9-2, 5-2 should be expected

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GopherinPhilly said:
We lose this game 95 times out of 100 played at TCF and 99 out of 100 in Madison. This year. Next year we should be better as our lines mature. I see 2015 as a legitimate shot at being favored at home against Becky and keeping the Axe after we steal a game from them in 2014 on our way to our Cinderella run to the Rose Bowl!
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If mn loses this game 95/100 then Wisconsin is a lot better than they rank and mn is a lot worse...
 

Any game where you can field 11 players is winnable.
 

We probably need some turnovers, some breaks, and special teams to do something special...
That said, we have home field, an extra week to prepare, a motivated fan base, & team chemistry on our side.
Win or lose, I'm really looking forward to watching it play out.
 


Stan The Caddy said:
If we want to get our facts straight, we may want to define what a "pretty good passing team" is. BYU is currently 55th in the nation in passing. Is that "pretty good"?
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And relative to a lot of OOC opponents that B1G has faced that's pretty outstanding. Especially when compared to the Gophers national ranking (118 out of 125) who many in this thread are claiming is one of our strengths.
 


Indi1006 said:
Their run game scares me but their defense while solid shouldn't scare us. We have a legit B1G offense that should be able to put up some points. I think Gordon is the most dynamic runner in college football that makes me nervous.
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7th ranked overall defense in the nation. But you're right, our offense has been unbelievably dynamic so it should be no sweat.
 



Wisconsin is a lot better than their ranking. I love how disrespected they are, but they are disrespected. I believe they are one of the top 8-10 teams in the country. They couldn't hang with the Alabama or FSU, but I'd give them a fighting chance against anyone else on a neutral field. This would be the biggest upset win at home in my lifetime (I'm 33).
 





stocker08 said:
Expected probably is not the right word. Wisconsin and MSU are the best two teams in the Big Ten behind OSU. There is a large gap between the top three and everyone else. With that said.....I could see us pulling off an upset. This team has major potential, and both the offense and defense have been getting better every week. The defense was prone to giving up the big plays earlier on in the season. Hasn't been that way recently. If we can find a way to shut down the Wisconsin and MSU running game......we'll have a good shot to win either.
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I agree with most of what you said. I do think there is a chance we pull an upset but it will take a nearly perfect game in all 3 phases and we may need a little help from Wisconsin in the form of turnovers. These last 2 games should show us just how much the offense has actually grown because IF we can move the ball and put up points on these two teams that would bode very well for the future of this offense. Wisconsin and MSU have been shutting teams down for the most part all season.

Assuming the team keeps playing the smart disciplined football it has been playing during the winning streak there certainly is a chance to win either of the games left on the schedule but both games are going to be a significant step up in competition from the past few weeks. Based on what we have seen to this point I could not agree more that there appear to be 3 really good teams in the Big Ten this year and unfortunately 2 of them are still left on our schedule.
 

I don't think we really know much about Wisconsin yet. They have not beaten a team that is as strong as we are this season (BYU would be closest). They have lost their only 2 games to teams that are better than us. Of their 4 conference wins, don't 3 of them come against teams with no conference wins? If Wisconsin beats us, we will be their best win this season. If we beat Wisconsin, we will probably be their worst loss this season. Either way, I think we've got a shot.
 



I can't see the Gophers winning a game where they allow more than 24 points. I also can't see them winning a game where they score less than 28 points. I think that's why it looks so tough on paper. I read somewhere that UW is one of only six teams in the top 20 on both offense and defense. Three of the other five were among the top four unbeatens in the polls. There is room for a Gopher victory IMO if they play great on both sides of the ball.

TCF will be rocking.
 

maroonedinCA said:
According to Vegas' and Sagarin's rankings that are not used in the BCS that is exactly the case.
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According to them the gophers should have lost the last 4 games.

I should admit that I absolutely hate Wisconsin, but I am trying to look at their body of work realistically. Their most impressive wins are Iowa, BYU and at the time Northwestern. Their best game was a close loss to OSU. I have yet to hear a good argument on why they should be ranked a lot higher but admit that I am biased.

The gophers will be underdogs and should be, but this is a winnable game. Take care of the ball and limit their big plays.
 

special teams and run defense will be key.

Wisconsin is very good on both sides of the ball. They played very tough at Ohio St. and they drilled Iowa in Iowa City. We need some special teams help. We need to win the turnover battle. I would also play an extra lineman or linebacker instead of 2 safeties and roll our one safety to Abbrederis' side. NFL teams do this against the vikings constantly.


badgergopher said:
I can't see the Gophers winning a game where they allow more than 24 points. I also can't see them winning a game where they score less than 28 points. I think that's why it looks so tough on paper. I read somewhere that UW is one of only six teams in the top 20 on both offense and defense. Three of the other five were among the top four unbeatens in the polls. There is room for a Gopher victory IMO if they play great on both sides of the ball.

TCF will be rocking.
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march madness said:
Wisconsin is very good on both sides of the ball. They played very tough at Ohio St. and they drilled Iowa in Iowa City. We need some special teams help. We need to win the turnover battle. I would also play an extra lineman or linebacker instead of 2 safeties and roll our one safety to Abbrederis' side. NFL teams do this against the vikings constantly.
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Yeah. They really are very good on both sides of the line. Their offensive line, as always (recently anyway), is just about dominant, creating booming holes for their backs, and you have to wonder how many of those players on their offensive line are ticketed for the NFL. Probably a few, as they seem to always send a few, especially the interior guys like Konz, Zeitler, et al in the recent past. That is why as a Dallas Cowboys fan, I about cried when we traded down 12 spots in the first round this past draft in order to draft Travis Frederick, C from Sconnie of all places, whom I wouldn't have stopped to piss on beforehand, but now how I absolutely fricken love the guy. :clap: He is GOOD, he is nasty, he is driving and tough as nails and came in NFL ready and all set to go, and this a lightly regarded kid from Big Foot High School in Walworth, Wisconsin, but one whom was so well-taught and so coached up in college that he was able to take the role as starting center of the Dallas Cowboys in his rookie season straight off the bat. He's started every game, and for a kid, he has relatively beasted.

That is the type of obstacle we are up against defensively. It's not their backs (good as they might be) such much it is the crushing nature of their line, and how that becomes not only exhausting but deflating to a defense when you cannot get that bloody offense off the field.

Where I find vast encouragement is in the fact that seems the exact same template upon which Coach Kill attempts to draw his teams and always has, starting first straight across the lines (and in further reference to this and the Dallas Cowboys, Doug Free, one of his former players from NIU, he's our starting left tackle), as that seems to acknowledge a fundamental point which has always been there in football, that being it ain't the glamour boys which win you games, but rather the offensive lines in front of them and defensive lines behind them which allow the glamour boys to shine.
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Why is it interesting? Goths should expect to win a home game in November against a top 20ish team with the realistic chance of a Jan. 1 bowl game on the line. Just my opinion...
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A game between the Badgers and a bunch of Goths would be *very* interesting! :D
 

Clark W. Griswold said:
According to them the gophers should have lost the last 4 games.

I should admit that I absolutely hate Wisconsin, but I am trying to look at their body of work realistically. Their most impressive wins are Iowa, BYU and at the time Northwestern. Their best game was a close loss to OSU. I have yet to hear a good argument on why they should be ranked a lot higher but admit that I am biased.

The gophers will be underdogs and should be, but this is a winnable game. Take care of the ball and limit their big plays.
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So the complex formulas that are utilized by Sagarin, et al. don't look at their entire body of work but you do. Ok. Vegas bookies shouldn't even bother with statistical modeling they should just give you a call and get your perspective on each team's body of work.
 

Seany said:
Coach Kill attempts to draw his teams and always has, starting first straight across the lines (and in further reference to this and the Dallas Cowboys, Doug Free, one of his former players from NIU, he's our starting left tackle)
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One minor correction, my friend - Doug Free was in the NFL before Kill came to NIU.
 

maroonedinCA said:
So the complex formulas that are utilized by Sagarin, et al. don't look at their entire body of work but you do. Ok. Vegas bookies shouldn't even bother with statistical modeling they should just give you a call and get your perspective on each team's body of work.
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Eh, who cares? I mean really, what does it matter anything Sagarin or computers might think? Basically, I don't understand why you're so adamantly hammering on the point.

Yes, obviously we are underdogs, and deservedly so, and so far as I have seen, no one is arguing that point.

But the game which actually takes place (so far as I know it anyway), the result of such does not occur nor rely upon Sagarin's universe, Vegas odds, or some dull computer screen, but rather on the field, and how anything can happen there, and anything often does.

In other words, this is all just idle speculation, but the fact that you are in essence just simply trying to lay a turd upon a fellow fan's hope, combined with your sarcastic delivery, well.....

....and I will much rather give you ellipses than tell you how I really feel.
 

Seany said:
Eh, who cares? I mean really, what does it matter anything Sagarin or computers might think? Basically, I don't understand why you're so adamantly hammering on the point.

Yes, obviously we are underdogs, and deservedly so, and so far as I have seen, no one is arguing that point.

But the game which actually takes place (so far as I know it anyway), the result of such does not occur nor rely upon Sagarin's universe, Vegas odds, or some dull computer screen, but rather on the field, and how anything can happen there, and anything often does.

In other words, this is all just idle speculation, but the fact that you are in essence just simply trying to lay a turd upon a fellow fan's hope, combined with your sarcastic delivery, well.....

....and I will much rather give you ellipses than tell you how I really feel.
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Not trying to hammer but just pointing out the factual inaccuracies when people say 'we have a great chance, look how closely we're ranked'. We're not that closely ranked if you go by actual proven models and because of that we don't have a great chance. Posters that are building their arguments around our 'close ranking' as a justification are giving false hope.

Also, an ellipsis is three dots, not four, so if you're going to use them sarcastically do it correctly.
 

maroonedinCA said:
So the complex formulas that are utilized by Sagarin, et al. don't look at their entire body of work but you do. Ok. Vegas bookies shouldn't even bother with statistical modeling they should just give you a call and get your perspective on each team's body of work.
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Yep, that is exactly what I meant. My point is that using these stats as a predictor have proven to be wrong the last 4 weeks. So to use them again and say that the gophers have no chance is stupid. And if the badgers win, the statistics and vegas will have only been right on the gophers once in the last 5 games. I only got a C in stats, but I'm pretty sure 20% isn't good. I'll keep watching the games to find out who is the better team that day.
 

dpodoll68 said:
One minor correction, my friend - Doug Free was in the NFL before Kill came to NIU.
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Yeah, you're right, man.

I always just assumed (and you know what they say about doing that), given the time-frame, he was one of Kill's boys at NIU.

But now, well....thanks for crashing all my dreams and assumptions, and some kind of friend you are to destroy those dreams! :D

Ahhhh, I luv ya dude, and keep fighting, seriously. We South Dakota boys, we are so few, we simply have to stick together.
 

maroonedinCA said:
Not trying to hammer but just pointing out the factual inaccuracies when people say 'we have a great chance, look how closely we're ranked'. We're not that closely ranked if you go by actual proven models and because of that we don't have a great chance. Posters that are building their arguments around our 'close ranking' as a justification are giving false hope.

Also, an ellipsis is three dots, not four, so if you're going to use them sarcastically do it correctly.
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Christ then, well what does that say about you, you actually sit there and count the dots?

And you can stick your 'rankings' up your ass.

The fact you've assumed the role the 'turd-layer' here, I think that's the relevant question and point.

Reality is, it doesn't matter what you think, what Vegas thinks, what Sagarin thinks, it just simply doesn't matter unless you're betting.

Which brings to mind the ultimate question, unless you're some kind of freaking troll, why would you want to do that? Why would you want to sh*t on someone else's dream and piss on their parade?

Either you're completely miserable, or you should be, and will.
 

Seany said:
Eh, who cares? I mean really, what does it matter anything Sagarin or computers might think? Basically, I don't understand why you're so adamantly hammering on the point.

Yes, obviously we are underdogs, and deservedly so, and so far as I have seen, no one is arguing that point.

But the game which actually takes place (so far as I know it anyway), the result of such does not occur nor rely upon Sagarin's universe, Vegas odds, or some dull computer screen, but rather on the field, and how anything can happen there, and anything often does.

In other words, this is all just idle speculation, but the fact that you are in essence just simply trying to lay a turd upon a fellow fan's hope, combined with your sarcastic delivery, well.....

....and I will much rather give you ellipses than tell you how I really feel.
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He cares. He's just a Badger fan who wants to tell Gopher fans how great his Badgers are.
 

MadtownGopher said:
Oh I know. I've tried to get him to explain his dual fandom multiple times but he never responds. He's a Badger fan that is trying to pass himself off as a dual fan.
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You have? Here I go...1998 graduate of U of M. Multiple family members and friends at UW. Prefer gophs over badgers but am a fan of both. For that reason I am a troll. I will be cheering for the gophers on the the 23rd.
 

matt said:
He cares. He's just a Badger fan who wants to tell Gopher fans how great his Badgers are.
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Because I don't get warm and fuzzy over a bunch of "CAN DO ATTITUDE" which is the talk of losers I'm a troll and a Badger fan?

Fine then, here's how the normal write up is on here:

The Badgers seem to have every edge but OUR BOYs are HUNGRY! OUR COACHES know a good GAMEPLAN when they see one. Boy I can't WAIT til our stadium ROCKS and INTIMIDATES.

If you want to lead your life with such rah-rah attitude so be it but at least don't try to mask it in facts like "we're closely ranked in the AP poll, ergo we should beat them because we're at home."
 

Seany said:
Christ then, well what does that say about you, you actually sit there and count the dots?

And you can stick your 'rankings' up your ass.

The fact you've assumed the role the 'turd-layer' here, I think that's the relevant question and point.

Reality is, it doesn't matter what you think, what Vegas thinks, what Sagarin thinks, it just simply doesn't matter unless you're betting.

Which brings to mind the ultimate question, unless you're some kind of freaking troll, why would you want to do that? Why would you want to sh*t on someone else's dream and piss on their parade?

Either you're completely miserable, or you should be, and will.
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More than it says about you sarcastically alluding to them but not knowing how to use them.
 

maroonedinCA said:
More than it says about you sarcastically alluding to them but not knowing how to use them.
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Feeling beleaguered, eh?

Well, that's probably the natural state such ass should feel.
 

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