Angelique says MSU is the one must win game next season
So Angelique writes pretty much of a non-story in the News today, but weighs in with her opinion, and those of un-named ex-players that she has spoken to, that winning against Sparty next year is the one must win (out of the important rivalries). A loss against OSU is sad but somewhat expected lately, and the heat is off ND given the win last year.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100501/OPINION03/5010368/1004/SPORTS/M…
Having him gone will make it easier. That guy was a clutch play waiting to happen. Hopefully Nichol won't be that hard to cover (sarcasm). I agree that with A.C. that this game is a must win. I seriously could not handle another Sparty loss. I think that most of us here based in Michigan would agree. WHile we might all have a cousin or a distant acquaintance who went to ND or OSU, the middling ranks of every company, government office, or professional services firm (not to mention McDonald's, Wal-mart, and the county jail) are jampacked with Sparty in this state. MSU is a mushroom that has spread its foul spore to every crevass of Michigan. That probably explains a lot of our problems here. UM, on the other hand, sends its graduates out to every state and nation to a much higher degree. I rarely run into other UM grads. Sparty are everywhere, and they are a little too cocky lately.
iF we start off the year well and get back on track that is more important. Also as was said above the hell that we'll have to endure if Kelly beats Michigan in his first year with a brand new spiffy spread offense and tons of freshman/underclassmen players and a terrible defense will put more pressure on RR with people saying "WHY COULDN'T RR do it".
IMO EVERY game is as important as the next game this year. We aren't good enough to look past any teams on our schedule next year but we are good enough to win every game. (Not that we will win every game just that there is not a game where we have no chance in).
So in sum:
1st most important game: UConn
2nd: ND
3rd: Umass
4th: BGSU
etc.
Just have to take it one game at a time.
Ohio State is the 12th and least important game (unless we make a bowl game, in which case the bowl game would be last).
I question any system that reaches that result.
if UofM loses to any of the following in 2010:
UConn - Mediocre Big East team (worst BCS conference); home opener in newly renovated Big House.
UMass- FCS opponent.
Bowling Green - MAC opponent.
Indiana- Horrible Big 10 opponent.
MSU- Mediocre Big 10 opponent and we have already lost 2 in a row to these chumps.
Illinois- Bad Big 10 opponent and we have already lost 2 in a row to these chumps.
Purdue- See Illinois.
So, I basically need to see at least 7 wins from RR next season, or he will be dead to me and I will just be counting the days until we get a new coach.
Question: Why am I getting a new paragraph every time I press the <Enter> key in this new editor? Is there a setting I can change somewhere?
UConn is not mediocre. If they don't make the top 25 in the preseason polls, they won't be too far out of it. They'll be good and it'll be a tough game.
I know UConn is getting a little "love" in the media as a possible Big East contender for 2010, but what does that really mean?
UConn went 8-5 in 2009 with the following wins:
Ohio U. - MAC team
Baylor - Terrible Big 12 team (and their stud QB did not play)
Rhode Island - FCS team
Louisville - Terrible Big East team
Notre Dame - Mediocre BCS team
Syracuse - Terrible Big East team
South Florida - Decent Big East team
South Carolina - Decent SEC team
That is three decent wins (ND, South Florida and South Carolina) and 5 "meh" wins for UConn last season. They are not really that good IMO. If UofM has made the necessary progress for RR to keep his job in year 3, this SHOULD be a comfortable win for UofM.
has a bunch of starters back this year (too lazy to look it up) so should be improved from last year. Not a sure win by any means
I merely stated that I will be upset if UofM does not win. Can you honestly say you won't be very disappointed if UofM loses the home opener to a Big East opponent that wouldn't have even elicited the slightest concern 5 years ago?
UofM will have a lot of starters back in 2010 as well (16 of the 22 regulars IIRC), and our QB's were true frosh last year (I am pretty sure UConn's were not), so we should expect greater improvement from our QB's than UConn can expect from theirs.
Home opener against a not-better-than-decent BCS opponent should equal win for UofM.
a decent number of starters, but they've lost all their clutch guys except their running back. They have a big, experienced O-Line and a good back, so run defense will be tested. They had one ridiculous receiver last year, but he's in the NFL now. Their defense sucked something awful last year and looks to continue sucking awful things this year. They lost to North Carolina with both scores under 20 points, but had to outshoot a few other teams, so inconsistency seems probable. They have two QBs, one is more experienced, the other is more productive, but Tate put up waaaay better numbers than either one last year. A must-win for sure, but I think they're being overrated.
i won't actually do it, but i think it would be worthwhile to list out michigan's 8 wins from the past TWO years and see which of those teams strikes fear into your heart.
That would pretty much make UM medicore too wouldn't it? Who'd UM beat last year?
WMU - MAC Team
ND - mediocre BCS team
EMU - MAC team
IU - bad big ten team
Baby Seal U - FCS team
Let it be known; RichRod is officially on notice.
I find it disturbing that you feel the need to post a snarky reply to a post in which I said I expect 7 wins...let me repeat that, I only expect 7 wins. By normal UofM standards that would be a bad season. Remember when Brian used to refer to the 2005 season, when we went 7-5, as the Year of Infinite Pain?
I am saddened that many UofM fans have already adopted the "Culture of the Loser" in which it is O.K. to only win 7 games in a season and view that as "progress". We are getting dangerously close to MSU territory here..
Obviously, I have no say in RR's future as UofM's head coach, but, yes, If UofM does not win all of the games I listed in my original post, I will be EAGERLY anticipating the hiring of UofM's new head coach. Three years is plenty of time to field a mediocre team at UofM.
Losing is a disease and we are starting to look terminal.
I wasn't trying to be snarky. But I'm getting there pretty quickly.
I am saddened that many UofM fans have already adopted the "Culture of the Loser" in which it is O.K. to only win 7 games in a season and view that as "progress".
Going from 5-7 to 7-5 would be progress. It may not be the rate of progress we should hope for, but it is progress. While it might sadden you that some fans are willing to accept it, it beats the alternative of entering the Notre Dame mindset that winning should simply happen because of who we are, and because of who we were in the past.
Do I want to see MIchigan win 11 games next year? You bet your ass. Do I think it's going to happen simply because I think it's where we should be in year 3? Absolutely not.
Michigan is down. That much is undeniable. But demanding that the state of the program change immediately is the fan equivelent of tilting at windmills. Blanket statements that losing any of your chosen seven games will result in the coach being "dead to you" is Quixotic at best, and counterproductive at worst.
I get that Michigan has been down and this is undeniable; however, at a certain point I expect that RichRod has to drop the hammer and unleash Tate/Dilithium along with the rest of his developing players. These guys have to get better and it *should* happen in year 3 (if even based on last year's development plus spring game observation etc.).
I agree choosing some seven random games as so important is counterproductive. This said, I will say it here and now that this team wins a minimum of 8 games this year (Raback that and quote me in December) so we will have some less of this sort of comment next year.
Minimum of 8 games with our defense?
The defense has been in shambles the last two years. I'm not expecting them to be that good this yer.
I think the people who say 7 wins aren't accepting mediocrity. They're just trying to be realistic. I'd love to see UM 9 or 10 games, but I see a team whose defense has been awful the last 2 years. They'll have 2 guys in the secondary who will have almost no experience playing on saturdays at the collegiate level and an LB core that is a huge question mark. They'll also still be quite young at a number of offensive positions.
I definitely want to see some progress this year and would like to see RR get a 4th year, but imo, if it doesn't come together in year 3, it better in year 4. In year 4 UM should have loads of experience at most positions on both sides of the ball.
We are not embracing a culture of losing. I have stated this in response to a similar post a while back. Most, if not all of us here know what RR is capable of, and believe he will do it here. 7 (or 6 depending on whom you ask) seems to be the water mark in terms of how many wins he needs to see another season, and avert a disatrous situation. I personally believe he deserves alll four, and if it things don't improve, then the brass reserves the right to look elsewhere. I am not happy with 7 wins, I'm expectiing at least 7 wins; there's a difference. That will get this team to a bowl game, which will give them extra practice time, and a win will provide good momentum going into the spring. Then we will have a 2011 team full of well seasoned players that will kick ass and not take names later.
I hear what your'e sayin; In the PreRod days this schedule would be 9 wins in a worst case scenario. Let's hope RR can coax 9 wins out of this schedule.
only 7 wins?
Honestly, I was overjoyed when Carr retired because I felt he had been holding the program back for the past 5 years. I guess it is a perfect example of "Be careful of what you wish for", because we are, apparently, far removed from the days when we can expect 9+ wins per season and I, for one, am pretty p*ssed about that.
We have to beat MSU. I simply could not stand to look at Dantonio if we lose 3 straight (I can't stand looking at him now, but you know what I mean). He is one of the most overrated coaches.
Who is rating Dantonio as a good coach?
is to stop their yacking. They are the only team that beats UM and jumps to " we won a NC" or for that matter "... a Big 11 championship" level of hype. When they beat nationally racked teams consistently I'll slightly notice. Until then, I expects 6-7 win seasons. Heck they avoid the top teams every year. No Ohio St again ???.
I view game equally and expect UM to win. That being said, some victories are sweeter than others. I'll start with games 1 and 2 to get the machine rolling. Go Blue !!!
That is pathetic. How in the world can the B11 let a team that is supposed to finish in the top half of the conference not play the front-runner for two years in a row? They are depriving us of a comical beat-down.
I think every big ten team has 2 teams they play every year. For UM it is sparty and osu. PSU rotates off the schedule - unfortunately, the most recent time that happened PSU wasn't that good. For OSU I believe it's PSU and UM.
2002 - Iowa and OSU both went 8-0 in the big ten.
1998 - when Wisky went to the rose bowl, OSU/Wisky/UM all finished 7-1. Wisky and OSU didn't play each other. I could be wrong but I don't think Wisky played OSU in 1993 when they went to the rose bowl (and OSU finished something like 10-1-1).
They rotate teams every two years. So once again this year UM will not play Minny or NU.
implicit in her article is what a loss to msu would mean. in other words, if we cant beat a middling big ten team at home, that may spell doom for the rest of the big 10 season. seeing as how msu is our second conference game (after indiana) the momentum from a win (or conversely a loss) could shape the rest of our season.
I agree with many of the comments already written about Angelique. I generally respect her work, and she has been fairly objective during this maelstrom that has been the RR era. (Here it comes) BUT, this whole idea of a "must win" game to save RR is pap and pablum on the order of what we see from the rag which is the other home newspaper in Detroit. A "must win" game is the kind of game that the Wings faced against Phoenix in game 7.
Bottom line is that we need to let Mr. Brandon decide the criteria under which RR continues as the football coach of Michigan. Not Angelique, un-named sources, former football players, or other media "experts."
If M loses to ND, MSU and OSU (I really hate the idea myself), but wins enough games to make a bowl, we should all be happy because we will not have to endure another transition. We should be trying to avoid this like the plague. If you are excited about changing coaches, see ND and how well that has worked for them.
I like Angelique but this seems like one of those pieces written to fill some space. The MSU game is big but I don't think RR's future hangs on that one or any other. We just need to win, which we will.
With a little more experience we would have beaten sparty last year and we will be better this time around. Personally I think the UConn game will be tougher but we should win both.
Angelique is pretty much wasting print with this article. There is no such thing as a must-win game. This is why print media will be toast soon enough. If you want to talk Michigan year around, talk recruiting, not BS like this.
In so far as Rich keeping his job, it is more important that his finishes the season well. If we start 5-1 and finish like last year... enough said.
My must win is against ND, b/c we must maintain supremacy over them. The 2nd must win is anyone playing Texas b/c they are not far behind.
I bet a co-worker Friday that the Wolverines would win by two touchdowns this year. Based on information gathered solely from MGoBlog, I am very comfortable with this wager.
It is true that all analysis accrued from the blogosphere is worthy of providing wagering guidance.
Congratulations on your now being trusted.
"Unacceptable"? I counted at least three in her column.
C'mon, Angelique. This one reads like you mailed it in....