Adam Rittenberg: Minnesota fans make non-league picks

[BleedGopher]

per Rittenberg:

A lot of good suggestions from Minnesota fans, most of whom thankfully want their program to move out of cupcake city with the nonconference scheduling. The TCU series was a nice step, but Minnesota must continue to do more and pay attention to what its supporters want. Notre Dame would be a nice addition, as the Irish have had recruiting success in the Minneapolis area and would provide a national showcase for Jerry Kill's program.

Regional matchups like Missouri and Iowa State also could work nicely for Minnesota. Although neither program really moves the needle, Minnesota has history with Iowa State, as Jesse points out, and the Gophers haven't played Missouri since 1970 despite the schools' relative proximity. The Pac-12 suggestions also make sense, especially Washington, which certainly has some parallels with Minnesota as another major-conference state school located in a major city. I wonder whether Minnesota fans would travel to Washington, Arizona or Stanford, as they don't have a strong reputation for doing so. Syracuse, Harvard and Boston don't do much for me.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/78660/minnesota-fans-make-non-league-picks

Go Gophers!!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the future with FB scheduling. When Kill came in, he made it clear that he wanted "winnable" non-conference games.

But, with Teague taking over as AD, and the fallout from the North Carolina buy-out, it looks like the new policy is to schedule at least one "name" opponent in non-conference. Of course, that could change with the move to a 9-game conference schedule.

Personally, I miss the days when the Gophs played big-name schools. I got to see the Gophs play U-S-C with OJ Simpson, Washington with Warren Moon, and some other pretty entertaining non-conf games. As a fan, I would be much more likely to buy tickets for a game like that, as opposed to playing NE Directional State.

 

[GoGophers2005]

So we don't travel well but the point of the article was about how we need to schedule better non-conference teams? So that means we don't travel we'll against marginal to bad non-conference teams.....and duh, show me a team that does.
Who wouldn't jump at the chance to hit up Notre Dame or a game in Seattle?

 

[imthewalrus]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the future with FB scheduling. When Kill came in, he made it clear that he wanted "winnable" non-conference games.

But, with Teague taking over as AD, and the fallout from the North Carolina buy-out, it looks like the new policy is to schedule at least one "name" opponent in non-conference. Of course, that could change with the move to a 9-game conference schedule.

Personally, I miss the days when the Gophs played big-name schools. I got to see the Gophs play U-S-C with OJ Simpson, Washington with Warren Moon, and some other pretty entertaining non-conf games. As a fan, I would be much more likely to buy tickets for a game like that, as opposed to playing NE Directional State.

When OJ came to the Brick House the Gophers played a 10 game schedule and only 7 Big Ten Games. Same with Missouri, and other "name teams" during much of the Warmath era and even more so before that. It happened most often that the Gophers didn't play both Michigan and the Ohio State in the same year back then...the OSU was not often on the Gopher Schedule at all during most of the Big Two, Little Eight days. It was just plain a little easier in those days. (There were much larger squads...freshmen weren't able to play. It was a totally different game...without platoon football...you always had your best players on the field on offense and defense. Back in the year that OJ came to town, the Gophers played Purdue with Leroy Keyes who was a fantastic running back/halfback who also was a "shut-down Defensive back and in important games, played both ways when needed in key situations...LESS games, LESS Conference Games, LESS Big Names in the Big Ten, LESS post Season match-ups...it only made SENSE to schedule an "out of region NAME-BRAND Power who was apt to travel to Minneapolis for a game. There were not many games on TV. The "rust belt" was not the "rust belt" and was where a lot of the players came from. It was SO very different then than it is now.



The beauty of the 9 game B1G Schedule is that it wipes out an ooc game. I'd like to see a 10 or 11 or 12 game B1G schedule and totally take that ooc "can't make anyone happy" nonsense out of the picture. Play an ooc foe in a bowl game. I would rather be sure that my Gophers get a shot at the BOTTOM-LEVEL teams of the B1G as well as the MID-LEVEL and TOP-LEVEL. That would be a far superior schedule in my own mind. Then get invited to a bowl game and play Stanford, UCLA, Iowa State, Missouri or Notre Dame.

Coaches NEED to win Conference Games or they will only last about 3.5 seasons. (Just look at the last coach who went ZERO for 8 and then started his final season without a Big Ten win only to be replaced mid-season.) From the coache's perspective, it may be a real career killer to beef up the ooc schedule and also add a 9th conference game. (And, with Minnesota's luck, OSU, Nebraska and Michigan will all be on the schedule to get the ball rolling. What the hey! Why not play all B1G Programs and have a shot at Maryland, Indiana, Rutgers, and then some of the other more beatable B1G team as well as those at the top of the conference. At places that have more a history of being a graveyard for college coaching careers(Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and probably Maryland, Rutgers, et al...it will make it even tougher. IF you want to ditch cup cakes (fine with me) just devise a way to play virtually all the other B1G teams each season and make it be ALL ABOUT competing within the conference. It will give the ad a chance to raise the price of season tickets and every game will actually MEAN something. (And, for all you Notre Dame haters out there, it would also take away some of the Fighting Irish traditional Big Ten rivals such as Purdue, Michigan, MSU!) Wouldn't that be GREAT?(ha, ha...)

This Rittenberg character doesn't recall that the last time we had Iowa State Scheduled that Iowa State bailed out and cancelled the second game of the scheduled home/home series because they didn't want to play home state rival iowa and border-battle foe Minnesota in the same seasons. What looks good on paper sometimes has a story lurking somewhere in the background.

Make it all B1G all the time until post season! That would put the "cupcake" bashers and "name brand" only foes right in their place!

Be different than ANY other Conference B1G. Make the rest of the nation wait to see the B1G play ANY ooc games! Be BOLD. Set the trend. Be totally UNIQUE! Go B1G Conference!

; 0 )

 

[highwayman]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the future with FB scheduling. When Kill came in, he made it clear that he wanted "winnable" non-conference games.

But, with Teague taking over as AD, and the fallout from the North Carolina buy-out, it looks like the new policy is to schedule at least one "name" opponent in non-conference. Of course, that could change with the move to a 9-game conference schedule.

Personally, I miss the days when the Gophs played big-name schools. I got to see the Gophs play U-S-C with OJ Simpson, Washington with Warren Moon, and some other pretty entertaining non-conf games. As a fan, I would be much more likely to buy tickets for a game like that, as opposed to playing NE Directional State.

There's a bit of a paradox here. The same people who didn't want to play UNC want to play TCU. I don't get what is being said here.

Kill simply did not want to play at UNC in 2013. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

He felt that his team would be more prepared for the challenge of a BCS road game by 2014. So here we are. So much angst has been placed on the UNC decision--in the end it was all about timing, not who we were playing.

 

[GopherGod]

There's a bit of a paradox here. The same people who didn't want to play UNC want to play TCU. I don't get what is being said here.

Kill simply did not want to play at UNC in 2013. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

He felt that his team would be more prepared for the challenge of a BCS road game by 2014. So here we are. So much angst has been placed on the UNC decision--in the end it was all about timing, not who we were playing.

Or Teague made the decision to play TCU against the wishes of Kill after giving Kill his way on the UNC buyout and having it blow up in his face.

 

[Cobra]

I'd love to see the rivalry with Iowa State rekindled, and I'd love to see a rivalry with the Irish get established.

 

[Dr.Don]

I'd love to see the rivalry with Iowa State rekindled, and I'd love to see a rivalry with the Irish get established.

You have a lot of love in your dreams!

 

[highwayman]

Or Teague made the decision to play TCU against the wishes of Kill after giving Kill his way on the UNC buyout and having it blow up in his face.

I call bullsh!t.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

There's a bit of a paradox here. The same people who didn't want to play UNC want to play TCU. I don't get what is being said here.

Kill simply did not want to play at UNC in 2013. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Just expressing an opinion. Based on Kill's comments when he came in, it certainly sounded like he did NOT want to play a "name" opponent in non-conference. And that led directly to the UNC buy-out.

But, - In My Opinion - the negative feedback from the buyout has made Teague very sensitive about FB schedules, and led to a change in policy. The new policy, as I interpret it, is to have at least 1 "name' opponent in non-conf.

To be clear - I always felt the UNC buyout was a mistake. I wanted the Gophs to play UNC, and I am looking forward to the TCU game. There's no paradox. I understand Kill's desire to win non-conf games and improve the team's chances of becoming bowl-eligible. I would just like to see them "earn" that bowl game by beating better teams, in the process raising the Gophs profile and improving public perception of the program.

 

[highwayman]

Just expressing an opinion. Based on Kill's comments when he came in, it certainly sounded like he did NOT want to play a "name" opponent in non-conference. And that led directly to the UNC buy-out.

But, - In My Opinion - the negative feedback from the buyout has made Teague very sensitive about FB schedules, and led to a change in policy. The new policy, as I interpret it, is to have at least 1 "name' opponent in non-conf.

To be clear - I always felt the UNC buyout was a mistake. I wanted the Gophs to play UNC, and I am looking forward to the TCU game. There's no paradox. I understand Kill's desire to win non-conf games and improve the team's chances of becoming bowl-eligible. I would just like to see them "earn" that bowl game by beating better teams, in the process raising the Gophs profile and improving public perception of the program.

I don't think there is any more of a new policy than there was an old policy. Kill didn't want to play a BCS road game in 2013. I think he believed that the program would be more ready by his fourth season at Minnesota.

I can't imagine a man like Kill is afraid of anyone. He wanted three full seasons under his belt to instill this confidence in his players. I think the whole scheduling process was completely thought out and planned, like EVERYTHING Kill does. Call it program psyche. Why would it be different than anything Kill does?

Those in the media and even on this site that cried and wailed had absolutely no clue what Teague and Kill had planned for the schedule. I'll say it again--Jerry Kill plans out every step and for nearly every possible contingency; why would scheduling NC opponents be any different?

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

I don't think there is any more of a new policy than there was an old policy. Kill didn't want to play a BCS road game in 2013. I think he believed that the program would be more ready by his fourth season at Minnesota.

I can't imagine a man like Kill is afraid of anyone. He wanted three full seasons under his belt to instill this confidence in his players. I think the whole scheduling process was completely thought out and planned, like EVERYTHING Kill does. Call it program psyche. Why would it be different than anything Kill does?

Those in the media and even on this site that cried and wailed had absolutely no clue what Teague and Kill had planned for the schedule. I'll say it again--Jerry Kill plans out every step and for nearly every possible contingency; why would scheduling NC opponents be any different?

+1

People seem to think Teague and Kill care a lot more about what the fans think than they really do. They have a program to run and build. A loss to UNC, in just the third year of building things up, could have seriously damaged bowl eligibility, quality of bowl, and program momentum.

Fact is, I seriously doubt the number of Gopher fans who are intimately familiar with the details of the UNC situation AND who are really pissed about measures no more than triple figures (< 1,000). Hardly enough to move the meter. Get over it. I would seriously hope Teague didn't lose a minute of sleep over it.

Come December, bowl selection time, that one win or loss will be enormous. HUGE difference between 6 wins and 7, between 7 wins and 8, etc. and nobody who matters will remember who those opponents were.