CFN Fearless Forecast

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gopher71runner

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Eastern Illinois (0-0) at Minnesota (0-0) Aug. 28, 3:30 BTN

Here's The Deal: If you’re looking for your big FCS over FBS upset of Week 1, this has the potential to be it. Eastern Illinois doesn’t have Jimmy Garoppolo around anymore to sling it for over 5,000 yards, but the team that rocked San Diego State to start last year and came really, really close to beating Northern Illinois is loaded again and good enough to content for the FCS national title. Minnesota can’t afford to lose any winnable home game if it has any reasonable hope of getting back to a bowl game, and while the schedule isn’t too bad early on, a loss could be devastating. EIU is just good enough to pull it off.
Why Eastern Illinois Might Win: There’s just enough talent on both lines to hold up. Collin Seibert is among the best blockers in all of FCS, and fireplug defensive tackle Dino Fanti is a disruptive force inside. More importantly, even without Garoppolo, the Panthers are still explosive. The FCS leader in scoring offense and total yards will be balanced again with more than enough firepower to keep the pressure on. Minnesota isn’t built in any way to come from behind.
Why Minnesota Might Win: The Gophers can control the game and the clock with the ground game – they have to. Keeping the EIU passing game off the field is the key after holding on to the ball for almost 33 minutes a game last season. On the other side, EIU scored quickly, only keeping possession for under 28 minutes an outing. The Panthers will make mistakes and they’ll commit penalties, while under Jerry Kill, Minnesota has been fantastic at not screwing up.
Who To Watch Out For: The Gophers have to find a receiving weapon. Mitch Leidner isn’t a top-shelf passing quarterback, but he and the offense can’t just get by on running the ball. The problem is that the most promising target, Drew Wolitarsky, is banged up, and while he might play, he’ll likely be less than 100%. Expect lots of short-range passes to tight ends to go along with lots and lots of production from the ground game. However, again, that means Minnesota can’t fall behind.
What’s Going To Happen: The Gophers will get all they can handle, but they’ll grind out the clock in the fourth quarter to escape with a tough and scary win.
Prediction: Minnesota 34 … Eastern Illinois 30
Line: No Line
Must Watch Factor: (5 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Up until Part 1 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” – 1 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Everything after Part 2 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?) … 3

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1438140.html
 

gopher71runner said:
Eastern Illinois (0-0) at Minnesota (0-0) Aug. 28, 3:30 BTN

Here's The Deal: If you’re looking for your big FCS over FBS upset of Week 1, this has the potential to be it. Eastern Illinois doesn’t have Jimmy Garoppolo around anymore to sling it for over 5,000 yards, but the team that rocked San Diego State to start last year and came really, really close to beating Northern Illinois is loaded again and good enough to content for the FCS national title. Minnesota can’t afford to lose any winnable home game if it has any reasonable hope of getting back to a bowl game, and while the schedule isn’t too bad early on, a loss could be devastating. EIU is just good enough to pull it off.
Why Eastern Illinois Might Win: There’s just enough talent on both lines to hold up. Collin Seibert is among the best blockers in all of FCS, and fireplug defensive tackle Dino Fanti is a disruptive force inside. More importantly, even without Garoppolo, the Panthers are still explosive. The FCS leader in scoring offense and total yards will be balanced again with more than enough firepower to keep the pressure on. Minnesota isn’t built in any way to come from behind.
Why Minnesota Might Win: The Gophers can control the game and the clock with the ground game – they have to. Keeping the EIU passing game off the field is the key after holding on to the ball for almost 33 minutes a game last season. On the other side, EIU scored quickly, only keeping possession for under 28 minutes an outing. The Panthers will make mistakes and they’ll commit penalties, while under Jerry Kill, Minnesota has been fantastic at not screwing up.
Who To Watch Out For: The Gophers have to find a receiving weapon. Mitch Leidner isn’t a top-shelf passing quarterback, but he and the offense can’t just get by on running the ball. The problem is that the most promising target, Drew Wolitarsky, is banged up, and while he might play, he’ll likely be less than 100%. Expect lots of short-range passes to tight ends to go along with lots and lots of production from the ground game. However, again, that means Minnesota can’t fall behind.
What’s Going To Happen: The Gophers will get all they can handle, but they’ll grind out the clock in the fourth quarter to escape with a tough and scary win.
Prediction: Minnesota 34 … Eastern Illinois 30
Line: No Line
Must Watch Factor: (5 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Up until Part 1 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” – 1 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Everything after Part 2 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?) … 3

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1438140.html
Click to expand...

I guess if they are good enough to "content" for the title, we should just pack it in right now.
 

Nice to see that journalists in other cities suck just as much as ours do.
 


The game starts at 3:30? Dang, I need to leave work a little early I guess.
 


The Gophers only gave up more than 24 points twice last season; 42 to Michigan and 39 to Indiana. Predicting that Eastern Illinois will score 30 seems like a lot. They seem to handwave away EIU's QB not being there anymore. I'm not saying they aren't a decent team, but the Gophers havr faced tougher opponents.

Sent from my LG-L38C using Tapatalk 2
 

My prediction: the turnover battle approaching ludicrous in Minnesota's favor.
 

I'm starting to get legitimately worried about this game (fair warning: this seems to happen to me every year for the first game). I think EIU is going to be much tougher than our other two non-conference home games and perhaps even Purdue. Best case scenario is that our run game is just too powerful for them to stop - much like the SJSU game last year. EIU will put up points, so if our offense is slow out of the gate we could find ourselves in a hole and be in for a nail biter.
 

Dave Lee's Prediction, brought to you by Country Hearth Bread:

"EIU will score a TD early, causing lots of groaning in the stands, and more so on message boards.......the rest of the game, they'll maybe score another 10."
 



Can I just point out that Simpsons seasons 7 and 8 are probably the best seasons, with 9 not being terrible (but clearly the turning point)? Any writer who would draw the line at Who Shot Mr Burns Part 2 is clearly no Simpsons fan.
 

It appears their strength in passing offense against our strength in passing defense. I expect that the pundits are going to get an education in exactly how good our secondary is.
 

nsmike said:
It appears their strength in passing offense against our strength in passing defense. I expect that the pundits are going to get an education in exactly how good our secondary is.
Click to expand...

Or we're going to be terribly disappointed. If this game looks even for anything more than a quarter, I'm going to be upset.
 




It won't be pretty but it should be a very exciting competitive game.

I think the best chance for an FBS win over FCS will be the Bizon over Iowa State. That one might not even be close.
 

Considering the relative lack of respect the Gophs are getting from the national media, we need to come up with some kind of award for the most incorrect or laughable media prediction. We can call it the "Rodney" award after Rodney Dangerfield.

"No Respect. I tell ya, I don't get no Respect."
 

Time of Possession:

Minnesota - 39:30
EIU - 20:30

No time for EIU to establish offensive rhythm, EIU defense wears down in the second half, comfortable, non-lopsided victory by the final gun (yet not impressive enough for a certain sector of the fanbase).
 

BTN's website has the game listed for 7pm ET.....has anything changed?????
 



gopher71runner said:
Eastern Illinois (0-0) at Minnesota (0-0) Aug. 28, 3:30 BTN

Here's The Deal: If you’re looking for your big FCS over FBS upset of Week 1, this has the potential to be it. Eastern Illinois doesn’t have Jimmy Garoppolo around anymore to sling it for over 5,000 yards, but the team that rocked San Diego State to start last year and came really, really close to beating Northern Illinois is loaded again and good enough to content for the FCS national title. Minnesota can’t afford to lose any winnable home game if it has any reasonable hope of getting back to a bowl game, and while the schedule isn’t too bad early on, a loss could be devastating. EIU is just good enough to pull it off.
Why Eastern Illinois Might Win: There’s just enough talent on both lines to hold up. Collin Seibert is among the best blockers in all of FCS, and fireplug defensive tackle Dino Fanti is a disruptive force inside. More importantly, even without Garoppolo, the Panthers are still explosive. The FCS leader in scoring offense and total yards will be balanced again with more than enough firepower to keep the pressure on. Minnesota isn’t built in any way to come from behind.
Why Minnesota Might Win: The Gophers can control the game and the clock with the ground game – they have to. Keeping the EIU passing game off the field is the key after holding on to the ball for almost 33 minutes a game last season. On the other side, EIU scored quickly, only keeping possession for under 28 minutes an outing. The Panthers will make mistakes and they’ll commit penalties, while under Jerry Kill, Minnesota has been fantastic at not screwing up.
Who To Watch Out For: The Gophers have to find a receiving weapon. Mitch Leidner isn’t a top-shelf passing quarterback, but he and the offense can’t just get by on running the ball. The problem is that the most promising target, Drew Wolitarsky, is banged up, and while he might play, he’ll likely be less than 100%. Expect lots of short-range passes to tight ends to go along with lots and lots of production from the ground game. However, again, that means Minnesota can’t fall behind.
What’s Going To Happen: The Gophers will get all they can handle, but they’ll grind out the clock in the fourth quarter to escape with a tough and scary win.
Prediction: Minnesota 34 … Eastern Illinois 30
Line: No Line
Must Watch Factor: (5 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Up until Part 1 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” – 1 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Everything after Part 2 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?) … 3

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1438140.html
Click to expand...

Sorry but we are not San deigo or Northern Illinois. time to check your nads and call us a big ten team now a days
 

Iceland12 said:
No; neither the time of the game or the proofreaders at CFN.
Click to expand...

I bring this up every time CFN is mentioned because it best highlights their incompetence. A few years ago, they ran an article talking about Notre Dame's recruits for the coming season. One of their most important recruits was Matt James. The folks at CFN failed to realize that Matt James was dead.
 

DoubleB said:
Sorry but we are not San deigo or Northern Illinois. time to check your nads and call us a big ten team now a days
Click to expand...

True...but Northern Illinois likely would have beaten us the last two seasons. Just sayin'
 


We'll have some big clues tomorrow on how far Kill has brought us. Our defense could outscore their offense.
 

gopher71runner said:
Eastern Illinois (0-0) at Minnesota (0-0) Aug. 28, 3:30 BTN

Here's The Deal: If you’re looking for your big FCS over FBS upset of Week 1, this has the potential to be it. Eastern Illinois doesn’t have Jimmy Garoppolo around anymore to sling it for over 5,000 yards, but the team that rocked San Diego State to start last year and came really, really close to beating Northern Illinois is loaded again and good enough to content for the FCS national title. Minnesota can’t afford to lose any winnable home game if it has any reasonable hope of getting back to a bowl game, and while the schedule isn’t too bad early on, a loss could be devastating. EIU is just good enough to pull it off.
Why Eastern Illinois Might Win: There’s just enough talent on both lines to hold up. Collin Seibert is among the best blockers in all of FCS, and fireplug defensive tackle Dino Fanti is a disruptive force inside. More importantly, even without Garoppolo, the Panthers are still explosive. The FCS leader in scoring offense and total yards will be balanced again with more than enough firepower to keep the pressure on. Minnesota isn’t built in any way to come from behind.
Why Minnesota Might Win: The Gophers can control the game and the clock with the ground game – they have to. Keeping the EIU passing game off the field is the key after holding on to the ball for almost 33 minutes a game last season. On the other side, EIU scored quickly, only keeping possession for under 28 minutes an outing. The Panthers will make mistakes and they’ll commit penalties, while under Jerry Kill, Minnesota has been fantastic at not screwing up.
Who To Watch Out For: The Gophers have to find a receiving weapon. Mitch Leidner isn’t a top-shelf passing quarterback, but he and the offense can’t just get by on running the ball. The problem is that the most promising target, Drew Wolitarsky, is banged up, and while he might play, he’ll likely be less than 100%. Expect lots of short-range passes to tight ends to go along with lots and lots of production from the ground game. However, again, that means Minnesota can’t fall behind.
What’s Going To Happen: The Gophers will get all they can handle, but they’ll grind out the clock in the fourth quarter to escape with a tough and scary win.
Prediction: Minnesota 34 … Eastern Illinois 30
Line: No Line
Must Watch Factor: (5 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Up until Part 1 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” – 1 Every. Simpsons. Ever. (Everything after Part 2 of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?) … 3

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1438140.html
Click to expand...

does any of this prediction make any sense?
 


jaymil said:
The game starts at 3:30? Dang, I need to leave work a little early I guess.
Click to expand...

The U really felt the need to appease those neighborhood groups.... so 3:30 on a Thursday it is. I'd believe it. :cool:
 

diehard said:
We'll have some big clues tomorrow on how far Kill has brought us. Our defense could outscore their offense.
Click to expand...

Delusional...we probably will win the game, but EIU can put up points. I just hope our offense can keep up!
 

GopherHomer said:
Delusional...we probably will win the game, but EIU can put up points. I just hope our offense can keep up!
Click to expand...

Not quite. EIU lost head coach Dino Babers and, more importantly, QB Garoppolo (their best QB in their school's history - sorry Romo). This is not simply a case of "reload." I have more faith in a tested very good secondary than a transfer QB learning a new system from a newly hired former defensive coordinator.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
(yet not impressive enough for a certain sector of the fanbase).
Click to expand...

Remember how pissed people were last year when we beat UNLV 51-23 in the opener? I wonder if the pitchforks will come out again if we only win by 28...
 

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