ESPN: Big Ten in ESPN's bowl projections (Minn in SanFran bowl vs Washington or USC)

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:

McMurphy

Music City: Maryland vs. Missouri
Pinstripe: Miami (Fla). vs. Michigan
Holiday: Nebraska vs. USC
San Francisco: Minnesota vs. Washington
Detroit: Syracuse vs. Illinois
Capital One: Iowa vs. Florida
Outback: Wisconsin vs. Ole Miss
Fiesta: Stanford vs. Michigan State
Rose: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Schlabach

Pinstripe: Virginia Tech vs. Northwestern
Holiday: Washington vs. Iowa
San Francisco: Minnesota vs. USC
Detroit: Syracuse vs. Indiana
Capital One: LSU vs. Ohio State
Outback: South Carolina vs. Nebraska
Gator: Michigan vs. Florida
Fiesta: Stanford vs. Wisconsin
Sugar: Florida State vs. Michigan State

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/101468/big-ten-in-espns-bowl-projections

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

per ESPN:

McMurphy

Music City: Maryland vs. Missouri
Pinstripe: Miami (Fla). vs. Michigan
Holiday: Nebraska vs. USC
San Francisco: Minnesota vs. Washington
Detroit: Syracuse vs. Illinois
Capital One: Iowa vs. Florida
Outback: Wisconsin vs. Ole Miss
Fiesta: Stanford vs. Michigan State
Rose: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Schlabach

Pinstripe: Virginia Tech vs. Northwestern
Holiday: Washington vs. Iowa
San Francisco: Minnesota vs. USC
Detroit: Syracuse vs. Indiana
Capital One: LSU vs. Ohio State
Outback: South Carolina vs. Nebraska
Gator: Michigan vs. Florida
Fiesta: Stanford vs. Wisconsin
Sugar: Florida State vs. Michigan State

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/101468/big-ten-in-espns-bowl-projections

Go Gophers!!

So we will probably have a better conference record than Iowa and get hosed once again for a Jan. 1 game.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I get that they have to put this crap out in order to give people something to talk about during the long leadup to the season but preseason bowl picks are even more worthless then the preseason top 25.

I guess the one positive takeaway from this is that both guys think we will be above .500 and bowl eligible.

 

[tjgopher]

So we will probably have a better conference record than Iowa and get hosed once again for a Jan. 1 game.

When has that ever happened?

 

[e.bigelow]

Who cares as long as we aren't going to the Texas Bowl again.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

I get that they have to put this crap out in order to give people something to talk about during the long leadup to the season but preseason bowl picks are even more worthless then the preseason top 25.

I guess the one positive takeaway from this is that both guys think we will be above .500 and bowl eligible.

That's what I took away from it too. I look at the schedule & am not so confident we'll be better than .500 next year.

 

[die hard gopher]

I get that they have to put this crap out in order to give people something to talk about during the long leadup to the season but preseason bowl picks are even more worthless then the preseason top 25.

I guess the one positive takeaway from this is that both guys think we will be above .500 and bowl eligible.

That's what I took away from it too. I look at the schedule & am not so confident we'll be better than .500 next year.

I would hope so! Are our expectations really that low that can't even expect to go bowling preceding an 8 win season with 9 and 7 starters coming back on O and D coupled with our best recruiting class in the Kill era? I would not be thrilled with another 8 win season and be vastly disappointed with 7 wins or less. We probably should have won 9 games last year with Mortell not out kicking the coverage and the pass not slipping through Wolitarsky's hands in the bowl game with a significantly worse 2013 roster compared to 2014.

 

[die hard gopher]

So we will probably have a better conference record than Iowa and get hosed once again for a Jan. 1 game.

Well starting this year doesn't the Big Ten get to determine which teams will go to which bowls as opposed to the bowls themselves selecting the teams? Wouldn't that prevent any snubbings due to a perceived poor traveling fan base and what not?

 

[MNVCGUY]

I would hope so! Are our expectations really that low that can't even expect to go bowling preceding an 8 win season with 9 and 7 starters coming back on O and D coupled with our best recruiting class in the Kill era? I would not be thrilled with another 8 win season and be vastly disappointed with 7 wins or less. We probably should have won 9 games last year with Mortell not out kicking the coverage and the pass not slipping through Wolitarsky's hands in the bowl game with a significantly worse 2013 roster compared to 2014.

Right there with you in that anything less than 8 wins would be a disappointment given the amount of experience we have coming back. This is the point where the team should start to take that next step into the upper part of the conference on a consistent basis if we are to believe the Kill has what it takes to get it done.

At some point we have to stop going to the "schedule is tough" card as an excuse for why the team might struggle. It's the BIG, the schedule is always going to be tough.

 

[e.bigelow]

Right there with you in that anything less than 8 wins would be a disappointment given the amount of experience we have coming back. This is the point where the team should start to take that next step into the upper part of the conference on a consistent basis if we are to believe the Kill has what it takes to get it done.

At some point we have to stop going to the "schedule is tough" card as an excuse for why the team might struggle. It's the BIG, the schedule is always going to be tough.

Agree completely!

 

[Reuben Kincaid]

Awesome! I booked a flight this morning. It's nice that there's no pressure now that we're locked into a bowl game.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Wait..........There's a San Francisco Bowl........?

Seriously - I have never heard of this game before this post. I thought it might be a joke.

And, is Rice-a-Roni the game sponsor?

To the other point, I would never call a season that ends in a bowl game a "disappointment." I suppose if the Gophs go 6-6 and wind up in some early-season bowl, it would be a letdown, but I remember a time when any bowl game appearance would have been a cause for celebration. There are so many things that can happen during the course of a season- injuries, bad bounces, bad calls, bad weather, or just finding out the other team was better. There are no guarantees.

 

[highwayman]

Wait..........There's a San Francisco Bowl........?

Seriously - I have never heard of this game before this post. I thought it might be a joke.

And, is Rice-a-Roni the game sponsor?

To the other point, I would never call a season that ends in a bowl game a "disappointment." I suppose if the Gophs go 6-6 and wind up in some early-season bowl, it would be a letdown, but I remember a time when any bowl game appearance would have been a cause for celebration. There are so many things that can happen during the course of a season- injuries, bad bounces, bad calls, bad weather, or just finding out the other team was better. There are no guarantees.

Wiki: "The Fight Hunger Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually from 2002 to 2013 at 40,800-seat AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in San Francisco, California. It was previously known as the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl from 2010 to 2012 due to its sponsor Kraft Foods, and as the Emerald Bowl from 2004 to 2009 and the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl from 2002 to 2003, in recognition of the corporate title sponsor, Diamond of California, which also owns Emerald Nuts.

On November 20, 2012, bowl officials and the San Francisco 49ers announced the bowl game will move to the new Levi's Stadium at Santa Clara, California in 2014."

I'd take it. It will have a name change, is locked in versus Pac 12, and played at a brand-new, state of the art stadium.

 

[die hard gopher]

Wait..........There's a San Francisco Bowl........?

Seriously - I have never heard of this game before this post. I thought it might be a joke.

And, is Rice-a-Roni the game sponsor?

To the other point, I would never call a season that ends in a bowl game a "disappointment." I suppose if the Gophs go 6-6 and wind up in some early-season bowl, it would be a letdown, but I remember a time when any bowl game appearance would have been a cause for celebration. There are so many things that can happen during the course of a season- injuries, bad bounces, bad calls, bad weather, or just finding out the other team was better. There are no guarantees.

Anytime you lose less games then the previous year it is a disappointment, any time you win more games than the previous year it is a success. A bowl appearance proceeding a 3 win season should definitely be viewed as a success but when you win 8 games and are coming off you're best season in 10 years coupled with the all of the returnees and the new guys coming in i don't know how you could be satisfied with a mere bowl appearance and nothing more.

 

[hyaluronic]

I am hopeful for a more successful season than last, but it is inevitable that at some point we will have a season where we win less games than the prior year. During our 4 game BIG win streak last year, some of those games could have easily gone a different direction. Until our recruiting improves, I have a hard time believing we can sustain anything other than 7 to 9 win seasons. Sure, there could be an aberration above those, I just don't see it being consistent. That said, if we can pull out 9 and 10 win seasons over the next couple years, I suspect recruiting will improve as the hype and prestige of the program improves.

 

[Sparlimb]

Who cares as long as we aren't going to the Texas Bowl again.

Hmmm, two predictions with us playing Washington and USC. Seems a lot better than crappy Syracuse.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I am hopeful for a more successful season than last, but it is inevitable that at some point we will have a season where we win less games than the prior year. During our 4 game BIG win streak last year, some of those games could have easily gone a different direction. Until our recruiting improves, I have a hard time believing we can sustain anything other than 7 to 9 win seasons. Sure, there could be an aberration above those, I just don't see it being consistent. That said, if we can pull out 9 and 10 win seasons over the next couple years, I suspect recruiting will improve as the hype and prestige of the program improves.

I would not anticipate a massive uptick in recruiting. I think for the most part we are getting the type of players that Kill is going to target and bring in. In terms of the record an inevitable small step back is to be expected from time to time but there are people in here saying we may struggle to get to 6 wins and to me that would be a huge step back if that were to happen. If Kill is the guy to bring the program past where Mason had things then this is when the 4-5-6+ win BIG seasons become the expectation for the program not just hoping to get to 6 wins and a bowl game.

You mention 7-9 win seasons being the expected norm. That was where we were at under Mason and prior to the Brewster debacle that was no longer acceptable to most. Not saying we have to contend for the title this year but at this point the floor should probably be 3-4 non-conf wins and a .500 or better showing in the conference.

 

[Nokomis]

Bowl prestige not withstanding, San Francisco seems like an AWESOME bowl destination. We went to the Cal game a few years back and had a fantastic time. Same reason I didn't really mind going to the Music City Bowl every year; Nashville is a really fun city.

 

[John Galt]

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities and would be a great bowl destination. However, I'm partial to Pasadena...

 

[John Galt]

Last year we won 8 games. If someone wants to argue that it was almost 9, I could argue that it was almost 6 as Indiana and NW were 3 point games where one play made the difference. We don't have to apologize for winning the games, but quit giving us a 1/2 win vs. the Orange, a team that we all expected to beat.