Hope

[RememberMurray]

I hope I win the lottery. If I don't, I'll be bitterly disappointed.

The really weird part of this: I never buy lottery tickets! It's too much of a long shot.

So, I worked hard all my life, tried to save my money, and after a lot of years putting in my time I retired. I'm not rich, but I have a nice life.

I guess I messed up. I could have been a truly admirable person like Elon Musk.

 

[Scottsdale Gopher]

Because with Mendoza they beat @ Iowa by 5, @ Oregon by 10, and @ Penn State by 3.

Without the Heisman winner, they lose those three games. It's really not rocket science.

Mendoza in those three games:

Comp. %​	Yards / Game​	TD​	Int.​	Yards / Att.​	Rating​
61.9%​	222​	4​	3​	7.9​	137.1​

Mendoza in all other P4 games, including B1G Championship and CFP:

Comp. %​	Yards / Game​	TD​	Int.​	Yards / Att.​	Rating​
75.8%​	216.1​	28​	3​	9.87​	198.14​

Fernando Mendoza is a great player who had an amazing season. The three games you say he made the difference were likely his worst all year. If he had played to his own standards, they win all those games by 14+. Fortunately, their defense created 2 turnovers in each of those games to keep them on the right side of the turnover margin and stay undefeated.

 

[Drake University Gopher]

It will happen in 2071, the difference in time between now and the Miracle on Ice.

I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s next year with Texas Tech and a high school coach. Money back out in the open changes everything. Not to discredit everything else that played into it, but that of course changes the dynamic.

 

[GopherGrit]

Mendoza in those three games:

Comp. %​	Yards / Game​	TD​	Int.​	Yards / Att.​	Rating​
61.9%​	222​	4​	3​	7.9​	137.1​

Mendoza in all other P4 games, including B1G Championship and CFP:

Comp. %​	Yards / Game​	TD​	Int.​	Yards / Att.​	Rating​
75.8%​	216.1​	28​	3​	9.87​	198.14​

Fernando Mendoza is a great player who had an amazing season. The three games you say he made the difference were likely his worst all year. If he had played to his own standards, they win all those games by 14+. Fortunately, their defense created 2 turnovers in each of those games to keep them on the right side of the turnover margin and stay undefeated.

The game winning throw -- don't get me wrong, amazing catch as well -- against Penn State never happens if it's Rourke.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

IU had no five star players. The ROI they got from their transfers was 10% money and 90% miraculous.

Actually don't have many four stars, either ... I'm good with your math.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

I don’t think anyone is saying that Mendoza was not a vital component to IU’s run. But the team was much more than just him.

To my mind, IU's stingy and opportunistic defense was more important than its offense in many key games.

 

[Gopherchase]

I find these type of threads interesting. I argue that 100% we have just had an extraordinary run of hiring athletic directors and head football coaches who are at best mediocre. We’ve never had an Alvarez or Cignetti or even Bill Snyder someone of that ilk who will come in and change things to the point where we’re no longer mediocre or worse. I remember in my 30s when I would joke about never going to the Rose Bowl and while the Rose Bowl is different now with the playoff as I head into my 60s seems like even if we catch lightning in a bottle like maybe two Mason years and in 2019 we still fuck up a game or two that causes us to remain basically mediocre. PJ is on the high end of mediocre, but he’s such a piss poor game prep and game day coach that we will be stuck treading water for as long as he’s around. Maybe that’s OK, maybe we can do better at this point and I just kind of like games that are fun to watch win or lose. We had a dearth of those this year, so hopefully next will be better.

 

[GopherGrit]

To my mind, IU's stingy and opportunistic defense was more important than its offense in many key games.

Sure, IU's defense won it 11 regular season games against 11 meh opponents in 2024 and won it 9 regular season games against 9 meh opponents in 2025. Mendoza won them the 3 hard games.