2011 Football Season-Wins/Losses
Sat., Sep. 3 |
vs. Western Michigan |
Ann Arbor, Mich. |
TBA |
Sat., Sep. 10 | vs. Notre Dame | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 8:00 p.m. ET |
Sat., Sep. 17 | vs. Eastern Michigan | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
Sat., Sep. 24 | vs. San Diego State | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
Sat., Oct. 1 | vs. Minnesota * | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
Sat., Oct. 8 | at Northwestern * | Evanston, Ill. | TBA |
Sat., Oct. 15 | at Michigan State * | East Lansing, Mich. | TBA |
Sat., Oct. 29 | vs. Purdue (Homecoming) * | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
Sat., Nov. 5 | at Iowa * | Iowa City, Iowa | TBA |
Sat., Nov. 12 | at Illinois * | Champaign, Ill. | TBA |
Sat., Nov. 19 | vs. Nebraska * | Ann Arbor, Mich. | TBA |
Sat., Nov. 26 | vs. Ohio State * | Ann Arbor |
Notre Dame is at the Big House. Iowa has it's own set of problems and no real proven QB. NW? Even with DP back and at full strength they do not pose a threat. Minny? Illini? Sparty is really the only question mark in the first 10 games. We have a very viable chance at being 10-0 going into the Nebraska game. In addition, Neb and tOSU are both at home.
Maybe this is far too optimistic. Maybe not. Consider that we find our running game and have a middling defense. Consider Denard as being equal to last year or better. Also consider that we have potentially one of the best receiving corps in the country. Troy is full steam. JT. Carvin. By the NW game this is going to be a well-oiled machine.
Is this optimistic or realistic?
We have a very viable chance at being 10-0 going into the Nebraska game.
Are you high?
Did you look at his avatar and username? I'd say...yes, at times.
I'd say... yes, at all times.
Well, he does go by "Rastafari" and it is the 20th of April....
It is 4/20 after all.
but its not 420 yet...
Between now and September be numbered? Is this even #1?
But it's awesome.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:58 AM ^
I promised you that one day I would just hijack a thread with dinosaurs. I was a little late to actually hijack it, but I've been waiting for an opportunity for a while.
I thought it would be one of mine. But this was a very appropriate thread to do it in. Well Done.
(And better that you waited. Revenge...uh, hijacking...is a dish best served cold. Let it sneak up on you).
...the first, but I damn well know it won't be the last.
I'm creating a section in the HoF to catalog these things.
Sadly, Shoe is correct. We should all brace ourselves for the banality to come.
Its optimistic but realistic, if that makes sense. It is possible that we start 10-0, but for how much it pains me MSU could be a tough game. Iowa and Illinois are also tough games every year it seems. At the end of the regular season, I see 8-4 or 9-3, losing to Ohio, Nebraska and Iowa. With MSU being a tossup. I hope I am wrong though, for the better of course.
FWIW, its a pretty soft schedule compared to most years. I'd say a safe guess is in the 8-4 range with any more than that being bonus. But sure 10-0 is possible...not probable, but possible.
It definitely helps having the majority of the games at home, 8 IIRC.
Why are you more worried about MSU than ND? I've seen this sentiment repeatedly (from many posters).
In my eyes, MSU is Iowa 2009 - squeaking by with close, lucky wins like ND in OT, Purdue, and when NW handed them the game - and will regress back to the mean this season. So MSU looked a little better than they actually were...until they got absolutely hosed by Bama.
Plus, a weak spot on their team - the OLine - has to replace two tackles and a center, the top three most important positions on the line. They do return all but one of their skill players. Their defense loses their linebackers and - most importantly - their leaders and brains in Greg Jones and Eric Gordon. They have some guys coming into those positions, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Notre Dame, OTOH, is coming off four consecutive victories. Those were over ranked Utah, USC, and unranked Miami and Army. Their defense actually seemed to come together after the Tulsa game, holding Army and Utah to 3 points, USC to 16, and Miami to 20. Tommy Rees, while not being 5-star Dayne Crist, can play Brian Kelly's system and looked better than Crist did in any of his games and they have arguably the best receiver in college football.
Plus, while Dantonio hasn't exactly been recruiting scrubs, every single year Weis was there he absolutely killed it in recruiting and Brian Kelly has shown he can develop players.
I'm open to being more worried about MSU, but the way people are overlooking ND is really surprising to me.
The same response I will give to all of these threads until August.
Cam...Newton? Is that you?
6-6. Losses to Notre Dame, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, and OSU.
That's quite harsh. Agree to disagree with you on those losses.
The lower my expectations are the less my pain or greater my joy come November.
Well I guess thats one way to look at it....
a Rose Bowl Avatar??? Paradoxical statement! Can't get to the Rose Bowl thinking 6 and 6. Cheer up and enjoy the "hope" each off season has to offer; by doing so, you will be a healthier person.
Well this ones an easy one: we are not going to the Rose Bowl this year. We are not a good football team.
Do I want us to go 6-6? No. Has this team shown they are capable of beating Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan State, or Iowa? No. Notre Dame is going to be much better this year. We barely beat them last year with their third string QB playing most of the game. Northwestern is the first road game after 5 straight home games. Smells like a recipe for an upset.
In recap:
Notre Dame-Better football team than we are right now
Northwestern-Trap game, first road game
MSU-Clearly a better team than us
Iowa-Haven't proven we can beat them yet. Lots of uncertainty but talented
Nebraska-Better team
Ohio-Better team
I hope I am wrong. But those people who say the schedule benefits us and we should be 10-0 are dulsional.
There's a lot that benefits us in those games too. ND was a dropped TD against USC from being 6-6 (Dude was WIDE open). They aren't some juggernaught that can't be stopped. We get them at home, and I don't think we're going to give up two 50+ yard touchdown passes again this year.
Northwestern might be back to being Northwestern.
MSU was clearly better than us last year, but they lose some valuable pieces, and I feel much better about our defense stopping them this time around.
You pointed out the uncertainty at Iowa.
Nebraska and OSU will certainly be tough games, but the schedule does set up for a nice start to build some confidence. If MSU could go 11-1 last year, why can't we be similarly surprising this season?
ND is definitely beatable, but Kelly is a very, very good coach and I wouldn't pencil in a win.
NU should have Persa back to being somewhat Persa when we play them. They should be in one of the better (but non BCS) bowls this year IMO.
MSU will be overrated coming into the season.
Nebraska kind of imploded (not to say we didn't) at the end of the stretch. I think a few tough losses or blowouts will have them on their heels the rest of the year. OSU/Wisconsin/someone else might do a lot of work for us on the UN front.
MSU is not a clearly better team than us at the moment. They lost an elite LB corp, and still have to contend with Denard. Secondly, they also have a weak secondary. So, couple a young/unproven linebacker corp with a sub-par backfield and I like our chances. Hat for a hat on the front 4/5 and let Denard Tree and Hemingway go to work on those corners and safeties..
Also, FWIW they have 1 starter in their secondary over 6'0.
Id argue the Notre Dame thing, but theres no point. I wont believe in the Irish being good until they can beat us.
And Iowa.. that situation is a mess. If we can stop the run there (a big IF) we can probably win that game. They have no quarterback that has solidified yet..
Thank God somebody else thinks MSU is getting WAYYYY too much credit. Iowa 2009. That is all.
I do disagree about ND. I think they're going to be 9-3/10-2 with potential to make a BCS Bowl because they're ND.
Iowa's QB is James Vandenberg who, when filling in for Stanzi, performed really well against OSU. I do not think there situation is as big of a mess as people are making it out to be.
What is a huge unknown right now is how our offense will perform. I think we will see a pretty steep drop off from last year, offensively. Our defense will be better but probably still bad. I just dont see us beating MSU, ND, Nebraska, or OSU. NW and Iowa are toss-ups I guess but I tend to go more pessimistic in order to not get my hopes up.
Yeah but the greater you pain for the next 5 months til the season starts because you will be down about the upcoming season.
So if I said 3-9 you would dfjbsa;dgkj, ah crap sorry I just verped from typing that.
No way Michigan loses to Northwestern.. Hoke and Co. wont let that happen
Well, of course, because Hoke is old school like Lloyd, and Lloyd never lost to North... oh wait
If 9 wins were offered today I would take it. I would seriously consider 8.
Undefeated & MNC champs... Boom...
Wait, it's 420... Propose this question tomorrow.
Eyelid tats? Really?
How does one get tats on their eyelids without destroying their eyes in the process?
Very carefully...
and MSU has LT replacing Greg Jones at MLB. I could see 8-2 as a possibility. I gotta think M stumbles somewhere and runs into a couple games where we can't run the ball or complete some 3rd down passes while our DBs are exposed. 8-9 wins on the season looks likely
Looking at the schedule I would say that would be quite possible if we had kept RR, but with the whole changes with the system, even if we do well, there will be some hiccups early on. We will not be 10-0 going into nebraska in other words.
If we had kept RR, the defense would still suck ass and we would lose just as many games as we will under Hoke.
UM's point differential (points scored vs. points allowed) in 2011 will be better under Hoke than it would have been under RR IME.
I'm assuming he meant that it were possible under RR if the defensive changes that everyone agreed were necessary for him to keep his job, were made.
I'm assuming that there would have been defensive coaching changes and it would have improved (it had to of...it couldn't have gotten worse, right?) Next year I truly think RR would have ended with a better record than hoke, with that said, I do the the future is better with hoke. I'm glad with the coaching change. I really don't want this to be another RR vs BH thread though....
I say losses to ND, Nebraska, OSU
Remember that prediction thread right after the Spring Game where the OP was predicting DOOM and calling everyone a pussy? This is like the complete opposite of that.