Unlike most here, I generally like Reusse. I think he can be a very good writer when he wants to be, and other than drooling old Sid, he's been around longer than anyone in this town. I don't understand his obsession with getting a rise out of Gopher football fans - I figured this was coming, since he and Mackey spent about 20 minutes on their show last week saying basically the same thing. It's just weird.
That said, the opinion that the Gophers will never again win a Big Ten title isn't just his. I've heard the same opinion from a number of other people, including long time fans of the program. While Reusse doesn't delve into it here, preferring just to use the column as an excuse to agitate, there are a number of reasons why it could very well be the case. The main line of thinking is that the game has simply changed too much and the negatives surrounding the U as well as the changes to the Big Ten make it increasingly difficult for Minnesota to compete at that level. The advantages have clearly moved in favor of southern schools in terms of recruiting, leaving fewer top flight players who will play at a northern tier school, and those that will are going to favor traditional football powers, leaving a ever-shrinking pool of talent for teams like Minnesota to compete for. Combine that with the increase in the size of the conference and the addition of the championship game, and it's hard to see too many paths for the U to get to that point.
It's not coaching, and it's not facilities. It's the changed nature of big time college football and some of the built-in disadvantages we have here.
For the record, I've been a Gopher fan since I was a little kid, and I always will be, but that doesn't mean I'm not a realist.