Gophers launch fundraising campaign to stem pandemic losses

The Gophers have launched a "United Are We" fundraising campaign to help the athletic department weather a financial crisis during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Due to the uncertain nature of COVID-19, and the fiscal constraints it has placed on the department, philanthropic support is needed now more than ever," the athletic department posted on Gophersports.com.

This yearlong effort will aim to raise money from season-ticket holders, donors, alumni and fans. One option is for season-ticket holders to exchange all or part of the renewed tickets for this upcoming season for a charitable donation.

The Gophers athletic department stands to lose as much as $75 million, should the NCAA or Big Ten cancel fall sports.

Other programs have run similar campaigns, including Wisconsin with its Badger Legacy Campaign, which also has a ticket-to-donation option. The Pac-12 Conference is also reportedly working on a loan program for its member schools which could total almost $1 billion.

The Gophers shared a video to go along with the campaign, touting a historically good fall season in 2019, with the volleyball team in the Final Four and the football team finishing 11-2.

It ended with the message: "You can help us not go back by investing in our student-athletes."

The Gophers came in at No. 18 in the Amway/USA Today Coaches Poll. In the final version of this poll from the 2019 season, the Gophers were No. 10.

The 2019 season was historically good for the Gophers, capped with an Outback Bowl victory over Auburn, which is No. 11 in the preseason rankings.

It's unclear if the votes for this poll came in after or before Rashod Bateman, the Big Ten Receiver of the Year last season, opted out of the 2020 season citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

Overall, five other Big Ten teams are also ranked: Ohio State is at No. 2, Penn State at No. 7, Wisconsin at No. 12, Michigan at No. 15 and Iowa at No. 23. Nebraska is among teams receiving votes.

Perennial powers Clemson at No. 1 and Alabama at No. 3 sandwich the Buckeyes in the top three.

The preseason AP media poll is set to be released Aug. 24.