Row the Boat 2024

Suprised no one else started this one yet.

Golden Gopher Football starts in 6 days. The opener is Thurs, August 29 at home versus North Carolina. I don’t particularly know how good they are this season, but they probably are not as good as last year when they had first round NFL draft pick Drake Maye.

The Big Ten schedule looks brutal to start the season. Iowa, Michigan, USC, and UCLA are the first four conference games.

Sports Books have the Gopher season over/under win total set at 5.5.

There are some big changes to the Big Ten this season. Four teams from the west coast (USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington) have entered the conference now. Additionally, the Big Ten Championship will no longer feature the winner of the east vs the winner of the west. Its simply to top two teams overall, regardless of divison.

I think its going to be about the same as last season in dinkytown. Kaliakmanis transferred and another transfer from New Hampshire, Max Brosner, is expected to be the starting QB.

I’ll go with 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game this season.

I think Brosmer will be an upgrade at QB. Running game should be great, we have a very good OL and Taylor is a stud just please stay healthy. Secondary and WR groups will be interesting. Sounds like some good things with some new guys but we always hear that. Im saying .500.

I wish the transfer portal would go away. Used to be able to know the team good or bad cause kids were there 3-5 years. Now its like start from scratch every year. I get if the coach that recruited you leaves or other legit reasons but I just dont like it now.

I’m thinking 4-8 or 5-7 with a quick glance at the schedule. Not having OSU or Oregon on the schedule helps, but this was a bottom to middle tier Big 10 team before the expansion. I don’t follow Oregon enough to see how they lose Bo Nix and are supposed to be better. OSU returns everyone except their sub par QB. Michigan lost a ton of NFL talent but still look scary good, especially on defense. Penn State looks like a top ten team.

I was at the U of Iowa when adding Notre Dame was the big talk…we’ve added 6 other teams since then from both coasts. Not the Big Ten I grew up with but will be interesting to watch.

When do they rename the conference? Was weird with 11 teams forever then 14. Now what is it the Big 18

I will go with 6-6, with a shot at 7-5 for the Gophers.

The non conference slate is 3 cupcakes that the Gophers will be favored in. Maryland, Illinois, and Rutgers are also all teams that are beatable and at least a toss-up. Iowa, Wisconsin, and UCLA are not likely juggernauts this season either.

The SEC sniped a couple of teams from the Big 12 this offseason too (Texas and Oklahoma). Eventually there’s probably just gonna be two major power conference left, the Big Ten and SEC.

The primary reason is money and marketing. Both the Big Ten and SEC have new long term national TV contracts. The PAC 12 and Big 12 do not. They only have their own cable networks instead.

I agree with Jeremy’s statement on the transfer portal. Now all the bigger, more powerful schools pluck recruits from other schools to fill much of their roster. Its become like free agency for the NCAA. In every sport, not just football. They need to tighten it up again and make players sit out for a season when they transfer.

Yes completely agreed on the transfer portal. I understand its purpose, but that doesnt make me like it. We have benefitted and been hurt by it too. I think Kaliakmanis leaving and Brosmer was a win win for the gophers. There is a writer for the gophers who every year does a run down on players that have left here for greener pastures and surprisingly many of them dont do anything where they go.

buckybadger wrote:

I will go with 6-6, with a shot at 7-5 for the Gophers.

The non conference slate is 3 cupcakes that the Gophers will be favored in. Maryland, Illinois, and Rutgers are also all teams that are beatable and at least a toss-up. Iowa, Wisconsin, and UCLA are not likely juggernauts this season either.

Being a lifelong fan you can count on at least 1-2 losses in the cupcake or weak division foe category. Not a season has gone by in the last 10 years where they haven’t blown one to the likes of a Bowling Green, etc.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

Being a lifelong fan you can count on at least 1-2 losses in the cupcake or weak division foe category. Not a season has gone by in the last 10 years where they haven’t blown one to the likes of a Bowling Green, etc.

This is completely true. I dont know if they play Nebraska this year, but they have been beating them badly for years. I have a sinking feeling that is going to change this year I hope I am wrong.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

Being a lifelong fan you can count on at least 1-2 losses in the cupcake or weak division foe category. Not a season has gone by in the last 10 years where they haven’t blown one to the likes of a Bowling Green, etc.

In 2019 they went 11-2. Both losses were to Iowa and Wisconsin though. And they beat a highly ranked Auburn team in the Outback Bowl.

That was their best season in the last 75 years, but they still couldn’t beat their two biggest rivals.

CaptainMusky wrote:

This is completely true. I dont know if they play Nebraska this year, but they have been beating them badly for years. I have a sinking feeling that is going to change this year I hope I am wrong.

They almost got us last year, if memory serves me right. And you have to remember that the Nebraskas of the world are looking at us saying the exact same thing – IE “not likely Juggernauts”

I think Nebraska is going to be much better over the next few years with their new coach. I really like him and yes they almost got us last year.
Fleck finally found a way to beat Iowa and Wisconsin a couple times so hopefully that skeleton is out of the closet now.

Nebraska is my favorite college football program to laugh at:

-They had x7 straight seasons of 9 or more wins under Bo Pelini, and then fired him.

-In 9 seasons since firing Pelini, they have had exactly ONE season were they were .500 or better

They deserve to be terrible.

Firing Pelini was dumber than firing Mason IMO but both were bad ideas.

I’m going out on a limb and predicting the same ole $hit as I’ve seen for the last 50 years.
Let’s be honest it’s Gopher football.

For a little deeper dive into some of their personnel for those interested (and this is off the top of my head from stuff I’ve read recently, so there could be more):

Even with a solid RB (Taylor) the Gophers still landed a pretty solid RB through the portal, I believe he came from Oklahoma. Fleck had talked about wanting more depth at the position. Obviously it’s great if a RB can take a series or even a few snaps off, plus Taylor was hurt a little last year, so even with the way Taylor ran the ball last year the RB group has improved.

**Sidenote: I did not know this but the Strib had a pretty good story about how Taylor’s father has been incarcerated most, if not all, of Taylor’s life.

Daniel Jackson was solid for the Gophers last year and could possibly wind up in next year’s draft class.

And I don’t remember the guy’s name, but they have an offensive tackle who has been discussed as a possible first-round pick. ESPN did their pre-season All-Americans and this tackle from the Gophers was an honorable mention behind a tackle from Alabama.

That tackle is a beast. Even Brian balldinger has been racing about him.

The portal is ruining college sports or at least football and basketball. A team like the gophs will never be able to compete with the big name schools unless the fotune 500 companies in town start forking out money. Until then, it’s the gophs and the conference just got tougher so I will go 500 or under.

With the format change in the Big Ten Championship, the Gopher’s chances of making it to that title game just went from remote to impossible. Before they had to beat out Iowa and Wisconsin. Now they have to beat out Oregon, USC, Washington, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State…plus Iowa and Wisconsin.

Yeah Gim that change was not favorable.

Especially if they commit turnovers. Gotta win that battle. Relearned that reading the Vikings stuff.

The Tackle is Ersery (sp)… I think they go 5-7… maybe 6-6.

They go 6-6 but get throttled by Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin. Fleck leaves after this year cuz he knows he can’t compete anymore with the portal and NIL (which I agree are ruining CFB).

Nebraska goes 8-4 and shows they are back, baby!

GO BIG RED!!!!

I quit caring when they blew a 30 point lead to Michigan in the 4th quarter 21 years ago but my prediction is that they will be mediocre to garbage for the next 100 years? row that $hit if it makes you happy!

I think they will win 7 games. The offense should be better than last year. They upgraded at QB, have a strong RB stable, and a potential NFL receiver. I am far more worried about the defense. It would not shock me to see Fleck leave for a stronger program if they have a decent year.

The opening line for the Thursday night game against UNC favored Minnesota by 2.5 points. That line has taken a very dramatic shift the other direction, now favoring the Tar Heels by 1.5 points.

Lines shifting 4 points are rare. Either there are some injuries to the Gophers we aren’t aware of, or there is a crap load of money coming in for the Tar Heels.

buckybadger wrote:

Nebraska is my favorite college football program to laugh at:

-They had x7 straight seasons of 9 or more wins under Bo Pelini, and then fired him.

-In 9 seasons since firing Pelini, they have had exactly ONE season were they were .500 or better

They deserve to be terrible.

Ding Ding Ding! The NIL/Portal will help get Nebraska back to relevance though, the whole state will chip into that fund. Also, I wanted to bump this to remind @Matt Moen, as any Nebraska fan that remembers the real glory days under Tom Osborne is going grey or bald and nearing retirement. (It’s grey for me bud! )

Nebraska 84 – Gophers 13. My brother and I were at that game. Seemed like more Nebraska fans than Gopher fans.

Looks like the Gophers own Nebraska… MN vs Neb