How's this for scary: The Gophers face Jim Harbaugh's 15th-ranked Michigan squad this Halloween night, three days after their catalyst coach, Jerry Kill, suddenly retired.
Even more frightening is the Gophers' next two: at No. 1 Ohio State and at No. 10 Iowa.
Welcome back to the sideline, Tracy Claeys. As the interim head coach begins the most important stretch of his professional life, hoping to prove himself worthy of becoming Kill's permanent replacement, his first three tests come against: the nation's top defense, the defending national champs and this season's surprise upstart.
Asked about this daunting stretch, Claeys smiled and said, "It's kind of like they say, 'How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.' "
The Gophers used this approach two years ago when Kill took a leave of absence to treat his epilepsy. Claeys stepped in as acting head coach, and the Gophers reeled off their first four-game Big Ten winning streak since 1973.
The Gophers were coming off lopsided losses to Iowa and Michigan when that streak started, so it was fully unexpected. A quick review:
• The Gophers were 12½-point underdogs at Northwestern and beat the Wildcats 20-17.
• The Gophers were 10-point underdogs against Nebraska and beat the Cornhuskers 34-23.