STrib: Big Ten's success could trickle down to help Gophers' bowl bid

[BleedGopher]

per Joe:

At 8-4, the Gophers wouldn’t quite have the look of a typical Big Ten Holiday Bowl team. Wisconsin and Nebraska were both 9-3 when they went the past two years. But this season, the Gophers and others could get pulled up the bowl ladder by the success the conference’s top four teams are having.

This week’s College Football Playoff rankings have Ohio State (No. 2), Michigan (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 7) and Penn State (No. 8) all ranked in the top eight.

Could this be the year the Big Ten lands two teams in the four-team playoff? It’s possible — especially if Ohio State beats Michigan State and Michigan to finish 11-1, but misses the conference championship game because of its earlier loss to Penn State.

The Big Ten is staring at the real prospect of a Wisconsin/Penn State title game, a battle of two-loss teams. The Gophers would love to squash the Badgers’ national title hopes next week in Madison, but Penn State finishes with Rutgers and Michigan State, which are a combined 1-13 in conference play.

http://www.startribune.com/big-ten-s-success-could-trickle-down-to-help-gophers-bowl-bid/401808795/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

I've always been on the fence about whether I'd like the Gophers to move up (due to multiple teams in the playoffs - or in prior years in BCS bowls) to be pitted against a superior team (and likely lose) versus having fewer B1G teams at the top and resulting in a less prestigious bowl but a much greater chance at a bowl victory.
Both have their merits.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I think I'd rather see them establish some more bowl wins rather than move up right away.

 

[Taji34]

I like moving up. Because it means the Big Ten Conference is doing really well. This year, IMO we are the best football conference in the nation. 4 teams currently in the to 8, 5 in the top 25. I'd rather be an average team in the best conference, than a good team in an average conference.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I've always been on the fence about whether I'd like the Gophers to move up (due to multiple teams in the playoffs - or in prior years in BCS bowls) to be pitted against a superior team (and likely lose) versus having fewer B1G teams at the top and resulting in a less prestigious bowl but a much greater chance at a bowl victory.
Both have their merits.

From a perception standpoint playing in a higher tier bowl and losing is way better then playing in a low tier game and winning. We got way more traction and excitement for playing in the Citrus bowl then we ever do when playing in one of the lower tier bowl tie-ins.

 

[tmvander]

Moving up gives you a chance of catching a better team sleeping and beating them as well. Look at our bowl game against Syracuse a few years ago. We were the better team but played to the level of our opponent and lost.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Always hope to move up. Taken to the extreme, would you rather play in the Rose Bowl and lose or go to Detroit and win? It looks better if we play a better team. Enhances the perception fans and recruits have of us.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

Always hope to move up. Taken to the extreme, would you rather play in the Rose Bowl and lose or go to Detroit and win? It looks better if we play a better team. Enhances the perception fans and recruits have of us.

Pretty obvious. In fact, I'd rather stay home for the holidays than go to Detroit and play the lines of middle michigan.