Non-Conference Scheduling

[Ope3]

Moving on from the Cyclones...I'd like to see a Home and Home against Navy and/or Army.

I think the Gophers were locked in against Navy but it was sunk somehow due to the Middies joining a conference.

 

[Scottsdale Gopher]

They are the team that we've played the most outside of the B1G conference at 23 games. MN is 21-1-1 in those games and last playing in 2009.

Next:
Pittsburgh 12
Missouri 9

I'd like to see some sort of P4 non-conference rotating system where you play teams based on previous season finish.

B1G1 vs SEC1 and B12 1 vs ACC1
ACC2 vs B1G2 and SEC2 vs B12 2
SEC3 vs ACC3 and B1G3 vs B12 3
and so on...
BIG 17 and ACC 17 will play each other. B1G 18 will find any opponent.

Create auto qualifiers to 24 team playoff with some at-large.

That's true, but they've only played four times in the last 100 years and one of those was the 2009 bowl game. I'm sure the Gophers have played several non-conference opponents more than thrice in the last 100 years.

I love the idea of creating non-conference games based on the previous year's finish. It would create bowl-like matchups that I think all fans would like to see more frequently.

 

[tjgopher]

They are the team that we've played the most outside of the B1G conference at 23 games. MN is 21-1-1 in those games and last playing in 2009.

According to Gopher sports webpage, we've actually played Iowa State 26 times with a 22-3-1 record.

Next:
Pittsburgh 12
Missouri 9

I realize you meant P4 opponents here.

But for the heck of it I spent wasted time looking through the opponents. (Just for something interesting to see, not to suggest possible future opponents LOL)

By my count (may have missed something), here are the most played non-conference series (FBS bolded):
Iowa State 26 times
North Dakota 19 times (last played 51 years ago)
Chicago 18 times (last played 91 years ago)
Grinnell 16 times (last played 100 years ago)
Pittsburgh 12 times
South Dakota 11times
Ohio 10 times
Carleton 10 times (last played 121 years ago)
Missouri 9 times
North Dakota State 9 times

 

[GophEnEspaña]

Moving on from the Cyclones...I'd like to see a Home and Home against Navy and/or Army.

I think the Gophers were locked in against Navy but it was sunk somehow due to the Middies joining a conference.

Agreed, but I doubt that happens now with B1G and SEC shuffling their non-con's to avoid having high-risk, low-reward games with non power teams. For example, I heard today that NDSU only has one power 4 game in the next several years lined up, nobody wants to schedule them.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

I think the Gophers were locked in against Navy but it was sunk somehow due to the Middies joining a conference.

I don't recall that whatsoever, and am a pretty big future scheduling nerd haha.

We did have our BYU home & home wiped out by COVID unfortunately.

 

[caliGopher]

Yesterday served a purpose.

• It allowed 76 players game action
• It allowed the coaches to evaluate all those players
• It was family weekend and allowed people to bring young fans to the game for a reasonable price.
• It show cased the band and spirit squads to numerous HS kids providing them a great opportunity to be on the field

These experiences all offer opportunities and engage the state in Gopher football. Seeing your team win 66-0 doesn’t hurt.

I think you can get all of this, and still schedule an FCS team that wouldn't have been blown out by the decimiated VaTech team we played in the Mayo Bowl.....

We don't have to play NDSU, but the chance to earn a win you don't have to work to hard for lies in between NDSU and St. Sebastian's School for the Blind. We're scraping the bottom of the barrel in the FCS the next two seasons as well.

 

[Ope3]

I don't recall that whatsoever, and am a pretty big future scheduling nerd haha.

We did have our BYU home & home wiped out by COVID unfortunately.

Looking at the Google, it was scheduled for 2019 & 2020 but nixed way back in 2012 as Navy needed to make room for entering the Big East (now the AAC).

Navy pushes back series vs. Marshall, cancels series vs. Minnesota

Navy has pushed back a football series with Marshall and canceled a series with Minnesota.

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