streak, the defense has recorded seven interceptions. Four of Kaliakmanis’ five picks have come during the Scarlet Knights’ four-game losing streak. Both trends continue as the Gophers get the better of their former quarterback and win their fifth in a row.

Will Ragatz has Minnesota winning 30-17
Seeking their fifth consecutive win this weekend, the Gophers are rolling right now. Max Brosmer’s confidence and comfort at this level has clearly grown over the course of this season, and it helps to have players like Darius Taylor and Daniel Jackson to feed the ball to.

Meanwhile, Rutgers has fallen apart, losing four straight after a 4-0 start. Ex-Gopher Athan Kaliakmanis, who has just three passing touchdowns and four interceptions over the last six games, could be in for a tough day against Minnesota’s stout defense. I don’t expect these two teams to snap their respective streaks on Saturday.

Jonathan Harrison predicts a 30-10 Minnesota win
The Gophers are on a four-game win streak. Rutgers are on a four-game losing streak. This has typical Minnesota sports loss written all over it, especially when you add the 'ex-QB looking for revenge' angle to it all. Despite all that, I've done the thing and started believing in this Gophers team (kiss of death). Max Brosmer lights up Rutgers and the Gophers D makes Kaliakmanis' day absolute hell.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Rutgers is us from the past few years. If you make them have to throw to beat you they are toast. Their offense is dependent on running the ball.
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Stop Monagai, stop Rutgers.
Rutgers’ D, admittedly with some good players out, is giving up a lot of points recently. Turn up the heat PJ.
 

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