Syracuse vs Minnesota in Texas Bowl according to Phil Steele

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If the Gophers showed a shred of a Passing Offense they beat MSU. If yesterday's results hold and MSU still beats tOSU we go to a better Bowl. It would have re-wrote the lousy end to the regular season and gave Bowl Reps something to sell tickets too.

The Gophers lost to Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and MSU and except for a Half or so against Michigan, they looked inept on Offense doing it. They never put two TD's on the board in ANY of games besides Michigan. They're playing in a minor bowl and they have nobody but themselves to blame for that. They should get all the credit in the world for going 8-4 and GETTING to a Bowl, but nobody screwed them out of their chance for a better one.

Strike that. The cheap SOB fans who didn't go or buy tickets to the previous bowls share some of the blame.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Problem is, I don't think one more win would have done it. It used to be that there were limitations on how far the bowls could dive for teams they wanted, but it's more loose now. If we were 5-3 and Nebraska 3-5, same result. That's what sucks. It's like how they held Cinderella down, and it took supernatural forces to get her to the ball.
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At 3-5 Nebraska would've been 6-6, at 5-3, we would be 9-3. A 6-6 Nebraska team would not bypass a 9-3 gopher team. I know how the bowl system works, heck 99 when no one had a clue how we would travel, we got dropped to the Sun Bowl, behind Purdue and Penn State despite being 12th in the nation. But a three win gap is too big to ignore. Like I said normally it will take a 6-2 team to buck the trend, but this year the big ten was down so a win vs Bucky, or especially Sparty may have put us over and it certainly would have if Nebraska didn't get that lucky hailmary
 

Reality check - when the Gophers were 0-2 in the B!G, there were multiple people on this board predicting the team would go 0-8 or 1-7 in the conference. Well, the Gophers finished 4-4 in the conference; 8-4 in the regular season and the team is going back to a bowl game - and most of the people posting on here are griping and moaning.

Win the game - finish 9-4 - hit the recruiting trail - and I hope Kill and next year's seniors adopt a very simple motto - New Year's Day or Bust. On January 1st, 2015, I fully expect to get up, greet the new year, and watch the Gopher FB team in a significant bowl game. Of course, I expect to spend New Year's eve with a hot chick who thinks I'm her dream man - but that part could be a little dicey...................
 

LBJ said:
Please for the love of all things clean and pure, don't overlook Syracuse. They are better than a lot of teams we played this year. It would sure be a sad way to end a great year to lose to Syracuse in Houston because we were disappointed by the selection. I don't think it will happen because we have awesome senior leadership and an offense who feels like they have something to prove. I'm hoping they take the mentality that they should have won the bowl game last year and they have their chance to do it with big time style points this year.
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Agree. This team hasn't scored an offensive TD since November 16th. There is a lot to play for. A lot to prove. The pro thing to do will be to prepare like it's the Rose Bowl then go out and put together the most complete game of the year.
 

At least the game isn't late as hell this year. Didn't it start at 9 est last year? What the heck were they thinking last year?
 


short ornery norwegian said:
Reality check - when the Gophers were 0-2 in the B!G, there were multiple people on this board predicting the team would go 0-8 or 1-7 in the conference. Well, the Gophers finished 4-4 in the conference; 8-4 in the regular season and the team is going back to a bowl game - and most of the people posting on here are griping and moaning.

Win the game - finish 9-4 - hit the recruiting trail - and I hope Kill and next year's seniors adopt a very simple motto - New Year's Day or Bust. On January 1st, 2015, I fully expect to get up, greet the new year, and watch the Gopher FB team in a significant bowl game. Of course, I expect to spend New Year's eve with a hot chick who thinks I'm her dream man - but that part could be a little dicey...................
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I griped and moaned. Then again, I have been married 16 years and I know who I am going to spend my New Years Eve.

We all celebrate the victories. We all question the loses.
 

We have to take what we are given and kick some A$$, go recruit and remember that we are getting to the point of having men on the team and not Fr.Soph.
 

LBJ said:
Please for the love of all things clean and pure, don't overlook Syracuse. They are better than a lot of teams we played this year. It would sure be a sad way to end a great year to lose to Syracuse in Houston because we were disappointed by the selection.

+1
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A rematch with TT would have been better, but lets not run down Syracuse - a loss to them would be a PR disaster, so let's hope we get a ninth win. The people I feel sorry for are the bowl people - both teams may send fewer than 5,000 total in person, and local sales won't be stimulated by this match-up of far-away Yankee teams. And Iowa drew Georgia!
 

Once people start to look closely at Syracuse, they will realize this game is not a gimmee. A PR nightmare? Really? This team lost several close ones and only really got blown out to 2 BCS teams. They came within a play or 2 of beating Penn State early in the season before they had their quarterback starter chosen. VWU was a Top 20 team last year and took SU lightly in a bowl game...and Syracuse SLAUGHTERED them. Respect the Orange or get peeled.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
A rematch with TT would have been better, but lets not run down Syracuse - a loss to them would be a PR disaster, so let's hope we get a ninth win. The people I feel sorry for are the bowl people - both teams may send fewer than 5,000 total in person, and local sales won't be stimulated by this match-up of far-away Yankee teams. And Iowa drew Georgia!
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Agree with all of that, but saying "let's not run down Syracuse" followed by noting that "a loss to them would be a PR disaster" isn't showering the Orange with a lot of praise either. ;)
 



FanSinceTheFifties said:
You want a conference team to lose in a bowl?
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This argument seems to never end. Why should fans feel obligated to cheer for their other conference members? Many are our rivals. That's fine if you want to cheer for them, but not everyone is going to do the same.

SEC fans seem to defend all their conference mates all the time, and even pound their chest when another team wins the NC. I don't get it but that is just me.
 

Because they understand that a win by a conference member propels the entire conference. The bottom SEC teams get better when the tops ones do...more recruiting opportunities, more people coming to games, more televised opportunities etc. It makes perfect sense.

Syracuse can beat Minnesota in this game. When you are watching the television (or at the game) and you are amazed when Syracuse wins, don't say I didn't tell you so.
 

texasbowl1 said:
Because they understand that a win by a conference member propels the entire conference. The bottom SEC teams get better when the tops ones do...more recruiting opportunities, more people coming to games, more televised opportunities etc. It makes perfect sense.

Syracuse can beat Minnesota in this game. When you are watching the television (or at the game) and you are amazed when Syracuse wins, don't say I didn't tell you so.
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There is an outside shot. It doesn't look like they beat many good teams.....and the GT 56-0 blowout has me scratching my head.
 


texasbowl1 said:
Because they understand that a win by a conference member propels the entire conference. The bottom SEC teams get better when the tops ones do...more recruiting opportunities, more people coming to games, more televised opportunities etc. It makes perfect sense.

Syracuse can beat Minnesota in this game. When you are watching the television (or at the game) and you are amazed when Syracuse wins, don't say I didn't tell you so.
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One game doesn't do all those things. Yes, most people want the Big Ten to do well overall, but cheering against Nebraska in one game isn't going to change a whole lot one way or the other.

As for the SEC thing, I'm just amazed at how fans from teams that aren't even that good act like it was their own championship when an Alabama or Auburn wins. I'm sorry Georgia or South Carolina fans, you didn't win it all.
 

Magic said:
I feel bad for the kids. The U will announce 3,000 tickets sold (1500 will be donated to local Houston charities). I'm not sure the Gophers could sell 10,000 tickets if they played Syracuse at TCF?
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Um, ok.
 


josh087 said:
Why? The Big 12 got two teams in the BCS anyway. Ended up having no impact on the Texas bowl scenario.
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Yeah, someone mentioned that. Not sure why I zoned out on Baylor :confused:
 

BBQ Platypus said:
We think the bowl selection committee has made a mistake
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I hate to break it to you, but regardless of the outcome of the game, the bowl selection committees from the BWW, Outback, Gator, etc did not make a mistake. They picked exactly the teams they should.

The person(s) to blame for us going to the Texas bowl are definitely not members of the other bowl selection committees.
 

josh087 said:
I hate to break it to you, but regardless of the outcome of the game, the bowl selection committees from the BWW, Outback, Gator, etc did not make a mistake. They picked exactly the teams they should.

The person(s) to blame for us going to the Texas bowl are definitely not members of the other bowl selection committees.
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I think the whole process is to blame. I don't blame those bowls for picking Nebraska and Michigan. I just think it is a stupid system.
 

I get the disappointment in playing Syracuse, but I don't get the disappointment in the Texas Bowl. Nebraska went 5-3 in the conference, the Gophers went 4-4. The only argument of a team that shouldn't have been selected before Minnesota is Michigan, and the Wolverines won the head to head match up convincingly. There's this myth that the Gophers get passed over for bowls, but the reality is, the team usually gets exactly what their record deserves. In 2003, their was a lot of griping about getting "passed over" by MSU because Minnesota had one more total win, but the same conference record as the Spartans. Sound like a legitimate gripe? Maybe, until the fact that MSU beat Minnesota at the dome is brought in to the equation.

The team didn't deserve "better" than the Texas Bowl, win another game and earn your spot in a better bowl.
 

Louie Nanne reported last night that the Gophers had commitments (assuming via the poll that was sent out) from fans for 11,000 tickets to the Gator Bowl. I'm guessing the Gator Bowl response to this would have been that this is just a big assumption on the 'U's part. Hence the statement from the Athletic Dept. this weekend, that they will be moving to a deposit scheme from prospective travelers in future years.

The notion we were passed over because we don't travel well is not supported by this information. IMO our 'brand' is just not big enough yet.
 

EG#9 said:
I get the disappointment in playing Syracuse, but I don't get the disappointment in the Texas Bowl. Nebraska went 5-3 in the conference, the Gophers went 4-4. The only argument of a team that shouldn't have been selected before Minnesota is Michigan, and the Wolverines won the head to head match up convincingly. There's this myth that the Gophers get passed over for bowls, but the reality is, the team usually gets exactly what their record deserves. In 2003, their was a lot of griping about getting "passed over" by MSU because Minnesota had one more total win, but the same conference record as the Spartans. Sound like a legitimate gripe? Maybe, until the fact that MSU beat Minnesota at the dome is brought in to the equation.

The team didn't deserve "better" than the Texas Bowl, win another game and earn your spot in a better bowl.
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You're contradicting yourself there though. You're saying Nebraska deserves a better bowl solely on them having a better record, even though we beat them. Then you're saying Michigan deserves better because they beat us, even though they have a worse record.

In virtually every league from pee wee to the pros, head to head is only used in tie-breaker situations.

Even if Michigan ended up 3-5 and us 4-4, but we would have beaten Michigan, I still think there is a chance the results would still be the same. That's just how it is set up and that is what some are griping about.
 

afurry91 said:
At least the game isn't late as hell this year. Didn't it start at 9 est last year? What the heck were they thinking last year?
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This start time is far worse(...for those of us with young children who take 45 min. to eat supper and another 30 min. to get ready for bed...) Give me an 8 pm start time any day!!
 

EG#9 said:
I get the disappointment in playing Syracuse, but I don't get the disappointment in the Texas Bowl. Nebraska went 5-3 in the conference, the Gophers went 4-4. The only argument of a team that shouldn't have been selected before Minnesota is Michigan, and the Wolverines won the head to head match up convincingly. There's this myth that the Gophers get passed over for bowls, but the reality is, the team usually gets exactly what their record deserves. In 2003, their was a lot of griping about getting "passed over" by MSU because Minnesota had one more total win, but the same conference record as the Spartans. Sound like a legitimate gripe? Maybe, until the fact that MSU beat Minnesota at the dome is brought in to the equation.

The team didn't deserve "better" than the Texas Bowl, win another game and earn your spot in a better bowl.
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Excellent post and spot on, IMO...
 

EG#9 said:
I get the disappointment in playing Syracuse, but I don't get the disappointment in the Texas Bowl. Nebraska went 5-3 in the conference, the Gophers went 4-4. The only argument of a team that shouldn't have been selected before Minnesota is Michigan, and the Wolverines won the head to head match up convincingly. There's this myth that the Gophers get passed over for bowls, but the reality is, the team usually gets exactly what their record deserves. In 2003, their was a lot of griping about getting "passed over" by MSU because Minnesota had one more total win, but the same conference record as the Spartans. Sound like a legitimate gripe? Maybe, until the fact that MSU beat Minnesota at the dome is brought in to the equation.

The team didn't deserve "better" than the Texas Bowl, win another game and earn your spot in a better bowl.
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Nebraska had a better record than Michigan AND beat them head to head in Michigan and still got passed over. I get what you're saying, but a lot more is considered than wins and losses and the head to head matchup. If the Gophers won one more game, they may still be in the same position.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Reality check - when the Gophers were 0-2 in the B!G, there were multiple people on this board predicting the team would go 0-8 or 1-7 in the conference. Well, the Gophers finished 4-4 in the conference; 8-4 in the regular season and the team is going back to a bowl game - and most of the people posting on here are griping and moaning.

Win the game - finish 9-4 - hit the recruiting trail - and I hope Kill and next year's seniors adopt a very simple motto - New Year's Day or Bust. On January 1st, 2015, I fully expect to get up, greet the new year, and watch the Gopher FB team in a significant bowl game. Of course, I expect to spend New Year's eve with a hot chick who thinks I'm her dream man - but that part could be a little dicey...................
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Agree. Plus, this might help recruiting in Texas.
 

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