Jace Frederick: Gophers football team plays in Big Ten’s JV division

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Jace:

The toughest East opponent the Hawkeyes had to play was Penn State, a mediocre squad this season whom Iowa was trailing 17-3 before Penn State’s starting quarterback went down with an injury.

In two of the past three seasons, the Big Ten West representative was Northwestern. Take that for what you will. No disrespect to the Wildcats. They may not be mighty or prominent, but they’ve taken advantage of several golden opportunities to reach a conference title game simply by being “pretty good.”

That’s more than Minnesota can say.

That’s not to say Wisconsin hasn’t had some decent teams through the years, just never the best one.

And Iowa did go 12-0 to start the 2015 season, only to then lose to Michigan State and Stanford to close its season. Even those Hawkeyes likely would have suffered two or three regular-season losses in the other Big Ten division.

The Big Ten West is always a step behind.

www.twincities.com

Jace Frederick: Gophers football team plays in Big Ten’s JV division

Michigan’s obliteration of Iowa in the Big Ten football title game Saturday night was another reminder of the obvious: The Gophers compete in the conference’s JV division.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Lazy...the West is not the JV division it just doesn't have the elite teams in the conference in it. Ohio State and to a lesser degree now Michigan are playing on a higher level than the rest of the conference.

The West is pretty balanced 1-7, the East has a really strong 1-2, and then the rest of the division is equal to or below the teams in the West.
 


9 straight conference champions from the East. More than a step behind.
 

BarnBurner said:
9 straight conference champions from the East. More than a step behind.
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8 since the East/West split was put in place and of those 8 (5) are Ohio State. The other 3, MSU beat Iowa by 3 points, PSU beat WIS by 7, and then of course there was this season. Ohio State is the common denominator here, take OSU out of the equation and the West wouldn't be at quite the same deficit.
 


The West is weak no need to apologize. That’s why this year was a missed opportunity.
 

Roland Brooks said:
The West is weak no need to apologize. That’s why this year was a missed opportunity.
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I don't know if the west is "weak."

the big difference is that the East has Ohio State. I think that skews the overall perception of the East division. PSU has had some good teams and some not-so-great teams. Michigan until this year has been seen as an underachiever. Mich State has been up and down. and the bottom of the east is as bad or worse than the bottom of the West.

In fact, I think you can make a case that the West is a more balanced division from top to bottom. it just lacks the "elite" team that Ohio State has been in the East.
 

“How much better would Glen Mason’s Big Ten record have been had he only had to face one of Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan each season?”

Michigan State was a below average conference opponent most years back then.
 




btowngopher said:
“How much better would Glen Mason’s Big Ten record have been had he only had to face one of Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan each season?”

Michigan State was a below average conference opponent most years back then.
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Even Penn State had some average years back then, and while OSU was still very good, the OSU of the last 5 years is much stronger than for much of Mason's tenure.

Reality is Iowa and Wisconsin have been about as good as any program other than OSU for the majority of the East/West era. There's no denying the East being better at the top, but top to bottom it's closer than most will admit.
 

This coming from a writer Jace Frederick who most Gopher fans have never heard of, and never hardly read the Pioneer Press. I would take what this dude say's with a grain of salt. We played Ohio State as tough as anyone in the East and were the only other team to give them a game besides Michigan in the conference. This Jace Frederick can go pound sand and is a toolbag. Doubt he even played any JV level sports let alone Varsity so he would know what JV is all about.

​

 


Didn't Ohio State have to sit out the Big Ten Champ game one year under probation? Didn't Wisconsin or Penn State benefit from that?

It's not the JV, just more balanced. Let's see if Michigan/MSU sustain before jumping to conclusions. One division would quiet the issues until they realize that the schedule is still unbalanced.
 



BleedGopher said:
per Jace:

The toughest East opponent the Hawkeyes had to play was Penn State, a mediocre squad this season whom Iowa was trailing 17-3 before Penn State’s starting quarterback went down with an injury.

In two of the past three seasons, the Big Ten West representative was Northwestern. Take that for what you will. No disrespect to the Wildcats. They may not be mighty or prominent, but they’ve taken advantage of several golden opportunities to reach a conference title game simply by being “pretty good.”

That’s more than Minnesota can say.

That’s not to say Wisconsin hasn’t had some decent teams through the years, just never the best one.

And Iowa did go 12-0 to start the 2015 season, only to then lose to Michigan State and Stanford to close its season. Even those Hawkeyes likely would have suffered two or three regular-season losses in the other Big Ten division.

The Big Ten West is always a step behind.

www.twincities.com

Jace Frederick: Gophers football team plays in Big Ten’s JV division

Michigan’s obliteration of Iowa in the Big Ten football title game Saturday night was another reminder of the obvious: The Gophers compete in the conference’s JV division.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
Iowa was like 27 seconds away from going 13-0

so if Iowa stopped Michigan state on one more play it is the difference between 13-0 and playoff appearance and “would’ve had 3 losses in the other division”
 

MNVCGUY said:
8 since the East/West split was put in place and of those 8 (5) are Ohio State. The other 3, MSU beat Iowa by 3 points, PSU beat WIS by 7, and then of course there was this season. Ohio State is the common denominator here, take OSU out of the equation and the West wouldn't be at quite the same deficit.
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The point is the East is much better. Proven by the past 8 conf titles.

OSU is in the equation, why would you remove them? Would you remove WI from the West? No, of course not.
 

JV side only because OSU is on the other side. the only other bigten school that has had prolonged success like OSU was NE. From 1962 to 2001 NE's average ranking was 8. Past 25 years WI, MSU, Michigan, Iowa and PSU are consistently good - top 25

still remember sitting in a bar in toledo having a beer when its reported that OSU was going to fire john cooper for being _only_ 8-4
 




BarnBurner said:
The point is the East is much better. Proven by the past 8 conf titles.

OSU is in the equation, why would you remove them? Would you remove WI from the West? No, of course not.
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Because OSU is the only variable. Better football isn't being played in the East outside of Michigan.

Look at how everyone ranks other conferences. The Big 10 is better than the MAC. It isn't because one team in the Big 10 could beat everyone in the MAC (and everyone in the Big 10). It's because on average, the Big 10 would win most games against most MAC teams.

If there was a real varsity league and JV league, every varsity team would stomp the JV teams. They are on different levels.

Then again, you know all this.
 


WriterGoph said:
If this dude is now one of their columnists, the PP has fallen off a much higher cliff than I originally thought.
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We just don't have sports columnists that watch sports. It's egregious with college sports but it's even bad with the NBA.

They watch the Vikings and that's about it.
 

This coming from a hometown rag writer. You'd expect a hometown news rag to show some homerism.
 

BTChamp said:
Jass "Reusse" Dinkerick
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Jace Dinklage knows less about the Gophers and Big 10 Football than most posters on this site. This article was just an excuse to take a shot at the Gophers. Typical lazy journalism by the TC writers who spoon over the Vikings and take endless shot's at the Gopher football program.
 


discochris said:
Terrible idea.
Click to expand...
There is this groundswell to rearrange divisions but there isn’t a way that preserves rivalries AND is more balanced than it currently is.

There is a groundswell to not have divisions.
Maybe have all 14 play pick top two.

but other than putting them into two scheduling groups there is no mathematical way to guarantee there couldn’t be a 3 way tie at 9-0



I would be okay with going into one division WITHOUT a conference championship game and just make co-champs great again.
 



BarnBurner said:
The point is the East is much better. Proven by the past 8 conf titles.

OSU is in the equation, why would you remove them? Would you remove WI from the West? No, of course not.
Click to expand...
Your logic is poor. If Ohio State played in the West, it would have won most or all of the past 8 conference titles. You look at the title games Ohio State didn't play in and the first two games were decided by one score. Even this year, Iowa hung with Michigan longer than the final score would suggest.

Michigan State and PSU have been up and down. Now if Harbaugh actually turns all that talent at Mich into sustained success, then you might have a case.
 

The SEC East is their "JV" division because Alabama is in the other.....and has won six of the last eight Championships. The West has won 12 of the last 13.

Up until this year....the Atlantic division of the ACC had won the prior ten. Why? Clemson won the previous six. Coastal is the "JV" division.

Although the Big 12 no longer has divisions due to only having ten teams....up until Baylor's win this year....Oklahoma had won 9 of the previous 11 (including the past four years) championship games (note that there wasn't one from 2011-2016). But when they had divisions (up until 2011)....the South had won the final seven.....with Oklahoma winning five of those.


Point is....flip OSU to the West....Alabama to the East....Clemson to the Coastal. Those are now the varsity divisions? Just a lazy take.
 

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