RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Minnesota lands in my Ultimate 136.
Minnesota ranking: 69
Last year’s ranking: 72
Top player: DB Koi Perich: Two-way player who played in all 13 games as a true freshman; he is the only FBS freshman to have recorded more than 100 punt return yards, 100 kick return yards and 5 interceptions in a season since at least 1976.
[Minnesota’s 2025 schedule]
RJ’s take: Off the rip, seeing the Golden Gophers must travel to Ohio State, Oregon and Iowa makes the schedule one that isn’t exactly friendly. But it is not so diabolical that they play Michigan or Penn State this season.
Given that P.J. Fleck has won eight or more games in three out of the last four years, it’s within reason to believe the Gophers can reach that mark again.
But no one in Minneapolis should be under the impression that Minnesota will find its way into the College Football Playoff’s top 25 for the first time in six years unless Fleck catches lightning in a bottle. A lot will be riding on Drake Lindsey, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound redshirt freshman QB who hasn’t lost a game he’s started since 2023 — when he was a junior in high school.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Minnesota Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (+130) Under 7.5 (-155)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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