What record would make this season a "success?"

A successful season

  • 7-5 (4-4) and a bowl win

    Votes: 17 10.3%

  • 8-4 (5-3) and a bowl loss

    Votes: 12 7.3%

  • 8-4 (5-3) and a bowl win

    Votes: 92 55.8%

  • 9-3 (6-2) and a bowl loss

    Votes: 10 6.1%

  • 9-3 (6-2) and a bowl win

    Votes: 27 16.4%

  • 10+ wins

    Votes: 7 4.2%
  • Total voters
    165
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No, but it would be disappointing.


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mcal24 said:
I feel terrible even thinking about this, but are we looking at a new coach on the sideline next season if we end up 6-7?
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No. That's very premature. It'll take several more Illinois games before that's even on the table.

Although part of me wonders what a Norwood picked coach would look like.
 

afurry91 said:
No. That's very premature. It'll take several more Illinois games before that's even on the table.

Although part of me wonders what a Norwood picked coach would look like.
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I think it would be as well, but losing 6 straight after starting so good would basically kill off all momentum and put us back in square 1.
 

mcal24 said:
I feel terrible even thinking about this, but are we looking at a new coach on the sideline next season if we end up 6-7?
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No, but 6-7 would be a pretty humiliating collapse (especially because 6-6 would give us a pretty easy bowl opponent), and would warm the seat up. I am as mad as anyone about yesterday, but this coaching staff is too good for a 6 game losing streak this year to even be a possibility.
 

After 8 hours of sleep I have changed my opinion of "success" for this team to the following:

1. 7-5 with a bowl game win
2. 8-4 with a bowl game loss

They may not be steps forward, but those would not be steps backward and I can handle that for a year. Just as long as it doesn't become a year after year trend. Next year needs to see a ninth win in what looks like another down year for the B1G.
 


bleedsmaroonandgold said:
No, but 6-7 would be a pretty humiliating collapse (especially because 6-6 would give us a pretty easy bowl opponent), and would warm the seat up. I am as mad as anyone about yesterday, but this coaching staff is too good for a 6 game losing streak this year to even be a possibility.
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6-7 wouldn't get Kill fired but it would make his seat really really warm heading into next season. That would be a really depressing close to the season so I sincerely hope we are not looking at that a few weeks from now. Just need to regroup and beat a very beatable Iowa team at home then see what happens over those final 3.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
No, but 6-7 would be a pretty humiliating collapse (especially because 6-6 would give us a pretty easy bowl opponent), and would warm the seat up. I am as mad as anyone about yesterday, but this coaching staff is too good for a 6 game losing streak this year to even be a possibility.
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I agree but would also state that the B1G isn't good enough this year to put a 6 game losing streak on us.
 

My hope for the gophers is that they can return to the perception that they are as good a program overall as Iowa and Wisconsin who hold a place below the perception level of Ohio State and Michigan. We had fallen out of that level and Northwestern had started to climb into that level of respectability. Beating Northwestern two years in a row is huge, we need to keep that up and start at least spliting games with Iowa and Wisconsin to regain our place. Being a better team than Michigan one year is nice, becoming a program that is comparable to Michigan long term would be fantastic. To get there we need to consistently out perform teams that are perceived as having better programs that have an easier time recruiting. I think this coaching staff can do that and the happy accident that Coach Kill's health issues probably keep him from being wooed away by better programs might allow them the time to make it happen.
 

8-4 and a bowl win. Beat Iowa & one of the other 3 isn't beyond this team's reach.

But whether 8-4 or 7-5, don't lose the bowl game, especially if it's another crappy opponent like Syracuse was.
 



LakerFan said:
My hope for the gophers is that they can return to the perception that they are as good a program overall as Iowa and Wisconsin who hold a place below the perception level of Ohio State and Michigan. We had fallen out of that level and Northwestern had started to climb into that level of respectability. Beating Northwestern two years in a row is huge, we need to keep that up and start at least spliting games with Iowa and Wisconsin to regain our place. Being a better team than Michigan one year is nice, becoming a program that is comparable to Michigan long term would be fantastic. To get there we need to consistently out perform teams that are perceived as having better programs that have an easier time recruiting. I think this coaching staff can do that and the happy accident that Coach Kill's health issues probably keep him from being wooed away by better programs might allow them the time to make it happen.
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I really agree with a lot of this. The past few years as we looked ahead to the season a lot of people said, "We'll be better but our record may not show it." My response is that at some point you have to start surprising people, climbing over teams and workng your way up. The Northwestern win was huge in that. I feel like we've climbed ahead of Purdue and Illnois as a program (last week's loss notwithstanding), and have caught up to (or nosed ahead of?) Northwestern.

Iowa is next on the list. If we're making strides, we can't let them do what they've done to us the past two years.
 

LakerFan said:
I agree but would also state that the B1G isn't good enough this year to put a 6 game losing streak on us.
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I mostly agree with what you're saying, but I think it is important to note who the Gophers are playing these last 4 games. In my mind, there are only 3 (MSU, OSU, Nebraska) truly high-quality teams in the Big Ten, and perhaps a fourth (Wisconsin). The problem down the stretch for the Gophers is they're playing 2 of those top-shelf teams and a 3rd if Wisconsin keeps trending that way. Two of those three will be on the road. That's a tough stretch, but we all knew it would be.

As long as the Gophers beat Iowa for the 7th win and then go on to legitimately compete with some combination of Ohio State, Nebraska, and the Badgers, I think there'll be a lot to feel good about heading into the bowl game. I'm in the camp the Gophs can steal one of the final three, but the main thing I don't want to see is the Gophers getting their doors blown off by OSU/Neb/Wis. That would be a disheartening finish.
 

Selection,

I think Wisconsin is a lot worse than you think. The wheels haven't come completely off the bus for them, but it likely will before we play them. All the carping on this website about ML7 and where he ranks among college quaterbacks it gets looked over that Wisconsin's QB is rated even worse.

We are IMO better than Iowa and Wisconsin this year (doesn't mean we will win) and worse than OSU and Nebraska (doesn't mean we will lose). I don't think OSU or Nebraska are unbeatable. I'm going to the Nebraska game hoping for a repeat of last year, the only guarantee I have at that game is a chance to experience one of the best college game day atmospheres.
 

LakerFan said:
Selection,

I think Wisconsin is a lot worse than you think. The wheels haven't come completely off the bus for them, but it likely will before we play them. All the carping on this website about ML7 and where he ranks among college quaterbacks it gets looked over that Wisconsin's QB is rated even worse.

We are IMO better than Iowa and Wisconsin this year (doesn't mean we will win) and worse than OSU and Nebraska (doesn't mean we will lose). I don't think OSU or Nebraska are unbeatable. I'm going to the Nebraska game hoping for a repeat of last year, the only guarantee I have at that game is a chance to experience one of the best college game day atmospheres.
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Good points. I don't think OSU and Nebraska are unbeatable, either. The Badgers are the one I'm not quite sure what to think about 'em yet. Their QB play definitely is a major question mark. Curious to see how they trend in November. Definitely can not put them in the same grouping with Sparty, OSU, and Nebraska at this point.
 



afurry91 said:
After 8 hours of sleep I have changed my opinion of "success" for this team to the following:

1. 7-5 with a bowl game win
2. 8-4 with a bowl game loss

They may not be steps forward, but those would not be steps backward and I can handle that for a year. Just as long as it doesn't become a year after year trend. Next year needs to see a ninth win in what looks like another down year for the B1G.
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This is the correct answer.


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We are exactly where I thought we'd be, but with the Michigan and Illinois games flipped. I always thought Iowa would be a toss up (maybe that's being a little too optimistic) and the last three as losses. This leaves us with 6 or 7 wins before the bowl...not a bad season. People that thought Kill's era would be a steady climb towards Big 10 championships have zero concept of history. We are done being a trainwreck and that is what you want out of a Gopher football program.
 

LakerFan said:
Selection,

I think Wisconsin is a lot worse than you think. The wheels haven't come completely off the bus for them, but it likely will before we play them.
We are IMO better than Iowa and Wisconsin this year (doesn't mean we will win)
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Great point, LakerFan. We ARE better than the BADgers, and that doesn't mean that we will win.

The wheels are clearly coming off in Madison.
 

GopherHomer said:
We are exactly where I thought we'd be, but with the Michigan and Illinois games flipped. I always thought Iowa would be a toss up (maybe that's being a little too optimistic) and the last three as losses. This leaves us with 6 or 7 wins before the bowl...not a bad season. People that thought Kill's era would be a steady climb towards Big 10 championships have zero concept of history. We are done being a trainwreck and that is what you want out of a Gopher football program.
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I certainly have higher expectations for this program than just not being a total trainwreck.
 

8-4 or even 7-5 would be tremendous. Two tough road contests and OSU at home are a significant challenge. Iowa is no gimme either.

If we went 6-6 with a bowl victory I would still be pleased.


7-5 or 8-4 with a bowl win...WOW.


The beginning of the year I did not believe we would be bowl eligible.


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mcal24 said:
Would we still have that recruiting momentum and everything 8-4 record, meaning we likely lose 3 of 4 to end the season?
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No, especially in recruiting battles with Wisc, Neb, and Iowa.
 

Bump. All is not lost. We've exceeded expectations and will get a good bowl game. Was at the game, and the Gophs gave all the effort they had. Even better years are in the future!
 

Thanks for the bump.

Still not quite there to prevail in Madison but the season's still not over.
 

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