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badgergopher said:
I won't next year but if things aren't looking up, I' may downgrade to non-donation seats and get Vikes tickets for their two years at TCF.
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Good. With Badger on your name you can just go back to Madison.
 

I would hope that Kill would agree to waive his bonuses for getting six or more victories by this bogus tactic. They can use it to offset the loss to the Athletic department, what are the odds of that, however?
 

Pewterschmidt said:
You are drastically overvaluing 15 practices 9 months before the next season given roster turnover. Those practices are meant to prepare for the bowl opponent, not get the team prepared for the next season. It's a completely different environment compared to spring or fall practice.

Going to lower tier bowl games IMO is vastly overrated.
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I am? Have you ever attended a bowl practice? They are scheduled similar to spring ball not to mention the extra 30+ minutes spent at the end of practices with the underclassmen and redshirts. With no starters or experiences backups the coaches focus more time developing the talent. Yeah we're so good that wouldn't benefit us all...
 

Tim Riggins said:
I am? Have you ever attended a bowl practice? They are scheduled similar to spring ball not to mention the extra 30+ minutes spent at the end of practices with the underclassmen and redshirts. With no starters or experiences backups the coaches focus more time developing the talent. Yeah we're so good that wouldn't benefit us all...
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You know what would be more beneficial? How about using that 800K to upgrade our facilities and make the program more attractive to recruits.
 

GopherGod said:
You know what would be more beneficial? How about using that 800K to upgrade our facilities and make the program more attractive to recruits.
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If it ends up being a net wash like some mentioned, there is no extra $800k to spend.

I must be crazy for wanting our players to improve which should result in better performance on the field and more wins.
 


BeLikeWisconsin said:
Oh, Puuuuhh Leeeeeez. Over a ten year period in the big 10, you point out 3 mason victories? C'mon, if you play Michigan enough, you'll eventually beat them. Even the '96 bulls lost 10 games. Even the yankees lose now and then. You act like we were batting 50% from the field.

And don't get me started on your 'Bama comment. That was NOT Nick Saban's team. They were not good back then, going through coaches, etc.
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True, Alabama was not who they are today, but the Arkansas team that the Gophers took apart had a top 5 run defense, led the SEC in rushing defense, and played for the conference title.
 

kisarazu said:
I just don't see this as being a longterm PR nightmare. I think the Gophers are not exactly high on the national radar as is. In fact, from a national standpoint, I think most would look at how dismal the Gophers have been, agree they should schedule cupcakes, and then forget what they just read. And I don't think the casual Minnesota person has the Gophers on their radar enough to ruffle their feathers. One thing brings fans and respect at this point - winning. Also, I don't think it's a big deal to the players as I don't think Kill and company are famed for recruiting and grooming headcases on the field.

Again, I don't think we are big enough to have our program hurt. And that hurts to admit.
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Certainly don't see going 4-0 in non-conference facing cupcakes and getting a couple of conference wins to make some meaningless bowl games annually as bringing in fans or gaining respect.
 

I have my opinions on North Carolina, the schedule, how to build a program, etc. The bottom line is, I've never actually been tasked with building a college football program, nor has anyone in the local media, nor on this message board. Yet all of these people are weighing in and claiming to have the answers on how this should be done.

The fact of the matter is, the only person in town with the task of rebuilding the Gophers is Jerry Kill, and because he has built college football programs previously - including Northern Illinois, which beat several BCS teams during his time there - I feel I owe him the trust that he knows what he's doing here as well.

We'll see where we're at in two years - if we're 4-0 in non-conference games, and then go 4-4 or 5-3 in BIG, who's going to complain? I won't!
 

This is a brilliant move. The Gophers are coming off two loses and everyone is talking about them. Any publicity is better than none and they're getting more than 10 x $800K worth of it. A bunch of idiots who never pay attention to the program are talking about Gopher football. This board is lit up when normally things would be quiet after a couple of tough loses. The financial implications don't amount to a hill of beans and the reduced strength of schedule argument doesn't fly (we'll still play 11 of the 12 opponents on our schedule). I'm amused at the overreaction. Take a deep breath and remember that this like everything else will pass.

Go Gophers!
 



GopherGod said:
I would hope that Kill would agree to waive his bonuses for getting six or more victories by this bogus tactic. They can use it to offset the loss to the Athletic department, what are the odds of that, however?
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Slim and none. Kill will milk every win, no matter who the opponent is, towards making sure he gets what he wants. That's what this whole mess comes down to. All this "we're just going to work hard and get better the right way" stuff he trotted out when he started here looks pretty darn phony after today. Not saying Kill should be let go at this point, but folks certainly have more than enough reason to stop buying his southern accented, hard-working, I'm-one-of-the-good-guys shtick.
 

Kill and Teague.....................Goldenloafers.

Jerry should don one of his own brown shirts and give one to Don Knotts Jr. while he is at it.
What a B/S move.
 


I live in NC and was looking forward to seeing those two games in person. Even so I LOVE the decision. There are only two things a rebuilding team wants to gain from the non-conference part of the schedule. A preseason kind of development and wins. Style points do not mean a dam*ed thing. When we begin to contend for the upper half of the standings, then we go for ratings. In the meantime we need to get into a bowl game even a crumby one. Getting rid of UNC helps us get there. Good move.
 



everybody knows my name said:
We already knew that Kill wanted out of the NC series. Why would my opinion of him change now, if it hadn't already changed?

I look at the product on the field and I see that a team that was 1-5 at this time last season is 4-2 and plays tough defense.

Sure, I'd like more prestigious opponents. I was really excited about the Gophers playing Cal and USC in the last few years, but did you notice that they lost all those games?

Bowl eligibility is Kill's immediate goal, and I think dropping North Carolina was a sensible (if not very satisfying) step in that direction.
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Right On !!
 

badgergopher said:
True, Alabama was not who they are today, but the Arkansas team that the Gophers took apart had a top 5 run defense, led the SEC in rushing defense, and played for the conference title.
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They did play for the conf. title even though they had a 2nd place finish in their division 5-3; Bama was 6-2. Arkansas also got crushed in that game 30-3. Not really the SEC it is today.
 

Jerry really hosed this one up. He made Norwood Teague look really weak and crapped all over the program with this one. We were not going to play SoCal, Oklahoma, or Bama, but beaten down UNC.

"Country Jer" as they call him on the NIU board just turned the heat up on himself a great deal. Until this happened I was behind ol' Jerry, but it might get ugly as the season progresses after this absurd decision.
 

mngolf said:
And no one in our fanbase cares about Pizza bowl appearances either. Yes we get more practice time, but at what cost? He probably hears people say we need to get back to Mason level success when really few would get excited over that. A couple years like that yeah, but then people want to see some more success from time to time. Otherwise why bother.
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We're at 5+ years of wandering in the freakin' desert and this is what people define as success?? I guarantee that if Kill and Co. could put the equivalent of the 2003 team on the field he'd be heralded as the reincarnation of Bernie Bierman.
 

I haven't read all of the 49 threads that have been started here.

So all I can assume is that Kill backed out of a Rose Bowl invitation, is that right?
 

Unregistered User said:
I haven't read all of the 49 threads that have been started here.

So all I can assume is that Kill backed out of a Rose Bowl invitation, is that right?
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I can't believe you don't understand the magnitude and gravity of the situation. This is right up there with "Man Walks on Moon" and you have the audacity to make light of it. Get with the program
 

It bemuses me that many people seem to be utterly incapable of grasping that the decisions Coach Kill makes at this stage of program development can and should be different than ones made further along. Dropping UNC does NOT mean that he is afraid of competition, but rather that at this stage of the program's development, he believes it is more beneficial to the long-term goal.

We are at year 2 of resurrecting a program, that by most accounts is a complete rebuild. If you buy a fixer-upper house with a crumbling foundation, the first project isn't to add a 2nd story -- you fix the foundation. Although history and results will be the final judge, I strongly believe that his decisions will change when we are farther along. We all want to be a nationally competitive team...it just doesn't happen overnight.

The reason I believe is that he has a history of turning programs around. We'll have to wait a few more years to determine if his plan works. We'd all rather that they just be good right away...it just doesn't work that way.
 

TCF=UnitedWeStand said:
The fact of the matter is, the only person in town with the task of rebuilding the Gophers is Jerry Kill, and because he has built college football programs previously - including Northern Illinois, which beat several BCS teams during his time there - I feel I owe him the trust that he knows what he's doing here as well.

We'll see where we're at in two years - if we're 4-0 in non-conference games, and then go 4-4 or 5-3 in BIG, who's going to complain? I won't!
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Kill absolutely built Southern Illinois, he deserves credit for that. As to Northern Illinois he inherited a team coming off a bad year that had has some pretty good success in years previous to that. He was there for 3 years and had a very good year during the season he bolted to MN. In terms of beating BCS schools he won against MN and Purdue, as far as I can tell that is it in 3 years, and the Purdue team they beat was not a good team.

Kill may or may not know how best to build a program but you are right he should know more than the rest of us. The thing that bugs me about all this most of all is the loser mentality it shows on the part of our coach and the portion of the fan base that is applauding this decision. The idea that we need 4 non-conf wins to have any shot at a bowl is just sad because in saying that you are saying you think the ceiling in the BIG is 2 wins.

Also those of you clinging to the idea we will schedule better teams in the future are kidding yourself. This is the philosophy Kill is going to live by, right or wrong it is what it is. And in terms of there being no such thing as bad publicity....come on what a crock to promote that idea. Sure people are talking about the Gophers, they are taking about just how bad this program is that we are now running away from BCS opponents in favor of cupcakes, yeah that is going to motivate people to buy season tickets and show up on Saturdays.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
A bunch of idiots who never pay attention to the program are talking about Gopher football.
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Positively or negatively? USC coming to town, or us almost beating them in their stadium, etc. is the type of stuff that generates positive talk. This gets us laughed at by viking fans and the media that they read.
 

BBShopGo4 said:
If you buy a fixer-upper house with a crumbling foundation, the first project isn't to add a 2nd story -- you fix the foundation.
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This is a great analogy. This whole UNC ordeal is like people bitching at Kill for not putting in that new hardwood when there's still a gaping hole in the wall.
 

BBShopGo4 said:
It bemuses me that many people seem to be utterly incapable of grasping that the decisions Coach Kill makes at this stage of program development can and should be different than ones made further along. Dropping UNC does NOT mean that he is afraid of competition, but rather that at this stage of the program's development, he believes it is more beneficial to the long-term goal.

We are at year 2 of resurrecting a program, that by most accounts is a complete rebuild. If you buy a fixer-upper house with a crumbling foundation, the first project isn't to add a 2nd story -- you fix the foundation. Although history and results will be the final judge, I strongly believe that his decisions will change when we are farther along. We all want to be a nationally competitive team...it just doesn't happen overnight.

The reason I believe is that he has a history of turning programs around. We'll have to wait a few more years to determine if his plan works. We'd all rather that they just be good right away...it just doesn't work that way.
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The problem isn't that he's going light on the non-conference schedule. Even though I'd prefer to play one BCS team per year, I can live with that decision. What's inexcusable is cancelling a game for next season that's been on the schedule for several years, and paying $800,000 to do it. He comes across as someone that is ducking competition. Part of what we liked about Kill is he came across as the underdog who wasn't afraid to play the big boys. After this, how can he look his team in the eye and tell them they have a chance this week at Camp Randall when he just backed out of a game next year at UNC because it's too tough?
 

dpodoll68 said:
This is a great analogy. This whole UNC ordeal is like people bitching at Kill for not putting in that new hardwood when there's still a gaping hole in the wall.
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No, it's like the contractor refusing to put down that new hardwood because it's too much of a challenge at this point. He might get to it someday, but only after he brushes up his skill by laying cheap tile for five years.

Oh, also, the contractor bills $800K for backing out of the hardwood project.
 

BeLikeWisconsin said:
Positively or negatively? USC coming to town, or us almost beating them in their stadium, etc. is the type of stuff that generates positive talk. This gets us laughed at by viking fans and the media that they read.
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Positive talk? Are you serious?

What did that "positive talk" accomplish in 2010? Well, it lasted less than seven days because Northern Illinois took us behind the woodshed. But hey, we led USC for about eight seconds in the third quarter. Four weeks later the Gophers fired their head coach.

I remember the "positive talk" in 2011. Lasted about as long as 2010. Then New Mexico State showed up and beat the Gophers.

"Positive Talk" translates to "hey, did you see the Gophers? They didn't get blown out"
 

I think the motivation for what Kill is doing is threefold.

1 - We don't have the depth (and will not for a few years) to be getting through our Big Ten schedule. We need the less NC schedule to preserve some health and to gain some necessary experience for back up who will play (due to injury) in the Big Ten part of our schedule.

2 - Kill is not going to get 5 star kids. He is going to get lots of kids that can play, but they will need development. He needs to be in a bowl, any bowl, for the next few years to gain the extra 15 practices. For a freshman, that would equal 45 more practices before they become a junior!!

3 - Finally, Kill has NEVER said that he will NOT play a BCS opponent. He continues to say that he needs time to develop our program. So let's relax and give him the benefit of some time. If 4 years from now we are still 6-6 and playing in crappy bowls, then we can (and should) complain.
 

It is the message this sends is the problem. As another poster said "The idea that we need 4 non-conf wins to have any shot at a bowl is just sad because in saying that you are saying you think the ceiling in the BIG is 2 wins."

This idea that getting to any bowl is beneficial on account of the 15 extra practices is rather thin. Brewster's teams went to back to back bowls or 30 extra practices and that didn't do much good for the team development. I am sure that will be spun as Brewster didn't know what he was doing and Kill does so those extra practices under Kill will mean more.
 

I believe we've seen this movie before. Mase loaded up on 3-4 desserts, went 3-5 in the B10 (average 3.2 wins and 4.8 losses in 10 years at U), and found themselves in El Paso, Nashville, or Tempe, before Jan 1.

I thought the deep pocket alumni grew tired of this (along with inexplicable bowl collapses) and demanded a change.

This ain't the MAC the the odds of Kill ever overcoming MI, NE, and OSU are slim so why not stick with at least one decent BCS conference school in the non-conf...not to mention 4 creme puffs creates zero interest from the fan base and will continue the trend of under 35K attendance figures.

Insult to the fans intelligence by loading up on that amount of french pastry.
 

scools12 said:
It is the message this sends is the problem. As another poster said "The idea that we need 4 non-conf wins to have any shot at a bowl is just sad because in saying that you are saying you think the ceiling in the BIG is 2 wins."

This idea that getting to any bowl is beneficial on account of the 15 extra practices is rather thin. Brewster's teams went to back to back bowls or 30 extra practices and that didn't do much good for the team development. I am sure that will be spun as Brewster didn't know what he was doing and Kill does so those extra practices under Kill will mean more.
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That's because over a four year period Brewster showed he couldn't develop players.
 

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