Saturday's Gophers loss to Bowling Green goes down as one of Minnesota's worst upsets of the past several decades. A closer look:
Gophers' worst losses under P.J. Fleck, based on point spread
2021 vs. Bowling Green, 31-point favorite, lost 14-10
2020 at Maryland, 20-point favorite, lost 45-44
2018 at Illinois, 9-point favorite, lost 55-31
2017 vs. Maryland, 13-point favorite, lost 31-24
Source: Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine
Other notable Gophers football upsets of recent decades
* In 1982, Northwestern defeated the Gophers 31-21 in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcats were 30-point underdogs and had lost their previous 38 Big Ten games.
* In 2010, South Dakota defeated Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium 41-38. There was no point spread listed at the time for an FCS vs. FBS matchup.
* In 2007, Bowling Green defeated the Gophers 32-31 in overtime, spoiling Tim Brewster's debut as Gophers coach. The Falcons were 14-1/2-point underdogs.
Other notable upsets in modern college football history
* In 2017, Howard defeated UNLV 43-40 in Las Vegas. An FCS team, Howard entered as a 45-point underdog,
* In 2007, Stanford defeated USC 24-23 in Los Angeles. The Cardinal, coached by Jim Harbaugh, was listed as an underdog against Pete Carroll's Trojans by 39 to 41 points.
* Earlier in 2007, Appalachian State defeated Michigan 34-32 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Wolverines were ranked No. 5 nationally, and this was the first time an FCS team defeated an FBS team. Michigan was widely considered the favorite by 31 to 33 points.
