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Kirk Ferentz: ‘Minnesota has earned the right to be ranked that high’

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has no issues with Minnesota being ranked in the Top 10. In fact, he thinks the Gophers have earned that.

While fans will still have to wait to find out if the College Football Playoff Committee views Minnesota as a Top-10 team, we at least know AP voters believe the Gophers are worthy. P.J. Fleck’s squad checked in at No. 7 on the latest AP Top 25. Iowa, on the other hand, fell to No. 23 after the loss to Wisconsin.

RELATED: Week 12 Associated Press Poll: Hoosiers end 25-year drought, three B1G teams in Top 10

Though Minnesota is still ranked behind three one-loss teams, the No. 7 AP ranking is a far cry better than being ranked behind six two-loss teams on the CFP Rankings. Now, the Gophers will try and defend their Top-10 spot with a trip to Iowa City.

When discussing the ranking of Minnesota on Sunday evening, Ferentz admitted he believes the Gophers have earned the ranking for now. Why? They have a perfect record, of course:

“Minnesota has earned the right to be ranked that high, they have a perfect record,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said Sunday. “It gets down to us playing a little cleaner and better and knowing we have a top-ranked opponent to be the challenge this week.”

With both teams appearing in the Top-25, it should be another high-profile, hard-fought contest for the Gophers in back-to-back weeks. Will they be up for the challenge?

You can check out all of Ferentz’s Sunday night comments below:

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.