Big Ten West Race

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Northwestern looks absolutely nothing like the team they did last year. I saw the Gophers dismantle them at Evanston. I don’t look forward to them paying us back in 2 weeks (nor do I look forward to Bucky taking out their frustrations on us next week. Gonna be a rough next couple games).
 

After week 5:

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Probably the last time that we're still mathematically alive for the division.
Northwestern would have to lose 2 of MSU, MINN, ILL to not win the West. It's all but certain it'll be Northwestern vs Ohio State for the Big Ten Championship.

This is the scenario that Minnesota would need to pull off a 2020 miracle:
MINN wins out (WIS, NW, NEB)
and NW loses to both MSU and ILL.
and WIS loses to IOWA or IND
and IOWA loses 2 of 3 (NEB, ILL, WISC)
and PUR loses 1 of 3 (RUTG, NEB, IND)
(assuming all remaining games are played.)

I think that scenario would end in a 4 or 5 way tie between NW, MINN, WIS, PUR and maybe Illinois? They can't win the division outright.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Northwestern looks absolutely nothing like the team they did last year. I saw the Gophers dismantle them at Evanston. I don’t look forward to them paying us back in 2 weeks (nor do I look forward to Bucky taking out their frustrations on us next week. Gonna be a rough next couple games).
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Dismantle? Too strong. They scored three touchdowns, including two in the 2nd half and the last one of the game. With their horrible offense.

Don't get me wrong, the game never was in doubt.
 

Sure hope some the B1G officials are watching the Okl.State vs Oklahoma game and noticing the fans. I know Warren won’t be, he will be watching Porter. 2million dollar crowd. Sad
 


Gophers Badgers game getting 'Axed' has some immediate impact on the West race. Wisconsin drops under minimum games req to reach Indy.

Still Alive (head to head wins/losses):
Northwestern (5-0 Beat IOWA and PUR)
Iowa (3-2 Lost to NW and PUR, Beat MINN)
Purdue (2-2 Lost to NW aand MINN, Beat IOWA and ILL)
Minnesota (2-3 Lost to IOWA Beat PUR, ILL)
Illinois (2-3 Lost to MINN and PUR)

Eliminated:
Nebraska
Wisconsin

NW officially clinches with a win Saturday.
 

It's over. NW isn't going to lose to Mich St and Illinois.
 


RogueGopher said:
Currently losing by 11 to Mich St.
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Sure are!

Michigan State is the boxer that came out and threw their hardest haymaker they could muster in the first round. NW took it on the chin and went down .... but not for the count. Now the rest of the fight will tell the story.
 



MplsGopher said:
Sure are!

Michigan State is the boxer that came out and threw their hardest haymaker they could muster in the first round. NW took it on the chin and went down .... but not for the count. Now the rest of the fight will tell the story.
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Sparty is up and down AF this year. They are a likely game 9 (errr...8) opponent and on the sked the next 6 years. Which one will we get?
 

Well they keep moving the chains on this NW defense. QB sneaky legs conversions. Defense couple bend don't breaks.

Figures. Team that hasn't don't jack all year, except beat a horrible Michigan team (that we made look top 10), suddenly decides to play great.
 

fmlizard said:
Sparty is up and down AF this year. They are a likely game 9 (errr...8) opponent and on the sked the next 6 years. Which one will we get?
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A Gophers vs MSU crossover matchup would be nice dec 19th.
 




NW is going to lose this game to MSU, but the news out of Minnesota about number of positive cases in the last 10 days could give NW the West title, officially, if the game is not able to be played.
 

Comparative scores are tricky, and we’ve got plenty of flaws ourselves, but I think there’s at least some chance the Gophers missed an opportunity by not playing Wisconsin. Playing with our full team including Bateman, that is.

There’s little evidence so far that the Badgers are a good team. Will be interesting when they play Indiana coming up.
 

They already showed pictures of NW with a trophy? I thought that was the West division title? Maybe not.

Regardless, putrid play by NW offense. They had some serious issues. Very disappointing game.
 

fmlizard said:
Comparative scores are tricky, and we’ve got plenty of flaws ourselves, but I think there’s at least some chance the Gophers missed an opportunity by not playing Wisconsin. Playing with our full team including Bateman, that is.

There’s little evidence so far that the Badgers are a good team. Will be interesting when they play Indiana coming up.
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They’re average, like everyone else in the west
 



Did anyone really NOT expect Northwestern to throw up all over themselves? This was a foregone conclusion
 

Purdue loses to Rutgers, eliminating them from West contention.

Things, for now, are still unoffical in the West.

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Still Alive (head to head wins/losses):
Northwestern ( Beat IOWA and PUR )
Iowa ( Lost to NW and PUR, Beat MINN )
Minnesota ( Lost to IOWA Beat PUR, ILL )
Illinois ( Lost to MINN and PUR )

Eliminated:
Nebraska
Wisconsin ( eliminated based on min games played req. )
Purdue

NW clinches next week with:
A win over MINN
OR a no contest with MINN

MINN's ( ~0% chance, but still mathematically possible ) path to Indy:
Wins vs NW and NEB
AND IOWA losses to ILL and WISC
AND NW loss to ILL

(Tentative) Week 7 games of impact:
IOWA at Ill
NW at MINN
 
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It is foolish to put too much analyses into any of the BIG games played this year.
There have been players in quarantine and isolation, coaches the same, practices disrupted for weeks, no fans in the stands, the losses from injuries but also players choosing not to play and declaring early for the NFL draft etc.
Hopefully with vaccines becoming available soon next year will revert to 'normal'.
This year will just be a bad memory.
 


GopherVotary said:
And yet the West leads the East in head-to-head crossover games.
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:rolleyes: each game isn't an equivalent result, context matters particularly as the season progresses.

West "highlights":
- awful Michigan team beats middling Minnesota on the road
- awful Mich St team beats the West (very likely) champion NW
- awful Rutgers team beats middling Purdue on the road

NW and Iowa crushed Maryland and Mich St early on at home, but probably wouldn't now.


Wisconsin and Ohio State respectively embarrassing Michigan and Nebraska cancel each other out. Ohio State would embarrass Wisconsin.
 

RogueGopher said:
Purdue loses to Rutgers, eliminating them from West contention.

Things, for now, are still unoffical in the West.

View attachment 10672

Still Alive (head to head wins/losses):
Northwestern ( Beat IOWA and PUR )
Iowa ( Lost to NW and PUR, Beat MINN )
Minnesota ( Lost to IOWA Beat PUR, ILL )
Illinois ( Lost to MINN and PUR )

Eliminated:
Nebraska
Wisconsin ( eliminated based on min games played req. )
Purdue

NW clinches next week with:
A win over MINN
OR a no contest with MINN

MINN's ( ~0% chance, but still mathematically possible ) path to Indy:
Wins vs NW and NEB
AND IOWA losses to ILL and WISC
AND NW loss to ILL

(Tentative) Week 7 games of impact:
IOWA at Ill
NW at MINN
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The most 2020 thing EVER would be Minnesota winning the West. I mean, come on. Let that happen. Just imagine if:
  • MN beats NW while down 20+ players and with their best player opting out midseason.
  • The Fighting Lovies win out and finish with a winning record -- and 2nd in division.
  • MN fans need to root for their most hated rival to beat their second most hated rival.
  • The hated rival is ineligible for the title due to technicality
It's just too delicious.
 

MGGopher said:
The most 2020 thing EVER would be Minnesota winning the West. I mean, come on. Let that happen. Just imagine if:
  • MN beats NW while down 20+ players and with their best player opting out midseason.
  • The Fighting Lovies win out and finish with a winning record -- and 2nd in division.
  • MN fans need to root for their most hated rival to beat their second most hated rival.
  • The hated rival is ineligible for the title due to technicality
It's just too delicious.
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With how suddenly awful NW's offense looked .... I actually think we could pull off the win against them, and then a resurgent ILL squad wants to cap its season off with a trophy game win.

I can also see Wisconsin continuing its recent winning streak against Iowa.

Those I put in the realm of possibility.


The one I can't swallow is Iowa laying an egg in Champaign next weekend. That just seems too much. But, you never know.
 

MplsGopher said:
With how suddenly awful NW's offense looked .... I actually think we could pull off the win against the
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Speaking of NW's offense:
They have fewer than 300 total yards in 4 of 6 games this season. 2 games agaisnt MD and NEB with 537 and 317 yards respectivley.
They are 91st nationally in PPG, with 24.8. They Maryland game NW had 43 points, which bumbs their average up by a whole 3 points. Their averaging 21.1 ppg in their last 5 games.
NW is only at where they're at because of their elite defensive play. They rank 7th nationally in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed per game

Besides their opener vs Maryland, all of their games have been close, low scoring affairs.

I hope we get to play them this week, but my expectations are that it won't happen...
 

RogueGopher said:
Speaking of NW's offense:
They have fewer than 300 total yards in 4 of 6 games this season. 2 games agaisnt MD and NEB with 537 and 317 yards respectivley.
They are 91st nationally in PPG, with 24.8. They Maryland game NW had 43 points, which bumbs their average up by a whole 3 points. Their averaging 21.1 ppg in their last 5 games.
NW is only at where they're at because of their elite defensive play. They rank 7th nationally in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed per game

Besides their opener vs Maryland, all of their games have been close, low scoring affairs.

I hope we get to play them this week, but my expectations are that it won't happen...
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Yeah. People like to say things like “suddenly northwesterns offense is mediocre” when it has essentially been mediocre since Trevor seimian graduated
 

RogueGopher said:
Speaking of NW's offense:
They have fewer than 300 total yards in 4 of 6 games this season. 2 games agaisnt MD and NEB with 537 and 317 yards respectivley.
They are 91st nationally in PPG, with 24.8. They Maryland game NW had 43 points, which bumbs their average up by a whole 3 points. Their averaging 21.1 ppg in their last 5 games.
NW is only at where they're at because of their elite defensive play. They rank 7th nationally in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed per game

Besides their opener vs Maryland, all of their games have been close, low scoring affairs.

I hope we get to play them this week, but my expectations are that it won't happen...
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Fair enough, good stats
 

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