Just....WHY?

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More than likely a personal connection somewhere.
 

in one word - Fickell.

in 2021, Fickell won a slew of "Coach of the Year" awards. So people are betting or assuming that Fickell can do the same things at Wisconsin that he did at Cincy.

the question is - how quickly can Fickell change things at WI to reflect his system?

I think that it might be a little premature to expect that Fickell can transform WI in one off-season. even with the portal, it still takes time to rebuild or revamp an entire roster, and to teach new systems and techniques.

but make no mistake, the rankings are based on the new coach, not what WI did last year with a different coach.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
in one word - Fickell.

in 2021, Fickell won a slew of "Coach of the Year" awards. So people are betting or assuming that Fickell can do the same things at Wisconsin that he did at Cincy.

the question is - how quickly can Fickell change things at WI to reflect his system?

I think that it might be a little premature to expect that Fickell can transform WI in one off-season. even with the portal, it still takes time to rebuild or revamp an entire roster, and to teach new systems and techniques.

but make no mistake, the rankings are based on the new coach, not what WI did last year with a different coach.
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To add on to this in terms of the transfer portal, the thing that annoys me the most is that 3/4 top transfers are all QB's which obviously boost their rankings yet only one of them is actually going to play and make a difference. People see the top 15 transfer class and just assume they made some major pickups, which don't get me wrong they definitely did, but not to the extent at which their ranking shows
 



BleedGopher said:
Expectations have been set. Anything less than finishing 20th or better is a failed season by Fickell.

Go Gophers!!
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Yeah......and they will fail. I see a roughly .500 season. Iowa is (once again) the team to beat in the West.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
in one word - Fickell.

in 2021, Fickell won a slew of "Coach of the Year" awards. So people are betting or assuming that Fickell can do the same things at Wisconsin that he did at Cincy.

the question is - how quickly can Fickell change things at WI to reflect his system?

I think that it might be a little premature to expect that Fickell can transform WI in one off-season. even with the portal, it still takes time to rebuild or revamp an entire roster, and to teach new systems and techniques.

but make no mistake, the rankings are based on the new coach, not what WI did last year with a different coach.
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FPI literally doesn’t factor in Fickell
It’s efficiency rankings.

Then being that highly rated has more to do
With their projected starting quarterback throwing for 9 touchdowns and 180000 yards against Houston last year.
In efficiency based metrics in a 12 game season, one game can really inflate you.
 

The Fickell Effect looms heavily over the ranking. Time will tell. Go Gophers!
 

short ornery norwegian said:
in one word - Fickell.

in 2021, Fickell won a slew of "Coach of the Year" awards. So people are betting or assuming that Fickell can do the same things at Wisconsin that he did at Cincy.

the question is - how quickly can Fickell change things at WI to reflect his system?

I think that it might be a little premature to expect that Fickell can transform WI in one off-season. even with the portal, it still takes time to rebuild or revamp an entire roster, and to teach new systems and techniques.

but make no mistake, the rankings are based on the new coach, not what WI did last year with a different coach.
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If I'm not mistaken, Fleck won 2019 B1G Coach of the Year. He also took a Western Michigan team to the Cotton Bowl and a #12 ranking in the AP poll.

Fleck and Fickell... are the media perceptions of the two even close to equal? Or, is/are there a reason or reasons that the two of them should not be seen as equally impressive?

I know Fickell took Cincinnati to the playoff... and he got beat by roughly three TDs. Fleck tool Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl, and got beat by #8 Wisconsin by one TD.

Fleck has also had seasons as a coach in the B1G in which he has won 11, 9 and 9 games.

I know I am biased, but I don't see that huge of a difference.

Well, Fickell is in the B1G now. We soon shall see...
 



RememberMurray said:
If I'm not mistaken, Fleck won 2019 B1G Coach of the Year. He also took a Western Michigan team to the Cotton Bowl and a #12 ranking in the AP poll.

Fleck and Fickell... are the media perceptions of the two even close to equal? Or, is/are there a reason or reasons that the two of them should not be seen as equally impressive?

I know Fickell took Cincinnati to the playoff... and he got beat by roughly three TDs. Fleck tool Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl, and got beat by #8 Wisconsin by one TD.

Fleck has also had seasons as a coach in the B1G in which he has won 11, 9 and 9 games.

I know I am biased, but I don't see that huge of a difference.

Well, Fickell is in the B1G now. We soon shall see...
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All things equal (contract, loyalty, etc) who would you prefer as the Gophers head coach?
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
All things equal (contract, loyalty, etc) who would you prefer as the Gophers head coach?
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Fleck.

My reasons:

— Fleck has already taken Minnesota football to the level of consistent contenders in the B1G, and unlike some folks I don't think he's hit his ceiling yet.

— I'm just not as ga-ga as some seem to be over Fickell. I'd prefer to wait and see how he handles a B1G team with a B1G schedule before I proclaim him as "all that".

Again, we'll soon see which is better.
 
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RememberMurray said:
Fleck.

My reasons:

— Fleck has already taken Minnesota football to the level of consistent contenders in the B1G, and unlike some folks I don't think he's hit his ceiling yet.

— I'm just not as ga-ga as some seem to be over Fickell. I'd prefer to wait and see how he handles a B1G team with a B1G schedule before I proclaim him as "all that".

Again, we'll soon see which is better.
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I don’t disagree with you on either point. Was a sincere question. Case could be made for either.
 




RememberMurray said:
Well, if that's so, make a case for Fickell.
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He made a college football playoff. He’s recruited very well against P5 programs. Elevated his last program and sustained it longer than Fleck did at WMU. 4 top 25 finishes; two were top 10.

Not anti-Fleck but I get the Fickell steam to some degree.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
He made a college football playoff. He’s recruited very well against P5 programs. Elevated his last program and sustained it longer than Fleck did at WMU. 4 top 25 finishes; two were top 10.

Not anti-Fleck but I get the Fickell steam to some degree.
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Key phrase: to some degree.

The sheer intensity of the Fickell-love in the media in general seems a bit over-the-top to me, especially when you directly compare Fickell and Fleck.

But, one last time, I will refer to the bottom line: we're about to actually find out which is better.
 
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RememberMurray said:
If I'm not mistaken, Fleck won 2019 B1G Coach of the Year. He also took a Western Michigan team to the Cotton Bowl and a #12 ranking in the AP poll.

Fleck and Fickell... are the media perceptions of the two even close to equal? Or, is/are there a reason or reasons that the two of them should not be seen as equally impressive?

I know Fickell took Cincinnati to the playoff... and he got beat by roughly three TDs. Fleck tool Western Michigan to the Cotton Bowl, and got beat by #8 Wisconsin by one TD.

Fleck has also had seasons as a coach in the B1G in which he has won 11, 9 and 9 games.

I know I am biased, but I don't see that huge of a difference.

Well, Fickell is in the B1G now. We soon shall see...
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Fickell’s a good coach. But people thinking he is a significant upgrade over the rest of the big ten are kidding themselves.
He was winning at one of the two easiest programs in that conference to win at (central Florida being the other).


I said somewhere in another thread. His comp coaches are:
Fleck WMU to MN (still there)
Brohm WKU to Purdue (left)
Frost UCF to Nebraska (fired)
Butch Jones Cincinnati to TN (fired)
Brian Kelly Cincinatti to Notre Dame (left)
Mike norvell Memphis to Florida State (still there)
Urban Meyer Utah to Florida (left)
Tom Herman Houston to Texas (fired)
Kevin Sumlin Houston to Texas A&M (fired)
Randy Edsall UConn to Maryland (fired or resigned I can’t remember)
Dave Doreen Northern Illinois to Nc State (still there)


Most of these guys solid.
A couple of duds.
A couple of guys who were okay but were fired because they were only okay at spots that expected great.

I expect them to be solid under Fickell
 
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Some guy said:
Fickell’s a good coach. But people thinking he is a significant upgrade over the rest of the big ten are kidding themselves.
He was winning at one of the two easiest programs in that conference to win at (central Florida being the other).


I said somewhere in another thread. His comp coaches are:
Fleck WMU to MN
Brohm WKU to Purdue
Frost UCF to Nebraska
Butch Jones Cincinnati to TN
Brian Kelly Cincinatti to Notre Dame
Mike norvell Memphis to Florida State
Urban Meyer Utah to Florida
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I'm in agreement with this.
 


RememberMurray said:
Key phrase: to some degree.

The sheer intensity of the Fickell-love in the media in general seems a bit over-the-top to me, especially when you directly compare Fickell and Fleck.

But, one last time, I will refer to the bottom line: we're about to actually find out which is better.
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I’m not arguing with you. I don’t disagree. You told me to make a case for Fickell. You’re upset a more successful coach went to a more successful program and gets more interest. If he fails it’ll go away.
 



Both the WI offense and defense will have to adjust to the increased pace of play.
WI under Chryst was on the slippery slope and the AD stepped in.
Right or wrong Fickell was NE's first choice to replace Frost and other gurus have said he was a very good find for WI.
Now all the rest of the predictions will have to wait until the Fall.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I’m not arguing with you. I don’t disagree. You told me to make a case for Fickell. You’re upset a more successful coach went to a more successful program and gets more interest. If he fails it’ll go away.
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I know you're not arguing with me.

I'm not upset; I'm not sure where in my posts you gathered that I was.

As far as Fickell being a more successful coach, I understand that that's your opinion. I happen to disagree. You've presented your reasons, and me mine.

But... Wisconsin, a more successful program? Gee; I really don't see it. In fact, I'll respectfully point out a couple of pertinent facts to refute that. (This is for any and all the Badger fans who frequent Gopher Hole).

— The name of this board is 7 National Titles. I haven't heard about Wisconsin "successfully" winning many national titles, but maybe I missed them all.

— Minnesota and Wisconsin are 62-62-8 head-to-head all-time, and Minnesota has won 3 of the last 5, including the last two in a row. If you want to see The Axe in person, you'll have to cross the river and come to the land of tall buildings and indoor plumbing.

Sorry, Badger fans. Them's the facts.😎
 

RememberMurray said:
I know you're not arguing with me.

I'm not upset; I'm not sure where in my posts you gathered that I was.

As far as Fickell being a more successful coach, I understand that that's your opinion. I happen to disagree. You've presented your reasons, and me mine.

But... Wisconsin, a more successful program? Gee; I really don't see it. In fact, I'll respectfully point out a couple of pertinent facts to refute that. (This is for any and all the Badger fans who frequent Gopher Hole).

— The name of this board is 7 National Titles. I haven't heard about Wisconsin "successfully" winning many national titles, but maybe I missed them all.

— Minnesota and Wisconsin are 62-62-8 head-to-head all-time, and Minnesota has won 3 of the last 5, including the last two in a row. If you want to see The Axe in person, you'll have to cross the river and come to the land of tall buildings and indoor plumbing.

Sorry, Badger fans. Them's the facts.😎
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You’re referencing stuff from 70 years ago. If you think the gophers are on par with the badgers in the lifetime of our players…good for you. You’re wrong.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
You’re referencing stuff from 70 years ago. If you think the gophers are on par with the badgers in the lifetime of our players…good for you. You’re wrong.
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And then PJ said, No more. Your time is over. Two in a row is a trend in 2023. LineInSand.jpg
 

My honest concern is that Mertz is gone. I think you could easily make the case that his play in the last two games was the biggest factor in the games. He makes a couple of very routine throws and it could have been a different game.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
You’re referencing stuff from 70 years ago. If you think the gophers are on par with the badgers in the lifetime of our players…good for you. You’re wrong.
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I also "referenced stuff" from the most recent half-decade of the rivalry. My Gophers have the edge in that time frame as well. But, hey; feel free to choose the time frame that best suits your 'argument', if it makes you feel better.

One salient point: Didn't Wisconsin just fire their coach? Do "successful" teams usually fire their coach? If so, it seems odd to do so, what with all the "success" and all. Strange.

The contention here is whether or not your new Badger coach is really as good as you and the media seem to think he is. That remains to be seen. I would gently point out that his one stint as a head coach in the B1G was, well... a bit underwhelming, at least in my view. I hope that's not me, being unkind to your guy.
 
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RememberMurray said:
I also "referenced stuff" from the most recent half-decade of the rivalry. My Gophers have the edge in that time frame as well. But, hey; feel free to choose the time frame that best suits your 'argument', if it makes you feel better.

One salient point: Didn't Wisconsin just fire their coach? Do "successful" teams usually fire their coach? If so, it seems odd to do so, what with all the "success" and all. Strange.

The contention here is whether or not your new Badger coach is really as good as you and the media seem to think he is. That remains to be seen. I would gently point out that his one stint as a head coach in the B1G was, well... a bit underwhelming, at least in my view. I hope that's not me, being unkind to your guy.
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I have season tickets. I’m not a badger fan. You’re all out of sorts my man. Take a deep breath
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I have season tickets. I’m not a badger fan. You’re all out of sorts my man. Take a deep breath
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I'm not out of sorts. I am fascinated by you, though.

Here we have a huge Gopher fan — with season tickets, no less — who claims Wisconsin is a more successful program, even as the Axe resides comfortably on Minnesota's campus for the second straight year and third in the last 5. That would make you a rare bird, I believe.

Are you picking Wisconsin to win the B1G West in 2023, since Wisconsin has a more successful program and a more successful coach?
 


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