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Analyst: Gophers 'annually one of the most disrespected programs' in CFB

Tom Fornelli is taking the over on the Gophers' projected win total this season.
Will Ragatz|
Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium.
Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

Are the Gophers going to exceed their national expectations this season? Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports thinks so. He believes they'll go 8-4 this year and are one of the most disrespected programs in the country on a yearly basis, he said on a recent episode of the Cover 3 Podcast.

"This is, annually, one of the most disrespected programs, I think, in the country, if you look at what P.J. Fleck has done," Fornelli said. "And I understand that they're replacing plenty of guys, especially on the offensive line, there's reason to be concerned. But they just have their identity and they stick to it and they're very effective in doing it."

Across eight seasons at Minnesota, Fleck has gone 58-39 overall and 34-36 in Big Ten play. The Gophers have been unable to replicate the heights of their 2019 season, when they won 11 games, but they've also won at least eight games and had a winning record in conference play in three of the last four years.

On paper, this year sets up as another promising season for the Gophers. They've got star talent in Koi Perich and Darius Taylor, depth across their roster, and a first-year quarterback in Drake Lindsey who seems to have all the tools to hit the ground running. They also happen to have a pretty favorable schedule, especially early on. Minnesota's Vegas win total is 6.5, which looks quite doable if Lindsey is at least solid.

"I look at the schedule; I think they're gonna start off 5-1," Fornelli said. "I think they're gonna beat Cal on the road. They'll get killed by Ohio State — or they might make it close, who knows — but they'll lose that game, I think they win the others. Then you get to the second half of the season, you ask can you win two of those games? I think you can. Or three of those games. I've got them going 8-4 more than I've got them going 7-5, so if we wanted to go with the 6.5 win total, I would be locking that baby up so fast: Over."

The Gophers' success this season will be largely determined by Lindsey and a rebuilt offensive line. If they can move the ball consistently on offense, their defense should give them a chance to be in just about every game they play (outside of the Ohio State and Oregon matchups, at least). It'll be key for the Gophers to handle their business early in the season and build some momentum heading into the Big Ten portion of the schedule.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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