Tanner Morgan threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns and Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 103 yards and a score to lead Minnesota to a 34-7 rout over struggling Michigan State in the Big Ten opener for both schools.

Ninth-ranked Michigan heads to No. 23 Penn State for a key Big Ten game Saturday.

C.

Nine of the 14 Big Ten football teams appear set at quarterback heading into the fall.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan’s football players charged out of the Big House tunnel and leaped to touch a banner at midfield, following a tradition that has made 100,000-plus fans roar for decades. All five Big Ten teams that hosted games last Saturday lost. That bleak day dropped the overall record for home games in the conference to 6-7 during the COVID-19 pandemic that has sharply limited attendance at the stadiums. Of course, the Big Ten is just two games into its pandemic-shortened, eight-game season. Each Michigan players was allowed to have four tickets for family and friends last week while Michigan State's football program was given 300 tickets to distribute.

Maryland celebrate after defeating Minnesota during overtime of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in College Park, Md. Maryland won 45-44 in overtime. Minnesota's Brock Walker sent an extra-point try wide right after the potential tying touchdown, giving Maryland a stunning 45-44 comeback victory Friday night. Never in school history had Maryland won after trailing by 17 points in the fourth quarter. Jake Funk ran for a career-best 221 yards, and Maryland totaled a whopping 675 yards of offense.

Michigan and Minnesota haven’t met since 2017, when the Wolverines walloped the Golden Gophers in a weather-delayed, soaking wet night game. Well, I’m about to break down four well-thought-out reasons why Michigan will lose to Minnesota, then I’m going to pick Michigan to win anyway. It’s like Minnesota picked up a “Michigan letdown game” appetizer menu and ordered an entire sampler platter. Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. At times last season, Michigan struggled to get pressure on the quarterback.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The 2020 Michigan football season will kick off with a top 25 matchup under the lights. 24 Minnesota will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Minnesota is one of four ranked teams on Michigan’s eight-game regular season schedule. One week after the opener against Minnesota, Jim Harbaugh’s team will host in-state rival Michigan State on Halloween. More Michigan football storiesPredictions:Lists:Player profiles:

Viewing the loss of the 2020 schedule in a vacuum, however, is never the perspective that Fleck and his staff and players would take. The more time we have to build this football team, the better were going to be, Fleck said. The pandemic already cost the Gophers one star player, with NFL-bound wide receiver Rashod Bateman opting out for health reasons. The original 2020 slate had plenty of advantages for the Gophers, with no Ohio State or Penn State on the schedule and no road games until October. Now were going to do it our way, Fleck said, adding: There will be another season.

IOWA CITY Seventh-ranked Minnesota looks to keep its perfect record intact when it visits No. LINE: Iowa -3"It's a big game for this program and it's a big game for this state," Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman told reporters. Iowa has won six of the last seven overall meetings with the Golden Gophers. Minnesota has won 11 consecutive games, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the nation. PREDICTION: Iowa 26, Minnesota 24

"As the year has got on, like good programs and coaches do, they keep getting better," Penn State coach James Franklin told reporters of Minnesota. ABOUT PENN STATE (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten)Sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford is second in the Big Ten in passing yards (1,931) and touchdowns (20), four of which came in the win over the Spartans. Sophomore Rashod Bateman (644 receiving yards, six TDs) and senior Tyler Johnson (626, seven) are the top receivers in that big-play passing game. Penn State owns a 9-5 series advantage, winning the last meeting in 2016 on an overtime TD run by Saquon Barkley. PREDICTION: Penn State 28, Minnesota 21

16 Minnesota looks to keep its perfect record intact when it hosts Maryland in Big Ten play on Saturday. LINE: Minnesota -17"You just have to bring your best every Saturday," Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan told reporters. "They're playing with a great amount of confidence because they've won the close games that we haven't." Maryland has forced a turnover in 19 straight games, which is the second-longest streak in the nation. PREDICTION: Minnesota 38, Maryland 20More college football scores

The 20th-ranked Golden Gophers attempt to move to 7-0 for the first time since 1960 on Saturday when they pay a visit to Rutgers for the first time in program history. Minnesota has scored at least 28 points in each of its first six contests for the first time since 1905. The Scarlet Knights have dropped 16 consecutive conference games and scored seven or fewer points in 11 of them. The Gophers are attempting to go 4-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 1967. PREDICTION: Minnesota 38, Rutgers 3More college football scores

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - After flirting with danger in each of its first four games, Minnesota finally delivered the kind of complete performance expected from a team that owns one of the longer winning streaks in the country. The 25th-ranked Golden Gophers seek an eighth straight victory overall Saturday when they host a Nebraska team that could be without at least two of its most important offensive players. Minnesota's 78 points through its first two Big Ten games are its most since 1986. The Gophers last week held a Big Ten opponent without an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2012. PREDICTION: Minnesota 31, Nebraska 21More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

The Minnesota Gophers dance on the bench as they await a kick against the Georgia Southern Eagles during the game at TCF Bank Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by HannahMINNEAPOLIS - After a run of close games to start the season, Minnesota will be in search of an emphatic win when it hosts Illinois on Saturday in a Big Ten contest. 18 Michigan next on the docket, the Fighting Illini are in must-win mode against the Gophers after letting two wins slip away. Minnesota, which has won six of the last eight games with Illinois to take a 38-30-3 lead in the series, needs one win to become the 28th school to reach 700 victories. PREDICTION: Minnesota 47, Illinois 34More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

Fleck when it hosts Georgia Southern in the final game of its non-conference slate on Saturday. Minnesota is 10-0 all-time against Sun Belt Conference opponents and hopes to stay perfect by notching its 12th consecutive home win in non-conference play. "It was kind of nerve-wracking at first but as I got into the game things started to slow down for me." Gophers RB Rodney Smith needs 124 yards to move past Chris Darkins (3,235) for fifth place on the program's all-time rushing list. PREDICTION: Minnesota 41, Georgia Southern 17More college football scoresCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.