Michele Tafoya was preparing for a "Sunday Night Football" telecast two years ago, when she grabbed her iPad to check the Gophers' score. Jerry Kill's squad had Nebraska on the ropes.
"I actually had Cris Collinsworth, Al Michaels, our producer and director all kind of sitting around this iPad, watching this great upset," Tafoya said. "And I remember thinking, something may be happening in Minnesota."
Last year only compounded that feeling for many fans, as Kill led the Gophers to their first New Year's Day bowl game since 1962.
As the Gophers get ready to open practice Friday, Minnesota has become a place where college football matters on a national level again. Longtime observers are calling the Sept. 3 game against TCU the Gophers' most tantalizing season opener since O.J. Simpson and USC visited Memorial Stadium in 1968.
The schedule also includes prime-time national TV games against Ohio State and Michigan, along with the annual showdowns with Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin. Season-ticket sales have been comparable to last year, despite steep price increases.
The Gophers haven't sold out a game at 52,525-seat TCF Bank Stadium since their home finale against Wisconsin in 2013. They have an 11-game losing streak against the Badgers and are 0-3 in bowl games under Kill.
But after drawing an estimated 20,000 fans for their Citrus Bowl loss to Missouri, and their largest spring-game crowd (10,100) since the Lou Holtz era, the Gophers would love to see that popularity soar.
"Nothing against the neighbors around the stadium, but I hope they enjoy noise," said Bob Hughes, president of the Goal Line Club. "Because can you imagine how much fun that's going to be – Michigan at home on Halloween night. For a college kid, it doesn't get any better than that."