UConn, last year and this year

Odd, I hit preview and it posted...

do you think these numbers are skewed by toughness of schedule?

I hope so.

Crappy conference: overrated team. The undefeated Big East champion, Cincinnati, got blown out by the worst Florida team since Tebow's sophomore year.

They are a great basketball conference, but they aren't that great a football conference since RR left. UM will go back to being an upper-level Big Ten team this year. UConn will be a mid-to-upper level Big East team. UConn won't be a MAC walkover, but Michigan would have to play very far beneath their talent level for UConn to beat them.

I don't see that happening.

I totally agree that the UCONN game is not a cupcake. They've had some pretty decent rushing statistics the last few years, though I guess the question remains how the HB and OL replacements will fair. Hopefully our D-line will be up to the task and our LBs will show some substantial improvement in 2010.

I'm really hoping that 1 D-Coordinator over 2 years will have some impact! Come on Gerg! Do a Stevie Brown on them!

I will be honest, this game makes me nervous. I think this is a big game for lots of reasons and Michigan needs to be ready for them.

UConn is a somewhat favorable matchup for Michigan, since Randy Edsall isn't the type to air it out every down and take advantage of Michigan's extremely young secondary. But I still expect us to lose this one. Regardless, I don't think that it's necessary to point out that UConn isn't a cupcake anymore, since they might be a slight favorite in this game when the line comes out.

This is not Baby Seal U.
Have no doubt Coach knows how much we need a good old fashioned ass-whuppin' in the Big House.
We will be ready.

Sorry to nit pick but you do know that that animal is a coyote and not a husky right?

If this game were at UConn I think they would be favored. I think we'll have the edge only because we're at home and because teams coming off disappointing seasons often get way up for their first real game of the year. A loss wouldn't surprise me at all, but my best guess is that we win something like 31-24.

You forgot to mention that UConn is losing Marcus Easley, who had 900 receiving yards last year and is projected to be a decently high NFL draft pick.

I believe this game will be a shootout, and the readiness of our young secondary players will determine whether it is a W or L.

i feel like Randy Edsel would be a good name for a character in the XXX version of "Cars."

Great. The trepidation on the board is reverting to the fear everyone had of Western Michigan, a 9-game winner in 2008.

Michigan is going to win this game. They will have too much talent on the field, regardless of age, and enough of the talent will have experience required to beat the Huskies.

I think the atmosphere is going to be crazy with the Big House being done and I think we have to much speed for Connecticut to be honest. I think we will get the win but I will be nervous watching the game.

Check out the ESPN big east blog from march 8th. There's an interview with Edsall and I gotta say that the guy and UConn scare me a bit. I know rich rod has dominated UConn in the past but these guys are gonna come to play.

I truly believe that Michigan is going to get back on track next year but if UConn comes in and beats us in the big house I'll be preparing myself for another season of misery.

This game scares the hell out of me . . . forget about how tough the Big East is, this isn't a bad team. And there will be so much pressure to win on both the Michigan coaches and the players. Going on the road to ND in week 2 and potentially starting 0-2 would create pressure like there's never been in Ann Arbor before.

Let's just hope the atmosphere and supportive crowd in the Big House along with superior talent are enough to make up for the pressure and Michigan's relative lack of experience. It should be a great home opener.

I'm not trying to belittle our opponent, but I think Michigan wins this game by 2 TD's.

I am all Blue but have lived in Connecticut for 20 years and have followed UCONN closely.

One point worth noting. UCONN didn't move to Division 1-A in football until 2000 and did not join the Big East until 2004. RR "owned" Edsall when UCONN was basically starting their program - wouldn't put too much stock in that one. Edsall deserves a lot of credit for sticking with the program while they obviously struggled and is reaping the rewards. UCONN's recruiting classes are ranked nowhere near the top teams they have either beaten or been competitive with. He is a very good coach and very popular here.

I believe we should win the game but they will show up to play.

I am terrified of this matchup. UConn will run the ball relentlessly, so our defensive line and linebackers will have to come together quickly. Campbell, Martin, Roh, and RVB will have the spotlight on them throughout fall camp as they'll be tested very early. My fear, though, is more about play action getting over the top of of the linebackers much like it did during the Wisconsin game.

In my opinion, though, there is a difference in physicality between Big Ten and Big East teams. I have hope in our defensive line and linebackers since we return a lot of experience in the front seven. If we aren't dominating the trenches by the second half I would be worried.

Real nice breakdown.

I thought this UConn game would be tough from the day it was announced, and nothing I saw last year from either team changes that opinion. UConn would well be a top-25 team at the start of next year, and will certainly not be afraid about playing UM to start the season. This will be the marquee OOC game for both teams, and I agree that it will be one of those shoot-out wins, hopefully with the good guys coming out on top.

I think we are going to come out firing on all cylinders, similar to the showing against Western Michigan. That being said, I'm still scared. We should win, but that means nothing.

As long as our offense improves as much as it should and we can HOLD ONTO THE DAMN BALL I think we should win this game. UConn will certainly be able to score on us, but from what I've seen they are the type of team that likes to pound the ball up the middle, and I feel like our defensive line should at least hold them in check. The keys will be Mouton and Ezeh not getting lost on play action or cutback runs and our young secondary containing big plays.

Not to be annoyingly sensationalistic, but Michigan will be playing against a team likely ranked in/near the top 25 and loaded with experience in a game that could not only have significantly crushing ramifications on the season, but also the future of RR at Michigan.

I can't help feeling this way. There is just so much riding on this game, especially with a young team more prone to being influenced by momentum.

I think Michigan wins in a close one. But because of what I think this game could mean, I will probably have post-rival-victory jubilation afterward.

I am also pretty worried about this game. A loss would be absolutely devastating since a lot of people see UConn as a cupcake, even though they definitely are not. People would be going after RR's head even more than they are now if UM was to drop this game.

On the other hand, I am excited beyond belief for this game. The stadium will be done, the offense should be better(please God don't hurt Molk), hopefully the secondary will step up, and most of all it will be my first game in the Big House as a UM student.

It is reckless to take any opponent for granted, and I'm sure the troops on the field will take UConn very seriously. That being said, I love that UConn is ranked. Thumping a ranked Colorado team in '97 was one of my favorite season-opening Wolverine wins ever. I believe that with a ranked opponent come the opportunities not only to make an impression with the voters but also to build real confidence for the team. When the team thumps a cupcake, they know they've thumped a cupcake. Wins are good, but hollow wins against hollow opponents don't fool anybody, voters or players. I am more excited for an event almost 6 months from now than I've been in quite some time.

Go Blue!!

predicts a UM shootout win (albeit with reservation.) This is going to be a game. I don't see Mich coming out on top here as yet.

I can't wait to see progress at the Spring game. That said, I like the uptick in schedule difficulty. UConn is much better than Western Michigan. This will be a target game for the team. I'm sure the coaches and players are not going to take this for granted. These are all quality losses on UConn's part last year.

Straight up comparisons don't look good looking back to 2009.

Part of my martial arts cirriculum includes some of the Filipino systems. The Filipinos were feared on the battlefield because they were deeply religious. They believed that the outcome of any battle was preordained by God, so they went to battle with a balls to the wall attitude. While it would not be wise to underestimate UCONN, I wont the boys in blue to go out with the same attitude and kick ass first and take names later.

There's a difference between the players having trepidation vs. a bunch of fans on a blog site in March.

Before freaking out about this game, watch the first few minutes of this Mike Barwis video.

...will play a major role here. Tate seems to thrive off the crowd, and I think the D will step up.

Final score: Michigan 31, UConn 24

several close games of the season that will make a difference between 8 wins or 4 wins. I think Tate will lead us on a last minute drive to win 31 to 28! A loss, as long as it is close, will not mean the end of the season. Though the teams confidence will be shaken. I'm a bit worried about the next game on the road at ND. An opening game loss at home will make the trip to South Bend huge!