Shama: The results of Saturday’s home game against Iowa and then November 26 at Wisconsin will say a lot about the program’s status.

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Shama:

What kind of statement will the Golden Gophers football team make in its last two regular season games of the year? The results of Saturday’s home game against Iowa and then November 26 at Wisconsin will say a lot about the program’s status.

The view here is it’s time for the Gophers to earn 2022 and historical redemption. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who was hired in January of 2017, is 0-5 against the border rival Hawkeyes from Iowa. Worse, the Gophers haven’t defeated Iowa since 2014. That win was in Minneapolis and the last victory for the Gophers in Iowa City was 1999.

Long suffering Gophers fans sometimes feel the program that once specialized in Big Ten titles and national championships is just never going to win the West. Well maybe the ghost of Bernie Bierman will hex the Hawkeyes, Badgers, Illini and Boilers, and inspire the Golden Gophers. Wins over Iowa and Wisconsin, and a first-place finish in the West, would be the ultimate Redemption Road for the Gophers.


Go Gophers!!
 



A very nice season (top 5 of the past 50 years) is in reach regardless of what happens with Purdue or Illinois.
 

Fleck sits at 25-25 in conference play. These games are huge in getting over the hump and setting a new era standard at MN.
 


Beating Iowa and Wisconsin makes the other wins nearly meaningless.

Id take 2-10 if it meant beating them!

To beat them both and somehow win the West would be…..

Statue of PJ time!
 


Typical Captain Obvious dreck from dollar store Sid.
 

Well, he's not wrong.

the next two games will tell us a lot about the Gopher Football program.

Gophers can finish 9-3 overall with 6-3 in the B1G,
Gophers can finish 8-4 overall with 5-4 in the B1G, or
Gophers can finish 7-5 overall with 4-5 in the B1G.

The first option is obviously the best option. it would show positive momentum for the program.
The second option is acceptable - the program is at least holding its own.
the third option would clearly be seen as a step backwards for the program.

I don't think it's an overstatement to stay that Fleck needs to - at the very least - split the last two games.
 



If the gophers win the next two games it will set up next year's Michigan game to be the first time since 2014 the gophers will have played a game in order to own all 3 rivalry trophies.

For reference the last time Gophers had all three trophies was for two weeks in October of 1978, and the last time they had all 3 to end the season was 1967.
 

It really won't unless we kill both of them or get killed by both of them.

If we lose two close games, I'll be super disappointed but about where I thought we'd be.

If we win two close games, I'll be ecstatic but about where I thought we'd be.
 

noamfromm said:
If the gophers win the next two games it will set up next year's Michigan game to be the first time since 2014 the gophers will have played a game in order to own all 3 rivalry trophies.

For reference the last time Gophers had all three trophies was for two weeks in October of 1978, and the last time they had all 3 to end the season was 1967.
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If only!
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
It really won't unless we kill both of them or get killed by both of them.

If we lose two close games, I'll be super disappointed but about where I thought we'd be.

If we win two close games, I'll be ecstatic but about where I thought we'd be.
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I likewise wouldn't be bummed or ecstatic about close losses/wins ... but why is that where you thought we'd be?

Both with respect to: year 6, and how bad Iowa and Wisc were earlier this year.
 



Gophers_4life said:
I likewise wouldn't be bummed or ecstatic about close losses/wins ... but why is that where you thought we'd be?

Both with respect to: year 6, and how bad Iowa and Wisc were earlier this year.
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I would be ecstatic with close wins and bummed with close losses but that wouldn't have a huge impact on where I thought we'd be.

I thought we would be about at the same level as Iowa and Wisconsin and to have enough talent to win the West if everything went our way. I think that's the level our program is at.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
Well, he's not wrong.

the next two games will tell us a lot about the Gopher Football program.

Gophers can finish 9-3 overall with 6-3 in the B1G,
Gophers can finish 8-4 overall with 5-4 in the B1G, or
Gophers can finish 7-5 overall with 4-5 in the B1G.

The first option is obviously the best option. it would show positive momentum for the program.
The second option is acceptable - the program is at least holding its own.
the third option would clearly be seen as a step backwards for the program.

I don't think it's an overstatement to stay that Fleck needs to - at the very least - split the last two games.
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Regardless, it has basically no bearing on future years.
 


bleedsmaroonandgold said:
Only thing that matters for future years is extra bowl practices. That's what championships are built on.
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I think there's a significant recruiting and fan engagement difference between wrapping up at 7-6 and 10-3. Ticket sales get a lift for 2023. Donations and NIL money start flowing more. That matters in a sport where there's no draft and the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

I think all that means more than the bowl practices.
 

fmlizard said:
I think there's a significant recruiting and fan engagement difference between wrapping up at 7-6 and 10-3. Ticket sales get a lift for 2023. Donations and NIL money start flowing more. That matters in a sport where there's no draft and the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

I think all that means more than the bowl practices.
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I think you are over-stating this a bit.
Ticket sales is nice, but if you have a good leader of your program who is doing the right things and you are contending every year, your leader probably knows what the biggest priorities are.

If he's saying it's fan support of an NIL collective, I would take his word for it over worrying about whether a single loss will kill the program.
 

fmlizard said:
I think there's a significant recruiting and fan engagement difference between wrapping up at 7-6 and 10-3. Ticket sales get a lift for 2023. Donations and NIL money start flowing more. That matters in a sport where there's no draft and the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

I think all that means more than the bowl practices.
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I was being sarcastic. I don't think the bowl practices are nothing, but I think they are way overrated in terms of importance.
 


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