2014 Record: 8-5

2015 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 5.5*

2015 Season Win Total Picks NCAA Football: 'Over'

Jerry Kill has very quietly done a great job of rebuilding the Minnesota program, leading them to back-to-back eight-win seasons. They are a respectable 22-19 in their last three years compared to a putrid 20-42 mark in the five seasons prior. And perhaps more than any team in the league, the Gophers are the Big Ten's X-Factor this year.

Minnesota has 16 returning starters, eight on both sides of the ball, and a nice blend of depth and experience. Last year they played tough against TCU, Ohio State and Wisconsin, three Top-10 teams. And if they can find replacements for David Cobb and Maxx Williams on offense then they could be a team that no one wants to play.

Minnesota opens at home against Top 5 TCU and then has to rebound quickly on the road against a tricky Colorado State squad. After that the Gophers play back-to-back road games or back-to-back home games the rest of the way. They do get Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin at home. But road games at Northwestern and Ohio State will be brutal.

This year's Minnesota team is not better than last year's. They lost some NFL-caliber talent from a team that doesn't have much of it. And their schedule is relentless. But this season win total is comically low, and I absolutely see Minnesota going 'over'.

Colorado State, Kent State, Ohio and Illinois are all games I have marked as wins. I think they have a great chance to get wins at Purdue and at Iowa. Even if they split those games, that is already five wins; just one home upset would put them over the top. I think Minnesota will go 7-5 this regular season and get 'over' this total.

2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule

All Times EST

*Season Win Total Odds from 5Dimes Sportsbook.

Robert Ferringo has been the top football handicapper in the country the past two years, earning nearly $13,000 in total football profit with back-to-back winning seasons. Robert has tallied over $20,000 in football profit the last four years and in 2013 he hit 62.1 percent for the entire NFL season (95-58). Robert has produced an incredible 12 of 16 winning football months. Going back further he has churned out 35 of 51 winning football months, four of five winning overall seasons, seven of eight winning preseasons and he is at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 600 football picks. Also, Robert's proprietary KING College Football Betting System has posted two of three winning seasons and is 101-71 over the last two years (58.7 percent).

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