College Football 27 dynasty · B1G

Minnesota Dynasty in CFB 27

Minnesota opens a College Football 27 dynasty with the 33rd-rated projected lineup among 138 FBS teams (81 OVR). The strongest unit is defensive line (83.3, 18th); the weakest is tight end (74, 87th). 12 of the 22 projected starters are listed as seniors.

Ratings: “Freshmen Update 8/27/26” · updated Aug 31, 2026

Starter avg: 81; 33rd of 138
Offense: 80.6; 38th nationally
Defense: 81.3; 26th nationally
Senior starters: 12 / 22; listed as seniors

Where the roster stands

Unit ratings

Minnesota Golden Gophers unit ratings in College Football 27
Unit	Projected starters	Avg OVR	National rank
Quarterback1 starter · 5 on roster	Drake Lindsey 81	81	44th / 138
Running back1 starter · 7 on roster	Darius Taylor 87	87	27th / 138
Wide receiver3 starters · 11 on roster	Javon Tracy 86, Jalen Smith 79, Zion Steptoe 77	80.7	54th / 138
Tight end1 starter · 6 on roster	Kaden Helms 74	74	87th / 138
Offensive line5 starters · 14 on roster	Greg Johnson 92, Ashton Beers 86, Nathan Roy 78, Brett Carroll 74, Jaden Ball 73	80.6	28th / 138
Defensive line4 starters · 15 on roster	Anthony Smith 92, TJ Bush Jr. 87, Jaxon Howard 78, Karter Menz 76	83.3	18th / 138
Linebacker3 starters · 10 on roster	Maverick Baranowski 88, Matt Kingsbury 73, Emmanuel Karmo 71	77.3	46th / 138
Cornerback2 starters · 6 on roster	John Nestor 87, Rhyland Kelly 74	80.5	53rd / 138
Safety2 starters · 7 on roster	Kerry Brown 87, Aidan Gousby 81	84	21st / 138
Kicker1 starter · 2 on roster	Beckham Sunderland 75	75	87th / 138
Punter1 starter · 2 on roster	Tom Weston 77	77	40th / 138

Projected starters are the highest-rated players at each position group: 1 QB, 1 HB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 5 OL, 4 DL, 3 LB, 2 CB and 2 S. Kickers and punters are not included in the starter average. This is our calculation from the roster ratings, not EA’s official team rating.

Year-one departures

Senior starters to replace

Minnesota Golden Gophers projected starters listed as seniors
Player	Pos	Class	Archetype	OVR
Darius Taylor	HB	Sr.	East/West Playmaker	87
Javon Tracy	WR	Sr.	Contested Specialist	86
Zion Steptoe	WR	Sr.	Elusive Route Runner	77
Kaden Helms	TE	Sr.	Vertical Threat	74
Greg Johnson	LG	Sr.	Raw Strength	92
Ashton Beers	C	Sr.	Raw Strength	86
Anthony Smith	LE	Sr.	Pure Power	92
TJ Bush Jr.	LE	Sr.	Pure Power	87
Maverick Baranowski	MLB	Sr.	Thumper	88
John Nestor	CB	Sr.	Bump and Run	87
Rhyland Kelly	CB	Sr.	Boundary	74
Aidan Gousby	FS	Sr.	Box Specialist	81

Class year as listed on the College Football 27 roster. Redshirt status isn’t in the data, so a player listed as a senior may still have a season left.

Freshmen and sophomores

Young core

Highest-rated Minnesota Golden Gophers freshmen and sophomores
Player	Pos	Class	Archetype	OVR
Drake Lindsey	QB	So.	Pocket Passer	81
Grant Washington	HB	Fr.	East/West Playmaker	79
Jalen Smith	WR	So.	Speedster	79
Nathan Roy	LT	So.	Agile	78
Xavier Ford	HB	Fr.	Elusive Bruiser	78
Brett Carroll	C	So.	Agile	74
Riley Sunram	DT	So.	Pure Power	74
Roman Voss	TE	Fr.	Vertical Threat	74

Roster composition

Roster by class

Freshmans: 25
Sophomores: 23
Juniors: 19
Seniors: 18

Rivalry games

Minnesota rivalries

Minnesota Golden Gophers rivalries and all-time series records
Opponent	Rivalry	All-time series	First met	Streak
Wisconsin	Paul Bunyan's Axe	Minnesota leads 64–63	1890	W2
Iowa	Floyd of RosedaleFloyd of Rosedale	Minnesota leads 63–54	1891	L2
Michigan	Little Brown Jug	Michigan leads 78–25	1892	L5
Nebraska	$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy	Minnesota leads 38–25	1900	W6
Penn State	Governor's Victory Bell	Penn State leads 11–6	1993	L2

Full Minnesota CFB 27 roster Minnesota Golden Gophers team page

Sources & notes

EA Sports College Football 27 roster ratings — Ratings from “Freshmen Update 8/27/26” roster update, imported 2026-08-31 via Teamcrafters. Ratings change with each roster update.
EA Sports College Football 27 rivalry data — All-time series records as they ship in the game, before any dynasty games are played.

Last updated Aug 31, 2026.