I'm not ripping on anyone that says this is our best chance to beat Wisconsin in a while. In fact, I agree - it does look to be our best chance to beat them in a while. There will be a converging set of ingredients that will combine to result in either a glorious win, or yet another loss to add to this unbearable string of losses to the skunks.
1. murmurs (again) of Wisonsin finally entering a long-term slide.
2. Gophers have been terrible on the road
3. Wisconsin with personnel and injury issues all over the place
4. Gophers underwent injury issues too, but most of that was weeks ago.
5. law of averages, at least, have to catch up sooner or later. If the awful 2007 Gopher team could take a game to the wire, one of these years everything HAS to go right.
6. Wisconsin with likely the best rushing attack the Gophers have seen and the Gophers have given up a lot on the ground, on the road
7. Axe emotions - Wisconsin always does a great job of not overlooking the Gophers
8. Purdue game a one week spike after firing D coordinator?
9. Gopher offense continues to improve and left with one final season ending game against a hobbled Wisconsin D.
10. Camp Randal atmosphere possibly the most tame in recent memory
11. Both Wisconsin and Minnesota with very important games on 11/17 where results will either confirm or blow away many of these numbered points.
I said this after the Indiana game but there is a lot to play for in these last games for the Gophers. Everything Fleck is supposedly building is on display and a strong finish and bowl game (not to mention finally getting the axe) have the potential to grow the excitement over this team. Right after I posted that, the Gophers played one of the most disheartening games of the last 20 years against Illinois. But, then along came Purdue - Giving the squad a second chance to possibly set the state for a very exciting 2019.