Minnesota’s three rivalry trophies with Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan are among the most historic in the sport of college football, and its trophy with Penn State is among the most random. There will be a lot more than the Governor’s Victory Bell on the line for the Gophers this week in Happy Valley.

Governor’s Victory Bell

The reason Minnesota and Penn State play for a rivalry trophy is that Penn State wanted to honor its first Big Ten Conference game, which came against the Gophers in 1993. It was also the first meeting between the schools. Penn State leads the all-time series 11-6. Things got a little spicy when Minnesota upset the Nittany Lions in Minneapolis in 2019, but other than the trophy, it hasn’t really felt like a rivalry. Fans from both programs share a similar sentiment.

Greg Harbaugh Jr.’s future

It has become increasingly difficult to ignore Minnesota’s offensive struggles this season. With just 307.1 total yards per game, the Gophers rank 129th in FBS. Their rushing offense is even worse, with 98.6 yards per game, which ranks 132nd. In Harbaugh’s fourth year as the Gophers’ primary offensive play-caller, he’s hanging his hat on a 2024 season in which they finished 80th in points per game. Programs across the country have been making in-season coordinator changes. If Minnesota has another underwhelming offensive performance this week, the noise around Harbaugh is only going to get louder.

Bowl eligibility

Do people still care about bowl games? It seems like P.J. Fleck does. The Gophers have played in a bowl game in seven of his nine seasons as the program’s head coach, and they’ve won all seven. This year’s team has three more chances to reach the six-win threshold, which is the requirement for bowl eligibility at the FBS level. As 9.5-point betting underdogs this week, with games against Northwestern and Wisconsin looming, Fleck might need one more upset to coach postseason football this season.

Drake Lindsey’s future

After an encouraging first 17 starts to his college career, Lindsey’s development has hit a wall over the last five games. He has had at least one turnover in seven straight games, and the dynamic arm talent he showcased to start his career hasn’t consistently shown up. He looked overwhelmed against Michigan, Iowa and UCLA’s defenses, and the Gophers fell into too big of an early hole against Purdue and Indiana. Analyzing why his development has hit a wall is a much more nuanced conversation, but the Gophers simply need better play at the quarterback position.

It seems highly unlikely that Minnesota would make a change at quarterback this season, but Lindsey’s performance in the final three games will certainly impact his future. The potential of heading to the NFL this offseason is probably over, but the transfer portal is always on the table.

Apathy

The way Minnesota lost to Indiana and UCLA was incredibly frustrating for any supporters watching the games. Fleck is undoubtedly one of the most successful head coaches Minnesota football has had in the modern era, and his seat should be cold. But the way this season has gone, and really every season since 2019, has been getting old.

Realistic fans will never expect Minnesota to compete for championships, but every season since 2019 has felt like a missed opportunity. This year’s team could easily be 7-2, just as easily as it could be 3-6. Another loss this week against Penn State would completely eliminate all the momentum the Gophers built after wins over Michigan and Iowa.

Source: Yahoo Sports