The Gophers' 2025 win total has been released and it's questionable

We are less than 190 days away from Week 1.

Jan 3, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Dukes’ Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Gophers' projected win total for the 2025 regular season has opened at 6.5 in the FanDuel Sportsbook. The win total ranks 11th in the Big Ten.

Projected win totals among Big Ten teams (Odds via FanDuel)

Team	Projected win total: o/u
Ohio State	10.5
Oregon	10.5
Penn State	10.5
Michigan	8.5
Indiana	8.5
USC	7.5
Iowa	7.5
Nebraska	7.5
Illinois	7.5
Washington	7.5
Minnesota	6.5
Wisconsin	5.5
UCLA	4.5
Maryland	4.5
Northwestern	3.5
Purdue	3.5
Michigan State	n/a
Rutgers	n/a

Minnesota has surpassed 6.5 wins in 5 of the last 7 seasons. Many people might view a 6.5-win projection as a tad disrespectful, and I tend to agree.

The Gophers probably have four games on their schedule where they'll be heavy favorites — Buffalo, Northwestern State, Purdue and Northwestern — while Michigan State is a favorable matchup at home.

P.J. Fleck was forced to replace his quarterback, defensive coordinator, running backs coach, defensive line coach, and linebackers coach on top of adding a lot of talent from the transfer portal, so some hiccups should be expected.

If they take care of business in the games they're supposed to win, they would have to win two of three games at home against Rutgers, Nebraska and Wisconsin and they'd be over their 6.5 projected total.

Gophers 2025 regular season schedule | Picture via: @tonyliebert (X)

It's entirely possible they could reach seven or eight wins, but a road game against Cal could be more tricky than most people think. If you add road games against Ohio State, Oregon and Iowa, Minnesota will be challenged.

Ultimately, 6.5 wins probably isn't too far off, given how many questions Minnesota has heading into the season. But 7.5 might be a more accurate over/under.

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