But Cal Lost To San Diego State By 34 . . .

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Cal is not a good team and fans should not simply accept that this coaching staff is going to punt our non-conference games as though they don't matter. This is a recurring issue under Fleck.....not an overreaction by fans.
 

this needed a new thread? have you ever looked at any other teams sites after a loss? gh is child’s play compared to everyone else.

can we enjoy a win without taking shots at the limited fans we have?
 

stocker08 said:
Cal is not a good team and fans should not simply accept that this coaching staff is going to punt our non-conference games as though they don't matter. This is a recurring issue under Fleck.....not an overreaction by fans.
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Haven’t we only lost to 3 non conference teams during Fleck’s tenure? Four games total? Hardly should be called punting.
 


btowngopher said:
Haven’t we only lost to 3 non conference teams during Fleck’s tenure? Four games total? Hardly should be called punting.
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The best non-conference opponent that we've played under Fleck was the 2023 North Carolina team (beaten handily) that ended the season 8-5. And then lost to them last season AT HOME....and were their best win of the season....easily. We scored 17 points. A few weeks later....James Madison put up 70 on them. Do I have to mention the Bowling Green loss? That was coaching malpractice.

What have been our feather in the cap non-conference wins? Beating Oregon State (1-11) in 2017 and Colorado (4-8 in 2021 and 1-11 in 2022)?

Please don't forget that our historic 2019 season required a converted (and amazing Crab catch) 4th and 13 in the final minute of the Fresno State game in order to not be another ho-hum....good but not great year.


It's been a quiet blessing that we've played soft noncons under Fleck. Him and his staff has approached these games like scrimmages. And when it comes to bowl positioning.....these losses have been detrimental. Idk....maybe Fleck prefers dogshit bowl games and lousy competition so he can pad the bowl game winning streak.
 

btowngopher said:
Haven’t we only lost to 3 non conference teams during Fleck’s tenure? Four games total? Hardly should be called punting.
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Fleck is not above criticism.

We got out of today with a win. We don't have to apologize for that. My expectations for the rest of the season dropped further today than it did after the Cal loss. We move on to tOSU next week.

I'm not predicting anything, but I don't see a change in Fleck's approach, so don't expect different results from doing the same thing repeatedly.
 

stocker08 said:
Cal is not a good team and fans should not simply accept that this coaching staff is going to punt our non-conference games as though they don't matter. This is a recurring issue under Fleck.....not an overreaction by fans.
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I’m not sure one loss to Cal is a recruiting issue as there is a pretty good class coming in but yeah disappointing loss nonetheless.
 





Cal picks off Boston College at the goal line to preserve 28-24 win.
 


Yes. We squeaked by Rutgers (RUTGERS), therefore getting shoveled by a bad Cal team is fine.
 



stocker08 said:
The best non-conference opponent that we've played under Fleck was the 2023 North Carolina team (beaten handily) that ended the season 8-5. And then lost to them last season AT HOME....and were their best win of the season....easily. We scored 17 points. A few weeks later....James Madison put up 70 on them. Do I have to mention the Bowling Green loss? That was coaching malpractice.

What have been our feather in the cap non-conference wins? Beating Oregon State (1-11) in 2017 and Colorado (4-8 in 2021 and 1-11 in 2022)?

Please don't forget that our historic 2019 season required a converted (and amazing Crab catch) 4th and 13 in the final minute of the Fresno State game in order to not be another ho-hum....good but not great year.


It's been a quiet blessing that we've played soft noncons under Fleck. Him and his staff has approached these games like scrimmages. And when it comes to bowl positioning.....these losses have been detrimental. Idk....maybe Fleck prefers dogshit bowl games and lousy competition so he can pad the bowl game winning streak.
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Please refer to your original post, since that's what the poster was responding to. Here it is:

"Cal is not a good team and fans should not simply accept that this coaching staff is going to punt our non-conference games as though they don't matter. This is a recurring issue under Fleck.....not an overreaction by fans."

Fleck's non-conference record is the subject; Fleck's non-conference record is hardly a "recurring issue".

I'm happy to post Fleck's non-conference record if you like. Heck, I'll break it down to year-by-year if you like.
 

RememberMurray said:
Please refer to your original post, since that's what the poster was responding to. Here it is:

"Cal is not a good team and fans should not simply accept that this coaching staff is going to punt our non-conference games as though they don't matter. This is a recurring issue under Fleck.....not an overreaction by fans."

Fleck's non-conference record is the subject; Fleck's non-conference record is hardly a "recurring issue".

I'm happy to post Fleck's non-conference record if you like. Heck, I'll break it down to year-by-year if you like.
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False. It has nothing to do with the record. Has everything to do with results versus expectations. We've underperformed expectations in nonconference games by a large margin. Closer games against overmatched teams than we should have had.....and losses when we were the favorites.

How many preseason nonconference games did we win as underdogs? Please break it down year-by-year.
 

stocker08 said:
False. It has nothing to do with the record. Has everything to do with results versus expectations. We've underperformed expectations in nonconference games by a large margin. Closer games against overmatched teams than we should have had.....and losses when we were the favorites.

How many preseason nonconference games did we win as underdogs? Please break it down year-by-year.
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Is the problem:

A) Fleck "punts" the non-conference schedule, and that's a "recurring" problem? (Your original premise)...

or is the problem:

B) The non-conference schedule is soft?, (Your second premise)...

or is the problem:

C) The Gophers under Fleck don't win enough non conference games as underdogs? (Your most recent premise)...

or is the problem:

D) Ummm, actually, I have no way of knowing know what "D" will eventually be; I'm just assuming you'll follow your form and move the goalposts yet again.
 

stocker08 said:
The best non-conference opponent that we've played under Fleck was the 2023 North Carolina team (beaten handily) that ended the season 8-5. And then lost to them last season AT HOME....and were their best win of the season....easily. We scored 17 points. A few weeks later....James Madison put up 70 on them. Do I have to mention the Bowling Green loss? That was coaching malpractice.
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You have to be, hands down, the angriest, most disgruntled Gopher fan I've ever seen after a thrilling win in a B1G opener. Wow.
 

RememberMurray said:
Is the problem:

A) Fleck "punts" the non-conference schedule, and that's a "recurring" problem? (Your original premise)...

or is the problem:

B) The non-conference schedule is soft?, (Your second premise)...

or is the problem:

C) The Gophers under Fleck don't win enough non conference games as underdogs? (Your most recent premise)...

or is the problem:

D) Ummm, actually, I have no way of knowing know what "D" will eventually be; I'm just assuming you'll follow your form and move the goalposts yet again.
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The problem is that the team greatly underperforms in early season (specifically non-conference) games. There's no moving of the goal posts here.

Please tell us how good 2021 Bowling Green was. Or how good this year's Cal team is.

RememberMurray said:
You have to be, hands down, the angriest, most disgruntled Gopher fan I've ever seen after a thrilling win in a B1G opener. Wow.
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This post proves that you have zero idea what you're talking about. I'm one of the more optimistic posters on this site. Are you high or just stupid?
 

stocker08 said:
The problem is that the team greatly underperforms in early season (specifically non-conference) games. There's no moving of the goal posts here.

Please tell us how good 2021 Bowling Green was. Or how good this year's Cal team is.



This post proves that you have zero idea what you're talking about. I'm one of the more optimistic posters on this site. Are you high or just stupid?
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Holy shit. We're done. Buh-bye. Enjoy your anger.
 

RememberMurray said:
Holy shit. We're done. Buh-bye. Enjoy your anger.
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Six P5 noncon opponents under Fleck. Only one had finished above .500. Yet we lost half those games. On top of the inexcusable loss at home to Bowling Green.

But yeah.....Fleck's nonconference record is really good. So was Ben Johnson's.
 


I foresee the Big Ten joining the other three P4 conferences in mandating a 10th game against another P4 every season, so we'll have more chances to expand this record beyond the already scheduled Mississippi State home/home and the return trip by Cal (with Saga ... the QB, potentially as a true Senior).
 

stocker08 said:
Six P5 noncon opponents under Fleck. Only one had finished above .500. Yet we lost half those games. On top of the inexcusable loss at home to Bowling Green.

But yeah.....Fleck's nonconference record is really good. So was Ben Johnson's.
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I get what you are saying. With the exception of 2019 (and it was damn close then) you can almost absolutely guarantee that this team is going to lay an egg in 1-2 games a year, and it isn’t just in the non-conference (NW in 2023). Cal two weeks ago was a game we could have won. It’s frustrating because this routine egg laying every year is what keeps us from being Indiana last year. It’s what keeps us from major bowl games. It’s what keeps us from being ranked. But I’m not going to let it ruin today when we got a big come from behind win. Minnesota is just one of about 90% of the teams who have this problem. It could be a whole lot worse, and was, before we hired PJ. We have a QB who can be a difference maker. Let’s take it one week at a time and let’s hope that Cal was the lone egg for the year.

I’m hoping for a repeat of the Y2K game next week.
 

U2Gopher said:
I get what you are saying. With the exception of 2019 (and it was damn close then) you can almost absolutely guarantee that this team is going to lay an egg in 1-2 games a year, and it isn’t just in the non-conference (NW in 2023). Cal two weeks ago was a game we could have won. It’s frustrating because this routine egg laying every year is what keeps us from being Indiana last year. It’s what keeps us from major bowl games. It’s what keeps us from being ranked. But I’m not going to let it ruin today when we got a big come from behind win. Minnesota is just one of about 90% of the teams who have this problem. It could be a whole lot worse, and was, before we hired PJ. We have a QB who can be a difference maker. Let’s take it one week at a time and let’s hope that Cal was the lone egg for the year.

I’m hoping for a repeat of the Y2K game next week.
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This is well said.

It's not at all a thing of being limited to non-conference ... it's simply that PJ Fleck football lays eggs, because it is sooo risk averse and conservative. There is very little margin, and inevitably when you're dealing with players this age the execution is just not near the NFL level, there are mistakes.

Maybe, now that we have what we had today, they'll really start opening up the passing game. If you can start having more explosive plays like that, you can start scoring more points, and that starts widening the margin.


I mean, 324 yards passing vs our leading rusher had 37 yards on 12 carries with a long of 16 (so that's 21 yards on 11 carries outside the long) !?!
 

U2Gopher said:
I get what you are saying. With the exception of 2019 (and it was damn close then) you can almost absolutely guarantee that this team is going to lay an egg in 1-2 games a year, and it isn’t just in the non-conference (NW in 2023). Cal two weeks ago was a game we could have won. It’s frustrating because this routine egg laying every year is what keeps us from being Indiana last year. It’s what keeps us from major bowl games. It’s what keeps us from being ranked. But I’m not going to let it ruin today when we got a big come from behind win. Minnesota is just one of about 90% of the teams who have this problem. It could be a whole lot worse, and was, before we hired PJ. We have a QB who can be a difference maker. Let’s take it one week at a time and let’s hope that Cal was the lone egg for the year.

I’m hoping for a repeat of the Y2K game next week.
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I'm with you on this 100%.

I understand where Minnesota is in the college football landscape. I have no aspirations of a national championships. I'd just like to see the team be ranked every once in a while. Maybe push for a New Year's Day Bowl every once in a while. Losing these winnable games in the non-conference because Fleck is determined to be the most conservative coach in the FBS is frustrating.
 

stocker08 said:
I'm with you on this 100%.

I understand where Minnesota is in the college football landscape. I have no aspirations of a national championships. I'd just like to see the team be ranked every once in a while. Maybe push for a New Year's Day Bowl every once in a while. Losing these winnable games in the non-conference because Fleck is determined to be the most conservative coach in the FBS is frustrating.
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Pushing for a New Year's Day Bowl isn't really a thing anymore, unless you mean qualifying for the Playoffs and even then have to make it to the Quarter Finals.

Those were the only Bowls contested on NYD last season and it's the same this season.
 
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Ope3 said:
Pushing for a New Year's Day Bowl isn't really a thing anymore, unless you mean qualifying for the Playoffs and even then have to make it to the Quarter Finals.

Those were the only Bowls contested on NYD last season and it's the same this season.
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I think you know what I mean when I say "New Year's Day Bowls". Anything playoffs would be included. But I'd also include the Reliaquest (Outback) and Citrus Bowls in that grouping.
 

stocker08 said:
Six P5 noncon opponents under Fleck. Only one had finished above .500. Yet we lost half those games. On top of the inexcusable loss at home to Bowling Green.

But yeah.....Fleck's nonconference record is really good. So was Ben Johnson's.
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You are counting Cal as one of the teams that didn’t finish above .500, the only P5 loss to a sub .500 finisher was to a team that lost their starting qb for most of the year. Yeah the bowling green loss was terrible, but no different than every other coach we’ve had here recently.
 

stocker08 said:
I think you know what I mean when I say "New Year's Day Bowls". Anything playoffs would be included. But I'd also include the Reliaquest (Outback) and Citrus Bowls in that grouping.
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No I didn't, thus my post. NYD now means Top 8.

Making the Playoffs is Top 12.

Making the NYE Bowls such as the Reliaquest or Citrus probably means at least being Top 20, and/or in the upper third of the Big 10.

I don't think it's splitting hairs, those are all pretty different levels of success in my book. They likely will change rapidly based on the ever changing College Playoff format.
 

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