BleedGopher
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per Randy:
One week from their Aug. 31 season opener, the Gophers are part of a Big Ten West Division in transition.
Their first opponent, Nebraska, hasn't had a winning season or earned a bowl berth since 2016. The Cornhuskers haven't won more than three Big Ten games in any season during that same span. Therefore, Matt Rhule knows exactly why he's in Lincoln.
"There was a time when Nebraska football was feared,'' the first-year Huskers coach said, "and we certainly want to get back to that.''
Roughly 481 miles to the northeast, Luke Fickell can relate. The first-year Wisconsin coach is tasked to return the Badgers to the dominance that saw them win the West four times from 2014-19. Last year in that division, they finished fifth.
"We have one objective and that's to play for a championship,'' Fickell said. "I don't think that will ever change, whether it's Year One, Year Two, Three, Four or Five.''
Rhule and Fickell are the two headliners of the changing of the coaching guard in the Big Ten West. Four of the seven teams have new head coaches for 2023. Former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters took over at defending West champ Purdue when Jeff Brohm left for alma mater Louisville. Northwestern promoted defensive coordinator David Braun to interim head coach in the wake of Pat Fitzgerald's firing.
The moves by Nebraska and Wisconsin were made, at least in part, in reaction to teams like the Gophers either passing or catching them in the West's recent pecking order. The Huskers are 5-7 against Minnesota since joining the Big Ten and have lost five of six games, including four straight, against the Gophers with P.J. Fleck as coach. The Badgers beat the Gophers in Fleck's debut season in 2017 to extend their winning streak over their border rival to 14 games. Since then, the Gophers have won three of five, including the past two.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
One week from their Aug. 31 season opener, the Gophers are part of a Big Ten West Division in transition.
Their first opponent, Nebraska, hasn't had a winning season or earned a bowl berth since 2016. The Cornhuskers haven't won more than three Big Ten games in any season during that same span. Therefore, Matt Rhule knows exactly why he's in Lincoln.
"There was a time when Nebraska football was feared,'' the first-year Huskers coach said, "and we certainly want to get back to that.''
Roughly 481 miles to the northeast, Luke Fickell can relate. The first-year Wisconsin coach is tasked to return the Badgers to the dominance that saw them win the West four times from 2014-19. Last year in that division, they finished fifth.
"We have one objective and that's to play for a championship,'' Fickell said. "I don't think that will ever change, whether it's Year One, Year Two, Three, Four or Five.''
Rhule and Fickell are the two headliners of the changing of the coaching guard in the Big Ten West. Four of the seven teams have new head coaches for 2023. Former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters took over at defending West champ Purdue when Jeff Brohm left for alma mater Louisville. Northwestern promoted defensive coordinator David Braun to interim head coach in the wake of Pat Fitzgerald's firing.
The moves by Nebraska and Wisconsin were made, at least in part, in reaction to teams like the Gophers either passing or catching them in the West's recent pecking order. The Huskers are 5-7 against Minnesota since joining the Big Ten and have lost five of six games, including four straight, against the Gophers with P.J. Fleck as coach. The Badgers beat the Gophers in Fleck's debut season in 2017 to extend their winning streak over their border rival to 14 games. Since then, the Gophers have won three of five, including the past two.
Gophers' Big Ten West rivals get an extreme coaching makeover, including Badgers and Nebraska
Matt Rhule at Nebraska and Luke Fickell at Wisconsin are two of the division's four new coaches. Both are looking to restore success to programs that have been struggling.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!