ESPN: Nonconference primer: Minnesota

[BleedGopher]

per Bennett:

"The Gophers lined up two of the worst teams in FBS and an FCS squad that couldn't score last season. If they are anything less than 3-0 after those first three games, something has gone horribly awry. The only game of intrigue here is San Jose State, which has some serious offensive firepower and should provide more of a test than Minnesota probably bargained for when it scheduled this game. Of course, the Spartans are going through a coaching change, which is a familiar refrain for Gophers' non-league opponents, as three of the four teams here will have first-year leaders. Minnesota started off 4-0 last season and should have an excellent chance of doing the same in 2013."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/78956/nonconference-primer-minnesota

Go Gophers!!

 

[upnorthkid]

really can't disagree with anything he wrote here.

 

[imthewalrus]

We need to start off 4-0. There will be NO quieting the critics if the Gophers start off 3-1, 2-2 or 1-3. So, let this Bennett ride on his high horse. I'll take the wins any and every season I can get them. Once the Big Ten Portion of the schedule starts we will need to fight for our bowl invitation and win enough games to get the job done.

How many games will the Ohio State have in the ooc season in which they are not favored and should not win? How about Michigan? Wisconsin? PSU? Nebraska? Northwestern?

To schedule a LOSS in the ooc portion of the schedule would be totally STUPID...

Get to a bowl game. That is the name of the game for Golden Gopher Football. That's life. I would apologize to NO ONE for going 4-0 to start the season. These writers don't buy season tickets...I do. A win...is a win...is a win at the end of the season.

Go Gophers!

; 0 )

 

[Dr.Don]

We need to start off 4-0. There will be NO quieting the critics if the Gophers start off 3-1, 2-2 or 1-3. So, let this Bennett ride on his high horse. I'll take the wins any and every season I can get them. Once the Big Ten Portion of the schedule starts we will need to fight for our bowl invitation and win enough games to get the job done.

How many games will the Ohio State have in the ooc season in which they are not favored and should not beat? How about Michigan? Wisconsin? PSU? Nebraska? Northwestern? How many games in conference will each of those teams be favored to win?

We are where we are right now. We need to fight...claw...hit below the belt and just find a way to get that invitation at the end of the season.

Get to a bowl game. That is the name of the game for Golden Gopher Football. That's life. I would apologize to NO ONE for going 4-0 to start the season. These writers don't buy season tickets...I do. A win...is a win...is a win at the end of the season.

Go Gophers!

; 0 )

Once again wren has spoken. Once again no one listened.

 

[Parski1]

Once again wren has spoken. Once again no one listened.

I agree with him...you should too (except the below the belt thing). We need to start off (4-0) then (5-0) after we take the pig back.

 

[mcal24]

I would much rather go to see the Gophers play against a good/respectable team (North Carolina) and lose than watch them play Western Illinois so they can eventually make it to the toilet bowl...

 

[upnorthkid]

I would much rather go to see the Gophers play against a good/respectable team (North Carolina) and lose than watch them play Western Illinois so they can eventually make it to the toilet bowl...

i agree with your premise, but not the loss. a win here coupled with our team having some very winnable conf games this year (iowa, wisky, nw, indy) could be the difference between a 7-5 8-4 to a 8-4 or 9-3 which ultimately leads us to a VERY different bowl ie a bowl around xmas vs a bowl on new year's day.

 

[imthewalrus]

ANYBODY who refers to any Gopher Bowl game as a "toilet bowl..." deserves to...

i agree with your premise, but not the loss. a win here coupled with our team having some very winnable conf games this year (iowa, wisky, nw, indy) could be the difference between a 7-5 8-4 to a 8-4 or 9-3 which ultimately leads us to a VERY different bowl ie a bowl around xmas vs a bowl on new year's day.

be given a series of SWIRLEYS just because of their lack of respect for our players, coaches, program and the fact that they don't have a clue as to the important process being invited to a bowl game...any bowl game plays in making the program more competitive and respectable.

And, upnorthkid: IF you think the iowa/wisky games are going to be very winnable conference games, you certainly don't understand the significance of and nature of border battles. I've seen plenty of years when the team ith the poorest record wins those border battle games. And, don't kid yourself, iowa and wisky are TOUGH games no matter what the circumstances. Northwestern may be one of our tougher games all year...and Indiana will be playing for their lives.

It will be a tough season...and we NEED any kind of bowl invitation...


; 0 )

 

[Killjoy]

It will be a tought season...and we NEED any kind of bowl invitation...


; 0 )

wren - Did you take a class in logic or was the course called "Impress your friends by saying the obvious and then say it over and over so they will think you are brilliant." To quote Dr.Don "Once again wren has spoken. Once again no one listened."

 

[imthewalrus]

How long have you been watching Big Ten Conference games?

i agree with your premise, but not the loss. a win here coupled with our team having some very winnable conf games this year (iowa, wisky, nw, indy) could be the difference between a 7-5 8-4 to a 8-4 or 9-3 which ultimately leads us to a VERY different bowl ie a bowl around xmas vs a bowl on new year's day.

It should be OBVIOUS that the 2013 season will be an INCREDIBLE success IF the Gophers can win enough B1G games to go along with what needs to be a 4-0 ooc slate of games to win a bowl invitation. The Gophers will have to probably play much better football in 2013 than they did in 2012 to just win the 2 conference games they did last season. Will the Gophers be favored over Michigan, MSU, Nebraska, iowa, wisky OR Northwestern? Will they be favored over PSU? Will they be favored to win at Indiana? Believe me, our Gophers will need to surprise almost EVERYONE to win a bowl invitation in 2013.

It seems to me that too many people here are trying to take things for granted. Too many people here think the Gophers have some B1G games that they just have to show up for to win. It is going to be a struggle and it will be the Gophers against the world. And, that is NOT all bad. I'm pretty used to that and when the Gophers win some of those games...it makes it even better as far as I am concerned.

With Gopher Football: there is NO obvious outcome when going into a season re: bowl invitations. ANY bowl invitation is a win for this program and we fans need to realize what incredibly long-shots our program is when compared to other B1G programs at this moment in time.

It is OBVIOUS to me that too many people on this board are oblivious to the OBVIOUS fact that our players...our coaches...our program will all be under the gun and have their backs against the wall in the current B1G scheme of things. It is OBVIOUS that some people here don't want to face the obvious...see the obvious or tolerate anyone who states the obvious.

BUT...when the players...the coaches... the program BEATS the obvious outcome life as an old, life-long Gopher Fan of going on 60 years is REALLY nice...fun...good and exciting! Win a bowl invitation in 2013 Gophers! And may at least a LITTLE bit of the obvious be spoken on this site...by at least a few of the posters...I'll happily be honored to be able to buy a ticket to ANY bowl game the Gophers are invited to in 2013! A bowl game for my Gophers is ALWAYS a tribute to the spirit of Golden Gopher Football. ALWAYS. Never take the obvious for granted around here. And, that is why we go ahead and play those B1G Games. NEVER fail to examine what is obvious. When you miss the obvious...it bites you in the butt more often than not...

; 0 )

 

[GopherHomer]

I would much rather go to see the Gophers play against a good/respectable team (North Carolina) and lose than watch them play Western Illinois so they can eventually make it to the toilet bowl...

Could not disagree more. Losses to us no good. There's nothing glamorous about a low-profile bowl, but it allows extra practice and current players, as well as recruits, enjoy them. Losing to CAL twice and USC twice did nothing for us.

 

[stocker08]

Get to a bowl game. That is the name of the game for Golden Gopher Football. That's life. I would apologize to NO ONE for going 4-0 to start the season. These writers don't buy season tickets...I do. A win...is a win...is a win at the end of the season.

Go Gophers!

Completely agree. While I still believe it was a poor move to remove NC (the buyout was an embarrassment), the Gophers need to make the run to a bowl game AT LEAST. In the coming years, people will look at our win/loss ratio......not who we play. Recruits will notice this as well. It all compounds into what kind of program we will field. A 9-3 team that plays cupcakes during the non-con vs. a team that goes 7-5 and plays tough competition will look better. The Big Ten is a grinder. We are allowed a few 'gimmie' (we've actually lost a few of these) games and then nothing is promised. One non-con win could be the difference between a New Years bowl and the who gives a crap bowl.

 

[mplsbadger]

Honestly, I wouldn't care if we played nobodies until 2017. After that with a more reasonable Big Ten schedule I'd say bring on some talented NC teams. I think we need to go to a bowl every year, period. Starting in 2017 I think we should expect the Gopher to AVERAGE four conference wins per year. if we average four conference wins a year over the next three we'll be overachieving IMO.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

To schedule a LOSS in the ooc portion of the schedule would be totally STUPID...

Just out of curiosity, just how do you plan to guarantee that every non-conference game is a victory?

How many times have the Gophs gone into the season expecting to win non-conference games, only to be disappointed?

This season, the Gophs could very well be the underdogs against San Jose State. In case you don't know, San Jose State has a returning QB who completed 72% of his passes last year for 4,193 yds and 33 TD's. (Of course, they have to replace their leading rusher - some kid named DeLeon Eskridge......)

Any D1 FB team is going to have some good athletes, and present a challenge. There are no guarantees - penalties, turnovers, injuries can turn any game around.

Don't get me wrong - I would be very happy to see the Gophs sitting at 4-0 after the Non-Conf games, but I'm not going to bet my house on it.

 

[upnorthkid]

be given a series of SWIRLEYS just because of their lack of respect for our players, coaches, program and the fact that they don't have a clue as to the important process being invited to a bowl game...any bowl game plays in making the program more competitive and respectable.

And, upnorthkid: IF you think the iowa/wisky games are going to be very winnable conference games, you certainly don't understand the significance of and nature of border battles. I've seen plenty of years when the team ith the poorest record wins those border battle games. And, don't kid yourself, iowa and wisky are TOUGH games no matter what the circumstances. Northwestern may be one of our tougher games all year...and Indiana will be playing for their lives.

It will be a tough season...and we NEED any kind of bowl invitation...


; 0 )

winnable- adj. that can be won.

did i guarantee any victories? no. i said we can win these games. do i think we will win? personally i think we beat at least one out of iowa and wisky and that we'll beat at least one out of indy and nw. could it happen that we go 0-4? yep it sure could. however we could also go 4-0 in that same stretch. don't try to make it sound like I (and others at the same time) are being naive about the difficulties of the Big Ten schedule. It just makes you sound annoying. good day to you sir.

 

[highwayman]

I would much rather go to see the Gophers play against a good/respectable team (North Carolina) and lose than watch them play Western Illinois so they can eventually make it to the toilet bowl...

i agree with your premise, but not the loss. a win here coupled with our team having some very winnable conf games this year (iowa, wisky, nw, indy) could be the difference between a 7-5 8-4 to a 8-4 or 9-3 which ultimately leads us to a VERY different bowl ie a bowl around xmas vs a bowl on new year's day.

Could not disagree more. Losses to us no good. There's nothing glamorous about a low-profile bowl, but it allows extra practice and current players, as well as recruits, enjoy them. Losing to CAL twice and USC twice did nothing for us.

mcal24, UNC was not replaced with Western Illinois. You would have had both games.

I agree with upnorthkid and homer. UNC 2013/2014 was replaced with TCU 2014/2015. Kill wanted one more year. One more to keep his plan on track. Instead of two very tough games in 2013, Minnesota has one. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, you could easily project two of four as tough games. It's fair enough to both the fans and the team to do what they did with the schedule.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Could not disagree more. Losses to us no good. There's nothing glamorous about a low-profile bowl, but it allows extra practice and current players, as well as recruits, enjoy them. Losing to CAL twice and USC twice did nothing for us.

Those losses didn't hurt us, though, either. Didn't cost us bowl games. Didn't cost any coaches theire jobs. In fact, the home games were a blast. Bigger, more excited crowds. The close road loss to USC actually got people excited about the Kill era.

No, the games that hurt us in those seasons were losses to New Mexico State, North Dakota State, South Dakota and Northern Illinois. You know, those winnable non-conference games.

 

[BleedGopher]

FSN: Gophers ranked last in strength of nonconference foes

12. Minnesota (6-7, 2-6 Big Ten)
Aug. 29: vs. UNLV (2-11); Sagarin Rating 157
Sept. 7: at New Mexico State (1-11); Sagarin Rating 174
Sept. 14: vs. Western Illinois (3-8); Sagarin Rating 191
Sept. 21: vs. San Jose State (11-2); Sagarin Rating 29
Records last season: (17-32); Average Sagarin Rating: 138

Analysis: Minnesota would find itself in the running for worst nonconference schedule in the country -- and still might -- if not for a game against San Jose State. The Spartans produced one of their best seasons in program history last season, finishing 11-2, winning the Military Bowl and cracking the national rankings for the first time since 1975. Somehow, the Gophers' only road game is against lowly New Mexico State. Minnesota will need every win it can muster to reach another bowl game.

Prediction: Minnesota finishes nonconference play 3-1.

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/colle...-strength-of-nonco?blockID=918607&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!!

 

[GopherHomer]

Analysis: Minnesota would find itself in the running for worst nonconference schedule in the country -- and still might -- if not for a game against San Jose State. The Spartans produced one of their best seasons in program history last season, finishing 11-2, winning the Military Bowl and cracking the national rankings for the first time since 1975. Somehow, the Gophers' only road game is against lowly New Mexico State. Minnesota will need every win it can muster to reach another bowl game.

Prediction: Minnesota finishes nonconference play 3-1.

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/colle...-strength-of-nonco?blockID=918607&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!![/QUOTE]

How many non-conference road games does FSN want us to play? If the prediction is 3-1, we should have made it easier...

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Honestly, I wouldn't care if we played nobodies until 2017. After that with a more reasonable Big Ten schedule I'd say bring on some talented NC teams. I think we need to go to a bowl every year, period. Starting in 2017 I think we should expect the Gopher to AVERAGE four conference wins per year. if we average four conference wins a year over the next three we'll be overachieving IMO.

I think most every Gopher fan would like to see that. However, history is not on our side when it comes to averaging 4 BIG wins a year for a stretch, even a short one. I think we have to go back to the late 60's when Murray was HC when we managed to average 4 W's over a 5 year stretch. Heck, even Mason with his star studded line-up barely averaged 4 W's from 03 through 05 and I don't think any coach managed that from the 80's to now.

History shows that few modern day BIG coaches managed to average 5W's or more during their tenure. Even the great JoPa struggled to meet that lofty standard.

Winning big and often has been a huge challenge for every Minnesota coach for decades. And Coach kill has the same elephant on his back. Maybe, just maybe, he is the guy that can reach that goal.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

How many non-conference road games does FSN want us to play? If the prediction is 3-1, we should have made it easier...

Truth! Football isn't like BB. Losing a NC game is death in football (as we know). The B1G is hard enough without adding extra pain by playing quality teams in the pre-season. Especially now that we have a conference championship game.

I say we do whatever we need to so that we are playing Cal or USC in the Rose Bowl, not the oh crap we lost in Sept Bowl. Nothing is gained from losing NC games...NOTHING!

 

[Sparlimb]

Truth! Football isn't like BB. Losing a NC game is death in football (as we know). The B1G is hard enough without adding extra pain by playing quality teams in the pre-season. Especially now that we have a conference championship game.

I say we do whatever we need to so that we are playing Cal or USC in the Rose Bowl, not the oh crap we lost in Sept Bowl. Nothing is gained from losing NC games...NOTHING!

While I prefer we go 4-0 every year ever in the NC schedule, sometimes playing better teams does help even in a loss. Big games on a national stage do impress recruits. You'll never get consistent top 25 classes playing little sisters of the poor every year. I don't think we should have dropped UNC, but we did and now oru job is to go 4-0 this year. Anything less will be the end of our bowl hopes.

 

[Deleted_User]

wren - Did you take a class in logic or was the course called "Impress your friends by saying the obvious and then say it over and over so they will think you are brilliant." To quote Dr.Don "Once again wren has spoken. Once again no one listened."

Please don't fee the walrus. I beg of you. Anytime somebody replies, his posts get longer and longer and longer.

 

[GophersInIowa]

While I prefer we go 4-0 every year ever in the NC schedule, sometimes playing better teams does help even in a loss. Big games on a national stage do impress recruits. You'll never get consistent top 25 classes playing little sisters of the poor every year. I don't think we should have dropped UNC, but we did and now oru job is to go 4-0 this year. Anything less will be the end of our bowl hopes.

I don't think it's that big of a deal as long as you play in a good conference. In the past, the SEC (in general) has played a very poor non-conference schedule.

 

[Cayman]

While I prefer we go 4-0 every year ever in the NC schedule, sometimes playing better teams does help even in a loss. Big games on a national stage do impress recruits. You'll never get consistent top 25 classes playing little sisters of the poor every year. I don't think we should have dropped UNC, but we did and now oru job is to go 4-0 this year. Anything less will be the end of our bowl hopes.

I don't think that's true. Brewster managed to get three Big Ten wins twice, so I don't think getting three this year is an insurmountable task. I think I've even seen some posters say they'd be disappointed with anything less. Indiana and Iowa are both beatable; I wouldn't be surprised if we were favored against both, then just one more out of @Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Penn State. Winning just one of those three is doable IMO.

Unless you're saying at that if we lose a non-conference game by just getting outgunned and flat-out beaten up and down the field by our opponent, in which case winning three Big Ten games seems a little more daunting.

 

[Killjoy]

Please don't fee the walrus. I beg of you. Anytime somebody replies, his posts get longer and longer and longer.

I will just have to take your word for it because I seldom make it to the end of his manifestos.

 

[Catechol]

Truth! Football isn't like BB. Losing a NC game is death in football (as we know).

Losing a NC game is not death in football. It is only critical if you're in the very edge of getting to 6 wins, or you're going for the national title game. Anything else in between, and it is not going to matter very much if you had an early season OOC loss, especially if it was to a quality opponent.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

I'm hoping Kill's system will start showing results because the Gophers could be underdogs in all 8 conference games and could very well lose to San Jose State. If solid progress hasn't been made, this could be a rough year. If it has, we might just get to six wins with a tough schedule.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Losing a NC game is not death in football. It is only critical if you're in the very edge of getting to 6 wins, or you're going for the national title game. Anything else in between, and it is not going to matter very much if you had an early season OOC loss, especially if it was to a quality opponent.

Again, in BB losing to a quality preseason opponent doesn't kill you and there is benefit to strength of schedule. In football it is all about wins and losses if you play in a BCS conference. Wins get you better bowl games (or just making a bowl game) and losses don't. No such thing as a quality loss in FB.