Minnesota Gophers can look at Iowa Hawkeyes and see what could have been this season

The Iowa Hawkeyes are currently in if the College Football playoff started today, but in a different world, that’s the Minnesota Golden Gophers shocking the world.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team has never been quite right this season. A rocky start that was brought on by injuries and throttled more by additional injuries throughout the season has put the Gophers fighting for a certain bowl game berth this weekend against the Wisconsin Badgers.

We haven’t even mentioned yet that Head Coach Jerry Kill had to resign mid-season due to his epileptic seizures.

Nevertheless, the Gophers football season has been lackluster and hasn’t meet the expectations of anyone. This was seen as the season that the Gophers could compete to at least win the Big Ten West, but now they sit in a tie for second-to-last with Illinois at 2-5.

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Minnesota was supposed to have issues with TCU in game one, but then not have issues throughout Big Ten play until the game against Ohio State. Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan decided to spoil that even before the Gophers could get to Columbus.

Some saw Minnesota getting to the Big Ten Championship game out of the West. That honor will go to Minnesota’s neighbor to the south, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes stand 11-0 overall right now with only one regular season game remaining two games ahead of Northwestern and Wisconsin. In the College Football Playoff Rankings that came out on Tuesday, Iowa was ranked fourth and in the playoff bracket.

In a different world, that could be the Gophers. In a different universe the Gophers were the healthiest team in the country and have won the Little Brown Jug, Floyd, just days away from winning The Axe and being on their way to the Big Ten Championship Game.