In college football, the games of November are the ones to remember, with matchups like Tennessee, No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, at No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.

For the Gophers, the stakes this month won't reach those heights, but November is important, nonetheless. Minnesota is aiming to finish strong after seeing its grand aspirations fade during a three-game losing streak. Beginning Saturday at Nebraska, the Gophers close their regular season with four consecutive games against Big Ten West Division opponents.

After the Gophers stumbled through October by losing consecutive games to Purdue, Illinois and Penn State, coach P.J. Fleck and his players labeled the final five games the "Gopher Football Playoff," a goal-adjustment tactic that started with a 31-0 win over Rutgers last week.

"You can just tell everybody was playing with each other and for each other,'' senior safety Jordan Howden said. "At all three levels, we played better than we did in the Penn State week. You can tell everybody was excited, everybody's flying around to the ball.''

They'll try to keep that enthusiasm going at Nebraska, then with home games against Northwestern and Iowa the following two weeks, and finally in the finish at Wisconsin. At stake during the stretch are two historic trophies when they face their traditional rivals — Floyd of Rosedale vs. Iowa and Paul Bunyan's Axe vs. Wisconsin.

Here are some questions that the Gophers will answer with their play over the next four weeks:

Can they win the Big Ten West?

That's highly unlikely because losses to Purdue and Illinois are dragging their hopes down. The Gophers have a 2-3 conference record, which puts them in a four-way tie for third in the Big Ten's West Division with Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Minnesota trails first-place Illinois (4-1 Big Ten) and Purdue (3-2), and both hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and potential three-way tiebreakers over the Gophers. That means the Gophers would need to run the table to finish 6-3 and have Illinois lose three times and Purdue twice to win the West. Illinois finishes with Michigan State, Purdue, Michigan and Northwestern. Purdue finishes with Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana.

Will they pass the ball?

For those who like to see the football flying through the air, the blowout win over Rutgers was an aesthetic disappointment as the Gophers ran the ball 53 times and passed it on 21 occasions. Fans rightfully worry that the passing game won't work when needed if it sits dormant too long. Some proof should come against Nebraska, which will try to shut down star running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

What are their bowl options?

That depends on how they finish in the last four games. It could range from a return to Tampa, Fla., for the ReliaQuest Bowl to the destination that makes most fans shudder, Detroit for the Quick Lane Bowl. Here's a look at Minnesota's most likely options:

  • ReliaQuest Bowl, Jan. 2, Tampa, Fla.: Making it back to Tampa to the former Outback Bowl likely would require the Gophers to win their final four games to get to 9-3 to have a chance. They played in this game following their 2019 season, beating Auburn 31-24 in front of a large Minnesota crowd. One thing to remember: This bowl's matchup pits an SEC team against either a Big Ten or ACC team.
  • Music City Bowl, Dec. 31, Nashville: New Year's Eve in NashVegas would be a dream come true for many fans, and for the Gophers to receive an invitation, they might need to finish at least 3-1. They played in the Music City Bowl three times over four years, from 2002-05, so there'd be a whole new group of Gophers fans making the trip. Remember, though, the Nashville execs picked Purdue over the Gophers last year.
  • Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 29, New York: A 3-1 or 2-2 finish would put this bowl at Yankee Stadium in play. Since it began a Big Ten affiliation in 2013, the Pinstripe has been host to eight different Big Ten teams.
  • Duke's Mayo Bowl, Dec. 30, Charlotte, N.C.: This bowl has a Big Ten tie-in in even-numbered years, and a 2-2 or better finish could land the Gophers here. One question: Would Fleck agree to have a giant tub of mayo poured on his head if the Gophers win?
  • Quick Lane Bowl, Dec. 26, Detroit: Worst-case scenario if the Gophers finish 1-3 (or even 0-4). The air hangs heavy with stale cigarette smoke and regret at the Greektown Casino on Christmas night.