Playing Ranked Teams in The Dome

[Go Gophers Rah]

Once again, here is an opportunity to rid ourselves of the spectre of the Dome.

During our 28 years there, we played 45 ranked teams and won 6 of those contests (.133 winning percentage) (1990 Indiana & Iowa, 93 Wisconsin, 96 Syracuse, 2000 Illinois, 2005 Purdue). Of those opponents, only 3 finished the year ranked (90 Iowa, 93 Wisconsin and 96 Syracuse).

So the LAST TIME we won a home game against a ranked team that remained in the top 25 at the end of the season was 1996. That is an eternity ago.

In my opinion, the Cal team will be the only ranked one to walk into The Bank in 2009. Whether its kool-aid or not, Brewster has me seeing that the only way to really improve in the long term is to play the best - I'm not sure that I viewed it that way back in the Mason era. While I think the odds are stacked against us this Saturday, I do think that the football gods might look down on us and say, "enough suffering for these poor souls" and we could walk away with the biggest Gophers victory of the past 10 years.

Go Gophers!

 

[MaxyJR1]

Good find and post. Gopher teams have historically fallen flat at home. This is a big game for the future.

 

[Jike Spingleton]

What was Syracuse ranked when they came into the Dome in 1996? Looking to see who was the last Top 10 non-conference opponent we hosted...

 

[cduff]

In Mason's interview with GH, he mentioned something like this.

GH: Looking back at your career at Minnesota – what is your most memorable win: the win at Ohio State, Penn State or Michigan?

GM: The funny thing is all those games were road wins. The Dome was supposed to bring a great home field advantage and we were never able to beat those teams at the Dome. I think a clean slate will be good. But the best win I had has to be the win at Penn State in 1999. We were in the process of turning the program around and that was our first win recognized nationally. It brought a lot of attention to our program and rewarded the players for their hard work.

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1023

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

What was Syracuse ranked when they came into the Dome in 1996? Looking to see who was the last Top 10 non-conference opponent we hosted...

Syracuse was #23 when we played them in September and finished the year at #21.

The last top 10 team we hosted was #8 Ohio State.

The last top-10 OOC opponent we hosted was #3 Nebraska in 1989. The result: 0-48

The last time we beat a top-10 ooc team at home was 1956 against #10 Pitt. We beat #10 USC the prior year.

 

[metrolax]

The Dome worked against us in so many ways. I was thinking Saturday night, listening
online to the AF radio broadcast (uff da), that when we were up 20-10 in the 4th with
just a few minutes to go, that if that game were in the Dome, there was at least a
60% chance that we would blow the game- at least.

Back in the Brickhouse, just taking the Cal Stoll era, the Gophers always played their
best ball at home. During the era of the Big Two, we always got hammered in Columbus
and Ann Arbor, but usually played those two teams very tough at home. In 1976, we
got clobbered in Seattle 38-7, but came back the next year to beat Washington at home.
We beat UCLA at home in 1977 also.

Once the results begin to reflect the obvious differences between TCF and the Dome
in regards to on-field performance, I think that there will be a greater appreciation for
the uphill battle that coaches like Mason, Gutekunst, & Wacker had to fight.

 

[josh087]

To recap, the 6 wins were:
- 1990, Indiana
- 1990, Iowa
- 1993, Wisconsin
- 1996, Syracuse
- 2000, Illinois
- 2005, Purdue

I’m trying to figure out when the last time we beat a top 10 team at home was. I don’t know for sure all of the rankings of these teams – but I think that Purdue in 2005 was #11, and I believe Syracuse was either #23, #24 or #25 in 1996. No way Illinois or Indiana was ranked in the top 10 in those years we beat them.

So that leaves Iowa in 1990 and Wisconsin in 1993. Iowa tied for the BTT that year with two losses in conference – but had two losses out of conference including their bowl game. Even though we beat them in the final game of the year – they still had two losses prior to that game – but since they were @Miami and against Ohio State they could have been in the top 10.

In 1993 we gave Wisconsin their only loss of the season – costing the Badgers perhaps a split National Championship, and since this was game #8 of the season, I’m fairly certain an undefeated 7-0 team would have been ranked in the top 10 – but that was the year the BADgers came out of nowhere.

Either way – it is likely we’ve only beaten one top 10 team at home in the last 30 years. Another chance Saturday!

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

I’m trying to figure out when the last time we beat a top 10 team at home was.

The last time we beat a top-10 team at home was #1 Michigan in 1977. The one previous to that was #6 Purdue in 1967.

 

[thailleagle]

2003 Wisconsin finished the season ranked right?