When taking a brief moment to ponder the 3-9 predictions by members of the Oregonian staff who cover this team, I can't help but wonder..." what are they are looking at?" Haven't they been watching this team develop and grow, as they have been covering them for the past few years?
Then I realized, the answer really is "no." Practices have largely been off-limits... To the press, and the public… So nobody outside the program really knows what's been happening with football acumen and performance, "empirically". All of which is to say that this Thursday evenings results in Minneapolis are going to be very surprising...or even "shocking", to many...but they shouldn't be, in reality.
Let's face it...yes Minnesota is a very experienced team, from a very strong conference. They are solid, they are very respectable, but they are also mediocre. They finished 5-7 last year, and claimed a one touchdown Bowl win over Central Michigan, to finish 6-7. Really.
There is no reason to expect them to be significantly better than last year. Not at all. They have reached a certain "ceiling", in the current window. They will be solid, and sturdy...but not at all spectacular. Please, let's not confuse this program and this game, with we faced at Ann Arbor last year. It's a totally new team, totally new situation...and Minnesota is no Michigan.
P.S. I'm not a huge gambler or anything, but I do know that Vegas usually gets it right. But, there are times when they get it wrong. This is one of those times. The 13 point spread is quite generous of them.
Then I realized, the answer really is "no." Practices have largely been off-limits... To the press, and the public… So nobody outside the program really knows what's been happening with football acumen and performance, "empirically". All of which is to say that this Thursday evenings results in Minneapolis are going to be very surprising...or even "shocking", to many...but they shouldn't be, in reality.
Let's face it...yes Minnesota is a very experienced team, from a very strong conference. They are solid, they are very respectable, but they are also mediocre. They finished 5-7 last year, and claimed a one touchdown Bowl win over Central Michigan, to finish 6-7. Really.
There is no reason to expect them to be significantly better than last year. Not at all. They have reached a certain "ceiling", in the current window. They will be solid, and sturdy...but not at all spectacular. Please, let's not confuse this program and this game, with we faced at Ann Arbor last year. It's a totally new team, totally new situation...and Minnesota is no Michigan.
P.S. I'm not a huge gambler or anything, but I do know that Vegas usually gets it right. But, there are times when they get it wrong. This is one of those times. The 13 point spread is quite generous of them.
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