2011 Preseason Ranking
Curious your thoughts as anger subsides. Now this based on 2 assumptions. RR is still the coach and we have a fairly impressive bowl win.
I think we are preseason ranked between 10-15.
Before you think I'm nuts, consider.....
1. When the Phil Steeles of the world do their analysis and stop making fun of us they'll see we have 21 starters returning and Woolfolk being dropped in, we will start getting a lot of sleeper buzz.
2. The Denard factor- He'll be getting Heisman buzz shining more attention on the program. The offensive potential will have people thinking.
3. Michigan Factor- The name is always good to inflate us a couple of spots over where we should be.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:16 PM ^
Others receiving votes.
However, if we match up with a ranked bowl opponent and win, I reserve the right to change this opinion. In this case, #22
November 27th, 2010 at 10:29 PM ^
I vociferously disagree. #21!
Unless you were talking about the coaches poll.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
Coaches, of course. #21 in all others. Including my office pool.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:16 PM ^
i think a lot of it will depend on how we perform in the bowl game. win convincingly - maybe we crack the 15ish range...lose convincingly - i'd be surprised if we were ranked higher than the 20s (or ranked at all).
November 27th, 2010 at 10:23 PM ^
Not today, my friend. Not today.
Today is for drinking.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:24 PM ^
November 27th, 2010 at 10:55 PM ^
Our defense basically has a year of experience right now
This is not true at all. The bulk of the improvement you get from first year players doesn't come over the course of the season, it comes from now through next fall.
November 27th, 2010 at 11:17 PM ^
November 27th, 2010 at 11:55 PM ^
There's also no substitute for 7-8 months of weight training. Especially for freshman who have been thrust into the starting lineup at 15-20 lbs less than they should be playing at.
November 28th, 2010 at 12:26 AM ^
November 28th, 2010 at 1:17 AM ^
watching tape, learning gap discipline, learning opponent tendencies -- and building trust in the guy next to you that he'll take his gap too.
That stuff happens in the off season, and getting 15 extra practices is the first step.
November 28th, 2010 at 12:42 AM ^
that our defense is going to somehow magically get god next year?
November 28th, 2010 at 1:54 AM ^
November 28th, 2010 at 3:55 PM ^
Yeah, we definitely have seen a ton of improvement from Mouton and Ezeh the last couple of years.
How much can Kovacs and Vinopal improve? Part of their issues are their size and speed. Those aren't going to change dramatically.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:24 PM ^
That's a awful lot of assuming you got going on there boy. IF we play a brand-name team in a bowl and IF we beat that team with conviction and IF Rich still the HC then I'll bid #21 coming out of the shoot.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:26 PM ^
I'd agree with those that doubt we'll be ranked but for one possibility: voters see our "returning starters" number and make us 25th or something. But even then, it's doubtful.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:27 PM ^
Michigan does not get "sleeper buzz".
November 27th, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^
This is just my opinion, but I don't see us being ranked. ZIff, I hope you are right, but after a 7/8 win season, I just can't see the AP ranking us that high.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^
The delusion is strong with this one.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:33 PM ^
If we are ranked between 10-15 in the preseason polls next year, then I want whatever the pollsters are smoking. That's some strong shit right there.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:34 PM ^
People going nuts becaue Floyd got burned left and right and Woolfolk was not much better. UM will rank 25-20.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:39 PM ^
Your first sentence was on point. Why in god's name do you think we'll be ranked to start the season next year, though?
November 27th, 2010 at 10:35 PM ^
Michigan hasn't beaten a top 25 finisher in three years and are in line to play the loser of Oklahoma or OK St or maybe an Arkansas or Alabama. These might be even worse matchups than the last two weeks.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:35 PM ^
about our ranking at the end of next year than at the beginning.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:38 PM ^
I hope we're unranked. Looking at the schedule next year we honestly won't know if this team has improved it's deficiencies until midway through the season when we head to Northwestern. In other words, I can easily imagine us being undefeated midway through the season with another hot start, but with the tough games coming afterwards. By that time I'd expect us to be ranked around #15 and then MGoBlog to explode in anger when we don't finish 11-1.
Just my two cents.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:40 PM ^
So, I am in no way criticizing the OP for posting this, but...
For me, this is way too early. I also don't care what we're ranked to begin the season. I'm more than a little interesting in what we're ranked to end the season.
After the last two seasons, I'm also uninterested in what we're ranked after 6 games of last season, other than to the extent it obviously impacts what we're ranked to end the season. I'll start paying attention to our record/rankings, other than as a means to an end, after about 9 games next year.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:46 PM ^
Our defense will be young and I'm not sure if the defensive coaches can cut it! Realistically a .500 B10 record and an 8-4 record will be quite reasonable for this team. Hopefully the OSU game will be much closer at home, and maybe an early New Years Day bowl game. Way too early for a top ten finish.
November 27th, 2010 at 10:56 PM ^
I'm afraid the last 3 years have created a different, "Michigan factor."
November 27th, 2010 at 11:04 PM ^
You can't blame this all on RR! If RR is given another 2 to 3 seasons, he will make UM a factor again!
November 27th, 2010 at 11:11 PM ^
Start unranked and earn your way into the rankings like it should be
However since everyone loves the whole preseason ranking thing I would estimate 15 - 25 ish
November 27th, 2010 at 11:14 PM ^
25 with close bowl loss, if RR is fired at any point "other receiving votes" as we will be in chaos, spiriling out of control utter chaos.
November 28th, 2010 at 12:27 AM ^
I would be very surprised if we were ranked higher than, say, 22. I would have to believe that we enter the season unranked though unless we astound some people in the bowl game. I like low preseason rankings though, better to be under-the-radar than to be overhyped.
November 28th, 2010 at 12:50 AM ^
They almost always take last year's results and interpolate forward for this year.
Hence all the top 10 rankings for Texas, Florida, Iowa, etc., but none for Oklahoma State, MSU, South Carolina, etc.
Since we finished unranked in 2010, we'll start unranked in 2011.
November 28th, 2010 at 12:51 AM ^
November 28th, 2010 at 1:15 AM ^
We will make the top 25 based on our offense and returning starters, but we have been too unpredictable to be anywhere but near the bottom of the list.
November 28th, 2010 at 5:34 AM ^
November 28th, 2010 at 9:12 AM ^
very very unlikely
November 28th, 2010 at 9:20 AM ^
And the higher the better. Next season, barring a coaching change, has a very, very high ceiling on the field and preseason rankings will partly determine just how high.
November 28th, 2010 at 9:25 AM ^
Unless we finish in the top 25 this season we will not be ranked in the next. Basically, the Polls just cut and paste the previous season's Bowl winners into the top 25.
November 28th, 2010 at 4:09 PM ^
We will not be ranked pre-season....Not that that is a bad thing. We have a decent enough schedule that if we deserve a top ranking we will get it. It will have to be earned though.