You guys want to play "better" programs, try scheduling in the regular season.
They have scheduled five AQ games OOC the last five years.
USC twice, Cal once, and SU twice. That's it, that's the list.
You did manage nine games against MAC and MW teams (7-2) and six 1-AA (4-2).
You guys are the midwest version of Rutgers. Even scheduling for success, including adding an SU program that was coming off of 10-35 as one of their few AQ opponents, they have gone 25-37 the last five years.
By contrast SU is 31-31 the last five years, and has played 7 games against B10 teams, 3 against Pac-10 teams, 1 SEC game, and 2 games against ACC while still in the Big East. That's 13 scheduled AQ opponents OOC in five years vs 5. On top of that SU beat two B-12 opponents in it's bowl games, KST and WVU. It's not great but SU went 6-9 in those games.
In the same stretch SU only played 5 MAC and CUSA games (5-0) and six 1-AA (6-0).
Take a look at that, and then maybe you'll begin to understand why SU fans take offense at the patronizing BS that has been posted here by Minnesota fans.
I think that you have to understand one thing, we are still basically, or were until this year I suppose, in recovery mode from what our last coach did to our program. We are very blessed to have stumbled upon Jerry Kill. I believe he will end up in the cfb HOF, easily, unless he messes up here at Minnesota, but so far he's on track towards putting us right into the mix of the contenders for the Big Ten title. Not yet this year, but he's building a good foundation that in a few short years could see us regularly vying for the conf title. He's done the same thing at every program he's been at so far. NIU wouldn't be where it is today if not for the foundation Kill built there before he left to come to Minnesota.
And we do have a tough conf schedule, so I don't think its a requirement to schedule only AQ teams, especially not when 2 of our 4 ooc opponents are bowl bound teams, one of which is ranked as being as good as Syracuse is by CBS. After we establish it as a pattern, winning 8 games a year or more, then yeah, for sure, then we should schedule better competition in the ooc. But we scheduled one truly bad team, and there is a Gopher connection there, New Mexico St's coach is or was at the time the game was scheduled, a former Gopher player. But otherwise all the other Div 1A teams on our schedule are either Big Ten teams or bowl bound teams.
And I'm sorry to say, but North Dakota St is rated as a better team than over half of the teams on your schedule this season. The Sagarin ratings have them rated AHEAD of Louisville even. And its not like they just got good this year, but they've been a dominant force in Div 1AA for several years now. One of their players got an invite to the Senior Bowl this season.
And its not like Syracuse is a shining example of a program known for scheduling tough opponents. Syracuse has played 4 times as many Div 1AA teams as the Gophers have over the years. And almost twice as many Div 3 opponents. And Syracuse has lost to ten times as many teams currently rated as non-Div 1A teams as UMn has.
But maybe some posters may have added to their complaints about getting into the Texas Bowl again, that they thought Syracuse sucked, because they lazily just looked at their 6-6 record. But you might have to give them a pass, because at first glance, two 56 point losses and a 35 point loss do not do much to intimidate a future opponent.
Kind of like how Syracuse fans lazily went to a Wikipedia article and assumed they had more AAs than Minnesota, when they don't. Maybe the Gopher fans should have looked into the Orange more closely before making those derogatory comments? But they didn't. And maybe Syracuse fans should have shown more restraint when they responded, and been more accurate when dealing out so-called smack?? But they didn't.
A lot of people operating off of vague and general perceptions garnered from personal experience that almost 100% of the time lacks a foundation in facts and stats and the truth. Like Orange fans saying that they've never known the Gophers to be good at anything relevant in their lifetimes.
Their vague perception doesn't change the fact that the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB were littered with All-Stars, from the 60s into the early 90s, with players who played college ball at Minnesota. That since 1999, the Univ of Minnesota has been in serious recovery mode from a very bad decade all around for the most part. The bb scandal, the worst decade of football ever played at UMn, and not much going on in any sport other than Hockey, our academic rankings dipped a bit, donations were down, etc.. But almost all of that has turned for the better. We're ranked as one of the Top Ten Public Research Universities now and our academic rankings are rising. It may take another year or two to know for sure whether Kill is the real deal or not, and it may take 3-4 years to know whether or not Pitino is for real, but I suspect both will be found to be great coaches, and soon Orange fans may be very jealous of the riches Gopher fans will be enjoying. Our Hockey programs are at the top of the world, our Wrestling program is still going strong, ranked #2 in the nation right now. Our VB program is doing incredibly, our swimming and cross country teams regularly make the NCAAs, our women's gymnastics team is doing well, our baseball team has done well for Big Ten standards at least, our Golf team had a great decade, with a Natl Title and several top 10 finishes, but is now in recovery mode, our women's bb and women's soccer teams both show potential for doing well, our track teams also do quite well, and how can I forget to mention that Dance team that you are all so impressed with, an unstoppable dynasty as it stands, and if you add onto that, a great fb and mens bb team as well? Well look out Stanford, UMn could win a Sears Directors Cup even? We've ranked as high as #2 after the winter session without the fb or bb teams help.
And who knows, maybe we'll pick up Lacrosse?! Then you can whoop us in that and cbb. Syracuse is my bb team that I'm rooting for this season, btw. After my Gophers, of course.
By the way Syracuse University is 14-9-1 in their 24 bowl games. We know it will be a battle and realize there is work to be done particularly in light of our injuries - they don't - good for us. The more I learn, the more confused I am about many of their fan's attitude and realistic assessment of their program's accomplishments to date but for us - it's a good thing.
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