Gophers open as 10 point favorites

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swingman

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Good chance to get to 5-4 on the year. Gain some confidence for final 33% of Big Ten schedule.
 


Oregon Gopher said:
Let's worry about 2-4 first


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Gophers are 4-4 right now, so a win at Illinois would make us 5-4. I believe that is what he meant.

True though - if we won out we'd also be 5-4 in the B1G.

Anyway it's spun, this is a Big Game.
 

To have any legit shot at going bowling this one is a must win. The final 3 are winnable as well but will all be tough games that will require a great effort from the Gophers to get the W. Not saying the team can just coast into Illinois and expect to win but we think we are having defensive troubles here, just look at what is going on in Champaign right now.

For those that don't want to look it up they are giving up an average of 10 more points a game then we are and about 140 more yards per game on average. In their 4 Big Ten losses they have given up 63, 46, 49, and 63 points. Now granted we have not been great on defense either but they are just getting torched by everyone.

Don't know what the over/under is for this game but guessing it will be a big number based on how the teams have done so far.
 

I want Lovie to win at Illinois just enough to keep his job. That said, not this week! Illinois seems to be one of P.J.'s best states for recruiting. Keeping Illinois near the bottom of the Big 10 helps out. We don't need Bielema taking over the Illini and making them legit!
 


I would put a hedge bet on Illinois if I were a betting man. If we lose to Illinois I want cash to make mefeel better.
 

CWCWCW said:
I want Lovie to win at Illinois just enough to keep his job. That said, not this week! Illinois seems to be one of P.J.'s best states for recruiting. Keeping Illinois near the bottom of the Big 10 helps out. We don't need Bielema taking over the Illini and making them legit!
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You mean like he did with Arkansas?


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Some Day...Maybe said:
You mean like he did with Arkansas?


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Yeah, he did fine when he stepped into a ready-made winner. Arkansas wasn't terrible when he arrived, but that is where he took them. Can't see him as a program fixer.
 

Surprised it favors the Gophers so much at Illinois. I watched a chunk of their game vs Maryland and their QB is tough. He took a lot of shots and escaped pressure at times only to run hard for five yard gains. Their receivers seemed to have a hard time getting open though.
 



WorkingMyTailOff said:
Surprised it favors the Gophers so much at Illinois. I watched a chunk of their game vs Maryland and their QB is tough. He took a lot of shots and escaped pressure at times only to run hard for five yard gains. Their receivers seemed to have a hard time getting open though.
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Illinois is 3-20 in big ten play with Lovie Smith
2 of the wins are Rutgers.


Against the Big Ten West Lovie is 0-14
 

Against the west only 2 of the 14 losses have been by 10 or less.
 

Like many, I was pretty depressed about the season after that awful game at Nebraska. A double digit win at Illinois would give the team a LOT to play for through the rest of the season. There is a chance to make a bowl and then ride into the off season with some momentum for a very interesting 2019. Almost no chance any of that happens without the priority goal of topping Illinois.
 




CWCWCW said:
I want Lovie to win at Illinois just enough to keep his job. That said, not this week! Illinois seems to be one of P.J.'s best states for recruiting. Keeping Illinois near the bottom of the Big 10 helps out. We don't need Bielema taking over the Illini and making them legit!
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Few quotes from him recently that he really likes being in the NFL
 

Schnauzer said:
Like many, I was pretty depressed about the season after that awful game at Nebraska. A double digit win at Illinois would give the team a LOT to play for through the rest of the season. There is a chance to make a bowl and then ride into the off season with some momentum for a very interesting 2019. Almost no chance any of that happens without the priority goal of topping Illinois.
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Agreed. The nebraska loss was a current low for me as a gopher fan. Not as bad as a naked bootleg by the Coyotes on 4th and 1 for game sealing TD, but...
 

MNVCGUY said:
To have any legit shot at going bowling this one is a must win. The final 3 are winnable as well but will all be tough games that will require a great effort from the Gophers to get the W.
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We should be 14 pt underdogs to Purdue, Northwestern and Wisconsin. Need a W this weekend.
 


10 points seems like a lot.... is Illinois not going to try?

With our defense struggling I'm not sure we should be 10 point favorites vs anyone at the moment.
 




Illinois should be favored by a few points. This will be a tough game for the Gophers as the Illini were skunked last week and their DC resigned. At home, they will be revved up - and they do have some explosive offensive weapons, even if Mike Epstein is not ready to go. They won't want to lose four in a row.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
Illinois should be favored by a few points. This will be a tough game for the Gophers as the Illini were skunked last week and their DC resigned. At home, they will be revved up - and they do have some explosive offensive weapons, even if Mike Epstein is not ready to go. They won't want to lose four in a row.
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No, they shouldn't be - and they aren't. That doesn't mean they can't win.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
Illinois should be favored by a few points. This will be a tough game for the Gophers as the Illini were skunked last week and their DC resigned. At home, they will be revved up - and they do have some explosive offensive weapons, even if Mike Epstein is not ready to go. They won't want to lose four in a row.
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From the facts that Illinois just got blown out by a mediocre team and they will be plugging someone new into a crucial coaching position, you conclude that Illinois should be favored over us?
 

From here on, every game for the Gophers is a playoff game.

The Illinois game is a trap game, and Illinois shouldn't be taken for granted. They are like a wounded animal with their backs against the wall inside their cave. They are going to fight like crazy.

Nobody wants to be in last place.

For the Gophers, this is a turning point. If they can string two victories in a row, it will go a long way into next season by building team confidence.

I am noticing little progressive improvements here and there in spite of losing. They are gaining more experience in the offensive line, the wide receivers, the young defense, etc... We've got a regular MASH unit for running backs.

We saw how much of a difference Shannon Brooks brought to the offense against Indiana. I can't help but be excited for the future. Next year, we have four serviceable running backs returning. The team is gelling together, and I sensed they are very close and tight knit and learning from this season.

It is entirely possible that the Gophers will upset one of the last three teams remaining on the schedule after Illinois. Lordy, I hope it is Wisconsin! I know I know. This is pipe dreams.
 
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hungan1 said:
From here on, every game for the Gophers is a playoff game.

The Illinois game is a trap game, and Illinois shouldn't be taken for granted. They are like a wounded animal with their backs against the wall inside their cave. They are going to fight like crazy.

Nobody wants to be in last place.

For the Gophers, this is a turning point. If they can string two victories in a row, it will go a long way into next season by building team confidence.

I am noticing little progressive improvements here and there in spite of losing. They are gaining more experience in the offensive line, the wide receivers, the young defense, etc... We've got a regular MASH unit for running backs.

We saw how much of a difference Shannon Brooks brought to the offense against Indiana. I can't help but be excited for the future. Next year, we have four serviceable running backs returning. The team is gelling together, and I sensed they are very close and tight knit and learning from this season.

It is entirely possible that the Gophers will upset one of the last three teams remaining on the schedule after Illinois. Lordy, I hope it is Wisconsin! I know I know. This is pipe dreams.
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I feel like trap games are only for teams who are good enough to overlook someone. I'm not sure we've been that good in a long long time ;)
 

I'm going to go ahead and take Illinois for granted. That is my prerogative as a fan. I would never do it as a player or coach and I'm sure that is the case with the Gophers right now.

With that being said, I think the last time I, as a fan, took a Gopher opponent for granted - the Gophers lost. Just proves I am not superstitious.
 

According to ESPN Power Index:

Minn vs Ill
70.4% Minn

Minn vs Purdue
71% Purdue

Minn vs NW
58.4% Northwestern

Minn vs WIS
84.3 Wisconsin
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I feel like trap games are only for teams who are good enough to overlook someone. I'm not sure we've been that good in a long long time ;)
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Agree with your sentiment and actually think we will be involved in a trap game but on the other side of it when we play Purdue. They will be coming off 3 straight tough games (OSU, MSU, and Iowa) with a game against Wisconsin the week after they play us. Could easily see them overlook us to a certain degree while gearing up for Wisconsin.
 


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