2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Betting Guide for the Season

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The Minnesota Golden Gophers have won nine games in each of the last two seasons, and they are back as a possible competitor with Iowa and Wisconsin in the Big Ten West this season. The Golden Gophers have some challenges to overcome, such as the loss of tailback Mohamed Ibrahim and quarterback Tanner Morgan along with a couple of starers on the O-line. On the defensive side of the ball, coordinator Joe Rossi has to work new talent into some fairly large holes. Even so, if the defense can rebuild and the offense can take advantage of one of the best groups of wide receivers in the Big Ten, the Minnesota-Wisconsin game could produce the division winner. Let’s break down the Minnesota offense, defense and special teams as you start to think about your college football betting for the 2023 season.

NCAA Football News: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2023 Season Betting Preview

Rebuilding the offense on the fly

Athan Kaliakmanis has a cannon for an arm, and we will see if he can handle the starting job as sixth-year senior Tanner Morgan has at last moved on. Given that the team has a terrific group of receivers as well as Preseason All-America tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, who will get a lot of mismatches at 6’7”, the ceiling is high. The team has new co-offensive coordinators in Greg Harbaugh and Matt Simon. Two of the most exciting receivers are Corey Crooms Jr (Western Michigan) and Elijah Spencer (Charlotte), who came through the portal from lower-tier programs by virtue of their speed and pass-catching ability.

Mohamed Ibrahim ran for 4,668 yards at Minnesota to become the program’s leader in career yards. The three interior offensive linemen have also moved on, including John Michael Schmitz, who was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. Sean Tyler transferred in from Western Michigan to take over at tailback, but it’s hard to argue that he will be as dominant as Ibrahim. The team will need more from the passing game to move the ball up and down the field.

Big shoes to fill on defense

The Minnesota defense ranked fourth in the nation in points permitted per game (13.8) and ninth in yards permitted (295.1). Cornerback Terell Smith and safety Jordan Howden are now in the NFL, and nickel back Michael Dixon transferred to Rutgers. Darius Green looks like he can move into that starting role at safety after his solid performance in the Pinstripe Bowl back in December. They have Justin Walley at one corner, but the other side still needs someone to emerge. Safety Tyler Nubin looks to have All-American potential on the basis of his play in spring football.

Middle linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin put up big numbers in tackles and tackles for loss, but he has moved on. Cody Lindenberg has shown elite athleticism and now has the job of filling Sori-Marin’s shoes. In the pass rush, Minnesota ranked 118th in the nation in sacks last year; one of the new DC’s top priorities involves finding ways to add pressure.

Looking at special teams

Placekicker Matthew Trickett graduated, and now there are three players trying to take that job. The leader as of this writing is Dragan Kesich. The return game got a boost from Quentin Redding, both on kickoffs and punts, in 2022.

The Big Ten West is generally the lesser of the two divisions in the Big Ten, and it is generally wide open each year. The ways that Kaliakmanis responds to the challenges of taking over the offense could drive the Golden Gophers’ chances of winning the division. Since head coach P.J. Fleck came to town in 2017, Minnesota has gone 8-4 combined against Wisconsin and Nebraska. However, Fleck has gone 0-6 against Iowa. So there are challenges to overcome as Fleck looks to climb the ladder in the West.

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