UPDATED (10/13) Gophers cancel home and home with North Carolina; add New Mexico St

[dpodoll68]

Personal note: I am so jacked up on coffee and 5 hour energy right now.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

This sucks! I hope it isn't true. I very much like the formula of playing three directional hyphens and one BCS opponent for NC. It doesn't have to be USC and it doesn't have to be Syracuse. Schools in between like North Carolina are perfect and I would think a good measure heading into the Big 10 season.

My outrage is not fake. I said boarderline embarassing. Would you not agree the 2013/2014 NC schedule minus North Carolina or another BCS opponent is boarderline embarrassing? I do not pine for the Mason era. Give us 1 quality NC opponent per year. Hopefully this will be mandated with the PAC12 scheduling agreement in the future.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

I hate SIN-BAD more than anyone but will admit that their non-conference approach has worked. Having a manageable non-conference schedule with eight (8) home games is smart. I like road games and usually go to one or two each season and therefore four away games is plenty for me and hopefully a bowl game to boot. I feel embarrassed when we play at places like Middle Tenn or a MAC school even if it is a 2-home/1-away deal. 1 to 1 deals with big programs isn't good either. We're a B1G school and I like to think having eight (8) home games shows we can flex some muscle even if that hasn't been the case lately. I know most people on this board disagree but Brewster was a dumbazz in fantasizing about playing with the "big-boys". We already play enough big-boys and why get beat up before playing a brutal B1G conference schedule? Now I'm just starting to ramble and will wait for the next thread to argue more about nothing.

Go Gophers!

 

[GoAUpher]

1 to 1 deals with big programs isn't good either.

In what way?

We're a B1G school and I like to think having eight (8) home games shows we can flex some muscle even if that hasn't been the case lately.

How is it flexing muscle to beat up on 4 patsies at home in the non-con?

I know most people on this board disagree but Brewster was a dumbazz in fantasizing about playing with the "big-boys".

I could at least understand people's arguments against USC or Texas (when a game with them was on the table), but UNC is not one of the "big boys" (just a good BCS foe) and none of the other schools in the upcoming non-con schedules meet that standard either.

 

[John Galt]

My outrage is not fake. I said boarderline embarassing. Would you not agree the 2013/2014 NC schedule minus North Carolina or another BCS opponent is boarderline embarrassing? I do not pine for the Mason era. Give us 1 quality NC opponent per year. Hopefully this will be mandated with the PAC12 scheduling agreement in the future.

I agree with this, but let's wait to see if there is some other reason for the cancellation in this case. Kill may have a different approach to scheduling than Brew, but I would hope he's above trying to cancel a game scheduled for next year because it's too tough.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

I could at least understand people's arguments against USC or Texas (when a game with them was on the table), but UNC is not one of the "big boys" (just a good BCS foe) and none of the other schools in the upcoming non-con schedules meet that standard either.[/QUOTE]

In what way?


How is it flexing muscle to beat up on 4 patsies at home in the non-con?


#1 - USC, Neb., Oklahoma, etc. I don't know about you but I sure enjoyed that 84-13 ass whipping in '83.

#2 - NDS, SDS, N. Ill., etc. The jack-rabbits was probably worse than '83.

I could go on but rest my case.

 

[scools12]

This notion that the NC schedule should not include a quality BCS team because the conference schedule is always too tough is ridiculous. Having at least one NC game a year against a BCS team is not asking too much. Doesn't have to be a helment school.

 

[Maximus]

The only time you should schedule a BCS opponent in the non-conference season is when the rest of the country is going to care about the game. Four winnable home games in the non conference to get to a bowl and then play your BCS opponent...that should be the goal with the program in its current state.

I would have rather seen the effort against USC last year in a season opening win against New Mexico State at home followed by a win against an Akron type before playing Miami of Ohio. Maybe Kill's team would've been 3-1 heading into the Big Ten rather than 1-3. You at least have 4-5 weeks of the team still having a goal of a bowl still alive. Not eliminated before you play the second half of the schedule.

If the Big Ten games played out the same, they would've been 4-4 after beating Iowa. We'd have viewed Kill's first season in a different light if that was the case.

While we locally have a different view of the Mason years, nationally the program was respected in part because of the running game, but also because of the bowl appearances. Today nationally, we can't get mentioned without Indiana being in the same sentence. Playing USC close or giving Cal a scare did nothing for this program (other than help Brew get fired so maybe not 'nothing').

 

[dpodoll68]

#2 - NDS, SDS, N. Ill., etc. The jack-rabbits was probably worse than '83.

A. Why do you have SDSU lumped in with NDSU and NIU?

B. How could it possibly be worse? We won the game.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

As others have said, unless the U is a legitimate B1G title contender, I don't see an upside in avoiding/ducking stronger non-conference opponents. I can remember watching the Gophs play USC with OJ Simpson, or playing Washington with Warren Moon. I always enjoyed seeing teams from different regions of the country.

1 more loss (if it happens) isn't going to "wreck" the season.

I would definitely endorse the 3&1 non-conf philosophy - play 3 games against area teams (NDSU, etc) or 'Directional State,' and 1 game against a quality opponent from a BCS conference. Granted, when the Pac-12 deal kicks in, the Gophs will have 1 BCS opponent guaranteed. If Kill really wants an all-cupcake non-conf schedule - I would be disappointed. Also, that means the Gophs will never be featured on a big national T-V game, and we run the risk of more non-conf games being shunted to ESPNU (which some of us don't get on our cable t-v systems.)

 

[CrocShots]

Win games. That's all I care about.

 

[Schnauzer]

Win games. That's all I care about.

Couldn't you say this in pretty much every thread ever posted on Gopher Hole? Really, no point in a message board at all if pretty much every discussion can be countered with "just win games"

I think most people here want to see the Gophers win games. How, when, and where they do it is what creates the room for discussion.

 

[Cayman]

My outrage is not fake. I said boarderline embarassing. Would you not agree the 2013/2014 NC schedule minus North Carolina or another BCS opponent is boarderline embarrassing? I do not pine for the Mason era. Give us 1 quality NC opponent per year. Hopefully this will be mandated with the PAC12 scheduling agreement in the future.

2013 Big Ten BCS Non-conference opponents

Illinois:
Cincinnati
Washington

Indiana:
Missouri

Iowa:
Iowa State

Michigan:
Notre Dame
UConn

Michigan State:
Notre Dame

Minnesota:
North Carolina

Nebraska:
UCLA

Northwestern:
Cal
Syracuse
Vanderbilt

Ohio State:
Vanderbilt
Cal

Penn State:
Syracuse
Virginia

Purdue:
Cincinnati
Notre Dame

Wisconsin has apparently only scheduled UMass for 2013, they still have to schedule 3 more non-conference games. In 2010 and 2011 they played Arizona State and Oregon State respectively, however, the two years prior they did not play a BCS opponent out of conference.

So assuming easiest-non-conference-schedule-in-the-country Wisconsin does not schedule a BCS opponent for 2013, and we were to replace North Carolina with another cupcake from the MAC or Sun Belt, we would be the only two teams in the Big Ten not playing a BCS opponent out of conference. Half the conference is playing at least two BCS opponents, Northwestern will be playing three. As can also be seen, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, and Cal have all scheduled two Big Ten opponents out of conference.

I have to say I was somewhat surprised to see that just about every team in the Big Ten had a BCS opponent lined up for 2013. After not playing a BCS opponent out of conference in 2007 and 2008, I was kind of under the impression that such games were kind of few and far between.

Keeping our one BCS opponent on the schedule is not asking for too much, especially considering that six other teams in our conference are playing at least 2.

 

[positively4thstreet]

But what about Big Ten WINS and LOSSES?!

;o)

 

[SelectionSunday]

2013 Big Ten BCS Non-conference opponents

Illinois:
Cincinnati
Washington

Indiana:
Missouri

Iowa:
Iowa State

Michigan:
Notre Dame
UConn

Michigan State:
Notre Dame

Minnesota:
North Carolina

Nebraska:
UCLA

Northwestern:
Cal
Syracuse
Vanderbilt

Ohio State:
Vanderbilt
Cal

Penn State:
Syracuse
Virginia

Purdue:
Cincinnati
Notre Dame

Wisconsin has apparently only scheduled UMass for 2013, they still have to schedule 3 more non-conference games. In 2010 and 2011 they played Arizona State and Oregon State respectively, however, the two years prior they did not play a BCS opponent out of conference.

So assuming easiest-non-conference-schedule-in-the-country Wisconsin does not schedule a BCS opponent for 2013, and we were to replace North Carolina with another cupcake from the MAC or Sun Belt, we would be the only two teams in the Big Ten not playing a BCS opponent out of conference. Half the conference is playing at least two BCS opponents, Northwestern will be playing three. As can also be seen, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, and Cal have all scheduled two Big Ten opponents out of conference.

I have to say I was somewhat surprised to see that just about every team in the Big Ten had a BCS opponent lined up for 2013. After not playing a BCS opponent out of conference in 2007 and 2008, I was kind of under the impression that such games were kind of few and far between.

Keeping our one BCS opponent on the schedule is not asking for too much, especially considering that six other teams in our conference are playing at least 2.

Good stuff. One addendum. Michigan State also plays South Florida (Big East) in 2013.

 

[GoAUpher]

#1 - USC, Neb., Oklahoma, etc. I don't know about you but I sure enjoyed that 84-13 ass whipping in '83.

#2 - NDS, SDS, N. Ill., etc. The jack-rabbits was probably worse than '83.

I could go on but rest my case.

Rest your case? All you've proven is that bad teams lose games, sometimes in embarrassing fashion or to bad (or not well regarded) opponents. That's not an argument against scheduling 1 decent non-conference opponent. That's an argument for not sucking.

 

[mplsbadger]

The Gophers play the most difficult schedule in the Big Ten. They are one of two teams in the conference who can theoretically play all of the 'big six' in a single year. I think this move makes sense in light of the difficult schedule. If the Gophers start averaging 4.5 to 5 B10 wins a year, I won't care if they play Eden Prairie the other four games.

 

[Radio Badger]

2013 Big Ten BCS Non-conference opponents
Wisconsin has apparently only scheduled UMass for 2013, they still have to schedule 3 more non-conference games. In 2010 and 2011 they played Arizona State and Oregon State respectively, however, the two years prior they did not play a BCS opponent out of conference.

So assuming easiest-non-conference-schedule-in-the-country Wisconsin does not schedule a BCS opponent for 2013, and we were to replace North Carolina with another cupcake from the MAC or Sun Belt, we would be the only two teams in the Big Ten not playing a BCS opponent out of conference.

Actually, UW has Arizona State in 2013, Washington State in 2014 and 2015, Virginia Tech in 2016 and 2017, and Washington in 2017 and 2018.

 

[Cayman]

Actually, UW has Arizona State in 2013, Washington State in 2014 and 2015, Virginia Tech in 2016 and 2017, and Washington in 2017 and 2018.

http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-13/big-ten/2013-wisconsin-badgers-football-schedule.php Good catch, I was just checking this page, and since the date for ASU hasn't been decided, it wasn't listed. So then that means that if we scrap North Carolina for another cupcake home game, we will be the only team in the Big Ten not playing a BCS opponent.

 

[Radio Badger]

I think that for the B1G teams, moving forward, it makes sense to have one BCS team on the schedule, one FCS team, and two non-BCS teams. The conference schedule is a grind, and there is honestly little to no benefit from having more than one BCS team on the schedule.

 

[GoAUpher]

The conference schedule is a grind, and there is honestly little to no benefit from having more than one BCS team on the schedule.

I don't think anyone here disagrees with that. Most just disagree with the "gooey cupcake" method of scheduling.

 

[EG#9]

The only time you should schedule a BCS opponent in the non-conference season is when the rest of the country is going to care about the game. Four winnable home games in the non conference to get to a bowl and then play your BCS opponent...that should be the goal with the program in its current state.

I would have rather seen the effort against USC last year in a season opening win against New Mexico State at home followed by a win against an Akron type before playing Miami of Ohio. Maybe Kill's team would've been 3-1 heading into the Big Ten rather than 1-3. You at least have 4-5 weeks of the team still having a goal of a bowl still alive. Not eliminated before you play the second half of the schedule.

If the Big Ten games played out the same, they would've been 4-4 after beating Iowa. We'd have viewed Kill's first season in a different light if that was the case.

While we locally have a different view of the Mason years, nationally the program was respected in part because of the running game, but also because of the bowl appearances. Today nationally, we can't get mentioned without Indiana being in the same sentence. Playing USC close or giving Cal a scare did nothing for this program (other than help Brew get fired so maybe not 'nothing').

In what way was the Minnesota program respected nationally? The bowl appearances didn't matter, very few people care about the PoulanWeedeater Bowl or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. I never felt like Minnesota was respected nationally and there was no reason for the program to be...we didn't beat a top 3 finishing Big Ten team (much less become one ourselves) in the 10 years under Glen Mason. We were mentioned in the same breath as Inidana quite frequently during that time span...as the only two teams to fail to finish at least 3rd in the conference.

 

[FreakyDeke]

In what way was the Minnesota program respected nationally? The bowl appearances didn't matter, very few people care about the PoulanWeedeater Bowl or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. I never felt like Minnesota was respected nationally and there was no reason for the program to be...we didn't beat a top 3 finishing Big Ten team (much less become one ourselves) in the 10 years under Glen Mason. We were mentioned in the same breath as Inidana quite frequently during that time span...as the only two teams to fail to finish at least 3rd in the conference.

3 seasons of 2 x 1000 yard fishers, a few rankings (as high as #13) and beating Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama in bowl games. Not earth-shattering, but you can't say that a ranked team isn't nationally respected to some degree.

 

[mplsbadger]

3 seasons of 2 x 1000 yard fishers, a few rankings (as high as #13) and beating Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama in bowl games. Not earth-shattering, but you can't say that a ranked team isn't nationally respected to some degree.

Those bowl wins were fun to watch. I long for those days. Alabama win was great because they are Alabama. Arkansas win was great because they were the top rushing defense in the SEC before the Gophers steamrolled them.

 

[Magic]

 

[Firejumper]

How dare the U!!!! Giving its fans eight home games and a trip to somewhere warm in December/January.

And you like paying to watch us beat up on the Little Sisters of the Poor. Good for you. Or worse yet, actually losing to the Little Sisters of the Poor. Enjoy.

 

[bendbadgersteve]

gopherguy5 Reply

"Looks like we will be going with the Wisconsin method for non-conference scheduling..."

Then you won't be dodging UNC. UW has played non-conference games against Oregon, UNC-Chapel Hill, WVU, Arizona and a #21 ranked Fresno State on the road since 2001. We'll play Oregon State on the road this year. That's six BCS level opponents on the road in 12 years or one every other season.

That's not outstanding but hardly as insinuated either. 4-1 in those games. We'll see how it goes in Corvallis.

 

[Maximus]

And you like paying to watch us beat up on the Little Sisters of the Poor. Good for you. Or worse yet, actually losing to the Little Sisters of the Poor. Enjoy.

Great point. Why would anyone want eight Saturdays of tailgating, coeds and football?

 

[GoAUpher]

Great point. Why would anyone want eight Saturdays of tailgating, coeds and football?

Oddly enough, those things exist on other BCS campuses too. Ya know, like the UNC campus you can visit next fall if the U doesn't screw this up.

 

[Go4]

Great point. Why would anyone want eight Saturdays of tailgating, coeds and football?

i take it you dont' travel to road games do you? i'd much rather tailgate at 90% of our road games than the lame tailgate environment that maturi approved.