Gophers vs West Virginia in Guaranteed Rate Bowl

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In 2007, Michigan has an inexcusable loss to Appalachian State, finishes 9-4 overall and 6-2 in conference. Still played on New Year's Day (Capital One Bowl). Yeah, we got jobbed by the conference.
 

This is “Obligation Bowl” or “Purgatory Bowl.”

This Big 12-Big Ten bowl allotment is given to WVA and the Gophers. They drew the short straws.

The Gophers hopefully will secure the ninth win as the Big Ten ambassador.

Maybe after the bowl game, some of the sixth-year seniors with eligibility decide to return to launch a new championship campaign with Tanner Morgan and a new OC.
 

hungan1 said:
This is “Obligation Bowl” or “Purgatory Bowl.”

This Big 12-Big Ten bowl allotment is given to WVA and the Gophers. They drew the short straws.

The Gophers hopefully will secure the ninth win as the Big Ten ambassador.

Maybe after the bowl game, some of the sixth-year seniors with eligibility decide to return to launch a new championship campaign with Tanner Morgan and a new OC.
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The "Unfinished Business Bowl"
 

Yah-E said:
Nah….we won’t be ranked if we beat a 6-6 team.
If our bowl opponent was ranked now and then we beat them….maybe, but definitely not beating a 6-6 WVU team.
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There is a chance I think. Currently there are 5 teams with 8 or 9 wins that are ranked. We’d probably need a handful of specific teams to lose for us to make it.
 



Yup, it's the next day and I'm still bitter. Nothing we can do about it except complain to each other though, so I intend on doing so for a couple more days lol!

Sleep provided no clarity for me. I totally understand PU to Nashville given it's driving distance. I'm disappointed, but I get it. Same with Maryland to NYC. MN deserved Vegas over Wisc....period. And of course the real kick in the groin is the PSU thing...it's just so wrong. If the B1G and Outback wanted a brand name who lost close games to Illinois, Iowa, OSU, and MSU they could've taken Nebraska. Absolutely ZERO justification for placing PSU in Tampa beyond their brand. The conference will do/say nothing to explain it of course.
 

I'm guessing the Gophs were actually "snubbed" by two bowls, not four; the Outback and Las Vegas. As others have indicated, there was probably much behind the scenes wrangling over the last week. How else would the Strib correctly pick the "last" bowl in the selection process for the Gophs?

Once PSU was upgraded to the Outback, it threw everything out of whack. I'll speculate the Gophs said thanks but no thanks to the Pinstripe and Music City (subpar winter weather for northerners wanting to escape, etc.). Plus, Purdue is a natural for Nashville and Maryland a fit for NY geographically.

That leaves WI and MN in the running for the LV and Phoenix, and WI got picked for LV. It may be that Minnesota has a more natural fanbase in the Phoenix area than Wisconsin (speculating). I do wish the gametime was better. Too bad the WV vs Texas game didn't flip. Texas would have commanded a better gametime. Regardless, Phoenix is a decent holiday getaway destination for northerners.
 

btowngopher said:
There is a chance I think. Currently there are 5 teams with 8 or 9 wins that are ranked. We’d probably need a handful of specific teams to lose for us to make it.
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Almost no chance to get ranked unless a bunch of stuff happens. That's the other part of this placement that really sucks. Beat 8-4 ASU in Vegas or an SEC team with a winning record and MN might finish the year ranked. Beat 6-6 WVU on a Tuesday night when 75% of the country is sleeping...that does nothing for you. I obviously want MN to roll -- and I'll be up watching until 2 am eastern over here -- but this placement just gets worse and worse the more angles you consider.
 

MGGopher said:
Yup, it's the next day and I'm still bitter. Nothing we can do about it except complain to each other though, so I intend on doing so for a couple more days lol!

Sleep provided no clarity for me. I totally understand PU to Nashville given it's driving distance. I'm disappointed, but I get it. Same with Maryland to NYC. MN deserved Vegas over Wisc....period. And of course the real kick in the groin is the PSU thing...it's just so wrong. If the B1G and Outback wanted a brand name who lost close games to Illinois, Iowa, OSU, and MSU they could've taken Nebraska. Absolutely ZERO justification for placing PSU in Tampa beyond their brand. The conference will do/say nothing to explain it of course.
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LOL. Classic quip.
 



GopherOhana said:
www.yahoo.com

Ranking the 42 college football bowl games from best to worst - Yahoo Sports

Welcome to bowl season! It's the most glorious time of the year.
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

apparently the “not many care about this game” bowl.
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I hate these “only fans of these teams will care” takes. No sh-t. That’s the case with almost every single bowl game. You think people will care about App State vs Western Kentucky or Oregon State vs Utah State (both top 15 on this list)?

People will make an effort to watch (1) the big name bowl games and (2) bowl games with their favorite school(s). The rest are just chances to sit back and enjoy some random football games during the holidays.
 

Interesting that airfare to PHX is much cheaper if you do Sat-Thur for a 4-night stay. Almost a decent price if you stretch that to a 5-day stay Fri-Thur. That still doesn't fix the rental car issue - apparently a nationwide COVID related problem.

1638799059644.png
 

MGGopher said:
Almost no chance to get ranked unless a bunch of stuff happens. That's the other part of this placement that really sucks. Beat 8-4 ASU in Vegas or an SEC team with a winning record and MN might finish the year ranked. Beat 6-6 WVU on a Tuesday night when 75% of the country is sleeping...that does nothing for you. I obviously want MN to roll -- and I'll be up watching until 2 am eastern over here -- but this placement just gets worse and worse the more angles you consider.
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Yeah, it’s a slim chance I agree. Likely finish right on the cusp with a win. But 9 wins would be really nice for the program and critics.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Not what I said at all. It is a joke that Penn State got slotted into the Outback over MN, Wis, and Pur. But as I have been saying, there is NOTHING to be gained by the U to go out and bash the conference, or the selection process or act like we got slighted. The job of the U is to put the best spin on it and get as many fans as possible to the game.

Just because the U is not throwing a public temper tantrum about the bowl doesn't mean there are not complaints being lodged behind closed doors, in a professional manner, that doesn't drag anyone through the mud in public. Just because we don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Is it disappointing that the selection process played out this way....of course. But we are in a bowl so we make the best of it. Better than the alternative of sitting at home with the season over.
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The method you suggest, of course, has been common practice. How has that worked out for MN?
 



FormerFatOL said:
Interesting that airfare to PHX is much cheaper if you do Sat-Thur for a 4-night stay. Almost a decent price if you stretch that to a 5-day stay Fri-Thur. That still doesn't fix the rental car issue - apparently a nationwide COVID related problem.

View attachment 15780
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Well, that's because you're flying on Christmas day.
 



FormerFatOL said:
I'm guessing the Gophs were actually "snubbed" by two bowls, not four; the Outback and Las Vegas. As others have indicated, there was probably much behind the scenes wrangling over the last week. How else would the Strib correctly pick the "last" bowl in the selection process for the Gophs?

Once PSU was upgraded to the Outback, it threw everything out of whack. I'll speculate the Gophs said thanks but no thanks to the Pinstripe and Music City (subpar winter weather for northerners wanting to escape, etc.). Plus, Purdue is a natural for Nashville and Maryland a fit for NY geographically.

That leaves WI and MN in the running for the LV and Phoenix, and WI got picked for LV. It may be that Minnesota has a more natural fanbase in the Phoenix area than Wisconsin (speculating). I do wish the gametime was better. Too bad the WV vs Texas game didn't flip. Texas would have commanded a better gametime. Regardless, Phoenix is a decent holiday getaway destination for northerners.
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At this stage, given both the Badgers and the Gophers are 8-4, the Badger brand and all its trimmings win out. They are rated higher than the Gopher Brand.

If the Gophers were 9-3, they would have been playing in an NYD bowl game.
 

hungan1 said:
At this stage, given both the Badgers and the Gophers are 8-4, the Badger brand and all its trimmings win out. They are rated higher than the Gopher Brand.

If the Gophers were 9-3, they would have been playing in an NYD bowl game.
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I didn't realize that the LV Bowl actually starts later on a Thursday night than the Phx bowl. ASU is probably a marginally better opponent than WV (neither are ranked), but the two bowls are pretty close in quality. Both WI and MN are favored to win by about a touchdown. 3 of the 4 fanbases involved probably feel like they've been snubbed with the exception being WV which qualified in the season's last week.
 

BarnBurner said:
The method you suggest, of course, has been common practice. How has that worked out for MN?
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And so you of course assume that being aholes in public about it will go so much better for the U then? Because everyone loves it when teams complain about things. And it will definitely help drive up fan interest if they know the team has no interest in going to that game and is only there because they feel the conference screwed them over.

Bottom line is you are not ever going to get the rant you are looking for out of the administration so you can choose to be butt hurt over it or you can move on.
 


For those pointing to losses to BG and ILL as reason for this bowl, replace those two with Wisconsin and Purdue and we’re likely in the same bowl. That’s why this is a hose job. Winning games beyond 6 didn’t even seem to matter. We could have also lost to Wisconsin and Purdue and still been in the same bowl. What a crock.
 


MNVCGUY said:
And so you of course assume that being aholes in public about it will go so much better for the U then? Because everyone loves it when teams complain about things. And it will definitely help drive up fan interest if they know the team has no interest in going to that game and is only there because they feel the conference screwed them over.

Bottom line is you are not ever going to get the rant you are looking for out of the administration so you can choose to be butt hurt over it or you can move on.
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Could you answer the question, or are you too butt hurt?

To anyone paying attention, fans right here have said they wont be attending due to the bowl assignment. And it appears unanimous MN fans see the assignment as a slight by the conference.
Already.

So, then,.....
 

DelawareGopher said:
I hate these “only fans of these teams will care” takes. No sh-t. That’s the case with almost every single bowl game. You think people will care about App State vs Western Kentucky or Oregon State vs Utah State (both top 15 on this list)?

People will make an effort to watch (1) the big name bowl games and (2) bowl games with their favorite school(s). The rest are just chances to sit back and enjoy some random football games during the holidays.
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Yup. Adams College could be battling Faber College in the American Comedy Bowl and I would still watch as long as I didn't have to hear my visiting in-laws talk about their doctor visits or how many pills they take a day.
 

I'm bummed like everyone else about getting passed over a few times in the bowl selection process (specifically PSU/Outback, that's laughable). But overall, I'm a little surprised at how down everyone is about our landing spot.

*PHX around the holidays is a good destination. NYC would've been awful (cold, vacc mandates, masks everywhere, super expensive to eat and drink). I'm not a fan of Vegas anymore- been there, done that (although airfare would've been more affordable and seeing the new Raiders stadium would've been cool).

*WVU is very winnable game for us and presents a nice chance to get to 9-4. On the other hand, they beat ISU and nearly took down Oklahoma, so far from a pushover.

*We've never played WVU, always enjoy a fresh matchup. Despite being 6-6 they are a very proud football program with great fan base and a long history of success.

*As for the late kick time- you guys all sound 65 years old. I like it, leaves plenty of time to pregame and get properly lubricated.

I'm really hoping Sun Country comes through with some additional flight options. If not, will probably fly into Vegas and drive down to the Valley. Looking forward to the game!
 

discochris said:
I'm debating doing this. I've done 22 hours straight on a motorcycle before. I'm sure I could do it in a car.

The concern with driving that time of year, is the uncertainty of the weather. I'd hate to get stranded in Kansas or something.
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Yeah, neverminding the weather ... you're talking like, leave 8pm Sunday night, drive straight through and get there Monday evening sometime between like 6-8pm.

Hope you have someone to split the driving with.


Now here is where we need self-driving cars!!!
 


WorkingMyTailOff said:
Thinking they see many googling flights to phx or have some analytics on this.
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So they add, even let's say a few flights. They have a pretty small fleet, but probably could spare a few.

Their fleet is 737's, so you're talking basically around 180 people per flight max.


So, you'd have to be one of the people who could get those tickets.

And then still what would price be? I don't see why they'd set it less than $500 per ticket.


Also I suppose there's the risk that F'ing buying algorithms could swoop in and buy them up before humans could, and then go on secondary market for higher price.



I'm obviously a terrible pessimist.
 

MplsGopher said:
So they add, even let's say a few flights. They have a pretty small fleet, but probably could spare a few.

Their fleet is 737's, so you're talking basically around 180 people per flight max.


So, you'd have to be one of the people who could get those tickets.

And then still what would price be? I don't see why they'd set it less than $500 per ticket.


Also I suppose there's the risk that F'ing buying algorithms could swoop in and buy them up before humans could, and then go on secondary market for higher price.



I'm obviously a terrible pessimist.
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Gopher Lady called Sun country for the Citrus bowl game and they added two flights and my son and I scored two tickets for around $250 each. This could happen again
 


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