Gophers to face four teams ranked in preseason AP Poll

Minnesota will be tested in 2024.

Jul 25, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

The Associated Press (AP) released its annual preseason top-25 poll on Monday and while it doesn't include the Gophers, it does provide a glimpse into how tough Minnesota's 2024 schedule is going to be.

The Big Ten has four teams ranked inside the top 10: Ohio State (2) Oregon (3), Penn State (8) and Michigan (9). USC (23) and Iowa (25) are also ranked in the top 25.

Minnesota's first ranked opponent will come on Sept. 21 against No. 25 Iowa. That'll be followed by back-to-back games against ranked opponents in No. 9 Michigan and No. 25 USC. The only other game the Gophers play against a preseason top-25 team is Nov. 23 when they take on No. 8 Penn State.

Wisconsin is the only other team the Gophers face that received votes in the poll. The Badgers' 15 votes ranked them 11th in the receiving votes category, which essentially makes them the 36th-ranked team in the country.

Since 1969 the Gophers have only been ranked in the preseason poll twice, so beginning the season unranked is familiar territory. The AP Poll continues to lose importance, especially this season with the inaugural 12-team playoff. The only rankings that will truly matter are the ones released by the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee once they begin unveiling rankings in late October.

Minnesota will begin its 2024 season Aug. 29 against North Carolina, a team that also did not receive a single vote in the preseason AP Poll.