Greder: U displaying its 2019 BT West trophy in the Larson Football Performance Center.

If the conference you’ve been a part of for a decade sends you a trophy in the mail, you by definition did
Decade? They have been in the Big 10 for over a century, since 1896. The B10 West was created only 6 years ago when Maryland & Rutgers joined.

I hope Commissioner Warren sent orange slices and participation ribbons to go along with the trophy.
 

College Gameday on the ring? Why would anyone want to be reminded of that game?!
 



It is a little pathetic to lose the division championship game in a beat down and then crow about being co champs of the division.
Accept the title but do not make a big deal about it.
 


If Wisconsin can put on a emblem to say they are inclusive when they truly are not, it is OK for the Gophers to display a trophy as B1G Ten west champs when at least via record we can argue we are. Both don't leave the hurt parties feeling like they have achieved anything but some administrator or marketing person will find a way to make the most of it.
 
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If it was the other way around, how would we be reacting to Wisc getting to claim a B1G West title? I think something is missing from your last sentence...?

Probably the same way I'd react to Penn State's 2011 co-championship, or Ohio State's in 2015 and 2016 or Michigan's in 2018.
 


If Wisconsin can put on a emblem to say they are inclusive when they truly are not, it is OK for the Gophers to display a trophy as B1G Ten champs when at least via record we can argue we are. Both don't leave the hurt parties feeling like they have achieved anything but some administrator or marketing person will find a way to make the most of it.
We have no argument for anything Big 10 champs. There was a conference title game and we did not make it there. We were co west division champions.
 



Conference and division champions are two separate things (like tournament and regular season champs in basketball). A conference champion is not necessarily also a division champion. Take 2012 for example. WI won the conference despite placing third in its division because OSU & PSU were ineligible for post season. So that year, the Big Ten recognizes Ohio State & Nebraska as division champions and Wisconsin as conference champion. Tiebreakers determine who plays in the conference championship game only, not who is division champ. As such, YES Minnesota is co-division champions for 2019. As a fan you may not care, but the Big Ten does.

My question is, does anyone have a photo of this trophy, and will it be displayed at the State Fair Food Parade?
 

People are acting like the Conference decided to get charitable and send us a little something. The conference simply followed the protocol they already had in place. Seems easy to understand that the team tied for the division.
Huh...don't see that noted in the final standings.

 


Conference and division champions are two separate things (like tournament and regular season champs in basketball). A conference champion is not necessarily also a division champion. Take 2012 for example. WI won the conference despite placing third in its division because OSU & PSU were ineligible for post season. So that year, the Big Ten recognizes Ohio State & Nebraska as division champions and Wisconsin as conference champion. Tiebreakers determine who plays in the conference championship game only, not who is division champ. As such, YES Minnesota is co-division champions for 2019. As a fan you may not care, but the Big Ten does.

My question is, does anyone have a photo of this trophy, and will it be displayed at the State Fair Food Parade?
I don't think anyone is arguing that the Big Ten misunderstood its own rules, and sent the trophy by mistake.

Some are arguing that getting a trophy for being co-division champs, is like getting a trophy for finishing the mile run in PE class in grade school, where you came in 6th out of 12 kids running.


As the ring correctly shows, the major accomplishment of the 2019 season was winning the Outback Bowl over Auburn. That is a significant, major accomplishment, which bakes in the fact that we did very well during the regular season, or else we wouldn't have gotten the bid to that bowl in the first place.

You win your conference. Or you win a bowl game (or national championship game). There is nothing else that's worthy of commemorating.
 



I don't think anyone is arguing that the Big Ten misunderstood its own rules, and sent the trophy by mistake.

Some are arguing that getting a trophy for being co-division champs, is like getting a trophy for finishing the mile run in PE class in grade school, where you came in 6th out of 12 kids running.


As the ring correctly shows, the major accomplishment of the 2019 season was winning the Outback Bowl over Auburn. That is a significant, major accomplishment, which bakes in the fact that we did very well during the regular season, or else we wouldn't have gotten the bid to that bowl in the first place.

You win your conference. Or you win a bowl game (or national championship game). There is nothing else that's worthy of commemorating.
Trophy games....even the Bell, are worthy. :)
 

I don't think anyone is arguing that the Big Ten misunderstood its own rules, and sent the trophy by mistake.

Some are arguing that getting a trophy for being co-division champs, is like getting a trophy for finishing the mile run in PE class in grade school, where you came in 6th out of 12 kids running.


As the ring correctly shows, the major accomplishment of the 2019 season was winning the Outback Bowl over Auburn. That is a significant, major accomplishment, which bakes in the fact that we did very well during the regular season, or else we wouldn't have gotten the bid to that bowl in the first place.

You win your conference. Or you win a bowl game (or national championship game). There is nothing else that's worthy of commemorating.

I think what some of us are saying is that we had one really good season this century and won 11 games. Are we really at that point as a program that we would put a trophy from the Big Ten in the closet as opposed to displaying it? No, not right now. Maybe after a few more really good seasons we can act like we don't have room for or don't recognize these types of "participation" trophies.

On another note, it's funny how much one really good season has done to change our fanbase's perception of the program. 12 months ago, this board was filled with in-fighting about PJ's slogans and personality and whether he was the right guy. Now, we're arguing about whether a Big Ten trophy is worthy of being displayed in our trophy case. Fun times to be a Gopher fan!
 

Trophy games....even the Bell, are worthy. :)
Those aren't commemorative.

And you don't get them by losing the game. Badly. At home. In fact, we lost a trophy doing that.
 

I think what some of us are saying is that we had one really good season this century and won 11 games. Are we really at that point as a program that we would put a trophy from the Big Ten in the closet as opposed to displaying it? No, not right now. Maybe after a few more really good seasons we can act like we don't have room for or don't recognize these types of "participation" trophies.

On another note, it's funny how much one really good season has done to change our fanbase's perception of the program. 12 months ago, this board was filled with in-fighting about PJ's slogans and personality and whether he was the right guy. Now, we're arguing about whether a Big Ten trophy is worthy of being displayed in our trophy case. Fun times to be a Gopher fan!
You're of course correct, in the bolded. That is exactly how they're treating this, in the program, I'm sure. It will be front and center. That is Fleck's style, and that's his call.

2nd para: yep, good points!
 



I don't understand all the negative comments here. Look, this team is finally on the rise and winning games if it helps recruiting than it was worth the banner.
 

I don't understand all the negative comments here. Look, this team is finally on the rise and winning games if it helps recruiting than it was worth the banner.
A man has to have a code.

A line has to be drawn somewhere.
 



Those aren't commemorative.

And you don't get them by losing the game. Badly. At home. In fact, we lost a trophy doing that.
I disagree, every game is commemorated on the trophy, and the trophy itself memorializes the event of playing that game.
 


Gotta love Badger's media. Knew they'd be all over this when I first saw the ring. In the spirit of participation trophies, maybe they should make a ring to commemorate their fourth straight loss in Big Ten title game appearances. They could even add their glistening 0-4 Rose Bowl record since 2010.

 

The point is MN won two games that few expected them to win and got a trophy for both.
Beating PSU was a program changer and then after pissing away a chance at the Rose Bowl went and beat a good SEC team.
Those are what should be emphasized.
Emphasizing the West 'championship' is a distraction from the real accomplishments.
 


They have both of us at 7-2 and sent the trophy. Our head coach thinks we tied for the division and did not win the conference.
Wisconsin at the top, no notations whatsoever. Fleck may say that, I doubt with the loss and worse division record he actually thinks it.
 





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