Is this already a succesful season?

[Live in the now]

I said at the beginning of the year

With the guys we lost 5-4 in conference or better is a success
4-5 is disappointing
3-6 or worse is a failure.

Wish I was wrong and the rebuild was a reload. But this team simply is pretty average. Can beat some people. Hard for an average team to go 7-0 against the bottom 12 of the big ten.

I agree with this take. I wasn’t expecting 9-10 wins but certainly bowl eligible and winning a big trophy game a plus. If they could go 3-2 the rest of the way that would be decent if one of the wins is against wisconsin.

 

[MGGopher]

Minnesota isn't very good. Maybe a slightly above average P5 team. The interesting thing is that every game remaining on their schedule is against a similarly mediocre team (with the exception of OSU). None of them stink, but none of them can be called "good". If they win 3 or all 4 of those games, I'll call it successful. If not, you really can't call is a success. Either way, it's been a big step back in the product on the field -- but many people expected that.

 

[PhiloVance]

If only could they win the west and then get revenge against Michigsn.

 

[RememberMurray]

Well, just notched a win on the road against one of our biggest rivals — a team that was 6-1 and ranked #24 in the nation. We won in Iowa City for the first time in 24 years.

9-4 with another bowl win seems quite possible now. If that is the result, I'm really not sure how anyone could consider it a failure.

 

[Some guy]

Well, just notched a win on the road against one of our biggest rivals — a team that was 6-1 and ranked #24 in the nation. We won in Iowa City for the first time in 24 years.

9-4 with another bowl win seems quite possible now. If that is the result, I'm really not sure how anyone could consider it a failure.

I don’t think many would

 

[RememberMurray]

I don’t think many would

Oh, there are a few on this board who would grumble and harrumph.

There would probably be at least one thread asking if Fleck has reached his 'ceiling' and a few posts calling the team 'mediocre'.

 

[MNVCGUY]

You are very much so holier than thou and you probably see yourself as a very loyal and great fan. I think you have your head buried in the sand. If you don’t think we have coaching issues on both offense and special teams and maybe a game or two on D (Northwestern second-half being an example) then you are clueless. PJ and his very inexperienced staff have a hard time competing with the other staff that shows up most Saturdays.

That staff that can't compete with other staffs most Saturdays has gone 22-11 since the start of the 2021 season so I mean I guess they can find a way to compete most weeks....but don't let facts get in the way of your ripping. Big Ten record over that same timeframe is 13-9.

That said, I would be all for seeing them shake some things up by bringing in an experienced OC (if they could find a good fit) and a case could certainly be made for a new special teams coach as well. There is definitely room for improvement.

Said in a different thread that I don't think Fleck is likely to get us into the elite portion of the new Big Ten but I don't honestly believe there is a coach we realistically could hire that could get us there in the current college football landscape. So with that in mind, the program is in good hands with Fleck for now and the foreseeable future.

 

[Dakota2]

Are you saying we didn't play it as real?

If so, ah, what?

You saw us playing it as real after he picked it up. We didn’t see if anybody slowed down or backed off just before that. Was he fair catch waiving, was he waiving his guys away, or was he trying to swat a bug? Nobody knew so, yes, some of our guys might have momentarily played it as not real.

 

[SeaBee_Gopher]

This stuff is just football to me.

I don't think anyone would be giving any excuses to the Gophers because we played without one of our best players on defense. Our running back room (which I'd argue is every bit as important as Iowa's QB room) was decimated with injuries and turnovers are forced. We had them in 3rd and long all game because we did the most important thing when you're playing Iowa - we stopped the run.

As much as we outplayed Iowa last year, we outgained them by more this year.

Quarterback is way more important than running back and the drop off to their back up was huge in my eyes so not truly comparable. I'm not sure if our defense looked so good mostly because their offense is so horribly bad or because we improved a lot with two weeks off to fix problems. I hope the latter, but only time will tell.

It's been very interesting listening to smart football folks talk about how it's so vital when you play Iowa to not be lulled to sleep by their boring, mostly predictable play. PJ said they play boring and then throw a trick at you a few times a game to catch you off guard and change the outcome. It was so refreshing to see our guys sniff out the tricks this time around.

I'm usually not much of a conspiracy guy, but think Cooper DeJean's kick return at the end of the game might have been an attempt at another one of those tricks. Wave your hand around low a couple times and see if you can trick a few guys on punt coverage to let up and improve your chances of taking it to the house. Maybe the refs call it or maybe they don't, but desperate times call for drastic measures. I actually mean this as a complement to Iowa. They seem to so thoroughly get every ounce out of their talent.

In any case, I'm very happy about the win!

 

[GophersInIowa]

A guy waved his hands too much, or this board is nuclear. Think about that.

If he doesn't wave his hand, I don't think he's scores a TD. We'll never know for sure of course.

 

[swelna]

That staff that can't compete with other staffs most Saturdays has gone 22-11 since the start of the 2021 season so I mean I guess they can find a way to compete most weeks....but don't let facts get in the way of your ripping. Big Ten record over that same timeframe is 13-9.

That said, I would be all for seeing them shake some things up by bringing in an experienced OC (if they could find a good fit) and a case could certainly be made for a new special teams coach as well. There is definitely room for improvement.

Said in a different thread that I don't think Fleck is likely to get us into the elite portion of the new Big Ten but I don't honestly believe there is a coach we realistically could hire that could get us there in the current college football landscape. So with that in mind, the program is in good hands with Fleck for now and the foreseeable future.

I think Fleck is honestly the coach that I think of at the moment that would have the best shot. Coordinators come and go and I don't think it's impossible to think that PJ might have an above average DC and OC at the same time at some point in the future.

The NIL stuff makes everything tricky but I also think he has the best chance at convincing people/companies to pitch in.

 

[FireDaveLee]

So I just heard Gaard's interview with Nubin after the game, and hearing how emotional he was about the win & how much it meant to him & so many others on the team.

I don't know if it means the season is a success......but after hearing that, it sure as hell ain't a failure!

 

[restovich]

The crazier the Iowa fans get, the more it feels like a full-blown success.

I almost got in a fight down here when I told a co-worker that Ferentz was acting like an a-hole.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

9-4 with another bowl win seems quite possible now. If that is the result, I'm really not sure how anyone could consider it a failure.

Well, here's the deal, Murray. If we finish 8-4, there's a good chance we win the West. Then, we'll get slaughtered by Michigan (or maybe OSU). The last three Big Ten West champs have gone to the Citrus Bowl which usually features a matchup with a ranked SEC team. The Big Ten is 2-9 in that bowl over its last 11 trips. One of those wins was by Northwestern over Auburn but that was in the short and weird pandemic season with many teams not playing post-season and Auburn was the only unranked SEC team to appear in that bowl in a long time.

The point is that, under that scenario, we are more likely to finish the season 8-6 than 9-4 or 9-5. I suppose the bowl matchup could be more favorable if it was one below the Citrus.

Unless this team has a major reversal over the rest of the season, it just isn't very good. That's all right. Most teams have rebuilding years from time to time.

 

[Word]

It never ceases to amaze me how hard some people work to find things to be unhappy about.

Yeah, I think some people enjoy being miserable.

 

[HoustonTXGopher]

Look, that win over Iowa was a highly desirable result, however I found that game to be almost unwatchable. Our offense is so inept that it’s just hard to watch. Our defense came to play against an Iowa offense that is more inept than even last year. If we win out, other than a loss to Ohio State, then I will give a thumbs up to a “successful season”, anything less than that, I will have to say it’s just another year and another missed opportunity. That loss to Northwestern still leaves me shaking my head.

 

[Word]

Look, that win over Iowa was a highly desirable result, however I found that game to be almost unwatchable. Our offense is so inept that it’s just hard to watch. Our defense came to play against an Iowa offense that is more inept than even last year. If we win out, other than a loss to Ohio State, then I will give a thumbs up to a “successful season”, anything less than that, I will have to say it’s just another year and another missed opportunity. That loss to Northwestern still leaves me shaking my head.

Might as well just quit watching.

 

[Dakota2]

Well, here's the deal, Murray. If we finish 8-4, there's a good chance we win the West. Then, we'll get slaughtered by Michigan (or maybe OSU). The last three Big Ten West champs have gone to the Citrus Bowl which usually features a matchup with a ranked SEC team. The Big Ten is 2-9 in that bowl over its last 11 trips. One of those wins was by Northwestern over Auburn but that was in the short and weird pandemic season with many teams not playing post-season and Auburn was the only unranked SEC team to appear in that bowl in a long time.

The point is that, under that scenario, we are more likely to finish the season 8-6 than 9-4 or 9-5. I suppose the bowl matchup could be more favorable if it was one below the Citrus.

Unless this team has a major reversal over the rest of the season, it just isn't very good. That's all right. Most teams have rebuilding years from time to time.

If you win the right to play a great team at Indy and another great team in a bowl, that is an accomplishment. We don’t shy away from playing good teams because a loss would hurt our record.

 

[Mulligan]

The crazier the Iowa fans get, the more it feels like a full-blown success.

I almost got in a fight down here when I told a co-worker that Ferentz was acting like an a-hole.

Yep. Couldn't be happier with the way we won because of their whining and bitching. That makes it even sweeter for me.

 

[HoustonTXGopher]

Might as well just quit watching.

It was like a car wreck that I couldn’t break away from.

 

[Dakota2]

Yep. Couldn't be happier with the way we won because of their whining and bitching. That makes it even sweeter for me.

All true but it’s just the Iowa week championship. Lots more to do.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

listened to the Golden Gopher Podcast reviewing the Iowa game.

Derek Burns had some interesting comments about the improvement on the defense. from what he said, it appeared that Rossi adjusted his tactics and made some changes for the game. Sure, some of that could be because of the "limitations" of IA's QB - but at least a Gopher coordinator made some changes. If you believe in the Pro Football Focus ratings, at least 3 members of the Gopher defense posted the highest PFF grades of their career.

on offense, Derek Burns said it appears that AK has issues with his mechanics on throws where he has to use some touch or lead the receiver. Burns said AK is throwing off the wrong foot in those situations and it's impacting his accuracy. But Burns said AK is more accurate when he is throwing to a spot or he can just gun it. Burns also had some ideas on how the Gophers could use Sean Tyler more effectively.

well worth a listen.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

The entire division is mediocre....that is not the point. The point is that Iowa makes you play a certain way....they do it over and over against pretty much everyone. Those expecting style points in an Iowa game have not been watching Iowa.

Except Penn State

 

[gopherbadgerman]

I think you your bolding of my comment missed the context:

• I am glad we won, but that victory didn't feel like something I can be proud of to the same degree I was with the Axe the last few years.

I have more pride over the Axe victories not because of style points, but because it didn't feel contentious. The Iowa fan base, and coach think they won the game. Plenty of national pundits agree.

Of course all that matters is we got a W - but if I stack up this victory against others, it wouldn't be high on my list. Anyway, I'm not trying to be the guy to shit on a W, but last year's game was also a grind and had we pulled it off I would have stormed that field.

It’s one of PJs top 3-4 wins in his career here

 

[EG#9]

Prior to the Iowa game, the Gophers were tied for the second worst record in college football against the spread at 1-5 (some smaller school was 0-6 and the Gophers were tied with like 3-4 teams at 1-5). It had been a very ugly disappointing season going in to Iowa City. The blown 31-10 lead against Nothwestern and the NBC blowout against Michigan still loom large.

A successful season is very much on the table, but it starts with getting "up" for Michigan State on Saturday. The longer the Gophers can go without losing to anyone other than Ohio State, the more realistic a B1G West title becomes. I am personally concerned that our offense will continue to look terrible and that every game will continue to be a struggle.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

Prior to the Iowa game, the Gophers were tied for the second worst record in college football against the spread at 1-5 (some smaller school was 0-6 and the Gophers were tied with like 3-4 teams at 1-5).

I mean....OK?

Agreed that we've been disappointing overall, but who cares about our record ATS.

 

[Polski]

I mean....OK?

Agreed that we've been disappointing overall, but who cares about our record ATS.

Record against the spread can be a pretty good measure of expected outcome vs. actual outcome.

Does it mean everything? No.

Can it give you a glimpse of which teams are playing above or below expectations? Certainly.


Happy we got Floyd. Now let's start stacking up some wins, starting with tomorrow.

 

[Vandy]

At this point, accepting the NW debacle, 8 wins is a successful season. 7 wins is a wash. Next year’s schedule is no easier either.

 

[Some guy]

So I just heard Gaard's interview with Nubin after the game, and hearing how emotional he was about the win & how much it meant to him & so many others on the team.

I don't know if it means the season is a success......but after hearing that, it sure as hell ain't a failure!

I was mad at Nubin for his bone headed swat of the ball until I heard that interview. The kids care and I love that about the program

 

[MplsGopher]

Yeahbut, spread “expectations” have a component of trying to draw out as many people to place a bet, than they do of being the most purely exact idea of what the actual spread is.