No year zero in Madison: 10-plus wins, Big Ten West title; Fickell embraces expectations

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The Athletic beat writer publishes almost daily reports on what is happening at the spring practices.
There is a significant improvement in the passing game, both at QB and receivers.
The running game is the same with uncertain depth at RB after the two starters.
The defense added some depth from the portal and the scheme has changed.
So it is a work in progress.
 

btowngopher said:
I guess I don’t see the talent upgrade. Especially on the defensive side.
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Their backup quarterback will be much better this year.
Defense will be worse.
Smells like a national title to me.


And I think their coach is worse in terms of football. Recruiting/organization they may be better…but that’s tbd
 

Plato said:
The Athletic beat writer publishes almost daily reports on what is happening at the spring practices.
There is a significant improvement in the passing game, both at QB and receivers.
The running game is the same with uncertain depth at RB after the two starters.
The defense added some depth from the portal and the scheme has changed.
So it is a work in progress.
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Yeah. I expect passing game to be better, running game to be worse, defense to be worse.
To me, that smells like 8-4 +\- 1 win based on their schedule. Indiana and Rutgers on the schedule.
 



Some guy said:
Yeah. I expect passing game to be better, running game to be worse, defense to be worse.
To me, that smells like 8-4 +\- 1 win based on their schedule. Indiana and Rutgers on the schedule.
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The offense that is being installed is designed to avoid the eight and nine-men defensive fronts that WI faced for the last few years.
If that proves to be the case, the running game will improve.
 

Plato said:
The offense that is being installed is designed to avoid the eight and nine-men defensive fronts that WI faced for the last few years.
If that proves to be the case, the running game will improve.
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The running game is not going to improve in terms of gross productivity. It may improve in terms of production per carry. At the end of the day they have to score more points than the other teams. I think they’ll do that 7-9 times next year
 

Plato said:
The Athletic beat writer publishes almost daily reports on what is happening at the spring practices.
There is a significant improvement in the passing game, both at QB and receivers.
The running game is the same with uncertain depth at RB after the two starters.
The defense added some depth from the portal and the scheme has changed.
So it is a work in progress.
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Potentially. I get it if you’re sold on Mordecai, but the wr additions are unproven, now you do return Dike, Bell, and Lewis which have good growth potential.
 

btowngopher said:
Potentially. I get it if you’re sold on Mordecai, but the wr additions are unproven, now you do return Dike, Bell, and Lewis which have good growth potential.
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Dike would have been the Gophers #1 WR based on production numbers. Bell seemed to be a decent #2. Adding Green gives you a solid starter from another P5 school. The addition of Williams gives them a solid 4 guys. There may not be a star there, but if all of them are #2 type of WR, that makes a likley mismatch on 2 of the CB if they run a 4 WR set.

I do think the running game will improve but I believe the defense will take a few steps back. Jim Leonhard was a damn good D coordinator but there's only so much that team was going to do with Mertz and Chryst.
 



I'm A Maroon 2! said:
Dike would have been the Gophers #1 WR based on production numbers. Bell seemed to be a decent #2. Adding Green gives you a solid starter from another P5 school. The addition of Williams gives them a solid 4 guys. There may not be a star there, but if all of them are #2 type of WR, that makes a likley mismatch on 2 of the CB if they run a 4 WR set.

I do think the running game will improve but I believe the defense will take a few steps back. Jim Leonhard was a damn good D coordinator but there's only so much that team was going to do with Mertz and Chryst.
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I forgot about Green. It’s a solid group, and should be improved more so on the development of the returning players in my opinion. I just don’t think it’s improved enough to move the needle a ton though.
 

I hate WI more than any other team but aside from the last few years, they have absolutely decimated the Gophs. They made a top-notch coaching hire who can leverage his name to pull legit talent from the portal, and that's what he's done. The B1G West remains a very weak conference so I would be surprised if they don't pull 8 wins next year and are in the running for winning the West.
 

SamSquatch said:
I hate WI more than any other team but aside from the last few years, they have absolutely decimated the Gophs. They made a top-notch coaching hire who can leverage his name to pull legit talent from the portal, and that's what he's done. The B1G West remains a very weak conference so I would be surprised if they don't pull 8 wins next year and are in the running for winning the West.
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My opinion: I think the bolded statement is hyperbolic, to say the least.

In the last six years, the Gophers are 3-3 vs. Wisconsin. Of the Gophers three losses, two were lopsided Wisconsin wins and one was an overtime squeaker in which the Gophers missed a crucial chip-shot field goal. The three Gopher wins were by 22, 10 and 7 points respectively.

Again, this encompasses a six year span — the better part of a decade, which means it extends well beyond "a few years". And the totals in those six years have certainly not been the results of any 'decimation.'

Now, we're all aware of the long Wisconsin win streak back in the day, a stretch some time ago when the rivalry was completely one-sided in Wisconsin's favor. But those dark days of Wisconsin domination have been behind us for quite some time now. Ancient history at this point.

The overall record between the two teams is now precisely tied. How can you beat that for a great rivalry?
 
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Oops... I forgot to acknowledge that Wisconsin fired their coach, and hired a living legend to replace him.

I guess I have to resign myself to a return to the dark old days of Wisconsin dominating my team.

Damnit! Just when things were looking up, the Badgers pull a legend out of their hats!
 



SamSquatch said:
I hate WI more than any other team but aside from the last few years, they have absolutely decimated the Gophs. They made a top-notch coaching hire who can leverage his name to pull legit talent from the portal, and that's what he's done. The B1G West remains a very weak conference so I would be surprised if they don't pull 8 wins next year and are in the running for winning the West.
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I guess I’m not as impressed with his portal pulls as some. Doesn’t seem like any better talent than what other West programs are pulling. Look at Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, they all added talent. Any halfway decent P5 program with an open door to the starting qb position is going to be able to pull a decent one from the portal.
 

btowngopher said:
I guess I’m not as impressed with his portal pulls as some. Doesn’t seem like any better talent than what other West programs are pulling. Look at Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, they all added talent. Any halfway decent P5 program with an open door to the starting qb position is going to be able to pull a decent one from the portal.
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Ahhh, but those other teams haven't added the Legend.

The winner of the Super Bowl wins the Lombardi trophy. In my lifetime, I fully expect see the NCAA football champion awarded the Fickell Cup.
 

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