latest CBS Sports bowl projections are out...

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I don't think we can take anything for granted yet. We've won 2 big ten games each of the last two years. Our B1G schedule is brutal again this year. I'm not counting on a bowl berth yet. I would, however, feel a little better about our prospects with a win over Syracuse Saturday night.
 

year of the gopher said:
I don't think we can take anything for granted yet. We've won 2 big ten games each of the last two years. Our B1G schedule is brutal again this year. I'm not counting on a bowl berth yet. I would, however, feel a little better about our prospects with a win over Syracuse Saturday night.
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Agreed. We have to be realistic. If we defeat Syracuse, then we still have to equal our 2011 production of Big Ten victories. Of course if we drop the game against Syracuse, then we have to come up with 3 Big Ten victories, a very tall order. So inquiring minds would like to know which Big Ten games are winnable, but we probably should avoid discussing this until 23 September 2012. We have to focus on the SU Orange. They will be sky high coming into TCF Bank Stadium.
 




We have 9 games to win 3. Honestly, I feel pretty confident that we can do that. However, I doubt that the national media is paying that close attention to us. They look at the teams we've beaten and the small MOV against UNLV and Western Michigan and assume we'll get pounded in the Big Ten again. I think that's fair. It's up to the team to play respectably against the big boys when the time comes and prove them wrong.
 

GopherInPittsburgh said:
Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl is bold but I can see it.
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The Big Ten is absolutely up in the air. There might not be a 10-win team in the entire league by the end of the regular season. As bad as Wisconsin has looked, they still have a realistic shot at winning the league, especially with Ohio State ineligible. That's how bad it is.
 

I think the Syracuse game is a 50/50 shot. After watching Northwestern take out BC, Vandy, and 'Cuse I think they will be tough, even at home. Iowa showed flashes of offense this weekend, even if it was against UNI (who isn't too far behind us, honestly). Illinois has also shown they can play well, and perhaps their loss on the road to ASU isn't so bad if the Pac12 is better than expected.

On the flip side, this Big Ten is extremely down this year. Obviously a LOT of talent on a LOT of teams, but if Nebraska can lose to UCLA, MSU to Notre Dame, Wisconsin to Oregon State, Iowa to ISU (again), and on. Add in that OSU is ineligible for the title game (and off our schedule). It's too bad we're not 1-2 more years in to Kill's system with a few more 'system players' and experience, but I think we should have a decent shot at winning anywhere from 2-4 B10 games this season, I just honestly don't know from who yet. Shame it wasn't more like 6-7 based on the down competition.

I'll reserve judgment until the NC games are complete but I think winnable games are:

-Syracuse - thought they showed signs of good against NU and USC but ultimately if we play a solid game at home should be a win
-Iowa (offense looks anemic at times, defense hasn't really faced a big test yet)
-Northwestern (only because it's at home and I think we've improved as much as they have)
-Illinois (beaten then 2x in a row, match up well against them, even away. Shown they're good but can also get down on themselves and we play them late

If we hit 50% of this, that's 2 more wins, up to 5

"Maybe" games
-Wisconsin - even on the road, they've looked completely beatable. Kill gets them fired up, shut down the terrible run game and we could win.
-Purdue - better than I thought they'd be this year so far. Still, at home we have a shot.
-MSU - outside chance. At home, retribution for last year, last game of the season, and MSU MAY have the Legend's sowed up and won't care

Say 33% of those (being liberal), is 1 more win.

Probably not:
-Michigan - I think they're D is good enough to contain us, at least more than their offense will score. We haven't seen a quick QB yet (I think DRob and Kain Colter will both shred us), but it won't be good
-Nebraska - on the road, solid team even with the UCLA debacle. They will win.

So, being a TAD optimistic we could easily have 6 wins on our schedule. The CBS guys clearly went a bit more conservative.
 

RailBaronYarr said:
I think the Syracuse game is a 50/50 shot. After watching Northwestern take out BC, Vandy, and 'Cuse I think they will be tough, even at home. Iowa showed flashes of offense this weekend, even if it was against UNI (who isn't too far behind us, honestly). Illinois has also shown they can play well, and perhaps their loss on the road to ASU isn't so bad if the Pac12 is better than expected.

On the flip side, this Big Ten is extremely down this year. Obviously a LOT of talent on a LOT of teams, but if Nebraska can lose to UCLA, MSU to Notre Dame, Wisconsin to Oregon State, Iowa to ISU (again), and on. Add in that OSU is ineligible for the title game (and off our schedule). It's too bad we're not 1-2 more years in to Kill's system with a few more 'system players' and experience, but I think we should have a decent shot at winning anywhere from 2-4 B10 games this season, I just honestly don't know from who yet. Shame it wasn't more like 6-7 based on the down competition.

I'll reserve judgment until the NC games are complete but I think winnable games are:

-Syracuse - thought they showed signs of good against NU and USC but ultimately if we play a solid game at home should be a win
-Iowa (offense looks anemic at times, defense hasn't really faced a big test yet)
-Northwestern (only because it's at home and I think we've improved as much as they have)
-Illinois (beaten then 2x in a row, match up well against them, even away. Shown they're good but can also get down on themselves and we play them late

If we hit 50% of this, that's 2 more wins, up to 5

"Maybe" games
-Wisconsin - even on the road, they've looked completely beatable. Kill gets them fired up, shut down the terrible run game and we could win.
-Purdue - better than I thought they'd be this year so far. Still, at home we have a shot.
-MSU - outside chance. At home, retribution for last year, last game of the season, and MSU MAY have the Legend's sowed up and won't care

Say 33% of those (being liberal), is 1 more win.

Probably not:
-Michigan - I think they're D is good enough to contain us, at least more than their offense will score. We haven't seen a quick QB yet (I think DRob and Kain Colter will both shred us), but it won't be good
-Nebraska - on the road, solid team even with the UCLA debacle. They will win.

So, being a TAD optimistic we could easily have 6 wins on our schedule. The CBS guys clearly went a bit more conservative.
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Lost you right there. UNI vs. NH would have been a nail biter. We crushed NH.
 



afurry91 said:
Lost you right there. UNI vs. NH would have been a nail biter. We crushed NH.
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UNI finished last year ranked #5 in the FCS polls, played within a TD of Wisconsin at Camp Randall and 11 points in Iowa City. Lost by 1 point last year to Iowa State (on the road, against a team that beat Iowa, OkSt, and played in a bowl game while we sat at home). They also happened to lose to NDSU by fewer points than we did last year, on the road (not at home, like us). I think if we play UNI we win by 5-10, at home. Not that far behind us.
 

RailBaronYarr said:
UNI finished last year ranked #5 in the FCS polls, played within a TD of Wisconsin at Camp Randall and 11 points in Iowa City. Lost by 1 point last year to Iowa State (on the road, against a team that beat Iowa, OkSt, and played in a bowl game while we sat at home). They also happened to lose to NDSU by fewer points than we did last year, on the road (not at home, like us). I think if we play UNI we win by 5-10, at home. Not that far behind us.
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Northern Iowa is currently ranked 6. New Hampshire is ranked 18. It would have been a good game between those two.
 

afurry91 said:
Northern Iowa is currently ranked 6. New Hampshire is ranked 18. It would have been a good game between those two.
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Be curious to see how successful the top 5-8 ranked FCS teams are against BCS opponents relative to rankings 9-20 vs BCS opponents. I would wager there is a sharp dropoff from the elite FCS schools that could easily play in the MAC and then everyone else.
 




Palm still has Utah, who was hammered 37-7 by Arizona State, as going to the Pac-12's #2 bowl. Boise State as an "automatic" BCS qualifier? Arkansas playing on New Year's Day? These are bad.
 

The experts also don't have 4-0 #6 ranked South Carolina going to a bowl game.
 


But it is interesting to see the confidence they have in Vanderbilt. They are 1-3 right now (granted their losses have been to NW, So. Car. and Georgia) which means they have to go 5-3 against:

@Missouri
Florida
Auburn
UMass
@Kentucky
@Ole Miss
Tennessee
@WF

While it is certainly possible they could go 5-3 I think that is a bold choice to take a B1G bowl placement. Baylor, the other team taking a B1G bowl placement is no lock either at this point. They play a tough B12 schedule this year.
 


Ya this is just a lazy, lazy list. For example we were like 30 spots behind an 0-3 Wyoming in Jerry Palm's rankings last week. As someone pointed out, leaving South Carolina and Stanford out.. LOL
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
FYI, these have been updated. The "experts" don't think the Gophers can win two conference games. Guess we'll see.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/bowls/predictions
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Won't hve to wait very long, the next two games will define if they are a bottom or mid tier B1G team this year, the defense is much better than it has been, maybe even better than it ever was under Mason. You can win some close games that you might have lossed in the past with the better defense. I'm opptimistic, 4-4 in the B1G this year.
 

GopherInPittsburgh said:
Ya this is just a lazy, lazy list. For example we were like 30 spots behind an 0-3 Wyoming in Jerry Palm's rankings last week. As someone pointed out, leaving South Carolina and Stanford out.. LOL
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To be fair, I don't think those rankings are as the teams sit right now. That's how he sees the teams at the end of the season. Still...
 

Where is the Outback Bowl? Isn't that where #3 team in Big Ten goes????
 


Scout has their projections out, with Minnesota facing SMU in the TicketCity Bowl. I copied just the Big Ten teams, but the link is here as well.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/557866.html

Little Caesars Pizza
Detroit, MI Ford Field
Dec. 26, 7:30 pm, ESPN
Big Ten No. 8 vs. MAC No. 2
Projection: Iowa vs. Northern Illinois

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Houston, TX Reliant Stadium
Dec. 28, 9:00 pm, ESPN
Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
Projection: Iowa State vs. Northwestern

Buffalo Wild Wings
Tempe, AZ Sun Devil Stadium
Dec. 29, 10:15 pm, ESPN
Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4 or 5
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Michigan

TicketCity
Dallas, TX Cotton Bowl
Jan. 1, 12:00 pm, ESPNU
C-USA vs. Big Ten No. 7
Projection: SMU vs. Minnesota

TaxSlayer.com Gator
Jacksonville, FL EverBank Field
Jan. 1, 12:00 pm, ESPN2
Big Ten No. 4 or 5 vs. SEC No. 6
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee

Capital One
Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl
Jan. 1, 1:00 pm, TBA
SEC No. 2 vs. Big Ten No. 2
Projection: LSU vs. Nebraska

Outback
Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium
Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3 Jan. 1, 1:00 pm, TBA
Projection: Purdue vs. Florida

BCS BOWLS

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
January 1st, 5:00 pm, ESPN
Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl
Big Ten No. 1 vs. Pac-12
Projection: Michigan State vs. Oregon
 

That could be a fun bowl. Dallas is a fun city with a lot going on in Fair Park (the area around the Cotton Bowl). I'd prefer to make a bowl where we play a BCS team, but I can't hate on that.

It would also help recruiting kids in the Dallas area.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
FYI, these have been updated. The "experts" don't think the Gophers can win two conference games. Guess we'll see.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/bowls/predictions
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Those projections are alarmingly poor. The fact that they left one of the major bowls (including a top ten team in the nation) off of the list pretty much proves it. How many gopherholers posted in the comment section? Looked like the Gophers were getting some love in that section.
 

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