Rand: Wild's bandwagon is the fullest around

Minnesotans have been accused of being fair-weather fans — hopping on the "bandwagon" of local teams only when they have shown signs of success. Maybe that's not entirely fair, but if that sounds like something you do, here is a guide to six of our most notable teams, in order of least to most space available on the bandwagon.

WILD

The Wild has experienced the most recent success of any of the teams on this list, opening eyes by winning a playoff series and pushing Chicago in the second round last season. Minnesota came into this season with increased expectations, but few would have predicted back-to-back shutouts of Colorado, both dominant wins in their own ways, to start the year.

Room on the bandwagon: Limited seating, filling up fast.

GOPHERS FOOTBALL

A fan base that has been burned by alternate bouts of irrelevance and brutal losses should take note of this Gophers team, which has the best secondary of any Minnesota team I can remember (college or pro, with respect to the level) in a long time. Also, a Jerry Kill-coached Gophers team never has lost after leading at halftime, a streak extended with some clutch fourth-quarter work on Saturday against Northwestern.

Room on the bandwagon: Need to add another row of seating for the first time since Glen Mason was the head coach.

The sense here is the Gophers, in Richard Pitino's second season, are somewhere between "could" and "should" when it comes to making the NCAA tournament. They came closer than most predicted last season, and then they won the NIT. It's been said so many times that it sounds like a cliché, but it's true: nothing is better than Williams Arena in the winter time when the Gophers are rolling.

Room on the bandwagon: The die-hards have the best seats locked down, but jumping on now should have its rewards.

TIMBERWOLVES

There is a surprising amount of buzz (particularly among the hipster crowd) surrounding a team that traded away its best player in the offseason and figures to be back into yet another rebuild. But the roster isn't barren — it's actually a nice mix of veterans and intriguing young players — and the Wolves should have their moments, albeit not consistently.

Room on the bandwagon: Space available. Bring some craft beer and beard grooming tips if you want to make some friends.

Sunday was critical for the state of the Vikings. A victory would have meant being right in the thick of the NFC North race with the tough part of the schedule in the rearview mirror. Teddy Bridgewater would have been a hero. Instead? We all saw what happened.

Room on the bandwagon: A lot of seats, many still warm from recent abandonment.

TWINS

Four consecutive 90-loss seasons have pretty much every Twins fan I know of in "prove it" mode.

Room on the bandwagon: Wide open. You can ride shotgun if you want.