The funniest thing I've seen in all the hilarious things I've seen on the Illini boards is this: that Illinois thinks they 'should be better' than Minnesota. And that's saying something,cause that Monsters Inc. Fleck/Lovie photoshop is funny AF.
The thing is---most CFB teams are selling the same stuff: pedigree of winning, facilities, college town, academics, etc.
Minnesota doesn't have the recent history of winning big (although we've been WAAYYYY better than the Illini).
The Illini have a dysfunctional AD and are saddled with one of the sleepiest, most boring college towns ever located exactly in the middle of nowhere. That's a tough sell, as you can see from their consistent failure to lure even in-state recruits.
However, in a world where most teams are offering the same thing, it can truly pay off to offer something a little different, provided you have the basics covered.
And by the basics I mean real institutional support, a platform, and a commitment to winning. Minnesota had that from the advent of the program through the 60s, and was a national power during that time. From the 70s through the early 2000s that didn't exist and we have all suffered for it.
However, Minnesota is on TV every week now which you still can't say about a lot of power 5 teams. And now that Minnesota has institutional support, a Big 10 TV $$$ budget, our awesome on-campus stadium and brand new state of the art facilities, we are finally in a position to capitalize on the the thing that sets us apart from 99% of CFB programs:
Minnesota is a power 5 school with a 'college town' campus feel that happens to be in the middle of a huge, bustling city with a bajillion things to do and almost limitless internship and post grad job opportunities.
Add in Fleck's unique energy and 'Row the Boat' culture, and suddenly Minnesota stands out from the pack in a few truly meaningful ways.
There's a reason Fleck emphasized the Twin Cities in his opening presser when he discussed what made this job so appealing. There's a reason why Barry Alvarez coveted the Minnesota job and always said 'there's a higher ceiling in Minneapolis than there is in Madison'.
Outside of USC, UCLA, Texas, Ohio State, and a couple others, there are almost no power 5 programs located in the heart of major cities (and Northwestern doesn't count as Evanston is far enough from Chicago that you can't just hop downtown from campus the way you can from the U).
There's a reason Fleck stated in his opening presser what I've been saying since I was 10: Minnesota is the Big 10's sleeping giant.
Ski-U-Mah let's row the damn boat!
The thing is---most CFB teams are selling the same stuff: pedigree of winning, facilities, college town, academics, etc.
Minnesota doesn't have the recent history of winning big (although we've been WAAYYYY better than the Illini).
The Illini have a dysfunctional AD and are saddled with one of the sleepiest, most boring college towns ever located exactly in the middle of nowhere. That's a tough sell, as you can see from their consistent failure to lure even in-state recruits.
However, in a world where most teams are offering the same thing, it can truly pay off to offer something a little different, provided you have the basics covered.
And by the basics I mean real institutional support, a platform, and a commitment to winning. Minnesota had that from the advent of the program through the 60s, and was a national power during that time. From the 70s through the early 2000s that didn't exist and we have all suffered for it.
However, Minnesota is on TV every week now which you still can't say about a lot of power 5 teams. And now that Minnesota has institutional support, a Big 10 TV $$$ budget, our awesome on-campus stadium and brand new state of the art facilities, we are finally in a position to capitalize on the the thing that sets us apart from 99% of CFB programs:
Minnesota is a power 5 school with a 'college town' campus feel that happens to be in the middle of a huge, bustling city with a bajillion things to do and almost limitless internship and post grad job opportunities.
Add in Fleck's unique energy and 'Row the Boat' culture, and suddenly Minnesota stands out from the pack in a few truly meaningful ways.
There's a reason Fleck emphasized the Twin Cities in his opening presser when he discussed what made this job so appealing. There's a reason why Barry Alvarez coveted the Minnesota job and always said 'there's a higher ceiling in Minneapolis than there is in Madison'.
Outside of USC, UCLA, Texas, Ohio State, and a couple others, there are almost no power 5 programs located in the heart of major cities (and Northwestern doesn't count as Evanston is far enough from Chicago that you can't just hop downtown from campus the way you can from the U).
There's a reason Fleck stated in his opening presser what I've been saying since I was 10: Minnesota is the Big 10's sleeping giant.
Ski-U-Mah let's row the damn boat!
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