Gophers football picked third in Big Ten West behind Iowa and Wisconsin

PUBLISHED July 25, 2023 at 6:36 a.m. | UPDATED: July 25, 2023 at 9:47 a.m.
The Gophers football program continues to look up at its arch rivals going into the final season of Big Ten division play.
The annual Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll has Minnesota behind Wisconsin and Iowa in the West Division. The overall results from 37 voters were released Tuesday ahead of Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis this week.
The U, which has never won a division championship, finished third with 176 votes and one first-place vote. Iowa came in second at 232 and 16 picks for the top spot. Wisconsin and new head coach Luke Fickell were first with 233 total votes and 20 for first.
In the East, Michigan edged Ohio State for the top spot for the first time in four years. The defending Big Ten champion Wolverines had 248 overall votes and 27 for first place; the Buckeyes had 226 and eight; Penn State was third with 192 and two.
The poll results from Big Ten reporters mirrors some other national outlets.
Phil Steele’s 2023 College Football Preview predicts Minnesota will be in a tie for third in the West with Illinois — also behind Iowa and division winner Wisconsin.
Athlon pegs Minnesota to go 7-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten and finish third, also behind Wisconsin and Iowa. Lindy’s has that same pecking order.
“Minny is a legit contender in the West but has a tough schedule,” Steele wrote. He said the U’s slate is 71 spots tougher than a year ago and he pointed out a tough road game at Iowa on Oct. 21.
ESPN has pegged the Gophers schedule as the second-hardest in the country due to matchups with Ohio State, Michigan and a Power Five nonconference road game at North Carolina in September. The Tar Heels might be a Top 25 team when the U travels to Chapel Hill, N.C.
“Everyone wants us to be scared of this schedule that we got,” Gophers defensive back Tyler Nubin said on July 12. “Everybody wants us to back down to the teams we are going to be playing against, and that’s not how we see it.”
The Gophers have deemed it an “opportunistic” schedule, with multiple players using that description during their internal media day earlier this month.
“We got a lot of competitive, hard-working dudes on this team and we see that schedule as an opportunity to really do something special here at the University of Minnesota,” Nubin added. “I think having that mindset and going into that challenge with that mindset is going to be able to be successful.”
Nubin was the only Gopher to receive a vote for Big Ten offensive or defensive player of the year in the Cleveland.com tabulation. The senior safety received one vote. Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean was selected as preseason defensive player of the year, and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., was the clear preseason offensive player of the year.
For the third time in the past four seasons, the Gophers will open the season with a Big Ten opponent when Nebraska comes to Huntington Bank Stadium on Aug. 31. But the level of opponent doesn’t ratchet up anticipation for the season to start, according to defensive end Danny Striggow.
“Once we get toward the end of fall camp, we will start gearing into Nebraska,” the Orono, Minn., native said July 12. “It’s the first game. It’s Game 1. We will be focused on them when the time comes, but any first game is exciting when you go nine months without football. It doesn’t matter who straps up against you. It’s an exciting experience, and everybody can’t wait.”