2016 vs. 2019 - Same Big Ten Schedule, Different Game Order

[MNVCGUY]

First things first - this is not about the coaches, simply looking at the schedule and the sequencing of games in comparing two seasons with a lot of similarities to this point.

If you took the games from 2016 and put them in the same order as the games from 2019 we would have started 5-0 before losing to Nebraska and after 8 games would have been 7-1. Similar to this year those 4 Big Ten wins to this point would have been against lower level conference teams with the meat of the schedule still to come.

The 2016 team was competitive in the tough games but couldn't seem to get the victory in any of them. They went 1-3 against Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. Remains to see what 2019 will do with the tougher games on their schedule.

2016 regular season record - 8-4, 5-4 conf - tied for 4th in the West
2019 regular season record - 8-0 with 4 to go (not including a potential game in Indy) , 5-0 conf

The two seasons had a very different feel to them. As I remember 2016 we were winning but not in an overly impressive fashion during the conference season. We played the good teams tough but couldn't get the W. We did beat Illinois, Purdue and Maryland by convincing margins but we also just barely escaped against a terrible Rutgers team and we were playing them at home. We dropped our first 2 Big Ten games against Penn State and Iowa so the season never really had a chance to pick up steam the way this one has.

The biggest difference so far in 2019 vs. 2016 is that we are not just beating Big Ten teams, we are destroying Big Ten teams. The other huge difference between the 2 years is that when you look to the future there is good reason to feel confident we are going to be competitive for a while. In 2016 it was clear that 2017 was going to be a big step back year regardless of coach.

I know it is not Apples to Apples because the games feature different players and locations but it is pretty remarkable how many similarities there are between the two seasons.

Here's hoping we keep adding to our 2019 win total to put some separation between this year and one of the better seasons in recent Gopher football history.

 

[RememberMurray]

First things first - this is not about the coaches, simply looking at the schedule and the sequencing of games in comparing two seasons with a lot of similarities to this point.

If you took the games from 2016 and put them in the same order as the games from 2019 we would have started 5-0 before losing to Nebraska and after 8 games would have been 7-1. Similar to this year those 4 Big Ten wins to this point would have been against lower level conference teams with the meat of the schedule still to come.

The 2016 team was competitive in the tough games but couldn't seem to get the victory in any of them. They went 1-3 against Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. Remains to see what 2019 will do with the tougher games on their schedule.

2016 regular season record - 8-4, 5-4 conf - tied for 4th in the West
2019 regular season record - 8-0 with 4 to go (not including a potential game in Indy) , 5-0 conf

The two seasons had a very different feel to them. As I remember 2016 we were winning but not in an overly impressive fashion during the conference season. We played the good teams tough but couldn't get the W. We did beat Illinois, Purdue and Maryland by convincing margins but we also just barely escaped against a terrible Rutgers team and we were playing them at home. We dropped our first 2 Big Ten games against Penn State and Iowa so the season never really had a chance to pick up steam the way this one has.

The biggest difference so far in 2019 vs. 2016 is that we are not just beating Big Ten teams, we are destroying Big Ten teams. The other huge difference between the 2 years is that when you look to the future there is good reason to feel confident we are going to be competitive for a while. In 2016 it was clear that 2017 was going to be a big step back year regardless of coach.

I know it is not Apples to Apples because the games feature different players and locations but it is pretty remarkable how many similarities there are between the two seasons.

Here's hoping we keep adding to our 2019 win total to put some separation between this year and one of the better seasons in recent Gopher football history.

Thoughtful analysis. Nice post!

 

[Dano564]

2016 PSU just came off a bad loss at Michigan. Week before 7 point win vs Temple. Week before loss vs Pitt.

PSU was still an "average" team trying to bounce back. The win vs us was a turning point for that season and they proved to be a high level contender after beating OSU.

There was a cloud over the program for half the season so we weren't sure who would actually play. The team did a great job playing through that, but most press about the program on TV was very negative for most of that season.