Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck got a vote of confidence Monday from an unlikely source:
Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse.
If you’ve been a Star Tribune reader over the last decade, then you know Reusse has never been a member of the P.J. Fleck Fan Club. As recently as last December, he credited Fleck for his success in retaining talented players in the NIL era, but was critical of his on-field success:
Fleck has stayed around longer than anticipated. Overall, he’s done a good job as Year 10 beckons
next fall.
Here’s my problem: On the field, he hasn’t done nearly as much as Gophers acolytes give him credit.
Last week, when honesty forced me to offer a derogatory opinion on this Fleck season, there was a reference to me as “Gopher Hater.”
Me? Gopher Hater?
I protest. I’m not a Gopher Hater. I’ve merely been around long enough to have standards.
Eight months later, Reusse is singing a more optimistic tune:
P.J. is 45 now, he’s matured, he’s still here, he has resources, and he won’t require his people to leak rumors about UCLA wanting him, or spin nonsense about academic achievement in an era when a tutor won’t let an athlete flunk out even if the rounder wants to, to get his next raise.
The Fleckinator, as he’s called here with late-breaking admiration, has assembled a cast that can go 6-3 in the Big Ten, minimum.
A minimum 6-3 record in the Big Ten, huh?
Let’s take a closer look at what we’re dealing with:
@ Washington. Opening conference play on the road in Seattle is a tough draw. Washington is 60-14 at home since 2016, and the Huskies won a program-best 22 consecutive home games before a Week 5 loss to Ohio State last season. They are replacing their leading rusher and top receiver, but head coach Jedd Fisch returns quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and most of a solid defense, with a few new faces in the secondary.
Michigan. The Wolverines are a bit of a wild card. I have a lot of respect for head coach Kyle Whittingham, and Michigan always has top-tier talent. But will Whittingham hit the ground running and immediately compete for a Big Ten championship, or will there be growing pains? It’s a home game for the Gophers and they nearly knocked off the Wolverines in their last matchup, but I doubt they’ll be favored to win this one.
@ Purdue. A must-win game for Minnesota, though I’m sure the Boilermakers will be looking at the Gophers and thinking the same thing.
Iowa. It really doesn’t matter who is at quarterback, or how many starters they are replacing on defense. The Hawkeyes, much to my chagrin, are a well-oiled machine at this stage of Kirk Ferentz’s tenure. They may not rank among the conference’s elite, but they are tough, year in and year out. And the elder statesman of the Big Ten has bedeviled Fleck, who is 1-8 against the Gophers’ border rival in his tenure in the Twin Cities.
@ Indiana. The defending national champions are 15-0 at home in two seasons under head coach Curt Cignetti. What more do you need to know?
UCLA. The Bruins could be one of the most improved teams in the Big Ten this season, and there are two primary reasons for that: DeShaun Foster is no longer the head coach, and Bob Chesney is now the head coach. Foster was a disaster, and UCLA is likely hoping Chesney possesses some of the same magic as Cignetti, his predecessor at James Madison. He convinced former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to stay and brought in 46 transfers as part of an overhaul of the Bruins’ roster, including seven key contributors from a Dukes team that earned a spot in the College Football Playoff last season.
@ Penn State. The Gophers have not won at Beaver Stadium since 2003. Similar to Michigan, I’m not entirely sure what to expect from this team in 2026, but I do know Matt Campbell is a good coach. His teams at Iowa State were routinely among the best in the Big 12 during his tenure, and of the Nittany Lions’ 39 incoming transfers, 24 of them played for the Cyclones a year ago, including starting quarterback Rocco Becht. This will be a tough matchup and could get out of hand quickly (similar to what we saw in 2022) if Minnesota starts slow.
Northwestern. Another must-win game, but David Braun has proven a worthy adversary for the Gophers since taking over as head coach. The Wildcats are 2-0 against Minnesota under Braun, by a combined score of 75-69. And these Northwestern teams have not been offensive juggernauts, though Braun has made things interesting by bringing in Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator this season.
@ Wisconsin. Growing up, I was told: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
So where are these six wins?
If you remove Indiana, that leaves eight possibilities. Who are your two other losses then? Michigan and Penn State? Michigan and Iowa? Iowa and Penn State? Washington and Penn State?
To be clear: As a Gopher fan, I hope Minnesota finishes 6-3 or better. That would be an outstanding season.
But also as a Gopher fan, I have a tough time looking at this schedule and predicting six wins.
The reality is that the Big Ten is tougher than ever. If you don’t show up every Saturday, you’re going to lose. Some teams make it look easy. Nothing has ever been easy for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
But it’s worth pointing out that I’ve also only considered the quality of the opponents. What about the quality of their opponent: Minnesota. How tough will the Gophers be this fall? That will certainly be a factor.
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out.
