New Year’s Day 1961, something happened that nobody dreamed possible. The Minnesota Golden Gophers, who entered the season absent from every national rankings poll, were on their way to Pasadena after securing the national championship.

The success marked the apex of a perpetual series of ups and downs under the direction of head coach Murray Warmath. The Gophers stumbled into the 1960 season reeling from a last-place finish the year before. A number of preseason injuries coupled with an embarrassing loss to the alumni squad in a summer exhibition match left little reason to hope.

And yet Warmath’s squad rose up and delivered Minnesota’s first Big Ten championship since legendary head coach Bernie Bierman — along with the majority of one of the finest squads ever to walk the college gridiron — marched off to fight the axis powers.

The fairy tale, however, never came full circle. Before a crowd of 97,000, Warmath and the Cinderella-story Gophers fell to Washington 17-7. They returned the next year as Big Ten co-champions and defeated UCLA. Minnesota never again appeared in a Rose Bowl.

In fact, for 36 years the Gophers made only three bowl appearances (1977, 1985, 1986). By the ’90s the situation was comically dismal. Then, in 1997, Glen Mason arrived in Minneapolis and successfully maneuvered the program from the cellar to mere mediocrity. Last year the squad closed the season 10-3, the program’s best finish in 42 years.

From the cinders of decades of malaise, a phoenix now rises in the west. Prior to the season opener, nobody doubted the ability of Minnesota’s juggernaut backfield. In 2003 Lawrence Maroney and Marion Barber III each posted 1,000-yard campaigns. Running behind a line anchored by Greg Eslinger (possibly the most promising center since Dominic Raiola), the duo powered the most potent offense in the Big Ten.

Perhaps the biggest preseason question arose with the departure of longtime starting quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq. That’s where sophomore Bryan Cupito comes in.

After redshirting a year and spending another holding for place kicks, Cupito’s inexperience remained a major liability for the Gopher offense until opening day. Since that first start, Cupito is 44 for 77 for 782 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. All told, that amounts to a respectable passing rating of 174.7 (eighth in NCAA 1-A).

Combine Cupito’s emergence with the 1,040 yards already accumulated by the Maroney-Barber tandem (6.6 yards per carry) and you have one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the country. Now the Gopher defense is starting to click.

The time has come for Big Ten opponents to start shaking. But hold on just one second, because there’s more.

Unlike other Big Ten contenders, Minnesota’s schedule is far from daunting. Neither conference frontrunner Ohio State nor Purdue (the only team capable of keeping stride with the Gophers in an offensive shoot-out) appear on the docket. With as much parity that exists in the Big Ten, the schedule could make all the difference.

Next week Minnesota hosts Penn State without Paterno’s sole playmaker, Michael Robinson. Actually, the way the Nittany Lion run defense looked against an emaciated Wisconsin backfield Saturday, it’s going to be a lot like spot-welding in an oilfield for defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. Set your TIVO for this one. The hilarity begins Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

After that it’s the key game in Ann Arbor, and by the looks of things, they’ll catch the Wolverines still knee-deep in turnover troubles: five interceptions and five fumbles lost in four games. Michigan thus far has kept afloat due to a ridiculous flurry of takeaways. There’s no doubt Lloyd Carr is pleased with his playmaking defense, but depending on luck and exploiting weakness can prove a suspect strategy.

Sometimes the former vanishes and the latter can be hard to find. Notre Dame brought that fact home.

Following a brief romp among the basement of the Big Ten, Mason will bring his group to Camp Randall for appearance number 114 and for a change, this one might actually mean something.

While the Badger defense under new coordinator Bret Beilema continues to look intimidating, the offense remains a point of concern. If Anthony Davis can’t step in and jumpstart the scoring threat, the Gophers won’t need much to pull this one out. A few errant Maroney breakaways and the axe won’t be going anywhere.

In the final week, the Hawkeyes journey to the Metrodome. It’s tough to gauge what to expect from this team, considering they have yet to show up for a game this season. Iowa’s window of opportunity to seize a Big Ten title may have slammed shut, but this crew has the potential to shake things up. Still, they don’t have the weapons to go round for round with the Gophers.

All things considered, it’s a great year to be in maroon and gold. Minnesota’s offensive fireworks continue to dazzle, and the veteran defense finally looks ready to come together as a unit. The Big Ten is Mason’s for the taking, and by the looks of things, conference rivals will be chasing these ground squirrels all over Midwestern turf.

After 42 years, folks in Minnesota may have forgotten what roses smell like, but there are still sparse remnants of the program’s former greatness. Warmath himself still lives, though the 91-year-old former head coach continues to battle through failing health. Perhaps if he holds on just a bit longer, Warmath might see his Gophers in Pasadena once more.