2 things I like about the schedule this year . . .
1) We get a bye week before Penn State. It allways seemed that they were getting a bye before us, at least in the 90's, so it is good to see the shoe on the other foot.
2) A couple of opponents, MSU and Purdue face Wiskey the week before us. Let those big fellas tenderize them a little b4 we go for the kill.
Any other advantages?
August 10th, 2010 at 8:49 AM ^
We have 11 games to scout OSU.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:05 AM ^
I bet those programs share a lot of info. MSU is just the OSU scout team.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
Tressel steers recruits they pass on, to MSU.
D'Antonio came from OSU.
In fact, there is a Tressel on staff at MSU, too.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
If there's really someone out to get you.
August 10th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^
It's almost as if OSU doesn't have to play MSU!
Seriously, let's put the tin foil hats away.
August 10th, 2010 at 8:51 AM ^
that it gives us a chance to prove that we're the leaders and the best.
I also like that it has a lot of games in Ann Arbor.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:00 AM ^
There's a decent chance we're 5-0 heading into the MSU game.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:03 AM ^
You mean 6-0 heading into the Iowa game.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
you mean 7 - 0 heading into the Penn State Game
August 10th, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^
Going to go ahead and jump us to, you mean 12-0 heading into the National Championship game.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:04 AM ^
of Bowling Green, UMass, and Indiana leading up to the MSU game. I suppose I can't take any games for granted these days, but I'd like to think we'll come into that game rested and with a fresh game plan.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:16 AM ^
The accompaniment of rested could be rusty, because we will have played 3, maybe 2.5, easy teams in a row. False sense of confidence, etc. MSU will have just played Wisconsin. These things can go either way, though. Who knows what the mindset will be.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:42 AM ^
I see what you're saying, and I'm'a let you finish, but I don't think this team will fall into a trap for two reasons. First, 8 - 16 grounds you like an battleship's anchor. Second, for a team that has been very mediocre* over the last two years, MSU has done an aweful lot of chest thumping because they've beaten the two worst teams in Michigan history. They've got some bills to pay.
*Don't give me that "they were pretty good in 2008" non-sense, they sucked. They squeaked by Iowa and Wisconsin (on coaching errors), and got SMOKED by Ohio State, Penn State, California, and Georgia. That was a mediocre team that was better than the garbage that was the Big Ten in 2008.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^
Living in the Detroit area, I am so sick of all these "Spartinas" talking smack because they beat two mediocre UM teams, and have further proclaimed D'Antonio as the second-coming of Christ and 2010 as a 'Rose Bowl Year.' While I still hate OSU and ND more, I am really hoping for a blow-out of the Spartinas this year to shut all these Spartina Mo' Fo's up and send them back to their "just wait for basketball" personas.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
They'll have an excuse for loosing to us this year. "Well, if we hadn't fumbled 6 times and let Denard/Tate combine for 5 touchdowns, we totally would have beaten you guys for the third time in a row. Yeah, bitch."
August 10th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
Pay particular attention to the following remarks from Brian:
How can I avoid downvotes?
Don't be redundant. Don't use stupid nicknames like O$U. Spell things correctly. Don't post useless replies like "I agree" and whatnot.
There are a few folks here who would like to have their "-tina" remarks back.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:42 AM ^
I don't think I agree with us possibly being rusty. I would hope against teams like UMASS, BG and even Indiana, that we can work on new plays and schemes to prepare us for the second half of the season. But also these three teams don't really give us the competition to see what we need to work on sometimes. Indiana may surprise some people though, not saying they will beat us but they may be picking up a little bit.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
Yeah, Indiana's potent offense accounts for the -0.5 when I said we'd be playing 2.5 cupcakes in the leadup to MSU. Underestimate IU's offense at your own peril this season...
August 10th, 2010 at 9:13 AM ^
This is a tough game to begin with, and it is something the team has been focused on for the entire summer. You hear the players talk about how hard this first one will be, and they aren't taking a team that's historically pretty bad at football for granted. This will be a really good test of our defense and its ability to stop the run. We had the 91st rush defense last year, and that is a tough thing to overcome. Playing a team that likes to pound it a bit is a perfect way to start what will be a much improved season for our defense.
It will be interesting to see what fronts GERG will employ on first and second down against a team like this. I still want to see Martn, Campbell, Roh, and Van Bergen across the line on obvious run downs... I have to admit the 3-3-5 scares me a bit because of the lack of big uglies on the field. I hope that our speed and athleticism gives opposing offensive lines fits (football pun) all day.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:33 AM ^
I like this game too. It is a nice way to get an early test out for our guys. This will not be a push over game and nothing like playing Bowling Green or U Mass. I personally think that there is a good chance we go into the MSU game 5-0. The loss of a tested QB and the talent left at the position in ND will be a big thing for them. I also think that losing a couple of their biggest weapons for receiving will make a difference. Brian Kelly does not traditionally have strong defenses so this is going to be a shoot out, but with a little improvement on our Defense this could get lopsided. I think Indiana is going to be a little more trouble than most think. They return a lot of Offense and Defense from last year and they were an OK team. If they make a push it could be interesting. Hopefully Stanzi keeps up his usual rate of TD's to INT's and we will be fine there if we can stop the rushing game. It all comes down to how much the defense can stop the run and the secondary can keep those couple of "big" plays from happening.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:55 AM ^
I agree that Indiana will pose more of a challenge than most will anticipate. While I'm not scared at all by playing at Memorial Stadium or the Bill Lynch version of the "Pistol" or anything having to do with getting outcoached, I think the number of experienced players IU returns coupled with the obvious motivating factor of not having beaten Michigan in 23 years is cause for some concern. That doesn't mean that game "scares" me; I think Michigan should definitely win, but given the fight that the game in AA was last year, it might be another close one. My hope is that our defense will gain enough confidence in the non-conference slate that they will be less likely to get gouged like they did last year by big plays and tons of rushing yards by Indiana. If they limit the big plays, that should be a major key to winning that road game. It doesn't seem right to be even mildly concerned about Indiana in football, but those are the times we live in. Also, if they have any hope of a decent bowl, they simply must win this game.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:33 AM ^
GERG stated that he's sending four regardless of the front. It will be a test for the opposing QBs and their blockers to figure out where the pressure will come from. UConn has experience at QB but there are a couple younger linemen who will be tested.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:18 AM ^
With sending that fourth man, we must........ must do a better job this year at picking up the Tight end. I firmly believe that if we do not figure out how to shut down the Tight end our nightmares of 3-15 completions against our defense will continue.
Just something that I am really going to watch this year.
August 10th, 2010 at 9:18 AM ^
I like that we're within 4 weeks of the season
August 10th, 2010 at 9:27 AM ^
that not a single team on our schedule scares me. I'm not saying we're going 12-0... I'm just saying that each week, no matter which it is, this team will have the capacity to win the next game.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
One of my biggest complaints about Michigan and OSU is that Michigan has been scheduled to play Wiscy the week before, while OSU is often playing someone like NW. JamieMac probably knows a lot more about this, but I can remember when taking the spread for any opponent of a team that had just played Wiscy the week before used to be a trendy bet.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:06 AM ^
COMING SOON. 25 days til glory.
August 10th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
Blood in the water.
August 10th, 2010 at 12:10 PM ^
Dantonio is having flashbacks to his days at Cincy getting run off the field by WVU.
August 10th, 2010 at 1:02 PM ^
I like the fact that we are playing on Thanksgiving weekend. The weather is normally good in September for doing more outdoor things, but usually bad in November, so I'd much rather have the games played then. This is coming from someone who watches on TV usually rather then actually attending. In my ideal schedule, UM would start September 18th, and finish by beating the buckeyes on Dec. 4th.