College Football Live

[Gophers09]

Andre Ware just picked the Gophers to finish second in the Big Ten behind the Bucks (who else?). Nice to see some national pub.

 

[tjgopher]

Andre Ware just picked the Gophers to finish second in the Big Ten behind the Bucks (who else?). Nice to see some national pub.

I'm as big of Gopher fan as the next, but give me a swig of whatever it is Ware is sipping!!

 

[mittens22]

His list went as follows:

1. Ohio State
2. Minnesota
3. Penn State
4. Illinois
5. Wisconsin

His picks are about as good as his NFL career.

 

[The Big L]

Wow. Even the most optimistic Gopher fan would have to think 2nd place is very unlikely. Nice to get some props though I guess.

 

[gophersfan]

there no way we gonna finish 2nd. i think 3rd or 4th is more like it.

 

[Gophers09]

His picks are about as good as his NFL career.[/QUOTE]

Haha. I agree 2nd is a bit optimistic. That said, I think things look as good going into this year (minus the SOS) as they have in several years.

 

[norman dale]

K.O.D.

There is a better chance of the Virgin Mary jumping out of my computer's hard drive and giving me a hummer than that happening.

 

[MGGopher]

Interesting, that's for sure. What's even more interesting though is the reaction from this board! Seriously, is it so inconceivable? I could honestly see this season going a lot of different ways, but here are some reasons why Ware could end up being right:

1) A top 3 QB in the BT returning for his 3rd season as a starter.
2) Adding another QB (who will no doubt get PT) who was raved about last Fall before having to take the year off.
3) Returning probably the top WR in the BT.
4) Adding one of the top JUCO WR's in the nation.
5) Team's top RB returns after being injured--and is supposedly now being pushed by a RS Fresh who could be even better.
6) OL is now coached by a guy whose previous stops included USC, Alabama, and the NFL--not UW-Somewhere.
7) Strong, experienced DT tandem that continues to grow and develop--and is apparently doing a great job this Spring.
8) Returning SR CB who could very well end up in the NFL...seriously.
9) Sam Maresh...yes!
10) SR SS whom I think had a great year last year.
11) If the reports on Royston are true, then we might have a stud FS.
12) FIRST season in a brand-new stadium that's sure to be packed every week...wouldn't that fire you up on Saturdays?

Obviously anyone can make a case the other way...I too have serious concerns about the OL, LB corps, running game, and really just the way this team finished last year. But folks, there's some pretty good talent here. I wouldn't predict a Top-3 finish in the league, but I also wouldn't dismiss it off-hand.

 

[GopherFan75]

I agree I think it is very possible. He also spoke highly of Eskridge who has a chance to have a big year. I would say it is crazier to have Wisconsin in the top 5. I'm surprised MSU was not in his top 5 as well.
________
Scuderia Ferrari History

 

[MrGopher]

No kidding, where is MSU?

And does he think by ranking us ahead of PSU, that we will go into Happy Valley and beat PSU? Certainly not out of the question, but I'll have my hopes and doubts about that one.

I think what he is really saying is his opinions on the programs in the conference which are on the rise (plus OSU, which has to be on top). Actually I agree with him.... except i would put MSU in there and not wisc.

The best part is that the general opinion is that Michigan and Iowa are not contenders.

 

[harrys ghost]

Seriously ...

our defense should be one of the best in the league. We are returning either eight or nine (if Brock makes it back) starters. Some of which are in danger of being beaten out. We also have increased depth at all positions. If we aren't in the top three in the BT we need to be looking for a new DC (or co-DCs).

 

[gophersfan]

our defense should be one of the best in the league. We are returning either eight or nine (if Brock makes it back) starters. Some of which are in danger of being beaten out. We also have increased depth at all positions. If we aren't in the top three in the BT we need to be looking for a new DC (or co-DCs).

i hope you seriously joking. becuase there is no way in hell our defense will be one of the best in the league. maybe middle of the pack. but no way in hell one of the best.

 

[EG#9]

So we have Gopher fans taking shots at an analyst that actually predicts the Gophers to do well? Shouldn't the venom be saved for someone like Teddy Greenstein who picked us last in 2008?

I love seeing that someone picked us that high, and I hope he is right as it would be the best season in most of our lifetimes.

As for MSU, they lose their QB and Ringer(who was basically their offense), so I am not surprised to see them outside of his top 5.

 

[harrys ghost]

i hope you seriously joking. becuase there is no way in hell our defense will be one of the best in the league. maybe middle of the pack. but no way in hell one of the best.

Not joking at all. With nine returning starters we better be good (or we will likely never be).

 

[MRJ]

Andre Ware just picked the Gophers to finish second in the Big Ten behind the Bucks (who else?). Nice to see some national pub.

YIKES!!!!!

Where he came up with this is a genuine curiosity.

Having said that, I would have thought Holtz would have been our biggest cheerleader amongst the ESPN babbling faces.

 

[monsonville]

its near impossible when you miss out on both mich and indiana and play at osu, psu and iowa

 

[ulfr]

His list went as follows:

1. Ohio State
2. Minnesota
3. Penn State
4. Illinois
5. Wisconsin

His picks are about as good as his NFL career.

ouch

 

[tjgopher]

He also spoke highly of Eskridge who has a chance to have a big year.

It should be interesting to see how the RB battle plays out. Bennett is back and healthy, Kevin Whaley has reportedly had a great spring, Shady Solomon has shown some good signs, and Hasan Lipscomb comes in this fall. Eskridge will have his hands full just to be the starter.

 

[dpodoll68]

Seriously, is it so inconceivable?

Yes, yes it is. In fact, if our Gophs finish 4th or higher, I will eat my hat.

our defense should be one of the best in the league

No. Just, no. Not even close.

If we aren't in the top three in the BT we need to be looking for a new DC (or co-DCs).

You mean all we have to do to get rid of Kevin Cosgrove is not finish among the top 3 defenses in the Big Ten? Good, because we will not finish anywhere near top 3. Which means Cosgrove will be gone! Hooray!

I'm as optimistic about the future of this program as anyone, but you don't just skip the building part and go straight from rebuilding to contending. This is especially so in college, where the parity inherent to pro sports does not exist. Let's not forget that, despite the fact that we lost very few players of any consequence on either side of the ball (Simmons, Van De Steeg, maybe Hightower), this is still an extraordinarily young team. Tons of true freshmen/redshirt freshmen/transfers will have significant PT this year.

Considering the difficulty of the schedule, I'd be happy if the Gophers go 7-5 and get to another bowl.

 

[gopherrising]

We will know early

We will know how good the Defense is early, especially in stopping the run. Airforce can give teams fits with their offense and Cal will have the best RB we see all year. If we can shut down those two teams running game - we will accomplish something. If we can beat Cal, that will be huge for the team leading into the Big ten

 

[Tater]

Last year, the second place team (tOSU) finished 7-1 (10-3 overall). Heck, MSU finished third at 6-2 (9-4). Finishing in second place will be tough. We play four of the five teams we lost to last year plus we add MSU (tough but beatable) and @PSU (very difficult) and drop IN (very beatable) and Mich (tough but beatable). Remember, we finished 3-5 last year in the B10. We'd have to go .500 on the road and undefeated at home to likely finish in the top 2 -- and even then, we'd probably be in third or fourth place.

I think we're going to go 4-4 in the Big 10 but I'm hoping the Gophs prove me wrong.

Fall 2009 Football Schedule
9/26 @ Northwestern TBA
10/3 vs. Wisconsin TBA
10/10 vs. Purdue TBA
10/17 @ Penn State TBA
10/24 @ Ohio State TBA
10/31 vs. Michigan State 8:00 p.m.
11/7 vs. Illinois TBA
11/21 @ Iowa TBA

 

[calminnfan]

Nice to start to be noticed, but I think it is a little bit premature to start putting the Gophers in the upper echalon. If it comes true, though, it will give Ware some instant credibility, at least for one season.

General positive reviews might help recruiting though!

 

[grunkiejr]

Didn't we finish 9th or 10th in the conference in defense last year? Does returning 9 starters (8 if Brock doesn't come back) instantly put us in to the top 3?

Does anybody expect to be ahead of OSU or PSU? They both lost a lot on defense but they typically reload rather than rebuild when it comes to defense.

That relegates us to #3 at best. Other teams competing with us for that spot: MSU had a better defense than us last year and they return almost everybody including the second best LB corp in the Big Ten featuring Greg Jones. Northwestern had a higher ranked defense than us last year and they return about as much as we do including their best player, DE Corey Wootton. Iowa had a better defense than us last year but they lose 2 four year starters at DT while returning the rest of the important pieces.

My personal guess on defenses next year.

1-2 OSU/PSU
3. MSU
4-6: NU, Iowa, Minn,
7-8. Ill, Mich but either of them could easily finish in the 4-6 category
9. Wisc.
10. Purdue
11. Indiana

 

[Gophers09]

Didn't we finish 9th or 10th in the conference in defense last year? Does returning 9 starters (8 if Brock doesn't come back) instantly put us in to the top 3?

Does anybody expect to be ahead of OSU or PSU? They both lost a lot on defense but they typically reload rather than rebuild when it comes to defense.

That relegates us to #3 at best. Other teams competing with us for that spot: MSU had a better defense than us last year and they return almost everybody including the second best LB corp in the Big Ten featuring Greg Jones. Northwestern had a higher ranked defense than us last year and they return about as much as we do including their best player, DE Corey Wootton. Iowa had a better defense than us last year but they lose 2 four year starters at DT while returning the rest of the important pieces.

My personal guess on defenses next year.

1-2 OSU/PSU
3. MSU
4-6: NU, Iowa, Minn,
7-8. Ill, Mich but either of them could easily finish in the 4-6 category
9. Wisc.
10. Purdue
11. Indiana

I think an improved offense will help our defense this year though too. Although certainly not elite last year, I think they completely wore down at the end of the year (and subsequently finished 9th) because our offense couldn't sustain a drive at the end of the year at least against michigan and iowa and earlier vs osu, illinois and purdue to some extent.

 

[Handsome Pete]

... Shady Solomon has shown some good signs...

When is your eyeball replacement? Oh, you must be talking about his performance in the two-yard wooden flop. He is the best in the Conference at that particular event, but in anything beyond that he is sketchy at best.

 

[tjgopher]

When is your eyeball replacement? Oh, you must be talking about his performance in the two-yard wooden flop. He is the best in the Conference at that particular event, but in anything beyond that he is sketchy at best.

Uh, Shady averaged the same yards per carry as DeLeon last year. So, neither guy was particularly outstanding. That's why - if you read my full post - I included last year's true starter Duane Bennett and Kevin Whaley (who's had a fantastic spring from most accounts) in the mix. My basic point was DeLeon will have his work cut out for him just to start. My guess is he doesn't and might not even crack the two-deep.

 

[mittens22]

I don't know if you can quite put the Gopher defense in the same tier as Iowa. They return all but three starters off last year's defense which was very good. This years Gopher's defense will be much improved and I think they will be second tier. I'd put MSU in the second tier with the Gophers and NW.

 

[GopherGod]

I think an improved offense will help our defense this year though too. Although certainly not elite last year, I think they completely wore down at the end of the year (and subsequently finished 9th) because our offense couldn't sustain a drive at the end of the year at least against michigan and iowa and earlier vs osu, illinois and purdue to some extent.

I don't think you can assume that offense will be improved this year with them having to learn a whole new system. As often happens with this the players are so busy just trying to learn the plays that they are not comfortable enough to be able to read and react. I feel bad for Weber because this is the 3rd offense he has had to learn in his college career already, it would be interesting to see what he could do if he could have stayed in the same offense his career.

 

[tjgopher]

Didn't we finish 9th or 10th in the conference in defense last year? Does returning 9 starters (8 if Brock doesn't come back) instantly put us in to the top 3?

Does anybody expect to be ahead of OSU or PSU? They both lost a lot on defense but they typically reload rather than rebuild when it comes to defense.

That relegates us to #3 at best. Other teams competing with us for that spot: MSU had a better defense than us last year and they return almost everybody including the second best LB corp in the Big Ten featuring Greg Jones. Northwestern had a higher ranked defense than us last year and they return about as much as we do including their best player, DE Corey Wootton. Iowa had a better defense than us last year but they lose 2 four year starters at DT while returning the rest of the important pieces.

My personal guess on defenses next year.

1-2 OSU/PSU
3. MSU
4-6: NU, Iowa, Minn,
7-8. Ill, Mich but either of them could easily finish in the 4-6 category
9. Wisc.
10. Purdue
11. Indiana

Iowa quietly had the best defense in the league last year - #1 in scoring defense, #2 in fewest yards allowed. They do lose Mitch King, but that's the only significant loss. The other DT they lose was steady, but not all-world. They probably belong on your top tier.