Big 10 Schedule sets up well

[howeda7]

With all the talk of our tough schedule, I think the Big 10 Schedule did set up well for Minnesota with regards to the Home and Road opponents for 2009 and 2010.

For 2009 we are playing Wisconsin, Purdue, MSU and Illinois at home. This gave us a chance to beat Wisconsin, which would have been much tougher in Madison, a decent chance against MSU where we would be heavy underdogs in East Lansing, and hopefully relatively easy wins against Purdue and Illinois that may have still been a struggle on the road.

Likewise, we get Northwestern, PSU, OSU, and Iowa on the road. Chances are we were going to get crushed by OSU, PSU and Iowa no matter where we played, so better it be on the road then waste a home game. With a little luck we can pull a 4-4 record out of this schedule.

If the home and road games were reversed, I have a very hard time seeing more then 3 wins there. The only home win would likely have been NW, and we'd be lucky to win both the Illinois and Purdue road games, much less the other two.

Next year, the teams reamain the same and the home and road should indeed reverse. If we improve as Brewster and many on here think we will, this works out well. We should (better) have a fighting chance in home games against OSU, PSU and Iowa, while also being good enough to beat MSU and Wisconsin on the road (along with Illinois and Purdue). It's not so unreasonable to see a 6-2 record coming from that if the expected improvement actually occurs.

 

[RedPoo]

I actually have the opposite view of what next season will look like. Even if we do improve, I think OSU, PSU and likely Iowa will still be more than a home-field-advantage better than us. The more winnable games, like MSU, Purdue and Wisky, though, will be that much tougher on the road.

The consensus coming into this season was "better team, tougher schedule, similar record" and I tend to think that will be the case next year. The schedule may look easier with the big guys coming to the Stadium, but I don't know if that will be enough to win any of those games.

 

[RedPoo]

...with that said, I'm definitely looking forward to that slate of home games next season. Add USC on top, and it shapes up to be a very interesting year to be a Gopher season ticket holder.

 

[nc2mn]

With the big guys at home, it should be time for Brew's crew to rise up and get somebody give him a signature win, finally. Even Mason had one or two wins against OSU/PSU.

 

[Schnoodler]

It's either a recipe for disaster or glory. I wish it were a year later. We could actually improve and not make a bowl game with that schedule, or we could end up with a dream year like Illinois had a few years back and be in the roses. It all depends on when these new guys start making their impact. I've got 2011 for the break out year, let's hope it's a year earlier.

 

[RedPoo]

It's either a recipe for disaster or glory. I wish it were a year later. We could actually improve and not make a bowl game with that schedule, or we could end up with a dream year like Illinois had a few years back and be in the roses. It all depends on when these new guys start making their impact. I've got 2011 for the break out year, let's hope it's a year earlier.

Couldn't have said it better myself (though I did try, and fail).

 

[nc2mn]

It's either a recipe for disaster or glory. I wish it were a year later. We could actually improve and not make a bowl game with that schedule, or we could end up with a dream year like Illinois had a few years back and be in the roses. It all depends on when these new guys start making their impact. I've got 2011 for the break out year, let's hope it's a year earlier.

+1 Absolutely!

 

[howeda7]

It's either a recipe for disaster or glory. I wish it were a year later. We could actually improve and not make a bowl game with that schedule, or we could end up with a dream year like Illinois had a few years back and be in the roses. It all depends on when these new guys start making their impact. I've got 2011 for the break out year, let's hope it's a year earlier.

Maybe. But in 2011 there's a road game at USC in week 2 that we'll probably lose. So that doesn't set the stage for 'huge breakout year' either. Brew needs to win a trophy game or two/ and/or get a win against OSU/PSU NEXT year at the latest.

 

[Schnoodler]

Needs to for what? i mean every win is important. We all think there are these bench mark things that he has to do. There isn't. There is no set number of wins or trophy games or big win that has to happen. All good things to have happen, but certainly on no check list that Maturi has in his office. He needs to recruit well and improve the team year to year. if he does that good things will happen.

The signature win talk is loser talk. it says we're never going to be good enough and need to steal one now and then. Brewster is building something bigger. A winning program that doesn't need signature wins to make us feel ok for being losers. He will be judged based on year to year improvement alone. That is the task Maturi has.

By breakout I mean when the talent is mature enough to make a mark on the field in improved play. It should yield better outcomes. What I'm getting at is that we don't take the big leap forward in on field play until 2011. I don't know how big, if it can play a USC on the road, but i think it'll be able to have a good shot at new years.

 

[ulfr]

We are losers, look around!

The signature win talk is loser talk. it says we're never going to be good enough and need to steal one now and then. Brewster is building something bigger. A winning program that doesn't need signature wins to make us feel ok for being losers. He will be judged based on year to year improvement alone...

Dismiss signature wins and trophies all you want, until we achieve both this program is a walking abortion. I doubt few ever thought we would be waiting until year FOUR to see a trophy in our case, and next year's schedule looks even more brutal. The conference leading teams we can't foreseeably win against (at least without marked improvement) are here and we lose a critical home field advantage against opponents more closely aligned with our current state of affairs. It is doubtful to see a dramatic improvement in record, in fact the opposite is much more likely, so a "stealing" a victory against one of the conference elite and securing a trophy (finally) might well be our only satisfaction for 2010.