Bleeding maroon and gold isn't easy.

            For anyone who woke up in Minneapolis this morning, you can relate to the ‘ho-hum’ I initially felt.  It was gross.  Glum, foggy, misty day.  Heading to the Twins game tonight, it was exactly the weather I had not wanted to wake up to.  But—and I can only thank karma or a higher power for this—the sun has come out and it’s actually insanely beautiful out.  Which is why this will be a short-short blog.  I’ve got a baseball game to enjoy.

            So… anyone who knows me knows I love the Gophers.  In fact, last night I threw on some sweats to run some errands only to have the cashier at Holiday question my fashion choices.  “You’re awfully brave to wear Minnesota stuff after their embarrassing loss on Saturday.”

            Yes, it was embarrassing.  So embarrassing that I should have retired my maroon and gold for a while.  But—it’s been an embarrassing last couple of years. Forget losing to South Dakota and USC—those are just the most recent examples of the Gophers’—and Brewster’s—failures.  The program has been slumping since Glen Mason and the 2005 Gophers lost to Wisconsin on a blocked punt in the Metrodome.  Granted, we weren’t an exceptional program even then.  But we were decent.  We had just beat Michigan at the Big House and were ranked in the top 25—something a Gopher fan would remember five years later because it’s not a regular status for the mediocre Minnesota team.

            My point is, Minnesota is my team. Yes, losing sucks.  Being at the bottom of the Big Ten sucks.  But I went to Minnesota for a reason.  And I’d like to consider myself a true Gopher fan.  Am I kinda ‘over’ it?  You bet.  But does that mean I’m going to stop going to games and cheering on the team, even though it’s pretty likely that we are going to lose?  No.  Not a chance.  The Cubs—who are having a very sub-par season—have the highest tickets prices in the MLB because their fans go to games no matter what—a lesson Minnesota fans could take to heart.

            Minnesota is my team.  Even after I graduate and move away, maroon and gold will be two colors that regularly appear in my wardrobe.  Because at some point—and I pray this is true—the Gophers will get it together and I’ll be able to truthfully say I supported them the entire way.  We all have a choice when it comes to cheering on a team.  You don’t like the way Brewster does it?  Buy some red and cheer for the Badgers.  You wouldn’t be the first fair-weather fan to jump ship when things got rough.

Paul DeBettignies (@MNHeadhunter)--the only Gopher fan who loves the team more than me.

Introducing the besties to TCF Stadium.  You know they are true friends when they buy maroon and gold to support your team.  Love you, ladies.  :)

As long as it isn't the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl...

            The Gophers are two games away from being bowl eligible.  I was pretty optimistic at the beginning of the season that we would make one of the seven spots offered to the Big Ten.  Maybe it was the high I got from watching the Gophers play in our new stadium.  Maybe it was the potential we all saw in Adam Weber and super hero Eric Decker.  Maybe it was pure school spirit.  Whatever it was, it started to dwindle today when I started thinking about bowl season and where the Gophers stood.  Two games doesn’t seem like a lot, I get that.  But the rest of our schedule doesn’t leave much room for mistakes.

Our next two games—both on the road at Penn State and Ohio State—are going to define our season.  With both teams 5-1 at the midway point, I’m not going to hold my breath or pray for a miracle.  I get it, I should be more optimistic but it’s Penn State and Ohio State!  We have only played Penn State ten times—the last an overtime win for the Nittany Lions in 2006.  And we did beat the Buckeyes in 2000.  But they are consistently pretty damn good at football and seem to be considered two of the top teams in the Big Ten.  Penn State did surf smoothly through their first half of the season with wins against Akron, Temple, and Eastern Illinois--and even Coach Joe has addressed the fact that this is their first chance to really define themselves as a football team.  So maybe there is hope?! 

  Thankfully, there’s a chance we could pick up a win against Michigan State on Halloween—the Spartans are also 2-1 in the Big Ten, probably still reeling from Central Michigan’s major upset on Sept. 12^th.  It really could be anyone’s game.  So hypothetically speaking, if the Gophers can pull off a win against Michigan State, we’d have a record of 5-4 with three games left to play.  Illinois, South Dakota State and the dreaded Iowa. 

Who hates Iowa?  This girl.  Especially after the blow-out at the Dome last year (I promise that is the only time I will mention that).  One thing I’m confident about is the Gophers chances against Illinois.  (I’m not even going to address SDSU because if we don’t beat them, I think TCF Bank Stadium will be torn apart.)  And let’s be honest—if the Gophers score against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City, we will all be happy.  Therefore, I’m thinking—okay, I’m predicting—the Gophers end the season either 7-5 or 6-6, depending on what happens when Michigan State comes to town.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see the Gophers take as many wins as they can.  I’m just being practical.  After going just 1-11 in 2007, I’ve become very frugal with my optimism when it comes to Minnesota football.  So on Saturday—when the Gophs take on #14 Penn State—think of me watching the game with my hands half covering my eyes.  And if the guys decide to surprise us all, I will have no problem eating my words.   

First Gopher Game at the TCF Bank Stadium

Minnesota vs. Air Force

September 12th, 2009

20-13 W