Can we win 9 games next year?

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goldengophers said:
You'd rather win the Detoilet Bowl? Today was embarrassing but come on.
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Losing in a more prestigious bowl means nothing. After all, it wasn't the national semi-finals or an at-large bowl and we lost by 16 points. When your team wins in a lesser bowl, people watching say, "They're a pretty decent team." When you lose by 16 in a more prestigious bowl, people watching say, "They had no business being in this bowl."
 

MRJ said:
Can they? Sure. Will they? Well, considering it's only been done once at Minnesota in the last 50 years or so (2003), I'm not counting on it.
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Probably should have gotten it done last year instead of thinking they could half ass it against Syracuse.
 

I predicted 10 wins this year. Missed by two. We'll get them back next year.

Yes we can win 9. I think we will win 10.
 

Sure they can, but it means they have to win one of the following- TCU, tOSU, Iowa, or Wisconsin -and win everything else... daunting
 

Too early to tell... our Bread and Butter (the run game) will be untested next year. Maxx most likely will be gone, so the passing aspect will also be untested. We lose a very good linebacker. I would be disappointed in anything less than 7 wins though. My gutt tells me that Jones and/or Smith will be a nice replacement for Cobb. That one of the freshmen TE's will be decent. And we'll have a better passing game. So I'm thinking 8 wins.
 


For some reason I feel like another 8-5 team is in store for us next year. Don't know what ones they win or lose though.
 

My guess right now-

9/3: TCU L
9/12: at Colorado St. W
9/19: Kent St. W
9/26: Ohio W
10/3: at Northwestern L
10/10: at Purdue L
10/17: Nebraska L
10/24: Bye
10/31: Michigan W
11/7: at Ohio St. L
11/14: at Iowa W
11/21: Illinois W
11/28: Wisconsin W

A 7-5 record with a strong finish. I think Purdue is a team on their way up and I also think Iowa and Wisconsin are teams on their way down. I'm very concerned about our offense next season. No Cobb, no Maxx and I'm afraid we've seen the ceiling on Leidner. I certainly hope I'm wrong. We really won't know anything until we see how the incoming class contributes.
 

I think 7 wins sounds about right, but 9 is within the realm of realistic possibility. In my opinion, for 9 wins to happen the new coaching staffs of Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin cannot be perfect transitions. TCU and OSU are basically unwinnable, so assuming those two losses that doesn't leave very much margin for error to reach 9 wins.

As for the person who would rather win 7 and a bowl game than what we have done the last two years...that is ridiculous. You would rather lose to a conference rival just so you can win some meaningless exhibition on Dec. 28th?
 

With that schedule, gotta' say no. Assuming they lose to TCU, though it's not a given, can't see 6-2 in the Big Ten unless the QB position starts moving toward above-average to elite status.
 



I think we will win 9. Leidner looked much, much better passing yesterday and we have all these awesome receivers who were redshirted. Kill said next year's team will be better and I believe him as he often lowers expectations. We lose some great players but I expect the freshmen who played this year (and there were a lot of them) to take big jumps. We've been getting better and better recruiting classes and it will start paying dividends as we are bigger and faster than before.
 

My breakdown of next year's schedule is like this:

TCU and OSU are probably losses.
At Iowa and home to Wisky - we probably win 1 and lose 1.
at Purdue, at NW, Michigan, Neb - if we are 3-1 during that stretch that would be solid

That would put us at 8-4. Bottom line, we will need to pull an upset next year to get to 9 wins.
 

It appears we will be hovering around 7 wins. TCU and OSU are going to kill us. Way too much speed and talent. The Neb, Purdue, and Northwestern could have easily been losses this year. Their is no margin for error with Kill's style of play. Unless they ramp up recruiting and take the training wheels off the offense, this year is probably an apex year. Learn from your buddy at TCU Jerry, you have to be able to score points to win big in today's CFB.
 

I hope we set the tone and beat TCU in game 1. 9 wins might be disappointing if we get that first one.
 



GopherHomer said:
As for the person who would rather win 7 and a bowl game than what we have done the last two years...that is ridiculous.
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To you that seems ridiculous. To me it makes perfect sense. Some people used to think it was ridiculous that one could prefer the Rolling Stones over the Beatles. What you and they can't seem to understand is that these things are a matter of personal taste/preference - there are no right or wrong answers.
 

I think if our defense improves or stays as good, and the offense takes another step 'brick', there's no reason why we can't go 10-2 with losses to two playoff teams.

Seriously.
 

We can definitely win 9 games next year. That said it depends on the team we're returning. I think overall we should be better on D (or at least about the same as we lose only 4 guys in Botti, Wilson, Thompson and Wells) but the real question is how much improvement do we show offensively. Cobb was great as was Maxx but RB and TE are 2 of the most replaceable parts of an offense and we have good, albeit unproven, talent at those spots. If our OL can take another step forward and Mitch plays closer to how he played against Mizzu than TCU, we can beat everyone on our schedule. Yes I do believe that. That said Beating OSU at OSU would take a near perfect game and beating TCU at home is a tall task as well
 

Honestly, I would not be surprised to see the Gophs go 7-5 in the regular season, and I could live with that IF they win the bowl game. It's a matter of perception, but in my book, 8-5 with a bowl game victory is better than 8-5 with a bowl game loss. Winning the final game of the season is important in terms of perception, and the attitude of the team and boosters. Not to mention that fact that, until Kill wins a bowl game, it's going to hang over his head (and the program).

Here is the tougher question: we have all talked about wanting to see the program reach the "next level." Well, what if this is as good as it gets for Gopher FB? What if an 8 or maybe a 9-win season and an OK bowl game is the upper limit for this program - regardless of the coach. If that is the limit, can you live with that?

(note: this does NOT mean that I am "accepting mediocrity." I am just posing a question/thought. There are a lot of programs playing D1 FB that never sniff the top 20 or a conference title. If the Gophs turn out to be one of those programs, can you live with that? In my case, I would say yes, I can live with that.)
 

John Galt said:
9/3: TCU - L
9/12: at Colorado St. - W
9/19: Kent St. - W
9/26: Ohio - W
10/3: at Northwestern - W
10/10: at Purdue - W
10/17: Nebraska -W
10/24: Bye
10/31: Michigan - W
11/7: at Ohio St. - L
11/14: at Iowa - W
11/21: Illinois - W
11/28: Wisconsin - W
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Going on a very optimistic view until proven otherwise and with that being said I will add on a loss in the B1G championship game followed by a WIN in a Jan1 bowl 2016..... Since we are not at the level of saying conference championship or bust with this program, my gauge of success will be how long can we stay in the hunt for the conference title game. If we get up to the becky game with a shot at the title game and lose, I will feel just as excited for our bowl as I did this year whether or not its a Jan 1 bowl. If we are playing 2 or 3 conference games left without a shot at the title, I will feel worse about the season than the ILL and MIZZ losses made me feel this year because at the end of the day, it is about CHAMPIONSHIPS (B1G with right to dream bigger in the future), and for this program it would be great to see us win one.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Honestly, I would not be surprised to see the Gophs go 7-5 in the regular season, and I could live with that IF they win the bowl game. It's a matter of perception, but in my book, 8-5 with a bowl game victory is better than 8-5 with a bowl game loss. Winning the final game of the season is important in terms of perception, and the attitude of the team and boosters. Not to mention that fact that, until Kill wins a bowl game, it's going to hang over his head (and the program).

Here is the tougher question: we have all talked about wanting to see the program reach the "next level." Well, what if this is as good as it gets for Gopher FB? What if an 8 or maybe a 9-win season and an OK bowl game is the upper limit for this program - regardless of the coach. If that is the limit, can you live with that?

(note: this does NOT mean that I am "accepting mediocrity." I am just posing a question/thought. There are a lot of programs playing D1 FB that never sniff the top 20 or a conference title. If the Gophs turn out to be one of those programs, can you live with that? In my case, I would say yes, I can live with that.)
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Absolutely not. I refuse to believe that there is some magical ceiling that prevents any major conference team from becoming a powerhouse. Look no farther than our neighbors to the east who had a pretty miserable program up until what is still fairly recent in college football history. Its a matter of finding the right coach who can take you there.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Honestly, I would not be surprised to see the Gophs go 7-5 in the regular season, and I could live with that IF they win the bowl game. It's a matter of perception, but in my book, 8-5 with a bowl game victory is better than 8-5 with a bowl game loss. Winning the final game of the season is important in terms of perception, and the attitude of the team and boosters. Not to mention that fact that, until Kill wins a bowl game, it's going to hang over his head (and the program).

Here is the tougher question: we have all talked about wanting to see the program reach the "next level." Well, what if this is as good as it gets for Gopher FB? What if an 8 or maybe a 9-win season and an OK bowl game is the upper limit for this program - regardless of the coach. If that is the limit, can you live with that?

(note: this does NOT mean that I am "accepting mediocrity." I am just posing a question/thought. There are a lot of programs playing D1 FB that never sniff the top 20 or a conference title. If the Gophs turn out to be one of those programs, can you live with that? In my case, I would say yes, I can live with that.)
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No. Just no. The U is one of the biggest and best universities in the country. In my mind, there is no reason at all we can't be a powerhouse team. What is your reasoning that there may be a ceiling on our success?
 

There are limitations and I believe there is a ceiling on the football program.

Recruiting base - the state produces a small amount of players with Power 5 offers annually

Stadium size - PSU OSU Michigan Wisc Neb play in 90-100 thousand seat stadiums that allow for extra revenue for the program

The biggest limitation is the support provided by the University to the program. New facilities are needed and will be built but they more then likely will still be towards the bottom of the conference.

The culture that surrounds the University of Minnesota will never make being a powerhouse in football a priority.

Lastly there is no Phil Knight.
 

scools12 said:
There are limitations and I believe there is a ceiling on the football program.

Recruiting base - the state produces a small amount of players with Power 5 offers annually

Stadium size - PSU OSU Michigan Wisc Neb play in 90-100 thousand seat stadiums that allow for extra revenue for the program

The biggest limitation is the support provided by the University to the program. New facilities are needed and will be built but they more then likely will still be towards the bottom of the conference.

The culture that surrounds the University of Minnesota will never make being a powerhouse in football a priority.

Lastly there is no Phil Knight.
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It may be the optimist in me but I don't view all of those as limitations, nor do I believe a single one of them to be permanent. In order for a ceiling to exist the limitation would have to by definition be permanent.

Recruiting wise - there is no reason we can't under any circumstance land highly touted recruits, even if they aren't from the state of Minnesota. Moreover, there's no saying that Minnesota HS players won't be highly regarded in the future (especially if MN football continues to pick up, and younger kids become passionate about the game).

Stadium size - TCF was designed to support a future expansion to 80k.

Support / culture - we already see this increasing. We're receiving more exposure, etc. now and there is no saying that those in high positions at the U aren't willing to change their mentality or aren't already for that matter.

Phil Knight - who's to say an alum doesn't strike it rich and decide to go all-in?

Again, I think these are reasonable things to point out now but in no way are they actual ceilings.

I hate to get corny, but as Henry Ford say, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
 

I don't think it can be emphasized enough how much more difficult our 2014 schedule was compared with 2013.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/minn-m-footbl-sched-2013.html

The 2013 Gophers went 8-4 in the regular season with losses to Iowa, Michigan, Wisky, and Michigan St and wins over NW, Neb, Penn. St., and Indiana.

The 2014 Gophers would have been 10-2 or possibly 11-1 with the 2013 schedule.

This year, out of our 5 losses, 2 were to top-5 teams in the country (OSU, TCU). 2 other losses were to top-15 teams. Unfortunately, we're not a top-15 team. Yet.

The schedule sets up unbelievably well for us in 2016. 3 non-conference games, with the toughest being Oregon St. at home. 9 game B1G schedule, and we drop OSU and Michigan and pick-up Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn St.
 

John Galt said:
I don't think it can be emphasized enough how much more difficult our 2014 schedule was compared with 2013.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/minn-m-footbl-sched-2013.html

The 2013 Gophers went 8-4 in the regular season with losses to Iowa, Michigan, Wisky, and Michigan St and wins over NW, Neb, Penn. St., and Indiana.

The 2014 Gophers would have been 10-2 or possibly 11-1 with the 2013 schedule.

This year, out of our 5 losses, 2 were to top-5 teams in the country (OSU, TCU). 2 other losses were to top-15 teams. Unfortunately, we're not a top-15 team. Yet.

The schedule sets up unbelievably well for us in 2016. 3 non-conference games, with the toughest being Oregon St. at home. 9 game B1G schedule, and we drop OSU and Michigan and pick-up Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn St.
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The 2013 gophers played 5 teams that were FCS or finished .500 or below.
The 2014 gophers played 7 teams that were FCS or finished .500 or below.

Which schedule is it easier to win 8 games against?
The 2014 gopher schedule is much harder to go 12-0 against, it was also much easier to go 8-4 against
 

Id say the low end is 4 wins but I am leaning towards 9 wins next year. I think the d line gets consistent pressure on opposing qbs and the d overall is improved over this year. I also anticipate better balance offensively with the addition of the redshirt receivers which only makes the offense more potent. I don't see a reason we can't compete with the top teams and expect another great season awaits us. I can't wait go gophers!
 

CentralGopher said:
Id say the low end is 4 wins but I am leaning towards 9 wins next year. I think the d line gets consistent pressure on opposing qbs and the d overall is improved over this year. I also anticipate better balance offensively with the addition of the redshirt receivers which only makes the offense more potent. I don't see a reason we can't compete with the top teams and expect another great season awaits us. I can't wait go gophers!
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4 wins would be a catastrophic meltdown. I'm projecting a 9 win seasons, but I don't think we get number 9 til the bowl game.
 


9/4: TCU- L
9/12: at Colorado St.- W
9/19: Kent St.- W
9/26: Ohio- W
10/3: at Northwestern- W
10/10: at Purdue- W
10/17: Nebraska- W
10/24: Bye
10/31: Michigan- W
11/7: at Ohio St.- L
11/14: at Iowa- W
11/21: Illinois- W
11/28: Wisconsin- W

10-2 (7-1). West Division Title, Trip to Rose Bowl. Jones/Williams will combine for more yards than Cobb, Leidner will be All-B1G, Murray and BBC will be shut-down.
 

cjbfbp said:
Some people used to think it was ridiculous that one could prefer the Rolling Stones over the Beatles.
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I think the Beatles will crush the Stones next season - meaning that the Beatles will go undefeated and the Stones will win 10 games (they will blow a big lead against the Beach Boys). The Gophers...they will go 8-4 with a rare bowl victory giving them the 9 wins they have missed on the last two seasons.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Here is the tougher question: we have all talked about wanting to see the program reach the "next level." Well, what if this is as good as it gets for Gopher FB? What if an 8 or maybe a 9-win season and an OK bowl game is the upper limit for this program - regardless of the coach. If that is the limit, can you live with that?

(note: this does NOT mean that I am "accepting mediocrity." I am just posing a question/thought. There are a lot of programs playing D1 FB that never sniff the top 20 or a conference title. If the Gophs turn out to be one of those programs, can you live with that? In my case, I would say yes, I can live with that.)
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Yes, more or less, I could live with that although, as a Big Ten team, the Gophers likely would be ranked at the end of the season if they finished 9-4. Finishing with 9 (or even 8) wins is not mediocrity. However, like you I would rather see them win that postseason game more often than not. It would be nice if they could win 10 or more games as least once a decade, but, as far as them someday moving into Ohio State status, I could live without that. A team that wins 8 or 9 games most seasons is giving its fans a lot of entertainment and significantly more highs than lows.
 

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