2020 Season Highlight: Gophers Land Top-20 Spot in Preseason AP Poll

College football is right around the corner…at least for some teams. Even after the Big Ten bowed out of fall football this season, the preseason AP Top-25 Poll was released Monday morning, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers ranked 19th.

Preseason @AP_Top25 poll. All teams considered WHETHER THEY PLAY THIS FALL OR NOT

1-Clem
2-OhSt
3-Bama
4-UGA
5-OU
6-LSU
7-PSU
8-UF
9-Ore
10-ND
11-Aub
12-Wis
13-A&M
14-Texas
15-OkSt
16-Mich
17-USC
18-UNC
19-Minn
20-Cincy
21-UCF
22-Utah
23-ISU
24-Iowa
25-Tenn

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 24, 2020

Let Us Cry For a Moment

All Division I schools were eligible for the preseason poll, regardless of their plans to play or not this fall. Yet with the Big Ten and PAC-12 cancelling (postponing, whatever) their fall seasons, this will be the first and last poll any teams from those conferences are a part of.

Alongside the Gophers, five other Big Ten teams made the list. Those teams included Ohio State (2), Penn State (7), Wisconsin (12), Michigan (16), and Iowa (24).

With the ACC, Big 12, and SEC continuing with their plans to play this fall, it will be interesting to see what the upcoming rankings hold, being they aren’t expected to rank teams that aren’t playing games. Basically, it’s an SEC fan’s wet dream.

19 is the highest the Gophers have placed in the preseason poll, since 1969. That season, the Gophers lost their first game to Arizona State, and immediately fell from the rankings. They lost six of their first seven games that season (tying with the University of Ohio in week 2). It’s safe to say, that’s not something the 2020 Gophers were planning on doing.

I guess we’ll never know, either way.

via GIPHY

2020 Hype is All We Have

Hype around the 2020 Minnesota Gophers squad was rightfully high, pre-cancellation. They were hoping to push for a Top-10 spot, by mid-season, and a Big Ten West championship when it was all over. But, that is all out the window after Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren (along with university presidents) put the kibosh on the season.

Hopefully we get to see the Gophers play, come January, but I’m sick of guessing and hoping, at this point.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan