RandBall: An alternate universe where the Gophers are College Football Playoff contenders

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Per RandBall:

The Gophers football team lost 19-17 to North Carolina in their season opener, a maddening display of football that still angers a group of friends and fellow Minnesota alums.

Had they made a kick ... or one more play on defense or simply played the game in October instead of August, the Gophers would have won.

It seemed like an ominous start to what would be a forgettable season. Iowa steamrolled Minnesota in the second half of the Big Ten opener. Michigan loomed next, and how were the Gophers supposed to compete?

Except they did, staging a furious comeback against the forward pass-challenged Wolverines, only to be undone by a bogus penalty and rule change that came too late to help them.

It was a devastating enough outcome for the Gophers, then 2-3, that turning this year into anything other than a repeat (or worse) of last year’s 5-7 finish seemed like wishful thinking.

Which is why thinking of this season in an entirely new way is both frustrating and enlightening. I went from, “Will they ever win again?” to musing on Wednesday’s Daily Delivery podcast with Star Tribune beat writer Randy Johnson that the Gophers were a couple of plays away from being in the College Football Playoff discussion.

www.startribune.com

RandBall: An alternate universe where the Gophers are College Football Playoff contenders

You don’t have to squint that hard to see how the Gophers could have been in the picture for the playoff. More than anything, that idea reinforces how the expanded playoff changes things for teams like Minnesota.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 




Schnauzer said:
If the Gophers continue to win, those three games (especially NC and Mich) will grow the frustration meter exponentially.
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It's been the issue going back. We have been 1 win away from very significant seasons and playing in INDY.
 





Every year there are a handful of plays we'd like back and could change our trajectory.
I was so frustrated last year with how we lost games (NW, Illinois, Purdue)
This year I'm not as frustrated because I can see how good the team seems to be getting as each week goes by.

Kind of interesting how last year at this time, we were sitting at 5-3 going into the Illinois game...just like this year. Now think about how different the path has been to get there. I feel so much better about our passing offense and defense, which has way more upside than the 2023 team did.

So, do we look back in anger or do we look forward to the fun we have left this season?
Beating Illinois, a ranked team on the road, and getting the Bielema monkey off our back will be another step forward. Then go beat Rutgers on the road. Take down Penn St at home on Senior Day. Then go get the axe.
 



gopherbadgerman said:
Almost all teams can say that though. One more win and it would have been a different season.
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100% right.

The bigger B1G gets, the more it becomes like NFL where most games are decided by 5 plays or less instead knowing before kickoff that you have no chance.

Granted, it's still possible to understand that a team was a play away sometimes esp when there's things like advanced metrics, S&P, etc to tell ppl that a team is actually better or worse than their record says they are
 

Thomasthetank said:
100% right.

The bigger B1G gets, the more it becomes like NFL where most games are decided by 5 plays or less instead knowing before kickoff that you have no chance.

Granted, it's still possible to understand that a team was a play away sometimes esp when there's things like advanced metrics, S&P, etc to tell ppl that a team is actually better or worse than their record says they are
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Right! More parity will make games closer and create more "what if" scenarios!

Speaking of an alternate universe where we are playoff contenders, we have a better chance of that happening in the future than we did even a year ago.

Brosmer has proven that if PJ trusts his quarterback, he'll actually throw the ball. That should help WR & TE recruiting. If Drake Lindsey can prove to be what we all hope he'll be next year and learn as much as he can from Brosmer, that could move recruiting to even the next level because he won't be a one-and-done!!! Find some NIL money to keep Lindsey here after he takes the league by storm next year and maybe we can qualify for the playoff in a couple years.

Then we just need to take third in the B1G and hope the SEC and B1G championship games are filled with injuries because the best teams in the country are beating on each other so we can win the national championship against depleted competition. Simple!!!! :p
 

RememberMurray said:
Just a missed kick (North Carolina) and a blocked punt deep in their own end (Michigan) from being 7-1.

Not to mention the fact that we were leading Iowa 14-7 at halftime.
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Cleaning up the kicking game would do wonders to improve this team.
 




Reminiscent of 2021 where those losses to Bowling Green and Illinois (analogous to UNC and Michigan) prevented a good season from being a great season.
 


RememberMurray said:
Or, we could choose a different way of looking at it, and simply enjoy the resulting success.
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By God, I actually agree with you for once. End of year wins and losses certainly matter, but to me, it’s more about how the fellas play the game and whether they are enjoyable to watch. Since the beginning of the second half against Michigan, this year has been outstanding. In a lot of ways, I do think this Saturday might be the most important game of the year and it’ll probably be a tough one. Let’s all hope Brosmer comes out dealing again like he did against Maryland. I don’t think I can over emphasize how impressive he was all game.
 

Gophers lost fair and square to Iowa and I don't see giving up 200+ rushing yards in a half as a bad break.

UNC was a bummer but missed field goals are common. I think if the game had been played a couple weeks later the Gophers would have won handily.

I will always wonder what might have been in that Michigan game. Not only did the Gophers have momentum, but also plenty of time. The refs may have robbed us of the greatest comeback in modern Gopher football history. One of several BS calls over the years against Michigan.

Just getting the Michigan game back would have the Gophers in the Big Ten title picture.
 

What would 7-1 gophers be ranked?
I speculate in the 17-19 range


Although, if they were 7-1 the win over USC may have vaulted them into the top 15 which would probably put them about 10-13 now
 

I think....if MN wins out, michigan wins last 3, ohio state beats penn st and Indiana, and nebraska beats iowa.

Gophers to B1G champ game
 


RememberMurray said:
Just a missed kick (North Carolina) and a bad call (Michigan) from being 7-1.

Not to mention the fact that we were leading Iowa 14-7 at halftime.
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Reversing the call in the Michigan game wouldn't guarantee victory, but you could smell it the way it was going. Where would this team be ranked with a 7-1 record?
 

Thomasthetank said:
I think....if MN wins out, michigan wins last 3, ohio state beats penn st and Indiana, and nebraska beats iowa.

Gophers to B1G champ game
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I’m choosing to believe this happens! We’ve seen enough stupid sh!t happen to PREVENT Minnesota from playing this game. I’m going to say this is the year the opposite happens. Let’s go!
 

Since Alternate Universe is a thing let's pretend the Big 10 West is still a thing as it was in 2023. The Gophers would be tied for 1st with Iowa at 4-2.

Unfortunately, Gophers would lose the tiebreaker with the Hawkeyes and they have what looks like an easier schedule, UCLA, Maryland & Nebraska.

The Old Big 10 West

4-2 Iowa
4-2 Minnesota
3-3 Illinois
3-3 Wisconsin
2-4 Nebraska
2-4 Northwestern
0-5 Purdue

I realize that the schedule would be completely different and the 4 PAC 12 schools would have to be placed somewhere.

Just pointing out if it had been they way it was for the previous decade, the Gophers would likely be in the mix for a trip to Indy down the stretch.
 
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