Source: athlonsports.com / P.J. Fleck & his crew have "rowed" their way out to a 10-1 start, and are knocking on the door of their first-ever trip to the Big TEN Title game; the last time the Gophers won a Big TEN Title was 1967...

Welcome back NCAA football fans! This past week I kicked off a series in which I'll be profiling each of the teams that still have a chance to make the College Football Playoff. The Utah Utes got us started, and they continued their stellar season with a rout of Arizona in the desert last night to stay in the race for a spot in the final four. Today, I'll be profiling a fellow 10-1 team in the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

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The Gophers have had a breakthrough year under head coach P.J. Fleck and are on the verge of their first-ever trip to the Big TEN Title game. It's been a long, long time coming - the last time Minnesota won a Big TEN Championship was 1967. They may still be considered an outsider to reach the playoff, but if the Gophers can somehow take down Wisconsin Thanksgiving weekend, and then Ohio State in the Big TEN Title game, they would almost certainly make the final four. So let's take a look at what the Golden Gophers have accomplished to this point:

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Source: startribune.com / QB Tanner Morgan has been at the forefront of the Gophers' resurgence. The SO signal-caller has racked up 2,679 yards, while tossing 26 TD passes to just 5 INTs.

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MINNESOTA (10-1 Overall, 7-1 Big TEN)

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Rankings:

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CFP (#10)

AP (#9)

Coaches (#9)

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Schedule:

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vs South Dakota State (8-4) (FCS) W 28-21

@ Fresno State (4-7) W 38-35 2OT

vs Georgia Southern (6-5) W 35-32

@ Purdue (4-7) W 38-31

vs Illinois (6-5) W 40-17

vs Nebraska (5-6) W 34-7

@ Rutgers (2-9) W 42-7

vs Maryland (3-8) W 52-10

vs Penn State (9-2) W 31-26

@ Iowa (8-3) L 19-23

@ Northwestern (2-9) W 38-22

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Points Scored Per Game: (35.9)

Points Allowed Per Game: (21.0)

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Team Statistics (Current National Rank):

Total Offense: (45th)

Total Defense: (10th)

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Efficiency Ratings:

FEI (Fremeau Efficiency Index): (13th)

TE (ESPN.com Team Efficiency): (17th)

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The Gophers are bound to move up in the CFP rankings (when the next set is unveiled Tuesday night) after both Oregon and Penn State lost yesterday. A quick look at Minnesota's profile shows a team that started the season slow, figured out how to win some close games early in the season, and has gotten better as the season has progressed.

Source: argusleader.com / The Gophers' defense may have started the season slow, but they've molded into a formidable group as the season has went on, currently ranking 10th in the nation in Total Defense.

The victory over Penn State continues to hold up well, even after the Nittany Lions 28-17 loss at Ohio State yesterday. That being said, it pretty much sums up the Gophers' resume to this point. With zero quality road wins (their best road win is probably @ 4-7 Purdue), and only 3 victories over teams with a winning record (with two of those teams being just 6-5), the arguments against their overall "weak" resume seem fully warranted. Luckily, Wisconsin has continued to win, and provides the Gophers with another chance to get a big-time "quality" victory on their resume. The Badgers will come into the season ending showdown in the Twin Cities at 9-2 and most likely ranked somewhere in the 10-12 realm in the next set of CFP rankings.

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With efficiency numbers that are lacking behind the rest of the contenders, and a weak non-conference slate that produced lackluster results, the Gophers are going to have to first get past rival Wisconsin in a winner-take-all battle for the Big TEN West Division, and then take down Ohio State in the Title game if they are to sneak into the CFP. It won't be easy, but there is still a path for the Gophers...