Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Gophers Who Will Emerge Victorious

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Photo: Harrison Barden - USA TODAY Sports

Don’t look now but the college football season isn’t too far away. July is almost here and that means college football media days are right around the corner and shortly after those conclude, fall camps will begin and it will quickly be football season once again across the country.

For the Minnesota Golden Gophers, there is a combination of high expectations but also uncertainty entering this upcoming season. Under head coach P.J. Fleck, the program has seen great heights with three-straight 9+ win seasons (not counting the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season). That being said, the Gophers lost quite a bit of talent this offseason due to eligibility being used up and the NFL Draft.

That being said, the Gophers put together a solid 2023 recruiting class and were very active in the transfer portal. But will it be enough to make some noise in a highly competitive Big Ten? We’ll have to ultimately wait and find out.

For the Ohio State Buckeyes, similar can be said for the most part. The Buckeyes are historically one of the best programs in all of college football and are considered to be a College Football Playoff contender year in and year out. That being said, the Buckeyes will look to replace several key players including quarterback CJ Stroud.

That being said, one of the more anticipated matchups of Minnesota’s 2023 season is their matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes set for November 18, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio

It has been a series dominated by Ohio State winning 46 of 53 matchups all-time between the two programs. Minnesota’s last win over the Buckeyes came in 2000, a 29-17 win in Columbus. For their last win in Minneapolis, you’d have to go all the way back to 1981, a 35-31 win for the Gophers. Could this be the year that Minnesota finds a way to upset the Buckeyes? Look no further for the ultimate game-day experience with Ohio sportsbooks promos. Stay in the heart of the action and seize the opportunity to win big as the highly anticipated showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Minnesota Golden Gophers approaches.

While there are no odds released just yet for this game, it’s safe to say barring anything unexpected that Ohio State will be a heavy favorite over the Golden Gophers, likely by three touchdowns or more. As of right now, Ohio State has an over/under win total of 10.5 according to most sportsbooks while Minnesota is quite a bit lower at 6.5 wins. It’s a sizeable difference in the preseason and gives just an idea of how sportsbooks value each program.

The Buckeyes enter this upcoming season with what should be a tremendous offense led by quarterback Kyle McCord, running back TreVeyon Henderson, and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. It should be one of the most dangerous offenses in the entire country and could very well be the nation’s best. Defensively, it will be a bit more of a question for the Buckeyes. After a poor 2021 season, the Buckeyes improved in 2022, allowing just 21.0 points per game. Can that defense take another step in 2023? That might be the question that ultimately decides if these Buckeyes can compete for a national championship in 2023.

Minnesota, on the other hand, will look to replace quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim. The Gophers are hoping quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis can take the next step in his development while they’ll look at Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler to lead the way on the ground alongside a committee of other running backs within the program. While the Gophers’ offense won’t be world beaters in 2023, it should be a quality and competent one. Defensviely, the Gophers won’t be the most talented defense or the fastest but they’ll put together strong performances week in and week out for the most part after allowing under 14 points per game last season.

When it comes to how they match up, in the end, the Gophers likely won’t have the talent or speed to keep up with Ohio State for four quarters. The Gophers will need quite a bit to break their way throughout the game to likely have a realistic chance at upsetting the Buckeyes this November but we won’t rule it out either. Having the game being played in Columbus will make it even tougher for the Gophers as well but as Minnesota fans have learned in the past, you never count out head coach P.J. Fleck who has established himself as one of the best coaches

in college football during his tenure in Minneapolis so far and has the Golden Gophers headed into the right direction

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