Anonymous coaches pick Washington to win

These,"anonymous comment," posts from reporters are complete bullshit only intended to generate clicks. 

It's a pump and dump. The anonymous coaches diss Michigan until the line moves, then bet Michigan.

Good. Michigan needs to know how everybody feels about this Washington offense. Everybody picking Michigan to beat TCU didn’t go well. I like this better 

Take all these comments with a grain of salt. The Pac coaches have clearly played and watched a lot of film on Washington and know what they're capable of. They've probably watched highlights of a few Michigan games and maybe the entire Rose Bowl - possibly the BTCG. Based on those games, I'd be skeptical of Michigan's chances, also. 

I think this comment basically sums up their bias:

“Michigan’s defense is basically just Texas with better DBs,” he said. “Washington’s strength was Texas’ kryptonite. If Washington is going to win this game, they have to do it throwing down the field.”

The Wolverines rank third nationally in opposing passer rating. Texas ranked 49th.

That said, this is the guy I most want to eat crow:

“They have explosive playmakers, but chunk plays? J.J. McCarthy ain’t that guy. I don’t know what Harbaugh is talking about. He’s out of his mind. If you’re freakin’ Kyle Shanahan you might like him, but in college football, I don’t know if he’s gonna get the job done,” said one assistant.

Haha, of course they do. 

One coach was shocked to learn Michigan was a four-point favorite.
 

The only real good to come out of these articles by Feldman is confirmation that coaches really don't know ball. I already basically knew this, as the Coaches Poll has always been the most worthless ranking around, but these articles show the depth of their ignorance.

They may know their own team, and how their particular team can best compete with an opponent (including Michigan or Washington, if they played them), but when it comes to evaluating the overall body of work of any other team, they really don't have much of a clue.

Any dedicated, at least somewhat sophisticated college football fan would not be surprised at all that Michigan is the favorite, especially if you spent any time with the fancy stats. But these college coaches must be spending so much time on recruiting, prepping practice plans, analyzing their own game film that when it comes time to speak knowledgeably about two teams that they only really looked at briefly vis-a-vis their own, they are gomers.

Strength v Strength: Wash O v Mich D. We need a stalemate here. 
weakness v weakness: Mich O v Wash D.  
We just need a better game out of our offense than we got against PSU, Iowa, Bama. We’ve played against 4 great defenses recently: PSU, OSU, Iowa, and Bama. We need our offense to execute on the OSU level and we win this by 10+ points. I hope those last two scoring drives against Bama provide the shot in the arm that the O needs to hang some points on Washington’s defense.  

Shocker!   Let the haters keep hating.  We will just keep winning.

Washington ranks 86th in the FBS in yards per carry allowed.

This gives me a lot of confidence.

"More Battle-Tested".

Glad he is not on our staff.

Clearly, these coaches secretly want Michigan to win and are dissing them off the record to motivate the Wolverines to win it all. Don't you love reverse psychology?

Pretty sure none of those coaches watched the Apple Cup.  If Michigan DB's play the ball on the endless string of sideline fades, they will win some and lose some, but it won't look like UW vs Texas.

Michigan 38 - Washington 27

BET.

Washington definitely has a good chance of winning the game, but man, the salty comments from extremely butthurt Big Ten coaches continues to be a great source of entertainment. I think it's because the way this Michigan team is built is exactly what they dream about for their own teams: lots of 3-star players developed into excellent leaders instead of having to out-recruit Ohio State to be successful, and a punishing run-first offense

Thank you. And BET.

Anonymous coaches pick Washington to win?

Okay: Anonymous MGoBlogger picks Michigan to win - with style and enthusiasm.

Meh, I mean, those are fair takes.  I know Michigan hate has to do with it, but Penix is the real freakin deal.  Their passing offense is insane. 

Hopefully Minter messes with their heads all game. 

Im confident M should win, but weirdly enough I was more confident with Bama.   I've watched too many UW games this year where they pull games out of their butts from being dead in the water. 

Lock down the passing attack, they dont have a chance, but thats a tall order

EDIT: The battle tested part is ridiculous, all the other takes I can see why they are saying it. 

Battle tested? 😂 coaches are just the worst

“but I just think Washington is more battle-tested”

 What, (and I cannot stress this enough) THE F**K- has Washington overcome that is more “battle-testy” than Michigan has?

I asked ChatGPT to make up an article, with fake quotes. But, with Michigan winning. Here is how it reads:

"

As the College Football Playoff National Championship draws near, a growing consensus among anonymous coaches from across the country is that Michigan stands a strong chance of clinching the title against Washington. These insights, gathered from various sources within the college football community, highlight the key strengths that make Michigan a favorite for the national championship.

One anonymous coach from the Big Ten highlighted Michigan's defensive tenacity as a decisive factor. "Michigan's defense has been a fortress all season. They've got the ability to shut down even the most dynamic offenses. I wouldn't bet against them," the coach said, emphasizing Michigan's prowess in stifling opponents.

Another coach, who has faced Michigan in the past, pointed to their offensive strategy as a significant edge. "Their ground game is just relentless, and when you combine that with their efficient passing attack, it's a recipe for success. They're well-balanced and tough to beat," he stated.

A coach from the Pac-12, who wished to remain unnamed, spoke about the psychological advantage Michigan holds. "There's a certain grit and determination in the Michigan squad this year. They've got the momentum and the mindset of champions. It's going to take a lot to stop them," he mentioned.

Echoing these sentiments, an ACC coach added, "Michigan's coaching staff has done a phenomenal job this year. They've prepared the team for every scenario. In games of this magnitude, preparation is key, and Michigan seems to have that in spades."

Furthermore, a coach from the SEC, known for its competitive football environment, praised Michigan's adaptability. "I've seen them adjust their game plan effectively against different teams. They are not just about raw strength; there's a lot of strategic thinking in their play. Washington will have to be at their absolute best to outwit Michigan," he said.

In addition to these strategic advantages, many coaches mentioned the intangibles that Michigan brings to the table. "There's a winning culture that you can clearly see in this Michigan team. They believe they can win, and that belief is infectious and translates into their performance on the field," a coach from the Big 12 observed.

Finally, a coach from the Mountain West Conference summed up the sentiment: "Michigan has shown time and again that they are ready for the big stage. They have the talent, the coaching, and the drive. It's hard to see them not lifting the trophy this year."

In conclusion, while Washington certainly presents a formidable challenge, the collective insights from anonymous coaches around the country seem to tilt the scales in favor of Michigan in the upcoming CFP National Championship game. Their balanced attack, formidable defense, strategic adaptability, and winning mindset are all factors that these coaches believe will lead Michigan to victory."

*more battle tested* is the money quote. 

Meanwhile, we won 2 games vs highly ranked teams, without our coach.  Ok.  I cannot imagine a team more battle tested than ours, in history.

We are in the NC game. We need moar fuel?

If by "battle tested", they mean almost lost, but barely survived against mediocre teams then I agree. Very battle tested. 

Good. More of this

Not sure how any team is more battle tested than Michigan. Did any team face more adversity this season?

Feldman does it again! That prankster...

Lol.  "More battle tested".

Cause, Michigan playing FULLY LOADED (not the roster depleted "opt out" versions of) Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State without their head coach and an injured QB weren't "battles".

Beating the SEC Champions (who went UNDEFEATED in the SEC) wasn't a battle.

Clearly biased based opinions.

 Based on responses in this thread, Feldman is getting exactly what he wants out of the article.  Stop reacting to nonsense.  They just want clicks.

I mean at this point, why would anyone on Michigan want everyone to be backing them. Fuck it. Michigan was favored against bama but was treated like an underdog. Let’s keep that going and finish.

Penix is a good QB, I don't question that.

Washington's receiving corps is very good.  Again, I don't question that.

How does Washington's receiving corps compare to the Buckeyes receiving corps of the last three seasons?   Similar?  Better?

How does Penix compare to JC Stroud?  Similar?  Better?

I respect the Huskies - and, I really like Team 144.

Go Blue!

Were these football coaches?

“More battle tested.” WTH?

“It’s hard to go against Michigan, but I just think Washington is more battle-tested, and they find a way to do it one more time,” said one head coach.

This may be the dumbest quote I have read all season considering Michigan has played 6 total games this year without their head coach and has to deal with the BS of BurgerGate and SignGate.  Are we sure he is talking to actual coaches instead of just teenagers who look at social media for their facts?

I think it’s not really worth getting fed up with Feldman over this, he can only write what these coaches tell him and not every coach is even going to be willing to talk to him.  If you listened to some of his interviews in the lead up to the Alabama guy he himself wasn’t personally buying what the coaches were telling him for a lot of the same reasons others questioned (and picked Michigan to win the Rose Bowl).

The other thing is only one team is familiar with both teams having played them both this season and that’s Michigan State, who would likely have an obvious bias against Michigan.  The other coaches likely know a ton about either Washington or Michigan, but not both.

"Washington is a little more battle tested"

BET

The saltiness from coaches that have played UM just bleeds out of these posts in a way that is embarrassing, honestly, for these guys.  The Washington opponents are largely complimentary of the Huskies and most of their negatives are not a surprise - UW can't really defend the run.  But I swear every Big 10 coach is like "McCarthy is hot garbage and the fact he roasted my team for 9 ypa was just dumb luck" and it makes them hard to take seriously.  I'm sorry Ryan Walters that your all-press-coverage defense couldn't hang with Michigan but that's a "you" thing.

Anyway, they all thought Alabama was going to smoke UM and Michigan beat the Tide despite numerous atypical mistakes.  I'm happy if these Ball Knowers keep thinking they're right yet again.

Lmao more battle tested?