Should P.J. Fleck's Gophers have bigger goals (and more accomplishments)? (video)

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it's a case where all the dominoes will have to line up the right way -

good team - favorable schedule - win the close games - avoid injuries - get a few breaks from the officials.

so yeah, it's possible. but maybe once every 7-10 years.

And - when that year rolls around, you have to take advantage of it. no blowing winnable games.
 

We’ve been in shitty bowl games post 2019 every year that has to change. He’s right on the cusp, but it’s possible he could remain on the cusp for another decade and never make that next step.
 


No, I don't think it's possible to higher goals and aspirations. Meeting them is harder than one thinks.
 


We almost beat the team that beat Alabama in a bowl game...

😎
 

Seeing L Neal treated as an “expert” in anything related to college football (especially Gophers) makes my eyes/ears hurt.

I have found his Gophers football takes to be wildly off the mark in the past, to the point I avoid him for anything other than Twins tidbits. I see him as second to only Reusse in terms of terrible Gopher takes.
 



Schnauzer said:
Seeing L Neal treated as an “expert” in anything related to college football (especially Gophers) makes my eyes/ears hurt.

I have found his Gophers football takes to be wildly off the mark in the past, to the point I avoid him for anything other than Twins tidbits. I see him as second to only Reusse in terms of terrible Gopher takes.
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He lost me at "they should be in the CFP every 2-3 years".
 

mggoph said:
He lost me at "they should be in the CFP every 2-3 years".
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Right, Indiana does something for the first time in fifty years and all of a sudden the gophers expectations go through the roof for some reason. No one will be talking Indiana when they go back to struggling to make a bowl most years. It’s one thing to break through every so often, but it’s a whole other beast to become a consistent contender.
 

Koi stayed and every helmet school would have NIL'd him big money. Yet, he stayed. You could tell before the season started that these guys loved being around each other and they respect their coaches. R-t-B and the culture of accountability...I saw it this year.

The 2024 Gophers played like mature men and they played as a team, cheering each other on. For me, and maybe for the program, a switch flipped. I am very optimistic.

PJF grew on me this year when he modernized the offensive play calling, let the defense fly around the field, and embraced the transfer portal.

I'm not a great football mind but I see only two losses next year yet I'm not saying, "There is no way we beat OSU or Oregon." I feel like we might be next year's Indiana.
 

CFP or not, I do believe PJ needs to up the ante and get more double-digit winning seasons out of this program. He should occasionally be able to do that even if we don't have the best NIL in the country. Is that 3 or 5 years? I don't know, but 8? And no. No year 0.
 



Arminius said:
Koi stayed and every helmet school would have NIL'd him big money. Yet, he stayed. You could tell before the season started that these guys loved being around each other and they respect their coaches. R-t-B and the culture of accountability...I saw it this year.

The 2024 Gophers played like mature men and they played as a team, cheering each other on. For me, and maybe for the program, a switch flipped. I am very optimistic.

PJF grew on me this year when he modernized the offensive play calling, let the defense fly around the field, and embraced the transfer portal.

I'm not a great football mind but I see only two losses next year yet I'm not saying, "There is no way we beat OSU or Oregon." I feel like we might be next year's Indiana.
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I think you're right on your last point, with a caveat. The QB has to be almost as good as Brosmer was (or he could be better, that'd be dandy). QB is pretty much everything in my eyes. It changes so much when you've got a pretty good one.
 

Arminius said:
Koi stayed and every helmet school would have NIL'd him big money. Yet, he stayed.
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Koi is not going to leave the Gophers unless he decides to make an early exit to the NFL.
He's just one of those rare commodities that comes along once in a lifetime.
 


nitramnaed said:
CFP or not, I do believe PJ needs to up the ante and get more double-digit winning seasons out of this program. He should occasionally be able to do that even if we don't have the best NIL in the country. Is that 3 or 5 years? I don't know, but 8? And no. No year 0.
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You do realize he hasn’t gone 8 years since winning double digit games, he hasn’t even gone 5 full years. Plus two of those years were nine win seasons.
 

I definitely think PJ has the program on the verge of going to the next level. What does that mean? Beating Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa on a consistent basis. Knocking on the door of a possible playoff birth every few years. We have not reached the status of Iowa quite yet, heading that direction. We have definitely matched the level of Wisconsin and Illinois. As things continue to progress, we will catch Iowa. The playoffs is now possible for a program like Minnesota especially if we can continue to get great QB play and compete well in the trenches. I really like our team this year and how things are looking for next year. I am a big fan of Coach Fleck and he is the best man for this program, no doubt. I have been a fan for 45 years, I appreciate what Fleck has created and where the program is going. I agree with Maxy, it is not easy.
 

btowngopher said:
You do realize he hasn’t gone 8 years since winning double digit games, he hasn’t even gone 5 full years. Plus two of those years were nine win seasons.
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Your right, and I know that. What I should have made clear was in 8 years is one double digit winning season enough? It's been 5 years since he went 10-2. Listen...I'm a big PJ guy. One thing I don't do is start shitting bricks when there's a coaching opening somewhere else. Let's be honest, He hasn't taken us to the next level. I think he can, and if it wasn't for the change in the college landscape we might be there now. That sayin' I don't think it's beyond expectation for him to produce a 10+ win season every 5 years. And BTW the nine-win overalls are 8 regular seasons wins.
 

Gopherchase said:
We’ve been in shitty bowl games post 2019 every year that has to change. He’s right on the cusp, but it’s possible he could remain on the cusp for another decade and never make that next step.
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I think him nailing the portal is definitely going to help. He built relationships with some of these these top recruits and kept them even when they went to different schools. I think that will propel us forward next year, hinging on Drake meeting / exceeding Max's play as well. I think he will but only time will tell
 



I like what PJ has done with the program and, we need to face it, in today’s game, if we aren’t going to have a ton of NIL money, we shouldn’t be expecting CFB appearances. PJ has the program at the strongest consistent level I’ve seen in my lifetime, where we are middle of a strong conference, often top half. This may not be utopia, but it’s fun as a fan. PJ can coach.
 

cncmin said:
I like what PJ has done with the program and, we need to face it, in today’s game, if we aren’t going to have a ton of NIL money, we shouldn’t be expecting CFB appearances. PJ has the program at the strongest consistent level I’ve seen in my lifetime, where we are middle of a strong conference, often top half. This may not be utopia, but it’s fun as a fan. PJ can coach.
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PJ runs a great program. Before this year I would have said all things game day prep and in game coaching he’s a big liability. He’s not that so much now and that’s encouraging.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
I think you're right on your last point, with a caveat. The QB has to be almost as good as Brosmer was (or he could be better, that'd be dandy). QB is pretty much everything in my eyes. It changes so much when you've got a pretty good one.
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Agree with you and Deusen on the importance of QB play. Whether through the portal or building an internal succession plan (difficult in the NIL/Portal era), above-average--and hopefully more--play at the position is absolutely mandatory to get and stay at the next level. I think Fleck realized this year that ground-and-pound isn't going to move you up the ladder and that you need a QB who can do more than just hand-off and be successful passing the ball more than occasionally to keep the defense from stacking the box. Tanner Morgan should be the floor and Brosmer shouldn't be the ceiling.
 

Somehow the close game mentality, if that is what it is, needs to go away. There needs to be a couple thumpings in the conference very year. Not getting to ten wins often when you let other teams hang around. Yesterday was a statistical thumping but not a scoreboard thumping. I think we have some superior athletes on defense, and it shows most of the time, except those 2 big plays.
There is more there there, at least how I see it. Hope to see it on the field in September.
 

Let’s get real here. The Gophers had a pretty good year. Better than my 6-6 preseason pick. A critical look would say they were 5-5. Rhode Island and Nevada should be considered practice games. Losses versus Penn State and Michigan were good games. Victory over USC, the high point. Victory over 2nd rate ACC bowl team was meaningless. 2025 has only Oregon an OSU as major opponents and 4 cupcakes. 8-4 in 2025.
 

Laker said:
Let’s get real here. The Gophers had a pretty good year. Better than my 6-6 preseason pick. A critical look would say they were 5-5. Rhode Island and Nevada should be considered practice games. Losses versus Penn State and Michigan were good games. Victory over USC, the high point. Victory over 2nd rate ACC bowl team was meaningless. 2025 has only Oregon an OSU as major opponents and 4 cupcakes. 8-4 in 2025.
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Our quarterback was understandably jittery against North Carolina. I think if we played them 10 times this year, we would’ve beaten them eight. Our kicker had a really shitty year that cost us dearly frankly the only one that really sticks in my craw is Rutgers that was a really poor effort. You can’t lose too that shitty quarterback in the circumstances as they were. Otherwise – – fun year.
 

My dream for next year: The Gophers make the playoffs and play some team like Georgia or Alabama in our house with a little snow mixed in during the game.
 

Lifeleadership said:
I definitely think PJ has the program on the verge of going to the next level. What does that mean? Beating Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa on a consistent basis. Knocking on the door of a possible playoff birth every few years. We have not reached the status of Iowa quite yet, heading that direction. We have definitely matched the level of Wisconsin and Illinois. As things continue to progress, we will catch Iowa. The playoffs is now possible for a program like Minnesota especially if we can continue to get great QB play and compete well in the trenches. I really like our team this year and how things are looking for next year. I am a big fan of Coach Fleck and he is the best man for this program, no doubt. I have been a fan for 45 years, I appreciate what Fleck has created and where the program is going. I agree with Maxy, it is not easy.
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...and it takes how many years to be "consistent"? It is not easy. And takes time. I will take beating two of those three every year, because if you if you wait too long to determine "consistency" we're all dead.
 

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