7-5; losses to MSU, Iowa, Neb., OSU.
7-5; losses to MSU, Iowa, Neb., OSU.
No, that's not a summary of 2010. Substitute "Loss at home to Nebraska," for "Loss at home to Wisconsin." It's a prediction for 2011. Not my prediction; I don't do predictions and I'm not very good at them.
It's the long-winded prediction of one "Jon Machota" who is apparently a "Special Writer" for the Detroit Free Press. I think "Special Writer" means, "Guy from whom we can get some occasional page-filler, without keeping him on the payroll and enrolling him on the Freep Blue Cross policy."
Anyway, to fill up nearly an entire page of the largely content-free Sunday Free Press sports section, they asked Mr. Jon Machota (who seems to drift between the Dallas Morning News and the Free Press and wherever else in between that he can sell his stories) to do a "Future Watch" consisting of a game-by-game rundown of the 2011 season. It is a silly exercise, regurgitating every one of the common 2010 myths about every team on Michigan's upcoming schedule, and of course defining in precise terms a Michigan team that nobody, I'd suppose, knows much about, yet.
The Freep sports editors had the chutzpah (or the self-effacement) to say this about the Machota feature:
So clip and save, because you read it here first:
Now, I am not going to worry about a season's worth of predictions, almost a year in advance, and I recommend that you don't, either. Who knows what will happen? But what got me was the way the guy ended the predictive-summary of the OSU game. It was essentially the last paragraph of the article. I've added my emphasis in the block quote:
Prediction: Pryor and his buddies are not returning for their senior years so that U-M can end its seven-game losing skid to OSU. Even at the Big House, Hoke's gang won't have enough for a Bo-like first-year upset. This will be a closer game -- only a nine-point difference -- than in the last few years. Despite the same 7-5 record as 2010, the U-M fan base will feel energized and like the defensive progress.
"Energized," eh? And the metric for our feeling "energized," is what, exactly? As ever, "Michigan," as the topic of the day, just rules for the Freep. It's mo-ney. Cover stories, complete sections, in-depth analyses. They pulled in a half a dozen writers for the five-and-a-half full pages that they devoted to the Hoke-a-mania hiring day in the Sports section, not including Michael Rosenberg's column that occupied the paper's front page below the fold -- only because the Hoke-a-mania headline occpied the space above the fold.
Anyway, here's to 7-5, and losses to MSU, Iowa, Nebraska, and OSU. With the "Michigan Man" who is now beloved by our favorite local newspaper. Oh, and feeling energized, too.
In the hope that no one will feel the need to look up the Machota story at Freep.com and give them the page-click that they want from us (you really won't be missing anything), here is the rundown on the Machota 2011 Prediction:
Western - W
Notre Dame - L
Eastern - W
San Diego St. - W
Minnesota - W
Northwestern - W
Michigan State - L
Purdue - W
Iowa - L
Illinois - W
Nebraska - L
Ohio State - L
January 16th, 2011 at 11:38 PM ^
You used to be one of my favorite posters. C'mon man!
January 16th, 2011 at 11:44 PM ^
YOu have jumped off the deep end. Free falling without a parachute and it's pathetic.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:24 AM ^
you, Dudeness. why don't you sit this one out for a while.
January 17th, 2011 at 1:40 AM ^
Its funny how the whole first page is just people commenting on how they are sick of your comments hah
January 17th, 2011 at 9:24 AM ^
Relax, dude, the recruits will call back.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:19 PM ^
Well, he's wrong.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
8-4 or 9-3 is more likely, imo.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:08 AM ^
with losses to Neb, Iowa and that school in Ohio.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
Seriously? It seems way premature...
January 16th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
...but I'd bet between now and the spring game, we see about 100 of these from mgopatrons cluttering up the board. And each and every one of them will be equally premature and worthless as the one from the Freep.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:29 PM ^
But at least they will have a slightly better idea of the recruiting classes, spring hype (correct or not) and we'll get the 10-2 Kool-Aid again thi year, so that will be interesting I guess. 7-5 or 8-4 does seem like it's the most likely scenario, but I don't know if this team could make it to nine or ten wins.
January 17th, 2011 at 7:25 AM ^
9-3 before the cc with 19 starters back and that's what I'm still expecting. Listening to the MSM and LC's former players we got the greatest coach since LC so maybe my expectations are a little low. If the OSU 5 don't come back along with their other loses (graduating srs. and early entrants) and we lose to them again.....
January 17th, 2011 at 12:14 PM ^
with you completely. I don't see why we can't go 9-3 this year. We do have the best coach in college football.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:29 PM ^
That's what she said...
January 16th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
How many more predictive threads before September? Anyone? Anyone?
January 16th, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^
But this isn't one of them, or at least a typical one. Let's all lower the sarcasm for a minute and hate the Freep together
January 16th, 2011 at 11:51 PM ^
I'm with you on this one, Let's deflect our hatred elsewere until at least august. Then I'm up for reading all the predictions so called experts have to offer.
I'm sticking with my yearly prediction of a 13-0 season and a NC
January 17th, 2011 at 1:17 AM ^
I'll drink to that!
January 17th, 2011 at 2:05 AM ^
Thank You I had forgotten about that 14-0 Bitches!!!!!!!
January 16th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
so you're asking for a prediction about predictive threads???
January 16th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
That, or an over/under would be nice too.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:18 PM ^
None.
Hey, a man can dream, can't he?
January 16th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
He's about right, except for the losses to ND, MSU, Iowa, Neb, and OSU. That's right bitches, undefeted.
But seriously, who the hell knows at this point. We don't even have a defensive staff. It's a fun, but pointless exercise. That being said, Iowa is no where near as strong a team as they were even this past year. Lose a lot everywhere, and only have one good running back at this point. And fuck MSU, ND, and OSU.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:30 PM ^
Last part made me laugh. So you know what good job,
January 16th, 2011 at 10:21 PM ^
I just killed some brain cells. Damn it Freep.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:23 PM ^
If we're going to start a thread for every preseason "this is how they'll finish" article between now and September, we're going to need a new board.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
We made it (barely) through a coaching change, we'll make it through another off-season.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:23 PM ^
8-4 sounds about right to me. Hopefully I'm wrong and its better than that, but for now I'll stick with 8-4.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:10 AM ^
is the thinking.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:24 PM ^
Even with our coaching change, I have trouble imagining Iowa being better than us.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:12 AM ^
If we do beat Iowa then get a lucky break against Nebraska, we could be 10-2. I know that is dreaming but not impossible.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:25 PM ^
journalism standard the Freep has set forth, along with Drew Sharp and Rosenberg:
January 16th, 2011 at 10:26 PM ^
Detroit Free Press...Aka THe Freep.... what a bunch of losers....!
January 16th, 2011 at 10:26 PM ^
It's way too early for these prognostications, positive or negative. Let's get a recruiting class first and then go from there.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:12 AM ^
recruits for sure
January 16th, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
And let's say, totally hypothetically, that such a thing as a Freep existed. Why on earth would you choose to both view said hypothetical content and repost it here?
Just sayin'.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:28 PM ^
No idea what the offense will look like or who our DC will be and this guy has a prediction for 2011. I put more stock into what my fortune cookie says than this asshole.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:03 AM ^
I once got that exact fortune from the Panda Express on North Campus.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:28 PM ^
I'd say a conservative estimate would be a one win improvement over last year. Relative to our competition, we're not losing a lot at all, and we won't be trotting out near as many Freshman as last year. Couple those facts with a defense that will improve more than the offense could regress, my hope and opinion, and that's progress. Speculatively, I'll say 9-3 with an upset going for us and another against us. While I don't think this year will be as hard to judge as maybe '08 was, it's tough to say at this point considering we don't have a kicker, DC, key assistants, and perhaps an impact freshman or two.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:28 PM ^
at Illinois after this years game and you have that as a win?
January 16th, 2011 at 10:54 PM ^
They lose Martez Wilson, Liuget, and Lashore to early declarations for the draft. We get everyone back but Schilling, Mouton, and some mediocre (but love you guys, srsly) DL
<br>This is exactly the type of game we should expect to win
January 17th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
will be a win for the good guys
January 16th, 2011 at 10:29 PM ^
I'd say this guy is a douchebag
January 16th, 2011 at 10:29 PM ^
Of a defense, we could win every game...that's right every single game.
January 16th, 2011 at 10:30 PM ^
the ND game will set the tone for the season. if we can get a win at the first night game at the big house, then ya, we should have a decent season. otherwise it could start to unravel before it has a chance
January 16th, 2011 at 10:34 PM ^
Yeah, that's why the ND game is always so exciting - it's early in the year and both teams still have all kinds of hope and expectations. If we played ND at the end of the year, the last 10 years would suck because we'd already know that one or both of the teams aren't any good.