Looking back Minnesota becoming bowl eligible is even more impressive than we thought

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Pompous Elitist said:
It should be crystal clear to even the most die hard recruiting nut that coaching matters. Look at the dramatic turnarounds on the MN defense and at Purdue vs their prior regime for just a few recent examples. How many times this year and last were we told by resident experts (and the HC at times - although he was surely running cover for his buddy) that we didn’t have the personnel to play serviceable defense?
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Bingo
 

cjbfbp said:
2) Wisconsin didn't have anything at stake in the game...
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What? Are you insane? Be the first set of Seniors in 14 years to lose to Minnesota? They had their "careers" at stake.
 

OK, I've got one more thing. I sneaked a peek at the Sagarin ratings, and Minnesota is sitting at 49. That's higher than I expected to see, and that obviously includes being blown out by Nebraska and Illinois. It's legit to argue that, the last few games of the year with the improved defense, this is a top 40 or top 35 team. That's something. Again, you pose that prospect - top 40-caliber team and Bowl eligibility - after limping to the finish line last year: any of us would have taken that deal. This thing is on schedule.
 

I have to temper my enthusiasm with a few "what ifs" such as "what if Winfield wouldn't have made that spectacular interception against Fresno State?" The Indiana game would have been a soul crushing defeat if they had completed the big comeback. But, there are plenty of "what ifs" on the other side too starting with the defense and what it would have been had Smith not been part of it all the way back to the start of the season. It is crazy, but it isn't that difficult to imagine this team at 8-4.

That leads me to next season. I will eternally remember that very first magical Northwestern team back in the 90's. For most people, they appeared out of nowhere, beat Notre Dame, and springboarded their special season all the way to the Rose Bowl. Ever since then I have wondered when it will be the Gophers turn to have a season like that. I'm not saying I'm convinced next season's Gopher team will have everything fall their way to become the Minnesota version of that Northwestern team. But, at least it can be imagined given the players returning and the schedule that awaits them. How fun would that be?

At this point my prediction for next season is 8-4 or maybe 7-5, but if this team finally gets a little (maybe a lot?) magic - I can at least dream of something historic.
 

"...At this point my prediction for next season is 8-4 or maybe 7-5, but if this team finally gets a little (maybe a lot?) magic - I can at least dream of something historic."

I think Coach wants us to have "legendary" dreams...
 


Schnauzer said:
I have to temper my enthusiasm with a few "what ifs" such as "what if Winfield wouldn't have made that spectacular interception against Fresno State?" The Indiana game would have been a soul crushing defeat if they had completed the big comeback. But, there are plenty of "what ifs" on the other side too starting with the defense and what it would have been had Smith not been part of it all the way back to the start of the season. It is crazy, but it isn't that difficult to imagine this team at 8-4.

That leads me to next season. I will eternally remember that very first magical Northwestern team back in the 90's. For most people, they appeared out of nowhere, beat Notre Dame, and springboarded their special season all the way to the Rose Bowl. Ever since then I have wondered when it will be the Gophers turn to have a season like that. I'm not saying I'm convinced next season's Gopher team will have everything fall their way to become the Minnesota version of that Northwestern team. But, at least it can be imagined given the players returning and the schedule that awaits them. How fun would that be?

At this point my prediction for next season is 8-4 or maybe 7-5, but if this team finally gets a little (maybe a lot?) magic - I can at least dream of something historic.
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"What ifs" are fun and I tend to look at them as well. What if Northwestern had beat Duke and Akron and its only losses are to Michigan and Notre Dame. Would he perception of the B1G be different with 11-1 and 10-2 teams meeting in Indy this weekend? tOSU loss would be to a 6-6 Purdue team and Northwestern to a 10-2 Michigan and 12-0 Notre Dame. Would the perception be that the West is a bit better?

This is why College football and what also makes it frustrating. Match-ups, immaturity or 18-23 year olds, and weather make it the best game around. However I think the 4 game playoff has ruined the end of the season for many fans.
 

Schnauzer said:
I have to temper my enthusiasm with a few "what ifs" such as "what if Winfield wouldn't have made that spectacular interception against Fresno State?" The Indiana game would have been a soul crushing defeat if they had completed the big comeback. But, there are plenty of "what ifs" on the other side too starting with the defense and what it would have been had Smith not been part of it all the way back to the start of the season. It is crazy, but it isn't that difficult to imagine this team at 8-4.

That leads me to next season. I will eternally remember that very first magical Northwestern team back in the 90's. For most people, they appeared out of nowhere, beat Notre Dame, and springboarded their special season all the way to the Rose Bowl. Ever since then I have wondered when it will be the Gophers turn to have a season like that. I'm not saying I'm convinced next season's Gopher team will have everything fall their way to become the Minnesota version of that Northwestern team. But, at least it can be imagined given the players returning and the schedule that awaits them. How fun would that be?

At this point my prediction for next season is 8-4 or maybe 7-5, but if this team finally gets a little (maybe a lot?) magic - I can at least dream of something historic.
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Agreed. All these years, we never had an offense combined with a defense to make it 11-12 games and win it outright. Plus the times that we had that chance, we were usually kicked square in the nuts (see 1999 WI in OT, 1999 Purdue, 2003 MI, Mi st, and 2003 the Maroney fumbles in iowa)

Just need a little magic
 

I certainly hope next year is a step forward, but given how young this team is - and the coach saying the youth movement is not done - I just can't see a 'magical' or 'historic' season until 2020 at the earliest.

It's one thing to have a good FR RB or WR, but great teams need great line play, and the Gophers need a year or two of growth, maturity and strength along both lines - especially the defensive line. that's why I think this team is still 2 years away from anything really special.

Mind you, I hope and expect to see continued improvement next year, but they are still going to be really young. a big year next year would be (I suspect) ahead of schedule.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I certainly hope next year is a step forward, but given how young this team is - and the coach saying the youth movement is not done - I just can't see a 'magical' or 'historic' season until 2020 at the earliest.

It's one thing to have a good FR RB or WR, but great teams need great line play, and the Gophers need a year or two of growth, maturity and strength along both lines - especially the defensive line. that's why I think this team is still 2 years away from anything really special.

Mind you, I hope and expect to see continued improvement next year, but they are still going to be really young. a big year next year would be (I suspect) ahead of schedule.
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How do you define a "magical" or "historical" season? B1G Championship or 9 or 10 wins? On offense, with the right trigger man, I think we're ready to explode with what we have coming back for 2019. Defense is still a question mark for me, but if we can build off of the last 3 games from this season, I think it can be pretty good next year.
 



GoGoGopher12 said:
How do you define a "magical" or "historical" season? B1G Championship or 9 or 10 wins? On offense, with the right trigger man, I think we're ready to explode with what we have coming back for 2019. Defense is still a question mark for me, but if we can build off of the last 3 games from this season, I think it can be pretty good next year.
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I was just going off Schnauzer, who used the terms magical and historic in his post. for my point of view, I would define magical or historic as winning a division title or going to the Rose Bowl. 8 or 9 wins would be nice, but Mason, Kill and Claeys all had seasons like that in recent history. I'm talking about something beyond that level, where Gopher Football is the lead story on SportsCenter.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I was just going off Schnauzer, who used the terms magical and historic in his post. for my point of view, I would define magical or historic as winning a division title or going to the Rose Bowl. 8 or 9 wins would be nice, but Mason, Kill and Claeys all had seasons like that in recent history. I'm talking about something beyond that level, where Gopher Football is the lead story on SportsCenter.
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Makes sense and I agree. I think 8 or 9 wins is doable but I'm not betting on a Rose Bowl just yet.
 

Perhaps read what I posted again. I compared next year to Northwestern's breakout year. Nobody was predicting that either. And, I'm not predicting a magical season next year. I'm just saying that what I am predicting (7-5, 8-4, or so) could potentially morph into something historical and magical if everything went right. The potential is at least there, understanding that it is still unlikely. Think of it this way: Is there an unwinnable game on the schedule next year? No? Then IF all the bounces go the Gophers way, it could be the Northwestern season from the 90's. That is all I am saying. If it was something you could predict, it wouldn't be magical, would it?
 

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