College Football Rankings 2019: Projected Top 25, Week 7 – Florida climbs
By Zach Bigalke
852. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 23. player. won 40-17 vs. Illinois. 10/12 vs. Nebraska. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota stayed undefeated and played their way into the AP Top 25 this week with a 40-17 home blowout of Illinois in Big Ten play on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Gophers held the visiting Illini to just 248 total yards of offense as they controlled the clock for nearly 36 minutes and more than doubled up the score.
The running game racked up 322 rushing yards as a team for the Golden Gophers, led by Rodney Smith’s 211 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Shannon Brooks also went into triple digits, rushing for 111 yards and a score on 16 handoffs. Tanner Morgan was good enough at quarterback, going 9-of-17 for 155 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception.
Minnesota remains at home in Week 7 for a showdown against Nebraska that will determine whether the Gophers are contenders or pretenders in the Big Ten race. P.J. Fleck’s crew will be ranked for that battle against the Cornhuskers, and they will almost certainly stay in the Top 25 until November if they win next week given they close out October at Rutgers and home versus Maryland.