When the Gophers raced off to a 4-0 start, winning the Big Ten West seemed like a formality. Three straight losses to Purdue, Illinois and Penn State seemed to derail that path, but the Gophers still enter the final two weeks of the season with a chance to win their first division title.
With Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Purdue all tied at 4-3, the Gophers are still in the race. Here is how they can clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 3 in Indianapolis.
Step 1: Beat Iowa
Seems simple, right? The best way to break a four-way tie is by winning your final two games and getting to 6-3.
It starts with Saturday’s matchup (3 p.m., FOX) with Iowa at Huntington Bank Stadium. P.J. Fleck is 0-5 against the Hawkeyes during his career and that includes last year’s 27-22 loss in Iowa City. Overall, the Hawkeyes have beaten Minnesota seven straight times and nine of the last 10.
Step 2: Beat Wisconsin
If the Gophers survive Iowa, they’ll have to beat the Badgers next week. Wisconsin is having a down year with a 3-4 record in the Big Ten, but the Gophers will have to defend Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Madison, where they have just one win (2018) since 1994.
If Minnesota can walk out of the next two weeks with both rivalry trophies, it will enhance their chances to win the division, but they’ll also need some help.
Step 3: Purdue and Illinois lose at least one game
The brutal thing about the Gophers’ three-game losing streak in October is that it occurred against two divisional opponents. With the Boilermakers and Fighting Illini owning a head-to-head victory, Minnesota will be scoreboard watching if they can get past Iowa and Wisconsin.
For Saturday, that means Gophers fans will be swallowing their pride and cheering for No. 3 Michigan (11 a.m., ABC). If the Illini pull off an upset in the Big House, they’ll wrap up a chance for a division title against 1-6 Northwestern next week.
This step is a lot tougher when it comes to Purdue. The Boilermakers own a victory over Minnesota and Illinois this season, and if the Gophers lose to Iowa, they won’t have to worry about their 24-3 loss to the Hawkeyes on Nov. 5 getting in the way of a trip to Indianapolis.
Purdue also has the schedule in its favor as they’ll host Northwestern on Saturday (11 a.m., FOX) and travel to 1-6 Indiana next week.
Fleck admitted during his weekly press conference that the Gophers dug a pretty big hole in October, but they’ll have a chance to make things right if everything falls in their favor over the next two weeks.
