It had been so long since Minnesota fans enjoyed a true college football experience, many of them probably forgot what it was like.
For 27 years, they endured the Metrodome, with its antiseptic, cloistered environment. In many ways, it was the antithesis of the experiences that make college football unique.
“We’ve played Big Ten football,” Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi said. “We did not have a Big Ten environment.”