Sporting News: Worst loss for each BT team in last 25 years (MN: 2005 vs UW)

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Ouch. Too many nominees. I'd argue the loss to Michigan that year sucked the air out of the dome. Never recovered until we moved outside.
I still have memories of the 12 year old Michigan fan crying during the 4th quarter. Near the end of the game he was all smiles. All he kept chanting was "Oh yes I'm proud to be a Michigan Wolverine. "
 

It's Michigan 2003 for me and it's not close.
 

Within the context of what was at stake, Michigan 2003 will be difficult to top, ever.

Even without context, Wisconsin 2005 isn't the worst loss, IMO. Purdue 2001....so ridiculous on so many levels.
 



Michigan in 03 cost us a rose bowl, I still think we steam role Sparty the next week if we hang on in that one. Could've been playing for a spot in the title game at Iowa in that scenario, or worst case an epic showdown with USC in the Rose Bowl :(
 

How can Ohio State's worse loss not be 1998 vs. Michigan State?

They were undefeated, #1 Ranked, and closing in on a BCS title game appearance with really only the Michigan game standing in their way. As 28-point favorites at home they crap the bed to Saban and MSU in a game symbolic of the John Cooper era.

Who cares about some meaningless early season loss @ Purdue in the 2000s?
 

The problem is that we have so many potential nominees for this "honor" that it's hard to nitpick. 2001 Purdue, 2003 Michigan, 2003 Michigan State, 2005 Wisconsin, 1989 Ohio State, 1990 Utah, 1983 Nebraska, 2000 Indiana, 2000 Northwestern, 2006 Texas Tech, all losses to I-AA teams and 2015 Northwestern (too soon?) are all valid picks.
 



Michigan in 03, wisco in 05, Iowa in 08. Those 3 top the list for me. Each one stings.
 

2727Gopher said:
The problem is that we have so many potential nominees for this "honor" that it's hard to nitpick. 2001 Purdue, 2003 Michigan, 2003 Michigan State, 2005 Wisconsin, 1989 Ohio State, 1990 Utah, 1983 Nebraska, 2000 Indiana, 2000 Northwestern, 2006 Texas Tech, all losses to I-AA teams and 2015 Northwestern (too soon?) are all valid picks.
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Yup. I could add many more games (e.g., Iowa taking down our own goal post). Good job noting the 1-AA's.
 





Losing to Wisconsin in 05 just prevented a 5-3 BT record instead of a 4-4 BT record. They still likely lose to Ohio State the next week and get drilled by Iowa at the end. Maybe wouldve gone back to Sun Bowl instead of Music City.

As far as painful losses its up there, but not worst loss.

Wacker was five minutes away from a 4-2 BT record in 1993 but lost to Illinois (lost 20-9 lead late).

Mase nearly had a bowl game in year 2 but they missed 3 or 4 kicks at Indiana in 98 and lost by one.

Minnesota had a 7 point 4th quarter lead at Michigan in 2004. Win that and the Gophers mightve been ranked in the top 10. Were #13, Michigan #14

Brew was potentially 8-1 in 2008 if Joel Monroe makes a 20 yard field goal in a tie game in the 3rd or he plays for overtime at the end vs Northwestern.
 

2727Gopher said:
The problem is that we have so many potential nominees for this "honor" that it's hard to nitpick. 2001 Purdue, 2003 Michigan, 2003 Michigan State, 2005 Wisconsin, 1989 Ohio State, 1990 Utah, 1983 Nebraska, 2000 Indiana, 2000 Northwestern, 2006 Texas Tech, all losses to I-AA teams and 2015 Northwestern (too soon?) are all valid picks.
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2004 Michigan as well. Painful as hell.
 


I had the game on DVR and I was behind by 15 minutes or something. My buddy called from Hawai'i and asked where I was in the game. I told him and he said STOP WATCHING NOW. So I sort of fast forwarded through the rest and wasn't quite as stung as I would have been. I do recall saying "Why, we can't possibly lose this game"...
 

GoldenRodents said:
I was there, sitting in the damn end zone.
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Same here. There were several drunk Wisconsin students near us who had passed out. When it happened they didn't realize that they won the game. So when it was over they got up and staggered out. Yep, Wisconsin fans are really classy!
 

Killjoy said:
Same here. There were several drunk Wisconsin students near us who had passed out. When it happened they didn't realize that they won the game. So when it was over they got up and staggered out. Yep, Wisconsin fans are really classy!
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Well, I'm not one to talk because my buddy still wonders how I remember the game because I was so blasted at the time.

Though, not as bad as the Michigan game - I started tailgating for that at 11:30 and tried to catch up with some friends who were already there and kept that pace up until the start of the game. Oof.

Made it through the end of the game both times, but probably closer than I'd like.

I think the 2003 Michigan game has to be the biggest loss. The Wisconsin loss hurt, but that 2003 team was really special, and I also believe that team takes out MI State the next week if they aren't hung over from the loss. It also marked the beginning of the end of Glen Mason's career. All the other losses mentioned were big but considering what that 2003 team was and what it could have done I think it's the one.

The only other one that significant (which I don't think was mentioned) is the 1999 Wisconsin game. Had they won that and the rest of the season played out the same the Gophers would have gone to the Rose Bowl via tie breaker.
 


2003 Michigan- it's not close for me. Was sitting in upper deck end zone. The previous Monday- Peyton Manning had led the Colts to a 21 point 4th quarter win against the Dolphins. I turned to my buddy at the beginning of the 4th quarter and said, 'it's not like Navarre is Peyton Manning- we got this one.'. We then proceeded to watch Chris Perry run screen after screen.

I went to my car and broke off the Gopher Window 'Flag'- threw it and quit watching Gopher football for 5 years.
 

DougMN said:
2003 Michigan- it's not close for me. Was sitting in upper deck end zone. The previous Monday- Peyton Manning had led the Colts to a 21 point 4th quarter win against the Dolphins. I turned to my buddy at the beginning of the 4th quarter and said, 'it's not like Navarre is Peyton Manning- we got this one.'. We then proceeded to watch Chris Perry run screen after screen.

I went to my car and broke off the Gopher Window 'Flag'- threw it and quit watching Gopher football for 5 years.
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*Buccaneers
 



BarnBoy said:
Go to 1:17:46 of the video.

14-7 Minnesota. 3rd and 6 in the 3rd quarter. Enjoy the blocking.
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I remember a Michigan fan posting somewhere after that game that one play, he paused the TV and counted 8 Michigan defenders that were all on the ground at one time as a result of cut blocks.

It's amazing how much the game has changed in 12 years. The huge shoulder pads, the personal fouls that are called today that used to not be. And are the cut blocks we used to do legal anymore? Seems there are a lot more rules around that.
 

bemidjigopher said:
Michigan in 03 cost us a rose bowl, I still think we steam role Sparty the next week if we hang on in that one. Could've been playing for a spot in the title game at Iowa in that scenario, or worst case an epic showdown with USC in the Rose Bowl :(
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One of the great myths perpetuated on GopherHole, that the Gophers definitely would have beaten Michigan State the next week after choking away the Michigan game. Perhaps, but there's no way of knowing. It's not like MSU was terrible that season (8-4, 5-3). In fact, Sparty was undefeated in the Big Ten (3-0) heading into the Gopher game, before fading (1-3 the rest of the way).

The 2003 Michigan game definitely gets my vote simply for what it would have meant to win that game. The whole state was ready to hop on the bandwagon, casual fans were starting to notice the Gophers, then the face plant. The program never really recovered.
 

2003 Michigan, by far. We've had a bunch of other duds ... and 2005 Wisconsin hurt because of the way we lost and who we lost to, for sure ... but nothing comes close to matching the ramifications of that 2003 Michigan game.

The standings at the end of the B1G season in 2003:

Michigan 7-1 (10-2)
Ohio State 6-2 (10-2)
Purdue 6-2 (9-3)
Iowa 5-3 (9-3)
Minnesota 5-3 (9-3)
Michigan State 5-3 (8-4)

If Minnesota wins that game that night, and the rest of the season goes exactly the same - even the next week against MSU, even the finale where we got drubbed in Iowa City - the standings would've been:

Minnesota 6-2 (10-2)
Ohio State 6-2 (10-2)
Michigan 6-2 (9-3)
Purdue 6-2 (9-3)
Iowa 5-3 (9-3)
Michigan State 5-3 (8-4)

Because of tiebreaking procedures at the time (and I think this is correct, if anyone has a rulebook and can correct me, please do) Minnesota would've gone to the Rose Bowl as Ohio State and Minnesota did not play that season. Tiebreaking procedures for three or more teams as I understand them during the 2003 season:

1. Conference record
2. Overall record (Michigan & Purdue eliminated)

Now down to two teams, it would go:

1. Head-to-head record (teams did not play)
2. Recency of last Rose Bowl invite (Ohio State: 1997; Minnesota: 1961. Ohio State eliminated)
 

SelectionSunday said:
One of the great myths perpetuated on GopherHole, that the Gophers definitely would have beaten Michigan State the next week after choking away the Michigan game. Perhaps, but there's no way of knowing. It's not like MSU was terrible that season (8-4, 5-3). In fact, Sparty was undefeated in the Big Ten (3-0) heading into the Gopher game, before fading (1-3 the rest of the way).

The 2003 Michigan game definitely gets my vote simply for what it would have meant to win that game. The whole state was ready to hop on the bandwagon, casual fans were starting to notice the Gophers, then the face plant. The program never really recovered.
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While you're right and we will never know it was pretty evident that the team was feeling sorry themselves in the three quarters of that Sparty game. They woke up in the fourth and made it a close game, but too little too late. Maybe they come out over confident and lose, if they had beat Michigan, but I doubt it since like you said Sparty had a good team that season. I still think we lose to Iowa because of the Barber injury. Maybe we circum to the pressure of being undefeated against Purdue or maybe Lloyd misses the kick vs Wisco. Point is everything would've been different about year if we had hung on that Friday night, the Dome would've been rocking vs Sparty, instead it was morgue
 

Kill's first year getting beaten down 58-0 by Michigan was painful. I remember we actually had a kick return touchdown late in the game that was called back because of a penalty of some sort. Maybe this game is just seen as a not as bad version of the 1983 Nebraska game though.

I think we also gave up a double digit lead in the fourth quarter to #1 Penn State in Happy Valley in Mason's first year. But that was about a decade before I started following the Gophers.
 


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