Claeys on 2015: We feel like we have our best opportunity to compete for the BT title

[BleedGopher]

per the Daily:

Claeys bullish on Gophers as Big Ten contenders

Minnesota defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys represented the football program at the event, and he was not shy about his optimism for the upcoming season.

Claeys said he believes the 2015 team can be better than the 2014 squad that went 8-5 and went to the program’s first New Year’s Day bowl since 1962.

“Without a doubt, I think we’ll have our best football team coming back,” Claeys told the assembled crowd near the golf course. “You can’t always control injuries and things like that and close ball games but we’re going to be disappointed if we don’t have a better season.”

In his speech to the gathered fans, Claeys said the team has as much depth defensively as it has since Claeys and the rest of head coach Jerry Kill’s staff arrived at Minnesota. He said quarterback Mitch Leidner has improved and the wide receivers the team redshirted last season will help on offense.

“This season, we feel like we have our best opportunity to compete for the Big Ten championship,” Claeys said. “We’ll definitely be disappointed if going into the last week or two we’re not in it to win the Big Ten West and play in the championship game.”

Not only that, but Claeys said if the Gophers improve their facilities they should be annual contenders in the Big Ten.

“It’s the missing jewel,” Claeys said.

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/2015/...foreign-travel-next-football-season-road-trip

Go Gophers!!

 

[wait!what?]

had i not seen that last year i wouldn't believe it but there it was. U of M leading UW and heading to Indy.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

The bar has been raised, not so much by the media and fans, but by the coaches.

Coach Kill set forth a likely scenerio a few years back to build the program into a contender mode and the time has now come.

Lets hope this confidence and optimism will manifest itself and make Coach Kill look like a prophet and not another letdown which many Gopher fans are accustomed to.

 

[John Galt]

It will be an uphill climb to win the west with our schedule. The fact that we play Ohio St. (again) and Wisky, Nebraska, and Iowa all don't basically puts us 1 game behind them right off the bat. Assuming it will take at least a 6-2 record to win the West, our margin for error is 1 additional conference loss.

2016 sets up much better for us as we lose OSU, Michigan, and TCU and replace them with Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn St.

 

[GopherHomer]

It will be an uphill climb to win the west with our schedule. The fact that we play Ohio St. (again) and Wisky, Nebraska, and Iowa all don't basically puts us 1 game behind them right off the bat. Assuming it will take at least a 6-2 record to win the West, our margin for error is 1 additional conference loss.

2016 sets up much better for us as we lose OSU, Michigan, and TCU and replace them with Maryland, Rutgers, and Penn St.

Agreed. I've always contended that 2016 will be the year we win the West, but we do lose our entire starting secondary so I guess you never know. It sure is fun to be discussing things like this, though instead of trying to figure out how many upsets we need to get to 6 wins.

 

[MNVCGUY]

The bar has been raised, not so much by the media and fans, but by the coaches.

Coach Kill set forth a likely scenerio a few years back to build the program into a contender mode and the time has now come.

Lets hope this confidence and optimism will manifest itself and make Coach Kill look like a prophet and not another letdown which many Gopher fans are accustomed to.

Bar has definitely been raised but it isn't just by the coaches. We are entering year 5, if the staff was coming out saying we are going to struggle to compete they would get destroyed by the media and fanbase. The attitude Claeys put forth is exactly what you would hope to hear from the staff of a program that has won 8 games in back to back seasons. No matter who we have on our schedule at this point we should expect to see a minimum of 8 wins as a worst case scenario.

Having an off year and dipping below that could certainly still happen and would not be the end of the world but at this point in the Kill tenure we should expect to see a team that is in contention in the West at a minimum.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Coach Kill has clearly documented the numerous roadblocks in the way to elevate the program to a competitive level. He has engrained that in all of us and President Kaler is on board and approved his current contract.

The program and Coach Kill has gained a lot of respect both locally and nationally and Coach Kill has been right on with his plan. There a lots of positive waves.

I agree. The time has come for Kill to field a competitive team and consistently be a top 3 or better BIG West team. The Gophers could be for real. If not, it will be interesting to see the reaction.

 

[WanderingGopher]

It will be an uphill climb to win the west with our schedule. The fact that we play Ohio St. (again) and Wisky, Nebraska, and Iowa all don't basically puts us 1 game behind them right off the bat. Assuming it will take at least a 6-2 record to win the West, our margin for error is 1 additional conference loss.

I think we will go into the last game 5-2 and win, to finish 6-2. My only fear is that Wiscconsin rides a weak schedule to go 7-1. In other words, our margin outside of an assumed loss to OSU may be 0.

 

[Ole]

To me this whole offseason seems to be an attitude transition away from the overachieving toughminded underdog to a tough contender that expects to win.

Frankly it's time.
The team has been through two 8 win seasons where they completely blew expectations out of the water and yet still managed to lay random eggs(Iowa 2013, Illinois 2014), AND fail to reach postseason glory(Axe in final game, bowl win)
From here on out the team should expect to beat the middling B1G conference opponents, and contend with everyone else.
As for this upcoming season I think as long as we win our home conference games and beat opponents we're better than everything will be fine.

 

[everybody knows my name]

I think we will go into the last game 5-2 and win, to finish 6-2. My only fear is that Wiscconsin rides a weak schedule to go 7-1. In other words, our margin outside of an assumed loss to OSU may be 0.

I disagree. I see the Gophers beating everybody except TCU and Ohio State,and going into the final game - against Wisky - 9-2 (6-1) and playing for more than the Axe.