CBS: Seven burning questions for the Big Ten West entering fall practice

[BleedGopher]

per CBS:

5. Who is the division's sleeper team? While I believe any school in the division that isn't Iowa could be considered a sleeper -- well, maybe not Purdue -- one team that intrigues me a bit more than others is Illinois. What's interesting about the Illini is that in Wes Lunt, they have a quarterback that has the talent to be one of the best in the conference. Illinois will also be led by new head coach Lovie Smith, and it'll be interesting to see what Lovie is able to do on the college level.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...-for-the-big-ten-west-entering-fall-practice/

Go Gophers!!

 

[wait!what?]

excited to see Seth Green.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

excited to see Seth Green.

Keep a careful eye on the Gopher sideline then. You just might catch a glimpse of him now and then.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Not a word in the article about Minnesota. That could be good or bad - at least according to this guy, the Gophs must not have any glaring problems, but they also don't have any compelling storylines.

Which just reiterates a point I've tried to make - the Gophs have a long ways to go before they are part of the national conversation. (assuming they can make it there.) This is a crucial season in more ways than one. Claeys needs a big year to solidify his position - the program needs a big year to sell tickets, and future tickets - and they need a big year to raise their profile with out-of-state recruits. I don't like to play the game of raising expectations, but to keep this program moving forward, I'm starting to think they need 8 wins at minimum. 9 or 10 wins would be better.

 

[hungan1]

Not a word in the article about Minnesota. That could be good or bad - at least according to this guy, the Gophs must not have any glaring problems, but they also don't have any compelling storylines.

Which just reiterates a point I've tried to make - the Gophs have a long ways to go before they are part of the national conversation. (assuming they can make it there.) This is a crucial season in more ways than one. Claeys needs a big year to solidify his position - the program needs a big year to sell tickets, and future tickets - and they need a big year to raise their profile with out-of-state recruits. I don't like to play the game of raising expectations, but to keep this program moving forward, I'm starting to think they need 8 wins at minimum. 9 or 10 wins would be better.

Spoken from the GH pulpit. Can't make it to the next hurdle with hidden gems recruiting strategy alone. We need the horses. Claeys must be taking notes.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Not a word in the article about Minnesota. That could be good or bad - at least according to this guy, the Gophs must not have any glaring problems, but they also don't have any compelling storylines.

Which just reiterates a point I've tried to make - the Gophs have a long ways to go before they are part of the national conversation. (assuming they can make it there.) This is a crucial season in more ways than one. Claeys needs a big year to solidify his position - the program needs a big year to sell tickets, and future tickets - and they need a big year to raise their profile with out-of-state recruits. I don't like to play the game of raising expectations, but to keep this program moving forward, I'm starting to think they need 8 wins at minimum. 9 or 10 wins would be better.

Totally fine with Gophs being off the radar. Interesting pick in Illini...I'm not seeing it. We'll see if Lovey has enough left in the tank to get them relevant.

 

[jonnyganas]

I don't like to play the game of raising expectations, but to keep this program moving forward, I'm starting to think they need 8 wins at minimum. 9 or 10 wins would be better.

Fun fact: besides the 2003 season, MN has not won 9 or more games in a season.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Fun fact: besides the 2003 season, MN has not won 9 or more games in a season.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Yes, I'm aware of that - which is why I don't like making predictions. BUT - this program needs something positive to happen. season ticket sales are down - general fan enthusiasm is down - and the Vikes with their new stadium are sucking all the money and media attention out of the market. The Gophers, IMHO, need to have a big year to try and win back fans and sell tickets. Another 6 or 7 win season and a bottom-tier bowl game will not cut it.