The Gophers football team opens camp Friday and depending on the source of opinion, the squad will either challenge for the Big Ten West title, or finish somewhere near the bottom of the conference.
The outside view is particularly harsh.
A group of Big Ten media members picked the Gophers to finish fifth in their division. Two national preseason publications likewise predicted that same finish.
One publication, Athlon, forecast a 3-6 conference record and did not put one Gophers player on its preseason All-Big Ten first or second team for offense, defense or specialists.
And yet Tracy Claeys says this will be the best Gophers team since the coaching staff arrived in 2011.
We'll soon learn which theory is correct, but this much is certain: The Gophers have no excuse for not contending in the West.
None.
Privately, folks inside the football department have circled this season for several years as their opportunity to emerge as a serious contender.