We are now just 7 days away from Minnesota Gopher football and their season opener vs Michigan is garnering national hype. It started with a network TV announcement last week (ABC) and conversations about College Gameday coming back to the U of M campus.

Now, it’s official. ESPN College Gameday is coming to be back in Dinkytown next weekend! Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call the game.

ROW THE BOAT … TO MINNESOTA ?

See you next week for our first Big Ten showdown of the season: Michigan vs. Minnesota ? pic.twitter.com/2bzNOd0Oge

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 18, 2020

Around the Dial: ESPN will have Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor on the call next Saturday for Michigan/Minnesota. Game will air on ABC.

— RudyMartzke2020 (@FakeRudyMartzke) October 18, 2020

The atmosphere at this year’s show won’t be anything like what it was in 2019 but nothing about 2020 is. Saturday’s show will turn on the camera’s at 8:00 AM from inside of TCF Bank Stadium. No fans will be allowed.

This is a great decision by ESPN. When you bring national events to Minnesota, you get huge views. It’s crazy to think that the last two home games the Gophers have played in have hosted ESPN College Gameday. It’s believed to be just the 5th time that has ever happened, according to the Gopher football press release.

If you would have said that to me 3 years ago, I would have laughed in your face.

Don’t sleep on Minnesota. We’re coming.

Hey @CollegeGameDay… I’ll just leave this here. pic.twitter.com/OXdfg4jcmW

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 13, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

On Monday, we found out the Big Ten opening weekend matchup featuring the (24) Minnesota Gophers vs (19) Michigan Wolverines at TCF Bank Stadium, will be televised to a national network audience in their primetime slot (6:30 PM – ABC). This shouldn’t be a shocker because Michigan is always big ticket and Minnesota is quickly on its way there. 5 of their last 5 games have been televised to a national audience.

When you look at the numbers, you quickly see why ESPN has interest. Last year’s Gameday appearance was one of the most viewed of the year and when the Minnesota Gopher football team played on national TV in 2019, huge crowds tuned in to those games too.

Just in case you forgot… pic.twitter.com/l4VXmSP5oq

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 13, 2020

The Star Tribune’s Randy Johnson is hearing that Minnesota is already on ESPN’s radar as a possible Gameday landing spot. This after Twitter went ablaze today with rumors and schedule studying.

Preponderance of the Evidence

It would be stupid on multiple levels for ESPN’s College Gameday NOT to return to Minnesota for this Michigan matchup. The numbers above speak for themselves. Does ESPN want people to watch, or not? Also, where else are they going to go?

The game is being played on ABC, which is owned by Disney (who also owns ESPN). Alabama at Tennessee is probably the Gophers’ biggest competition for the weekend… but Gameday is already scheduled to be in Tuscaloosa the weekend prior (Oct. 17) when when the Tide play Georgia.

The other “competitors” are (according to the Star Tribune) (8) Cincinnati at (17) SMU, or (20) Iowa State at (7) Oklahoma State. Inside the Big Ten, Nebraska plays Ohio State but that game will be a blowout and FOX is already hosting their morning show from the Horseshoe that same Saturday.

After digging into it, I’d be shocked if ESPN takes Gameday on the road to any other destination that weekend. I’d bet they’re coming back to Dinkytown.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

My early morning agitation is the farthest thing from my mind now though. It’s amazing, the power some of these necklaces hold. There are gold plated necklaces that fill important buildings all over the world. You couldn’t trade me any of those for this one, that could have been made with a used shoelace and some extra plastic you had lying around. This specific necklace has me behind the ESPN College GameDay set, snapping pictures of Kirk Herbstreit and a ridiculous on-looking Gopher crowd. This world I’ve created from my electronic devices is straight out of a fucking fairy tale. A little-kid, dreamed-up, fantasy-land fairy tale, that I’m now living out in my real-adult life, everyday.

5 minutes later, I don’t know it yet, but I’ve now stolen a cup of coffee from the Home Depot VIP lounge right behind us, that I thought was also for media members (spoiler: it wasn’t). Caleb, who is living the dream with me today, is tugging my coat and I don’t know why… “Here comes PJ”, he utters.

Here comes wh…. oh shit! After swinging my head around, fast enough to cause life-ending neck injuries, there’s no PJ… but something is clearly taking place.

‘VIEWS, ERIC. DON’T BE SELFISH OTHERS WANT TO SEE OUR SAVIOR TOO’

Phone up. This is what I’m here for. Lol, yup that’s Ryan Saunders and Pat McAfee too. What a world. What a life.

*TAP*

The savior has arrived. pic.twitter.com/aXyY4LA9UT

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 30, 2019

Fast forward a few hours and we are up in the TCF Bank Stadium press box, prepping for why ESPN College GameDay is here in the first place: The biggest Gopher Football game in modern day football history. All of the hype and activities surrounding this game are just that… hype and activities. I’m a fan. Sometimes I find myself in these surreal moments, surprised, because I don’t think about them that often. I think about the teams I cover and what they have at stake, because I’m following them like I always have. Now, I just have thousands of people who enjoy following along with me. The Gophers winning this game today is what I’ve been thinking about all week.

40 minutes before game time, I decided to bring that preparation, and the electric TCF Bank Stadium environment, to the people. It was lit, if the kids are still saying that.

Last minute LIVE Gophers-Badgers cram session from down on the ELECTRIC TCF Bank Stadium field #RTB #WISvsMINN https://t.co/OTrOrtlPnw

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 30, 2019

With the snow falling harder, as we inched ever closer to game time, the keys of this game were simple. Limit Jonathan Taylor (to whatever degree a team of only human beings are capable of limiting Jonathan Taylor), grease Wisconsin’s already buttery fingers, and find a way to stay balanced on offense, no matter the weather conditions. If the Gophers could do that, this game was theirs for the taking.

And oh fuck.. did they look like they were going to take this game right from the very beginning. On the first drive of the game, Tanner Morgan dropped back and Rashad Bateman ran a beautiful deep post route. He was rewarded with a beautiful deep post throw by his beautiful quarterback. We were off to the races… or so we thought.

It's gross out there in Minneapolis.

Someone forgot to tell @GopherFootball's lethal pass-catch duo. pic.twitter.com/v5QSMvzkV6

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 30, 2019

But then, during their 2nd drive on offense, after a dominant first defensive possession, Right Tackle, Daniel Faalele, went down with what looks like a serious leg injury. After he left the game, the Gopher offense was never the same. Suddenly, Tanner Morgan was under constant fire. It was ugly… like Sam Bradford when he played for the Vikings, ugly. He couldn’t even get through his drop back without having guys in his face. Combine that with a shotty run game… and the Gopher offense rode the struggle bus the rest of the first half.

Morgan threw a non-Tanner Morgan-like interception and they couldn’t take advantage of the 6th lost Badger fumble in their last 1.5 games. Wisconsin was able to muster 10 points, 6 of which came on this pretty ridiculous touchdown catch by (who else?) Jonathan Taylor… and the Gophers limped to halftime down 3 points, failing to put anything up after that first drive.

Jonathan Taylor is good at football.

That's it. That's the tweet.#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/1Q0e90z0k7

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 30, 2019

Whole lotta football left to play. #WISvsMINN pic.twitter.com/0F0t8aWrMV

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) November 30, 2019

The second half got a lot worse, before it got better and never got better. Wisconsin scored two more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter while the Gophers could only muster a field goal (if you are here to see more Wisconsin scoring highlights, you’re in the wrong fucking blog). The game was on the verge of getting out of control after that second Badger touchdown. Now down 14 points, with just over 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, it was time to put up a touchdown or start packing your bags for the Citrus Bowl or Outback Bowl. And, everyone in the stadium thought the Gophers were about to.

With time running out in the 3rd, the Gophers prepared to punch back. After a big run by Mo Ibrahim and another nice catch by Rashod Bateman, the Gophers were knocking on the door from the Badger 6-yard-line…. but they couldn’t punch it in. They were unable to run or pass for a score. The game was looking over at that point. Then, this screen pass on 3rd down set the nails in the Gopher coffin, before Jonathan Taylor pounded them in for a score on the ground. Now down 31-10, this one was about over.

How about the 3rd-down call?@garrettgro37 | @BadgerFootball pic.twitter.com/vUuZYPSv1l

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 30, 2019

A few more ugly offensive plays later, combined with more Badger points… and this one got out of hand in a hurry.

The Gophers got out-coached in this game and it started from the beginning. WE PLAYED SCARED…. which I wouldn’t have expected. On our second drive of the game, with a chance to go up 14-0 early, the Gophers faced a 4th and 1.5, from the Badger 35 yard line. We have gone for it, in this situation, all season long. We didn’t vs Wisconsin today. We ran the punt team on the field, took the delay of game because we were uncomfortably close to the Wisconsin end zone, and punted. The Badgers ended up fumbling on that drive but the tone was set. From there, Wisconsin was more aggressive and looked like the more multi-dimensional offense. They were running reverses on kicks and intricate screens combined with timely end-around plays on offense. They looked like the offense that the Gophers were supposed to bring into this game.

One team is throwing bombs and running reverses on kickoffs. The other has run the ball on 3rd and 10 twice and punted on 4th and 2 from the 33.

— Tyler George (@tgeorge1323) November 30, 2019

The final score was 38-17 and the result was an embarrassment in front of the entire nation. I’m going to stream the postgame press conferences, where I hope I get a chance to ask some of these questions I have, and then I’m going to go home and curl up into the fetal position, unsure when I will come out of my depression. This was a fairytale dream of a day… that suddenly turned to nightmare when the sun went down. When I collect my thoughts, I hope to come out with a blog on this team and season… that doesn’t make anyone want to drive off of I-35 on their way home.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

It’s officia. Via Rece Davis, during today’s media scrum with College GameDay and ESPN personalities, Eric Decker will be the College GameDay Guest Picker on Saturday morning when the show airs from 9AM to 11 AM CT.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

ESPN’s Rece Davis LIVE talking #WISSZN #Gophers #Badgers https://t.co/mkDtp4hxTR

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 29, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

Eric Decker played for ROCORI High School before going on to play 4 years at the University of Minnesota. He is currently the all-time yards leader (3,119) for the school but could be dethroned on Saturday if Tyler Johnson goes for over 107 yards vs the Badgers.

Decker also sits at 4th all-time in TD’s (24) and also still holds the receptions record (227).

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Before you start reading: We will be streaming today’s media appearance for ESPN College Gameday’s personalities (Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Rece Davis) at approximately 2:20 on our Twitter account (@RealMNSportsFan). Tune in, if interested!

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

If you want to see Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, and Chris Fowler gush about how amazing Minnesota is, we’ll have their media interviews streamed LIVE around 2:20 this afternoon! #Gophers #GameDay pic.twitter.com/zCjVX3lGBx

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 29, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

I hope all of you enjoyed the Wisconsin SZN bye week yesterday. Here’s where I say something generic about enjoying my time with friends and family, and how I hope you enjoyed yours… but I don’t really care and you don’t care about mine either. Honestly, I spent almost all of it talking about what really matters this week…. Gophers vs Badgers.

“Hey, can the Gophers pull it out on Saturday?” was on repeat from the time I saw my first family member on Wednesday afternoon, throughout that night out with old friends, and then continuing until I shut my car door and set the GPS for the 2-hour trek back south to the Twin Cities on Thursday evening, after two Thanksgiving celebrations. This year though, the yearly holiday felt a lot more like a pre-pregame party for the bash that happens on Saturday at 2:30 PM.

I spent a lot more time with real people over the last 48 hours, than I did with Twitter people… and oddly, I’m not sure how much of a difference there is. Here are the biggest worry factors for Gopher fans right now:

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”||-1px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||”][/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”||8px|||”]

Ryan Burns (GopherIllustrated.com) Joined MNSS Earlier This Week to Talk Wisconsin SZN

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″ custom_margin=”||-21px|||”][/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

1. Snow
2. Jonathan Taylor (Yeah this one worries me too)
3. Minnesota is Minnesota

That’s right, you can definitely feel a bit of optimism in the air with this game. PJ Fleck might be turning fan culture, like he’s been talking about since he got here. I’m not hearing nearly as many people taking the hard stance of, “Minnesota can’t have nice things”…. which is a bit weird, if I’m being honest. There seem to be more and more optimists out there every game.

Numbers 1 and 2 are synonymous with each other. Gopher Nation is worried about Jonathan Taylor. The pending snow storm seems to exacerbate that anxiety throughout the fan base. The logical football mind says, it’s going to be harder to throw the ball effectively in the snow, which hurts the Gophers, given how much they will have to rely on the pass to win this game, making the Gophers one-dimensional. Being very multi-faceted on offense and not allowing opposing defenses to key run or pass all season, has been a main drive to our success. It would be a legitimate worry… if we didn’t have PJ Fleck (more to come on that in a moment). Conversely, the 2019 Wisconsin Badgers are Jonathan Taylor. Snow, rain, sleet, shine…. they are running the ball with Taylor. A lot of snow during the game wouldn’t seem to effect their game plan nearly as much as it would the Gophers.

But, the Gophers will overcome these obstacles and win this game. There is no chance the Gophers come into this game flat so I’ve ruled that out, as a possible reason they lose. With a flat start out the window, this game comes down to a few keys that will pull the Gophers to victory, as long as they play their game tomorrow.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

THE GOPHERS CAN BEAT YOU IN MANY WAYS…. WISCONSIN BEATS YOU WITH JONATHAN TAYLOR

Offensively, once you look beyond Jonathan Taylor…. the Gophers are better almost everywhere. Tanner Morgan is not only better than Jack Coan…. he’s better than almost everyone in the country. Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson will both play in the NFL and both have over 1000 yards receiving on the season… Wisconsin’s leading receiver, Quitez Cephus, has just over 600 yards this year. The Gopher backfield is nothing to laugh at either. While Jonathan Taylor leads the country with 1685 yards and 18 touchdowns, the Gophers 3-headed monster of Rodney Smith, Mo Ibrahim, and Shannon Brooks has totaled 1874 yards and 16 touchdowns. In fact, since Big Ten play started, the Gophers rank 4th in the rushing yards gained and only trail 2nd-place Wisconsin, by 312 yards total or 39 yards/game.

Running vs Wisconsin in 2019 isn’t easy, no matter who you are, but the Gophers have gotten a lot better in that category since the start of the season. In all three non-conference games, the Gophers failed to top 150 yards on the ground. They averaged only 3+ YPC once in those three games (3.1 vs SDSU) and it got as bad as 1.9 YPC vs Georgia Southern… 

It’s hard to believe those days even existed now. In Big Ten play, the Gophers have had 3 games where they rushed for over 300 yards (ILL, NEB, MD) and two more where they dance around 200 (NW, RUTG), while averaging 4.6 YPC through all eight of those Big Ten games. This W is going to go through Tanner Morgan but, if he can get help from the run game, it’s almost a lock.

I know we hear about Wisconsin’s offensive lines ALL OF THE TIME but they don’t have the advantage this year… at least not right now. I didn’t watch all of their early games very closely, but I did watch back their game vs Purdue and Coan was under fire all night long. In fact, I’d venture to say that Coan makes me nervous, as a Gopher fan, IF the Gopher defensive line can’t get pressure on Saturday. But, if Purdue’s shitty d-line can get pressure… there’s no reason why ours can’t too. On the flip side, the Gopher offensive line has continued to improve all year long, especially in the passing game, where Tanner has been picking teams apart. Wisconsin’s passing defense (like the rest of it) has been good all season… but did allow 326 passing yards last week vs Purdue.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.7″ hover_enabled=”0″]

THE BALL IS THE PROGRAM

The Gopher defense hasn’t put up the numbers the Badgers have BUT they have done something that may be just as important… take the ball away. The Gophers are #29 nationally in turnover margin with (+5). The Badgers like to fumble, 2ND WORST IN THE COUNTRY with 13 fumbles lost this season. They lost three fumbles last week vs Purdue, alone. If they cough the ball up that many times to the Gophers, this game will be over in blowout fashion.

Coan has been mistake-free for most of the season, throwing just 4 interceptions to 15 touchdowns, but he hasn’t played against a secondary that includes Antoine Winfield Jr. If Winfield or anyone else can eat a couple of Coan’s throws… I can’t see Wisconsin overcoming them.

Wouldn’t it be bad if the Badgers jumped out to an early lead or the Gophers turned it over too? Sure it would, but it wouldn’t be as devastating as it would be for Wisconsin. The Gophers and Tanner Morgan have come back and won big games, on his arm, already this season. Wisconsin hasn’t. They won a close one vs Iowa but lost the game late vs Illinois, earlier in the year. Outside of that, they’ve either dominated on the ground and stomped opponents OR they were getting stomped by Ohio State. 

I believe in the multi-dimensional, close game tested, Gopher offense; if they face adversity. If the Badgers have to go away from Taylor….. I think they are fucked. Adversity includes the environment they play in. Even if snow hits hard at gametime, the Gophers will be ready. I don’t know how… but I know that no team in all of college football comes in more mentally prepared for elements, than PJ Fleck’s team. Bad weather might play an affect on most teams, but not the Gophers.

DISCLAIMER: Special Teams

If we lose this game based on Special Teams…… I am going to lose my mind. This is a legitimate worry. Pucker up that butt-hole every time that part of the team trots on the field, because they’ve been trying to fuck everything up all year long.

The Gophers rank 126 out of 130 in ESPN FPI, for special teams play, and they allowed Northwestern back into the game just last week, on that 3rd leg. Wisconsin ranks in the middle of the country, at 71. Please, don’t allow special teams to break our hearts again.

When it is all said and done, TCF Bank Stadium is stormed again after a rather convincing 34-24 Minnesota Golden Gopher victory. See you in Indy.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Fuck… SportsCenter has been to St. John’s vs St. Thomas and, just earlier this season, an NDSU matchup vs SDSU.. but they’ve never been to the U of M Campus or the Metrodome, when the Gophers played there. I mean, in all fairness, we haven’t given them very many opportunities.

Fleck’s presentation was impressive, per usual, but ultimately unsuccessful. Alabama and LSU were playing that same weekend and when the SEC and ESPN have the opportunity to get together and touch helmets… well, you can be damn sure that helmet-touching is going to take place. ESPN went to Tuscaloosa for the 74,879th time, while the Gophers pulled off the biggest victory in TCF Bank Stadium history 1,100 miles away, without ESPN and their SEC chaffed helmets.

Entire MD Postgame Press Conference — (Start of Pitch to GameDay: 13:30 Mark)

PJ Fleck LIVE after stomping another Big Ten opponent: #Gophers #MDvsMINN https://t.co/07ABIeDv4u

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 26, 2019

And the fans have stormed the field at TCF Bank Stadium after a huge #Gophers win over No. 5 Penn State! It was an unbelievable atmosphere the entire day. pic.twitter.com/wc0ftUo3ww

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) November 9, 2019

So, fast forward a couple of weeks, through a disappointing loss in Iowa City plus a victory over Northwestern yesterday, and the 10-1 Minnesota Golden Gopher Football team is now standing at the edge of untouched territory. Sure, University of Minnesota has gone to Rose Bowls and they have dominated the Big Ten (and all of college football) before… but that was back when the University was a safe haven for athletes of color, from all over the racist south. Players like Bobby Bell and Sandy Stephens walked off of a charter bus in Minnesota, to a different world… (as Bobby Bell explains here on an interview earlier this year with KFAN) one that allowed them to thrive as a humans and as athletes. No black/white bathrooms or water fountains… no segregation. And they did thrive, like countless others.

But this is a different age (thankfully), and the best athletes around the country get to play wherever they choose to play. So, you need a way to get them here. You need bright lights… you need a big stage…. you need a microphone. On Saturday afternoon, the Wisconsin Badgers will come into TCF Bank Stadium with The Axe, a Big Ten West title, a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game, a gimme Rose Bowl birth, and an outside chance at the College Football Playoffs, on the line…

And, you can be damn sure that College Gameday isn’t missing that chance at history… or, you can at least be sure there isn’t an SEC game of the same significance, going on next weekend.

ROW THE BOAT! ?‍♂️

For the first time ever … We're headed to Minneapolis! SEE YOU NEXT WEEK, @GopherFootball!

(?@HomeDepot) pic.twitter.com/TGXiVar7mm

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 24, 2019

Having College Gameday here is big time for so many things, but the biggest one is brand awareness. The more often you see the block “M” on national television and under the big time spotlight, the more likely we are to get better recruits, coaches, etc. And getting those recruits and coaches (and keeping PJ) are how you sustain your time at the top of college football. So, GameDay coming is huge. But, GameDay is only here because this is a massive game, as discussed in length earlier. This isn’t a massive game, if the Gophers don’t win the games leading up to this one.

Winning is the only thing that matters this weekend. Amid all of the distractions and hype that will be pumped into campus all week… none of it matters if you don’t win. No Big Ten West Title… No Indianapolis… no Axe… No Pasadena…. nothing.

This is a chance that Minnesota usually doesn’t get, and we need to take advantage, no matter how good our future looks. My heart breaks for those who heard all about those great Gopher teams of the 40’s-60’s, when they were kids and being engrained into the college football culture…. just to have the bottom fall out of the Gopher program, as they came of age in the 70’s and 80’s. Instead of making regular trips to Pasadena, like their parents, they’d go on to have their hearts stomped on for 5 straight decades, just hoping for a trip to Arizona for a “Sun Bowl”, or maybe some country music concerts in Nashville, before watching the Gophers represent the state of Minnesota in the “Music City Bowl”.

All of that can be history now, though. With GameDay on site and the entire nation watching this rivalry game on Saturday, we can bury all of that. The Gophers can beat Wisconsin for the 2nd straight year, see the TCF Bank Stadium field stormed again, and find themselves in a Big Ten Championship, with one of the youngest teams in college football…. Win this game, and the shovel will pretty much work itself, as it throws pile after pile of dirt on top of the Gophers’ last 50 years.

I’m glad GameDay got it right this time. Witnessing history is fun.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan