#8 rush d, #10 time of poss, #21 scoring d, #22 3rd down D, #23 total d, #40 rush o

early sample size, maybe indicative of opponents more than Gophs, but some good rankings to build on...run game has shown almost zero motion, counter, sweep, use of the outside, QB keep yet so some upside there?

Iowa, Wisconsin with some good defensive stats...

if Smith out, need some guys to step up...Greene, Weyler look very good, Olson good...Andries has been a pleasant surprise...I hope Dickson miss doesn't end up hurting...I like the big package with Kieft and Beebe

passing offense at 90 has some upside, last year penalties was great; some upside this year

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/25/p2

Thanks swingman. Lots to be optimistic about.

A lot of P5 schools have played similar schedules two games in (one garbage and one solid). I think these rankings are good indicators of where this team stands. I'm more confident about their chances of beating the likes of Maryland, Purdue, NW, and NE. Still have a ways to go against wi and OSU. This looks more like a 7-8 win team than a 4-5 win team.

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:

A lot of P5 schools have played similar schedules two games in (one garbage and one solid). I think these rankings are good indicators of where this team stands. I'm more confident about their chances of beating the likes of Maryland, Purdue, NW, and NE. Still have a ways to go against wi and OSU. This looks more like a 7-8 win team than a 4-5 win team.

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I definitely agree with you on Purdue and NW as they look much more beatable than I thought they would (although it would be nice to have Rodney), but I actually have been pretty impressed with Maryland and think that game will be tougher than I anticipated. As far as Nebraska goes, if Martinez is healthy, I don't think we can hang with them...if he's out, though, I kind of like our chances.

Also, kudos to swingman for acknowledging the small sample size...you are growing - keep changing your best!

GopherHomer said:

I definitely agree with you on Purdue and NW as they look much more beatable than I thought they would (although it would be nice to have Rodney), but I actually have been pretty impressed with Maryland and think that game will be tougher than I anticipated. As far as Nebraska goes, if Martinez is healthy, I don't think we can hang with them...if he's out, though, I kind of like our chances.

Also, kudos to swingman for acknowledging the small sample size...you are growing - keep changing your best!

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Maryland, NE, and NW are all comparable according to Sagarin ratings. I don't think the Terps are real noticeably better and I feel like there is a better chance of getting a win than I did a week ago. They may not win all four of these games. They should win two at least as long as they remain healthy. We will know more about this team after week four for sure.