Mark down Big Ten Network’s Joshua Perry as a believer in Minnesota. Unlike the Associated Press and the coaches across college football, the B1G football analyst believes the Golden Gophers are a top 10 team.

On Saturday, Minnesota improved to 8-0 on the season with a monstrous 52-10 win over Maryland. The Gophers are now ranked No. 13 nationally in the latest Associated Press poll and have a two-game stranglehold on the B1G West.

Following the game, Perry had a huge compliment for the Gophers, making a statement that many are making, even after an 8-0 start.

“This is a legit top 10 team, to me,” Perry said during a broadcast.

Minnesota has been knocked for its lackluster schedule during this 8-0 start, a big reason why the Gophers haven’t cracked the top 10 yet. But they’ll get their chance in the coming weeks, with games against Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin still left on the schedule.

At the very least, folks around the country are starting to take notice to P.J. Fleck and company and the work they’ve done through the first two months of the season. Minnesota would really turn some heads with a win over the Nittany Lions in two weeks, though.

The opportunities are there. We’ll see if the Gophers can take advantage.