Gophers AD Mark Coyle: Fans can look forward to more marquee nonconference games

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Per Greder:

“In my mind, and P.J’s mind, the answer is absolutely yes,” Coyle said. “… (Fleck) thinks it’s important for our program to see where we are at, and it prepares you for a gauntlet that is the Big Ten schedule. I very much see these games in our future.”

www.twincities.com

Gophers AD Mark Coyle: Fans can look forward to more marquee nonconference games

The U will look to have power conference foes — if the Big Ten doesn’t go to 10 league games each season.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!
 

As long as they expect to win a majority of those marquee games, I am all for it.
 

Iron Sharpens Iron. Marquee Games like these are part of the process to improve. The Gophers definitely will not get better playing Eastern Michigan or playing in inter-squad scrimmages as they can't replicate the speed and athleticism in practice they will see playing Michigan, Penn State, or Ohio State. Also, high-profile games improve the Gopher's national status so more recruits see us on TV and decide to be a part of that. Jimmys and Joes beat X's and O's and it will take a while longer to get more Big Dogs on the team.
 


Lifetime Gopher fan here, been to dozens of home games. Made my first road trip because going to Chapel Hill was too good to pass up. Had a wonderful time.
I encourage Coyle to keep scheduling games in places like Boulder and Chapel Hill that are great trips for fans.
Knoxville would be cool. Vanderbilt in Nashville?
 


I wish we would wait to see how CFP teams really start being selected at the 8-12 spots before we decide this.

Until a 9-3 team with a good SOS passes at 10-2 power 4 team for a playoff birth, should probably just schedule wins.
Although, if playoff doesn’t matter to you, yesterdays game was great. Literally playing with house money. The loss impacts the season very little if you aren’t planning on going to the playoff (I wasn’t planning on it this year).
 

Some guy said:
I wish we would wait to see how CFP teams really start being selected at the 8-12 spots before we decide this.

Until a 9-3 team with a good SOS passes at 10-2 power 4 team for a playoff birth, should probably just schedule wins.
Although, if playoff doesn’t matter to you, yesterdays game was great. Literally playing with house money. The loss impacts the season very little if you aren’t planning on going to the playoff (I wasn’t planning on it this year).
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I had this mindset too. Consequences of that loss are really not that significant unless you were crazy enough to think we were a playoff team. The near-term hump is the same as it has been: win the West. An early test helps the team learn and grow prior to conference play.
 

Seems like fans really enjoyed the trip and had a great time! Awesome to hear!

Not sure “marquee” is a reasonable word to describe an away game to North Carolina … football. Where attendance was 45k in a 50k stadium.

To a location that I’m guessing no one would travel to if there weren’t (world class) universities located there?
 

Is Starkville, Mississippi a “marquee” destination? I have no clue. But guessing attendance for that one will be in the 80k range and tailgating will be insane compared to what we’re used to.
 



MplsGopher said:
Is Starkville, Mississippi a “marquee” destination? I have no clue. But guessing attendance for that one will be in the 80k range and tailgating will be insane compared to what we’re used to.
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I can’t wait for that game and hope like heck that game and Roll Tide stay on the schedule.

Go Gophers!!
 

MplsGopher said:
Is Starkville, Mississippi a “marquee” destination? I have no clue. But guessing attendance for that one will be in the 80k range and tailgating will be insane compared to what we’re used to.
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Marquee in college football terms, not as a normal travel destination.
 

Arnold Babar said:
Lifetime Gopher fan here, been to dozens of home games. Made my first road trip because going to Chapel Hill was too good to pass up. Had a wonderful time.
I encourage Coyle to keep scheduling games in places like Boulder and Chapel Hill that are great trips for fans.
Knoxville would be cool. Vanderbilt in Nashville?
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Vandy would be great...also Seattle, Austin TX, Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach).
 

PMWinSTP said:
Vandy would be great...also Seattle, Austin TX, Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach).
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Bring the "Eggheads!". This would be a great time to sow seeds of collaboration. Joint academic ventures with UW, UT and Vanderbilt would be great! Washington should be happening anyway with them joining the BigTen,
 
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STPGopher said:
Bring the "Eggheads!". This would be a great time to sow seeds of colaboration. Joint academic ventures with UW, UT and Vanderbilt would be great! Washington should be happening anyway with them joining the BigTen,
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Yeah each team added to B1G was a nonconference destination game for me...looking forward to visiting Husky Stadium.
 

BleedGopher said:
I can’t wait for that game and hope like heck that game and Roll Tide stay on the schedule.

Go Gophers!!
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I agree with Bleed. Starkville is a KEY historical destination for Minnesota Gopher football. Both Bernie Bierman and Murray Warmath reside in the coaching record books of the Mississippi State football coaches.

We Gopher fans can make pilgrimages to a place where two of our greatest coaches coached and resided!

Actually, Mississippi State hired a lot of football coaches who went on to greatness. Darrel Royal who went on to fame with the Longhorns in Austin Texas was hired to replace Warmath when Murray left for greener pastures. Both coached in Starkville for two seasons. it is one of those
schools like Miami of Ohio that hired and gave a start to many future great young coaches!
 
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Wow, did not know that! Thanks for sharing @walrus


Imagine coaching in Mississippi before air conditions. Yikes
 

starting next year with the new 18-team B1G, I would schedule the three biggest cupcakes I could find for non-conference games. depending on what happens with the schedule, the Gophers could wind up finding themselves facing OSU, Michigan, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, and/or Penn State as conference opponents.

Unless Coyle and Fleck are psychic, they did not know what the conference would become when they were scheduling their future non-conf games.

granted, you will not face all of those teams in the same season, but you get the idea.

so give me Directional State, Podunk U and I Need the Money Tech for non-conference.

screw Pride - give me Bowl Eligibility.
 



MplsGopher said:
Is Starkville, Mississippi a “marquee” destination? I have no clue. But guessing attendance for that one will be in the 80k range and tailgating will be insane compared to what we’re used to.
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Attendance will be far less than 80k unless there is a looming renovation to Davis Wade Stadium. Capacity is currently 61,337.

en.wikipedia.org

Davis Wade Stadium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 

Not a good idea to schedule top 25 non-conf programs. Schedule a P5 middle-of-conference team like we are and two nearby schools like NDSU, SDSU et al.
 

FanSinceTheFifties said:
Not a good idea to schedule top 25 non-conf programs. Schedule a P5 middle-of-conference team like we are and two nearby schools like NDSU, SDSU et al.
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The trick is these are usually scheduled well in advance.

The Minnesota/North Carolina series was announced in 2018. The Tar Heels had finished 2017 at 3-9, last in the ACC Coastal Division and were a season away from hiring Mack Brown.
 

@Ope3 no idea why I thought they had 80+k stadium! I was wondering to myself why it didn't look that much bigger than UNC's stadium, when I was earlier seeing their LSU game on the multicast in the timeslot before. Because, its not that much bigger!

They do take football way more seriously though, no surprise being an SEC school. Their stadium look packed with people on top of each other, earlier in the game when it wasn't a blowout.

UNC game on the otherhand, look 80% to me at least on the TV shots there were always several light blue open seats. Maybe more so in the more expensive seating closer to the field.

Doh!
 

Ope3 said:
The trick is these are usually scheduled well in advance.

The Minnesota/North Carolina series was announced in 2018. The Tar Heels had finished 2017 at 3-9, last in the ACC Coastal Division and were a season away from hiring Mack Brown.
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Understand. But there are some schools that are perennially near the top of their conferences. I'd avoid them. We have enough tough competition in our own conference.
 


North Carolina was not a marquee match up. UNC is a basketball school.
 

This program can not afford to take their foot off the gas like they did in the 1970s & 1980s. Full speed ahead!
 




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