PP: Gophers football can still finish 5-7 and go to bowl game this season

BleedGopher

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Per Greder:

Even if Minnesota loses both games, there might not be enough eligible teams to fill the 82 bowl spots this postseason, meaning the U might still get in at 5-7. That’s the fallout of 62 percent of the Division I programs making bowl games.


Go Gophers!!
 

41 bowl games (including NY6, excluding natty, all-star games, and FCS “bowl games”).

We really needed that 2nd game in Charlotte …
 


My bad!

Thought there was 40 and went to 41 this year, but it was 41 last year too and 43 the year before (though some cancelled due to covid).

Still seems like too many, but these are nothing more than money-making ventures centered around glorified exhibition games.
 

My bad!

Thought there was 40 and went to 41 this year, but it was 41 last year too and 43 the year before (though some cancelled due to covid).

Still seems like too many, but these are nothing more than money-making ventures centered around glorified exhibition games.
They get good ratings. Lots of people take time off around the holidays and this country loves football. It's cheap content for TV. I used to think there were too many, but it's not hurting anything to have a couple more weeks of football.
 



Greder must have made my thread I made about this two weeks ago.

41 bowls.
82 spots

James Madison and Jacksonville state not eligible but would go before a 5-7 team.

Currently of the other 133 teams:
58 are eligible

This leaves 24 spots for 75 teams

Of those 75 teams. 36 of them already have 7+ losses.

39 teams still could get to 6 wins.
Of those 39 due to schedules. It is mathematically impossible for all 39 to become eligible.


Minnesota is tied for 8th in APR.

Teams that could be 5-7 that would go before Minnesota would be:
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Cincinatti
Then Minnesota
 

two questions:

1. philosophical -- should a 5-7 team be allowed to play in a bowl game? If I'm being honest, my answer is no. If you can't win at least half of your games, you don't deserve to be rewarded with a bowl game

2. practical -- should this year's Gopher team accept a bowl big IF they finish with a 5-7 record? Again, I would say no. but it's not my decision to make. So who makes that decision? Fleck? Coyle? someone higher up on the food chain?

seriously - if you think Reusse, Barreiro, Souhan, Mackey & Judd, etc have been taking shots at the Gophers - IF a 5-7 Gopher team accepts a bowl bid, the jackals will be ripping the Gophers 24/7.
 

two questions:

1. philosophical -- should a 5-7 team be allowed to play in a bowl game? If I'm being honest, my answer is no. If you can't win at least half of your games, you don't deserve to be rewarded with a bowl game

2. practical -- should this year's Gopher team accept a bowl big IF they finish with a 5-7 record? Again, I would say no. but it's not my decision to make. So who makes that decision? Fleck? Coyle? someone higher up on the food chain?

seriously - if you think Reusse, Barreiro, Souhan, Mackey & Judd, etc have been taking shots at the Gophers - IF a 5-7 Gopher team accepts a bowl bid, the jackals will be ripping the Gophers 24/7.
Lol
So we should base our decisions on a program based on what those four morons think?
 




two questions:

1. philosophical -- should a 5-7 team be allowed to play in a bowl game? If I'm being honest, my answer is no. If you can't win at least half of your games, you don't deserve to be rewarded with a bowl game
It is inevitable with the number of bowl games that there will be years where they have to dip below .500 teams to fill out the slots. I don't find it particularly palatable, but at the end of the day there isn't much difference between five and six wins and they aren't going to cancel the games.
2. practical -- should this year's Gopher team accept a bowl big IF they finish with a 5-7 record? Again, I would say no. but it's not my decision to make. So who makes that decision? Fleck? Coyle? someone higher up on the food chain?
I think the answer to your question is that the conference decides. In a league where there is revenue sharing and contracted bowl agreements, I think you say yes every time. Especially if you are team that is far more often taking more from the pool than they have "earned." The bowl practices alone are worth it for your younger/less-experienced players.
seriously - if you think Reusse, Barreiro, Souhan, Mackey & Judd, etc have been taking shots at the Gophers - IF a 5-7 Gopher team accepts a bowl bid, the jackals will be ripping the Gophers 24/7.
Who gives a shit what they say about it? Seriously, it would be great if they were positive, or even neutral, about Gopher sports, but they are going to be critical and insulting no matter what happens. I really don't care whether they harp on "meaningless bowl games" or "undeserved bowl games."
 


I think the answer to your question is that the conference decides. In a league where there is revenue sharing and contracted bowl agreements, I think you say yes every time. Especially if you are team that is far more often taking more from the pool than they have "earned." The bowl practices alone are worth it for your younger/less-experienced players.
This. If you don't go, you're taking money from all the other teams too.
The covid year was an exception - I understand why we didn't go.
 



"bowl" games should be for the top 12-20 teams. The rest should be "holiday" games based on invites. So lets say Florida says come on down, we will pay expenses and hope your fans show up for a fun game. Yes the NFLs hopefuls will skip but who cares. We could have a "Holiday" game at US bank stadium and get a SEC opponent. Who would not go and watch an extra game? People would come and it would be fun times. Battle of the bands and some party. Don't think teams and fans would not come up here in the winter .Curiosity would rule.
 

Fleck and company want the extra 15 practices, more than they want the game. A loss in the game goes on the final W-L record, but the extra practices are important.

Also a chance to lavish players and make their effort and grind of the season "worth it". Destination, doing fun stuff, getting swag.

If you're in a decent program, it's basically expected as the final reward for the hard work of the season.
 

Kind of crazy to even be thinking about 5-7 with Wisconsin left on the schedule. This season will leave an awful taste regardless, but losing to that Wisconsin team at home to cap it off? (vomit emoji)

I am not a believer at all in the 15 practices thing as Gopher coaches in the past trumpeted that up all the time and then ended up back in another meaningless bowl game the next year. I do think it's better to have them than not have them which is enough for me to be in favor of accepting a bid to a bowl at 5-7. I think there needs to be a QB competition next year regardless, but Athan getting more live reps in another actual game can't do anything but help. Of course, there is also the possibility of injuries happening during these 15 practices and/or the bowl game that could make us regret the decision to paticipate (if it's an option).
 

They’d never turn it down.

It’s extra revenue for the conference, especially if it’s a bowl that Big Ten teams normally never get invited to because there could be as many as eleven bowl eligible teams from the Big Ten this year!
 




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