#-1: Wild (Last Week: -5). This is one of the rare weeks where I put on top a team that actually lost, ahead of teams that went undefeated. But even though they were soundly beaten at Los Angeles on Saturday, 5-2, they won their next three games, two of them on the road. Pulling back, they have won eight out of their last ten games. And they lead the Northwest division. Not too shabby for a team picked to finish last in the Western Conference. They may be top-heavy, but the additions of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi finally give this franchise some offensive creativity and scoring punch.
They just began a six-game that takes them virtually through the end of the month. They host St. Louis, Nashville and Edmonton this screening week.
#-2: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -4). Looks like Tubby Smith really relies on home cookin'; it's a 2-0 week with victories over South Dakota St. and Fairfield. Trevor Mbakwe is looking great so far, but will the team still be competitive once they finally leave the confines of Williams Arena? The end their season-opening six-game homestand Monday against Mount St. Mary's before departing for Orlando and playing in the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving Weekend. They also host Virginia Tech in this year's edition of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
#-3: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -2). Amanda Kessel scored four goals (the ninth U. player ever to do so) as the Gophers beat the living shit out of New Hampshire last night, 11-0. This sounds like a score between Canada and, say, Mozambique in the Winter Olympics. What does that prove for the second-or-third-ranked Goofs? Probably nothing. They complete their two-game series against UNH this afternoon.
#-4: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -6). I can't figure this team out. Their first game after being proclaimed the best team in top-flight college hockey and they lose at Wisconsin. However, after avenging that loss with a win the next game, they were given another week on top. They probably will not receive a third reprieve after losing at St. Cloud St. last night, 4-3. And they had to furiously come back from a 4-1 Huskie lead. They finish their home-and-home tonight at Mariucci, then start a two-game Thanksgiving series at Michigan St. starting on Friday.
#-5: Gopher wrestling (Re-Entry!). The grapplers are back! Unfortunately they begin their season by getting upset at Cornell, 21-16. Sure, the Goofs were ranked fourth and the Big Red fifth, so it isn't too much of an upset, but it's still an upset. It won't get better for them; on Sunday they visit Penn St., ranked best in the nation. I hope this is J Robinson's way of getting his team ready for the season quickly enough for them to learn and be good enough to win when it really counts -- at the end of the season and the NCAA Championships.
#-6: Gopher football (Last Week: -7). Well, I still believe this team is better than it was at the start of the year. But I will admit some air when out of my good feelings for this team with last week's 42-13 drubbing at home against Wisconsin. My barometer of whether the Goofs are improving is whether or not they're able to beat the massive spreads Las Vegas is giving them. The spread I saw for that game was 27. The U. had been really good the past few weeks covering, but they lost by 29, so they are nowhere close to being competitive with even the better teams in the conference.
And now they're getting their asses beat by Northwestern. Northwestern, the league's pointy-headed school!!! However, the U. is running the shit out of the Wildcats. Can they come back, or at least make this a game?
#-7: Vikings (Re-Entry!). I put the ViQueens below the U. football team because more of the air has been let out of the pro team's balloon. I really thought Christian Ponder and the team would put up more of a fight than they did, even if it is at Green Bay, by far the class of the NFL this year. But 45-7? Dispiriting. No phase of the game looked good Monday night. Oh well, at least they host Oakland tomorrow afternoon, and they have a chance of winning that one.
#-8: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -3). Here comes the wake-up call. They lose the other two games of their WBI Tip-Off in Daytona Beach, Fla., to Top 15 team Florida St. and South Florida. The memories of their run to the Final Four has never appeared so distant. They are hosting their own tourney, the Subway Classic, right now, against Binghamton. They face either North Dakota St. or Nevada, in the Championship or Consolation Game, tomorrow afternoon. They will then head to Moraga, Calif., to take part in yet another tournament, the Hilton Tournament hosted by St. Mary's, Friday when they play Quinnipiac.
#-9: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). OK, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with this team. This is a upperclassmen-laden squad that should at least be competitive because they have historically been one of the great powers in the Big Ten, one of the best leagues in college volleyball. You will have bad weeks, but I really didn't think you would get swept at home by a very good Michigan team Sunday. If Mike Hebert were still coaching this club, would they lose, or even drop a set?
They finish 2-2 on their four-game homestand, then lose 3-1 at fourth-ranked Nebraska Wednesday. That currently puts them 8-9 in-conference. They swept Michigan St. but were swept by Penn St. and Nebraska, and lost their only game to Purdue. They will make the NCAA Tournament this year, but mostly because of reputation.
They finish their regular season this week. They're at Iowa tonight, then come back to the Sports Pavilion for games against Wisconsin Wednesday and Indiana Friday.
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