Aug. 22, 2022: As the 2022-23 collegiate sports season gets underway, Gophers sports news is beginning to heat up.
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Oregon initiated preliminary discussions with the Big Ten
College football insider Brett McMurphy reported Monday morning that Oregon University is in preliminary discussions with the Big Ten to determine if the Ducks are compatible to join the league. This report really doesn’t mean much more than Oregon is interested in joining the conference. With USC and UCLA set to join the conference and a new era of conference realignment in full swing, the Ducks would seem to make sense. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has mentioned 20 schools as a possible target of expansion, so Oregon could make sense as a 17th Big Ten institution.
Oregon has initiated preliminary discussions in Chicago w/Big Ten to determine if Ducks are compatible in the Big Ten, source told @ActionNetworkHQ. Big Ten “not done expanding,” sources told @ActionNetworkHQ last week. https://t.co/DYMZADm17v
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 22, 2022
John Michael Schmitz named Preseason Second-Team (AP) All-American
The Associated Press announced its annual college football preseason All-American teams Monday. Gophers center John Michael Schmitz was named to the second team behind first-team Notre Dame center Jarrett Patterson. It marks the third straight season that a Minnesota player has been named to the second team, as Schmitz joins Rashod Bateman (2020) and Mohammed Ibrahim (2021).
BREAKING: QB Bryce Young, LB Will Anderson Jr. among six players from No. 1 Alabama selected to preseason AP All-America teams.
Full team presented by @RegionsBank: https://t.co/4Kmy2LeCS1 pic.twitter.com/49zBoQ2kIJ
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 22, 2022
Women’s soccer falls to 0-1-1 in early season TX road trip
Gophers women’s soccer was one of the first fall sports to kick off their season. In an early-season road trip to Texas, Minnesota opened with a 1-1 draw in Waco Thursday against the Lady Bears. Sophomore Khyah Harper scored the lone Minnesota goal. They returned to play Sunday against No. 7 TCU, where they suffered their first defeat of the season 1-2 against the Horned Frogs. Graduate student McKenna Buisman was the only Gopher to find the back of the net. Minnesota will play its home opener this Thursday the 25th against Cal Poly.
RECAP: Gophers Fall in Heartbreaker to No. 7 TCU
🗞️ https://t.co/sEhaLfKuY3#ThisIsHome | #Gophers〽️
— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) August 21, 2022
2023 commit Cam Christie now a 4-star prospect
247sports updated its 2023 recruiting rankings Monday and Gophers 2023 commit Cam Christie saw a sizable jump in his ranking. The 6-foot-5 SG was the No. 143 ranked player at the time of his commitment, but he is now a 4-star prospect and the 84th ranked player in the country. Christie is ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois. He is the Gophers’ only committed player for the class of 2023.
2023 #Gophers commit Cam Christie (@24CameronC) was the No. 143 ranked player at the time of his commitment.
In 247sports latest update, he is now a 4⭐️ and the 84th ranked player in the country. pic.twitter.com/OiN15uw7Om
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) August 22, 2022
Men’s hockey schedule released
The Gophers’ men’s hockey schedule has been released, highlighted by an early non-conference schedule against Mankato, the team that knocked them out of last season’s Frozen Four.
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/QcfYqhkeoF
— Barstool Gophers (@BarstoolUMN) August 22, 2022