Will the Gophers win another Big Ten football title in your lifetime?

Will the Gophers win another Big Ten football title in your lifetime?

  • Yes

    Votes: 39 49.4%

  • No

    Votes: 40 50.6%
  • Total voters
    79
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If Mason had been given resources to keep good assistants maybe a different history, or nah?
 

If Mason had TCF Bank Stadium, and had the new athletes village?? It's just not a fair comparison to the Metrodome and the old complex.
 

MnplsGopher said:
If Mason had TCF Bank Stadium, and had the new athletes village?? It's just not a fair comparison to the Metrodome and the old complex.
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I'm talking more about coaching salaries. If he had been able to keep good defensive coaches and build consistency there history may have turned in a positive way. I rate facilities further down the list but yeah, that would have helped him.
 

I don't think I will and I am 40. Just the fight to get to the top of the West seems near impossible. Then we would have to beat a team from the East.

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk
 

Dont think so. Given the current recruiting landscape, the chances of being able to beat Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State in any given year look pretty bleak. That's under the assumption they can find a way to be reasonably competitive from year-to-year with Wisconsin and Iowa.

At this point, I'm just hoping to get back to where we were last year.
 


This is a predictably defeatist thread.

Wisconsin has 3 Big Ten titles in the last 7 years, and could make it 4 of 8 this year. If they can do it, the Gophers absolutely can too.
 

I was born in 1967. So, there has been one. I quit smoking. I try to get exercise. I take blood pressure medication. I’ll invite you all to scoop my ashes in my backyard before this team finishes second. Some things just don’t change. T
 

Sports_Realist said:
The Gophers haven’t won a Big Ten Title in my lifetime thus far and likely won’t ever. I’m not happy about this situation, but can accept it. The closest we’ve come in my 46 years was 2003. We have honestly not come close in any other season. Now we’d not only have to win our division, but the win the Big Ten Championship Game. From a recent history, attendance, facilities, and atmosphere standpoint we are perpetually running behind. I just don’t see it. My best hope is we can sneak into the Rose Bowl some year when the Big Ten Champ and perhaps even the runner up make the CFP.
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IDK we we're just as close in 2014. We at least controlled our own destiny going to Madison like we did heading to Iowa in 03. We were right there, winning the West isn't that daunting of a task.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
This is a predictably defeatist thread.

Wisconsin has 3 Big Ten titles in the last 7 years, and could make it 4 of 8 this year. If they can do it, the Gophers absolutely can too.
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Yes - Given Similar Circumstances.

That's what some of us are saying - the circumstances are not the same. WI turned things around when the administration under Donna Shalala made a strong commitment to having a winning football program. The Badgers said we will do whatever it takes to have a winning program. The U of MN, up to this point, has not made a similar commitment. Yes, the improved facilities should probably help recruiting, but I'm talking about an overall, or campus-wide commitment to supporting the football program. That includes all of the faculty and administration. A few positive comments from Kaler aren't going to change 50 years of lukewarm support for football - or in some cases, even open hostility from elements of the faculty and administration.

Sid tells a story about Alvarez taking the WI job. He went around campus and met with faculty members to try and get them to support the program. (and maybe cut the football players some slack in class........) Has the U of MN done something similar? There are elements at the U of MN who do not want to be associated with a "football school," because they think it detracts from the mission of the University.

So, saying "WI did it, so we can do it too" is simply too simplistic of an answer. there are a lot of moving parts to the equation.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
Yes - Given Similar Circumstances.

That's what some of us are saying - the circumstances are not the same. WI turned things around when the administration under Donna Shalala made a strong commitment to having a winning football program. The Badgers said we will do whatever it takes to have a winning program. The U of MN, up to this point, has not made a similar commitment. Yes, the improved facilities should probably help recruiting, but I'm talking about an overall, or campus-wide commitment to supporting the football program. That includes all of the faculty and administration. A few positive comments from Kaler aren't going to change 50 years of lukewarm support for football - or in some cases, even open hostility from elements of the faculty and administration.

Sid tells a story about Alvarez taking the WI job. He went around campus and met with faculty members to try and get them to support the program. (and maybe cut the football players some slack in class........) Has the U of MN done something similar? There are elements at the U of MN who do not want to be associated with a "football school," because they think it detracts from the mission of the University.

So, saying "WI did it, so we can do it too" is simply too simplistic of an answer. there are a lot of moving parts to the equation.
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True, and I'd go a step further to add there are powerful elements that have a bias vs "jocks", and perhaps some are deeply prejudiced versus men in general. The extravagant salaries of the staff, perceived "jock" culture, and celebrity status of the athletes involved in a barbaric sport will drive some absolutely batty.
 

BIG 10 Title in my lifetime?

Have yet to figure out how long I'm going to live...
 

bemidjigopher said:
IDK we we're just as close in 2014. We at least controlled our own destiny going to Madison like we did heading to Iowa in 03. We were right there, winning the West isn't that daunting of a task.
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Change one result in 2014 (Wisconsin) and we win the division
Change one result in 99 (Wisconsin) or 2003 (Michigan) and we go to rose bowl. I think gophers would’ve won 4 way tie in 99 for rose bowl.

I’d rate 2014 as third in the last 20 years.
 

Of course it can be done. But will it is a really difficult thing to say yes too. The only way is a superstar coach. Even then UW is actually improving their program. They have created a culture of success and it has brought better recruiting. Their coaching staff is loaded with brilliant coaches and they are sending loads of players to the NFL. This is a very young UW team. Give Fleck time to install his program with upperclassmen.
 



I think Minnesota beats Wisconsin and dashes their hope for glory.

Most gopher losses have been close, except for the couple of wuss out games. What I mean is that I think that Minnesota has the talent, but they didn't utilize it.

Come on PJ, throw me a bone!
 

It will boil down to two things:

1. Can PJ Fleck recruit the talent needed to climb from an average standing of 5th place in B1G West?

2. Coaching and stability. I'd like to see PJ Fleck stay here long term and break the cycle of revolving coaches.
 

Holy fu@k PJ. There are a sh:t load of non believers. You better get your act together. I still believe.
 

No. I also do not see a Rose Bowl before I kick the bucket.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Yes - Given Similar Circumstances.

That's what some of us are saying - the circumstances are not the same. WI turned things around when the administration under Donna Shalala made a strong commitment to having a winning football program. The Badgers said we will do whatever it takes to have a winning program. The U of MN, up to this point, has not made a similar commitment. Yes, the improved facilities should probably help recruiting, but I'm talking about an overall, or campus-wide commitment to supporting the football program. That includes all of the faculty and administration. A few positive comments from Kaler aren't going to change 50 years of lukewarm support for football - or in some cases, even open hostility from elements of the faculty and administration.

Sid tells a story about Alvarez taking the WI job. He went around campus and met with faculty members to try and get them to support the program. (and maybe cut the football players some slack in class........) Has the U of MN done something similar? There are elements at the U of MN who do not want to be associated with a "football school," because they think it detracts from the mission of the University.

So, saying "WI did it, so we can do it too" is simply too simplistic of an answer. there are a lot of moving parts to the equation.
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We can agree to disagree, but I frankly just don't think the lack of a good atmosphere towards football on campus is an actual barrier to starting up success. And once you sustain success, then the support will come.

Again, unless you actually believe their is a nefarious group of anti-football faculty and/or university supporters going around behind peoples' backs and convincing/paying off recruits NOT to come here, or faculty purposefully flunking players (which is obviously not the case), then there really isn't anything these people can actually do to directly influence how successful the football team is or not. The game results are truly independent of their support or lack of support.

The coaches and the players have to make it happen. Then the support will be there. It will come in droves.
 

MnplsGopher said:
We can agree to disagree, but I frankly just don't think the lack of a good atmosphere towards football on campus is an actual barrier to starting up success. And once you sustain success, then the support will come.

Again, unless you actually believe their is a nefarious group of anti-football faculty and/or university supporters going around behind peoples' backs and convincing/paying off recruits NOT to come here, or faculty purposefully flunking players (which is obviously not the case), then there really isn't anything these people can actually do to directly influence how successful the football team is or not. The game results are truly independent of their support or lack of support.

The coaches and the players have to make it happen. Then the support will be there. It will come in droves.
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I can't speak to what the academics at Minnesota think, but I can assure you that there was a large contingent of UW profs that were actively opposed to athletics and opposed anything that promoted it. Donna Shalala came in, knocked heads together, told them a good football team would help the university as a whole, and hired Pat Richter - a former Badger 3-sport letterman (the last such) and Oscar Mayer exec - as Athletic Director. Richter hired Alvarez, who actually went from dorm to dorm talking up the program to students, to get students in the stands. (I, personally, bought my "adult" season tickets in Alvarez' first year, after buying student tickets off others for several years.)

The book From Red Ink to Roses gives some insight on the turnaround, which required cutting several non-revenue sports, including baseball, one of the sports Richter lettered in, in the process. You probably don't want to buy it, but you might find it in an online library.

I firmly believe that Minnesota needs to get the entire university behind athletics to turn things around. I also believe such a turnaround would be good for the Big Ten. Your current president and AD talk the talk, but time will tell if they follow through - or whether the academics sabotage them. I think the UW faculty eventually realized that it wasn't an either-or thing, but it wasn't an easy transition.
 

That might have been true in that era ... where money from TV was not freeflowing. But I assure you, the Big Ten conference sends eight figures to Minnesota (and every other campus). We have plenty of money, and quite obviously the admin here are willing to spend it on football. New stadium, new practice facilities, PJ Fleck the "unproven, MAC coach" is making $3-4M per year, in his contract.

Lack of support is simply not a barrier here.
 

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