 This shift to playing similar competition helped the Gophers to become one of the premier programs in the nation.From the 1899–00 to 1903–04 seasons, the Gophers had a 59–6 record.The 1901–02 squad has been retroactively named the national champions by both the Helms Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll; the Premo-Porretta poll also names the 1902–03 Gophers as national champions.