Gopher Update: Division Leaders

Basic statistics:

Advanced statistics and analysis of the game: Study Hall

But all you need to know is this: Trailing 10-17 in the 4th quarter, Northwestern drove the ball 97 yards to tie the game.  Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they had to kick off after scoring.

Sophomore CB, and former GA HS state champion in the hurdles, Jalen Myrick returns it 103 yards for the game winner.

What does it all mean?
The Gophers move to 5-1 (2-0) and along with Iowa lead the Big Ten West standings.

At least one national statistician (blogger) has Minnesota as a slight favorite to win the West: Updated B1G Projections

What lies ahead:

Minnesota is a 12.5 point favorite and -470 on the moneyline (83%) in Vegas.  The statistician I quoted earlier projects Minnesota as a winner 89% of the time so by either measure this is a very winnable game.  As a lifelong Gopher fan these are the games that scare me the most.  Purdue has actually been playing much better since switching to a more mobile QB a couple games ago.

The other Big Ten games we care about are Iowa @ Maryland -5 and Nebraska @ Northwestern +7.  Nebraska @ Northwestern is probably worth watching on Saturday night.  Their three previous meetings have all been one score games that were decided late including this Hail Mary last year.  Our rooting interests are Maryland (as always, anti-Iowa) and Northwestern although both are competitors for the division.

From Gophersports:

A win on Saturday would give Minnesota a 6-1 record to start the season and it would also make it bowl eligible. The last time the Gophers started the season 6-1 was 2008 (also last time they were bowl eligible after seven games), when they began the year 7-1. More importantly a win would give the Gophers a 3-0 record in Big Ten play. The last time the Gophers started 3-0 in the Big Ten was 1990. That year, Minnesota beat Purdue, Northwestern and Indiana to start league play. Prior to 1990, Minnesota’s best Big Ten start came in 1967, when the Gophers topped Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan and Iowa en route to a 4-0 record in the league. Purdue handed the Gophers their first and only Big Ten loss (finished year 6-1 in B1G) in 1967 (41-12 home win).