BleedGopher
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per Randy:
The Gophers football team opened its past two seasons at TCF Bank Stadium against an opponent from a Power Five conference.
In 2015, it was No. 2-ranked TCU, which left with a 23-17 victory. Last year, the Gophers rallied to beat Oregon State 30-23. Those Thursday night games, especially the one against the Horned Frogs that drew 54,147, created a late-summer buzz.
But those nonconference matchups against opponents from other marquee conferences — the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC — will take a hiatus after the 2017 season. When the Gophers visit Oregon State of the Pacific-12 on Sept. 9, it will be Minnesota’s last nonconference game against a big school until 2020.
Ending will be a run of playing at least one such opponent — and previously one from a Bowl Championship Series conference — in eight of nine seasons. The Gophers are 3-5 in those games, beating Syracuse twice and Oregon State once, while losing twice to USC and TCU and once to California.
Scheduling is tricky business, and for the Gophers the job of working out the details belongs to John Cunningham, a deputy athletic director. Cunningham consults with AD Mark Coyle and coach P.J. Fleck, and their goal is to find three games that will complement the nine-game Big Ten schedule.
“We just want three really good games that make sense, move our program forward, create some excitement for our fans, but at the same time we recognize how difficult the Big Ten schedule is,” Cunningham said. “So you have to balance it out. That’s the challenge.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...all-showdowns-ends-after-september/440850173/
Go Gophers!!
The Gophers football team opened its past two seasons at TCF Bank Stadium against an opponent from a Power Five conference.
In 2015, it was No. 2-ranked TCU, which left with a 23-17 victory. Last year, the Gophers rallied to beat Oregon State 30-23. Those Thursday night games, especially the one against the Horned Frogs that drew 54,147, created a late-summer buzz.
But those nonconference matchups against opponents from other marquee conferences — the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC — will take a hiatus after the 2017 season. When the Gophers visit Oregon State of the Pacific-12 on Sept. 9, it will be Minnesota’s last nonconference game against a big school until 2020.
Ending will be a run of playing at least one such opponent — and previously one from a Bowl Championship Series conference — in eight of nine seasons. The Gophers are 3-5 in those games, beating Syracuse twice and Oregon State once, while losing twice to USC and TCU and once to California.
Scheduling is tricky business, and for the Gophers the job of working out the details belongs to John Cunningham, a deputy athletic director. Cunningham consults with AD Mark Coyle and coach P.J. Fleck, and their goal is to find three games that will complement the nine-game Big Ten schedule.
“We just want three really good games that make sense, move our program forward, create some excitement for our fans, but at the same time we recognize how difficult the Big Ten schedule is,” Cunningham said. “So you have to balance it out. That’s the challenge.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...all-showdowns-ends-after-september/440850173/
Go Gophers!!