Next year we will start 7-1

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gopherrising

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Looking at the schedule no reason we can't start 7-1 next year. With TCU having a down year as is Michigan, I suspect we can split in those games. Not easy but possible. The rest look winnable. Northwestern at home and Illinois/Purdue back on the schedule. It will make the gauntlet at the back end interesting.


Thurs, Aug 28 Eastern Illinois TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Sep 06 Middle Tennessee State TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Sep 13 at TCU Fort Worth, Texas
Sat, Sep 20 San Jose State TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Sep 27 at Michigan * Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sat, Oct 11 Northwestern *^ TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Oct 18 Purdue *^ TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Oct 25 at Illinois *^ Champaign, Ill.
Sat, Nov 08 Iowa *^ TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Nov 15 Ohio State * TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Nov 22 at Nebraska *^ Lincoln, Neb.
Sat, Nov 29 at Wisconsin *^ Madison, Wis.
 

What is encouraging is I see 7-5 as a realistic floor.

Almost-sure losses (call it "2% chance"): Ohio State
Very tough games (anything can happen in rivalry games!): at Wisconsin
Tough games (probably underdogs): at Michigan, at TCU?, at Nebraska

The other 7 I feel are VERY winnable. I think we can get to 9 or 10 with a little luck and continued improvement
 


gopherrising said:
Looking at the schedule no reason we can't start 7-1 next year. With TCU having a down year as is Michigan, I suspect we can split in those games. Not easy but possible. The rest look winnable. Northwestern at home and Illinois/Purdue back on the schedule. It will make the gauntlet at the back end interesting.


Thurs, Aug 28 Eastern Illinois TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Sep 06 Middle Tennessee State TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Sep 13 at TCU Fort Worth, Texas
Sat, Sep 20 San Jose State TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Sep 27 at Michigan * Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sat, Oct 11 Northwestern *^ TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Oct 18 Purdue *^ TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Oct 25 at Illinois *^ Champaign, Ill.
Sat, Nov 08 Iowa *^ TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Nov 15 Ohio State * TCF Bank Stadium
Sat, Nov 22 at Nebraska *^ Lincoln, Neb.
Sat, Nov 29 at Wisconsin *^ Madison, Wis.
Click to expand...

What's crazy is that if we can beat TCU and Michigan on the road, we'll be 9-0 and top 10 going into the Ohio State game (a little far fetched, I know).

It's not that far-fetched, though, to think that we might be 8-1 going into Ohio State. We could get Gameday.

Iowa starts out soft, so they could even be undefeated or 7-1 going into our bout with them on November 8th. I wouldn't be surprised if Gameday chose us for that game as well.
 

Finishing on the road the last two weeks sucks. And I would feel better about about Michigan if it was here. It's a tall order, even with both of them down (this year), but WHEN we beat TCU and Michigan on the road, I think it is reasonable to be 9-0 and welcoming ESPN to host tOSU November 15th.
 


Have you people ever watched football? You realize unexpected things happen - stars are injured, players don't develop, teams are better than you thought, bad games are played, etc. It's tough to tell what will happen this Saturday, not to mention a full year from now.
 

I'm filling this in as I research it, so I'm expecting it to be sloppy. But I think I have it right.

Before they play us:

TCU Hosts Samford in their opener.
San Jose @ Auburn, TBA (needs to find opponent)
Michigan has Notre Dame, Utah.
We have a bye before we play NW, and they host whiskey the week before.
Purdue at Illinois, hosts MSU.
Illinois at wiskey, bye
Iowa, bye, hosts NW
tOSU, hosts Illinois, at MSU
UNL, bye, at whiskey
whiskey, at Iowa, bye. And we have a bye before bringing the axe back home.
 

OSU loses almost the entire offensive line next year (4), with really young backups behind them, and if Shazier and Roby both leave, and any other underclass men, the defense loses a fair amount as well. I think the Gophers can make a game of it at TCF.
 

HIGH: 10-2
Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, TCU-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W, Iowa-W, Nebraska-W, Wisconsin-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L
Result: Capital One Bowl

MEDIUM 9-3: Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, TCU-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W, Iowa-W, Wisconsin-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L, Nebraska-L
Result: Outback Bowl

LOW 8-4: Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, TCU-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W, Iowa-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L, Nebraska-L, Wisconsin-L
Result: Heart of Dallas/Gator Bowl

NW-esque badluck season 6-6: Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L, Nebraska-L, Iowa-L, Wisconsin-L
Result: Little Caesars Detroilet Bowl

My prediction (and I hate doing this) 9-3....Outback Bowl v.s. Auburn
 



beat michigan state and win the bowl game and there is a very real shot at being ranked coming into the season.
 

I don't expect TCU to be a given next year.
 

AEmerson40 said:
Have you people ever watched football? You realize unexpected things happen - stars are injured, players don't develop, teams are better than you thought, bad games are played, etc. It's tough to tell what will happen this Saturday, not to mention a full year from now.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this thread is premature to say the least.
 

AEmerson40 said:
Have you people ever watched football? You realize unexpected things happen - stars are injured, players don't develop, teams are better than you thought, bad games are played, etc. It's tough to tell what will happen this Saturday, not to mention a full year from now.
Click to expand...

What's the harm in having hopes for the future?
 



Gopher028 said:
HIGH: 10-2
Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, TCU-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W, Iowa-W, Nebraska-W, Wisconsin-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L
Result: Capital One Bowl

MEDIUM 9-3: Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, TCU-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W, Iowa-W, Wisconsin-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L, Nebraska-L
Result: Outback Bowl

LOW 8-4: Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, TCU-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W, Iowa-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L, Nebraska-L, Wisconsin-L
Result: Heart of Dallas/Gator Bowl

NW-esque badluck season 6-6: Eastern Illinois-W, Middle Tennessee State-W, San Jose State-W, Northwestern-W, Purdue-W, Illinois-W
Michigan-L, Ohio State-L, Nebraska-L, Iowa-L, Wisconsin-L
Result: Little Caesars Detroilet Bowl

My prediction (and I hate doing this) 9-3....Outback Bowl v.s. Auburn
Click to expand...

I think you're giving Michigan too much credit by making them 1 of 2 most likely losses. I know it's @Michigan but that's not exactly an intimidating environment. Nebraska and Wisconsin should be tougher tests for this team IMO.

Here's how I see it.

Guaranteed Loss:
OSU

Likely Loss:
Nebraska, UW, Michigan

Possible Loss:
TCU, Iowa

Cupcakes:
The balance

Say we have 0% chance in the guaranteed loss, 33% chance in the likely loss, 50% in the possible loss and 100% in the cupcakes that would shake out to an estimated record of 8-4 if my math is correct.
 



vagopher said:
What's the harm in having hopes for the future?
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with looking ahead but this season isn't even over yet and a lot can change between now and the start of next year. Teams that look bad can suddenly become decent (US). Teams that look great months in advance can be busts (Northwestern). It is why I dislike preseason polls and predictions, I know they need to do it to give fans something to focus on but in most cases it is just a crap shoot at best until you actually get to see the teams on the field.

At this point everyone in this thread is chalking up the game at Illinois as a win but they could be a much better team next season and that game could be a whole lot tougher than it looks right now.

Graduations, players leaving early, transfers, and first year impact recruits can change the landscape in a hurry in college football.
 

maroonedinCA said:
And in those 50 years there's been few stretches where the team has been this piss-poor.
Click to expand...

7-4 (3-4) is "piss-poor"? We are one game better - what does that make us? Only "poor"? Btw, we lost to that "piss-poor" team by 4 touchdowns at that "unintimidating environment" this year.
 

dpodoll68 said:
7-4 (3-4) is "piss-poor"? We are one game better - what does that make us? Only "poor"? Btw, we lost to that "piss-poor" team by 4 touchdowns at that "unintimidating environment" this year.
Click to expand...

Piss-poor by their standards. And if you don't think that's the case feel free to head over to Stadium and Main and take a look at the meltdown in progress. Jesus, get a little more defensive.
 

Unregistered User said:
I'm filling this in as I research it, so I'm expecting it to be sloppy. But I think I have it right.

Before they play us:

TCU Hosts Samford in their opener.
San Jose @ Auburn, TBA (needs to find opponent)
Michigan has Notre Dame, Utah.
We have a bye before we play NW, and they host whiskey the week before.
Purdue at MSU, hosts MSU.
Illinois at wiskey, bye
Iowa, bye, hosts NW
tOSU, hosts Illinois, at MSU
UNL, bye, at whiskey
whiskey, at Iowa, bye. And we have a bye before bringing the axe back home.
Click to expand...

Purdue got a tough draw, getting Sparty two Saturdays in a row.
 

maroonedinCA said:
Piss-poor by their standards. And if you don't think that's the case feel free to head over to Stadium and Main and take a look at the meltdown in progress. Jesus, get a little more defensive.
Click to expand...

I'm not defensive at all. It's a stupid thing to say. Regardless of the "intimidation" factor, you can automatically mark an away game at Michigan among the toughest in any Gopher schedule. Period. Look at the records, for crying out loud. We played an actual "piss-poor" Michigan team in 2008 (not a mediocre Michigan team like this year) and got railroaded - at home, nonetheless. We might've lost by 5 TDs at Michigan that year, and that was a decent Gophers team.

I'm sure it's no Camp Randall in your eyes, but the Big House is a damn tough place to win a football game, regardless of season.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I'm not defensive at all. It's a stupid thing to say. Regardless of the "intimidation" factor, you can automatically mark an away game at Michigan among the toughest in any Gopher schedule. Period. Look at the records, for crying out loud. We played an actual "piss-poor" Michigan team in 2008 (not a mediocre Michigan team like this year) and got railroaded - at home, nonetheless. We might've lost by 5 TDs at Michigan that year, and that was a decent Gophers team.

I'm sure it's no Camp Randall in your eyes, but the Big House is a damn tough place to win a football game, regardless of season.
Click to expand...

Fine, it's a tough place to play. You win, I guess...happy? Feel good about that? So based on that I guess that's an automatic loss as well. Should I revise my prediction to 7-5 or keep it at 8-4? Anything else you want to tell me? Get a life.
 


RoyalGopher said:
What's crazy is that if we can beat TCU and Michigan on the road, we'll be 9-0 and top 10 going into the Ohio State game (a little far fetched, I know).

It's not that far-fetched, though, to think that we might be 8-1 going into Ohio State. We could get Gameday.

Iowa starts out soft, so they could even be undefeated or 7-1 going into our bout with them on November 8th. I wouldn't be surprised if Gameday chose us for that game as well.
Click to expand...

"If they beat TCU and Mich they will be 9-0". Isnt that assuming a lot?
 

maroonedinCA said:
Fine, it's a tough place to play. You win, I guess...happy? Feel good about that?
Click to expand...

Yes, actually. Feel good about being whiny?

maroonedinCA said:
So based on that I guess that's an automatic loss as well.
Click to expand...

Who said that?

maroonedinCA said:
Get a life.
Click to expand...

Stop being so sensitive about being proven wrong. Also, find a Badger board where you can join your fellow fans. I know they exist, even if 56k dial-up is the standard in Dairyland.
 


dpodoll68 said:
Yes, actually. Feel good about being whiny?



Who said that?



Stop being so sensitive about being proven wrong. Also, find a Badger board where you can join your fellow fans. I know they exist, even if 56k dial-up is the standard in Dairyland.
Click to expand...

Where was I being whiny? When I disagreed with you on Michigan being a tough place to play? When I thought the Gophers had a better chance to win there than you did?

When you say 'Who said that?' I think you did by implication with the 2-22 comment. I know it's not technically what you said and because you're the type of internet conversationalist that leaches onto specific language rather than the implied meaning behind it I won't convince you otherwise. I'll say this, in my experience the type of people that utilize this approach are either stupid or 7 years-old. Now I never said 'you're stupid' so don't read too much into that.

Your attempts at humor are lame. Seriously, the 56k dial-up? Does that sort of stuff just kill among your friends?

/live in Southwest Minneapolis, my internet seems to work just fine.
 

There is a chance we should be 8-1 going into the final 3 games. In fact, I think we need to expect that if we want to match this year's success. I don't see us winning the final 3.
 

vagopher said:
What's the harm in having hopes for the future?
Click to expand...

Oh nothing. Probably just the pessimistic Gopher fan in me. But I do think it is important to realize that season predictions are next to useless. See: 95% of people's prediction for the Big Ten season after Iowa and Michigan.
 

Significant Players Leaving:
Defensive line
Ra'Shede Hageman (DT) All Big 10 team (preseason), TFL in multiple games, pass breakups, forced fumble. Leader by example.
Roland Johnson (DT) Consistent performer with a PAT block.

Defensive line - Seniors 2014
Cameron Botticelli (DT)
Michael Amaefula (DE)

Linebackers
Aaron Hill (LB) Had significant impact with solo tackles, TFL, interceptions and forced a fumble. Leader by example.
James Manuel (LB) Sack, INT for TD, consistent tackler.

Linebackers - Seniors 2014
Damien Wilson (LB)

Defensive Backs
Brock Vereen (DB) Forced fumble, interception, solo tackles, solid performer overall.
Martez Shabaz (DB) Blocked field goal for TD, shared a sack, solid performer overall.

Defensive Backs - Seniors 2014

Derrick Wells (DB)
Cedric Thompson (DB)
Marcus Jones (DB)

Offensive Line

Ed Olson (OL) Injury riddled year. Played well against Nebraska.
Jake Filkins (LS) Rock solid long snapper with zero mistakes in each game.

Offensive Line - Senior 2014
Brian Bobeck (OL)
Zak Epping (OL)
Mark Lenkiewicz (OL)
Caleb Bak (OL)
Tommy Olson (OL)

Receivers and Running Backs

Derrick Engel (WR) Very productive at the beginning of the season.
Mike Henry (FB) plowed the road and made several key catches through the season.

Receivers/Running Backs/Tight Ends - Seniors 2014

Donnell Kirkwood (RB)
David Cobb (RB)
Drew Goodger (TE)

Kickers/Punters
Kris Hawthorn (K) Big Ten special teams player of the week honors. Outstanding field position.
 

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