PSU game is not the "biggest game since Michigan '03", it's bigger, much bigger.

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Spoofin said:
Is it bigger than when we played for the B1G West title in 2014? Feels bigger, but much less on the line.


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I’m going to find myself on the same side as Spoofin... what a day.

It’s a big game and there will be lots of hype, but it won’t necessarily mean much if we win but then go on to lose to Wisky and Iowa. Likewise, a loss won’t really hurt that much if we end up beating Iowa and Wisconsin.
 

A win over Penn State would change the narrative about this team, and in a dramatic manner. There would be no more talk about the Gophers needing to prove something because of an "easy" schedule.

Penn State is a true helmet school. They are a legitimate 8-0. They will be knocking on the door of a top 4 or top 5 ranking.

They are competing with a juggernaut Ohio State team for the B1G East and the overall B1G crown. That's how the media sees them as well. Because of that, the Nittany Lions know they can't afford even one slip up.

On our side, Fleck appears to have the Gophers in exactly the right state of mind. They have their eyes on the prize, and it's a much bigger prize than some fans were contemplating earlier this season.

For these reasons, this is an epic game. A monumental game.

While it's true that the Gophers' season would survive if they lost to Penn State, I really don't think the coaches and players are looking at it that way. I think they actually believe that this is their moment.
 

I am sick of the narrative that we have to prove ourselves during the Penn State game to be real. The team is real right now. This is a very important game because it has CFP ramifications. We are still in that race and we are not a step behind Penn State. We are only a step behind mentally as fans. We, the fans, have not grasped the mantra "Do not be afraid to be a legend." Well, I'm all in to the legend of this year. 59 years ago, the Gophers were legendary. Today, they are legendary. When Penn State arrives, it will be a battle of titans, and I believe we will defeat the Lions. If we do, we can run the table.
 

Dean S said:
I am sick of the narrative that we have to prove ourselves during the Penn State game to be real. The team is real right now. This is a very important game because it has CFP ramifications. We are still in that race and we are not a step behind Penn State. We are only a step behind mentally as fans. We, the fans, have not grasped the mantra "Do not be afraid to be a legend." Well, I'm all in to the legend of this year. 59 years ago, the Gophers were legendary. Today, they are legendary. When Penn State arrives, it will be a battle of titans, and I believe we will defeat the Lions. If we do, we can run the table.
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Agreed. PSU has yet to see the wealth of offensive weapons we possess. This is a team that could only muster up 17 points on "mighty" Pittsburgh.

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Spoofin said:
I don’t disagree. This game feels bigger to me too, but figured that 2014 game may be a better comparison than ‘03 Michigan. Both teams this year may be better than those in 2014 - but there isn’t as much on the line.


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I don't know about that. If we beat Penn State to get to 6-0 in conference.....we'd basically need to lose out in order to not win the West....or one of Wisconsin or Iowa would need to win out. Not only that, but we would now be firmly in the playoff discussion. Who'd have ever thought that they'd see the day that a Gophers team would be undefeated 9-0....top ten....and be playoff contenders? Not me. Our ceiling was WAY lower in 2014. It's not even close.
 


2014 was a great year for sure, but that loss at Illinois was the down point. That loss earlier in the year was the "same old Gophers" loss of the year.

We played very well against OSU that year in a loss.
 

stocker08 said:
I don't know about that. If we beat Penn State to get to 6-0 in conference.....we'd basically need to lose out in order to not win the West....or one of Wisconsin or Iowa would need to win out. Not only that, but we would now be firmly in the playoff discussion. Who'd have ever thought that they'd see the day that a Gophers team would be undefeated 9-0....top ten....and be playoff contenders? Not me. Our ceiling was WAY lower in 2014. It's not even close.
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Even if we beat Penn St a loss to the winner of Iowa/Wisky would likely cause us to not win the west. I’m pumped for the game already, but if the goal is winning the west, beating the winner of Iowa/Wisky is a bigger game.
 

They all feel like big games with the exception of NW. I am thrilled we are playing seriously relevant games in November.
 

We should find out the game time tomorrow, right? Or can they now wait until the week before to decide that?
 
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No, it really isn't.

It seems bigger because it's happening now, but coming into Michigan '03, Minnesota had beaten #24 PSU and #21 NU on the road.

Michigan was the best remaining team on our schedule and if the Gophers won that game then they probably would have won the B1G, not the B1G West, the B1G.

There was similar hype around the program, Mason had turned us into a juggernaut and put the two best running backs in Gopher history on the field alongside a competent passing game and good O-line.

That game was, for all intents and purposes, a championship game to the Gophers.

Beating PSU doesn't mean the Gophers will win the B1G. It means they might have a chance at Ohio State for the title.
 

The ‘03 Michigan game had much more hype both locally and nationally then this one currently does. That ‘03 game was going to cement the Gophers and Mason as a successful program. Then the loss, and the way we lost, has defined the perception of the team for the last 16 years. Whatever game we win that erases the affects of that loss will be the new benchmark as the most important game.

The upcoming Penn State game could be the one to look back on as the program changer. And if we’re in the top 15 this week of the FBS rankings, the hype might get to the ‘03 level. However we lose and I doubt it replaces the ‘03 game and some future game will have to be the one.

As far as importance, yes this one could be the most important game since the 60’s. I’m already Eye of the Sun, Fusion Nuclear Hot for the game and what may follow if we win.
 

RememberMurray said:
A win over Penn State would change the narrative about this team, and in a dramatic manner. There would be no more talk about the Gophers needing to prove something because of an "easy" schedule.

Penn State is a true helmet school. They are a legitimate 8-0. They will be knocking on the door of a top 4 or top 5 ranking.

They are competing with a juggernaut Ohio State team for the B1G East and the overall B1G crown. That's how the media sees them as well. Because of that, the Nittany Lions know they can't afford even one slip up.

On our side, Fleck appears to have the Gophers in exactly the right state of mind. They have their eyes on the prize, and it's a much bigger prize than some fans were contemplating earlier this season.

For these reasons, this is an epic game. A monumental game.

While it's true that the Gophers' season would survive if they lost to Penn State, I really don't think the coaches and players are looking at it that way. I think they actually believe that this is their moment.
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In PJ Fleck's locker room pep talk, instead of "Don't be afraid to be a legend!" - perhaps He should borrow Herbs Brooks' famous speech: "You were born to be here".
 

Spoofin said:
Is it bigger than when we played for the B1G West title in 2014? Feels bigger, but much less on the line.


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Yep, agree. Probably more hype but much less at stake.
 



stocker08 said:
I don't know about that. If we beat Penn State to get to 6-0 in conference.....we'd basically need to lose out in order to not win the West....or one of Wisconsin or Iowa would need to win out. Not only that, but we would now be firmly in the playoff discussion. Who'd have ever thought that they'd see the day that a Gophers team would be undefeated 9-0....top ten....and be playoff contenders? Not me. Our ceiling was WAY lower in 2014. It's not even close.
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The OP was about the game. 2014 in Camp Randall was a bigger game. It meant winning the West and going to the Championship game. A win in that game would have had a much larger impact on the program than beating PSU will on Nov 9. It doesn't mean Nov 9 isn't a big game.
 

I was confident as heck going into that Michigan game, and we were whipping their butt. I have no idea what to expect against PSU, but I think it will be at worst a great game.


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I take the view that the true importance of the game can only be seen at the end of the season.

In order to know whether something is 'historic,' you have to be able to put it into context. We know how the 2003 season played out and how the 2014 season played out, so it's easier to put the '03 Michigan game and the '14 Wisconsin game in context.

With this year's game, we don't know how the season is going to play out. A win over Penn State would seem monumental - but if the Gophers then turn around and lose to WI and IA, all of a sudden, it's not so monumental. Now, I don't think that is likely to happen - but just pointing out that circumstances can alter how we view certain events.

20 years from now, people could talk about the 2019 season when a win over Penn State helped propel the gophers into the College football playoffs. Or, people could talk about the 2019 season when the Gophers had all kinds of hype but fell short in the closing weeks of the season.

The future is not written yet. I heard that in a movie.
 

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