Maybe This Is Actually a Lucky Season for the Gophers

[Gophergrandpa]

Here is a way to think of the Gophers season that might make one think the team is charmed rather than deficient. Below I list five teams’ points scored, points allowed, points differential, and record in B1G conference play this season:

Wisconsin: 27–143, -116, 0-5
Michigan State: 124–213, -89, 0-6
Minnesota: 111–157, -46, 4-2
Purdue: 124–170, -46, 0-6
Penn State: 120–158, -38, 0-5

Puts a different spin in the season from the Gooher standpoint. Please, please, please, don’t lose to Wisconsin, which is having an historically bad year (playing a tough schedule).

NB: I did the math in my head after a long day; might be off a point here and there, but you get the point.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

 

[ergopher]

I feel like this team has the kind of intangibles to make plays and act in crucial moments that can be the difference-maker in conference play. The 85-yard pass against Rutgers, the blocked kick and pick-six in the Purdue game and the heroics of the MSU game are all pretty foreign as most Gopher teams go. And then in the Nebraska game it all wonderfully came together. Football is a team sport, after all!!

 

[25mkg]

Also, having OSU, Oregon, and Iowa on the road which were/are probable losses, but having the teams the Gophers match up with better at home is huge.

 

[Some guy]

Part of why I thought this season had a large upside even with a freshman QB was because if all these games at home were road and all these road games were home it would be very different.

If the gophers had all these road games at home:
Cal - win I think
Ohio State - loss
Iowa - loss
Oregon - loss
Northwestern - win I think
Northwestern State - win (this was never going to be a road game)
Buffalo - win (this was never going to be a road game)
4-3 at home

All these games are road:
@ rutgers
@ Purdue
@ Michigan State
@ Nebraska
@ Wisconsin

I think that team probably wins a road game but all of a sudden the ceiling was probably 6-7 wins this year instead of 9

Not going 7-0 at home vs that schedule
Not going 5-0 road vs tha schedule


With a great team, you may prefer the above schedule
With a growing team you prefer the one we got

 

[GopherGrit]

I don't see how any Gopher fan can't conclude that already the home schedule has been lucky.

The Rutgers, Purdue, and Mich State games all easily could have been losses.

But they were wins. That's not your typical thing with Fleck.


Our tough(er) games this year just happen to all be on the road. Granted think whatever you want about Cal and if we "should have" won that game. I just don't think we were going to that night, with the 3-man rushes letting the Cal QB pick us apart.

 

[Some guy]

I don't see how any Gopher fan can't conclude that already the home schedule has been lucky.

The Rutgers, Purdue, and Mich State games all easily could have been losses.

But they were wins. That's not your typical thing with Fleck.


Our tough(er) games this year just happen to all be on the road. Granted think whatever you want about Cal and if we "should have" won that game. I just don't think we were going to that night, with the 3-man rushes letting the Cal QB pick us apart.

I can’t believe in your one sentence about the cal game you seem to blame the defense when of the three units defense probably deserves the third most blame.

 

[GopherGrit]

Here is a way to think of the Gophers season that might make one think the team is charmed rather than deficient. Below I list five teams’ points scored, points allowed, points differential, and record in B1G conference play this season:

Wisconsin: 27–143, -116, 0-5
Michigan State: 124–213, -89, 0-6
Minnesota: 111–157, -46, 4-2
Purdue: 124–170, -46, 0-6
Penn State: 120–158, -38, 0-5

Puts a different spin in the season from the Gooher standpoint. Please, please, please, don’t lose to Wisconsin, which is having an historically bad year (playing a tough schedule).

NB: I did the math in my head after a long day; might be off a point here and there, but you get the point.

Only "critque" (and by no means a major one) would be this:

our points spread has been heavily skewed by those two losses. So if you take out the two worst (only, in our case) losses for each team, then what does the spread look like?

 

[GopherGrit]

I can’t believe in your one sentence about the cal game you seem to blame the defense when of the three units defense probably deserves the third most blame.

Special teams and defense are to blame.

Offense did enough to win, if we hit field goals and don't fumble punt return.