In 2022, the Minnesota Golden Gophers had a great season. Minnesota, not known as one of the top Big Ten programs, finished the season 8-4. The Gophers also won their bowl game, beating Syracuse 28-20.
Will the Gophers sustain momentum from 2022 to 2023? What will Minnesota’s straight up and against the spread records be? Also, what will the over under record be on Gopher games?
Let’s break down Minnesota Golden Gophers this year. Here’s the preview for your college football betting lines to win the NCAA National Championship.
Minnesota Golden Gophers 2023 Season Betting Guide | MyBookie College Betting Preview
Minnesota Golden Gophers | Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season
School: University of Minnesota
Head coach: P. J. Fleck | 7th season
Home field: Huntington Bank Stadium | 50,805
Minnesota Odds to Win Championship: +20000
Big Ten Conference Odds to Win: +3700
Regular-season wins: 7-5 record, push on total
What is Minnesota’s Straight Up Prediction this Season?
After such a fantastic season, it makes sense that many believe the Golden Gophers take a backward step in 2023. Why? For starters, the Gophers must replace key players on a defense that ranked fourth in scoring defense when allowing 13.8 points.
Minnesota’s D ranked ninth in total yards allowed per game, 295.1. It’s going to be very difficult for the Golden Gophers to pick up where they left off on the defensive side of the ball.
One positive is that for all of the defense’s 2022 success, the Gophers ranked 118th nationally in sacks. So during the spring, Minnesota put an emphasis on pressuring quarterbacks. If the emphasis leads to more sacks, Minnesota may cover up the lack of experienced secondary players.
When it comes to Minnesota’s offense, pressure is on big armed QB Athan Kaliakmanis to get it done. Kaliakmanis replaces 6-year starter Tanner Morgan. So by pressure, we mean pressure.
Kaliakmanis had a great game in the annual throw down against Wisconsin last season, throwing for 319 yards and 2 TDs. If Minnesota found replacements for the interior of their line, Kaliakmanis should excel because Minnesota has a solid group of receivers.
6’ 7” tight-end Brevyn Spann-Ford has All-American potential. Kaliakmanis and Ford hooked up for 7 catches and 95 yards in the 23-16 victory over Wisconsin last season.
Schedule wise, Minnesota could approach the 8-4 record from 2022. North Carolina on Sep 16 is a loss because the Gophers secondary will struggle against Drake Maye.
Other losses include a road game versus Iowa because Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck is 0-6 versus Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Additional losses should happen versus Michigan and at Ohio State. We also predict the Gophers fall to either Illinois, at Purdue, or versus Wisconsin.
So the Gophers go 7-5. A 7-5 record after going 8-4 the season before and after so many personnel losses isn’t bad.
Golden Gophers predicted SU record: 7-5
What Will the Golden Gophers’ Against the Spread Record be this Season?
Minnesota went a decent 7-5 ATS last season. This season, the changes could lead oddsmakers to setting a couple of slightly off lines.
The Gophers should post another 7-5 against the spread record. If not 7-5, no worse than 6-6 and there’s a chance the Gophers go 8-4 ATS.
Golden Gophers predicted ATS record: 7-5
What Will be the Over Under Total Record for Minnesota Games in 2023?
If the interior of the line gels, and, again, Minnesota must replace their center, and both guards, look out. The Gophers must also replace Mohamed Ibrahim, the greatest running back in the program’s history.
So Minnesota will lean on Kaliakmanis’ arm more this season than the rushing attack. Oddsmakers could struggle to create fair lines. If Kaliakmanis is as good as advertised, so far he has been, Minnesota will average more points than they did in 2022. The over has a chance of dominating the under.
Golden Gophers predicted O/U record: 8-4
Bet Minnesota Golden Gophers to Win Championship
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2023 Minnesota Football Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All times ET | ||||
| 1 | Aug. 1 | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | 8:00pm ET |
| 2 | Sep. 9 | Eastern Michigan Eagles | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | 7:30pm ET |
| 3 | Sep. 16 | at 21 North Carolina Tar Heels | Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC | 3:30pm ET |
| 4 | Sep. 23 | at Northwestern Wildcats | Ryan Field, Evanston, IL | Time TBA ET |
| 5 | Sep. 30 | Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (HC) | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | 12:00pm ET |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | 2 Michigan Wolverines | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | Time TBA ET |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | OFF | ||
| 8 | Oct. 21 | at Iowa Hawkeyes | Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA | 3:30pm ET |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | Michigan State Spartans | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | Time TBA ET |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | Illinois Fighting Illini | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | Time TBA ET |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | at Purdue Boilermakers | Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN | Time TBA ET |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | at 5 Ohio State Buckeyes | Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH | Time TBA ET |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | 25 Wisconsin Badgers | Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN | Time TBA ET |
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