2017 Minnesota
5–7 (2–7 Big Ten), coached by P.J. Fleck. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Oregon State 48–14Sep 9
By 34 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Maryland 24–31Sep 30
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Buffalo | W 17–7 | 82% |
| Sep 9 | at Oregon State | W 48–14 | 64% |
| Sep 16 | vs Middle Tennessee | W 34–3 | 75% |
| Sep 30 | vs Maryland | L 24–31 | 77% |
| Oct 7 | at Purdue | L 17–31 | 62% |
| Oct 14 | vs 21Michigan State | L 27–30 | 54% |
| Oct 21 | vs Illinois | W 24–17 | 77% |
| Oct 28 | at Iowa | L 10–17 | 38% |
| Nov 4 | at Michigan | L 10–33 | 23% |
| Nov 11 | vs Nebraska | W 54–21 | 58% |
| Nov 18 | at Northwestern | L 0–39 | 31% |
| Nov 25 | vs 5Wisconsin | L 0–31 | 21% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Wisconsin 31–0; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 11th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 89th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
- Record
- 5–7
- Conference
- 2–7 tied for 11th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 265–274
- Coach
- P.J. Fleck
- Elo
- 1508 −63 this season
- SP+ rating
- 0.4 No. 72 of 128; offense No. 100, defense No. 30, special teams No. 108
- SRS
- 3.2 No. 52 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 35% of last season’s EPA, No. 106 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 59 roster talent No. 62 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Kirk Ciarrocca
- Defensive coordinator
- Robb Smith
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.02 | 41% | 1.10 | 99th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.07 | 42% | 1.18 | 55th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.04 off 0.09 def | 42% off 42% def | — | 98th off 72nd def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.9 | own 31 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 32 | 18% caused |
CORE rating -8.8, 101st of 130 (offense -5.6, defense 3.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Conor Rhoda QB | 839 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Conor Rhoda QB | 5 TD |
| Rushing yards | Rodney Smith RB | 977 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Kobe McCrary RB | 8 TD |
| Receiving yards | Tyler Johnson WR | 677 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Tyler Johnson WR | 7 TD |
| Tackles | Thomas Barber LB | 115 tkl |
| Sacks | Carter Coughlin LB | 6.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jacob Huff DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2017 class
| Blaise Andries OT | ★★★ | No. 366 |
| Kendarian Handy-Holly S | ★★★ | No. 532 |
| Demetrius Douglas CB | ★★★ | No. 759 |
| Chris Autman-Bell WR | ★★★ | No. 824 |
| Adam Beck CB | ★★★ | No. 832 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2017 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 2.5 | 0.785 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Receivers | 5 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 2.8 | 0.819 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 2.5 | 0.787 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.7 | 0.812 |
| Whole class | 26 | 2.8 | 0.827 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 96
The 2017 roster96 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster
2017 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 9–0 | 13–1 | 7 |
 Ohio State | 8–1 | 12–2 | 5 |
 Penn State | 7–2 | 11–2 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 7–2 | 10–3 | 17 |
| Michigan State | 7–2 | 10–3 | 15 |
| Michigan | 5–4 | 8–5 | |
| Iowa | 4–5 | 8–5 | |
| Purdue | 4–5 | 7–6 | |
 Rutgers | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
| Nebraska | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
 Minnesota | 2–7 | 5–7 | |
 Indiana | 2–7 | 5–7 | |
| Maryland | 2–7 | 4–8 | |
| Illinois | 0–9 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.