College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 8

Minnesota continues slowly pushing its way back up toward a No. 19 ranking that it held in the preseason. The Golden Gophers will remain one of five Big Ten teams in the AP Top 25 this week as they move up another couple of spots closer toward the teens. Without doing anything at all, P.J. Fleck’s team is starting to experience a course correction back to the level of respect they boasted before the Big Ten originally opted to call off fall football.

It is a Jekyll-and-Hyde story of sorts in the Twin Cities. While quarterback Tanner Morgan is back to helm one of the nation’s most experienced offenses, the defense is basically turning almost entirely over. Among FBS schools, only five other programs have less returning defensive production back at their campuses this season. How quickly new talent can get up to speed on that side of the ball will determine how far Minnesota can row the boat.

We will learn more about Minnesota right out of the gate when they kick off the season by hosting Michigan in Week 8 in a matchup of ranked opponents. The Golden Gophers did avoid Ohio State and Penn State in interdivisional play, opening their path further to challenging Wisconsin for the division crown.