BleedGopher
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per USA Today:
Very few of the one-loss College Football Playoff contenders have played the same opponents, a fact that has only complicated the constant debate between teams of similar qualities from different leagues.
That's why Minnesota is in a unique spot. The Gophers lost to TCU, 30-7, on Sept. 13, and they lost to Ohio State, 31-24, two weeks ago.
Based on that, is it possible to say which team — the Horned Frogs or the Buckeyes — is better? TCU is No. 5 in the latest Playoff rankings; Ohio State is No. 6.
"There's starting to be some of that buzz about that, about who do we think is better since we're the only common opponent," Minnesota assistant coach Jay Sawvel, who coaches defensive backs and special teams, told USA TODAY Sports.
"The thing is, you can't just compare a score and say, well, 'TCU beat 'em by 23 and Ohio State beat them by seven so TCU must be better.' We're a lot better football team than we were when we played TCU. We played Ohio State on a day where it was 18 degrees and snowing. Had we played TCU on that day, I'm not sure they would have enjoyed that atmosphere very much. I think you've got to look at the whole body of work with it."
Sawvel said both TCU and Ohio State have outstanding quarterbacks, and he added that he thought the Buckeyes were a really well-rounded team. "To tell you who's better or who'd win a best of seven, I don't know," Sawvel said, laughing. "I try to avoid those questions."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...football-dabo-swinney-justin-fuente/19576439/
Go Gophers!!
Very few of the one-loss College Football Playoff contenders have played the same opponents, a fact that has only complicated the constant debate between teams of similar qualities from different leagues.
That's why Minnesota is in a unique spot. The Gophers lost to TCU, 30-7, on Sept. 13, and they lost to Ohio State, 31-24, two weeks ago.
Based on that, is it possible to say which team — the Horned Frogs or the Buckeyes — is better? TCU is No. 5 in the latest Playoff rankings; Ohio State is No. 6.
"There's starting to be some of that buzz about that, about who do we think is better since we're the only common opponent," Minnesota assistant coach Jay Sawvel, who coaches defensive backs and special teams, told USA TODAY Sports.
"The thing is, you can't just compare a score and say, well, 'TCU beat 'em by 23 and Ohio State beat them by seven so TCU must be better.' We're a lot better football team than we were when we played TCU. We played Ohio State on a day where it was 18 degrees and snowing. Had we played TCU on that day, I'm not sure they would have enjoyed that atmosphere very much. I think you've got to look at the whole body of work with it."
Sawvel said both TCU and Ohio State have outstanding quarterbacks, and he added that he thought the Buckeyes were a really well-rounded team. "To tell you who's better or who'd win a best of seven, I don't know," Sawvel said, laughing. "I try to avoid those questions."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...football-dabo-swinney-justin-fuente/19576439/
Go Gophers!!