8 years in one program should have you prepared for everything. But Minnesota’s PJ Fleck could just impress in one season. What remains to be proven, even after 6 years, is whether a finish like 11-2 will ever grace his and Minnesota’s record again. The Gophers will meet an intriguing mix of opponents this season. Once again, Fleck will be entering a test year in his Minnesota stint, and the situation around him isn’t looking that great.

Fleck will begin his 9 season as HC of the Golden Gophers. He’s had an interesting trajectory at Minneapolis so far, and he’s got an equally interesting schedule for the year. Fleck, after a 6-7 dip in 2023, bounced back to 8-5 in 2024. And he’ll be facing Ohio State, Nebraska, and Oregon. The last time Minnesota football reached a high under Fleck was in 2019, when they made it to the Big 10 Championship. It’s been some time since Fleck produced a squad that surprised college football. It’s not an easy job, despite his being with the program for so long.

In an August 21 episode of Next Up with Adam Breneman, Fleck was asked what Minnesota needs to get to the “pinnacle of college football.” “I don’t even know if we’ll ever get to it while I’m still the head football coach here,” he said. Again, there’s now a long gap that separates Michigan from its last winning season. 9 years in the program and having just one double-digit finish is a little worrying. However, Fleck remained optimistic, considering how the demands from Minnesota football have changed.

“When I first got here, it was all about, just, ‘Beat Wisconsin, and you’re good.’ And now it’s, ‘Okay, well, we won 11 games, won back-to-back, 9-win seasons. We’ve won six bowl games in a row here with us being here. We’re 6-0 in bowl games. We’ve done all these things,” he said. But now Fleck and Minnesota are expecting to go bigger. “But the next step, with the college football playoff, um, Big 10 Championship, like, though, […] we’re not going to shy away from that,” he added.

Minnesota finished 8-5 last season, but was 7-2 in conference play. They have a rivalry win on that record as well, tying their score with Wisconsin at 63-63. This year, too, they have a similar schedule. The Gophers’ losses to big teams, UNC, Iowa, and Rutgers restricted Fleck to that record. He lost QB Max Brosmer to the NFL, which has opened up the path for redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey to take over. Fleck should have 9 wins in the bag this year. The games with the biggies are going to be a steep climb, unless Minnesota pulls upsets over them. This is a squad that can stand to overpower some, if it has the power.

PJ Fleck and Minnesota can pull off a good finish

RJ Young ranked Minnesota as the 69team on his list of 136 FBS teams, up 4 places from its last year’s ranking. For a program like this, Fleck will welcome any kind of uptick in its rankings. Minnesota will once again be running with the football first. They already have star RB Darius Taylor to take care of that, and Lindsey is expected to take off as well. And there’s a two-way star in safety Koi Perich. The pressure Fleck talked about could actually set them up for something good.

“This is not a team that is going to go to Oregon and win, or go to Ohio State and win. But… if they lose to those two, I think they can win eight of the other 10 games to… get to eight wins,” FOX Sports’ Chris Fallica said. Save for the big ones, this should be a winnable schedule for the Gophers. Wisconsin can be a tough one, as well as Iowa, who have a dangerous Mike Gronowski. But if PJ Fleck falters disappointingly and drops below 8 in the season, there might be trouble ahead for him.

“Of course, we want to set that standard and expectation that high. Why wouldn’t we? I wouldn’t want a head coach who didn’t talk about it,” Fleck told host Adam Breneman. That optimism might work for the locker room. But fans are going to need a little more convincing. Years of single-digit finishes have thrown the program into limbo. However, Fleck has the necessary elements to at least succeed in meeting the bare minimum this year.