Minnesota fans following Gophers to Iowa, but some already planning Rose Bowl trips

(FOX 9) - It's an exciting time for the Gophers and the U of M fan base as the team makes history. Now, the Gophers are hoping to stay undefeated through this weekend. 

A lot of fans are hitting the road to cheer on the 9-0 Gophers in Iowa.

Bruce Ruecker had spent too many decades as a suffering Gopher fan to even consider missing out on this.

“I rushed the field with a cane, went down the steps, got tripped on the field, but I had a ball. I sat on the Gopher bench, looked at 10,000 people and I just smiled,” he said.

Ruecker was in a packed house of maroon and gold in Roseville for P.J. Fleck’s weekly radio show.

Now that it’s time to row the boat to Iowa, it will be much different.

“I think the Hawkeye fans will think we have a chance this time. In years past, they mostly just thanked us for coming and giving them a victory most of the time,” said fan Craig Pederson.

After the win over Penn State, ticket prices for Iowa shot up on the second-hand market - in some cases, by triple or more.

“That game was huge for all the people…I think there’s a lot of people going down to Iowa to support the Gophers,” fan Anne Pederson said.

Suddenly, fans who’ve waited for a season like this for so long are looking beyond Iowa to Pasadena, and not afraid to admit it.

“It is feasible; we could be going to the Rose Bowl if things align properly,” fan Paul Portz said.