AMEN
Also I love playing cupcakes .... but the Mason era cupcakes even bored me. Mason loved 40 something to 10 games that were just tiresome. Both teams looked bored at times.
Also I feel like coaching and player talent has REALLY spread out across the land of CFB, especially the lower level. Mason era games vs say Louisiana Lafayette teams ... those Louisiana teams were SO BAD, they'd run maybe a handful of plays all game, physical talent was abysmal. I swear at times they didn't even bring their entire team to the dome... Some of their linemen in those days were "I swear that guy isn't athletic, he's just fat...".
Now you see teams at that level playing a whole different games.
Don't get me wrong I'd love some 40 to 10 games to start the season again, but against some live (even if lesser) teams.
I’ve broken down this issue before. There is no doubt in my mind the easiest era to be a coach at Minnesota in terms of scheduling was from the expansion to the 12 game schedule To the addition of Nebraska.
4 non conference games, only need 6-6 to make a bowl, miss 2 opponents per year at random. Possibility of a 3 or 4 way tie to win big ten title without needing to win a conference title game and you could go 0-1 against the other teams in the tie and still claim the title. For example the 2008 gophers team under Brewster went 7-6. Beat Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, Florida Atlantic. Played just 1 of the top 3 teams in the big ten. Just 3 teams that finished .500 or better in the big ten. Even the 2022 team that missed both Michigan and Ohio state played 4 teams that finished .500 or better in the conference. And to win the big ten, the 2022 team would’ve had to have beaten Ohio state in an extra game. Big ten so much easier pre Nebraska expansion.
When Nebraska was added it got much harder to win a conference title but stayed about the same to make a bowl. (Kill era)
The legends and leaders were a little harder than the east west but not a huge change as Michigan was down while they were in the gophers’ division.
In the east west, the gophers have only played Indiana twice as an east west crossover game. The gophers have only played Rutgers 3 times. Those are the worst two programs in the conference.
Minnesota played Michigan 5 times since the west was created. Ohio State 5 times.
fleck has played Ohio state 3 times in 7 years
Kill/claeys played Ohio state 2 times in 6 years.
Fleck has played Michigan 3 times in 7 years.
Kill/claeys played Michigan 5 times in 6 years.
It is a little easier in the west, but not as big of a gap as some like to think. The ease of it is in making the championship game, not the schedule itself.
Disagree 100% - totally different contexts of Big Ten play and bowls. Big Ten West provided a much easier schedule for Fleck, and he inherited a much better situation than did Kill or Mason (even worse than Kill's). Bowls are a joke now (not Fleck's fault), so who cares what our record is in them. Not worth debating further. As I wrote earlier in this thread I didn't want Fleck to leave because I want to see if he can take another step.
PJ, but he's generally not listed as the top tier of coaches. UCLA you might think would be aiming sorta high...
