Minnesota Football: Ranking the Nebraska Win by Matt H. at TDG

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Have to agree with his rankings!
 

I don't have a problem with the order either.

It does illustrate the difference between "A signature win," and "THE signature win." for a coaching regime.

highwayman said:
Have to agree with his rankings!
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Too early to tell.

On an apples-to-apples basis, I'd say beating Wisconsin and Michigan is bigger than beating a 'merely' #24 ranked Nebraska every time. The complicating factor here is we have the benefit of hindsight here. We know the follow on results to the WI and MI victory, but not yet the NE victory.

Point being, we know the WI and MI victories didn't really lead anywhere longer term, so there's a wee bit of an asterisk in the 'signature victory' description. If we go lay an egg against Indiana, the NE victory immediately drops to #5 on this list in my opinion. If, however, it leads to 2 or 3 more Big Ten victories and a season way above expectations, it will remain as #2 as listed.

Here's hoping that happens!
 

I agree with the rankings, but also feel it is too early to tell. Yes it was a great win and in taking each win by itself ranks up there, but to truely see the impact of this win on a program, we have to see what happens in the coming weeks. Most of the previous "Signature" wins were followed by horrible losses. It's like getting a hole in one then double bogey on the next hole. We need to follow up this win with a solid performance against Indiana and Penn St. Then that turns the Wisconsin game into a potential "Signature" win as well.
The question is are we talking Signature wins or turning points for a program and which is more important to have?
 


It is an A+ for this team. Two weeks ago, many were wondering if we would even make a bowl game. Checking out the schedule to see where another win would come from. Today, we look like a completely different team. I don't care what you say about NW, they are much better than their record suggests. A tough game with OSU, a loss against the Gophers, OT against Iowa on their home turf, and the (beatdown) loss against Sconnie. Nebraska has a few question marks too. However, this game puts us into a bowl far earlier than many would have expected. We chalked the Iowa game up as a win at the beginning of the season with three (likely) losses after. That would land us at 5-3. Most were trying to figure out where our second Big Ten win would come from. Despite the Iowa game, this team has shocked a couple highly projected teams and etched their way back into discussion beyond the Gopher Hole.

Like I said.....with their single game against UCLA, there isn't a whole lot to base Nebraska on. They are a good team and we were the second best team to catch them this year. I have optimism for the rest of this year after seeing this latest outing. I hate to be a pessimist, but the NW win was only temporary excitement for me. This past Saturday we got down early in a game which looked to be a sign of a typical beatdown, and mental toughness broke through. The players responded and the coaching staff tossed a bunch of different plays at the Cornhuskers. It has been a while since I have seen a Gopher team that could move the ball this well.

I originally thought before this game, that the Gophers could possibly grab two or three wins out of the last five......end with a 3-5 BT record. Not anymore. We will find two more BT wins (if we beat Indiana.....) and could possibly take three.
 

That's why I think this IU game is so important. In each of those wins, it was followed by some sort of let down. Most comparatively losing to IU after winning at OSU. If we hold course against IU and PSU, I think it'll show we've really started to turn the corner and shaken the stigma off the Gophers of old.

And yeah, and that win at PSU in '99, far and away the most epic win of my memory.
 

I agree with what everyone is saying about needing to see what comes next. The way I see it, these are some factors that need to go into really evaluating what this win means.

1) What we do the rest of the way. If we tank the rest of the way, then it was a fun moment in another medicore (2-6 or 3-5) conference season. A nice win, and a sign that we are on the right track for sure, but nothing earth shattering. If we win at least 2 more games before the bowl game, then we have had our first .500 or better B1G season in a long time, and this was a huge win that really got the ball rolling.

2) What Nebraska was the rest of the way. It was huge for Kill to collect his first ranked opponent. However, I would really rather the metric for beating a ranked opponent be based on where they are ranked at the end of the year, not when we play them. We have a limited sample set for looking at Nebraska against quality competition this year. If Nebraska tanks, this could be like Illinois in 2008, an upset that didn't end up being as significant as we thought it was at the time. Conversely, if Nebraska wins out, then we managed to beat a really good Nebraska team, and that is huge.

3) Rivalry. I know not everyone thinks like I do, but I know some people do. It is more special when we beat a rival. Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, in that order. If you had to ask me if I could choose between being a 1-loss national champion with a loss to Wisconsin, or a national runner up with the axe in our trophy, I honestly don't know what I say. Games for axes, pigs, and jugs take on extra special meaning, so the next big milestone for Kill is going to be getting his hands on those trophies.

I really hope no one reads this as me trying to rain on anyone's parade. I was ecstatic about the win, and hugging my buddies in the stands after Nelson's last touchdown then running on down to the field was some of the most fun I have had at Gopher football ever. We should be very pleased and proud of this win. However, just to keep perspective, all that we have clinched at this point is another trip to a bowl game and at least a 2-6 B1G record. The team can't such sit on this accomplishment, this group really could be something special, and the biggest thing they can do to underscore the importance of this win is to ride the momentum to see how high they can fly.
 

This thread is kind of working the same steps as the signature win threads, etc. that we started having. I didn't even try to articulate my view on it at the time, but I'll give it a shot now.

I like the way of thinking that we don't really know what this win means. And I don't think we'll know (if ever) until sometime next year, or the year after. If we crap the bed the rest of the way out, it doesn't mean as much. Conversely, let's say we start the B10 season next year with some pop, like sweeping the Non-Con season, wins @Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue here, and Illinois on the road. Then the national conversation really starts to change, and it becomes "last year the Gophers gained some confidence on the road at Northwestern, and then proceeded to show what kind of team they are becoming by beating a ranked Nebraska team at home". That game may or may not become the focus of a new era, but we'll have to wait.
 



Side note: I just got an e-mail from the U offering to sell me a t-shirt commemorating our win over Nebraska. Hmmm...

I'm totally fine with rushing the field, and I agree this is a very big win, but I think that creating merchandise for a non-rivalry, non-trophy, non-bowl victory is the point where I personally start thinking maybe we SHOULD start acting like we've been here before (or, I guess, we expect to be here again).
 

tato2001 said:
Side note: I just got an e-mail from the U offering to sell me a t-shirt commemorating our win over Nebraska. Hmmm...

I'm totally fine with rushing the field, and I agree this is a very big win, but I think that creating merchandise for a non-rivalry, non-trophy, non-bowl victory is the point where I personally start thinking maybe we SHOULD start acting like we've been here before (or, I guess, we expect to be here again).
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Um, anyone who's less than 53 hasn't "been here before." What's the harm in celebrating? Wins are too hard to come by to not enjoy them to the fullest. How about closet full of t-shirts by the end of the year? lol
 

I love Kill and his staff. Love what they are doing and happy there are part of the University of Minnesota.

But, this article brings up the age old question: Why did they ever fire Glen Mason?
 

Wherever the Nebraska game ranks, it will be one slot lower in four weeks.
 



killme said:
Um, anyone who's less than 53 hasn't "been here before." What's the harm in celebrating? Wins are too hard to come by to not enjoy them to the fullest. How about closet full of t-shirts by the end of the year? lol
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That's what I'm thinking. A top 25 team that has won 16 straight games against us, a game that looked like it may turn into a classic blowout towards the beginning, a sixth win which makes us bowl eligible, nationally televised, and four more games to increase our post season stock.

This was a big win for the program. National perception is huge......and this team is capable of flipping that perception.
 


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