Post Spring Football Power Rankings:

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0

New Orleans 2020
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https://saturdaytradition.com/big-t...ach-division-looks-like-post-spring-practice/

West
1. Minnesota

What’s not to like about the Golden Gophers? They return three running backs that have led the team in rushing, the offensive line is massive and, while the defense is going through some changes, it is good enough to win a lot of games. Minnesota has gone through some growing pains in the first two years under P.J. Fleck, but with the West wide open, 2019 might be the year the Gophers take a major step in establishing themselves as a division contender on a yearly basis. This could be one of the more entertaining teams to watch in college football.
 

https://saturdaytradition.com/big-t...ach-division-looks-like-post-spring-practice/

West
1. Minnesota

What’s not to like about the Golden Gophers? They return three running backs that have led the team in rushing, the offensive line is massive and, while the defense is going through some changes, it is good enough to win a lot of games. Minnesota has gone through some growing pains in the first two years under P.J. Fleck, but with the West wide open, 2019 might be the year the Gophers take a major step in establishing themselves as a division contender on a yearly basis. This could be one of the more entertaining teams to watch in college football.

Gophers #1. Love it.

Iowa #4. Wisconsin #5. It just keeps getting better.

Gophers vs. Wolverines in Indianapolis. Oh, my!
 

Article in the Athletic this morning with their early Top 25 ranking; Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern all ranked (18, 19, and 20, respectively) and no Minnesota.

It will be a wide open race, no doubt about it.
 

With the way the West is setup right now it really should be super competitive every year. You don't have teams like Ohio State and Michigan sitting out there, you just have a collection of really good programs that all should be able to recruit and play at similar levels.

The great news is that we are starting to be viewed as a team that should be able to compete for the division crown whereas before we were typically viewed as a solid team that was unlikely to be in the title mix.
 

Clearly a uniquely intelligent and capable writer produced this article.
 


Article in the Athletic this morning with their early Top 25 ranking; Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern all ranked (18, 19, and 20, respectively) and no Minnesota.

It will be a wide open race, no doubt about it.
They're just dinks anyway....

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

Article in the Athletic this morning with their early Top 25 ranking; Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern all ranked (18, 19, and 20, respectively) and no Minnesota.

It will be a wide open race, no doubt about it.

Stewart Mandel is always in the tank for Northwestern. 5-6 teams expect a big season, and math says at least a couple are going to have a turd in their Halloween candy.
 


by the way, I'm sure it has been mentioned and if not, certainly noticed how crazy the Wisconsin predictions are. People have them ALL OVER THE PLACE. Some have them as low as 4th or 5th in the B1G West and some have them near the top 10 in the nation. I have read the stuff that talks about all the people they are losing. Defense. Lots of OLine. I'm guessing people that focus on that and consider how mortal they appeared at the end of 2018 are thinking of them as 4th or 5th in the west. But others point to a Heisman RB returning and a history of simply reloading a perrenially great OLine, along with other highly touted recruits (QB) as reasons to keep from hitting the panic button and evidence they will again be at the top of the division.

Please please please let the seas part for the Gophers this year... 1. Let the Gophers stay healthy and be every bit as good as we think they can be. 2. Let Purdue show the loss of much of their lineup to graduation with a big step back. 3. Let Wisconsin fulfill their destiny as the 5th place team in the west. 4. Let Nebraska stumble after all their transfers. 5. Let Iowa put in one of their regular uninspired "off" years. 6. Let Northwestern focus on their improbable division crown from last year and show more building is needed to compete for it again. 7. Let Illinois be Illinois.

Yes, I know someone will comment with bravado that they would rather win the division with everyone at their best. Of course, me too. But, after this long I'll take a division crown any way it comes - even if it comes with the help of other teams stumbling.
 



I think people grading Wisconsin high are lazy overall. Wisconsin will be decent but have so much to replace, I think they lost almost all their O-line and QB, plus huge holes on a crappy D.
 

Has the fan base turned on the HC after the turd of a season they had after being CFP darlings? My hunch says probably a third, with another third solidly in support, and another third sitting on their hands hoping for the best with a wunderkind QB coming in and an elite RB, and #oneofus leading their defense. They did lose a lot though...can they reload this time or is the ammo bin finally empty?
 

Fewer Connie fans around this year, maybe deep into the books?
 

I think people grading Wisconsin high are lazy overall. Wisconsin will be decent but have so much to replace, I think they lost almost all their O-line and QB, plus huge holes on a crappy D.

I agree. Wisconsin is a good program until proven otherwise but it’s also hard to see how they will suddenly get better after taking steps backwards, then losing a lot of guys to the pros.

Teams like Minnesota and Nebraska were better down the stretch last year and return a lot more guys.
 



I think the team to beat in the West will be Nebraska - there is a lot of excitement down there with a ton of talent coming in. Iowa, Northwestern and Wisconsin will all be tough games and any one of them can surprise and win the West. I think Purdue takes a small step back but finishes around 6-6 and Illinois will finish in last.

But with all that said - the Gophers can beat any one of those teams. This is the most competitive this team has been in a very long time with a legitimate chance to win the West if all goes well. This is a very intriguing team that could win anywhere from 6 to 11 games with many variables that will happen so I am very eager to see the boys in action this Fall.
 

Has the fan base turned on the HC after the turd of a season they had after being CFP darlings? My hunch says probably a third, with another third solidly in support, and another third sitting on their hands hoping for the best with a wunderkind QB coming in and an elite RB, and #oneofus leading their defense. They did lose a lot though...can they reload this time or is the ammo bin finally empty?

I see it as more of an age split. Fans old enough to remember when the badgers were bad mostly seem to be like "It was gonna happen eventually, but I still will cheer for my team regardless" (my mother and her family fall in this category. In fact, she called last year's axe game a loss when she saw Hornibrook starting). The fans that are young enough to only remember the recent good times though, I've seen mixed responses. Some turned on the HC immediately, while some call it a fluke and think they'll refocus and compete for the B1G title in 2019.

Will be interesting to see how Ohio State fans react if they start taking a step backward in 2019 and Michigan takes the East.
 




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