Entering the 2021 season, Minnesota is looking for a bounceback performance under head coach P.J. Fleck.

After a breakthrough season that included 11 wins and a bowl victory in 2019, the Gophers were among those teams to struggle during the shortened 2020 season. An 0-2 start plagued Minnesota before the team rebounded and played much better down the stretch.

Now, the Gophers are hitting fall camp in search of consistency while competing in the competitive B1G West. Northwestern captured the division in 2020 while Wisconsin and Iowa both look to make a run at the title in 2021.

With seven seasons of the 14-team B1G in the books, here is a look at Minnesota’s best and worst seasons since the conference expanded.

Best Season – 2019 (11-2 record, Outback Bowl victory)

The choice for the best season in recent history is unquestionably the 2019 campaign. During that season, Minnesota reached 11 wins and knocked off then-No. 5 Penn State in Minneapolis in a dramatic performance. A road loss to Iowa and a home loss to archrival Wisconsin were the only blemishes while the Gophers posted a bowl win over SEC-foe Auburn.

There were more than just a few star players on both sides of the ball for Minnesota in 2019. Offensively, quarterback Tanner Morgan threw for over 3,200 yards with 30 touchdowns. A huge part of that was the receiving duo of Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman who combined for over 2,500 yards receiving and 24 touchdowns. Rodney Smith led the rushing attack with 1,163 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Antoine Winfield Jr. led the team with 83 total tackles. He was also a takeaway machine, finishing with 7 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles for the Gopher defense. Carter Coughlin led the defense with 9.5 TFL and 3 forced fumbles while also deflecting 4 passes and posting 4.5 sacks.

Worst Season – 2017 (5-7 overall record)

While the 2020 season may have been more disappointing to the fanbase after the drama of 2019, the worst season for Minnesota in the past seven seasons is arguably 2017. Head coach P.J. Fleck was just taking over the Gophers so some time was needed to implement his game plan.

Consider that of Minnesota’s five wins in 2017, three came against Buffalo, Oregon State, and Middle Tennessee State. Though there were some hard-fought games in the conference, the Gophers went just 2-7 against B1G competition with wins against Illinois and Nebraska.

Offensively Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda threw for 9 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. That was the most playing time for both quarterbacks during their time with the Gophers. Rodney Smith did eclipse 1,000 yards from scrimmage, and Tyler Johnson burst onto the scene with 677 yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore. Unfortunately, the offense as a whole finished 110th in the nation at 22.1 points per game.

Defensively, Thomas Barber was a beast with 115 total tackles and 10.5 TFL. Barber also added an interception, 3 forced fumbles, and 1.5 sacks. Carter Coughlin once again starred with a team-high 11.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks.

Total record since 2014: 49-35 (27-32 B1G)

Average record since 2014: 7-5 (3.9-4.6)