Joel Klatt ranks UM at #4 after week 1
Just saw this very short video on youtube about Joel Klatt's top 10 teams following week 1 and was surprised to see UM at #4. All that was said about us is that our defense is more faster and physical than last years, and that we completely dominated Florida and it wasnt close. What are your guys' thoughts on this ranking? Too high, too low? Personally I think its a little high and would put us at 7 or 8.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:30 AM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
although if we can cut down on the ints that feels about right
September 5th, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
too hard: right?
September 5th, 2017 at 1:33 PM ^
it was too far
edit - you were right; it was too hard
September 5th, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^
sure how good Florida is. They displayed a general cluelessness toward the game of football that was truly shocking for a major program with solid recruiting. They reminded me of us against Alabama in that same game in 2012. In over their head with a pretty bad coach. Not saying it had nothing to do with us, but I don't think McElwain will be their coach next year assuming he survives this season.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
because I think McElwain just had his Josh Groban / Champions of Life moment today
'I think it's fair because they are real programs,' Mac on being 0-6 against Bama, FSU, Michigan. 'That's where we strive to be.'
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) September 4, 2017
September 5th, 2017 at 1:13 PM ^
in the company of champions again. Have things, dare I say it, finally returned to normal?
September 5th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^
Short of winning B1G, and beating the Bucks on a more regular basis, yeah things are straightening out. We play smash mouth FB again, and our D is delivering slobber knocker hits once more.
Reminds me of the team under Mo. I would say Bo, but we didnt throw this much over the entirety of his career.
Of course, Mo wasnt having the team line up single file AFAICR. Would like to see them do it again this yr, only offset each player like a saw blade, then have the players race to opposite side from where they lined up. That would get a WTF ESPiN notice.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
I like that quote - "real programs", the implication possibly being that theirs is a mere facade made to look like a major football program (which, for many years, it rather was). It definitely sounds like a "Champions Of Life" moment to me.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
.....and don't necessarily disagree.....but he's won the SEC East in each of his first two seasons. They beat LSU on the road last year and destroyed Iowa in the Outback Bowl. I think that he might have a little bit of good will built up....but this game certainly didn't help anything.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
I agree we looked better than a lot of week 1 teams (notwithstanding a pair of embarrassing back-to-back pick-6s), but there really isn't a whole lot to compare it to, yet.
Just take the Texas-Notre Dame, and Michigan State-Notre Dame games last year as an example. I don't think anybody could have known they were all hot garbage yet, at that point in the season.
Not saying that we couldn't very well be the #4 team, but seeing how Florida goes on to play other teams from here, and how we perform against other teams we're supposed to beat, will give us more data points. I'd rather creep up the rankings than have expectations foisted upon such a young team.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 1:37 PM ^
I think we're being overtly pessimistic when likely unnecessary. I did nothing but watch CFB on Saturday and saw a lot of teams, nowhere even close to our level of defense. Considering where we were last year, we're on track to be insanely good regardless of the detractors skepticism.
The natural pessimism I expect to see here is likely the result of the PTSD of seasons passed when we looked promising. The difference here, is that Florida was a very quality litmus for week one that proved a lot more, a lot quicker about us than the match-ups from most other FBS teams. I think we deserve this. IMO
September 5th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
Hyyyyyyyyppppe
September 5th, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
I'm funnelling the Kool-aid. Only Alabama has a more impressive week 1 victory.
My top ten after week 1:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. OSU
4. Michigan
5. Stanford
6. Oklahoma
7. Washington
8. USC
9. Auburn
10. Penn State
September 5th, 2017 at 11:48 AM ^
Any thoughts on LSU? They destroyed BYU. BYU had 97 yards total offense. LSU has 497 yards. First downs favored LSU 26 to 6. But I'm not sure how good BYU really is.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
looked like garbage against Portland State. They aren't a good team.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
Yeah, they didn't even crack 400 yards against Portland St., which used to be a pretty solid FCS team but was down last year. Though they also put up a good fight against Oregon St., so maybe they are turning the corner a bit.
I think LSU is a pretty good team, but we'll have to see how they look on offense under Canada to really get a sense of their potential this season.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
So of course Corso picked them to beat LSU
September 5th, 2017 at 12:11 PM ^
[double post]
September 5th, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
BYU is ass, my dude.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^
Is Francois' backup any good? Obviously that's a big loss no matter what, but I'd expect a program like FSU to at least have some kind of functional second-string QB.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:07 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^
Good luck trying to him healthy too.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
This isn't designed to throw shade at John O'Korn or Wilton Speight, but we've seen both as backups and neither looked particularly inspiring. They'd get better with more game reps, but my guess is FSU will have a pretty significant drop-off going to the 3* freshman who seems to be next on the depth chart.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:31 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
Per 24/7, it's one Jr and a bunch of freshmen. One or two are mid-level 4* in the bunch, but Blackman is the 3* they apparently really like. I do think Fisher has an eye for QB talent, but not having a viable backup who's been on campus before this year seems like a bad idea.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:33 AM ^
Been on the Michigan band wagon all year. To low to high, it doesn't matter because we have a B1G championship game and a National playoff. Just win baby.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
Fairness in bias: When an ESPN commentator ranks a team from the SEC high, we complain about SEC bias. Fox just signed a huge B1G contract, so the complaints are equally valid for Klatt promoting us.
That said, we looked really good. And a bunch of other top teams looked... not so good. Which isn't shocking in the first week, but who else besides Alabama looked that good against a ranked team?
September 5th, 2017 at 12:14 PM ^
"Who else besides Alabama looked that good against a ranked team?"
Very fair point, and Alabama also broke FSU and almost certainly knocked them out of the CFP conversation.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:33 AM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
I think performance against Penn State is going to be the biggest real litmus test for how legitimate a contender Michigan is for the playoff this year. Beat the teams we're supposed to beat, convincingly, and make a statement in Happy Valley.
Florida *should have* been that statement, but I genuinely do not know how good they really are going to end up when the ink on the season is dry.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:07 PM ^
Coming into the year there were questions about youth, and there were two major weaknesses Michigan had to be concerned about. Youth seems to have been cautiously answered; the two weaknesses, OL and DBs, are not yet answered.
OSU is the test for the OL, obviously, but PSU is the test for the DBs. It will be a tough game, especially on the road with a QB that has yet to display consistent precision away from home. Even if we're really good this year we could lose that game.
But if we win...
Well, the two post-Mo teams that have been my favorite squads were '97 and '99. And the defining statement for both occurred in Happy Valley.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
in Happy Valley would be delicious. They were the "unstoppable" team that year, until they played us.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
Still my all-time favorite Michigan win.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:39 AM ^
EDIT: I was misinformed. Back to work I go.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:42 AM ^
Bamboozled me.
September 5th, 2017 at 12:59 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^
after week 1, but that defense is nasty and could carry us a long ways this year. OL I think is improved from last year and running game looks better. If not for some bad passes by Speight we could've won that game like 45-3 so it really wasn't as close as the score looked so can understand why people who saw the game could push us up the rankings.
Let's see how we do the next few weeks to get a better read on this team, but they have me excited.
September 5th, 2017 at 1:53 PM ^
September 5th, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
This, Mastodon.
You nailed it; either Speight makes the transition to playing well in big games under pressure (because it's coming) or Brandon Peters makes leaps and is ready by mid season; or the team wastes a national title level defense.
September 5th, 2017 at 11:36 AM ^