BleedGopher
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per Megan:
In 2011, St. Peter, Minn., native Kurt Hildebrandt traveled to see the Gophers play USC at the L.A. Coliseum, a good 15 miles and at least a half-hour drive from the Rose Bowl.
Now 53, Hildebrandt figured that might be the closest he or his beloved Gophers would ever come to the “Granddaddy of Them All” — at least in his lifetime.
“I thought, ‘Well, this is maybe my chance,’ ” Hildebrandt said. “ ‘This is going to have to do in case something happens to me before they do get there.’ ”
Hildebrandt isn’t the only longtime Gophers football fan to feel that way. But in one of the greatest plot twists in Minnesota sports history, the Gophers are good. And not just that: They’re on track to make their first Rose Bowl since 1962.
The No. 8 Gophers (9-0) have three regular-season games left, including Saturday at No. 20 Iowa, with a two-game West Division lead. Going 3-0 or even 2-1 would seal a trip to the Big Ten title game — and quite possibly the Rose Bowl. Two losses could pit Minnesota against Michigan, Penn State and possibly Wisconsin, though the Gophers beat Penn State, which beat Michigan. The Gophers face Wisconsin in the regular-season finale.
Also on Minnesota’s side: TV ratings. ABC’s broadcast of the Gophers’ 31-26 win against Penn State last weekend was the network’s highest noontime audience in nearly three seasons, with an average of more than 6.7 million viewers. Bowl executives rely on data like that to determine the excitement level within each fan base.
http://www.startribune.com/bigger-d...eturn-or-college-football-playoffs/564962602/
Go Gophers!!
In 2011, St. Peter, Minn., native Kurt Hildebrandt traveled to see the Gophers play USC at the L.A. Coliseum, a good 15 miles and at least a half-hour drive from the Rose Bowl.
Now 53, Hildebrandt figured that might be the closest he or his beloved Gophers would ever come to the “Granddaddy of Them All” — at least in his lifetime.
“I thought, ‘Well, this is maybe my chance,’ ” Hildebrandt said. “ ‘This is going to have to do in case something happens to me before they do get there.’ ”
Hildebrandt isn’t the only longtime Gophers football fan to feel that way. But in one of the greatest plot twists in Minnesota sports history, the Gophers are good. And not just that: They’re on track to make their first Rose Bowl since 1962.
The No. 8 Gophers (9-0) have three regular-season games left, including Saturday at No. 20 Iowa, with a two-game West Division lead. Going 3-0 or even 2-1 would seal a trip to the Big Ten title game — and quite possibly the Rose Bowl. Two losses could pit Minnesota against Michigan, Penn State and possibly Wisconsin, though the Gophers beat Penn State, which beat Michigan. The Gophers face Wisconsin in the regular-season finale.
Also on Minnesota’s side: TV ratings. ABC’s broadcast of the Gophers’ 31-26 win against Penn State last weekend was the network’s highest noontime audience in nearly three seasons, with an average of more than 6.7 million viewers. Bowl executives rely on data like that to determine the excitement level within each fan base.
http://www.startribune.com/bigger-d...eturn-or-college-football-playoffs/564962602/
Go Gophers!!