Fleck Open to Playing Elite Teams

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MNVCGUY said:
You have been kind of hung up on having bad early season games but the reality is you schedule one power 5 and 2 creampuffs, not a tough formula and one that a lot of teams follow.
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Actually I'm not. I'm more hung up on defending Alabama. ;)
 

It's fair to rip on the Gophers for playing a 'soft' New Mexico State and Western Illinois team. No one could predict what Colorado would be when this game was scheduled. I don't know how long ago this game was scheduled but Colorado may have been a better program than the Gophers at that point.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
You mean like when they took on:
#9 Clemson to open the 2008 regular season
#7 Virginia Tech to open 2009
#18 Penn State in week 2 of 2010
#23 Penn State the next year
#8 Michigan to open 2012
unranked but still P5 Virginia Tech in 2013
P5 West Virginia 2014
#20 WI in 2015
#20 USC in 2016
#3 FSU in 2017, along with P5 teams Fresno State and Colorado State
Louisville 2018
2019 was nobody
2020 was just conf play
#14 Miami last year
Texas this year?

I know the early season rankings don't always reflect reality, but it's pretty obvious Saban has been getting in one decent team every year except 2019. But go with your anti-SEC narrative if you want.
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Alabama plays fewer conference games and has played 4 true road out of conference games since Saban started coaching. They schedule games they know they will win.

Also WVU wasn't a P5 team when Alabama scheduled them and Fresno / Colorado State still aren't.

SEC fans are so sensitive lol
 

I'm cool with it...schedule them in November. Love to see Florida come here when the temp is in the 30s or 40s, and would love doing a road trip game there in November.
 



Most teams do not want to schedule more than one non-con P5 team per year....so these home and home series need to be seeked out and planned in advance. You also need to coordinate which team travels first. With Colorado....for example....last year the Gophers had five home conference games....so we went to Boulder. This year we only have four.....so the Buffaloes coming here maintains the seven home games.

And those complaining about the Gophers scheduling weak nonconference games.....kind of a short memory. Cal was a top ten team when we played them in 2009. 10/11 we played USC. 2014 we caught a TCU team that ended the season 12-1 and ranked 3rd in the nation. Had them at home in 2015. That team went 11-2 and ended the season ranked 7th.

People just forget about those Cal and TCU teams....because they aren't helmet schools or from the SEC.
 

I'm fine with the general formula of
1 P5 opponent
1 G5 opponent
& 1 FCS opponent

for the non-conference.

if you want to bump it up a bit, play 2 G5 opponents instead of an FCS.

like it or not, overall record matters in terms of rankings, bowl selection and (potential) post-season play.

If, for instance, the Gophers played and lost to a "big-time" opponent in a non-conf game - and that loss meant the Gophers missed out on a New Year's Day Bowl, then in my book, it wasn't worth it.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
You mean like when they took on:
#9 Clemson to open the 2008 regular season
#7 Virginia Tech to open 2009
#18 Penn State in week 2 of 2010
#23 Penn State the next year
#8 Michigan to open 2012
unranked but still P5 Virginia Tech in 2013
P5 West Virginia 2014
#20 WI in 2015
#20 USC in 2016
#3 FSU in 2017, along with P5 teams Fresno State and Colorado State
Louisville 2018
2019 was nobody
2020 was just conf play
#14 Miami last year
Texas this year?

I know the early season rankings don't always reflect reality, but it's pretty obvious Saban has been getting in one decent team every year except 2019. But go with your anti-SEC narrative if you want.
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THis is really interesting, so thanks for sharing...I wouldn't have guessed they played so many "helmet schools". One thing I seem to remember is that most of these games were at home or neutral sites -- many in the deep south. Is that accurate? That Texas game was one of the only I could explicitly remember Alabama playing a true road game in non-con, but I could be misremembering. I'm not saying they have to play on the road -- or that anyone does -- but PSU playing at Auburn this week (and vice versa last year) is different than Alabama playing Miami in Atlanta or Wisconsin in Dallas, IMO.
 

MNVCGUY said:
We are definitely catching Colorado at a down time in their program. Is what it is though because they are still a power 5 team and there would have been no way of knowing they would be this bad when the game was scheduled. Just the way it worked out.
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Not sure it was unexpected bad luck that Colorado turned out to be a weak opponent in 2021-22. The Gophers agreed to the series with Colorado in October 2016 (announcement date), at which time there was a good chance that Colorado would be mediocre or worse for both games, and a lesser chance that Colorado would be good for even one of the games. In the 10 years (2006-15) before the Gophers agreed in 2016 to face the Buffs, Colorado won 35 games total, never finishing with a winning record. But the Buffs had a great year in 2016, winning 10 games, then reverting to form with 4 losing records from 2017-21 and a 4-2 Covid-year record. So 1 good season and 14 losing records in 16 years.

Of course, there was some chance when the Gophers scheduled Colorado that the Buffs would find a coach who could have Bill McCartney or Rick Neuheisel level success, in which case Colorado would be formidable competition for the Gophers. But not likely. When Colorado left Big Eight level academic standards, success became difficult (not impossible) for the Buffs.
 
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MNfootballfan said:
It's fair to rip on the Gophers for playing a 'soft' New Mexico State and Western Illinois team. No one could predict what Colorado would be when this game was scheduled. I don't know how long ago this game was scheduled but Colorado may have been a better program than the Gophers at that point.
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Couldn't disagree more with that first statement. Why should the Gophers be ripped for doing the same thing that nearly every power five team in football does?

There is nothing wrong with our non-conf schedule and I really don't understand why anyone thinks there is something wrong with it.

Illinois - Virginia (P5), Wyoming, Chattanooga
Indiana - Cincinatti, Idaho, Western Kentucky
Iowa - Iowa State (P5), Nevada, South Dakota State
Maryland - SMU, Buffalo, Charlotte
Michigan - Colorado State, Connecticut, Hawaii
Michigan State - Washington (P5), Akron, Western Michigan
Minnesota - Colorado (P5), New Mexico State, Western Illinois
Nebraska - Oklahoma (P5), Georgia Southern, North Dakota
Northwestern - Duke (P5), Miami (OH), Southern Illinois
Ohio State - Notre Dame (P5 Ind), Toledo, Arkansas State
Penn State - Auburn (P5), Ohio, Central Michigan
Purdue - Syracuse (P5), FAU, Indiana State
Rutgers - Boston College, Temple, Wagner
Wisconsin - Washington State, New Mexico State, Illinois State

I challenge anyone to look at that and give me a valid reason why we should feel bad about or apologize for our non-conf schedule when it is right in line with EVERY team in the conference.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I think this is only interesting because PJ implies he’d want a home and home. I don’t see notre dame or more SEC schools doing that with Minnesota
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I disagree. Florida has home and home’s on the books with Cal, Colorado and Arizona State.

Georgia has Ohio State, UCLA, Texas and Oklahoma

Alabama has Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Arizona, Boston College and West Virginia

Arkansas has Notre Dame, BYU and Utah

Auburn has Cal and UCLA

LSU has Utah and Arizona State

Missouri has Illinois, Colorado and Kansas

Mississippi State has us, Texas Tech and Washington St

Ole Miss has Oregon State, BYU, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech

Tennessee has Oklahoma, Washington and Nebraska

Texas A&M has Notre Dame and Arizona State

All of these SEC schools playing teams from all over the country home and home and you think they wouldn’t play Minnesota?? Of course they would. It’s just a matter of picking up the phone and making the series happen….if that’s what PJ wants. Georgia’s home and home games with Texas and Oklahoma will have to be replaced once those two formally join the league so….Georgia is going to have some games to fill. Just saying.

One more thing. While non-SEC fans like to talk about how SEC teams never play anyone and won’t travel, this list begs to differ. It may have been that way in the past, but it certainly isn’t that way going forward.
 
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U2Gopher said:
I disagree. Florida has home and home’s on the books with Cal, Colorado and Arizona State.

Georgia has Ohio State, UCLA, Texas and Oklahoma

Alabama has Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Arizona, Boston College and West Virginia

Arkansas has Notre Dame, BYU and Utah

Auburn has Cal and UCLA

LSU has Utah and Arizona State

Missouri has Illinois, Colorado and Kansas

Mississippi State has us, Texas Tech and Washington St

Ole Miss has Oregon State, BYU, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech

Tennessee has Oklahoma, Washington and Nebraska

Texas A&M has Notre Dame and Arizona State

All of these SEC schools playing teams from all over the country home and home and you think they wouldn’t play Minnesota?? Of course they would. It’s just a matter of picking up the phone and making the series happen….if that’s what PJ wants. Georgia’s home and home games with Texas and Oklahoma will have to be replaced once those two formally join the league so….Georgia is going to have some games to fill. Just saying.

One more thing. While non-SEC fans like to talk about how SEC teams never play anyone and won’t travel, this list begs to differ. It may have been that way in the past, but it certainly isn’t that way going forward.
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Playing other teams doesn’t mean they’d want to play Minnesota.

I hope it happens. Not holding my breath. PJ seems happy playing the occasional bottom tier Pac-12 team and that’s fine with me also. I simply care very little about the Gophers non-conference schedule. There are 9 conference games. That’s plenty of P5 games for me.
 



There hasn’t been any incentive to schedule good teams for non conference for a while now and the incentive is even less with expanded playoffs. Only the g5 schools need to load their schedules.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Playing other teams doesn’t mean they’d want to play Minnesota.
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Well, by definition, yes, they’d have to want to play us to agree to the series. But Minnesota is just as good a team or better than many teams SEC programs are agreeing to play. I see no reason why any SEC team wouldn’t agree to play us if we were willing.
 

U2Gopher said:
Well, by definition, yes, they’d have to want to play us to agree to the series. But Minnesota is just as good a team or better than many teams SEC programs are agreeing to play. I see no reason why any SEC team wouldn’t agree to play us if we were willing.
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Being better doesn’t help them. I think the perception of Minnesota nationally is still weak. And really—these hypothetical games are 6-10 years away. Tanner Morgan will still be the QB but everyone else will be gone
 

btowngopher said:
There hasn’t been any incentive to schedule good teams for non conference for a while now and the incentive is even less with expanded playoffs.
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It’s just my opinion, but I would disagree with the first part of your statement. I think there has been incentive to schedule good teams non-conference. Take us in 2019. Our weak non-conference slate didn’t impress anyone and had us behind and fighting the rankings all year. That can have the potential to impact your bowl placement. But I would agree that going forward with the expanded playoffs, it is less important, so long as you make the playoff.
 

I was open to dating Marilyn Monroe but it never happened.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Couldn't disagree more with that first statement. Why should the Gophers be ripped for doing the same thing that nearly every power five team in football does?

There is nothing wrong with our non-conf schedule and I really don't understand why anyone thinks there is something wrong with it.

Illinois - Virginia (P5), Wyoming, Chattanooga
Indiana - Cincinatti, Idaho, Western Kentucky
Iowa - Iowa State (P5), Nevada, South Dakota State
Maryland - SMU, Buffalo, Charlotte
Michigan - Colorado State, Connecticut, Hawaii
Michigan State - Washington (P5), Akron, Western Michigan
Minnesota - Colorado (P5), New Mexico State, Western Illinois
Nebraska - Oklahoma (P5), Georgia Southern, North Dakota
Northwestern - Duke (P5), Miami (OH), Southern Illinois
Ohio State - Notre Dame (P5 Ind), Toledo, Arkansas State
Penn State - Auburn (P5), Ohio, Central Michigan
Purdue - Syracuse (P5), FAU, Indiana State
Rutgers - Boston College, Temple, Wagner
Wisconsin - Washington State, New Mexico State, Illinois State

I challenge anyone to look at that and give me a valid reason why we should feel bad about or apologize for our non-conf schedule when it is right in line with EVERY team in the conference.
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I agree with you... but I understand people that rip on us when we play those teams but I also know that in most of my circles I am the "college football guy" of my group. I don't think it is fair when the Gophers get ripped on for playing a soft Colorado team.

Pretty much every team plays a solid power 5 team, a small conference team, and an FCS team.
 


MNfootballfan said:
I agree with you... but I understand people that rip on us when we play those teams but I also know that in most of my circles I am the "college football guy" of my group. I don't think it is fair when the Gophers get ripped on for playing a soft Colorado team.

Pretty much every team plays a solid power 5 team, a small conference team, and an FCS team.
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I guess a casual fan that doesn't really pay much attention might rip the schedule or complain about it. But anyone that pays attention at all would clearly see that our schedule is very similar to every other team in the Big Ten and without looking would assume it also matches most of the Power 5 teams.
 


hello-world said:
They schedule games they know they will win.

SEC fans are so sensitive lol
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Re: bolded: That's a given unless they schedule an extra SEC game with whoever the other top SEC dog is at the time. They could schedule tOSU every year and it would still fall into that category of games they know they will win. ;)

Not sensitive, just debunking a narrative that Alabama doesn't play anyone.
 

MGGopher said:
THis is really interesting, so thanks for sharing...I wouldn't have guessed they played so many "helmet schools". One thing I seem to remember is that most of these games were at home or neutral sites -- many in the deep south. Is that accurate? That Texas game was one of the only I could explicitly remember Alabama playing a true road game in non-con, but I could be misremembering. I'm not saying they have to play on the road -- or that anyone does -- but PSU playing at Auburn this week (and vice versa last year) is different than Alabama playing Miami in Atlanta or Wisconsin in Dallas, IMO.
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You are correct, most are neutral site games in the south.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Agreed. But the SEC plays 8 conference games. So with 1 P5 non-conference game Alabama plays 9 P5 teams. The Gophers will play 10 this year. Just to try to balance this convo a bit.
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Yeah they do play more "creampuffs" because of one less conference game. It does look like that will change for them starting in 2025.

fbschedules.com

Future Alabama Football Schedules | FBSchedules.com

View future Alabama football schedules and opponents at FBSchedules.com.
fbschedules.com
 

Im good with 2 cupcakes and a nonconference p5 team
every year, can't help it that colorado is garbage
 

Tough to get elite teams to want to play away games against Minnesota now that they could easily lose.

Maybe a neutral site game held downtown would be acceptable!
 

U2Gopher said:
It’s just my opinion, but I would disagree with the first part of your statement. I think there has been incentive to schedule good teams non-conference. Take us in 2019. Our weak non-conference slate didn’t impress anyone and had us behind and fighting the rankings all year. That can have the potential to impact your bowl placement. But I would agree that going forward with the expanded playoffs, it is less important, so long as you make the playoff.
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I think there is greater disincentive to schedule opponents of similar (or better) stature since the Big Ten went to a 9 game conference, 3 game non-conference schedule.

I don't think the quality of our non-conference opponents hurt us in 2019. I think the fact that we struggled with them did. We also had a pretty easy conference schedule to start out that portion of the season so that also contributed to us not being ranked until the middle of October. During the conference season, we beat only one team (PSU) with an overall winning record.

We finished the year ranked #10 (AP) so our overall season was pretty well regarded by the voters. Notre Dame was ranked below us with the same record.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I guess a casual fan that doesn't really pay much attention might rip the schedule or complain about it. But anyone that pays attention at all would clearly see that our schedule is very similar to every other team in the Big Ten and without looking would assume it also matches most of the Power 5 teams.
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Similar to everyone else in the Big Ten but tougher than everyone in the SEC and other conferences that play four non-league games. Those teams play nine tough games in regular season. We play 10.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
Re: bolded: That's a given unless they schedule an extra SEC game with whoever the other top SEC dog is at the time. They could schedule tOSU every year and it would still fall into that category of games they know they will win. ;)

Not sensitive, just debunking a narrative that Alabama doesn't play anyone.
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You didn't debunk anything. The narrative is accurate.
 

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