OHbornUMfan

September 15th, 2010 at 12:13 PM ^

send Coach Schiano a nice Christmas card.

I agree with your Rice/Rutgers assessment.  It is interesting how one player can cause a program to be "on the rise"; a couple of years after that players leaves, it becomes apparent that it wasn't necessarily a case of the program as a whole being on the rise.

Joined: 01/22/2010

MGoPoints: 2338

CRex

September 15th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^

2006 was the last time they finished out ranked in the final Coaches and AP Polls.  In 2006 they had that good season, finished out 12th in the AP Poll but they haven't pulled a ranking since then.  They also had losing records in the Big East in 2007 and 2009.  They did manage to tie for second in 2008.  

In the same time period though Pitt has continued to improve and Brian Kelly built Cincy into a Big East power under his tenure.  WVU was of course already on the upswing due to RR's time there.

Basically Schiano had it all in 2006, the hype, national attention, night games on ESPN/ABC and a chance to be on the big stage.  He ended up tying for second in the Big East and playing in the International Bowl.  Since then he's done nothing with it and Rutgers has starting devolving and looks like they'll end up as a middle of pack Big East Team (3-4 in 2007, 5-2 in 2008, 3-4 in 2009 and so far this season they struggled with FIU which doesn't look good).  Rutgers was the birthplace of football, or so they claim, yet even UConn which only started playing D-I ball in the 2000s has moved past Schiano's program.  

Edit: Also keep in mind, the Big East has 8 football teams.  That means 7 in conference games and 5 games you get to schedule against weak teams, so going 8-4 (plus a bowl win for 9) is easy.

Joined: 09/28/2009

MGoPoints: 9010

jerseyblue

September 15th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^

What I'm saying is that they'll have 8 wins on average. As far as the confernce record and national rankings go I think they'll pull of something good there every four years or so. While it appears it will be a steady pattern it  should be steady  nonetheless. Of course all that changes if they join the Big 10 then I'd take the 8 wins down to 5.

Joined: 12/20/2008

MGoPoints: 8295

CRex

September 15th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^

Yeah and what I'm saying is that if Schiano can only manage to pull national rankings one out of every four years (in a weak Big East conference) I'm glad he's not at Michigan.  I'm not trying to shit on Rutgers, my point is that what Schiano has done with the program since 2006 does not suggest he is an elite level coach.  

Joined: 09/28/2009

MGoPoints: 9010

Seth9

September 15th, 2010 at 1:44 PM ^

He's coaching at Rutgers. Pitt has been historically decent and Cincinnati had some moderate success before Kelly showed up. Rutgers, however, sucked for over a century before Schiano came in and transformed them into a decent team. Remember, he built that 2006 team for a program that was a perennial doormat. He surely deserves some credit for that.

Joined: 04/01/2009

MGoPoints: 2493

Robbie Moore

September 15th, 2010 at 2:42 PM ^

...and I must say it wasn't as bad as it sounds.  But tell me this, you have a state:

1. of 8.7 million, only slightly smaller than Michigan,

2. with only one significant state university,

3. that produces a lot of good high school talent every year (see Penn State, Maryland, Virginia, Notre Dame, Miami, etc)

4. and that one significant university can not get out of its own way.

How is possible to suck basically forever?  Given this, I'm left to conclude that the Big 10 (11? 12?) football team that most resembles Rutgers is Illinois.

Joined: 12/01/2008

MGoPoints: 45905

Maximinus Thrax

September 15th, 2010 at 4:36 PM ^

I remember asking people from New Jersey why so many people from there came to UM.  Their responses were almost uniformly "well, It's not like I'm going to get in to Princeton, and I'll be damned if I'm going to Rutgers"  or some incarnation thereof.  Anyway...I guess he thinks he won't be buried on the depth chart there.  Although, you would think that when he sees guys like James Rogers getting significant PT this year he might see that being buried on the depth chart at a particular point in time is not necessarily the death sentence that all of these recent transfers most likely see it as.

Joined: 10/26/2008

MGoPoints: 5182

Laveranues

September 15th, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^

MGoBlog needs a transfer board resource, similar to the recruiting board.  Maybe it could be updated every Tuesday, after the requisite Monday transfer announcement(s).  

Perhaps it can also say:  'Michigan has X transfers for the season, Y scholarship athletes remaining, and Z scholarships available.'  

Joined: 02/09/2009

MGoPoints: 892

Magnus

September 15th, 2010 at 12:29 PM ^

Not to toot my own horn, but that info is on my blog.

We have 19 scholarships for the 2011 class (assuming no other attrition and that all redshirt juniors return for a fifth year).

And here's a [developing] list of all guys who have decommitted or departed early over the past few years:

http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/p/ex-wolverine-encyclopedia.html

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 165963

SpreadGuru

September 15th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^

Rutgers was one of his final two.  I wish him well.  I am okay with players who aren't "ALL IN" transferring.  I wish they were ALL IN but if not, they are holding us back.  If UM can keep winning, higher profile recruits can fill those spots.

Joined: 10/17/2008

MGoPoints: 1654

WolvinLA2

September 15th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^

Who says, you can't go home - there's only one place that calls you one of their own - just a small town boy, born a rolling stone - who says you can't go home

Who says, you can't go back - been all around the world and that's a matter of fact - there's only one place left I wanna go - who says you can't go home.

Thanks JBJ.

Joined: 11/13/2009

MGoPoints: 58191

NateVolk

September 15th, 2010 at 12:41 PM ^

I am all for kids getting into the best possible situation that makes them happy. They get to do this only 1 time and bam; out working in the everyday like the rest of us. Good luck to him.

Joined: 07/19/2010

MGoPoints: 6863

Wolverine 73

September 15th, 2010 at 1:39 PM ^

that is a really interesting list.  I know the subject of transfers was worked over pretty well in another post awhile back, but that sure seems like an awful lot of people who have left during the last few years.  you sort of expect the attrition rate to subside in the Rodriguez-recruited classes, but that does not seem to be happening.  did LaLota give any reason for the transfer (couldn't get behind the paywall), or do we all just infer it was being buried on the depth chart and/or being homesick?

Joined: 08/03/2009

MGoPoints: 27123

TheOracle6

September 15th, 2010 at 4:34 PM ^

I seen this coming a mile away.  There were a couple of reports that he was homesick when he first arrived, bring on the fact that he couldn't crack the depth chart and it was an easy decision for Anthony to move back home.  Good luck in anything you do Anthony, you represented Michigan with class and didn't bad mouth anyone on your way out.  Good luck at Rutgers.

Joined: 09/02/2010

MGoPoints: 1636