Would a 10-2 Gophers make the 12 team playoff next year?

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swelna

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Just a little hypothetical that I was pondering, would a 10-2 gophers make the 12 team playoff next year? Based on this years CFP rankings, 10-2 seems to land you on the bubble ranked somewhere around 10-12. The most realistic way I see us getting to 10-2 involves losing to Mich and either PSU or USC, but winning the rest. In that world, especially if the two losses are close and both are to teams with 2 or fewer losses, I think we could be in the conversation.

Now before anyone gets grumpy, I know that the chances the gophers go 10-2 next year are marginal at best, but I just thought it was a fun thing to think about. And who knows, if we make it to November with 2 or fewer losses, we may start having some hope...
 


every year could be a little different, but I would think that a 10-2 team from a P5 conference has a shot at qualifying. it would depend on which G5 team qualified and what its record was. for example, if this year would have been a 12-team playoff, a G5 team in Liberty - which was 23rd in the CFP rankings, would have bumped Oklahoma, a 10-2 team.

I think that would most likely be the situation that MN would be in at 10-2 - hoping to be at #11 in the final rankings so they wouldn't get bumped by a G5 team.

now, all MN has to do is to go 10-2.

(reminds me of an old Steve Martin Routine:
- How to make a Million dollars and never pay taxes. 1st, get a Million dollars......)
 

I would say an 85% chance with the hypothetical you laid out. I think in your scenario it depends how good our wins are. If we go 10-2 but only beat 1 top 25 team in the process, I could see us getting left out. Other than that and as long as our starting QB doesn't get hurt we would make it.
 

No….there will be too many 10-2 teams

A 11-1 team, YES!
 


New QB, backup running back and a revamped D line......new linebackers.....will be a challange
 

Speaking of the playoffs...we are eliminating the Big Ten Championship without divisions?
If so, that's a negative when it comes to the selection....I suppose unless you play and lose.
But Alabama has no chance without the conference Championship game. Texas isn't in either...I know that's with only four teams but I'm guessing same will be true for 8, 9 on down?
 

Most years 10-2 big ten will go IMo

I could be wrong because there may be so many 10-2 big ten teams since no one plays each other
 

60's Guy said:
Speaking of the playoffs...we are eliminating the Big Ten Championship without divisions?
If so, that's a negative when it comes to the selection....I suppose unless you play and lose.
But Alabama has no chance without the conference Championship game. Texas isn't in either...I know that's with only four teams but I'm guessing same will be true for 8, 9 on down?
Click to expand...
No, they will just pick the two "best teams" and have them play for the championship. No idea what the tie breakers are going to be.
 



swelna said:
No, they will just pick the two "best teams" and have them play for the championship. No idea what the tie breakers are going to be.
Click to expand...
They have not published

Its fine. There are only thousands of combos of ties where the teams don’t play each other
 

The Gophers were 10-2 heading into bowl season in 2019 and were ranked 18th. There will be too many other helmet schools in the B1G/SEC with a similar or better record, so no, they would not make a 12 team playoff.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The Gophers were 10-2 heading into bowl season in 2019 and were ranked 18th. There will be too many other helmet schools in the B1G/SEC with a similar or better record, so no, they would not make a 12 team playoff.
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Penn State and Florida were 10-2 that year as well and in the top ten, so clearly who the two losses were too and how bad they were clearly matter. I don't think it's unreasonable to imagine a world where we hit the criteria.
 





swelna said:
Penn State and Florida were 10-2 that year as well and in the top ten, so clearly who the two losses were too and how bad they were clearly matter. I don't think it's unreasonable to imagine a world where we hit the criteria.
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Our 2 losses were at #20 Iowa and to #12 Wisconsin that year. We also beat #4 Penn St. And we were still 18th.

In the new B1G/SEC it'll be even harder to be ranked higher.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The Gophers were 10-2 heading into bowl season in 2019 and were ranked 18th. There will be too many other helmet schools in the B1G/SEC with a similar or better record, so no, they would not make a 12 team playoff.
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10-2 next year means the gophers have at least 4 wins against the following teams:
North Carolina
Wisconsin
Iowa
Michigan
USC
Penn state


Going 10-2 next year is more Comparable to going 11-1 or 12-0 against the 2019 schedule.
Going 8-4 against next years schedule is like going 10-2 against 2019 schedule.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Our 2 losses were at #20 Iowa and to #12 Wisconsin that year. We also beat #4 Penn St. And we were still 18th.

In the new B1G/SEC it'll be even harder to be ranked higher.
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Disagree.
It will be harder to win 10+ games. But equaling records will lead to much higher ratings now.

The new big 12 is no better than the old American and it’s the 3-4th best conference.

The top 25 is going to be like 15-18 big ten and sec teams and 7-10 teams from the other 7 conference combined.
 

Some guy said:
10-2 next year means the gophers have at least 4 wins against the following teams:
North Carolina
Wisconsin
Iowa
Michigan
USC
Penn state


Going 10-2 next year is more Comparable to going 11-1 or 12-0 against the 2019 schedule.
Going 8-4 against next years schedule is like going 10-2 against 2019 schedule.
Click to expand...

Not really. North Carolina is pretty similar to your average old B1G West team. Wisconsin and Iowa are unlikely to be anywhere as good as they were in 2019.

Winning 1 out of Michigan, USC, and Penn St, will be pretty comparable to winning 1 out of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn St in 2019. It left them ranked 18th.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Not really. North Carolina is pretty similar to your average old B1G West team. Wisconsin and Iowa are unlikely to be anywhere as good as they were in 2019.

Winning 1 out of Michigan, USC, and Penn St, will be pretty comparable to winning 1 out of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Penn St in 2019. It left them ranked 18th.
Click to expand...
Ok 😂
Iowa currently rated 3 spots lower than they were after bowl season in 2019
 

Some guy said:
10-2 next year means the gophers have at least 4 wins against the following teams:
North Carolina
Wisconsin
Iowa
Michigan
USC
Penn state


Going 10-2 next year is more Comparable to going 11-1 or 12-0 against the 2019 schedule.
Going 8-4 against next years schedule is like going 10-2 against 2019 schedule.
Click to expand...
Agreed, in the new divisionless B1G, our strength of schedule will be better.
 



10-2 next year would mean wins over all but two of UNC, Iowa, Michigan, USC, UCLA Penn State and Wisconsin among others. Maybe the Gophers toughest schedule ever. It would depend on head to head, but that record would put them among the elite and in the mix.
 

Gotta think in year one
4 SEC
3 B1G
2 Big 12
2 ACC
1 G5

SOS and H2H will be big. Possibly 8 SEC/B1G and 3 ACC/B12

SEC and ACC only playing 8 conference games so Rivalry non conference games will be huge for perception in those leagues.
 

Since I'm not young anymore (be quiet Mrs. Billd), I think if I live long enough to see the Gophers butt-stomp everyone...including the losses...then this will transpire.

Otherwise unlikely.

But...I did discover the Fountain of Youth planting rutabagas in my back yard so there's a chance I may live to see it...under this fantastical scenario.

Note: I hate rutabagas too.
 

10-2 might, but 13-0 won't. As FSU showed us, if you don't have a quality loss on the schedule, like Texas and Alabama, that hurts your chances.
 


A 10-2 Minnesota is not the same as a 10-2 Clemson or Penn St. Reputation will be worth 5-10 spots. If Minnesota does back to back 10-2 and beats a few top 25s each year by 2026, Gophers could start getting a reputation as a perennial top program worthy of the playoff.
 



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