YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
sports
Phil Miller is returning to his Big Ten roots to follow Minnesota’s football fortunes for the Star Tribune after a decade of chronicling the NBA and Major League Baseball. The Illinois native began his writing career by covering Utah football for six seasons, and still insists that 12-1 Florida stole the 2009 BCS Championship from the unbeaten Utes.
Email Phil to talk about the Gophers.
Big Ten announces 2015 and 2016 football schedules
Posted by: Michael Rand under College football, The Big 10 Updated: May 21, 2012 - 11:22 AM
The Big Ten released football schedules for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and the Gophers' home slate in the first of those two seasons looks mighty imposing -- and impressive.
Minnesota will face Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska at TCF Bank Stadium in 2015. The Ohio State game will be the first meeting between the teams since 2010.
The team's Big Ten home games in 2016 will be against Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Purdue.
With this announcement, Minnesota's schedules for 2015 and 2016 are nearly set. Here are the Gophers' full schedules for those years:
2015
Sept. 5 - South Dakota State
Sept. 12 - at Colorado State
Sept. 19 - TBA
Sept. 26 - Ohio
Oct. 3 - Nebraska
Oct. 10 - at Northwestern
Oct. 17 - at Michigan
Oct. 24 - Iowa
Oct. 31 - Ohio State
Nov. 7 - at Purdue
Nov. 21 - Wisconsin
Nov. 28 - at Michigan State
Dec. 5 - Big Ten Championship Game
2016
Sept. 3 - New Mexico State
Sept. 10 - Indiana State
Sept. 17 - at Miami (Ohio)
Sept. 24 - Colorado State
Oct. 1 - at Iowa
Oct. 8 - Michigan
Oct. 22 - at Nebraska
Oct. 29 - Northwestern
Nov. 5 - at Ohio State
Nov. 12 - Purdue
Nov. 19 - at Wisconsin
Nov. 26 - Michigan State
Dec. 3 - Big Ten Championship Game
Tinsley's parents accept their son's diploma
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football, Gophers awards and honors Updated: May 10, 2012 - 5:44 PM Gophers linebacker Gary Tinsley formally became a University of Minnesota alum on Thursday, when his parents accepted his diploma during the University of Minnesota's spring commencement.
The Mariucci Arena crowd stood and applauded as Ronda Evans and Gary Tinsley Sr. walked across the stage to receive their son's diploma from Jean Quam, dean of education and human development, before the regular bestowing of degrees began, a university spokeswoman said. Tinsley, 22, who died of an enlarged heart in his Wilkins Hall dorm on April 6, earned a bachelor of science degree in business and marketing education while at Minnesota, while also making 198 tackles as the Gophers' starting middle linebacker.
Gophers coach Jerry Kill and athletic director Joel Maturi attended the commencement with Tinsley's parents, who flew to Minnesota from Jacksonville, Fla., to receive their son's posthumous degree. Several of Tinsley's teammates also attended the ceremony.
Big Ten: No change in policy on 11 a.m. kickoffs
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football Updated: May 4, 2012 - 12:50 PM The Big Ten's policy, and that of its television partners, has not changed regarding kickoff times for teams in the Central time zone, a league executive said Friday. Schools can express their preferences, but TV networks still make the call -- and that includes 11 a.m. kickoffs.
"There is more flexibility now than in the past," said Mark Rudner, the Big Ten's senior associate commissioner, who handles TV contracts. "But our agreements allow TV to make those decisions."
The Gophers were forced to play eight home games at 11 a.m. in TCF Bank Stadium's first two seasons, thanks to a clause that limited 2:30 p.m. (Central) starts to just one game per week. But that provision was negotiated out of the revised contract last year, and Minnesota played no morning home games, the school's stated preference.
On Thursday, however, the conference announced that Minnesota's first Big Ten home game, Oct. 13 against Northwestern, will kick off at 11 a.m., seemingly confirming recent rumors that low ratings for Minnesota games would force BTN to relegate them to the early window, or that other Central time zone schools were seeking the same consideration that the Gophers had received. "We hear a lot of conspiracy theories around here," Rudner said.
None of them are true, he insisted. BTN is allowed to televise games at 2:30 p.m., opposite ABC's weekly Big Ten game, which provides more opportunity to avoid pre-noon starts for Central teams, but there never was a guarantee that morning kickoffs would be eliminated. "There will still be instances, obviously," where the Gophers will be assigned the early start, Rudner said. "Every school has its own preference, but ultimately, it's up to TV. And nothing is different this year."
Gophers' season to open with 10 p.m. CT kickoff
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football Updated: May 3, 2012 - 5:13 PM The Gophers will be playing early and late next season.
Minnesota learned the kickoff time for three of its 2012 games on Thursday, and they couldn't be more different -- the Gophers' season will open at 10 p.m. CT in Las Vegas, and its Big Ten opener will kick off at 11 a.m. in Iowa City. In addition, Minnesota's first conference home game is a morning kickoff as well.
The latter is quite a change from 2011. After pledging to avoid slotting Gophers home games in the 11 a.m. television window as much as possible last season, the Big Ten delivered by scheduling all four conference home games (and six of the seven Minneapolis games overall, with the other being a night kickoff) for 2:30 p.m.
But that won't be the case this season. The conference revealed kickoff times for each school's homecoming game on Thursday, and the Gophers learned their Oct. 13 home game against Northwestern will start at 11 a.m., and televised on a network still to be determined.
The Gophers will also open the Big Ten season with an 11 a.m. kickoff. Their trip to Iowa on Sept. 29 is the Hawkeyes' homecoming game, and also has been scheduled for the early time slot.
UNLV has set the start time for the Gophers' season opener Aug. 30 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas for 8 p.m. PT, or 10 p.m. in the Twin Cities. That's probably fortunate for the players, considering daytime temperatures in Las Vegas are routinely above 100 degrees in August.
The UNLV game will be televised by CBS College Sports, the first game in the Mountain West Conference's new partnership with the network following the demise of its own network, the Mtn.
GopherThursday's announcements bring to four the number of Minnesota games whose start times have been pinned down. The Gophers' game with Syracuse on Sept. 22 will kick off at 7 p.m. and be televised by BTN.
Syracuse game will be lone night kickoff at TCF
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football Updated: April 27, 2012 - 5:24 PM While I was out of town earlier this week, the Big Ten announced its prime-time schedule for this fall, and the Gophers received the same treatment as last season: No interest at all from ABC or ESPN, no chance of outdrawing the power schools once the Big Ten season begins -- but one non-conference game selected by BTN, allowing Minnesota fans to experience TCF Bank Stadium at night.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 22, when Syracuse will make its first visit to Minneapolis since 1996 in the non-conference finale. That's the only home game that will be played at night, and comes in the season's fourth game, the same as last year's lone night game -- a 37-24 loss to North Dakota State.
The Gophers will play a second night game this year, opening the season in Las Vegas against UNLV on Aug. 30. The broadcast of that game is the property of the home team, and the Rebels have yet to finalize their arrangement, a task made more difficult by the recent decision to close The Mtn, a dedicated cable network owned by the Mountain West Conference. It's possible that CBS College Sports Network may buy the game as part of a broader agreement with the MWC.
The remainder of the Gophers' home schedule will be played during the day, with starting times determined once the Big Ten's television partners divvy up the games. Last year, the other six Minnesota home games all kicked off at 2:30 p.m.
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- Big Ten announces 2015 and 2016 football schedules
- Tinsley's parents accept their son's diploma
- Big Ten: No change in policy on 11 a.m. kickoffs
- Gophers' season to open with 10 p.m. CT kickoff
- Syracuse game will be lone night kickoff at TCF
- Gophers spring football game final: Maroon 3, Gold 0
- Receivers have big day in Gopher scrimmage
- Dress rehearsal in stadium helps Gophers
- Practice report: Professors loved Tinsley, too
- Gophers back off after physical practices
- MarQueis Gray says new AD needs to 'get to know us'
- Dungy makes routine Gophers football practice "Uncommon"
- Schedule switch gives Gophers 8 football home games in 2014
- Spring football: Defense holds Gophers without big-play day
- Panel on schedule to pick Gophers AD finalists in late April
- Hageman's hit highlights Thursday practice
- Adding new wrinkles produces a sloppy practice
- Kill obsessing over the details during spring drills
- Kirkwood injures hamstring, may miss spring drills
Post By Category
- Is Justin Morneau back, at least as a HR hitter?
- Gophers picked No. 1 in one very early preseason hockey poll
- Stu's Hunt Down: Ex-Twins pitcher Ramon Ortiz
- TFD: Yahoo contributor says A.J. Pierzynski was a better Twins catcher than Joe Mauer
- Granlund contract details; Is Coyle or Granlund Wild's top prospect?
- Postgame: L.A. coach says 3-0 Lynx measuring stick for WNBA
- First NFL odds from Vegas: Vikings' over-under is six wins
- Love named to all-NBA Second Team
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2012 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters