The Gophers Will Win the West

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diefirma

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I have been a gopher season-ticket holder for 38 years. This is the most talented group of receivers I have ever seen. We have had some terrific individual receivers - Eric Decker, and Max Williams come to mind just off the top of my head - but considering the receivers as a group, this is the best. They can all catch the ball.

Athan is the best all-around quarterback I have seen, Cole is an excellent quarterback, and would have been a starter on most previous Gopher teams.

No one on the team can replace Moe but Zack Evans is an excellent running back. I think the running attack will be good enough so that opponents will not be able to focus on just stopping the run.

So… I think we will have an elite aerial attack, one that is very difficult to defend, and a very good / excellent running attack.

Defense is a little harder for me to judge. A few observations, however. The defensive line and the linebackers looked very quick and fast. Speed is always a good thing on defense. I have great faith in Joe Rossi to put together an excellent defense, as always.

With an elite offense and a very good defense I look for the gophers to have an excellent season. I think the Gophers will win the Big Ten west and defeat either Michigan or Ohio State but probably not both.

Call me delusional, prove me wrong.
 



I am all in favor of winning the west, we have had that opportunity coming down to the last 2 games on the schedule a few times in the past ten years, win those last couple and we win the west, well it hasn’t happened yet. The 2023 schedule on paper seems very challenging to me, I have been predicting 9-10 regular season wins the past few years and have come up short of a division title a couple of times. With OSU and Michigan on our schedule, I just don't see it happening in 2023, would love to be wrong, but I wont be.
 

diefirma said:
. . . With an elite offense and a very good defense I look for the gophers to have an excellent season. I think the Gophers will win the Big Ten west and defeat either Michigan or Ohio State but probably not both.

Call me delusional, prove me wrong.
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What's your take on special teams? Can they be the difference in a couple of big wins, rather than a big reason for the recent losses against Iowa?
 



I'm really bullish on this team and I think we're on the cusp of something big. If we can get through the season relatively injury free, we've got a good chance to take 10 wins even with this schedule.
 

Beat iowa, beat Wisconsin, then I agree, but we don't win the West until we beat both those teams.
 




Man that would be quite the achievement and I hope you're right. Against this schedule, I would be happy with 7 wins. Even bowl eligibility means that the Gophers won some tough games.
 

Last year we had the schedule to do it and didn't get it done. This year we do not have the schedule to do it so maybe this year we get it done!!
 


diefirma said:
I have been a gopher season-ticket holder for 38 years. This is the most talented group of receivers I have ever seen. We have had some terrific individual receivers - Eric Decker, and Max Williams come to mind just off the top of my head - but considering the receivers as a group, this is the best. They can all catch the ball.

Athan is the best all-around quarterback I have seen, Cole is an excellent quarterback, and would have been a starter on most previous Gopher teams.

No one on the team can replace Moe but Zack Evans is an excellent running back. I think the running attack will be good enough so that opponents will not be able to focus on just stopping the run.

So… I think we will have an elite aerial attack, one that is very difficult to defend, and a very good / excellent running attack.

Defense is a little harder for me to judge. A few observations, however. The defensive line and the linebackers looked very quick and fast. Speed is always a good thing on defense. I have great faith in Joe Rossi to put together an excellent defense, as always.

With an elite offense and a very good defense I look for the gophers to have an excellent season. I think the Gophers will win the Big Ten west and defeat either Michigan or Ohio State but probably not both.

Call me delusional, prove me wrong.
Click to expand...
It was so un-Minnesotan to think like this not too long ago! Hope springs eternal indeed. The Gophers are a disciplined and tough football team. Coach PJ Fleck has made them relevant. Opponents are not taking them lightly anymore.
 
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Be prepared for an upset by the Gophers.
 

hungan1 said:
It was so un-Minnesotan to think like this not too long ago! Hope springs eternal indeed. The Gophers are a disciplined and tough football team. Coach PJ Fleck has made them relevant. Opponents are not taking them lightly anymore.
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hungan1 is right on. I don't get the awe that OSU, UM and Iowa are held in. Two years ago we were ahead of OSU at half time. If Moe had not been injured we had a good chance of winning. Last year we would have beaten Iowa if not for an unfortunate fumble. Yes, these opponents are good teams BUT SO ARE THE GOPHERS! This year will be the best team the Gophers have had in 38 years. They will have a killer passing attack, a very good running attack, a very energetic D line, smart and fast line backers. I know other teams have a plan to defeat the Gophers but as Mike Tyson once said "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face". This year we are the punchers!
 

diefirma said:
I don't get the awe that OSU, UM and Iowa are held in.
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First, Iowa doesn't, and will never belong in the list with the other two. Second, if OSU's third string all decided to transfer to Minnesota right now then they would beat out Minnesota's starters at every position on the field.

You're not a fan of a fair game. Acknowledging that is just accepting reality.
 

hello-world said:
First, Iowa doesn't, and will never belong in the list with the other two. Second, if OSU's third string all decided to transfer to Minnesota right now then they would beat out Minnesota's starters at every position on the field.

You're not a fan of a fair game. Acknowledging that is just accepting reality.
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Saying Ohio State’s third stringers would beat out all of Minnesota’s starters at every position is holding them in awe, because that’s very wrong lol
 

diefirma said:
hungan1 is right on. I don't get the awe that OSU, UM and Iowa are held in. Two years ago we were ahead of OSU at half time. If Moe had not been injured we had a good chance of winning. Last year we would have beaten Iowa if not for an unfortunate fumble. Yes, these opponents are good teams BUT SO ARE THE GOPHERS! This year will be the best team the Gophers have had in 38 years. They will have a killer passing attack, a very good running attack, a very energetic D line, smart and fast line backers. I know other teams have a plan to defeat the Gophers but as Mike Tyson once said "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face". This year we are the punchers!
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We hope that the Gophers' three-deep depth chart continues to get better. The Transfer Portal can be a game changer.
 

GoldenMAV30266 said:
Saying Ohio State’s third stringers would beat out all of Minnesota’s starters at every position is holding them in awe, because that’s very wrong lol
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It's not. OSU's average third string is a four star recruit. Minnesota would put every one of them on the field the second they got on campus.

It would be like having 22 Rashod Batemans transfer in.
 

hello-world said:
It's not. OSU's average third string is a four star recruit. Minnesota would put every one of them on the field the second they got on campus.

It would be like having 22 Rashod Batemans transfer in.
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Look, nobody would claim ohio state isn't working with a much better talent pool than pretty much every team in the country but to say all their third stringers would beat out all our starters is just flat out wrong.

Being rated highly out of high school guarantees nothing and not every player they bring in becomes a superstar.
 

hello-world said:
It's not. OSU's average third string is a four star recruit. Minnesota would put every one of them on the field the second they got on campus.

It would be like having 22 Rashod Batemans transfer in.
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So, some of their players that will never sniff the NFL, will beat out the Gophers that are going to be drafted? I get what you’re saying, but non-math absolutes are almost never true.
 

WAGopher said:
So, some of their players that will never sniff the NFL, will beat out the Gophers that are going to be drafted? I get what you’re saying, but non-math absolutes are almost never true.
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I was being hyperbolic, but I'm standing behind my point that there is a real reason that nobody expects Minnesota to beat OSU or UM and to say otherwise is being ridiculous.

Under the hypothetical "Minnesota gets all of OSUs third string" situation, I don't think there is a single player on Minnesota's roster that would be a lock to keep their job besides maybe Athan. Minnesota gets that kind of talent so rarely that this board would explode the second anybody made a mistake with a 4-star guy sitting behind them.
 

Sure we’re underdogs but your original statement about 3rd string was just plain silly. Biggest difference between the teams is position speed, but technique, coaching, maturity and play calling can go a long way toward giving another team a chance.
 

FWIW - Draft Kings' over-under win predictions for B1G football in 2023
(subject of new Gopher Gridiron Radio podcast.....Ryan Burns does not agree....)

WEST
Wisconsin 9
Iowa 7.5
Minnesota 6.5
Illinois 6.5
Nebraska 6
Purdue 5.5
Northwestern 3.5

EAST
Ohio State 10.5
Michigan 10.5
Penn State 9.5
Maryland 7
Michigan State 5.5
Rutgers 4.5
Indiana 3.5
 

hello-world said:
I was being hyperbolic, but I'm standing behind my point that there is a real reason that nobody expects Minnesota to beat OSU or UM and to say otherwise is being ridiculous.

Under the hypothetical "Minnesota gets all of OSUs third string" situation, I don't think there is a single player on Minnesota's roster that would be a lock to keep their job besides maybe Athan. Minnesota gets that kind of talent so rarely that this board would explode the second anybody made a mistake with a 4-star guy sitting behind them.
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Gosh, I was surprised to learn OSU had six players drafted in this years draft. I was expecting 20 or even 30 being drafted - maybe even some third stringers! :) By the way, the Gophers had 4 players drafted - maybe the talent gap isn't as big as it was during the Gutekunst or Mason eras - maybe, just maybe, Fleck and his coaches have a good eye for talent and the ability to coach up that talent. Might be something to think about!
 

diefirma said:
Gosh, I was surprised to learn OSU had six players drafted in this years draft. I was expecting 20 or even 30 being drafted - maybe even some third stringers! :) By the way, the Gophers had 4 players drafted - maybe the talent gap isn't as big as it was during the Gutekunst or Mason eras - maybe, just maybe, Fleck and his coaches have a good eye for talent and the ability to coach up that talent. Might be something to think about!
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Alright, so I'm being purposely annoying here, and going from third to second, but I think that Fleck would trade his entire starting roster for OSUs second team if you gave him the choice and I think that most people here would probably make the same call.
 

hello-world said:
Alright, so I'm being purposely annoying here, and going from third to second, but I think that Fleck would trade his entire starting roster for OSUs second team if you gave him the choice and I think that most people here would probably make the same call.
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I doubt he would.
 

diefirma said:
I have been a gopher season-ticket holder for 38 years. This is the most talented group of receivers I have ever seen. We have had some terrific individual receivers - Eric Decker, and Max Williams come to mind just off the top of my head - but considering the receivers as a group, this is the best. They can all catch the ball.

Athan is the best all-around quarterback I have seen, Cole is an excellent quarterback, and would have been a starter on most previous Gopher teams.

No one on the team can replace Moe but Zack Evans is an excellent running back. I think the running attack will be good enough so that opponents will not be able to focus on just stopping the run.

So… I think we will have an elite aerial attack, one that is very difficult to defend, and a very good / excellent running attack.

Defense is a little harder for me to judge. A few observations, however. The defensive line and the linebackers looked very quick and fast. Speed is always a good thing on defense. I have great faith in Joe Rossi to put together an excellent defense, as always.

With an elite offense and a very good defense I look for the gophers to have an excellent season. I think the Gophers will win the Big Ten west and defeat either Michigan or Ohio State but probably not both.

Call me delusional, prove me wrong.
Click to expand...
We love to see this post!


I think, realistically, we'll lose to both Mich and Ohio State, as the Big Ten desires, but both will be reasonably competitive. Not blowouts.

And I still think we can go on to beat Iowa, beat Wisconsin, and win the West! Going out in style!

9-3, with a loss to either North Carolina, or one of Illinois, Mich State, Purdue, or maybe even Nebraska if they surprise in the first week of the season ... I'll take it!
 
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hello-world said:
It's not. OSU's average third string is a four star recruit. Minnesota would put every one of them on the field the second they got on campus.

It would be like having 22 Rashod Batemans transfer in.
Click to expand...
I don't see any of Ohio State's third stringers getting drafted to the NFL. Could we use a couple of them for depth? Sure. Would they bounce our starters or even a few of our backups? No chance at most positions. As has been stated, stars mean nothing without effort and attitude. There are more than enough stories of four star talent putting in one star work and disappearing. We tend to get two and three star talent who put in five star work, and that's why we are where we are today. Row the GD Boat baby!
 

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