STrib: 8 wins in 2019 should be a realistic expectation with talent Gophers return

I guess I'm one of those people that leans toward any game being winnable. Obviously some have a greater % winnability than others.

Yes, that's a valid way to use "winnable", in general. But again, you have to go back to the context. The context of the discussion some posts ago was using "winnable" in the sense of 50% or greater chance to win the game.
 

My "expectations" for the Gophers in 2019.

Play hard, competitive football.

Look like you have a plan. Minimize defensive breakdowns. Offense runs the ball and mixes in effective passing game. Special teams should help you, not hurt you.

Coaches make good decisions and in-game adjustments.

Avoid stupid penalties. Stay as healthy as possible.

If the Gophers do that, I'll be happy. Wins and losses will take care of themselves.
 

No, but the OP is regarding what people's expectations are. A poll related to 2018 might give some insight into what people are thinking.

If people thought we would have been 8-4 this year with Rossi, then next year at a minimum should be 8-4. I heard we had a really young team this year, which by most logic should be older, more experienced, and better next year.

Agree. The part of my post after the poll link was to point out with some very obvious reasons why the expectations should be higher. It's like gfl didn't read that part...
 

I expect the Gophers to be better next year than they were this year. Those are my expectations
 

Coaches that posted at least 8 wins in their first three seasons at the U include Claeys, Kill, and Mason. Those that didnt include Brewster and Wacker. I definitely think we can expect Fleck to do better than Brew and Wack.
 


After the final 4 games of this year, how can you not expect 8-wins next year? Sure, our NC opponents are tougher than some years, but with our talent, physicality, and size should we really worry about any of them? SDSU? GA-Southern? I just don’t see it. Honestly, I’m not sure 8 is a high enough expectation for 2019 with the team I just watched and the schedule laid out as it is.


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I'm updating!!!


South Dakota St - Win
@Fresno - Beat them this year when we were young and they were old, so we should win next year
Georgia Southern - We can stop the triple option
3-0

@Purdue - Purdue has significant turnover but some good young recruits.
Illinois - We can stop the run now
Nebraska - We can stop the run now
2-1 / 3-0

@Rutgers - W
Maryland - We can stop the run now (W)
PSU - 50/50
2-1

@Iowa - Iowa isn't good enough to keep beating us annually
@NW - Vengence... just don't turnover the ball multiple times and catch balls when they hit your hands
Wisconsin - We should still be better than them. 2018 wasn't a fluke
Hopefully 3-0

That's a chance for 10-2 and a Big Ten West Title!
 
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I have officially decided "expectation" is a more appropriate term as opposed to "goal" regarding winning 8 games next year.
 

After the final 4 games of this year, how can you not expect 8-wins next year? Sure, our NC opponents are tougher than some years, but with our talent, physicality, and size should we really worry about any of them? SDSU? GA-Southern? I just don’t see it. Honestly, I’m not sure 8 is a high enough expectation for 2019 with the team I just watched and the schedule laid out as it is.


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I think everyone expects us to win against SDSU and GA- Southern. It's the other 6 games that are in question.
 




After the final 4 games of this year, how can you not expect 8-wins next year? Sure, our NC opponents are tougher than some years, but with our talent, physicality, and size should we really worry about any of them? SDSU? GA-Southern? I just don’t see it. Honestly, I’m not sure 8 is a high enough expectation for 2019 with the team I just watched and the schedule laid out as it is.


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Yeah, eight is the floor, period. I've been posting
since 2016 that 2019 is the best chance in a while to get 10 or more wins in the regular season and to make it to Pasadena.
 


Yeah, eight is the floor, period. I've been posting
since 2016 that 2019 is the best chance in a while to get 10 or more wins in the regular season to make it to Pasadena.

But it wouldn't have been realistic at all with the previous staff. It's only realistic now because we have an improved coaching staff.
 



But it wouldn't have been realistic at all with the previous staff. It's only realistic now because we have an improved coaching staff.

BA...HA...BA HAHA...BAHAAHA...BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...HA
 

But it wouldn't have been realistic at all with the previous staff. It's only realistic now because we have an improved coaching staff.

Let it go JG.


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Yeah, eight is the floor, period. I've been posting
since 2016 that 2019 is the best chance in a while to get 10 or more wins in the regular season and to make it to Pasadena.

You are right regarding 2019.

Our best chance to get a top 5 National Resume is 2020. Not that in the schedule is easy, but that if we win, nationally we'll be noticed.
Michigan and Michigan State both added to the schedule, so if we're going to be a national Big Dog, the brands will be there to play against to give us national attention.

2021 schedule will be similar to next year (5 home Big Ten games). This will be the senior season for all of the freshman of this year.
Drop PSU and Rutgers. Gain OSU and Indy.
 

Let it go JG.


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My comment wasn't intended for Gopher fans. It was intended for a troll who comes onto the board explaining poor defensive performances by Washington St.
 

Let me be the first to say, 12-0 is a possibility. As is 6-6.

A lot of this may depend on how Fleck approaches the season. If he believes he needs one more year and that 2020 will be the year he makes his statement, and lets the nation know he and the Gophers are and will be for real and a player on the national scene as long as he is there, then he might play some incoming frosh over some more experienced players in the ooc games. Could we be next year's NW? Lose a lot going into the conf schedule only to win a West Div Title? The games vs FSU and SDSU and even Georgia Southern are not gimmes and if Fleck plays a lot of frosh, could end up being losses. And the conference schedule seems favorable, but a lot of things could happen. We lost to Illinois, so it could happen again. We beat Purdue, but next year will be a road game and they will want revenge. Both Iowa and NW beat us this year and next year they are both road games. I haven't seen anyone who thinks PSU won't be a clear favorite next year. So if we start out 1-2, even going 5-4 in conf games will only get us to 6 wins.

But maybe Fleck thinks he'll have a good enough team next year to redshirt some new guys and go with older and more experienced players and go for the 3-0 ooc record and for the banner season? And maybe we'll beat everyone we beat this yr, and be the ones getting revenge for losses this year?

Fleck seems to be a systematic guy, a planner, a guy who doesn't do anything without some reason for it, some plan as for how it will benefit the program down the line, etc.. At his previous gig, there was no improvement from season 2 to season 3, as far as wins and losses went. I'm curious as to whether some of the fans questioned him or not? But apparently he knew what he was doing, because we all know how he did in year 4.


So maybe we go 6-6 next year? Maybe he opts to play lots of younger players again, but if you KNEW that we'd go 12-0 in 2020, would you see that as a failure, or as just Fleck doing things very deliberately and banking on future results as a payoff for short term not being as good?


Personally, I'm going to predict that Fleck looks at next year as THE YEAR, the year he makes his mark, the year he shows everyone he's legit and can take Minnesota to the next level. Part the reason I feel this way, is because of certain circumstances, including injured players that we otherwise wouldn't have next year, that we'll have, we all hope. So I think he'll pick his starters& who he redshirts, with that in mind. Next year he'll play to win and not play younger players unless they are clearly the far better player. And he may seek to bring in 1 or 2 JUCO type players to bolster any positions that need the most help. But I am no expert, so I could easily end up wrong.


But back to my original statement, I'm going to predict 10-12 wins. 10 being the floor, 12 being the ceiling.
 

People are sky high right now ... and that is great. But the GT and Wisconsin teams we beat the last two games, we didn't get much of an opponent showing up on the other side. Same thing happened with Purdue, for whatever reason. Northwestern was tough ... and we could've won that one, but didn't.

So I think we have to continue to make slow and steady progress.

If we jump up to 8, 9 or even more wins next year, fine. I won't think that is a problem. But I won't be disappointed with a 7-5 (4-5) regular season record, with a win in the Pinstripe bowl (8-5 overall), for example.
 

Yeah, eight is the floor, period. I've been posting
since 2016 that 2019 is the best chance in a while to get 10 or more wins in the regular season and to make it to Pasadena.

You've been demanding 8 wins for the last two years, posting it several times per day, and yet no one cares...
 

Hard to not think 8 wins is realistic. @Fresno will be a tough out.
...
South Dakota St - W, confidence level 95%
@Fresno - W, confidence level 65%
Georgia Southern - W, confidence level 75%
@Purdue - W, confidence level 50%
Illinois - W, confidence level 65%
Nebraska - L, confidence level 60%
@Rutgers - W, confidence level 90%
Maryland - W, confidence level 50%
PSU - L, confidence level 65%
@Iowa - L, confidence level 65%
@NW - L, confidence level 60%
Wisconsin - W, confidence level 50%

...

Fresno State Bark Board believes Rodney Smith might be done with football?
 
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