After watching every game, this isn't a great team or even very good team.That while 7-2 was a very solid start it had to be rare. The Gophers had been pretty bad over the last 50 years, just wasn't sure how often Minnesota had gotten to 7-2.
Turns out for the Gophers to be 7-2 is quite an accomplishment. It's happened only 6 times since 1967, with 5 of them coming since 2002. Looked it up quickly so I may have missed a team. Scheduling, as we've heard many, many times, has certainly been part of this year's record, and Claeys hasn't beat a ranked team yet. He gets his opportunity for that on Saturday. He may get 2 more shots after that. None of those things are unique to the very few 7-2 (or better) Gopher teams.
Scheduling was also a huge part for Mason's teams. He had very forgiving Non-Conference schedules. 2002 he played SW Texas State, LA-Lafyette, Toledo and Buffalo. 2003 got him Tulsa, Troy State, Ohio and again, LA-Lafyette. He lost to 6 out of 7 ranked teams he played in those seasons.
Scheduling got Brewster's team to 7-2. His Non-Conference opponents were NIU, Bowling Green, Montana State and Florida Atlantic. He beat #25 Purdue, but lost to #14 tOSU and #20 NW.
Kill's 2013 team had much the same story. He played UNLV, New Mexico State, Western Illinois and San Jose State in his Non-Conference schedule. Jerry played 4 ranked teams that season and got 1 victory to show for it.
2014 saw Kill beat EIU, Middle TN State and San Jose. He lost to TCU. He went 1-3 against ranked teams.
The common denominator seems to be that even in those good seasons, 1967 & 2003 aside, they all ended very badly. Guessing it was usually due to the schedule and a lack of depth.
2014 - 7-2 and then they went 1-3 to end the year at 8-5. lost to #8 tOSU, #14 WI and #16 MO. Beat #21 NE.
2013 - started at 8-2, then lost all 3 of their last games.Lost to #17 MI, #17 WI and #11 MSU. Beat #21 NE.
2008 - 7-1, then lost their last 5. Beat one ranked team #25 Purdue lost to #14 tOSU and #20 NW.
2003 - 9-2 (1!), split their last 2, beating Oregon in the Sun Bowl. Lost to all 3 ranked teams he faced.
2002 - 7-2 , then lost 4 out of their last 5 before beating #25 Arkansas in the Music City Bowl. Only ranked team they beat. Lost to tOSU, MI and Iowa.
1967 - 9-2, with a season ending victory at Wisconsin. Murray played 1 ranked team that year. Nebraska beat him 7-0 in Lincoln.
Warmath aside, Claeys is following a pattern for Gopher teams to get to 7-2. Get a weak Non-Conference schedule. Though certainly no weaker than the other 3 guys had and he only had a chance to get 3 victories out of it, not 4. The other element is to beat the teams you should.
Only 6 teams were able to put those things together in the last 50 years.
That said, Tracy had zero head coaching experience before Minnesota.That means he has no track record coming in, much like Gutey and Brewster. He has made some head-shaking decisons. He hasn't out recruited many teams and it's pretty doubtful he's brought many big donor checks in either. He also doesn't have the right "look" if you listen to all the shots taken about this weight.
His contract is set-up some can be fired after this season without costing the U much money. If he loses 3 of the next 4 that would be pretty easy to do, and hard to argue against.
Coyle would be an idiot to fire a guy who finished 11-2 or 10-3. Particularly if that meant they beat Bucky and/or played for the Big Ten Championship. Now what if he loses all 4 and the team looks bad doing it?
He's probably and rightly gone.
Historically at least, it's been a very good year so far, no matter how it "feels". There, however, are a whole bunch of ways it could end.
Turns out for the Gophers to be 7-2 is quite an accomplishment. It's happened only 6 times since 1967, with 5 of them coming since 2002. Looked it up quickly so I may have missed a team. Scheduling, as we've heard many, many times, has certainly been part of this year's record, and Claeys hasn't beat a ranked team yet. He gets his opportunity for that on Saturday. He may get 2 more shots after that. None of those things are unique to the very few 7-2 (or better) Gopher teams.
Scheduling was also a huge part for Mason's teams. He had very forgiving Non-Conference schedules. 2002 he played SW Texas State, LA-Lafyette, Toledo and Buffalo. 2003 got him Tulsa, Troy State, Ohio and again, LA-Lafyette. He lost to 6 out of 7 ranked teams he played in those seasons.
Scheduling got Brewster's team to 7-2. His Non-Conference opponents were NIU, Bowling Green, Montana State and Florida Atlantic. He beat #25 Purdue, but lost to #14 tOSU and #20 NW.
Kill's 2013 team had much the same story. He played UNLV, New Mexico State, Western Illinois and San Jose State in his Non-Conference schedule. Jerry played 4 ranked teams that season and got 1 victory to show for it.
2014 saw Kill beat EIU, Middle TN State and San Jose. He lost to TCU. He went 1-3 against ranked teams.
The common denominator seems to be that even in those good seasons, 1967 & 2003 aside, they all ended very badly. Guessing it was usually due to the schedule and a lack of depth.
2014 - 7-2 and then they went 1-3 to end the year at 8-5. lost to #8 tOSU, #14 WI and #16 MO. Beat #21 NE.
2013 - started at 8-2, then lost all 3 of their last games.Lost to #17 MI, #17 WI and #11 MSU. Beat #21 NE.
2008 - 7-1, then lost their last 5. Beat one ranked team #25 Purdue lost to #14 tOSU and #20 NW.
2003 - 9-2 (1!), split their last 2, beating Oregon in the Sun Bowl. Lost to all 3 ranked teams he faced.
2002 - 7-2 , then lost 4 out of their last 5 before beating #25 Arkansas in the Music City Bowl. Only ranked team they beat. Lost to tOSU, MI and Iowa.
1967 - 9-2, with a season ending victory at Wisconsin. Murray played 1 ranked team that year. Nebraska beat him 7-0 in Lincoln.
Warmath aside, Claeys is following a pattern for Gopher teams to get to 7-2. Get a weak Non-Conference schedule. Though certainly no weaker than the other 3 guys had and he only had a chance to get 3 victories out of it, not 4. The other element is to beat the teams you should.
Only 6 teams were able to put those things together in the last 50 years.
That said, Tracy had zero head coaching experience before Minnesota.That means he has no track record coming in, much like Gutey and Brewster. He has made some head-shaking decisons. He hasn't out recruited many teams and it's pretty doubtful he's brought many big donor checks in either. He also doesn't have the right "look" if you listen to all the shots taken about this weight.
His contract is set-up some can be fired after this season without costing the U much money. If he loses 3 of the next 4 that would be pretty easy to do, and hard to argue against.
Coyle would be an idiot to fire a guy who finished 11-2 or 10-3. Particularly if that meant they beat Bucky and/or played for the Big Ten Championship. Now what if he loses all 4 and the team looks bad doing it?
He's probably and rightly gone.
Historically at least, it's been a very good year so far, no matter how it "feels". There, however, are a whole bunch of ways it could end.
Last edited:
