First Round on Campus

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I have often argued the Gophers should at some point at least as a one off switch their one "road" non conference game to a "neutral site" game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Each time I have suggested it, I have had to explain to multiple people over and over that I am NOT suggesting replacing a home game at Huntington Bank Stadium. It doesn't matter. People literally argued they'd rather have the Gophers play on the road than in a neutral site game at U.S. Bank stadium. That really surprised me.

Now we have people suggesting moving a HOME playoff game from Huntington Bank Stadium to U.S. Bank Stadium and nobody has a problem with that?
 

Schnauzer said:
I have often argued the Gophers should at some point at least as a one off switch their one "road" non conference game to a "neutral site" game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Each time I have suggested it, I have had to explain to multiple people over and over that I am NOT suggesting replacing a home game at Huntington Bank Stadium. It doesn't matter. People literally argued they'd rather have the Gophers play on the road than in a neutral site game at U.S. Bank stadium. That really surprised me.

Now we have people suggesting moving a HOME playoff game from Huntington Bank Stadium to U.S. Bank Stadium and nobody has a problem with that?
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I for one have a major problem with that idea. Haha
 


Wisconsin played LSU at Lambeau. It would be cool to play a P4 non-conference game at USBank. Alabama is on the schedule.
 

This isn't just a Gopher thing- I'm pretty much vehemently against neutral site college football games in general. There are a couple exceptions based on tradition (Cocktail Party in Jacksonville) but for the most part, they're all shameless money grabs that would be much better off played on campus.
 


MaxyJR1 said:
Wisconsin played LSU at Lambeau. It would be cool to play a P4 non-conference game at USBank. Alabama is on the schedule.
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Would be cooler to see them at HBS


You play a neutral site game if that’s the way you make the game happen.
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
This isn't just a Gopher thing- I'm pretty much vehemently against neutral site college football games in general. There are a couple exceptions based on tradition (Cocktail Party in Jacksonville) but for the most part, they're all shameless money grabs that would be much better off played on campus.
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so you'd rather the Gophers play AT the opponent location as an away game than in U.S. Bank Stadium as a neutral site game?
 


Schnauzer said:
I have often argued the Gophers should at some point at least as a one off switch their one "road" non conference game to a "neutral site" game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Each time I have suggested it, I have had to explain to multiple people over and over that I am NOT suggesting replacing a home game at Huntington Bank Stadium. It doesn't matter. People literally argued they'd rather have the Gophers play on the road than in a neutral site game at U.S. Bank stadium. That really surprised me.
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Not sure how that would work in practice, but not a horrible idea. Who do you envision them playing? You aren't going to get a major conference school the likes of which would normally demand a home-and-home arrangement (i.e. schools on our future schedules like Mississippi State, California, Alabama) to give up their home game to play at a neutral site in Minneapolis. Maybe someone with a national profile to schedule a one off and share the gate? Maybe one of the military academies?

Schnauzer said:
Now we have people suggesting moving a HOME playoff game from Huntington Bank Stadium to U.S. Bank Stadium and nobody has a problem with that?
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I think most fans who actually attend the games, me included, would have a big problem with that.
 



Sparlimb said:
To be fair, its not like the horrid cold of January would be an advantage for our team who also never plays in it. As a fan, I'd never choose to watch a game in the cold over a dome. But that's me. Doesn't change the point our team would be no more use to it then Georgia...
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That is preposterous. A team that has been walking to class and living in the cold decisions is 100% going to be better equipped to play it than a team from the south
 

Schnauzer said:
I have often argued the Gophers should at some point at least as a one off switch their one "road" non conference game to a "neutral site" game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Each time I have suggested it, I have had to explain to multiple people over and over that I am NOT suggesting replacing a home game at Huntington Bank Stadium. It doesn't matter. People literally argued they'd rather have the Gophers play on the road than in a neutral site game at U.S. Bank stadium. That really surprised me.

Now we have people suggesting moving a HOME playoff game from Huntington Bank Stadium to U.S. Bank Stadium and nobody has a problem with that?
Click to expand...
 

DinkyTownIsDead said:
That is preposterous. A team that has been walking to class and living in the cold decisions is 100% going to be better equipped to play it than a team from the south
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I'm pretty skeptical.

It makes for a great story, but an athlete is still just as good as they are ... hot or cold weather, that goes for both teams.
 

SEC teams are built for speed. Big Ten is historically power running. Why would you voluntarily play a SEC team on artificial grass away from the elements and let them utilize their strength?

Surprised by the number of people that want to play a home game away from the on campus stadium. Hell, let's bring back the dome while we are at it!
 



A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I'm pretty skeptical.

It makes for a great story, but an athlete is still just as good as they are ... hot or cold weather, that goes for both teams.
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lazy example because it is only one game, but the Miami Dolphins offense looked way different playing in frigid Arrowhead last year. Can't chalk it up all to the weather but I think it would be foolish to claim the weather had no effect on slowing them down.
 

We’ve literally had at least THREE home games where the visiting team has very much looked like they didn’t want to be there DESPITE BEING B1G TEAMS SUPPOSEDLY BUILT FOR THE SAME WEATHER. People grow up hearing tall tales about how cold it is here and it can be a factor if the weather does turn cold.

The Gophers sprung upsets in two of those three games and very nearly changed college football history in the third.

2010 Iowa (can still remember Iowa RB looking like he’d rather head to the tunnel than back to the huddle)
2014 Ohio State (Urban Meyer still talks about nearly losing that day)
2018 Purdue (Purdue looked visibly uncomfortable all day)

These games happened, I saw the opponents struggle with the cold with my own eyes. To say “well there isn’t a difference because our players have to play in the same weather” didn’t watch those three games or forgot about them.

It isn’t a guarantee as there have been other cold games where the opponent wasn’t affected. But, I’d venture to guess it would be more likely to be a factor vs LSU than against Wisconsin.
 

Schnauzer said:
so you'd rather the Gophers play AT the opponent location as an away game than in U.S. Bank Stadium as a neutral site game?
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Yes 100%.

I'd attend either way, but would be much more excited about checking off another campus/CFB stadium than us playing in the antiseptic ZygiDome.
 

I'm hoping for a disgustingly-cold day when we play Penn State. Something in the neighborhood of the Vikings/Seahawks playoff game back in the day, maybe mix some snow in too, make the Lions absolutely miserable.
 

Schnauzer said:
We’ve literally had at least THREE home games where the visiting team has very much looked like they didn’t want to be there DESPITE BEING B1G TEAMS SUPPOSEDLY BUILT FOR THE SAME WEATHER. People grow up hearing tall tales about how cold it is here and it can be a factor if the weather does turn cold.

The Gophers sprung upsets in two of those three games and very nearly changed college football history in the third.

2010 Iowa (can still remember Iowa RB looking like he’d rather head to the tunnel than back to the huddle)
2014 Ohio State (Urban Meyer still talks about nearly losing that day)
2018 Purdue (Purdue looked visibly uncomfortable all day)

These games happened, I saw the opponents struggle with the cold with my own eyes. To say “well there isn’t a difference because our players have to play in the same weather” didn’t watch those three games or forgot about them.

It isn’t a guarantee as there have been other cold games where the opponent wasn’t affected. But, I’d venture to guess it would be more likely to be a factor vs LSU than against Wisconsin.
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This is 100% correct. Why on earth would you want to play an SEC team voluntarily on turf when you could play them in the elements
 


Schnauzer said:
We’ve literally had at least THREE home games where the visiting team has very much looked like they didn’t want to be there DESPITE BEING B1G TEAMS SUPPOSEDLY BUILT FOR THE SAME WEATHER. People grow up hearing tall tales about how cold it is here and it can be a factor if the weather does turn cold.

The Gophers sprung upsets in two of those three games and very nearly changed college football history in the third.

2010 Iowa (can still remember Iowa RB looking like he’d rather head to the tunnel than back to the huddle)
2014 Ohio State (Urban Meyer still talks about nearly losing that day)
2018 Purdue (Purdue looked visibly uncomfortable all day)

These games happened, I saw the opponents struggle with the cold with my own eyes. To say “well there isn’t a difference because our players have to play in the same weather” didn’t watch those three games or forgot about them.

It isn’t a guarantee as there have been other cold games where the opponent wasn’t affected. But, I’d venture to guess it would be more likely to be a factor vs LSU than against Wisconsin.
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As opposed to games where the Gophers have struggled on a cold day ..... it couldn't have been the cold right?
 

DinkyTownIsDead said:
SEC teams are built for speed. Big Ten is historically power running. Why would you voluntarily play a SEC team on artificial grass away from the elements and let them utilize their strength?

Surprised by the number of people that want to play a home game away from the on campus stadium. Hell, let's bring back the dome while we are at it!
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This is a pretty inaccurate stereotype
50% of the time it’s accurate everytime
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
As opposed to games where the Gophers have struggled on a cold day ..... it couldn't have been the cold right?
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When have the Gophers lost to a significant visiting underdog in a cold weather game at home since 2009?

Perhaps Wisconsin 2019 but there were more than a few distractions beyond the weather that day. And I don’t think Wisconsin was as big of an underdog as the Gophers were in the three examples I provided.

I never suggested cold weather equates an easy Gophers win 100% of the time. But cold weather was a factor in at least three home over achievements.
 

Some of the most fun homes games I've been to is when it is cold/snow. As others have said, the fans are forced to be more into it and there is definitely a comradarie that exists among those in attendance.
 

Schnauzer said:
When have the Gophers lost to a significant visiting underdog in a cold weather game at home since 2009?

Perhaps Wisconsin 2019 but there were more than a few distractions beyond the weather that day. And I don’t think Wisconsin was as big of an underdog as the Gophers were in the three examples I provided.

I never suggested cold weather equates an easy Gophers win 100% of the time. But cold weather was a factor in at least three home over achievements.
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I feel like the entire discussion is weird assumptions ... and then goal post moving.

Now the gophers have to have lost to a significant visiting underdog for the weather to matter?

I'm sure they have ...

This is like a discussion about how "clutch" a player is and it's deemed true because of a handful of memorable events, as opposed all the other events that nobody remembers.
 

Schnauzer said:
When have the Gophers lost to a significant visiting underdog in a cold weather game at home since 2009?

Perhaps Wisconsin 2019 but there were more than a few distractions beyond the weather that day. And I don’t think Wisconsin was as big of an underdog as the Gophers were in the three examples I provided.

I never suggested cold weather equates an easy Gophers win 100% of the time. But cold weather was a factor in at least three home over achievements.
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Gophers were spanked by Mich St in 2012. Gophers were 8.5 favorites, got blown out 26-10. Le'Veon Bell ran roughshod.

Game weather per Wiki:

  • Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), Wind 10 mph (16 km/h) SSE, Overcast and Cold

2nd half was brutal cold, well below 20 and stronger winds.
 

So just to make sure I understand. There is a sizable contingent of posters on here that think there would be no material difference in the gophers playing a team from the south indoors vs outdoors in December in MN. Am I understanding that correctly?
 

DinkyTownIsDead said:
So just to make sure I understand. There is a sizable contingent of posters on here that think there would be no material difference in the gophers playing a team from the south indoors vs outdoors in December in MN. Am I understanding that correctly?
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I'd like to see this magic proven to be true outside of random memory where we just declare "weather did it".
 

DinkyTownIsDead said:
So just to make sure I understand. There is a sizable contingent of posters on here that think there would be no material difference in the gophers playing a team from the south indoors vs outdoors in December in MN. Am I understanding that correctly?
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I do not think you are understanding that correctly.
 

The Lake Show said:
I'm hoping for a disgustingly-cold day when we play Penn State. Something in the neighborhood of the Vikings/Seahawks playoff game back in the day, maybe mix some snow in too, make the Lions absolutely miserable.
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No reason to be below 0. I don't think there has been a game below ten. The teens are plenty cold and Gophers can beat them anyways. Nobody enjoys that weather.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I'm pretty skeptical.

It makes for a great story, but an athlete is still just as good as they are ... hot or cold weather, that goes for both teams.
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The old Met was nearly a lock-box for the Vikings of the 60's and 70's. Thery have lost that at the dome and USB.
 

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