The jump is the biggest into the top 10 since the CFP’s inception in 2014 and the second-largest week-to-week gain in the history of the rankings.

Undefeated through eight weeks, the Golden Gophers’ 31-26 win over previously unbeaten and then-No.4 ranked Penn State last week forced the college football world to sit up and take notice.

“Obviously, we’re looking at the full resume,” committee chair Rob Mullens said of Minnesota on Tuesday.

“As we mentioned last week, [their] non-conference schedule wasn’t as strong as some. And then they only played one team in their league with a winning record, until Penn State.

“But, when you watch the game last week, they beat a Penn State team that was then ranked No. 4. It impressed the committee until that point, we were really impressed with what Minnesota did.”

There’s precious little time for Minnesota to bask in the glory of its win over Penn State or its rise through the rankings, as it travels to Iowa to face the No.23-ranked Hawkeyes on Saturday.

The Gophers haven’t won at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City since 1999, and coach P.J. Fleck is under no illusion about the nature of the challenges awaiting his team.

“They are who they are,” Fleck was quoted as saying by the Star Tribune when asked abut the Hawkeyes.

“And that’s what I respect about them. That’s what I respect about [Iowa head coach] Kirk Ferentz.”

If the Hawkeyes have a very defined identity, the same can be said about Minnesota. Under Fleck, who last week signed a seven-year extension through the 2026 season, the Gophers are within reach of their first Rose Bowl since 1961.

Last week’s win against Penn State was the first win against a top-five team in 20 years and the first of its kind at home since the Gophers beat then-No.1 ranked Michigan in 1977.

The Gophers’ offense has scored at least 28 points in each of its first nine games for the first time in school history and Minnesota has specialized in winning close games—five of its wins this season have come by a margin of seven points or less.

Minnesota’s offense will face one of its toughest tests of the season on Saturday, against a defense that has not allowed more than 24 points in a single game so far this year.

The Hawkeyes have conceded an average of 11.7 points per game and have allowed just 12 touchdowns all season—the third-best figure in the country.

Despite its rock-solid defense, Iowa has been relegated to a side role in the Big Ten, finding itself at 6-3 after losing to 24-22 to No.14 Wisconsin last week.

It’s been a season full of sliding doors moments for the Hawkeyes, whose only losses have come against ranked opponents—aside from the Badgers, the Hawkeyes have lost to then-No. 19 Michigan and against then-No. 10 Penn State—and by a combined total of 14 points.

Worryingly for the Gophers, Iowa has also developed a tradition as a party pooper, a role few programs in the Big 10—and in the FBS as a whole for that matter—seem to relish as much as the Hawkeyes.

In 2011, Iowa brought down the curtain on Penn State’s hopes of a national title with a last-second field goal, before thrashing then-No.5 ranked Michigan State 37-6 two years later to give the Spartans their first loss of the season.

Three years ago, unranked Iowa defeated a Michigan team that had traveled to Iowa City on the back of a 9-0 record and as the No.2-ranked team in the nation.

A year later, the Hawkeyes ended Ohio State’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff, thrashing the then-No.3 Buckeyes 55-24.

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Saturday.

When and where is the game?

The Iowa Hawkeyes host the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, November 16.

Kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.

TV coverage

The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

Live stream

A live stream will be available via FOX’s digital platforms and via the FOX Sports GO app, as well as fuboTV.

Series record

The two programs have met 112 times, with Minnesota winning on 62 occasions and Iowa prevailing in 48 games.

The Hawkeyes, however, are on a four-game winning run against the Golden Gophers, who last won on the road against Iowa in 1999.

Odds

According to Oddschecker, the Hawkeyes are a three-point favorite and are even odds to cover the spread, while Minnesota is a 13/10 underdog.

The over/under line in terms of total points scored is set at 44.5.