Snubbed? Do the Gophers have a top 25 defense in college football?

You can make arguments for both sides, but in three of the last four seasons, Minnesota has ranked in the top 10 in fewest points allowed per game. There are not many programs in college football that can say the same thing.

With that being said, the Gophers have plenty of questions heading into 2025. Danny Collins will be their third different defensive coordinator in the last three seasons. They also had plenty of movement with defensive position coaches, as Dennis Dottin-Carter at defensive line and Mariano Sori-Marin at linebacker head into their first season at those positions.

Related: Big Ten tiers: Koi Perich and Kerry Brown among best safeties in the conference

On the other side, coaching staffs are not something dramatically factored into these rankings. Koi Perich, Anthony Smith and Kerry Brown are three legit stars returning for the Gophers, while Deven Eastern, Jalen Logan-Redding and Maverick Baranowski return with plenty of experience.

If Collins is able to transition smoothly into his role as a playcaller for the first time, Minnesota has the talent to roll out one of the best defenses in college football. There are serious questions at cornerback with Za'Quan Bryan and Jai'Onte McMillan as the team's only two significant returners, but they have plenty of depth everywhere else.

I could go in-depth into why Indiana, Illinois, Duke or Pittsburgh have overrated defenses based on this list, but it ultimately seems like Minnesota was overlooked by the national media once again.

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