Why such college football ignorance in the TC area? Fixes?

[Ole]

Listening and reading about the latest signing day information locally has been a frustrating endeavor the past two days for me.

The lazy reporting is an issue locally as we all know, however, why is the local average sports fan SO ignorant of college football and how it works?
I get that the vikings rule this town, but it just seems like there is simply a lack of knowledge, but not of outrage or disdain for the Gophers.

All I heard this morning and yesterday besides the obligatory intro pieces was that this was the worst or 12th ranked class in the B1G. Followed by potshots and snickering.
Are local sports fans simply so ill informed that they cannot read deeper into the recruiting scene or look to the vast spectrum of college programs that use different formulas to success?

There are countless examples of great recruiting rankings not really making much of a difference, and many others that spit in the face of those rankings. From using JUCOs to fill key holes, to recruiting raw athletes and developing them, to recruiting 5 star classes and playing them early, not everyone does it the same way.

I'm obsessed with Gopher football , I get it. I'm not like the average sports fan locally, but it would seem that people interested enough to complain about recruiting would read up on it enough to form an informed opinion.

I like this class. The ranking thing is so incredibly overrated it's hilarious. I don't expect us to turn the corner because of this class, but good lord it seems like someone could do a better job to inform the local sports fan on college football and it's inner workings.
/rant
thoughts?

 

[GoGophers2005]

Ole, I've been feeling the exact same way.
The media pounces on the #12 Big Ten Class and makes fun of it. When Brew had his #17 national recruiting class the media questioned the recruiting services and said you still have to coach the players. We can't win.

It's embarrassing to see the Strib's coverage of the Washburn Millers signing day in today's paper (it's almost more than they gave the Gophers recruiting coverage). Do you really need to hold a signging day for D-II or community college athletes? Is this what its come down to? How many people reading that article think the Gophers 'missed out' on any of these athletes?

 

[Gopher07]

People who don't actively seek information about the Gophers generally won't care enough to dig into the rankings. They take them at face value.

Plus, their idea of recruiting for college sports is what ESPN shows. Kids at AA games putting on hats. Big announcements at schools. Hype up the big classes (see their coverage of Ole Miss yesterday). Top 300 kids, and all that.

Anything less than that isn't worth paying attention to to the average non-fan, and then they hear the Gophers are "12th out of 12 teams" have "no top 300 recruits" and it is good enough for them to make a judgement. They hear Ohio State and Michigan finished in the top 10, and have numerous top 300 recruits, and it affirms their judgement.

The obstacles are of no concern to the average non-fan, the results are the only thing that matters. There is no journey, only a finish line. I think as diehards we relish the journey, analyze it, dissect it, search for signs. Average non-fan doesn't care about that stuff. Frankly I think we're lucky, considering our recent (last 20 years) history, to have as many diehards as we do have.

 

[BleedGopher]

People who don't actively seek information about the Gophers generally won't care enough to dig into the rankings. They take them at face value.

Plus, their idea of recruiting for college sports is what ESPN shows. Kids at AA games putting on hats. Big announcements at schools. Hype up the big classes (see their coverage of Ole Miss yesterday). Top 300 kids, and all that.

Anything less than that isn't worth paying attention to to the average non-fan, and then they hear the Gophers are "12th out of 12 teams" have "no top 300 recruits" and it is good enough for them to make a judgement. They hear Ohio State and Michigan finished in the top 10, and have numerous top 300 recruits, and it affirms their judgement.

The obstacles are of no concern to the average non-fan, the results are the only thing that matters. There is no journey, only a finish line. I think as diehards we relish the journey, analyze it, dissect it, search for signs. Average non-fan doesn't care about that stuff. Frankly I think we're lucky, considering our recent (last 20 years) history, to have as many diehards as we do have.

Your last paragraph sums it up perfectly - I never thought about it that way before, but I have many casual Gopher football friends who at the end of the day only care about W's and L's and the moment we have a bad loss, they say "same old Gophers" and tune out for the rest of the year, only to take subtle pot shots at me along the way because they know how much I care. And you are so right about us being lucky to have as many die-hards as we do considering the lack of material success over the last 40 years.

Some day we'll have our big time breakthrough season and it will all be worth it.

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gopherprof]

The ranking thing is so incredibly overrated it's hilarious.

It's overrated, but it's not that overrated. You, frankly, seem to be a bit on the opposite end. They are overly negative; you might be a bit pollyannish. We talk a lot now about how we don't need 4* guys, but much of that is because we aren't getting them? If we were getting them, we would talk about how highly regarded they are and how the future is bright (I know this because it happened just a few years ago)

Yes, it is certainly possible to win with 2 and 3* guys, but do you know how hard that is? How unlikely that is? For every Boise State there are 10 UNLVs. To simply scoff at the ignorance of the average Minnesota sports fan (while perhaps true), without taking into that reality, is really no different/better.

I would also agree that there are many, particularly in the talk radio circuit (of which I've never listened a day in my life, but see things elsewhere) that make it a career to do nothing but take potshots at the Gophers. If you look at the comments section of anything, anywhere, it's going to be filled with mostly vitriol. That doesn't mean that every comment they make is necessarily wrong. The recruiting does need to improve. Hopefully this is all part of laying the groundwork so that the better recruits come later, but you can't blame people for being impatient after decades of embarrassing football. Even Kill has said as much.

 

[Gopher07]

Meanwhile, and to expand upon my earlier point, this ESPN map is interesting:

Generally speaking, the non-fan doesn't give a rip until the results come on the field.

 

[Ole]

It's overrated, but it's not that overrated. You, frankly, seem to be a bit on the opposite end. They are overly negative; you might be a bit pollyannish. We talk a lot now about how we don't need 4* guys, but much of that is because we aren't getting them? If we were getting them, we would talk about how highly regarded they are and how the future is bright (I know this because it happened just a few years ago)

Yes, it is certainly possible to win with 2 and 3* guys, but do you know how hard that is? How unlikely that is? For every Boise State there are 10 UNLVs. To simply scoff at the ignorance of the average Minnesota sports fan (while perhaps true), without taking into that reality, is really no different/better.

I would also agree that there are many, particularly in the talk radio circuit (of which I've never listened a day in my life, but see things elsewhere) that make it a career to do nothing but take potshots at the Gophers. If you look at the comments section of anything, anywhere, it's going to be filled with mostly vitriol. That doesn't mean that every comment they make is necessarily wrong. The recruiting does need to improve. Hopefully this is all part of laying the groundwork so that the better recruits come later, but you can't blame people for being impatient after decades of embarrassing football. Even Kill has said as much.

I just think the 2 stars "dragging" down the ranking should be considered before passing judgement:

The 5 2 star guys in this class include a local LB who committed early, a runner up in the Georgia 100 m, a top 10 ranked kicker, a JUCO player of the year, and a under recruited kid who’s HS has traditionally put out quality college players.
Had we not offered and gotten Wipson how bad would the coverage be this year?
The kicker is a 2 star why? Because he's a kicker. The JUCO is a 2 star why? Because he's a JUCO.
I'd consider Kill's track record here too.

Out of the 8 2 star guys from last year’s class 6 played including 4 who contributed heavily to our bowl bound season. Freucte, Ekpe, Keith, Baltazer, Murray, and Boddie. 2 others redshirted including a QB who will be in the 2 deeps next year as a freshman.

In 2011, Kill found 6 2 star players and 5 played heavy minutes this past season including 3-4 starters.
Wells, Thompson, Rabe, Cockran, Jones. With Dex Foreman the lone non contributor to this point.

In total out of 14 2 star kids brought in by Kill to this point, only 3 did not contribute to our bowl season this past year and that includes 2 redshirts. Not bad IMO.
This is the type of deep coverage that would inform and I think interest local fans.

 

[Gopherprof]

The kicker is a 2 star why? Because he's a kicker.

Rivals gave 3* to 11 kickers this year. They judged Santoso to be the 15th best kicker this year. Yes, position plays a part in his lower ranking, but obviously not entirely.

The JUCO is a 2 star why? Because he's a JUCO.

This makes even less sense. Rivals gives out literally over 100 3,4, and 5* rankings to JUCOs. Wilson was likely given a lower ranking because he was regarded primarily as a non-BCS prospects (had a Kansas offer, but otherwise schools like Southern Miss and Memphis). Our other JUCO was more highly considered across the country and thus was a 3* guy.

Out of the 8 2 star guys from last year’s class 6 played including 4 who contributed heavily to our bowl bound season. Freucte, Ekpe, Keith, Baltazer, Murray, and Boddie. 2 others redshirted including a QB who will be in the 2 deeps next year as a freshman. (ended quote here because it addresses the same point

When those guys contribute to a team that wins more than 6 games, that would be a more persuasive argument. Until then, most people are going to look at a team that was 3-7 last year against BCS teams playing a bunch of 2 and 3* kids. That doesn't really make them ignorant so much as it makes them cynical. You're a diehard, so you want to see that glass half full, but I don't think people are stupid just because they don't have the same perspective as you do. Most people aren't going to be impressed by 6-7 (2-6) with a loss in a bowl that didn't exist 10 years ago.


As Gopher07 said, if anything it's fortunate that there are as many diehard Gopher fans as there are. A lot of people do keep the faith despite decades of disappointment. Perhaps a more accurate question would be "Why are Minnesotans so cynical about the Gophers?" But I think we already know the answer to that.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Remember folks, that those of us on this board are in the minority and will be until we start winning consistantly. With KFAN there is more coverage than there has ever been. Mason is on weekly and there is a market for a college show he does weekly with JG. Kill is on every Sunday and also Thursdays during the season with his own show.

It is hard to expand the coverage beyond that. One kids is local. The rest are going to school far away and are kids. I just don't see the papers using money to fly guys to interview and come up with stories. Most of these kids funnel through their HS coaches and these men have jobs and other priorities than to sit and take phone calls from the papers. I think Joe Christensen is doing a good job.

KFan has coaches on yesterday and was at the Social Live. Barreiro interviewed Kill for over 20 minutes and asked great questions and got good answers. If you listened you would understand that they understand that after MICH and OSU that the Big Ten is very close in Recruiting.

If they got more in depth, they would lose the average listener/fan.

 

[Ole]

Rivals gave 3* to 11 kickers this year. They judged Santoso to be the 15th best kicker this year. Yes, position plays a part in his lower ranking, but obviously not entirely.



This makes even less sense. Rivals gives out literally over 100 3,4, and 5* rankings to JUCOs. Wilson was likely given a lower ranking because he was regarded primarily as a non-BCS prospects (had a Kansas offer, but otherwise schools like Southern Miss and Memphis). Our other JUCO was more highly considered across the country and thus was a 3* guy.


When those guys contribute to a team that wins more than 6 games, that would be a more persuasive argument. Until then, most people are going to look at a team that was 3-6 last year against BCS teams playing a bunch of 2 and 3* kids. That doesn't really make them ignorant so much as it makes them cynical. You're a diehard, so you want to see that glass half full, but I don't think people are stupid just because they don't have the same perspective as you do. Most people aren't going to be impressed by 6-6 (2-6) with a loss in a bowl that didn't exist 10 years ago.


As Gopher07 said, if anything it's fortunate that there are as many diehard Gopher fans as there are. A lot of people do keep the faith despite decades of disappointment.

Fair points.
I don't think people are stupid, simply not informed. I also think if the Vikings won 8 games with a team of late round draft steals and rookies contributing the local press would be all over that angle and the local fan pride would swell at the prospect of our team finding diamonds in the rough.

If we do end up with 8 or 9 wins with this same group of 2 stars, I don't believe the media coverage will change or fans will suddenly be better informed.

 

[e.bigelow]

People who don't actively seek information about the Gophers generally won't care enough to dig into the rankings. They take them at face value.

Plus, their idea of recruiting for college sports is what ESPN shows. Kids at AA games putting on hats. Big announcements at schools. Hype up the big classes (see their coverage of Ole Miss yesterday). Top 300 kids, and all that.

Anything less than that isn't worth paying attention to to the average non-fan, and then they hear the Gophers are "12th out of 12 teams" have "no top 300 recruits" and it is good enough for them to make a judgement. They hear Ohio State and Michigan finished in the top 10, and have numerous top 300 recruits, and it affirms their judgement.

The obstacles are of no concern to the average non-fan, the results are the only thing that matters. There is no journey, only a finish line. I think as diehards we relish the journey, analyze it, dissect it, search for signs. Average non-fan doesn't care about that stuff. Frankly I think we're lucky, considering our recent (last 20 years) history, to have as many diehards as we do have.

Man, that last paragraph absolutely nails it! +1!

 

[50PoundHead]

Ole, I think it's a problem with sports reporting in general. Sports reporters, for the most part, are always going to miss something regardless of which sport they are covering and if they go into too much depth, the average (or fair weather) fan simply glosses over it. I don't follow sports the way I used to, but I always seemed to be dissatisfied about the coverage of my favorite teams being watered down too much.

It is great to see the Gophers getting more and better coverage locally.

 

[Gopherprof]

If we do end up with 8 or 9 wins with this same group of 2 stars, I don't believe the media coverage will change or fans will suddenly be better informed.

I disagree. If we win 8 or 9 games next year, especially if two of those wins are against Iowa, Wisconsin, or in a bowl game, I think the perception of the team and Kill will change, particularly in the media. Mason had only 3 such years out of 10, and the best of those (2003) was followed up by another 3-5 Big Ten season in 2004, leading back to the inevitable narrative of "same old Gophers".

People are naturally skeptical, and some may never change because they are more fans of hating the Gophers and/or trolls of another team, but I think the average Minnesotan, especially the average alumni sports fan, would start to come back around.

Now, again, if that 8 or 9 win season was followed up by another 6 win season, it may all be for naught, but I do believe there are a lot of people here that want to root for a winner.

 

[Ole]

Ole, I think it's a problem with sports reporting in general. Sports reporters, for the most part, are always going to miss something regardless of which sport they are covering and if they go into too much depth, the average (or fair weather) fan simply glosses over it. I don't follow sports the way I used to, but I always seemed to be dissatisfied about the coverage of my favorite teams being watered down too much.

It is great to see the Gophers getting more and better coverage locally.

I have to admit to standing next to the beat reporters and media when I go to spring practices. I thought I'd hear some nuggets being tossed around, banter, etc.
They frickin copy off each others' notebooks! They literally compare notes with each other and never left the one spot on the field to venture off. At least Sid goes and bugs people around the field, Sid probably talked to 15 people in half an hour when he would come down, the others never moved until the after practice interviews.
Would the average fan really simply gloss over an in depth, investigative, or interestingly written story? As you say, the crap written today is barely worth the time to read, I think a little depth is exactly what sports fans might enjoy.

 

[Unregistered User]

KFan has coaches on yesterday and was at the Social Live. Barreiro interviewed Kill for over 20 minutes and asked great questions and got good answers. If you listened you would understand that they understand that after MICH and OSU that the Big Ten is very close in Recruiting.

If they got more in depth, they would lose the average listener/fan.

This is my entire issue with the media in this town, and nationwide, and it directly impacts the OPs initial query. I've been harping on this for so many years that I truly can't tell you when I first noticed it.

#1: Barriero is a hypocrite much like most of the media in this town. I have not listened to his show in many years, but I can't think this paper tiger has changed his stripes. When he has a guest on, he will not try to rip them apart, and he can be a good interviewer, when it matters to him. Kill would be a great example. Little Danny boy does not rip on people during in person, or over the phone interviews, because then he would be challenged by someone like Kill to actually justify his misinformed BS. It's when he's just filling air that his snarky self shows it's true colors.

#2: They average fan, the typical poster in the comment section, they guy you work with that tries to throw darts, get most of their "knowledge" from listening to KFAN, 1500, or reading the opinion pieces in the local papers. When [fill in the writer/on-air personality] rips apart a team, the average fan trusts that "knowledge" to be legitimate. I mean, this person is getting paid to pass this insight along, so they must know what they're talking about, right?

#3: The media in this country has gotten lazy. Unbelievably lazy. Not just sports media, ALL media. And I blame talk radio for that. Social media has exacerbated that laziness. Face it; taking a cheap shot is so much easier that actually dissecting a situation and defining and articulating an informed opinion. When a huge number of writers also need to fill air space on the radio and feel the need to drive hits to their blogs/twitter feeds, etc. they need to put out product. Quantity over quality. When Walter Cronkite passed away, they showed a ton of footage of him in his prime. The media today bares no resemblance to that any longer.

I could go on, and I have thought of writing something along the lines of an opinion piece on it, but I'm sure it would be ignored. Why? Because I wouldn't try to be embarrassing anyone in the process, and that won't drive any hits. See how easy it is to be negative?

 

[GophersGonnaGoph]

What worries me is how much of a cesspool the comments section becomes every time there is an article posted about the Gophers. No matter what, there will always be displeasing, ignorant comments that surprisingly get a huge number of likes. Would winning change this? I'm sure it'll shut up the negative tools up.

 

[Maximus]

#1: Barriero is a hypocrite much like most of the media in this town. I have not listened to his show in many years, but I can't think this paper tiger has changed his stripes. When he has a guest on, he will not try to rip them apart, and he can be a good interviewer, when it matters to him. Kill would be a great example. Little Danny boy does not rip on people during in person, or over the phone interviews, because then he would be challenged by someone like Kill to actually justify his misinformed BS. It's when he's just filling air that his snarky self shows it's true colors.

The old "not listened in years, but here's my complete breakdown". Well played.

 

[GopherHomer]

I have a small contingent of my social group that love the Gophers and we bond over that, but most of my friends could easily be clumped into the "typical" Minnesota sports fan. Those typical fans that I associate with seem to fall into two categories:
1) Ex-Minnesota high school football players that feel slighted by past administrations. I have no idea if they could have contributed at the BCS level and have a legitimate beef or if they simply weren't talented enough to garner legit attention from the Gophers. Either way, they seem to root against the U, because our failure almost justifies their world view as them being the untapped talent that is leading to our struggles.
2) Pro sports fans that seem to not understand the inherent inequality between different programs throughout the country. They look at the classes that certain schools (Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, etc) continually bring in, and think that the Gophers should be judged on the same level. A typical Vikings fan will always feel that the Super Bowl is really the only goal that matters, meaning that a Gophers fan should be expecting a BCS championship (not that I wouldn't love that...but my year to year goals are MUCH more modest). They don't understand how I can spend my time backing a team that is pretty much ignored by the sports world as a whole.

I think these two camps are pretty indicative of MN sports fan as a whole and explain the snarky disposition of our potential fan base.

 

[Iceland12]

What worries me is how much of a cesspool the comments section becomes every time there is an article posted about the Gophers. No matter what, there will always be displeasing, ignorant comments that surprisingly get a huge number of likes. Would winning change this? I'm sure it'll shut up the negative tools up.

Never EVER read the comments sections of the Strib. Never!

If you can't resist you better make sure your tetanus shots are up to date.

 

[CentralGopher]

Fair points.
If we do end up with 8 or 9 wins with this same group of 2 stars, I don't believe the media coverage will change or fans will suddenly be better informed.

I would agree with this. 8-9 wins is roughly half of the vikings games so roughly half of the gopher games would be 6-7 wins. Obviously this past year the gophers got 6 wins and the media coverage and fan sentiment has not changed. In fact the gophers have had several 6-7 win years and the general sentiment towards the gophers is about the same. Gophers will never get the same kind of in depth coverage the vikings get simply because they are not the pros and when they struggle there is no depth of knowledge to fall back on to understand why they have struggled because of the lack of coverage.

 

[Gopherprof]

I would agree with this. 8-9 wins is roughly half of the vikings games so roughly half of the gopher games would be 6-7 wins. Obviously this past year the gophers got 6 wins and the media coverage and fan sentiment has not changed.

Let's be real here. 6 wins is not that impressive in college football. Some 70 programs go bowling every year, well over half of those in the FBS. We should expect 6 wins when playing 3-4 cupcakes in non-conference every year.

We were 3-7 against BCS teams, which is what is considered our peer group. If the Vikings only won 30% of their games, they would not be a big ticket in town for very long.

Now, in the context of where the program is in year two, 6 wins is pretty impressive, but as Gopher07 astutely pointed out, people who aren't already on board don't care about that. They want to root for a winner, period. If we are 9-4 next year, even with a 5-4 record against BCS teams, that will move the needle, guaranteed.

 

[CentralGopher]

I disagree. If we win 8 or 9 games next year, especially if two of those wins are against Iowa, Wisconsin, or in a bowl game, I think the perception of the team and Kill will change, particularly in the media. Mason had only 3 such years out of 10, and the best of those (2003) was followed up by another 3-5 Big Ten season in 2004, leading back to the inevitable narrative of "same old Gophers".

People are naturally skeptical, and some may never change because they are more fans of hating the Gophers and/or trolls of another team, but I think the average Minnesotan, especially the average alumni sports fan, would start to come back around.

Now, again, if that 8 or 9 win season was followed up by another 6 win season, it may all be for naught, but I do believe there are a lot of people here that want to root for a winner.

Not the same thing. 8-9 wins by the vikings would equate to 6-7 wins for the gophers which has been done several times yet the media and the fans are the same.

 

[Gopherprof]

Not the same thing. 8-9 wins by the vikings would equate to 6-7 wins for the gophers which has been done several times yet the media and the fans are the same.

As I said above, it's apples and oranges.

 

[MNVCGUY]

This is my entire issue with the media in this town, and nationwide, and it directly impacts the OPs initial query. I've been harping on this for so many years that I truly can't tell you when I first noticed it.

#1: Barriero is a hypocrite much like most of the media in this town. I have not listened to his show in many years, but I can't think this paper tiger has changed his stripes. When he has a guest on, he will not try to rip them apart, and he can be a good interviewer, when it matters to him. Kill would be a great example. Little Danny boy does not rip on people during in person, or over the phone interviews, because then he would be challenged by someone like Kill to actually justify his misinformed BS. It's when he's just filling air that his snarky self shows it's true colors.

#2: They average fan, the typical poster in the comment section, they guy you work with that tries to throw darts, get most of their "knowledge" from listening to KFAN, 1500, or reading the opinion pieces in the local papers. When [fill in the writer/on-air personality] rips apart a team, the average fan trusts that "knowledge" to be legitimate. I mean, this person is getting paid to pass this insight along, so they must know what they're talking about, right?

#3: The media in this country has gotten lazy. Unbelievably lazy. Not just sports media, ALL media. And I blame talk radio for that. Social media has exacerbated that laziness. Face it; taking a cheap shot is so much easier that actually dissecting a situation and defining and articulating an informed opinion. When a huge number of writers also need to fill air space on the radio and feel the need to drive hits to their blogs/twitter feeds, etc. they need to put out product. Quantity over quality. When Walter Cronkite passed away, they showed a ton of footage of him in his prime. The media today bares no resemblance to that any longer.

I could go on, and I have thought of writing something along the lines of an opinion piece on it, but I'm sure it would be ignored. Why? Because I wouldn't try to be embarrassing anyone in the process, and that won't drive any hits. See how easy it is to be negative?

In regards to point number 3. You are absolutely correct to say the media has gotten lazy going more for the soundbite as opposed to the in-depth stories of the past. But that laziness is not the media's fault it is a reflection on society and them adapting in order to survive. Everything is so hectic and fast paced people don't have time for the depth of the past so the media outlets have adjusted to give the public what they want in general.

The general public will believe when the team wins consistently and not a moment sooner. It is going to take a legit Rose Bowl run to really get fans on board and after that it will take a few years of sustained success. People on this board can see things they view as imporvements or signs that things are turning the corner. To the general public this is what they see...

1. Porrly ranked recruiting class with no stud players
2. Very little local talent
3. Team that finishes below .500 and is not a factor in the conference standings
4. When they get to a bowl game it is a lower teir game that no one really gets fired up about
5. Creampuff non-conf schedule to pad the record
6. Coach with health issues

There may or may not be signs of better things coming but it is pointless to worry about what the general public thinks because the only way they will get on board will be if/when the program starts winning at a high level on a fairly regular basis. Sad but that is just the way it is.

 

[CentralGopher]

Let's be real here. 6 wins is not that impressive in college football. Neither is 8 wins in the pros.Some 70 programs go bowling every year, well over half of those in the FBS. We should expect 6 wins when playing 3-4 cupcakes in non-conference every year.

We were 3-7 against BCS teams, which is what is considered our peer group. If the Vikings only won 30% of their games, they would not be a big ticket in town for very long. 2011 season was at least that bad or worse. They had only 3 wins and have had bad seasons before yet are still the big ticket in town.

Now, in the context of where the program is in year two, 6 wins is pretty impressive, but as Gopher07 astutely pointed out, people who aren't already on board don't care about that. They want to root for a winner, period. Completely agree with this. Competing for major bowl games and the occasional national championship or rosebowl just might be the only thing that will change the media or public perception of the gophers.If we are 9-4 next year, even with a 5-4 record against BCS teams, that will move the needle, guaranteed.

x

 

[Iceland12]

Lot of good points in the thread already.

- Sarcasm rules the airwaves. Bitching, complaining and mindless attacks dominate politics, entertainment news and comments sections. If you've went on the internet or cheered when some d-bag went after "the other side" then don't be surprised when your Gophers ARE the other side.

- This year's recruiting class looks like it may have a couple of gems and it hopefully will turn out well for the Gophers but anybody who can't understand why it's being bashed isn't being honest with themselves. Keep your head down and trust in Kill's record but don't complain about the public and the "experts" not being complementary about a class that's ranked at the bottom of the Conference.

- The Gophers have won 8 or more games THREE times in the last 40 years! They finished on a losing note in one of those years (1999) and in another (2002) they lost 4 of their last 5 games, and many people are PRAYING for those years to return!

- Last year the Strib did an article on Twin Cities Metro residents. Something like 48% of them were not originally from here. Three of the four surrounding states, Iowa and the Dakotas have their own colleges, they don't have their own Pros. It's also why the neighboring states filled-up the Dome and can have a good showing at TCF. They don't TRAVEL here, they LIVE here.

- The vast majority of posters on HERE are Gopher fans and yet this past season we've had plenty of posters almost gleefully bashing Gray, the Offense, play calling, the lack of talent, Season Ticket Holders who are to OLD, Student Ticket Holders who don't show up, and Brewster and Maturi even though both those guys are gone. You're suprised that the General Public does the same thing?

 

[Gopherprof]

x

The Vikings sometimes only win 30% of their games. Sometimes they win 80% of their games. All-time, they've won a little over half (54.5%)

Conversely, the Gophers have won 46% of their Big Ten games all-time, and as we all know, that number is far worse if you're just looking at the last 40 years. Glen Mason was the most accomplished coach we've had here in that time, and he only managed to win 40% of his Big Ten games. By comparison: Brewster (22%), Kill (25%), Wacker (20%), Gutekust (39%), Holtz (41%), Salem (27%). That takes us back 35 years before we get to a coach that came close to winning half his Big Ten games, Cal Stoll (48%).

The difference between one or two extra Big Ten wins per year might not seem like much, but I think it would make a difference in public perception over time.

 

[CentralGopher]

The Vikings sometimes only win 30% of their games. Sometimes they win 80% of their games. All-time, they've won a little over half (54.5%)

Conversely, the Gophers have won 46% of their Big Ten games all-time, and as we all know, that number is far worse if you're just looking at the last 40 years. Glen Mason was the most accomplished coach we've had here in that time, and he only managed to win 40% of his Big Ten games. The difference between one or two extra Big Ten wins per year might not seem like much, but I think it would make a difference in public perception over time.

That's a good way to look at things and shows why the media and general public seem biased against the gophers however to get back to the point, I still believe that a 6-7 or even a 8-10 win season won't suddenly change things. It would need to be a consistent winning team regardless of what kind of stars we are recruiting.

 

[Unregistered User]

The old "not listened in years, but here's my complete breakdown". Well played.

Believe me or don't believe me, I really don't care.

I decided that I had enough of him when he had Vince Flynn on promoting "Pursuit of Honor", and he could not have been more cordial, or perhaps cloying, to a guest.

Some time before or after that had on another guest, I believe it was Bethenny Frankel, who also had some new book out, or was launching her wine company or something.

Now, since he would never have to talk to her face to face, or interview her again, he was a complete DBag to her. I don't know anything about her other than my wife watched "Real Housewives" so I was familiar with her name. He was so incredibly disrespectful to her that I just turned it off, and he was the last guy I listened to on KFAN. That's when I realized the pattern of his style. And I was just tired of hearing the same thing over, and over, and over, and over. The first guy I turned off completely was Dan Cole, then I used to listen to Paul Allen in my office, but he got old, so I would listen to Dan Barreiro on the way home, but his shtick wore out my last nerve.

So, according to Amazon.com "Pursuit of Honor" came out in 2009, outside of listening to the broadcast of games, I have not tuned into that station since then.

Like I said, believe me or don't.

 

[B1GSportsGuy]

Coach Jerry Kill was quoted on KFAN yesterday as saying that Northern Illinois had classes ranked 11th, 11th, and 12th in the MAC and those kids ended up in the Orange Bowl this year.

Some simple fact checking revealed the following about NIU's recruiting classes from the past 4 years in the MAC.

2009 - 7th
2010 - 3rd
2011 - 2nd
2012 - 4th

I realize Coach Kill is downplaying the importance of recruiting rankings, but he shouldn't be making things up.