P.J. Fleck didn’t waste much time Wednesday making his case in the Big Ten vs. SEC schedule argument.
The Gophers coach, speaking at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, pointed to a simple reality: Minnesota plays a nine-game conference slate, and has for years.
“I love our nine-game schedule; I love that we’ve been doing that for a long time,” Fleck said.
That line landed in the middle of a broader debate that picked up steam after Southeastern Conference Media Days, where a nine-game league schedule became a major talking point. The SEC is moving from eight conference games to nine for the first time this fall, while the Big Ten is entering its 11th straight season with that format.
Minnesota’s own schedule only adds to the conversation. The Gophers will also face Mississippi State from the SEC on Sept. 12 at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Bulldogs went 5-8 overall and 1-7 in SEC play last season and are picked to finish 15th in the 16-team league.
Still, the matchup gives the Gophers another data point in a schedule that ESPN ranks as the 34th toughest in the country. Minnesota opens with a Thursday night home game against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3, then gets into the meat of the calendar with a Big Ten opener at Washington on Sept. 26, a home date with Michigan on Oct.
3, Iowa on Oct. 24, a road trip to reigning national champion Indiana on Oct. 31, and a visit to Penn State in Happy Valley on Nov. 14.
Fleck tied that schedule conversation directly to the league’s standing.
“I don’t think there is a coincidence that (the Big Ten) are playing a nine-game conference schedule; we are playing a lot of elite teams, we are scheduling people in the first three that are Power Four opponents, and we’ve won the last three national championships,” Fleck said.
Wednesday also brought a more personal moment for Minnesota defensive end Anthony Smith, who spent the day bouncing from an on-camera interview to a photo shoot and then another close-up in Chicago.
Smith, who grew up in Shippensburg, Pa., said the setting matched the dream he had as a kid.
“You dream about being on TV and having the camera in your face … seeing some of the Penn State players like Saquon Barkley (do it a decade ago),” Smith told the Pioneer Press. “Being able to do this now is so sick. It’s really a blessing.”
Smith was one of 12 players named to the Big Ten’s preseason honors list this week. Indiana placed three players on the list: receiver Charlie Becker, linebacker Rolijah Hardy and defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker. Ohio State had two - quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith - while Oregon also had two, quarterback Dante Moore and safety Koi Perich, the former Gopher.
Rutgers landed a pair as well, with running backs KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond. Southern California quarterback Jayden Maivava and Iowa offensive lineman Kate Pieper completed the list.
The day also carried a somber note for Fleck, whose former college coach at Northern Illinois, Joe Novak, died this week at 81. Fleck called Novak one of the most important coaching influences in his career.
Fleck recalled the kind of fight Novak had to show in recruiting him.
“Who would want to take a (5-foot-9), 150-pound, 4.8(-second 40-yard dash) receiver?” Fleck said.
“And Joe Novak pounded the table in a meeting one day. … He said, ‘We are (expletive) taking P.J.” in the Huskies’ recruiting class.
Fleck went on to become one of Northern Illinois’ most productive receivers from 1999-2003, finishing with 179 career catches for 2,162 yards, both top-five marks in school history. He also set the program record for punt returns with 87 and punt return yards with 716.
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