Bowl Game Projections?

[Panthadad2]

There is no nefarious plot to screw Minnesota this year. The BG10 has to fill the Pinstripe. There were only two teams available under their guidelines, Illinois and Minnesota. Illinois has advantages in that they won head to head. were ranked more recently, shoulda coulda woulda beat Michigan a couple weeks ago, and haven't been to a bowl game in a while making their fanbase more hungry. It was the Pinstripe for Minnesota all along.

 

[Gophers_4life]

So Iowa State lost to a bad Iowa State team....but since they are good sometimes....it doesn't matter? That was their P5 non-con game. Against a BAD Iowa State team. We played one of those games too. Colorado was bad. Not our fault that they were as bad as they were. They weren't when we scheduled the games.

Fact is that we won our P5 non-con game. Iowa lost to a 4-8 team. Next.

You're not interested in honest discussion if you're trying to pretend to force Iowa State to be the same thing as Western Illinois and Colorado.

Another fact is that they beat us head-to-head. Don't bother replying with "yeahbut, we beat Wisconsin last year and ....". Already been hashed through.


I get that you're pissed off, and appreciate your passion for Gopher football.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Iowa is locked into a difficult non-conf game against Iowa State, every year. They had won six in a row over 2015-2021. This year, both schools quite frankly were awful on offense. ISU was due and held on to win.

So there's your one win difference. Iowa lost to Iowa State, we beat Western Illinois.


I don't think that playing the cupcake-iest of cupcakes possible should get you the selection, over the team that beat you head-to-head.

So disingenuous and you know it. But congrats....your troll post got me to bite.

 

[Gophers_4life]

So disingenuous

You want it to be. Sure, of course.

But it really isn't.


Iowa had a more difficult schedule, ended up with the same conference record -- a thing that might matter when the conference is deciding which conference teams should go to conference bowls -- and beat us head-to-head to boot.

Only one game difference on the overall record.


I really don't think there is much of any leg to stand on, that the Big Ten should not have allowed Iowa to be selected over the Gophers for the Music City.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Like I said 5 free posts then charge $10 a post….

... You have no idea how message boards make money, do you?

 

[toma0045]

I'm not arguing for what the bowls themselves wanted. I'm arguing on what's equitable for all the Big Ten teams. Does bowl slotting match results on the field. Because I've already pointed out that in the past ten years, the Gophers have now gone three times to the Pinstripe/Guaranteed Rate/San Francisco/Texas level bowl games as an 8-4 team compared to a whopping ZERO for the other Big Ten teams.

There's nothing to argue here and there's no way to say that the Gophers haven't been repeatedly screwed on bowl placement. The facts are there.

I am not getting into the fifty years of pain debate. I’m asking big ten commissioner stocker08 about 2022. You are now going to override the desires of the individual bowls. In what bowl are you placing Minnesota?

 

[Gophers_4life]

How do you propose the fanbase changes the perception of these bowl committees? Gophers sold out their allotment at the Outback Bowl. Attendance was almost identical to last year's game. I think the "Gophers don't travel" excuse is overplayed.

I'm not sure, to be quite honest.

If the Music City was actually excited about the prospect of the Gophers fanbase coming to Nashville, I don't think the Big Ten would've stopped them from selecting us.

They quite clearly did not want to select us. They were excited to select Iowa.


While it seems laughably bogus to me, the MC officials noted that the Gophers have been there three times in the early/mid 2000's. Yeah, that's forever ago, but apparently that must have been a factor for them too.

 

[Panthadad2]

I'm not sure, to be quite honest.

If the Music City was actually excited about the prospect of the Gophers fanbase coming to Nashville, I don't think the Big Ten would've stopped them from selecting us.

They quite clearly did not want to select us. They were excited to select Iowa.


While it seems laughably bogus to me, the MC officials noted that the Gophers have been there three times in the early/mid 2000's. Yeah, that's forever ago, but apparently that must have been a factor for them too.

The Music City was almost a home game for Mason's teams. At the time, it was pretty much the last bowl game I'd ever travel to with spotty winter weather; eventually to be supplanted by the Pinhead Bowl in that factor.

 

[stocker08]

How about just the normal, reasonable thing that most people can understand: there is nuance to the overall record that can and should also be taken into consideration rather than just blindly looking at the numbers.

The normal, reasonable thing is to note that the Gophers have gone to lower tiered bowl games three times in the past decade with a record of 8-4 while not a single other Big Ten team had once.

Schedule strength is fluid. We scheduled Colorado back in 2016. They made the Pac-12 championship game and finished 15th in the polls that year. Other Big Ten teams assuredly ran into similar things.

 

[stocker08]

You're not interested in honest discussion if you're trying to pretend to force Iowa State to be the same thing as Western Illinois and Colorado.

Another fact is that they beat us head-to-head. Don't bother replying with "yeahbut, we beat Wisconsin last year and ....". Already been hashed through.


I get that you're pissed off, and appreciate your passion for Gopher football.

Iowa State was 4-8. Iowa lost to them. Gophers had plenty of chances to lose to below .500 teams and didn't. We both played Nebraska. Another game to a bad team that Iowa lost to.

I am not getting into the fifty years of pain debate. I’m asking big ten commissioner stocker08 about 2022. You are now going to override the desires of the individual bowls. In what bowl are you placing Minnesota?

I'm not sure, to be quite honest.

If the Music City was actually excited about the prospect of the Gophers fanbase coming to Nashville, I don't think the Big Ten would've stopped them from selecting us.

They quite clearly did not want to select us. They were excited to select Iowa.


While it seems laughably bogus to me, the MC officials noted that the Gophers have been there three times in the early/mid 2000's. Yeah, that's forever ago, but apparently that must have been a factor for them too.

I've said multiple times....that's the Big Ten's job to figure out. If certain bowls are against inviting certain teams, the Big Ten should either force their hand....or threaten not not renew the contract with that bowl when the time comes. Fact is that outside of the SEC....the Big Ten is the most prestigious conference. With realignment....the gap between the SEC/Big Ten and the other three conferences is going to widen. The bowl games should be courting the conference. Not the other way around. No reason for the Big Ten to hang onto the Music City Bowl if they have certain teams crossed out on a yearly basis.

 

[Gophers_4life]

There is no nefarious plot to screw Minnesota this year. The BG10 has to fill the Pinstripe. There were only two teams available under their guidelines, Illinois and Minnesota. Illinois has advantages in that they won head to head. were ranked more recently, shoulda coulda woulda beat Michigan a couple weeks ago, and haven't been to a bowl game in a while making their fanbase more hungry. It was the Pinstripe for Minnesota all along.

THIS!

There really is no valid comparison to Iowa this year. While I don't think we can know for 100% fact, the document linked earlier in the thread (I'll link it here again for convenience: https://bigten.org/services/downloa.../2022/11/22/2022_23_Big_Ten_Bowl_Overview.pdf ) does seem to indicate that the Pinstripe extended deal retains the provision about having a different team every year. Well, it does say "Goal is ..." not "Will ..." but who knows what that actually translates to.

That made Iowa ineligible to go to the Pinstripe this year. Someone had to go.

(Interestingly, the document also seems to make it look like the Pinstripe has higher order than the Mayo, even though it plays a day earlier).


I don't think it can reasonably be argued that the Gophers "deserved" to not get pigeonholed into the Pinstripe "more" than Illinois.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Iowa State was 4-8. Iowa lost to them. Gophers had plenty of chances to lose to below .500 teams and didn't. We both played Nebraska. Another game to a bad team that Iowa lost to.




I've said multiple times....that's the Big Ten's job to figure out. If certain bowls are against inviting certain teams, the Big Ten should either force their hand....or threaten not not renew the contract with that bowl when the time comes. Fact is that outside of the SEC....the Big Ten is the most prestigious conference. With realignment....the gap between the SEC/Big Ten and the other three conferences is going to widen. The bowl games should be courting the conference. Not the other way around. No reason for the Big Ten to hang onto the Music City Bowl if they have certain teams crossed out on a yearly basis.

Again you're obviously very passionate about this and the Gophers program, of course. Appreciate it.

Your 2nd paragraph:
I just really do not think the Big Ten cares, like that. I can't see in a million years the Big Ten saying something like "You won't take Minnesota?? The hell with you! We're going to another bowl game!"

 

[Gophers_4life]

The normal, reasonable thing is to note that the Gophers have gone to lower tiered bowl games three times in the past decade with a record of 8-4 while not a single other Big Ten team had once.

Schedule strength is fluid. We scheduled Colorado back in 2016. They made the Pac-12 championship game and finished 15th in the polls that year. Other Big Ten teams assuredly ran into similar things.

No bowl is going to consider like that. They're only going to consider what they think will maximize their profits this year, for as much as the conference will let them get away with it.

You think it should be the Big Ten's job to force their hand and force them to consider it. You've explained that desire well.


I don't think the Big Ten cares anywhere near that much.

 

[stocker08]

Again you're obviously very passionate about this and the Gophers program, of course. Appreciate it.

Your 2nd paragraph:
I just really do not think the Big Ten cares, like that. I can't see in a million years the Big Ten saying something like "You won't take Minnesota?? The hell with you! We're going to another bowl game!"

One of the Big Ten's job is to advocate for ALL of their teams. If there is a bowl that refuses to take a certain team, then the Big Ten isn't doing their job by continuing that relationship.

 

[Panthadad2]

What's funny is Syracuse technically got bumped "up" in ACC selection order over 8-4 Duke (Military Bowl) and 9-4 North Carolina (Holiday Bowl).

 

[Gophers_4life]

What's funny is Syracuse technically got bumped "up" in ACC selection order over 8-4 Duke (Military Bowl) and 9-4 North Carolina (Holiday Bowl).

Pinstripe thinks a "local" team will buy more tickets, and asked the ACC if they could have Syracuse.

This is all more evidence to me that the conferences don't really care about the lower matchups.

It's all just back room cigar smoking between the conferences, bowls, and TV networks to try to make the most money that year.

 

[Schnauzer]

Stocker is doing a great job explaining FACTS that add up to so many of us being frustrated.

It is amazing the lengths some of our ignorant “fans” are willing to go to prove they are wrong.

 

[toma0045]

Iowa State was 4-8. Iowa lost to them. Gophers had plenty of chances to lose to below .500 teams and didn't. We both played Nebraska. Another game to a bad team that Iowa lost to.




I've said multiple times....that's the Big Ten's job to figure out. If certain bowls are against inviting certain teams, the Big Ten should either force their hand....or threaten not not renew the contract with that bowl when the time comes. Fact is that outside of the SEC....the Big Ten is the most prestigious conference. With realignment....the gap between the SEC/Big Ten and the other three conferences is going to widen. The bowl games should be courting the conference. Not the other way around. No reason for the Big Ten to hang onto the Music City Bowl if they have certain teams crossed out on a yearly basis.

The three bowls above Minnesota have all selected Minnesota: Citrus (5th most recent) Reliaquest (3rd most recent) Music City (4th most recent) Have they selected Minnesota in the past to throw us off the scent that they’re really against selecting Minnesota?

 

[Some guy]

I think the Gophers had a much more legitimate complaint last year than they do this year, to be honest.

This year the gophers are literally going in the most logical slot (if pinstripe picks before dukes) as has been speculated and published by reporters like the athletic

 

[stocker08]

The three bowls above Minnesota have all selected Minnesota: Citrus (5th most recent) Reliaquest (3rd most recent) Music City (4th most recent) Have they selected Minnesota in the past to throw us off the scent that they’re really against selecting Minnesota?

That argument doesn't hold water.....considering that Purdue went to the Music City Bowl in back to back Big Ten appearances (2018 & 2021). Not to mention that our last trip there was 17 years ago.

Michigan has been to the Citrus Bowl twice since we last went. Nebraska and Wisconsin have both made back to back trips there in the recent past.

Iowa went to the Outback/Reliaquest Bowls in 2014, 2017 and 2019....so repeat visits with a couple years in between haven't exactly been rare here.


Again....it all comes down to equitable bowl placement. The Gophers have been the only BT team to be sent to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (or equivalent) with an 8-4 record. Twice this has happened. And now they'll be the first Big Ten team to go to the Pinstripe Bowl with an 8-4 record. Sure....chance plays a part in all this. But there's no way to say that the Gophers haven't gotten screwed in how this stuff has all played out. Hell.....they shoehorned Penn State into the Outback Bowl last year with a losing conference record. We had to go 10-2 (7-2 conference) to finally get there. Worth noting that Penn State had the same record that year....we beat them head to head....yet they were picked to go to a NY6 game regardless. It's no secret that perception plays a big part in how these things shake out.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Facts or not, maybe we can close this thread with some words from the horse's mouth?

https://247sports.com/college/maryl...Mike-Locksley-wanted-to-play-in-it-199585703/

"To go to ACC country and play a rival like an N.C. State, who's a really good team and obviously, we've got a history of playing some great games against them. I think our overall series is tied up at 33-33-4 and so what a great opportunity. I love that our fans during the holiday season will have an opportunity to come down, conveniently drive down, fly in down to Charlotte to take in a great game between, like I said, two former ACC Rivals. I know as a coach I'm excited because of the extra practices that come along with this opportunity as well as us still recruiting down in that region of the country, an opportunity to take the Maryland brand down to North Carolina," Locksley said.

...

Maryland was also wanted by the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Pheonix, which wouldn't have been a terrible landing spot, but would've attracted a far smaller group of traveling fans because of the distance. Sources told InsideMDSports last week that Maryland was holding out hope for an invite to the game in Charlotte. So why did the Mayo Bowl pick the Terps?

"We couldn't be more excited about this matchup. A lot of it's already been referenced about the old ACC ties, and 33-33-4 and a really good NC.C. State team that finished a year with a win over North Carolina, and already have referenced the Maryland games against two of the top four teams in the country [Ohio State and Michigan]. And so we just think it's a great matchup for Maryland fans. I think they'll really enjoy Charlotte. It's a wonderful uptown, a lot of things to do. You park your car, you walk everywhere," Morrison said.

"People that come to Charlotte, they embrace the experience and have a fun time and it's just the proximity to everything, I think, is a differentiator for the city as well as all the things that there are to do. So we think it's a great matchup. We couldn't be more pleased with having uh Maryland and N.C. State ... I do believe the players, we've gotten wonderful feedback over the years from the experiences that the players have. We don't monopolize their time. We're very strategic in just having events that will be fun for the players ... They always have a great time with that the shopping spree at Belk so it's a fun experience and like coach Locksley said, a great reward for a really impressive season. And if you look at the Maryland program and the trajectory that the program's on, it's a special time to be at Maryland."

 

[FredCoxRocks]

Syracuse - 147
Minnesota - 0

I only write this because I want Syracuse fans to read this and like me. It's important that the people of the far-superior state of New York adore us humble, freezing, upper Midwest schmucks.

 

[toma0045]

That argument doesn't hold water.....considering that Purdue went to the Music City Bowl in back to back Big Ten appearances (2018 & 2021). Not to mention that our last trip there was 17 years ago.

Michigan has been to the Citrus Bowl twice since we last went. Nebraska and Wisconsin have both made back to back trips there in the recent past.

Iowa went to the Outback/Reliaquest Bowls in 2014, 2017 and 2019....so repeat visits with a couple years in between haven't exactly been rare here.


Again....it all comes down to equitable bowl placement. The Gophers have been the only BT team to be sent to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (or equivalent) with an 8-4 record. Twice this has happened. And now they'll be the first Big Ten team to go to the Pinstripe Bowl with an 8-4 record. Sure....chance plays a part in all this. But there's no way to say that the Gophers haven't gotten screwed in how this stuff has all played out. Hell.....they shoehorned Penn State into the Outback Bowl last year with a losing conference record. We had to go 10-2 (7-2 conference) to finally get there. Worth noting that Penn State had the same record that year....we beat them head to head....yet they were picked to go to a NY6 game regardless. It's no secret that perception plays a big part in how these things shake out.

I’m just speaking about 2022. You said bowls won’t select certain teams. They all have which makes me think that they would again if it were the right choice. I can’t come up with any good reason that we should be in any of those bowls this year. You can. It’s just a difference of opinion. I do agree that the process isn’t objective based on performance. It’s objective based on revenue. We could have a better season than Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State and the bowls would still select those teams 100 out of 100 times. It makes financial sense. To change that part of the equation, it’s simple, Minnesota has to win seven more national championships and then we can be in that conversation.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

I think that, except where a bowl game is based on a set rule (like the old Rose Bowl), going to bowl is a privilege extended to teams (taken from among a group of eligible teams). The bowls themselves, the hosts, have some agency in deciding whom to invite. I don't think a team's supposed entitlement to particular bowl invitation is a strong a thing as many of our posters think. I could be wrong, but I believe that bowls (within certain pre-agreed parameters) get to invite whom they wish to have in a particular year. And I think that the entitlement argument gets very attenuated when your team, during the regular season, has choked away games to toss-up opponents who are vying for the same bowls.

 

[stocker08]

I think that, except where a bowl game is based on a set rule (like the old Rose Bowl), going to bowl is a privilege extended to teams (taken from among a group of eligible teams). The bowls themselves, the hosts, have some agency in deciding whom to invite. I don't think a team's supposed entitlement to particular bowl invitation is a strong a thing as many of our posters think. I could be wrong, but I believe that bowls (within certain pre-agreed parameters) get to invite whom they wish to have in a particular year. And I think that the entitlement argument gets very attenuated when your team, during the regular season, has choked away games to toss-up opponents who are vying for the same bowls.

I think the Citrus Bowl should have taken Nebraska and Texas A&M.

 

[Some guy]

Facts or not, maybe we can close this thread with some words from the horse's mouth?

https://247sports.com/college/maryl...Mike-Locksley-wanted-to-play-in-it-199585703/

"To go to ACC country and play a rival like an N.C. State, who's a really good team and obviously, we've got a history of playing some great games against them. I think our overall series is tied up at 33-33-4 and so what a great opportunity. I love that our fans during the holiday season will have an opportunity to come down, conveniently drive down, fly in down to Charlotte to take in a great game between, like I said, two former ACC Rivals. I know as a coach I'm excited because of the extra practices that come along with this opportunity as well as us still recruiting down in that region of the country, an opportunity to take the Maryland brand down to North Carolina," Locksley said.

...

Maryland was also wanted by the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Pheonix, which wouldn't have been a terrible landing spot, but would've attracted a far smaller group of traveling fans because of the distance. Sources told InsideMDSports last week that Maryland was holding out hope for an invite to the game in Charlotte. So why did the Mayo Bowl pick the Terps?

"We couldn't be more excited about this matchup. A lot of it's already been referenced about the old ACC ties, and 33-33-4 and a really good NC.C. State team that finished a year with a win over North Carolina, and already have referenced the Maryland games against two of the top four teams in the country [Ohio State and Michigan]. And so we just think it's a great matchup for Maryland fans. I think they'll really enjoy Charlotte. It's a wonderful uptown, a lot of things to do. You park your car, you walk everywhere," Morrison said.

"People that come to Charlotte, they embrace the experience and have a fun time and it's just the proximity to everything, I think, is a differentiator for the city as well as all the things that there are to do. So we think it's a great matchup. We couldn't be more pleased with having uh Maryland and N.C. State ... I do believe the players, we've gotten wonderful feedback over the years from the experiences that the players have. We don't monopolize their time. We're very strategic in just having events that will be fun for the players ... They always have a great time with that the shopping spree at Belk so it's a fun experience and like coach Locksley said, a great reward for a really impressive season. And if you look at the Maryland program and the trajectory that the program's on, it's a special time to be at Maryland."

This has absolutely nothing to do with pinstripe as pinstripe selected before both of these bowls

 

[Goldmember]

NFL announces Week 15 Saturday tripleheader on NFL Network

The NFL’s strategy of bowl season saturation continues in real-time.
NFL Network goes head-to-head against 6 bowl games on ESPN/ABC on Saturday 12/17.

 

[rgv2]

Well first of all, the B1G signed a contract to provide a team for this bowl. They cant just decide "we dont like your bowl" halfway through that contract.

Second, the B1G wants bowl games for every eligible team. They signed this contract because middling B1G teams need bowl games. What are you replacing it with?

And finally, why would the B1G leave a bowl in NYC anyway? The NYC TV market is the entire reason Rutgers is in the B1G. The B1G held a basketball championship there. I'd imagine the chance to keep the B1G on page 1 or 2 of the NYT sports section for a day or two in December is enormously apppealing to the B1G.

I think we all understand that the B16 signed the contract with the Pinstripe...., the question is more why. Who wants to sit in a baseball stadium in New York in the middle of the afternoon on Thursday and watch a football game in 30 degree weather. I can do that in my garage for $1000 less....and then the bowl and all selection committees will complain MN "doesn't travel". Everyone travels, given it's a destination. There would be a better chance I'd go to the Bahamas Bowl to watch the Gophers play Middle Tennessee than NY vs Syracuse.

 

[USAF]

I think we all understand that the B16 signed the contract with the Pinstripe...., the question is more why. Who wants to sit in a baseball stadium in New York in the middle of the afternoon on Thursday and watch a football game in 30 degree weather. I can do that in my garage for $1000 less....and then the bowl and all selection committees will complain MN "doesn't travel". Everyone travels, given it's a destination. There would be a better chance I'd go to the Bahamas Bowl to watch the Gophers play Middle Tennessee than NY vs Syracuse.

I agree with all of that. The Gophers got ******. They deserved better.

I was answering a post asking why the B1G didnt just not send a team to NY.

Or why NY?

The BiG wants the NY tv market.

 

[Gopherchase]

I don't think anyone is disputing that they get to choose.

We're discussing why they seem to repeatedly decide to screw the Gophers.

Weakness in the AD chair for us. Maybe not a lot of demand for three yards and a cloud of dust offense that PJ rolls out the majority of the time.