The expanded Big Ten Conference went 17-1 in Week 1 of the college football season — with the Gophers being the only reason the league wasn’t perfect.
Minnesota’s 19-17 loss to two-point favorite North Carolina will keep stinging because it was a winnable game lost because the U had so many errors on Thursday night at Huntington Bank Stadium.
“We had every opportunity to win that football game, and we didn’t,” head coach P.J. Fleck said Monday. “They took advantage, and we didn’t.”
The loss, in context of the broader conference, might look bad at first glance for Minnesota, but that only comes for those with haste.
The Gophers were one of three total Big Ten teams to play an opponent from one of the now-four power conferences. No. 23 USC had the best win of any conference member (new or old), 27-20 over No. 13 LSU on Sunday night. Meanwhile, No. 8 Penn State beat West Virginia 34-12 on Saturday.
That’s the complete list.
Nine other Big Ten teams played opponents from Group of Five conferences, while six other conference members stepped down and most-often easily beat lower-level Football Championship Subdivision teams. No. 3 Oregon turned some heads with the trouble it had against Idaho in a 24-14 win.
“Let’s not forget this is a really good North Carolina team,” Fleck said. “This team is going to compete for the ACC title. I think we are a really good football team. Kicking off Week 1, I mean, those are the games that you go into and you find out a lot about your team in the middle of the game.
“Then you look after the game, because you are playing a really good opponent — that is almost like looking in a mirror.”
While Fleck said the Gophers had a very physical battle with the Tar Heels, his team won’t be looking at a resemblance of themselves in the next two weeks. Minnesota welcomes FCS-level Rhode Island to Minnesota on Saturday, and in two weeks, Nevada, which is picked to finish last in the Mountain West Conference, comes to the U.
For contrast, Wisconsin was struggling against Western Michigan — trailing 14-13 in fourth quarter — until the Broncos muffed a punt that led to the Badgers pulling away from the Mid-American Conference opponent for a 28-14 win Friday. The Badgers have FCS-level South Dakota on Saturday, followed by No. 5 Alabama.
And No. 25 Iowa led 6-0 against FCS-level Illinois State at halftime — and there were calls for a quarterback change — before the Hawkeyes shifted into a higher gear in a 40-0 win. They play rival Iowa State and Troy before coming to Minneapolis on Sept. 21.
Given the long wait between seasons, college football observers are primed to overreact to Week 1. It happens every year. But some context on who Minnesota faced and who other conference opponents didn’t is important to note.
Another widely held belief is that teams make their biggest jumps in improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. Fleck, however, repeatedly has said he doesn’t subscribe to that adage.
“I’ve watched teams grow up the most after Game 6 to Game 7 — the light bulb went on and they got it,” Fleck said, giving an example. “I remember when I was at Western Michigan and we were (1-4 in 2014) and were down (31-14) against Ball State. But the improvement in that game was very different from the first game to the second game. … I just think every week gives you different data and gives you more data.”
But before Thursday, the Gophers were operating without much frame of reference.
“You have one game; that is what you have to draw from and take that as the concrete data and move on to Game 2,” Fleck said. “Squeeze all the juice from the orange, do everything you can to be better at what you weren’t in Game 1. “
Not created equal
Big Ten teams went 17-1 in Week 1, with the Gophers suffering the only defeat. But not all victories (or losses) come with the same quality of opponent.
Power Four Conference
No. 23 USC 27, No. 13 LSU 20
No. 8 Penn State 34, West Virginia 12
North Carolina 19, Gophers 17
Group of Five conferences
No. 2 Ohio State 52, Akron 6
No. 9 Michigan 30, Fresno State 10
Wisconsin 28, Western Michigan 14
UCLA 16, Hawaii 13
Northwestern 13, Miami (Ohio) 6
Nebraska 40, UTEP 7
Indiana 31, Florida International 7
Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
Maryland 50, UConn 7
Football Championship Subdivision
No. 3 Oregon 24, Idaho 14
No. 25 Iowa 40, Illinois State 0
Illinois 45, Eastern Illinois 45
Rutgers 44, Howard 7
Washington 23, Weber State 3
Purdue 49, Indiana State 0
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