The Gopher football team wraps up the regular season this Saturday against Iowa at the Metrodome and this season has been a nice turnaround from last season, but the question is whether it really is a huge about face that many thought it was in the beginning.

Minnesota breezed to a 7-1 record beating up on four nonconference opponents and some very mediocre Big Ten teams.

The Gophers have now dropped three straight games which includes losses to Northwestern, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Minnesota beat Purdue who is 3-8 on the season, 1-6 in the Big Ten, the Gophers beat Indiana and that team has the same record. But Gophers lost 29-6 to a Michigan team that is one of the worst in its history.

It’s clear that the team has made progress, but the progress seems to be toward where the program was before Brewster came on as head coach — a perennial bowl game team, but a very average team.

The team is still very young, but its far from achieving anything special.

Minnesota faces an Iowa team that knocked off Penn State two weeks ago and has been playing some quality football lately. The Hawkeyes will be a huge test for the Gophers. A win against Iowa would be a big boost for Minnesota.

The Gophers should get a huge lift with Decker in the lineup, but his effectiveness will be unknown.

What Minnesota needs is a victory over Iowa, not only a victory, but a convincing win. There are so many questions still about the team and a decisive victory would go a long ways in answering some of those questions. More importantly this group needs a big win over a conference opponent and Iowa is the team’s last chance.

Mediocrity was supposed to be an afterthought when Glen Mason was let go. Brewster entered with a full head of steam and tremendous enthusiasm, but so far little has been gleaned from that. He’s led the team back to mediocrity, but the next test is getting the Gophers to the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

Another Big Ten win would bring Minnesota’s conference record to 4-4. A win would go a long way into infusing a rosier picture for the future of the program and give the young team a taste of beating a quality opponent.