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The season rewind series before the Big Ten reporters start focusing on the bowl games rolls along with a look at Minnesota.  Overview: Rarely mentioned as a contender even within its division, Minnesota actually turned out to be one of the more surprising factors in the national-title conversation thanks to its solid defense, powerful rushing attack and coach Jerry Kill's leadership on the sideline. No, the Gophers weren't in contention to qualify for the College Football Playoff, but a nonconference matchup early in the season and the emergence as a top-25 caliber program helped improve the resumes of both TCU and Ohio State as they jockeyed for position down the stretch. Of course, Minnesota had plenty to play for itself in the West Division in November, and while it came up short in a de facto championship game against Wisconsin to close the regular season, victories over Iowa and Nebraska helped put them in that unexpected position all the way down to the final weekend. It also set the stage for a high-profile bowl game and a chance to score a victory over a ranked opponent against No. 16 Missouri in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day.
Offensive MVP: The depth in the backfield across the conference often left David Cobb overlooked, but the Minnesota senior proved he belonged in the conversation with the league's top tailbacks thanks to his physical, relentless rushing style. Cobb was a load for any tackler to bring down, and he only seemed to gain strength as the Gophers continued to feed him carry after carry and defenders started shying away from contact with him in the hole. He finished third in the Big Ten in rushing, piling up 1,545 yards with 13 touchdowns that allowed Minnesota to play an old-school, smash-mouth style that no defense looked forward to facing. Defensive MVP: If there was anything at all Minnesota needed done defensively, it could feel pretty confident Damien Wilson could handle it. The senior linebacker often took just as much of a pounding as his cousin, Cobb, but he bounced back every week to fly around from sideline to sideline, delivering 111 tackles and supplementing that in just about every conceivable way. Wilson chipped in 10.5 tackles for loss, tacked on 4 sacks, recovered a pair of fumbles while forcing another and also came up with an interception. The Gophers had several deserving candidates on an underrated defense, but nobody did more all-around work than Wilson.
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