Minnesota Golden Gophers 2016 NCAA Football Preview
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
Big 10 Conference – West Division
2015 Record – 6-7
ATS – 7-6
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
West Division #5
Conference – #9
2015 Recap
All things considered it was a decent season. They lost close games to TCU, Michigan and Iowa but managed to pick up six wins including a Quick Lane bowl victory over Central Michigan. It was hard to figure this team out last year because in almost every statistical category they were fairly underwhelming.
OFFENSE
Minnesota plans on adding some tempo to their offense this season but it will still be the running game that does most of the damage. They have their top two RBs returning from last season including leading rusher Shannon Brooks who led the team in rushing while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Senior QB Mitch Leidner is scrappy and has nice mobility.
KJ Maye led the team in receptions in 2015 and does not return this season. There is a lot of experience remaining in the WR unit, and while not flashy, they should be able to at least match last year’s production.
DEFENSE
The Gophers return 6 starters to a defense that was ranked 24th in the FBS in total defense but only 7th in the Big 10. This season the front 7 looks to be pretty solid but they need to find a way to generate more sacks and tackles for loss. The secondary loses three starters and that unit was really good in 2015. The good news here is that S Demarius Travis is also back after missing almost the entire season due to injury in 2015. Overall, we think the defense will end up close in performance to last year’s version.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Other than excellent PK Ryan Santoso there is not much to see here. The Gophers will have a new punter this season and need to do better in the return game. Last season they were ranked near the bottom of the Big 10 in both kick and punt returns.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 6.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Minnesota has a really good shot to open the season at 3-0 before their first Big 10 game on October 1st against Penn St. Opening against Oregon St in the “Rodent Bowl” sure looks a lot more appetizing than playing TCU. We really like the look of the running game and that is one of the first things we look at when assessing a team’s chances against the point spread.
Overall, we give the GOLDEN GOPHERS a 6.0 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season. There are some tough road tests on the schedule but they are on an 8-3 L11 ATS run as a road dog. In fact, over the past three season they are 24-15 ATS in all games (61.5%). Losing one of the best coaches in the Big 10 (Jerry Kill – resigned mid-season 2015) has us a bit more cautious than we otherwise might be heading into the season.
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