Here’s how much I believe in Minnesota: The Gophers have all the pieces to put together an upset against Ohio State.

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icepirate13

icepirate13

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apple.news

State of Big Ten football: Ohio State, Michigan and a host of challengers — FOX Sports

Can anyone challenge the Buckeyes and Wolverines for supremacy atop the Big Ten? RJ Young evaluates the conference.
apple.news apple.news

Yeah, I said it. But with good reason.

P.J. Fleck has successfully put the band back together — the band that led Minnesota to an 11-win season and an Outback Bowl win in 2019.

That band includes quarterback Tanner Morgan, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

For our purposes, Ibrahim is as important to Minnesota as Freddie Mercury is to Queen. He is their frontman, and the Golden Gophers simply don’t run without him — literally.

As I wrote in our staff picks piece this week, Ibrahim rushed for more than 200 yards against Colorado last week and has put together 12-straight 100-yard rushing performances dating back to 2019. The Gophers are one of just two teams averaging more than 300 rush yards per game this season. The other is an academy team (Air Force).

The Gophers are my pick to represent the Big Ten West in the Big Ten title game and the division’s best bet to win the conference title for the first time in a decade.
 


This guy approves:
1KoolAid.jpg
 

The gophers have a real good shot to win the west...beating Ohio State on the other hand...my money is not on the Gophers. As I said somewhere else though, I'm REALLY sick of Ohio State.
 

Just take it one game at a time. but im definitely excited to see whats to come.
i'll be a lot more excited if we get this big win Saturday.
 





Ohio State is starting to feel the loss of urban Meyer. They’ve taken a subtle step back which started last season. Still very good and loaded with talent, but this isn’t the JT Barrett or Pryor Buckeyes that would make opponents beg for mercy.

Gophers will face Penn State or Michigan in Indy.
 



A little off-topic but it's from the same article....

There has never been a better argument for the Big Ten to disband its divisions and let the two teams with the best records play each other for the league title.
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I hate comments like that because it's the same old lazy research. Since 2014 the East vs West record has been:
2014: Tie 7-7
2015: Tie 7-7
2016: West 11-10
2017: East 13-8
2018: East 11-10
2019: East 11-10
2020: Tie 7-7
2021: East 11-10

Now if you consider the East to have a 1 game edge most seasons as "dominating" then fine. But as it stands the East is 77-70 and West is 70-77 (not counting 2022's results yet). Take away Ohio State's 18-2 record and it flips to: East 59-68 and West 68-59.
 

Too far out to worry about. I am only worried about being 1-0 in the MSU championship season.
 


icepirate13 said:
apple.news

State of Big Ten football: Ohio State, Michigan and a host of challengers — FOX Sports

Can anyone challenge the Buckeyes and Wolverines for supremacy atop the Big Ten? RJ Young evaluates the conference.
apple.news apple.news

Yeah, I said it. But with good reason.

P.J. Fleck has successfully put the band back together — the band that led Minnesota to an 11-win season and an Outback Bowl win in 2019.

That band includes quarterback Tanner Morgan, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

For our purposes, Ibrahim is as important to Minnesota as Freddie Mercury is to Queen. He is their frontman, and the Golden Gophers simply don’t run without him — literally.

As I wrote in our staff picks piece this week, Ibrahim rushed for more than 200 yards against Colorado last week and has put together 12-straight 100-yard rushing performances dating back to 2019. The Gophers are one of just two teams averaging more than 300 rush yards per game this season. The other is an academy team (Air Force).

The Gophers are my pick to represent the Big Ten West in the Big Ten title game and the division’s best bet to win the conference title for the first time in a decade.
Click to expand...
:cool02::cool02::cool02::cool02::cool02:
 




RJ loves the Gophers!
 

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SpartyOn said:
Ohio State is starting to feel the loss of urban Meyer. They’ve taken a subtle step back which started last season. Still very good and loaded with talent, but this isn’t the JT Barrett or Pryor Buckeyes that would make opponents beg for mercy.

Gophers will face Penn State or Michigan in Indy.
Click to expand...
In what way have they felt the loss of Urban Meyer -- Ryan Day lost his first conference game last year. Urban lost a conference game his last four years. What is the subtle step?
 

noamfromm said:
In what way have they felt the loss of Urban Meyer -- Ryan Day lost his first conference game last year. Urban lost a conference game his last four years. What is the subtle step?
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They aren’t quite as crisp. More importantly, and the reason they aren’t an NC contender, is that their OL isn’t steamrolling defenses like they used to. Their running game and defense are not at Urban Meyer levels. The mental toughness isn’t as elite as it once was either, as evidenced by their pathetic showing against Umich last season. They just aren’t the same machine. Last year was their “weakest” team in years and I don’t see much of an improvement.
 

SpartyOn said:
They aren’t quite as crisp. More importantly, and the reason they aren’t an NC contender, is that their OL isn’t steamrolling defenses like they used to. Their running game and defense are not at Urban Meyer levels. The mental toughness isn’t as elite as it once was either, as evidenced by their pathetic showing against Umich last season. They just aren’t the same machine. Last year was their “weakest” team in years and I don’t see much of an improvement.
Click to expand...
Urban Meyer's teams got blown out on the road against Purdue and Iowa in back to back years - the same Purdue team that we destroyed in 2018. Meyer had great teams, but I think you're misremembering how much of a well oiled machine his teams were. They were usually good for one letdown a year.
 

SpartyOn said:
They aren’t quite as crisp. More importantly, and the reason they aren’t an NC contender, is that their OL isn’t steamrolling defenses like they used to. Their running game and defense are not at Urban Meyer levels. The mental toughness isn’t as elite as it once was either, as evidenced by their pathetic showing against Umich last season. They just aren’t the same machine. Last year was their “weakest” team in years and I don’t see much of an improvement.
Click to expand...
To each their own. I think getting the doors blown off you by Iowa and Purdue wasn't being extremely crisp or mentally tough. Defense definitely needed an overhaul and we'll see if knowles gets it done, but I think the running game critique is overblown. This reads to me like us Gopher posters who for-tell the demise of Wisconsin year in and year out.
 

Gophers1992 said:
Urban Meyer's teams got blown out on the road against Purdue and Iowa in back to back years - the same Purdue team that we destroyed in 2018. Meyer had great teams, but I think you're misremembering how much of a well oiled machine his teams were. They were usually good for one letdown a year.
Click to expand...

Meyer won the Big Ten 4 out of 7 years. Day has won 2 out of 3. I’ve seen the Buckeyes up close for years and they haven’t been the same the last two seasons. Let’s see what happens.
 

SpartyOn said:
They aren’t quite as crisp. More importantly, and the reason they aren’t an NC contender, is that their OL isn’t steamrolling defenses like they used to. Their running game and defense are not at Urban Meyer levels. The mental toughness isn’t as elite as it once was either, as evidenced by their pathetic showing against Umich last season. They just aren’t the same machine. Last year was their “weakest” team in years and I don’t see much of an improvement.
Click to expand...
Agree.

Ohio State was weak defensively last year. Skilled. Athletic. Talented. Fast. But weak. They could be bullied. And they were bullied.
 

Wow! You guys are a little too far over the ends of your skis on this one. Might wait until Big season plays out.
There are some pretty wild assumptions. 1. Buckeyes running game is strong with Miyan Williams and Henderson. 2. Stroud is a top 5 draft pick with 3 NFL caliber receivers. The Ol played out of position last year. Big improvement this year. The defense is a work in progress with the new coach. They will significantly pressure Morgan. Special teams are solid.
The Gophers will continue to develop and might have a shot against OSU or Michigan but it is a little too early to get on that bandwagon.
 

I still think the Gophers will win the West. They are talented but Michigan and Ohio State are next level.
 

Looks like I was right and wrong back on Oct 1. Right, when I said not to get over excited yet and wrong when I said I thought the gophers would win the west. Penn State is pounding them tonight. Mo is getting contained by a defense that gave up over 400 yds running last week. I never would of thought that would happen. After today do some of the previous posters who thought the gophers were near or at the level of OSU or Michigan feel a little silly?
 

Rock Bottom Baby!

Just Rock Bottom.
 

icepirate13 said:
apple.news

State of Big Ten football: Ohio State, Michigan and a host of challengers — FOX Sports

Can anyone challenge the Buckeyes and Wolverines for supremacy atop the Big Ten? RJ Young evaluates the conference.
apple.news apple.news

Yeah, I said it. But with good reason.

P.J. Fleck has successfully put the band back together — the band that led Minnesota to an 11-win season and an Outback Bowl win in 2019.

That band includes quarterback Tanner Morgan, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

For our purposes, Ibrahim is as important to Minnesota as Freddie Mercury is to Queen. He is their frontman, and the Golden Gophers simply don’t run without him — literally.

As I wrote in our staff picks piece this week, Ibrahim rushed for more than 200 yards against Colorado last week and has put together 12-straight 100-yard rushing performances dating back to 2019. The Gophers are one of just two teams averaging more than 300 rush yards per game this season. The other is an academy team (Air Force).

The Gophers are my pick to represent the Big Ten West in the Big Ten title game and the division’s best bet to win the conference title for the first time in a decade.
Click to expand...
This aged well
 

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