ESPN.com never wastes any time looking ahead to the following season, and sure enough, the site's 'way too early' Top 25 is out, along with the conference power rankings.
ESPN.com puts Gophers football in 'way too early' Top 25
The Gophers also sit No. 4 in ESPN.com's "Too Early Big Ten Power Rankings" for 2015.
By joecstrib
January 13, 2015 at 5:55PM
The Gophers sit No. 25 on the national list and No. 4 in the site's "Too Early Big Ten Power Rankings." From the Top 25 entry:
Why they might finish higher: The Gophers continue to make strides under coach Jerry Kill, who guided them to an 8-5 record and their first New Year's Day bowl game in 52 years in 2014. There are some key pieces to replace on offense and defense this season, but the bulk of the two-deep depth chart is coming back.
Why they might finish lower: The Gophers are losing Cobb and Williams, their top two weapons on offense. Williams, who caught 36 passes for 569 yards with eight touchdowns, is entering the NFL draft after his sophomore season. Cobb ran for 1,626 yards and 13 touchdowns, and the Gophers will have a difficult time replacing his production. Quarterback Mitch Leidner played better in a 33-17 loss to Missouri in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, but he has to continue to improve as a passer. The Gophers were too one-dimensional on offense this past season.
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The “sticky” ball that coach Chris Finch so deplores showed up for the first game, after a preseason when offense happened smoothly. On defense, “resistance” was missing, the coach said.
