Where Are We Headed

[Denver_Gopher]

PJ brought in a spark that in 2019 created a flame. We finished 10-2 after that great win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. All was going in the right direction. 2020, in mind, doesn't count, but we followed up with two 9-4 seasons. All was good in Gopher land. Last year could be explained as a "down year", but what does that make this year? I, as the always hopeful Gopher fan, still think we can have a decent season, but am slowly moving towards the get rid of PJ group. He needs to change his best or get the hell out of dodge. My PJ fun meter is going down

 

[Gopher Ally]

What were the expectations this year? The season is still young. We will most likely be 2-4 then get our next win at UCLA. Games after that we’ll see, I’ll judge the body of work at the end of the season. I’m not ready to give up on PJ, I want to see how this latest recruiting class with Perich and others pan out. If heads are gonna roll I’d like to see Coyle find extra money for experienced coordinator’s

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[SamSquatch]

I think this season is especially damning in our program direction. We are upper-classman heavy with a lot of positions this group recruited. DL, LB, WR, and OL are all underwhelming. And I’m not convinced it’s due to talent. The game management and adjustments seem to be a net negative. Special teams is a joke with high school level return and punting games. The B1G is completely beatable this year and games against teams like IA, UCLA, Rutgers, Mary, Illinois, etc should all have been winnable.

I have been pro-PJ for a long time but this season is a massive dud. We are heading the wrong direction. Specifically the offensive philosophy has to fundamentally change if the head coach is not changed.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

again, 2019 was great - but that was in the "good old days" - before NIL, unlimited transfers and major conference realignment.

the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" just keeps getting wider.

to win, you need talent. to acquire talent, you need money.

sure, really strong coaching can help negate some of the gap for a "have-not," but in the end, the team with the better athletes is going to win most of the time, and the team with the most money is going to have the better athletes.

I am NOT saying the Gophers are doomed. I am saying that expectations need to be adjusted. a really good season for the Gophers, going forward, is going to be 7 or 8 wins (unless you get an odd year with a very favorable schedule).

 

[Nax5]

I am NOT saying the Gophers are doomed. I am saying that expectations need to be adjusted. a really good season for the Gophers, going forward, is going to be 7 or 8 wins (unless you get an odd year with a very favorable schedule).

That would be depressing. 2019 showed we could have national relevance (I understand CFB is different now). If we are resigned to never making the playoffs in the modern CFB, I'm not sure how I could continue watching with any enthusiasm. Or convince friends and family to watch as well.

 

[From the Parkinglot]

As great as 2019 was they still choked away a chance to play in the big ten championship game by losing 2 of the last 3 with both of them being trophy games. I am a 38 year old man with maybe 40 more years and I don’t think the gophers ever finish above .500 in the new big ten or play in the big ten championship game. I have a hard time getting excited to finish 10th to 18th in the new big ten.

 

[1983]

Nowhere. Hope hope hope had alwsys been the cry. Next year, oh boy, the recruit. Fleck was not a bad hire at the time and firing Cleays at the point they did was a mistake. Fleck was hot so I guess hot was better than coaching ability. Nobody knows where the team would be today had Fleck not been hired. 8 years of Fleck , we do know where we are, same old shit, different decade. Cannot beat our rivals. Our rivals dominate us and it won't stop until it is a priority. Beating your rivals is the foundation in many ways to success.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

PJ brought in a spark that in 2019 created a flame. We finished 10-2 after that great win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. All was going in the right direction. 2020, in mind, doesn't count, but we followed up with two 9-4 seasons. All was good in Gopher land. Last year could be explained as a "down year", but what does that make this year? I, as the always hopeful Gopher fan, still think we can have a decent season, but am slowly moving towards the get rid of PJ group. He needs to change his best or get the hell out of dodge. My PJ fun meter is going down

Thought it was obvious -

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Be careful what you wish for.

Shasta

 

[Some guy]

What were the expectations this year? The season is still young. We will most likely be 2-4 then get our next win at UCLA. Games after that we’ll see, I’ll judge the body of work at the end of the season. I’m not ready to give up on PJ, I want to see how this latest recruiting class with Perich and others pan out. If heads are gonna roll I’d like to see Coyle find extra money for experienced coordinator’s

Yup

 

[Some guy]

As great as 2019 was they still choked away a chance to play in the big ten championship game by losing 2 of the last 3 with both of them being trophy games. I am a 38 year old man with maybe 40 more years and I don’t think the gophers ever finish above .500 in the new big ten or play in the big ten championship game. I have a hard time getting excited to finish 10th to 18th in the new big ten.

Second one maybe

Beat these clowns and we are 5-4 this year

UCLA
WISCONSIN
Maryland
Rutgers


One of
Illinois/USC/michigan/penn state

Hotly shit we might go over .500 this year

We lose to Iowa who is a preseason 4-8 in the conference and the sky is falling

 

[From the Parkinglot]

Second one maybe

Beat these clowns and we are 5-4 this year

UCLA
WISCONSIN
Maryland
Rutgers


One of
Illinois/USC/michigan/penn state

Hotly shit we might go over .500 this year

We lose to Iowa who is a preseason 4-8 in the conference and the sky is falling

I’m honestly more upset they lost to a very bad North Carolina team while only scoring 17 points at home.

 

[Some guy]

I’m honestly more upset they lost to a very bad North Carolina team while only scoring 17 points at home.

Yeah well it’s hard to play in wet conditions so it’s tough for me to read too much into that either way.

North Carolina also already a different team than when MN played them

 

[Some Day...Maybe]

Second one maybe

Beat these clowns and we are 5-4 this year

UCLA
WISCONSIN
Maryland
Rutgers


One of
Illinois/USC/michigan/penn state

Hotly shit we might go over .500 this year

We lose to Iowa who is a preseason 4-8 in the conference and the sky is falling

This is dreaming, are you expecting to win these games 10-7? The only way we even come close to this is if Fleck somehow is able to re-establish a running game. But he’s given up on that because he has no clue how to run an offense. This offense is in disarray and it’s not changing anytime soon.

 

[Some guy]

This is dreaming, are you expecting to win these games 10-7? The only way we even come close to this is if Fleck somehow is able to re-establish a running game. But he’s given up on that because he has no clue how to run an offense. This offense is in disarray and it’s not changing anytime soon.

The offense is completely different than two years ago

I agree it isn’t very good but to say it isn’t changing outs you as not very knowledgeable

 

[GopherGrit]

That would be depressing. 2019 showed we could have national relevance (I understand CFB is different now). If we are resigned to never making the playoffs in the modern CFB, I'm not sure how I could continue watching with any enthusiasm. Or convince friends and family to watch as well.

Yeah, that is a tough thing to say.

It just feels like the sport the way it is, only teams that spend way more money than we have access to are realistic contenders.


Will be interesting to see what some of the teams that make the CFP bracket now at 12 are going to be like.

Obviously we're never going to leave the Big Ten, so long as its still a thing. Not suggesting we do.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Shasta

How’s the Shasta? Love that story

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

How’s the Shasta? Love that story

It’s no RC Cola

 

[csom_1991]

As great as 2019 was they still choked away a chance to play in the big ten championship game by losing 2 of the last 3 with both of them being trophy games. I am a 38 year old man with maybe 40 more years and I don’t think the gophers ever finish above .500 in the new big ten or play in the big ten championship game. I have a hard time getting excited to finish 10th to 18th in the new big ten.

I am a decade older and feel the same way. Prior to NIL and the transfer portal, there was always the chance we could have a developed a super star at QB or something that could make for a magical 2-3 year run. Now, if we were able to develop that guy - they will leave for more exposure and cash for a better ranked program. Thus, I tend to agree - it will be the very rare occasion where we finish above 0.500 in B1G play.

 

[MilosRevenge]

again, 2019 was great - but that was in the "good old days" - before NIL, unlimited transfers and major conference realignment.

the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" just keeps getting wider.

The top 25 doesn't look that much different than it did in 2019 (aside from Wisconsin/Iowa going from top 14 to out).

Traditional powers along with Missouri, Iowa State, UNLV, Kansas State, Boise State ranked. Washington State, Indiana, Boston College, UCF narrowly missing out.

 

[Mr. 131]

We are headed for two difficult seasons. I’m in the “seat should be warm” camp. He’s gonna be at the helm this year and next, and I need to see him win coin flip games and finish strong defensively.
We lose a lot of senior leadership next year, and that isn’t gonna help.

 

[Mr. 131]

I am a decade older and feel the same way. Prior to NIL and the transfer portal, there was always the chance we could have a developed a super star at QB or something that could make for a magical 2-3 year run. Now, if we were able to develop that guy - they will leave for more exposure and cash for a better ranked program. Thus, I tend to agree - it will be the very rare occasion where we finish above 0.500 in B1G play.

At some point there will be more parity as this thing is forced to adopt NFL inspired paradigms that support parity. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

 

[ergopher]

I just don’t get it. We haven’t had much star power taken from us in the portal (Bucky Irving comes to mind but even then he mostly blew up once he was already at Oregon) and our NIL, for the scope of our program, is doing fairly well. We had a great recruiting class last year, have pulled good transfers and overall off the field it seems as if we are navigating this new era of college football in at least the top 50th percentile. Obviously we’re not having a 2019-like season every year under PJ but that was never going to happen at this program. Being a middle-of-the-pack to below average B1G team a lot of years is going to happen regardless of who the head coach is just because of the kind of program we are. For how negative a lot of people on here are feeling, I think that ironically need to temper their expectations. I think we can still have a good season and I trust PJ and the players to right the ship and improve as the season progresses.

 

[BarnBurner]

Second one maybe

Beat these clowns and we are 5-4 this year

UCLA
WISCONSIN
Maryland
Rutgers


One of
Illinois/USC/michigan/penn state

Hotly shit we might go over .500 this year

We lose to Iowa who is a preseason 4-8 in the conference and the sky is falling

Now fans are pounding their chest over a potential 5-4 mark.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I am a decade older and feel the same way. Prior to NIL and the transfer portal, there was always the chance we could have a developed a super star at QB or something that could make for a magical 2-3 year run. Now, if we were able to develop that guy - they will leave for more exposure and cash for a better ranked program. Thus, I tend to agree - it will be the very rare occasion where we finish above 0.500 in B1G play.

Based on our history, the current set up seems to be better for us to get a super star QB IMO. The program hasn't had a QB drafted in decades because coach after coach has not been able to recruit and develop a QB to that level. I think there's a greater chance they grab a transfer from the lower levels that ends up being a stud than there is developing one out of HS.