Sports and Songs Podcast - BONUS Episode - 2024 Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Season Preview!

hello and welcome to another episode of sports and songs podcast tonight's a bonus episode we've got Craig from Filly on to join us how are you doing Craig pretty good so tonight's episode Craig is going to be 2024 Golden Gophers football preview show we're gonna go through like we did last year right the entire gopher schedule see how they're gonna go how they going to win if they're going to lose what's the story what do expect on each of these games and then kind of come to a conclusion of their what their win loss record should be like what's their hope for Bowl situation at the end of the season all that good stuff uh and it starts tomorrow tomorrow is a Thursday night game another nationally televised game um it's on Fox right Fox I believe so that's kind of the footprint for the Gophers now is that Thursday night game they've been doing that this is the third year now I believe I thought longer than that but you prob it could be three for sure but they've been doing this for a while and they've been I don't know how they're getting the deal or how they getting the contract but they're getting this National Television game to start off the season with uh and then kicking into their non-conference schedule and then getting into the Big 10 schedule but let's talk about first this August 29th game tomorrow night it's a 7 o'clock kickoff the times here are Central I know you're out in Philly but for the listeners here in Minnesota it's a 7 o'clock kickoff on Fox North Carolina we have a two a two game contract with them we played out there in Chapel Hill last year now they're coming here they're without the big quarterback from last year right yeah without Drake May okay so what what's your thoughts on this team it should be a good game though right th this is a head because I could go either way I wouldn't I wouldn't bet any money on this game in Vegas because but but I'm gonna be a homer here and I'm GNA go with the goers like 24 to 20 I think they're going to win I I no North Carolina obviously missing Drake May and some weapons through the graduation and so forth and I I think the go for defense will stand up strong enough and the offense obviously put some points just to win yeah obviously good to get a win off the bat here if they can pull that off you know it's MC ma Brown's team North Carolina typically a basketball team of course uh baseball team but not football but they've been doing well so it's not going to be a blowout it should be close game for whoever wins right what's the margin of uh win here do you think uh go first 24 Carolina 20 okay that should be good so all these home games once again Huntington Bank Stadium is the new name of the stadium Huntington Bank Stadium this will kick off on a Thursday night possible rain in the evening could come into this mix Craig possible rain on the artificial turf uh could be some good good information uh a good game now the next two games also at home but look who they're playing game two Rhode Island at home 11 o'clock start the following Saturday at home 11:00 a.m. against Rhode Island is this going to be uh any kind of a close competition game you think first half maybe after that go for going blow him out so I Rams might score 13 points yeah it's uh it's an easier contest that they've been scheduling harder competition here the first couple games last couple of years instead of the easy you know the the three and0 wins where you're blowing everyone out now you've got some North Carolina in here the next game is Nevada game number three also at home a 230 I'm not sure if that's nationally televised or not but because it's 2:30 it could be how is this road how is this Nevada team they're they're spread up Pistol offense uh throw the ball run balance pass they could cause problems gopher's got don't take him lightly because Nevada could could beat him so um it' be interesting game I I think Nev will hang okay all depends on how good this quarterback is too for the goers get you know if if he comes out they're predicting them to be really good now let's let's touch on that for the listeners uh you know we had uh what's his name Alex with the long last name calak kamakis left the organization last year actually left and en ROP and rolled somewhere else now we've got this new guy what's the name of the new quarterback uh BOS is it bosmer it's yeah I think it's bosmer Max bosmer so he comes from where FCS School New Hampshire right yeah but everyone that's all the experts Brave about him so we'll we'll see doesn't seem like just a normal transfer so okay and he's a football thrower I mean he's a he's a passing quarterback right correct okay I don't think he scrambles much but I could be wrong on that I don't know that much about so maybe a pocket passer but how long will it take then to get the feel of the organization and the Playbook learning the new uh the new system maybe that first game or two but the third game by nada should have it pretty well down uh and you know hopefully he stays healthy all year that third game hopefully the Gophers will come out of here two and one but they could easily find themselves one and two right yes at North Carolina's up in the air for me that's a 5050 game uh Rhode Island should be a problem I don't think Nevada should be a problem but they Nevada could be sneaky so um they should be if I'm thinking three and0 but two and one at the worst I think I don't think they'll be so well that'll still be good because that ends the the non-conference schedule because look who comes home the following week Big 10 the Iowa Hawkeyes come to the Gophers and typically this game is always seems to be at the end of the season right toward the end now it's the season the big conference Big 10 opener is against Iowa it's at home they haven't set the time yet for that as long as with all these other games not going forward there's no time set they just have the date September 21st a fall game at home against Iowa this is going to be one loud Affair what do you think is going to happen here you know what I got I got the goers winning I I think the new quarterback and and I think they'll put up enough Point speed Iowa against that defense I I think like a 19 to 13 game kind of deal here makes sense makes sense now here's the question uh Craig as we go to the last weekend in September the golfers go on the road to The Big House Michigan Wolverines in an arbor how is that going to go over uh like a paper bag in the hurricane we're gonna get smoked okay we're come down to reality against Michigan I Michigan yeah sure they lost McCarthy and they got new coach and all that but they still got horses and I they've got they still the national nationally reigning Champion right they're still the B1 football reigning Champion regardless of who they lost they've always got guys they're always tough they're they fill the place 106,000 people uh it's going to be nuts there on the road the Gophers don't have the luxury of playing on the road at all until this game so they're going to play one two three four straight games at home with the luxury and then they're going to get into a crunching schedule on the road starting off with Michigan so hopefully they'll have their win loss record pretty favorable because they're probably not going to win the Michigan game uh come down to earth like you say and then get things to level set here heading into this big 10 schedule the next game first ever right first ever USC comes to Huntington Bake Stadium have they been here before yes they they're in Brewster's air okay because when Brewster was coach he tried to schedule USC and he tried scheduling Texas Texas bailed outo that's right but USC was here and we played at USC one year with Brewster okay here's USC one of the new teams coming over from the west from the pack uh Pack 12 division moving over to the Big 10 for the first time this year and we get to face USC at home with the Trojans and then the following week we go on the road to UCLA and then that's it we don't play any more of the new teams that are coming over because the conference is so big now that we're going to be gradually playing these teams as we go along maybe two a year is that right yeah I I the Rivalry between probably Wisconsin will always be on the schedule maybe Iowa but after that it'll just rotate between Oregon Washington Indiana you know that kind of stuff gotcha gotcha so that'll be fun for the for the for the fans uh that the for the season ticket holders seeing USC in the house here will be fun to see that um that's October 5th can probably go six years without the Gopher is playing Nebraska okay if you think about it it's the schedule you know you can probably go six years who never even playing Nebraska or some of these other teams you know yeah the chance to see them now are fewer and far between some people I've talked to uh that that take one road trip a year for the Gophers find these new teams now fun because now there's a chance to go see UCLA uh Road games in all these other new teams uh if they You Know cover the other ones here in Town locally in the Big 10 over the years it's some new fresh blood but the UCL USC how do you think the GFS will do it's at home that's the good news bad news is Lincoln Riley's offenses are just awesome and I don't think it's gonna be any different even though cayb Williams is with the bears but I just I don't think the golfers are going to stop USC's offense that week so so I I I think it'd be closer than people predict but I I have them losing the USC I mean this is kind of the downward slide for go fors right now okay okay and we'll get to the end of the show with the final win loss prediction record but we're thinking a loss here that makes sense that's back toback now against Michigan and USC with potential losses here then you get October 12th at UCLA in the Rose Bowl Pasadena Craig what do you think oh uh I got I got the Gophers winning this one I I don't think UCLA is there I think the first year coach I think the Gophers this is the one they yeah they'll go on the road and win this one so um yeah so so I got definitely got the Gophers winning this one okay and I believe I I might be wrong but the Gophers have the Gophers played in the Rose Bowl since that 1961 Rose Bowl game have they ever even been there no longest all I think big 10 schools besides the new ones coming in or Penn State I think but I think so like I said you know the fans who go on the road trip so are going to be flying uh getting some tickets some flights to get out there watch that game because uh very rare for the Gophers ever to be in UCLA except for the back in the 60s now the next game is home they get a home game against Maryland this is October 26th Maryland turps come to town what's your thoughts H Maryland's returning like eight starters on defense that was pretty decent last year ah I want to say Maryland but I'm gonna be a little biased here since the G are at home I'm go goers in a tight one against Maryland and this isn't the Maryland team that we're used to the last uh you know few years pretty pretty pretty easy in football they've never been that tough but last year and this year um they're another team that you can't Overlook right you can't Overlook the turps exactly now November 2nd the next game they go to champagne or banaana El Eli fighting Eli I a game against Illinois in Champagne what's your thoughts on the Gophers on this one this is where the stink up the joint they lose okay it's that game it's that game on the road they just it it's that trap game they should win but then something will happen yeah something will fall apart um turnovers whatever his case is going to be it's just one of these uh uh games that they just fold I think so it's a game where the fans are optimistic and it's that game where they go oh crap it's a big let down yeah now the following Saturday November 9th they go on the road to ruter I'll probably go with that one okay that's in New Jersey um you're going to go to that you think okay that should be good how is Ruckers this year I haven't uh looked into them well the thing is with Ruckers they were decent last year they gave up like 23 points a game so their defense is decent now they got the goldford quarterback calam Manis okay that's where he went he's at ruter okay starter so we got revenge thing there and um Ruckers they got a great coach and great sherion so at this point in the year I want to say the golfers but I I think Ruckers will at home will beat the goers I think it's going to be upset honestly do I I I don't know I I changed my mind on this game yeah and this is another road you know potential Road loss coming up that ill you know Illinois now you're going to lose backto back against uh potentially with Rutter's loss now here's how the Gophers finish up the final two games of the regular season November 23rd at home against Penn State at home and then you end up the season on the road in Madison against the Wisconsin Badgers what are your thoughts on those final two games Pence State's too good yep defensively and offensively it's is they're just going to grind us out um we'll beat wi that'll say Flex job right there what's that say it again I missed it it they're gonna beat Wisconsin and then that'll say flex's job okay on the road so in Madison okay Camp Randall that's going to be huge so here's the go here's my summary of the golfers they could be a four- win team or they could be at best at eight win team and I think it all comes down to injuries if they can stay their key players can stay the FI most of the game I think we have a chance of winning seven eight at best that's that'll be magical but if we have injuries across the line in the secondary and and you know wide receiver we we could win four games okay we don't I looked at the roster and this is kind of a good thing bad thing deal there is a ton of freshman and sophomores on the Gopher roster okay and um and I don't know if there's they don't seem like studs but there's a ton of you underclassman on the roster so if these guys get hurt you got freshman playing and you know that works you know blown coverages Miss tackles stuff like that you know when you're playing USC you can't miss tackers because they'll turn a eight yard pass into 30 yard pass you know so we'll that's where I'm at with the golfers I is this is the worst season for me to predict the golfers I new quarterback sounds legit they got experienced wide receivers in Brockington and um Jackson they need to develop a end that can get you four or five catches a game for 38 yards somewhere in that range um and now we got Taylor running back he could be a thousand yard running back you know so there there's there's what I have to say there's there's T there but it's thin that's the problem so do you think six and six with the 12 game schedule five- seven um somewhere in that range six is the bowl category right Bowl eligible that didn't change that's still the same right yes so that's going to be tough if like you said you could go four wins and be out of the bow five wins be out of the bow or like last year you get five years uh five wins and there's not enough teams you end up you know getting asked to play a bowl game but it's going to be tough to get six do you see them winning seven or eight games this year the only way they can do that is by beating the teams that they're supposed to be if if we Illinois if we lose to a Ruckers then that's out the window see I can't see him beating Penn State Michigan uh geez they they might have a chance against USC because they their defense was terrible last year and obviously so five five wins isn't even a slam dunk it's going to be a tough season to win five maybe even six and we don't know how USC is going to pan up they they have a new quarterback they got a new defensive coordinator we they could be a team that's on the bubble that's so then Wisconsin didn't have a great year last year so they should improve on that but you don't know so there's some that's why I haven't beaten Wisconsin and if they can beat Ruckers Illinois take care of that and maybe lose to Maryland and then beat Iowa or Wisconsin and then maybe USC then it's good year in my yeah and so even 66 uh even though it sounds uh bad you still get into a lower level tier bowl game you're still in a tough uh Big 10 a tougher tougher opponents now Big 10 with all the new teams but it seems more realistic for five wins uh no bowls season ends that thing and then what you just mentioned with all the freshman and sophomores is that that this will be a good squad in a couple of years but it's not going to be this year it's not going to be this year that they're going to be a top team well the problem is if if they have to play them we're screwed if they're just filtered in it's different but if they're asked to carry the load because of injuries or but in a couple of years if they're freshman now you know three four years if they stick with the program and don't get injures this could be a couple good classes here down the road uh yeah I'm hoping this new quarterback will figure out you know throw to a tight end you know here or there just you know be able to throw to the second third option of a route you know and and guys in the game so hopefully that happens and I worried about Taylor I think we'll he'll run for 800 to a th000 yards this season once again if he stays healthy you know and so the running game I think be fine it's just get get The Passing game to where we still 200 a game we can get to that point I think we'll be all right now here's a question for you Craig I was looking at the schedule it's 12 games 12 game schedule right um but it's really 14 weeks long and so instead of one buy they all basically have two buys during the season where you have a buy week is this going to help the Gophers or not here's their buys they finish UCLA on the road right they come back from UCLA on a game that you mentioned that they could uh actually win now you get a buy week to prepare for that home Maryland game is that GNA could that help them increase the odds of beating the turps oh definitely I didn't realize that I I didn't even notice the buys I'm sorry I yeah there's two I I wanted to ask you about this because this could help and a lot of people I think also don't know when the buys are and when they're filtered into the schedule and this could be important because like you said if you could pull off a win against Maryland that maybe was 5050 now I have an extra week to study them without them having the same luxury that could be huge the other one is after the Rutter game on the road before Penn State comes here there's an extra week that may be a moot point right because Penn State's going to win either way whether you've got an extra buy or two weeks buy they're that's not going to change anything but the advantage could come before that Maryland game oh I yeah I didn't even pay attention to the buy so thank you for now that changes everything because I think you got guys kind of banged up to get that week off before Maryland and you're doing film you're doing practices you're yeah that that's a big advantage to me and then the other one is uh in the middle of November is an other buy like I said it's it's in front of the Penn State game which you're probably going to lose anyway but it's another chance to get guys healthy it's guys to get uh recovered for the following week the Wisconsin game which is that winnable game on the road everyone could be healthy for that last game of the season with that second buy way late yes I like it I like it I like it um all right so the first game at home they're calling it a gold out gold out game everyone's wearing gold they're going to try to fill the stadium in seats with gold uh are you a fan of these kinds of gimmicks uh or not yeah I kind of like I like the white else I like the golds I I think they're cool I guess fans are into it you sell merchandise why why not you know they're having there's various teams that do stripe outs and whatnot every other section is a different color but the Gophers if you're planning on going to the game Thursday night it is gold out uh where your gold where your gold it's going to be national televised game it should be good and like Craig said it should be you know actually could be a win uh besides uh on on to kick off the season but it's a 12 game season it's grueling and then you have the bowl games and everything else that comes with it we're going to do another bonus episode down the road of the new 12 team playoff format and that'll be interesting because we'll have Craig on the show again to go over that and what that's going to be like because this is the year that gets implemented that this gets implemented the playoff system where 12 teams are in it and these first couple of rounds of the playoffs are on your home stadium which is huge to the school uh for dollars ch- Ching of course and fans get to go to another game but we're going to cover that in a future show I don't think the Gophers will be involved in the 12 team playoff this year of course but I want to see what's that's going to look like and I think the fans are interested in listening to that too the uh General sports fans out there it's it's a lot to take in we've just had the four teams make it the last several years so they're going to 12 um that should be interesting we'll do a show on the future coming up on that but anything else on the Gophers have you got yeah this is um this is my year for Fleck if if the rumors are true from Big 10 coaches that were Anonymous he wanted out of Minnesota he begged UCLA to hire okay you now if that's true which I think has some Merit I then get out we well you know I I don't want to stand I don't have a coach like that that's lobbying for jobs and begging them to hire them no yeah I know Minnesota he probably wants to n money with UCLA probably wants California recruiting um but you know if you're doing that then this this is the year either you show up or you're out to me you know um how long's he been there seven eight years now and we're in mediocracy the last for yeah it's prove it or or prove that you can coach at Alabama prove that you can coach at a you you know this is your Urban Meyers started at Utah worked his way to Florida then you this could be really what you're saying is PJ Fleck may be using this season as an audition to go to a much bigger school and and and show what he can do that's fine with me I think he's had his time here I'm not for Pro or against him but you're right after this season it it might be time for a change anyway well if he if he I think he knew the season was going to be tough so he's trying to get into that UCLA job so in the way that ports are like he was begging to get out of Minnesota to go UCLA and they went hire him you he's oh you know so screw that you know Minnesota can just you know go try to hire some defensive coordinator at Alabama or or George like that see if you we're not going to get a readymade coach unless he's a scandalous coach that has to coach at Liberty and then then like Tiffin or somebody like that Bobby matrino then finally gets another shot right you know it's either be one of those guys or upand cominging offensive coordinator the the replace Flack you know we're not going to get the big name but but if we're going to sit around at five and seven six and seven who who cares and he wants to beg and other teams to take him hire him then get him out of here yep I think that's fair I think that's fair so six and six five and seven somewhere in there depending on how it goes it's all basically on the on the shoulders of this new quarterback we'll see how he does here the guy from New Hampshire uh see how those first three games U you know shake out because learning a new offense and everything else is going with it coming from an FCS school I don't know what the big difference would be going to the D1 there could be a big difference there could maybe be no difference at all but uh it may be a roote Awakening or he may just Excel I've heard only good things about this guy but then again we'll see when the rubber hits the road what actually happens on Thursday night yeah I my key is injuries we're not we're not deep enough if we can stay healthy we got a shot at seven wins if we don't we we could win four up all up in the air I think on I like it I like it um all right thanks uh Craig thanks for your time tonight this is Craig from Philly we've had on for the golden goer football preview show for the 2024 season uh we'll have him on back multiple times during the season on other other sporting events here at Sports and songs but thanks for your time Craig you got Dan all right see you