The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-19
GOPHER STOCK HIGH
Minnesota and Michigan Will Hold
Center Of the Stage Until
r October 81.
Chicago Appears to Have Been Over
rated, and Northwestern Under.
rated-Wis. Look Strong.

ern football was the game between
Northwestern and Chicago Saturday.
Altho the windy city press had sound
ed a note of warning, it was taken
merely as play for the gate receipts,
and few believed that the purple
eleven had any chance against the
heavier and more experienced maroon
team. .s-es....
The result shows either that Chi
cago has been greatly overrated or
that Northwestern has been greatly
moderated. 1t is probable that both
hypothesis are correct in part. So far
as can be judged from Geographic re-
ports of the game, Northwestern is
stronger than she has been for num-
Der of years-strong enough, in fact,
to be classed in the front rank Of
western teams for the first time in
many years. Coach Mccormack, who
has brought the purple eleven into this
winning form, is the first of the ex-
periments of the year to make good in
d decisive manner, and if in succeed
ing games his eleven justifies the high
opinion now held of it, he will take his
place without dispute as one Of the
foremost Of western football instruct
OrS.
Without doubt Chicago has been
overrated. Without doubt also, the
maroons were over-confident. Just
how much Chicago's poor showing was
due to this over-confldence, how much
to NorthWestern's strength, and nhow
much to her own lack of strength, will
appear when Stages men line up
against Illinois next Saturday.
Michigan and Minnesota First.
For the present. however, Satur-
days game puts the maroOns below
Michigan and Minnesota in the dope
books. The results Saturday clarity
the western situation in some respects
and confused it in others. Summing up,
the following conclusions are drawn:
Michigan and Minnesota are the
leading candidates for the champion
ship. Wisconsin, Illinois and North
western are still in the running. The
Chicago Oct. 81. The maroons may yet
get back into form, but with their
hard schedule it is not likely that they
can defeat Michigan Thanksgiving
Day.
But what light do the results throw
upon Minnesota's chances? The go
pliers certainly look much more likely
to capture the western championship
than they did week ago. Aside from
the improvement shown by DR.. Will
liamS' men (mOre extended notice of
which is given in another column) the
chance to win from Wisconsin looks
brighter than it did as the result of
other games in the west. The badg-
ers' score Of ST against Beloit while
it makes the Wisconsin appear strong
er than most critics rated them, does
not mean a great deal, because Be-
lott was badly battered by Michigan
a week before, and judging from the
telegraph reports, was unable to play
her best game.
= Wisconsin has very hard schedule.
The game with Chicago Oct. 81 will
f0lI0hf- ,t-oa of =
the badgers play Michigan, and are
likely to get the small end of the
score, and severe grueling besides.
A week later comes Northwestern. At
the time this game was scheduled, the
wisconsin management probably
thought that it would be a practice
game, but now it is likely to be as
hard as any contest the badgers have.
When Minnesota meets Curtis men,
tive days after the Northwestern game
the, Wisconsin players are likely to be
in bad shape physically. If it was as
sured that the badgers would be in
the finest fettle, the odds would still
favor the gophers, but the wearing list
OF games confronting Wisconsin
makes a Minnesota victory still more
probable.
The score of Illinois against Purdue
was practically the same as that made
by Chicago the week before. It indi-
cafes Ildt the llllnl are about on a
par with the maroons. Woodruff's
men are likely to give the gophers a
hard battle, but Minnesota will prob
ably be the favorite.
Crucial Game Comes Oct. 81.
Michigan and Minnesota will be in
the glare of the calcium for the next
two weeks. At the beginning of the
season it was thought that the Michi-
gan-Chicago contest Nov. 26 would be
the crucial game in the west but now
the gopher-Wolverine engagement two
weeks from last Saturday seems likely
to be the decisive championship battle
Mlchigan's score of 81 against Indiana,
made without the services of Heston,
the star wolverine touchdown artist,
confirms the opinion that Yost's men
are llttle, If any, weaker. than last
year. But no score made by Michi-
gan this year is more indicative of
strength than the rs Of the gophers
against Iowa. Beloit is apparently
considerably weaker than Iowa, yet the
wolverines made only 70 against the
little badgers. 1t must be admitted
that Minnesota is due to give the VOL
verines a much harder game than any
one expected four weeks ago, and the
gophers have more than a fighting
chance to win. N--
BADGERS SURPRISE RIOTERS