Must-win game Saturday puts pressure on Gophers heading into remainder of the season

Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

The off-week is finally over and the 4-1 Gophers are playing their Homecoming game against a 5-1 Northwestern team still bitter from their fourth quarter collapse against the Penn State Nittany Lions last weekend.

Both teams seek redemption: Northwestern, from squandering a 11-point lead in the fourth against a bowl ineligible team, and Minnesota, who lost in Iowa City in a game most predicted the Gophers to win.

But more important than both teams showing their strut in the third week of the Big Ten season is the fight for position in the Legends Division.

Minnesota is currently the only team not to have won a conference game in the Legends Division (albeit they’ve only played Iowa) while maintaining an insignificant third-best overall record in the conference, while Northwestern is gunning for a 2-1 record and a 6-1 overall record.

This is a must-win game for the Gophers, who travel to Wisconsin the following week.

But if Minnesota can’t beat Northwestern at home Saturday, I can’t imagine them having anything better than a 1-7 conference record and that is if they can beat Illinois in November.

The remainder of the schedule not mentioned already includes Purdue, Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State to wrap up the season.

The first four games of the season looked promising for the young Gophers, but if they can’t win or at least keep it close Saturday, well, at least the hockey team is good.