Gophers Add Future Series With Cal

[Replacement Gopher]

I mean, I'm happy we scheduled a quality opponent in Cal, and it's better than a kick in the teeth - but why couldn't we schedule one of the 10 Pac-12 schools we haven't played in the last decade-plus? A home-and-home with Arizona St. (for example) would have been much better.

You need a willing dance partner. Do you know whether other Pac-12 schools were looking for a home and home with a Big Ten team?

 

[Gophers1992]

No no no

I went to that game in Berkeley and it was a great trip. The California, USC and tcu games at tcf were all incredible environments

I totally get that from a fan perspective. I just think we play enough difficult conference games where I would rather have 3 (almost) guaranteed wins. I definitely understand the argument of what can be gained from playing top teams, or even middle of the road teams, but in my view there is more to be lost than gained when it comes to playing tough OOC games.

 

[MNVCGUY]

You need a willing dance partner. Do you know whether other Pac-12 schools were looking for a home and home with a Big Ten team?

This. Scheduling is really complicated. For all we know they tried and failed to make it work with other PAC 12 teams.

 

[2nd Degree Gopher]

This is a great home and home series. I went to the Gopher game at Cal with Norman Dale and Mrs. Norman Dale when we played there in early 2000's. I have to imagine the stadium has been rennovated since then, but great location.

Go Gophers!!

Made the trip out to Cal for that game as well. Great trip--stayed in the City and took the BART out to the game, caught the Barry Bonds era Giants play the Padres, did the Alcatraz tour, great food and drink options--good times. If you are a sports tourist, I highly recommend it.

 

[RememberMurray]

Will we ever get some top tier out of conference opponents?

Yeah! We need a really tough non-conference schedule... like Clemson plays!

Maybe Clemson will trade with us: we'll give them our game against Florida Atlantic; they give us Akron. Or Wofford. Or Charlotte.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Yeah! We need a really tough non-conference schedule... like Clemson plays!

Maybe Clemson will trade with us: we'll give them our game against Florida Atlantic; they give us Akron. Or Wofford. Or Charlotte.

You mean the same Clemson that plays South Carolina every year and had Texas A&M on the schedule this year? They have Notre Dame on the NC schedule 3 of the next 4 years as well. Then they follow that up with NC games against Georgia and LSU in btb years.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

I mean, I'm happy we scheduled a quality opponent in Cal, and it's better than a kick in the teeth - but why couldn't we schedule one of the 10 Pac-12 schools we haven't played in the last decade-plus? A home-and-home with Arizona St. (for example) would have been much better.

Agreed. ASU would have been fun. Or UCLA.

 

[dpodoll68]

Yeah! We need a really tough non-conference schedule... like Clemson plays!

Maybe Clemson will trade with us: we'll give them our game against Florida Atlantic; they give us Akron. Or Wofford. Or Charlotte.

Clemson? Really? That's who you pick?

Clemson Power 5 Non-Conference Opponents
2019 - Texas A&M, South Carolina
2018 - Texas A&M, South Carolina
2017 - Auburn, South Carolina
2016 - Auburn, South Carolina
2015 - Notre Dame, South Carolina
2014 - Georgia, South Carolina
2013 - Georgia, South Carolina
2012 - Auburn, South Carolina
2011 - Auburn, South Carolina
2010 - Auburn, South Carolina

I could've gone back further, but this illustrates that Clemson has played two Power 5 opponents (almost always two SEC schools, nonetheless) in the non-conference every year for the last ten years, in addition to their own Power 5 conference schedule. How many schools in the country can say that?

 

[Veritas]

Nice how they can plan a schedule this far out but can't decided game times till the week before!!

You are confused about who "they" are. The U scheduals games within the rules laid out by the Big Ten. The TV networks determine when the game will be played, give or take a little imput from the U. We accept the 54 million dollars a year from the TV networks, they get to call a lot of the shots.

 

[Veritas]

We also went to the game out in Berkeley. If you have never seen that community, you should. The American epicenter of whatever it is.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Clemson? Really? That's who you pick?

Clemson Power 5 Non-Conference Opponents
2019 - Texas A&M, South Carolina
2018 - Texas A&M, South Carolina
2017 - Auburn, South Carolina
2016 - Auburn, South Carolina
2015 - Notre Dame, South Carolina
2014 - Georgia, South Carolina
2013 - Georgia, South Carolina
2012 - Auburn, South Carolina
2011 - Auburn, South Carolina
2010 - Auburn, South Carolina

I could've gone back further, but this illustrates that Clemson has played two Power 5 opponents (almost always two SEC schools, nonetheless) in the non-conference every year for the last ten years, in addition to their own Power 5 conference schedule. How many schools in the country can say that?

Valid point, although of all the schools that can afford to do that ... Clemson is the one.

 

[Nokomis]

I love non-con games like these and couldn't disagree more with those that think we should schedule three sure wins. That was Mason's mentality; we're beyond that now. What did Fleck say? If you want to be a blue blood, you have to beat the blue bloods. (Or at least mid-level P5) Plus, I'm sure Coyle looks at it from a ticket sales angle. I love the upcoming docket of Cal, Colorado, Miss St., UNC, & BYU. Lots of cool away game destinations. As others have said, the trip to Cal a few years ago was AWESOME!

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I love non-con games like these and couldn't disagree more with those that think we should schedule three sure wins. That was Mason's mentality; we're beyond that now. What did Fleck say? If you want to be a blue blood, you have to beat the blue bloods. (Or at least mid-level P5) Plus, I'm sure Coyle looks at it from a ticket sales angle. I love the upcoming docket of Cal, Colorado, Miss St., UNC, & BYU. Lots of cool away game destinations. As others have said, the trip to Cal a few years ago was AWESOME!

If Mason had scheduled better teams ... he would have lost.

I think he was right

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Valid point, although of all the schools that can afford to do that ... Clemson is the one.

Huh? Clemson was a 6-7 team in 2010 having a future schedule with 2 power 5 opponents each year. Certainly Clemson "can afford to do this now" because of what Dabo has made them. Heck, it is to their benefit given the current state of the ACC. However, for years Clemson was a middling program who was willing to schedule P5 NC games on an annual basis and most years they played multiple P5 NC games.

 

[PitinoFan]

Nvm

 

[Dinkytown Don]

You mean like LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Oklahoma?

Yes. Maybe I get too caught up with our neighbors to the east but I'd be lying if i said i wasn't a little jealous when i see them play LSU, Alabama, Notre Dame, etc. and playing games at Lambeau, Wrigley field, and Cowboy stadium.

 

[PitinoFan]

Yes. Maybe I get too caught up with our neighbors to the east but I'd be lying if i said i wasn't a little jealous when i see them play LSU, Alabama, Notre Dame, etc. and playing games at Lambeau, Wrigley field, and Cowboy stadium.

It could be that those teams would have been reluctant to schedule a game with us over the last two decades. They wouldn’t have had much to gain by beating us, and on any given Saturday, a middling P5 team can take down a powerhouse. Going forward, hopefully that changes, and we can schedule a game with Bama or Notre Dame.

 

[Taji34]

I’d love a Washington home and home. We haven’t played them since 1977.

Same. I drive by Husky Stadium a lot, would love to go to a game there and cheer for the Gophers.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

As someone noted, playing three cupcakes may give the Gophers a better chance of winning, but it doesn't do squat for ticket sales.

A lot easier to promote a schedule that includes teams the casual fans have actually heard of.
Cal may not be a top-20 team, but they are a Pac-12 team. Looks better on the schedule than playing SE Directional State, or Whatsamatta U.

 

[RememberMurray]

Clemson? Really? That's who you pick?

Clemson Power 5 Non-Conference Opponents
2019 - Texas A&M, South Carolina
2018 - Texas A&M, South Carolina
2017 - Auburn, South Carolina
2016 - Auburn, South Carolina
2015 - Notre Dame, South Carolina
2014 - Georgia, South Carolina
2013 - Georgia, South Carolina
2012 - Auburn, South Carolina
2011 - Auburn, South Carolina
2010 - Auburn, South Carolina

I could've gone back further, but this illustrates that Clemson has played two Power 5 opponents (almost always two SEC schools, nonetheless) in the non-conference every year for the last ten years, in addition to their own Power 5 conference schedule. How many schools in the country can say that?

So, let's see... you're obviously impressed with South Carolina. But... are they really that much better than Cal, whom the Gophers just scheduled?

Are you also in awe of teams like Charlotte and Wofford, teams Clemson has played?

Also, correct me if I'm wrong but... I'm pretty sure my team beat Auburn in 2019. Well, technically it was January 1, 2020. But, yeah.. I double-checked. It happened.

All of this relates to the poster who complained about Minnesota's non conference schedule being too soft.

Now — should we compare conference schedules — Clemson vs. Minnesota? It might be interesting.

 

[PitinoFan]

So, let's see... you're obviously impressed with South Carolina. But... are they really that much better than Cal, whom the Gophers just scheduled?

Are you also in awe of teams like Charlotte and Wofford, teams Clemson has played?

Also, correct me if I'm wrong but... I'm pretty sure my team beat Auburn in 2019. Well, technically it was January 1, 2020. But, yeah.. I double-checked. It happened.

All of this relates to the poster who complained about Minnesota's non conference schedule being too soft.

Now — should we compare conference schedules — Clemson vs. Minnesota? It might be interesting.

You already lost the argument. I can’t believe you came back for more.

 

[RememberMurray]

I'm just hoping we don't get all full of ourselves after finishing #10 in two national polls.

I mean, let's not get carried away and start scheduling powerhouse non-conference opponents like, uh... Wofford. Or Charlotte.

 

[Schnauzer]

It looks like your suggestion that Clemson only schedules cupcake opponents was soundly proven wrong. You continue to cherry pick their lesser opponents as if it proves they schedule poorly. There isn't a power 5 conference school anywhere that doesn't have any cupcakes on their schedule ever.

And, for what it is worth - scheduling any power 5 team (usually done years in advance) is a likely tough game but it is out of the control of one team if the other is struggling by the time the games actually arrive.

Just admit it... Clemson does a decent job of scheduling.

 

[RememberMurray]

It looks like your suggestion that Clemson only schedules cupcake opponents was soundly proven wrong. You continue to cherry pick their lesser opponents as if it proves they schedule poorly. There isn't a power 5 conference school anywhere that doesn't have any cupcakes on their schedule ever.

And, for what it is worth - scheduling any power 5 team (usually done years in advance) is a likely tough game but it is out of the control of one team if the other is struggling by the time the games actually arrive.

Just admit it... Clemson does a decent job of scheduling.

Clemson does "a decent job"... but Minnesota does not? That's what the original complaint was actually about: an accusation that Minnesota schedules only cupcakes.

My point was an effort to refute the idea that the Gophers are the only team scheduling easy non-conference opponents. That's why I brought up Clemson — to point out that even a blue blood program schedules 'breather' games. I mean, I think we can agree that Wofford is an example of a cupcake game.

 

[RememberMurray]

This was the post (post #7 in this thread) that I was originally responding to:

"Will we ever get some top tier out of conference opponents?"

Minnesota's non conference schedule has indeed been generally easy, but in 2018 we did play a Fresno State team that ended up ranked, and we all remember our home-and-home against TCU fairly recently.

I didn't mean to offend any Clemson fans. Evidently they can be quite sensitive, and they are passionate as well.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

This was the post (post #7 in this thread) that I was originally responding to:

"Will we ever get some top tier out of conference opponents?"

Minnesota's non conference schedule has indeed been generally easy, but in 2018 we did play a Fresno State team that ended up ranked, and we all remember our home-and-home against TCU fairly recently.

I didn't mean to offend any Clemson fans. Evidently they can be quite sensitive, and they are passionate as well.

Arguably the toughest team we played in 2018 was a non conference opponent.

 

[RememberMurray]

Arguably the toughest team we played in 2018 was a non conference opponent.

Thank you.

Although I think we played Ohio State in Columbus in 2018. They might have been considered tougher than 2018 Fresno State, although it might have been close.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Thank you.

Although I think we played Ohio State in Columbus in 2018. They might have been considered tougher than 2018 Fresno State, although it might have been close.

Doh that's right... i was looking at rankings and hte schedule and missed the "6" for Ohio St.

Well the toughest opponent if we include OOC and our division

 

[PitinoFan]

Nah...Fresno would have finished middle of the pack at best in the Big Ten that year. We overrate them to make that win look better.

 

[tikited]

They have a beautiful setting on the mountain side where you can overlook downtown SF across the bay. They plopped a nice big suites/press box on that side of the stadium though, so you can’t ge the view if you’re in the stadium. I guess they wanted people to actually watch the game.

Plus....Three excellent tiki bars in the area. I'm there.