The College Football Playoff announced its initial rankings for the 2021 season on Tuesday night and there at No. 20 sit … the Minnesota Gophers.
Gophers land at No. 20 in first College Football Playoff rankings
The selection committee has the Gophers ranked higher than the AP Poll (31st) and Coaches Poll (30th).
November 3, 2021 at 11:41AM
The Gophers (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) are making their first appearance in the CFP rankings since 2019, when they entered at No. 17, twice moved to a high of No. 8 and were No. 18 on selection day. They're the top-ranked team in the Big Ten West, ahead of No. 21 Wisconsin and No. 22 Iowa, teams they play in November.
Minnesota is higher in the CFP rankings than it is in either the Associated Press poll (31st) or the AFCA coaches poll (30th).
No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 4 Oregon lead the playoff rankings, with Ohio State, Cincinnati, Michigan, Oklahoma, Wake Forest and Notre Dame rounding out the top 10.
Williams has surgery
During his weekly KFXN-FM radio show, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said that running back Bryce Williams, who suffered a season-ending injury to his lower left leg on Saturday at Northwestern, underwent surgery Tuesday.
Williams' injury puts more focus on true freshman Mar'Keise Irving and redshirt freshman Ky Thomas, who both have rushed for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games. The Gophers' third option at running back is Derik LeCaptain, a linebacker and special teams stalwart who had a 24-yard touchdown run at Northwestern. Fleck also said freshman defensive back Jordan Nubin has moved to running back to provide depth.
The Gophers have won seven in a row and beaten the Huskies nine times over the past 11 meetings.
