Zulgad: The heat is on: Expectations should be raised for Gophers, P.J. Fleck

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Judd:

The fact the Gophers closed last season with three wins in their final four games, including one at Wisconsin and another over Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl, did little to change the perception of P.J. Fleck’s team in the minds of 34 sportswriters who participated in the annual Big Ten predictions done last month by Cleveland.com.

The Gophers were predicted to finish next to last in the Big Ten West with 100 votes ahead of only Illinois (34 votes). Nebraska (198 points, 14 first-place votes); Iowa (194.5, 14); Wisconsin (172.5, 4); Northwestern (142.5, 1); and Purdue (110.5) were picked to finish ahead of the Gophers. Despite the overall lack of confidence, one voter picked the Gophers to finish first and predicted they would lose to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

That might be a bit on the optimistic side, but picking the Gophers to finish in sixth place is overly pessimistic and likely misguided. That’s right Gophers fans you read that right: As Minnesota gets set to open the season on Thursday night against South Dakota State at TCF Bank Stadium there are real reasons for optimism. That means there is pressure on Fleck for the first time since he left Western Michigan to take the Gophers job in 2017, and there’s pressure to sell tickets in a stadium that has had far too many empty seats in recent years.

https://www.skornorth.com/gophers-2...tions-should-be-raised-for-gophers-p-j-fleck/

Go Gophers!!
 

In Pat Reusse's new podcast, he said the Gophers "should win at least 8 or maybe 9 games."

He also said he gets more enjoyment/entertainment when the Vikings play poorly- not the Gophers.
 



I'm a long suffering Minnesota fan. Which means my favorite teams are in this order:

Gophers (No need to mention specific sport)
Vikings
Any team playing the Packers, Bears or Cowboys
Wolves
Wild
Twins
Lynx
Olympic Curling Team

Still waiting for hell to freeze over and the Vikings win the Super Bowl. Why does the Gophers winning the National Championship seem more plausible than a Viking Super Bowl Victory?
 


It's great to have expectations. Expectations mean you're supposed to be good. That's where we want to be.

But don't we get a step in between apathy or frustration and "the heat is on?" Such as, "hey we're getting better, this should be a lot of fun!" That's where I am. I'll worry about adding heat later.
 

and furthermore...

BleedGopher said:
per Judd:

The fact the Gophers closed last season with three wins in their final four games, including one at Wisconsin and another over Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl, did little to change the perception of P.J. Fleck’s team in the minds of 34 sportswriters who participated in the annual Big Ten predictions done last month by Cleveland.com.

The Gophers were predicted to finish next to last in the Big Ten West with 100 votes ahead of only Illinois (34 votes). Nebraska (198 points, 14 first-place votes); Iowa (194.5, 14); Wisconsin (172.5, 4); Northwestern (142.5, 1); and Purdue (110.5) were picked to finish ahead of the Gophers. Despite the overall lack of confidence, one voter picked the Gophers to finish first and predicted they would lose to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

That might be a bit on the optimistic side, but picking the Gophers to finish in sixth place is overly pessimistic and likely misguided. That’s right Gophers fans you read that right: As Minnesota gets set to open the season on Thursday night against South Dakota State at TCF Bank Stadium there are real reasons for optimism. That means there is pressure on Fleck for the first time since he left Western Michigan to take the Gophers job in 2017, and there’s pressure to sell tickets in a stadium that has had far too many empty seats in recent years.

https://www.skornorth.com/gophers-2...tions-should-be-raised-for-gophers-p-j-fleck/

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Let's raise expectations for our sports journalists too.
 

BleedGopher said:
per Judd:

The fact the Gophers closed last season with three wins in their final four games, including one at Wisconsin and another over Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl, did little to change the perception of P.J. Fleck’s team in the minds of 34 sportswriters who participated in the annual Big Ten predictions done last month by Cleveland.com.

The Gophers were predicted to finish next to last in the Big Ten West with 100 votes ahead of only Illinois (34 votes). Nebraska (198 points, 14 first-place votes); Iowa (194.5, 14); Wisconsin (172.5, 4); Northwestern (142.5, 1); and Purdue (110.5) were picked to finish ahead of the Gophers. Despite the overall lack of confidence, one voter picked the Gophers to finish first and predicted they would lose to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

That might be a bit on the optimistic side, but picking the Gophers to finish in sixth place is overly pessimistic and likely misguided. That’s right Gophers fans you read that right: As Minnesota gets set to open the season on Thursday night against South Dakota State at TCF Bank Stadium there are real reasons for optimism. That means there is pressure on Fleck for the first time since he left Western Michigan to take the Gophers job in 2017, and there’s pressure to sell tickets in a stadium that has had far too many empty seats in recent years.

https://www.skornorth.com/gophers-2...tions-should-be-raised-for-gophers-p-j-fleck/

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Until the Gophers break out and continually beat teams, they will not be favored - it is the safe way to pick. PJ Fleck DOES come in with raised expectations with this year meaning if the Gophers win 4-5 games he will take a lot of heat. He probably needs 8 wins or more to gain momentum for the program while 6-7 wins probably stalls things out a bit. A loss to the Jacks tonight would really hurt but I think the Gophers break away in the second half after a fairly close first half. I think the game next week at Fresno St. is going to be tougher than most people think and we will be fortunate to get out of there with a win. But tonight - let's just come out of this with a win and hopefully healthy. The Gophers are not good enough to take ANYONE for granted - they have to play hard each week and keep improving. I am very excited to see this offense in action - I really think they will be good but I am equally excited and cautiously optimistic to see the defense. Hopefully we can build on the momentum seen the last few games from last season.
 




Otis said:
I'm a long suffering Minnesota fan. Which means my favorite teams are in this order:

Gophers (No need to mention specific sport)
Vikings
Any team playing the Packers, Bears or Cowboys
Wolves
Wild
Twins
Lynx
Olympic Curling Team

Still waiting for hell to freeze over and the Vikings win the Super Bowl. Why does the Gophers winning the National Championship seem more plausible than a Viking Super Bowl Victory?
Click to expand...

Because it’s happened before.
 

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