Gophers football projected to finish 12th in 18-team Big Ten this fall

The Gophers football team has been picked to finish in the middle of the newly expanded Big Ten Conference this fall.

Minnesota slotted in 12th out of 18 total teams, receiving 183 total points from media members in the annual Cleveland.com poll released Monday.

With the addition of Oregon, Southern Cal, Washington and UCLA, the Big Ten scrapped its East/West division format for this season, meaning there will be a crowded pecking order in the power conference this fall.

The Gophers have 15 returning starters from a team that finished 6-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play in 2023. With new transfer quarterback Max Brosmer, most oddsmakers have the Gophers finishing with approximately five regular-season wins this year.

The Cleveland.com poll named Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel as the preseason offensive player of the year and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson as the preseason defensive player of the year.

Gophers running back Darius Taylor was the only U player to receive a vote for offensive or defensive player of the year. Taylor got one mention after he averaged 5.8 yards per carry across six games last season. As a freshman, he had 138 carries for 799 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck, along with Taylor, Brosmer and linebacker Cody Lindenberg will attend Big Ten Media Days on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Bigger Ten

The 2024 results from the annual Cleveland.com poll:

1. Ohio State (21 first place), 480 total votes
2. Oregon (6), 448
3. Penn State, 418
4. Michigan, 411
5. Iowa, 363
6. Southern Cal, 346
7. Wisconsin, 313
8. Nebraska, 293
9. Rutgers, 249
10. Washington, 236
11. Maryland, 185
12. Minnesota, 183
13. Illinois, 145
14. Northwestern, 138
15. UCLA, 124
16. Michigan State, 119
17. Indiana, 76
18. Purdue, 65

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gophers-football-projected-finish-12th-131300968.html

Author : Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

Publish date : 2024-07-22 13:13:00

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