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StPaulHawkeye

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Nice game. Thoroughly outplayed my Hawkeyes on Saturday.
I haven't been out here in a while, but felt the need to add my accolades to the Gopher players and coaching staff on a nice finish to their season.
 


Thanks SPH, and good luck in your bowl game. I do always root for big ten teams. I have to swallow really hard when it's Wisconsin to not throw up and sometimes I slip into rooting against them, but I do my best.
 

Much appreciated. All of the level-headed Hawk fans I know have been very gracious and recognized that Minnesota out-played Iowa.
 

StPaulHawkeye said:
Nice game. Thoroughly outplayed my Hawkeyes on Saturday.
I haven't been out here in a while, but felt the need to add my accolades to the Gopher players and coaching staff on a nice finish to their season.
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Very nicely put. It's good to know that there are some good Hawkeye fans out there. I've always said that I don't mind fans cheering on their team, but don't berate me for cheering on mine, and that is the problem I've always had with Iowa fans. Thanks again for the comment. Saturday defined again for me why I LOVE college football. Anything can happen on any given Satruday, and to see our Gopher players and coaches NEVER quitting after all the adversity this season has brought, was GREAT to see. Good luck in your bowl game.
 


Thanks for the well wishes on the bowl game. I don't think it matters if the Hawkeyes go to the Outback, Gator, Insight, or Texas bowl, the results should be the same based on past history this season. I am sure you all will see a little bit (or a lot) of bitterness coming through loud and clear, it doesn't matter if they get matched up against a ranked team or a directional school from Michigan, the game will play out like this - Iowa takes a fourth quarter lead and then lets the opponent drive down the field for the win. That's been the story of their season. :mad:

In no way am I taking ANYTHING away from the Gophers - I thought the onside kick in the first quarter was brilliant coaching. Going up 10-0 really set the tone for the game and it is obvious that is exactly the way Coach Horton drew it up. The Gophers converted on 3rd downs with regularity and kept Iowa's offense on the sideline. Impressive in all phases of the game.
Congrats again.
 


The topic of rooting for rivals in non-con or bowl games comes up here from time to time. I will reiterate what I always say when it does: I will pull for all Big 10 teams as they enter the bowl season. Good luck to the Hawkeyes in their bowl.

It would have been fun to replay this season (now that the Gophers are playing their best ball of the year)...
 

Schnauzer said:
It would have been fun to replay this season (now that the Gophers are playing their best ball of the year)...
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I agree, but for different reasons. :confused:

Good luck with the coaching search. You guys (and gals) are truly good fans and I hope you get a coach who can build the Gophers to a consistent winner.

So, in the spirit of rivalry, I do have to say I feel bad for ol' Floyd, though - all alone and in an unfamiliar environment. ;)
 




Although truth be told, he wouldn't have much more company in Iowa City after this season (at least the Hawks still have the Cy-Hawk trophy) and he can get reacquainted with your National Championship trophies, right?
 

Thanks StPaulHawkeye. I've been giddy since the victory and probably said a few too many anti-Iowaegan comments, but your team is good and your coach is great. Sometimes you just hit that skid. Lord knows we have . . . a lot!
 

Many thanks - and good luck in the bowl (must root for all Big Ten teams in bowls). Iowa and Minnesota have been mixing it up forever and two of my memorable school day memories are the 1954 and 1960 games - ones for the ages.
 



Great Plains Gopher said:
Many thanks - and good luck in the bowl (must root for all Big Ten teams in bowls). Iowa and Minnesota have been mixing it up forever and two of my memorable school day memories are the 1954 and 1960 games - ones for the ages.
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I've always been of this mindset - root for the Big Ten in all non-conference and bowl games and it's the right way to be a good fan of the conference. However, starting this year, I won't ever root for Wisconsin to win anything as long as their current coach is in place.
 

the Iowa fans I met at the game were good people. Loud when they scored though with that I-O-W-A X7 chant.
 

Thanks for the greeting StPaul Hawkeye. As you know, it has been awhile since the Gophers have celebrated a trophy game victory. We will take good care of Floyd during the off season. Best of luck to the Hawkeyes in their Bowl game, like many above, I support the Big 10 teams during the bowl season.
 

year of the gopher said:
Thanks SPH, and good luck in your bowl game. I do always root for big ten teams. I have to swallow really hard when it's Wisconsin to not throw up and sometimes I slip into rooting against them, but I do my best.
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I never root for Iowa or Wisconsin in bowl games. The last thing I want as a Gopher Fan is to see one of the teams we are competing for a championship against and one of our chief rivals, win an important game that can give them prestige and a selling point when it comes to recruiting. No Gopher fan should root for Wisconsin or Iowa in bowl games.

If it bothers you that much that Mark May thinks the Pac-10 is better than the Big-10, then either turn the sound down during the studio shows or don't watch them.
 

josh087 said:
I never root for Iowa or Wisconsin in bowl games. The last thing I want as a Gopher Fan is to see one of the teams we are competing for a championship against and one of our chief rivals, win an important game that can give them prestige and a selling point when it comes to recruiting. No Gopher fan should root for Wisconsin or Iowa in bowl games.

If it bothers you that much that Mark May thinks the Pac-10 is better than the Big-10, then either turn the sound down during the studio shows or don't watch them.
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Yeah, I remember you saying this before. My response is the same. Follow your point through to its intended conclusion: All Big 10 teams except Minnesota lose all their non-conference games and all their bowl games. Collectively, the Big 10 reputation slides. The next thing you know, the conference is seen in the same light as the MAC. How many of those recruits will flock to Minnesota in that situation?

Is the Ohio State and Michigan rivalry great because they push EACH other to keep up with one another? I say YES to that. It may be a bit ironic, but it is true that the better your rival is, the better you will be unless you decide not to join the battle... at that point it isn't a rivalry anymore.

An individual recruiting battle may be lost here and there, but having a strong conference makes us ALL better in the end. I'd rather improve to Wisconsin's level (and have their winning put pressure on the U) than have them sink to our level. The recruits you are talking about will be lost EITHER way. If everyone else in the Big 10 sucks, they will just go to the PAC 10, SEC, etc.
 

I understand your point, Josh087, but I have to respectfully disagree with you.
Think about it this way, when the Gophers win a Big Ten game, would you rather it be a program like Indiana or Ohio State? Would you rather win the Big Ten title when the league has 4-5 high quality programs or a bunch of lousy ones? The BCS SOS rankings is built on this idea as is the NCAA basketball tournament seeding process. It might not be completely fair, but that's the breaks.

Otherwise, perhaps you would be in favor of the Gophers joining the Western Athletic Conference? I heard they are looking for teams...
 

Schnauzer said:
Yeah, I remember you saying this before. My response is the same. Follow your point through to its intended conclusion: All Big 10 teams except Minnesota lose all their non-conference games and all their bowl games. Collectively, the Big 10 reputation slides. The next thing you know, the conference is seen in the same light as the MAC. How many of those recruits will flock to Minnesota in that situation?

Is the Ohio State and Michigan rivalry great because they push EACH other to keep up with one another? I say YES to that. It may be a bit ironic, but it is true that the better your rival is, the better you will be unless you decide not to join the battle... at that point it isn't a rivalry anymore.

An individual recruiting battle may be lost here and there, but having a strong conference makes us ALL better in the end. I'd rather improve to Wisconsin's level (and have their winning put pressure on the U) than have them sink to our level. The recruits you are talking about will be lost EITHER way. If everyone else in the Big 10 sucks, they will just go to the PAC 10, SEC, etc.
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I understand this argument also, but it would take a lot for the Big Ten to fall to the respectability of the MAC, for example. I also don't cheer against ALL Big Ten teams mostly for this reason, just the two that are our most direct competitors.
 


StPaulHawkeye said:
I understand your point, Josh087, but I have to respectfully disagree with you.
Think about it this way, when the Gophers win a Big Ten game, would you rather it be a program like Indiana or Ohio State? Would you rather win the Big Ten title when the league has 4-5 high quality programs or a bunch of lousy ones? The BCS SOS rankings is built on this idea as is the NCAA basketball tournament seeding process. It might not be completely fair, but that's the breaks.

Otherwise, perhaps you would be in favor of the Gophers joining the Western Athletic Conference? I heard they are looking for teams...
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As I mentioned above I will root for the Big Ten where I really think it helps - such as OSU in the National Championship game, for example. It does help slightly in the polls and computer rankings if the league is well-thought-of, even though I think you are overstating that point a bit. It is usually better to have zero losses in a bad conference, especially a BCS conference, than to have one loss in a strong conference. Basically, wins trump ratings and SOS.

I think all of us would be tickled just to get to a championship level, even if for example it were in a league with the quality of the Big East. Sure, we'd all like to win the strongest conference possible and see us compete for a National Championship. But, as West Virginia almost proved in 2007 if they hadn't choked against Pitt at home, you can play for a NC in a weak conference. And in the case of TCU and Boise St, you can certainly be a part of the conversation in a league far worse than the Big 10 will ever be even if they go win-less in bowl games for the next decade.
 

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