2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers Season Win Total Picks and Predictions for NCAA Football

2017 Record: 8-5

2018 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 6.0

2018 Season Win Total Picks NCAA Football: 'Push'

P.J. Fleck has everyone in the program rowing in the same direction. But it remains to be seen whether or not they will row themselves to shore or row themselves over a waterfall.

The excitement of Fleck's first season, after a phenomenal campaign at Western Michigan, fizzled pretty quickly. After opening with three straight wins, the Gophers lost at home to Maryland, were blown out at Purdue, and then blew a game against ranked Michigan State. It didn't get any better from there, and Minnesota finished 2-7 in the Big Ten and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2011.

So where are we at now? Does Fleck have anything behind his boyish charisma, or is he just hot air? The Gophers got worse on both sides of the ball last season, and they aren't exactly bursting with top-end talent this time around.

Minnesota has seven starters back on both offense and defense. They don't have a quarterback. And I guess that's a problem. But they have two reliable veteran skill players in running back Rodney Smith and receiver Tyler Johnson. The offensive line has four starters back but is still pretty young with two sophomores and a redshirt freshman manning the trenches. So some pieces are in place. But those same pieces puked out the No. 122 offense in the country last year, so there is a long, long way to go.

Minnesota was the No. 11 pass defense in the nation last season. Two starters are back, as well as Florida transfer Chris Williamson and redshirt sophomore Antoine Winfield. Overall, the Gophers were even better than their Top 35 numbers suggest when you consider how often the offense hung them out to dry. Improvement on one side of the ball should help the other.

Fleck will have a chance to regain some confidence. Minnesota plays four of its first five games at home. And their first road game is against a lackluster Maryland squad. They also draw Indiana, Purdue and Northwestern to Minneapolis this season, and those are three teams on Minnesota's level.

Six is a lot of wins for a team like Minnesota. Fresno State and Miami, OH aren't total pushovers in the nonconference. And there's a chance the Gophers won't win a road game all season. If they beat Indiana, Purdue and Northwestern - all at home - and manage to win all three nonconference games then that would be six wins. They would also need a road win at either Maryland or Illinois.

I think Fleck can coax six wins and another bowl bid out of this team. If you put a gun to my head I would take the 'under'. But since that's not the case, I'll call for a 'push' and move on. No value here.

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