pk2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2010
- Messages
- 377
- Reaction score
- 382
- Points
- 63
CFN came out with its preview of the Gophers. It’s a decent article.
Here’s the intro:
Has Minnesota hit a ceiling under PJ Fleck?
The Gophers have been good under Fleck. Winning seasons, bowl games, bowl victories, occasional big moments - the program has been steadily solid.
And yes, things could be worse - ask Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Michigan State what it’s like to be blah. But after winning nine games in both 2021 and 2022, and in the tenth season under Fleck, it would be nice to have a season where it all comes together.
It’s too much to ask for Minnesota to pull an Indiana, but it has the makeup and mindset to make a sneaky run and hang around the College Football Playoff chase well into November.
It’s an interesting team with a few potential superstar playmakers, and a schedule that isn’t horrible for anyone in the Big Ten who wants to be playoff-worthy.
This is Fleck’s Minnesota program. Now it’s time to do something special
Here’s the ending:
We live in a world where simply being a very good college football team isn’t enough.
If you’re not in the College Football Playoff hunt, you don’t really exist, and you’re not taken seriously. That’s not fair.
Minnesota has been a very, very good, successful program. It’s hard to go 7-for-7 in bowl games like PJ Fleck has - the Gophers have won their last nine going back to 2015.
It was hard to win eight or more games in five of the last six full seasons - Minnesota only played seven games in 2020. Penn State can’t claim that. Neither can USC.
CFN Prediction: 7-5
But it’s a new world in the Big Ten now.
The powerhouses are even stronger than before, so even though Minnesota did a great job in the transfer portal, and it’s a far better team than it was last year, that goes the same for Washington, Penn State, and Wisconsin, and all three of those games are on the road.
Iowa and Michigan are hardly layups, and then there’s that trip to Indiana to worry about.
The Gophers miss Ohio State, Oregon, USC, and Illinois, but that’s not enough.
Last year’s team beat Buffalo, Northwestern State, Rutgers, Purdue, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. All six of those teams finished with losing records, and they beat a blah Nebraska team that went 7-6.
Another seven or eight-win season for Fleck and his bunch against this slate would be just fine.
There’s much more, including “What’s working,” “What needs work,” players to watch, etc.
Here’s the link:
Here’s the intro:
Has Minnesota hit a ceiling under PJ Fleck?
The Gophers have been good under Fleck. Winning seasons, bowl games, bowl victories, occasional big moments - the program has been steadily solid.
And yes, things could be worse - ask Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Michigan State what it’s like to be blah. But after winning nine games in both 2021 and 2022, and in the tenth season under Fleck, it would be nice to have a season where it all comes together.
It’s too much to ask for Minnesota to pull an Indiana, but it has the makeup and mindset to make a sneaky run and hang around the College Football Playoff chase well into November.
It’s an interesting team with a few potential superstar playmakers, and a schedule that isn’t horrible for anyone in the Big Ten who wants to be playoff-worthy.
This is Fleck’s Minnesota program. Now it’s time to do something special
Here’s the ending:
We live in a world where simply being a very good college football team isn’t enough.
If you’re not in the College Football Playoff hunt, you don’t really exist, and you’re not taken seriously. That’s not fair.
Minnesota has been a very, very good, successful program. It’s hard to go 7-for-7 in bowl games like PJ Fleck has - the Gophers have won their last nine going back to 2015.
It was hard to win eight or more games in five of the last six full seasons - Minnesota only played seven games in 2020. Penn State can’t claim that. Neither can USC.
CFN Prediction: 7-5
But it’s a new world in the Big Ten now.
The powerhouses are even stronger than before, so even though Minnesota did a great job in the transfer portal, and it’s a far better team than it was last year, that goes the same for Washington, Penn State, and Wisconsin, and all three of those games are on the road.
Iowa and Michigan are hardly layups, and then there’s that trip to Indiana to worry about.
The Gophers miss Ohio State, Oregon, USC, and Illinois, but that’s not enough.
Last year’s team beat Buffalo, Northwestern State, Rutgers, Purdue, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. All six of those teams finished with losing records, and they beat a blah Nebraska team that went 7-6.
Another seven or eight-win season for Fleck and his bunch against this slate would be just fine.
There’s much more, including “What’s working,” “What needs work,” players to watch, etc.
Here’s the link:
