Minnesota - the most "experienced" team in the Big Ten

[Go Gophers Rah]

According to football journalist Phil Steele, Minnesota has the most "experienced" players in the conference. Here is his ranking for all conferences:

http://www.philsteele.com/Blogs/June09/DBJune1.html

Here's how the Big Ten stacks up:

28: Minnesota
32: Ohio State
54: Indiana
64: Penn State
71: Michigan State
74: Iowa
74: Illinois
74: Purdue
93: Northwestern
93: Wisconsin
120: Michigan (last in all of college football)

I don't think this is telling us anything we didn't already know, but it reinforces the fact that we have very little turnover this year (hopefully that's a good thing - I think it is).

Go Gophers!

 

[Schnauzer]

Unfortunately some pundits are predicting a 9th place finish for those experienced Gopher players this fall. Obviously I hope that is wrong.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

experience

Unfortunately, the experienced players will have a new O.C. in a new system, and their 4th D.C. in 4 years. Interesting how that will play out.

 

[spermophilus]

"Made out of gold and-uh, cant be sold"

 

[Schnoodler]

Experience is a huge factor. so is skill and ability and maturity. Unfortunately, when you account for talent and experience we still sit about 6th. And then there's the schedule considerations. we're moving in the right direction. We're just one year off still.

 

[Jike Spingleton]

I picked up Phil Steele's yearbook today, and he shares the same opinion I've seen elsewhere: the Gophers will be better, but the upgrade in schedule and unlikelihood of repeating last year's turnover margin will make it difficult for them to improve on seven wins.

Here's how he thinks the Big Ten finishes:

1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
(tie) Illinois
4. Iowa
(tie) Michigan State
6. Michigan
(tie) Wisconsin
8. Minnesota
9. Northwestern
(tie) Purdue
11. Indiana

 

[mggoph]

Experience is a huge factor. so is skill and ability and maturity. Unfortunately, when you account for talent and experience we still sit about 6th. And then there's the schedule considerations. we're moving in the right direction. We're just one year off still.

Right on. And may I please add depth to your equation. This hurts us late in the year, IMO.

 

[koppco1]

I just don't see PSU winning the conference considering how much they lost to graduation or early entry to the draft. tOSU lost a fair amount also. There is no dominant team and the conference is pretty wide open in my opinion. It will be very entertaining as there is more and more parity each year.

 

[gold04]

Big Ten is WIDE open this year. It would not shock me, if we even won the Big Ten this year. National experts are saying no team in the Big Ten will make a big splash on the national scene.

 

[Boondoggle]

I really think that we'll finish ahead of Wisconsin. It's been getting closer and closer, and i think we may have just turned the corner. Bielema is running the program that was handed to him on a silver platter into the ground.