Those who said bowl games don't matter...

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"Meaningless" gets tossed around a lot. Technically, if you're not in the NY6, then isn't every game "meaningless"? In the grand scheme of life, is any game truly "meaningful"?

That said, I would say that there is less meaning in a Bowl win than a B1G win (doesn't anyone listen to Wren???), at least at the Gophers' level. A better conference record with a loss to a closely ranked opponent benefits them more, IMO. Hopefully in the next couple years that may shift, where they are beating ranked teams in Bowl Games to "prove they belong".

I also think if the Gophers lost a close game to GT, the mood would still be quite good on Gopherhole. If they had been crushed, then yes, the mood would be bad as we'd be questioning whether Rossi belonged...

Finally, I don't think GT mailed it in. The fundamental problem with the triple option is if defenders close to the line can hold their gaps, you have no real way to win. A more traditional offense (spread, pro style, west coast, etc.) you can make more adjustments to change the philosophy. Anything that's got a reasonable pass component you can figure somebody will get open. But a lot of defending the triple option is having players in the right spot. And the Gophers did that extremely well.
 

Lakeville Goldy said:
"Meaningless" gets tossed around a lot. Technically, if you're not in the NY6, then isn't every game "meaningless"? In the grand scheme of life, is any game truly "meaningful"?

That said, I would say that there is less meaning in a Bowl win than a B1G win (doesn't anyone listen to Wren???), at least at the Gophers' level. A better conference record with a loss to a closely ranked opponent benefits them more, IMO. Hopefully in the next couple years that may shift, where they are beating ranked teams in Bowl Games to "prove they belong".

I also think if the Gophers lost a close game to GT, the mood would still be quite good on Gopherhole. If they had been crushed, then yes, the mood would be bad as we'd be questioning whether Rossi belonged...

Finally, I don't think GT mailed it in. The fundamental problem with the triple option is if defenders close to the line can hold their gaps, you have no real way to win. A more traditional offense (spread, pro style, west coast, etc.) you can make more adjustments to change the philosophy. Anything that's got a reasonable pass component you can figure somebody will get open. But a lot of defending the triple option is having players in the right spot. And the Gophers did that extremely well.
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That's deep.
 


fmlizard said:
I think this whole debate is kinda like that old quote "The harder I work, the luckier I get"....in this case "The better I get, the crappier my opponents seem"

Many people were saying Wisconsin didn't care either when Gophers wrecked them. Perhaps the Gophers getting better suddenly makes our opponents look like hot garbage. No team looks all that good when losing by 3+ touchdowns.
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+10

My hope is we think every team for the next many years is trash.
 

Lakeville Goldy said:
"Meaningless" gets tossed around a lot. Technically, if you're not in the NY6, then isn't every game "meaningless"? In the grand scheme of life, is any game truly "meaningful"?

That said, I would say that there is less meaning in a Bowl win than a B1G win (doesn't anyone listen to Wren???), at least at the Gophers' level. A better conference record with a loss to a closely ranked opponent benefits them more, IMO. Hopefully in the next couple years that may shift, where they are beating ranked teams in Bowl Games to "prove they belong".

I also think if the Gophers lost a close game to GT, the mood would still be quite good on Gopherhole. If they had been crushed, then yes, the mood would be bad as we'd be questioning whether Rossi belonged...

Finally, I don't think GT mailed it in. The fundamental problem with the triple option is if defenders close to the line can hold their gaps, you have no real way to win. A more traditional offense (spread, pro style, west coast, etc.) you can make more adjustments to change the philosophy. Anything that's got a reasonable pass component you can figure somebody will get open. But a lot of defending the triple option is having players in the right spot. And the Gophers did that extremely well.
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Well...there's the game of life... :)
 


scools12 said:
Not every team is motivated for their bowl game. GA Tech made it clear they thought they deserved better. Conference games are more important. I would take any conference win over some lower tier bowl game that has no meaning to the overall season. 7-6 or 6-7 - so what.

Were people on this board going to be less optimistic going into next season if the Gophers lost the bowl game? They still would be pointing to the finish of the regular season as proof for their optimism.
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Not every team is motivated for every conference game.

Saying that conference games are more important does not mean that bowl games are meaningless.
 


Two kinds of people think bowl games are meaningless: people making an excuse for their team losing a bowl game and people trying to poo poo someone else's season that included a bowl win. I'll buy that they matter less than games that affect conference records, but they are as important as non con games because they all count the same in the record.
 

Spoofin said:
So there is never a case when a team simply doesn’t “show up”? Was Appalachian State bigger, stronger, faster, or more talented than Michigan in 2007. Some Mountaineer “fans” don’t think so.


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I understand your point but I’d argue any team that doesn’t prepare mentally vs perceived inferior opponents is a flawed and overrated team - Michigan like other helmet schools fits that definition frequently. They might win 9 out of 10 in a series, but it’s irrelevant. The Miracle on Ice was a fluke but many people count that as one of the greatest sports moments in history. No asterisks.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
I understand your point but I’d argue any team that doesn’t prepare mentally vs perceived inferior opponents is a flawed and overrated team - Michigan like other helmet schools fits that definition frequently. They might win 9 out of 10 in a series, but it’s irrelevant. The Miracle on Ice was a fluke but many people count that as one of the greatest sports moments in history. No asterisks.
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Buster Douglas. 87 Twins.
 

scools12 said:
Not every team is motivated for their bowl game. GA Tech made it clear they thought they deserved better. Conference games are more important. I would take any conference win over some lower tier bowl game that has no meaning to the overall season. 7-6 or 6-7 - so what.

Were people on this board going to be less optimistic going into next season if the Gophers lost the bowl game? They still would be pointing to the finish of the regular season as proof for their optimism.







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Actually yes, I am significantly more optimistic about next year and the direction of the program as a whole right now then I would have been if we lost the bowl. I think that’s the case for a lot of people actually.


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die hard gopher said:
Actually yes, I am significantly more optimistic about next year and the direction of the program as a whole right now then I would have been if we lost the bowl. I think that’s the case for a lot of people actually.


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That may be the case for you but I doubt it’s the case for the majority.

2014 Gophers went 8-4 amd played in a NYD bowl game where they were throttled by Missouri. Were people less optimistic going into 2015 coming off the Citrus Bowl loss? For the majority the bowl game outcome didn’t change their optimism going into 2015. If the Gophers would’ve loss the game against GA Tech the majority would not be any less optimistic going into 2019.
 

scools12 said:
That may be the case for you but I doubt it’s the case for the majority.

2014 Gophers went 8-4 amd played in a NYD bowl game where they were throttled by Missouri. Were people less optimistic going into 2015 coming off the Citrus Bowl loss? For the majority the bowl game outcome didn’t change their optimism going into 2015. If the Gophers would’ve loss the game against GA Tech the majority would not be any less optimistic going into 2019.
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If we would have won the Citrus bowl, beaten a top 25 SEC team and won 9 games then there absolutely would have been even more optimism going into the next season than there already was.
 



scools12 said:
That may be the case for you but I doubt it’s the case for the majority.

2014 Gophers went 8-4 amd played in a NYD bowl game where they were throttled by Missouri. Were people less optimistic going into 2015 coming off the Citrus Bowl loss? For the majority the bowl game outcome didn’t change their optimism going into 2015. If the Gophers would’ve loss the game against GA Tech the majority would not be any less optimistic going into 2019.
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I disagree. Most would still be optimistic, but slightly less so.

Conversely, by winning the game the Gophers reinforced the feeling that the solid play we all saw at the end of the season was no fluke. We flat-out whipped a decent team that played a style of offense the Gophers rarely see. Good teams employ good preparation and good coaching, and the Gophers certainly had those elements. We showcased our young talent. We got the extra practice time that the coaches were hoping for.

For Gopher fans, it was fun to watch.
 

Spoofin said:
So there is never a case when a team simply doesn’t “show up”? Was Appalachian State bigger, stronger, faster, or more talented than Michigan in 2007. Some Mountaineer “fans” don’t think so.


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What did the talent rankings say?
 


scools12 said:
That may be the case for you but I doubt it’s the case for the majority.

2014 Gophers went 8-4 amd played in a NYD bowl game where they were throttled by Missouri. Were people less optimistic going into 2015 coming off the Citrus Bowl loss? For the majority the bowl game outcome didn’t change their optimism going into 2015. If the Gophers would’ve loss the game against GA Tech the majority would not be any less optimistic going into 2019.
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You offered your opinion and no matter how much you spin it, you are still wrong. You have no data to support your conclusions, just a gut feeling. The one fact that is not in your favor is that winning breeds optimism. People are more optimistic about their team if they win vs if they loose (just check the BB forum for confirmation). We won a bowl game against an P5 opponent when most people expected us to loose. If you can’t understand why that would make people more optimistic, then you are beyond hope.
This season went from the trolls calling for PJ’s head to most everyone thinking that he is building the program. The difference was a couple of significant wins (Sconny & GaTech).


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alchemy2u said:
You offered your opinion and no matter how much you spin it, you are still wrong. You have no data to support your conclusions, just a gut feeling. The one fact that is not in your favor is that winning breeds optimism. People are more optimistic about their team if they win vs if they loose (just check the BB forum for confirmation). We won a bowl game against an P5 opponent when most people expected us to loose. If you can’t understand why that would make people more optimistic, then you are beyond hope.
This season went from the trolls calling for PJ’s head to most everyone thinking that he is building the program. The difference was a couple of significant wins (Sconny & GaTech).


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Hardly anyone called for his head.
 

alchemy2u said:
You offered your opinion and no matter how much you spin it, you are still wrong. You have no data to support your conclusions, just a gut feeling. The one fact that is not in your favor is that winning breeds optimism. People are more optimistic about their team if they win vs if they loose (just check the BB forum for confirmation). We won a bowl game against an P5 opponent when most people expected us to loose. If you can’t understand why that would make people more optimistic, then you are beyond hope.
This season went from the trolls calling for PJ’s head to most everyone thinking that he is building the program. The difference was a couple of significant wins (Sconny & GaTech).


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Calling for PJ’s head? Talk about spin.

And one loss in a meaningless bowl game would not have changed the optimism about how the conference season ended.








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scools12 said:
And one loss in a meaningless bowl game would not have changed the optimism about how the conference season ended.
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You keep repeating this as if sheer volume will make it true. It's a ridiculous take.

Coaches, players, fans, announcers spend all season talking about becoming bowl eligible. Once that's accomplished, considerable time is spent dissecting which bowl will be the team's destination, and who the opponent will be. Every bowl game is nationally televised, often with no other football game airing at the same time. Coaches, players, fans, announcers spend countless hours talking about how the bowl game will propel the team toward the following season.

You're claiming that all of that anticipation is for nothing? Congrats, you're the only one. And logic is not your strong suit.
 

Urbandale said:
You keep repeating this as if sheer volume will make it true. It's a ridiculous take.

Coaches, players, fans, announcers spend all season talking about becoming bowl eligible. Once that's accomplished, considerable time is spent dissecting which bowl will be the team's destination, and who the opponent will be. Every bowl game is nationally televised, often with no other football game airing at the same time. Coaches, players, fans, announcers spend countless hours talking about how the bowl game will propel the team toward the following season.

You're claiming that all of that anticipation is for nothing? Congrats, you're the only one. And logic is not your strong suit.
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Someone must have forgot to tell GA Tech how meaningful the game was.


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scools12 said:
Someone must have forgot to tell GA Tech how meaningful the game was.


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Or we shut down their one dimensional offense by being prepared and more physical than any defense they had encountered that year.
 

scools12 said:
Someone must have forgot to tell GA Tech how meaningful the game was.
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Holy balls, your "logic" is terrible. Any game that an underdog wins is meaningless. Outstanding thought process.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Holy balls, your "logic" is terrible. Any game that an underdog wins is meaningless. Outstanding thought process.
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Questioning the “logic” of something never said. Now that’s some outstanding thought process.


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bleedsmaroonandgold said:
Or we shut down their one dimensional offense by being prepared and more physical than any defense they had encountered that year.
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Crazy the Gophers offense was more physical than Clemson and Georgia. Amazing they didn’t dominate more games.
 


scools12 said:
Questioning the “logic” of something never said. Now that’s some outstanding thought process.
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That is what you're saying. Gophers won as an underdog, therefore Georgia Tech didn't care/didn't show up, therefore the game is meaningless. That's your logic.
 

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