On Saturday afternoon, no. 4 Penn State (9-1, 6-1) will travel to Minneapolis to battle Minnesota (6-4, 4-3) as they look to make history. With a win, the Nittany Lions will finish the season 5-0 on the road. This would mark the first time in the James Franklin Era that the Nittany Lions finish the season undefeated on the road.
While the Golden Gophers are just a 6-4 team, this game could present some challenges for the Nittany Lions. Minnesota has one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, and TCF Bank Stadium can be challenging. Just ask the 2019 Nittany Lions, who also went to Minneapolis ranked no. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
With a wounded, struggling Maryland team slated to travel to Happy Valley next Saturday, a victory over the Golden Gophers should lock the Nittany Lions into the College Football Playoff. To get some perspective from the Golden Gopher side of things we turn to Happy Valley Insider's own Dylan Callaghan-Croley, who also covers Minnesota for our sister site at Gophers Nations.
Let's go behind enemy lines.
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HVI: From the outside looking in, it has been a bit of a strange season for the Golden Gophers. They sit at 6-4, but could easily be 8-2 if not 9-1. Coming off a surprising loss to Rutgers, in a game they likely should have won, what is the overall vibe around PJ Fleck and the program?