Weather

[GopherHomer]

I was just watching Big Ten Football and Beyond this morning and they showed a map with the kickoff temperatures for all the Big Ten cities for Saturday. We had the second highest temp at 70 degrees with Nebraska at 73 being the only warmer location. Obviously, one day is one day but we certainly don't appear to be the tundra that the rest of the Big Ten attempts to portray us as.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Pretty sure that when other coaches try to use the weather against us they are not worried about temps from September and October.

 

[Schnauzer]

Don't get me started with weather. There is not much difference within the B1G related to average highs for the college football season, into November. This is especially true when comparing Mpls weather with MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. Plus, you can't do any such comparison without also factoring in average chance of rainfall during the college football season. Mpls has the least amount of rain compared to any B1G city during the football season. Would you rather be sitting in 33 degree weather and dry, or 36 degrees with rainfall? I'm too lazy to dig it up again but at one point I posted all the average highs and lows with usual chances for rainfall of each week in the college football season and it really was a non-factor compared to much of the rest of the B1G.

 

[ski-u-mah]

I was just watching Big Ten Football and Beyond this morning and they showed a map with the kickoff temperatures for all the Big Ten cities for Saturday. We had the second highest temp at 70 degrees with Nebraska at 73 being the only warmer location. Obviously, one day is one day but we certainly don't appear to be the tundra that the rest of the Big Ten attempts to portray us as.

Funny, I noticed the same thing.

 

[ButchNashGuy]

Don't get me started with weather. There is not much difference within the B1G related to average highs for the college football season, into November. This is especially true when comparing Mpls weather with MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. Plus, you can't do any such comparison without also factoring in average chance of rainfall during the college football season. Mpls has the least amount of rain compared to any B1G city during the football season. Would you rather be sitting in 33 degree weather and dry, or 36 degrees with rainfall? I'm too lazy to dig it up again but at one point I posted all the average highs and lows with usual chances for rainfall of each week in the college football season and it really was a non-factor compared to much of the rest of the B1G.

I remember you posting those in the past. The differences are not that great not to mention we are drying than other areas of the Big Ten minus Lincoln.

 

[Schnauzer]

Good point, Nebraska wasn't in the B1G when I did the weather digging. They would indeed have a dryer Sept-Nov. climate.

 

[MNVCGUY]

The weather thing is definitely a case of perception vs. reality. I am sure most coaches don't compare the temps during the season but once December and January hit you can bet a coach that is going up against us for a player is going to mention any sub zero temps or bad weather we might have had if it is beneficial to their chances of getting the player. The overall difference might be minor but just like politics it is all about what people believe not neccessarily what is actually true.

 

[Dr.Don]

In the paths that life can take people, if any football player can't adjust to day to day life in any climate, the FB player should stay home and continue his life in his job as supervisor of the teeter totter at his home town park.

 

[MrGopher]

The weather thing is definitely a case of perception vs. reality. I am sure most coaches don't compare the temps during the season but once December and January hit you can bet a coach that is going up against us for a player is going to mention any sub zero temps or bad weather we might have had if it is beneficial to their chances of getting the player. The overall difference might be minor but just like politics it is all about what people believe not neccessarily what is actually true.

Okay, I'm gonna play a bit of devil's advocate on this one.

It is important to remember that these young men are not just in Minnesota for seven football Saturdays a year. They actually do have to deal with the December and January weather here. They are students here after all. The other coaches use the cold weather as a deterrent, not as it relates to football, but rather as it relates to their day to day lives.

But I have no problem with that. If a young man is afraid of a chilly winter, I don't want him lining up against Iowa or wisconsin. I've always thought that we should embrace the hell out of the cold weather culture here. Even if it is a bit if a myth in the fall, we should use it as a recruiting tool to get the tough gritty guys who will buy into that mentality.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Hard to top last Saturday's weather - a really glorious early autumn afternoon; and what a difference an open stadium means on such days.

 

[patrick08]

One thing I always thought that was funny is when people said we can't recruit great players to come to MN. If they are really great players they need to get used to playing in all weather types if they want to excel in the NFL. Unlike college where yes you can chose to play in warm climates, you don't get that choice in the pros. Also Minnesota may be cold, but its not like Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and yes even Notre Dame late in the year are tropical. Just something I always thought was kind of funny when saying players won't come to Minnnesota.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Okay, I'm gonna play a bit of devil's advocate on this one.

It is important to remember that these young men are not just in Minnesota for seven football Saturdays a year. They actually do have to deal with the December and January weather here. They are students here after all. The other coaches use the cold weather as a deterrent, not as it relates to football, but rather as it relates to their day to day lives.

But I have no problem with that. If a young man is afraid of a chilly winter, I don't want him lining up against Iowa or wisconsin. I've always thought that we should embrace the hell out of the cold weather culture here. Even if it is a bit if a myth in the fall, we should use it as a recruiting tool to get the tough gritty guys who will buy into that mentality.

+1

Every time I think about the Vikes or the Gophs moving outside, I want us to develop a reputation like Favre's Packers did with their unbelievable record in games with kickoff temps below freezing.

Also, based on our performance the last few years, I don't think other coaches are leading off with the weather when they talk about reasons not to play for Minnesota.