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In starting the season with four blowout victories, the Gophers football team seemed to have all the momentum in the world in building toward a possible Big Ten West title.
And then in the last three games, all losses, the Gophers seemed to go in the complete opposite direction with all the momentum lost.
But maybe we need to start with this: What do you think about the idea of momentum?
"Culturally and as a team we don't believe in momentum," Gophers defensive end Thomas Rush said this week when asked about it. "Guys make plays. The best players play their best and make plays. ... You look at games where people say somebody has momentum or doesn't have momentum, it usually comes down to guys executing responsibilities."
If you believe positive momentum is the earned cumulative confidence that comes from success, it's not as easy to explain away as insignificant — something I talked about on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast.
To Rush's point, though, if the Gophers come out Saturday, execute their game plan and win as a two-touchdown favorite against Rutgers, the narrative will be that they are back on track and carrying momentum into the final four games of the season.
It would be easier to imagine the Gophers racking up more wins after Saturday if they win Saturday. As writers, we like to look ahead and imagine narratives. As players, particularly in P.J. Fleck's program, the focus is singular.
"Just knowing that we're coming out to play a game. You can't be any more grateful about that," Rush said. "All the talk about what-ifs and stuff, it doesn't really come across to me as something that's important. This is the week that's important."
But can it still be a successful season if the biggest prizes — a Big Ten title, possible national recognition — have been eradicated by this three-game losing streak?
It's all a matter of perspective.
"We have five games left in the season. We kind of coined it GFP — Gopher Football Playoff," Rush said. "We're going to play these five games — starting with Rutgers and [it] being the most important one because it's next — just go one game at a time, continue our process. In the end, we'll look up and see where we're at.''
