Why is everyone overlooking AIR FORCE?

[thailleagle]

I'm reading a lot of predictions on our schedule this year and it seems everyone is just chalking up Air Force as a "W." I've even seen schedules that even have 3-9 Syracuse beating us. Why? Air Force has a very good offense and went 8-4 last year in the regular season and had a couple tough losses. I'm actually going to go out on a limb and say that Air Force will be tougher then Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue & Iowa for us.......

 

[CWCWCW]

#60 Air Force vs. #61 Minnesota

That is according to the Athlon preseason football rag. 60 vs. 61. I don't think anyone should put this one in the TCF Bank just yet. I'm hoping for a win. Major dud to lose the first game in a brand new stadium. Hopefully, we've left all of the strange stuff back in the Metrodome.

 

[Schnauzer]

WTF? Who is overlooking Air Force? Everything I have seen describes AFA as a very tough game, a "trap" game, and a BCS opponent type game. I have seen various fan predictions predicting it as a win (I'm assuming the Gophers will be Vegas favorites that game) but I don't think that means anyone is taking them lightly. Is it reasonable to think the Gophers would have a better chance of losing to Cal... sure, they are a top 10 team. Does that mean there is no respect for AFA or anyone is taking them lightly... no way.

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

I have seen FAR more posters on this site cautioning about an AFA loss than predicting an easy win. In the end, it doesn't matter what internet posters think of our chances against any given team. I think Brewster did a great job of focusing the team on the nonconference schedule last year and I assume he'll do the same this year.

 

[dpodoll68]

I'm reading a lot of predictions on our schedule this year and it seems everyone is just chalking up Air Force as a "W." I've even seen schedules that even have 3-9 Syracuse beating us. Why? Air Force has a very good offense and went 8-4 last year in the regular season and had a couple tough losses.

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?t=6552

Looks like hardly anyone is overlooking USAFA, actually.

I'm actually going to go out on a limb and say that Air Force will be tougher then Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue & Iowa for us.......

?

You're crazy.

Iowa could win the Big Ten this year. They might be the toughest opponent on our schedule.

I'm certainly not saying we can't beat anyone on our schedule this year, but what makes you more afraid of an 8-4 service academy than a Big Ten team who last year beat us, at home, by 8 touchdowns? And one that we play on the road?

 

[Maximus]

I'm reading a lot of predictions on our schedule this year and it seems everyone is just chalking up Air Force as a "W." I've even seen schedules that even have 3-9 Syracuse beating us. Why? Air Force has a very good offense and went 8-4 last year in the regular season and had a couple tough losses. I'm actually going to go out on a limb and say that Air Force will be tougher then Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue & Iowa for us.......

Because we're fans and overlooking an opponent has no effect on the outcome?

 

[RodentRampage]

I don't see anyone overlooking Air Force. It's one of the most talked about games of the year. Predicting a win does not equal overlooking an opponent, if that were the case, then we would be overlooking every opponent that we expected to win against.

We're overlooking Syracuse, but that's more the result of looking forward to the new stadium. 37 days from now, I will be putting the stadium out of my mind for a time. I hope the players are able to do the same, and keep the focus on Syracuse.

 

[Ski U Master]

Looking over the syracuse scout site, they are fairly confident in beating us. And from what I've seen on the Air Force board they think the same.

 

[GoAUpher]

I don't see anyone overlooking Air Force. It's one of the most talked about games of the year. Predicting a win does not equal overlooking an opponent, if that were the case, then we would be overlooking every opponent that we expected to win against.

Exactly.

 

[Foster]

I don't see anyone overlooking Air Force. It's one of the most talked about games of the year. Predicting a win does not equal overlooking an opponent, if that were the case, then we would be overlooking every opponent that we expected to win against.

We're overlooking Syracuse, but that's more the result of looking forward to the new stadium. 37 days from now, I will be putting the stadium out of my mind for a time. I hope the players are able to do the same, and keep the focus on Syracuse.

Not going to lie, this game scares me more than the next 2. I really hope we are not all jazzed up for the next week at the new stadium and come out flat. Hopefully Brew has them all ready to go and take care of business in all aspects. Starting 0-1 with a loss to Syracuse could destroy the players morale for the whole season.

 

[RodentRampage]

That is a real danger, that the players are thinking ahead to the next game in TCF. That week, the focus has to be on Syracuse. We can, as fans, focus however we want, but the players have to keep their focus. Plenty of time to look forward the new stadium after the Syracuse game is over.

 

[Gopher07]

Especially considering the last two season openers, we can't afford to be looking ahead. Our last two teams didn't exactly come screaming out of the gate in game #1. Syracuse is priority one right now.

 

[ulfr]

Not going to lie, this game scares me more than the next 2. I really hope we are not all jazzed up for the next week at the new stadium and come out flat. Hopefully Brew has them all ready to go and take care of business in all aspects. Starting 0-1 with a loss to Syracuse could destroy the players morale for the whole season.

Agreed. The last two years we have opened really flat. That combined with breaking in yet another pair of coordinators and this is another game I see we should win but could well give us trouble.

 

[GopherOnWheels]

Listenin to Brew talk in Chicago gave me a little more confidence tho... Let's see if his focus on Syracuse = players focus on Syracuse

 

[ulfr]

I'm reading a lot of predictions on our schedule this year and it seems everyone is just chalking up Air Force as a "W." I've even seen schedules that even have 3-9 Syracuse beating us. Why? Air Force has a very good offense and went 8-4 last year in the regular season and had a couple tough losses. I'm actually going to go out on a limb and say that Air Force will be tougher then Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue & Iowa for us.......

I don't think many people were unconcerned especially this scholar of all arts prolate spheroid:

I think this game could be a serious trap game for the Gophers, with high emotions coming into the stadium. Thanks to underemployment and the BigTen Network, I have watched several of our losses over and over again of late, and seeing the run discipline issues we had versus Michigan and Northwestern especially I could see us having fits against the option ground mix that Air Force still rolls out. Seeing how Kafka made us look silly for a half, I shudder to think how silly a well executed triple option could make our team look. We have more talent and speed, but then again that didn't save us from NDSU...

Hopefully we are clicking on all cylinders coming off a romp in western NY, and we put Air Force away nice and early ala Bowling Green last year.

But even this eternal pessimist can take light in the fact that Gophers have massively upgraded their defensive talent. I think a number of mid-decade Mason teams would have been made to look absolutely foolish against triple options packages of a service academy.

 

[GophBen]

USAFA

Air Force is going to be the trickiest game of the year. I'm predicting a win in the game, but it's going to be a win we'll have to earn.

Syracuse, on the other hand, doesn't concern me at all. It takes time to get things going with a new coach when you are as bad as the Cuse were last year.

 

[oak_street1981]

Other than a couple of exceptions the Mason teams absolutely destroyed most NC teams they played. Colorado State, Toledo, and Tulsa where three examples.

The Mason teams would have run for 500 yards against Navy or the Air Force Academy. There would not have been enough clock left for the options teams to win.

Those teams beat many teams that could move the ball very well, beyond the non BCS teams I just mentioned.

 

[UptownMaroon&Gold]

We could easily lose our first 3 games, have everyone be down in the dumps, and then win our next 3 against Northwestern, Wisco and Purdue. That is the best part about college football, and the beauty of our newly toughened schedule this year. Who knows what will happen, consequently we will probably get to watch some really great and heart-wrenching games.

 

[Monty519]

I think most are predicting a win cause we really don't want to consider the idea of losing the very first game in TCF like that. I know I don't lol.

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

Other than a couple of exceptions the Mason teams absolutely destroyed most NC teams they played. Colorado State, Toledo, and Tulsa where three examples.

The 2000 loss to Ohio and the 2001 loss to Toledo being the exceptions.

This isn't necessarily a dig on Mason, because Brewster has lost to BGSU, FAU and NDSU. Just saying that a Mason team win over a non-BCS team was not guaranteed.

 

[Schnauzer]

Well we have now beaten this to death. It is clear: Air Force isn't being overlooked.

That leaves us with the real question:

Why is everyone here overlooking Ohio State?

 

[magpie]

Air Force would be slightly favored over us in the Dome, but our players, fans, etc will be extremely pumped for the stadium opening and thus people are predicting the win. No one said it'll be easy though. I could see 38-31.

 

[RodentRampage]

It's going to be a real home field advantage at TCF versus Air Force. It's going to be jam packed with Gopher fans. It won't be the sterile, apathetic feel of the dome.