The bottom five?
Big Ten observers could argue each of the Gophers' next four opponents is among the bottom five teams in the Big Ten. Here's the damning evidence for each of the four opponents, and 0-2 Minnesota:
Minnesota (3-2, 0-2): Broken tackles at Penn State and against Iowa have turned winnable games into a deflating 0-2 start.
Maryland (4-1, 1-1): Gave up 21 unanswered to Penn State to take the air out of a surprising start to the season.
Rutgers (2-4, 0-3): In 78-0 drubbing, Michigan left a scar on the Scarlet Knights that could linger for multiple seasons.
Illinois (1-4, 0-2): When the reigning "worst team in the conference" comes into your stadium and wins ...
Purdue (3-2, 1-1): No longer the reigning "worst team in the conference."
In sum: The Gophers' next four opponents are a combined 2-7 in the Big Ten. Those two victories came within this group, meaning none of these five teams has beaten any of the other nine Big Ten teams.
