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B1G Preseason Hype and Eventual Results

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July 20th, 2011 at 12:07 PM
#1
los
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Joined: 02/06/2009
MGoPoints: 874
B1G Preseason Hype and Eventual Results

On ESPN. Chart demonstrates what were voters' expectations concerning the eventual B1G Champion each year and the actual results. Michigan was Top 3 in the League from 1996 to 2007. The last 3 years, as we know, have been uncharacteristic for our program. Nevertheless, this should disclaim the unfounded argument that we haven't put quality teams on the field for longer than that 3 year span. If nothing else, Chart's interesting to look at on a slow day... 

Link:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/29388/do-big-ten-preseason-favo...

Oh yeah, and Riddell thinks Oklahoma is in the B1G:

http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/?p=14888

"It has been my experience that those with no vices have very few virtues"

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July 20th, 2011 at 12:22 PM
#2
JCV16
Joined: 06/29/2011
MGoPoints: 838
So you're telling me there's a chance...

So you're telling me there's a chance...

Tremendous!

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July 20th, 2011 at 12:37 PM
#3
BlueBarron
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Joined: 06/21/2010
MGoPoints: 4972
In all fairness, I think

In all fairness, I think Indiana has about as good a chance of winning the B1G as Oklahoma does.

Photography Facebook Page. Lots of Michigan sports photos. And planes, lots of planes:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barron-Photography/13379

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July 20th, 2011 at 2:58 PM
(Reply to #3) #4
JLo
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Joined: 07/19/2008
MGoPoints: 247
Is it too late to kill this "B1G" thing?

Just because the conference decides to give itself a silly new logo doesn't mean we have to buy in and use it ourselves. It only takes three more keystrokes to type out "Big 10", and it's definitely worth the effort.

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July 20th, 2011 at 12:54 PM
#5
ForeverBlue
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Joined: 12/05/2010
MGoPoints: 248
Also on ESPN

Rick Reilly covers the other B1G teams as Nebraska enters in. I like how he described the Legends division as "Michigan and Iowa and a bunch of twinkies." Glad to see Michigan State get the respect it deserves.

 

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/6783415/rick-reilly-nebraska-big-ten-...

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:07 PM
(Reply to #4) #6
CorkyCole
Joined: 06/13/2011
MGoPoints: 484
The little piece on Michigan

The little piece on Michigan State was pretty hilarious... not gonna lie.

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:10 PM
(Reply to #4) #7
GunnersApe
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Joined: 11/19/2009
MGoPoints: 5124
beat me to it.

Arrogance. UM gets the lion share of the roasting, but he losses all credibility when he talks about OSU fans being nice people.

You do that, you go to the box, you know. Two minutes, by yourself, you know and you feel shame, you know. And then you get free.

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:25 PM
#8
MCalibur
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Joined: 07/16/2009
MGoPoints: 2366
Expectations vs. Results

M typically had a hard time living up to it's preseason expectations and talent level, 2007 come to mind...also 2005.

Ohio State is 5 -1 in the favorite position, Michigan is 2 - 3.

Going back to the pre-RR era level of success would be a welcome improvement, question is whether that is good enough or not.

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July 20th, 2011 at 2:05 PM
(Reply to #5) #9
Tater
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Joined: 08/13/2008
MGoPoints: 11843
"Pre-RR level of success?

How about pre-2000 level of success.  That is when it really started going downhill for Michigan.  I got so tired of making excuses for every Michigan team that underachieved during the aughts that I just stopped defending them.

 

 

 

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July 20th, 2011 at 2:43 PM
(Reply to #12) #10
MCalibur
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Joined: 07/16/2009
MGoPoints: 2366
Word

I can't bitch about 1997 - 2003, really; 2004 was when my spidey sense started tingling. My only complaint of the "good times" were all those Goddamned September losses to inferior competition. Typically rated top 10 in September only to poop the bed because "it's so hot on the west coast" or because "the field had a larger crown" ... ack.

So much for not bitching...

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:07 PM
#11
BlueBadger
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Joined: 07/06/2011
MGoPoints: 746
1997

I find interesting that the only Michigan team pre Rich Rod to not be pre season top 2 was 1997 (they were 3 but still). Penn state was supposed to be awesome that year, IIRC (not that I wasn't 7 then...).

Warning: My imagination is inefficient.

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:51 PM
(Reply to #7) #12
WolverineHistorian
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Joined: 08/10/2009
MGoPoints: 6882
I was 17 but I remember Penn

I was 17 but I remember Penn State was getting much hype.  They were #2 in the nation for quite a while (and Beano Cook was slobbering over them even more than usual) but they dropped after they barely escaped Minnesota 16-15.

As far as the conference hype in preseason pre-RichRod, ours was justified.  Between 1997 and 2007, we never finished lower than 2nd in in the Big Ten.  All except the 2005 season, the year of never ending injuries. 

 

Go Blue!  Always!

http://www.youtube.com/user/WolverineHistorian

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:57 PM
(Reply to #9) #13
redhousewolverine
Joined: 08/17/2010
MGoPoints: 957
The chart says we were tied

The chart says we were tied for 2nd in the Big Ten in 2005. I would expect us to have the preseason hype. It is the Big Ten.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates.

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July 20th, 2011 at 5:45 PM
(Reply to #9) #14
HermosaBlue
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Joined: 08/05/2008
MGoPoints: 1923
1997 Happy Valley beatdown

1997 Happy Valley beatdown was #2 PSU vs. #4 UM, IIRC.

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July 20th, 2011 at 1:51 PM
#15
redhousewolverine
Joined: 08/17/2010
MGoPoints: 957
So...because media figures

So...because media figures believe we were in the preseason top 3 for the Big Ten Champion, that means we were fielding good teams, or more appropriately we weren't fielding bad teams? I don't think anyone would say we were ever a bad team in the stretch between 1996-2007. You are looking at the wrong stat. Looking at that stretch we were the Big Ten Champion (including shared crowns) 5 times, second to TSIO's 6 times. No other team had more than 2. We currently have 68 players in the NFL (from Wikipedia which includes free agents), which is not a full list from 1996-2007 but has a lot of the players on there. I think we were a good team.

Take a look at the numbers again. In 2005, we were expected to be the Big Ten Champs. We finished tied for second, which at first glance wouldn't be too bad. But then one sees we were 7-5 and 5-3 in the Big Ten. That isn't very impressive. PSU and TSIO were tied for champs. So of the big three teams in the Big Ten, we were the worst of the three and did okay against the remainder of the lukewarm Big Ten competition.

If you look at the bowl record, minus Miss St, we are 6-7 from bowl games during that period. We have a -29 differential from that period. So when matched up with teams of similar caliber or records we have a sub 500 bowl record. Our overall bowl record is 19-21 (19-20 minus RR). Looking at the numbers it isn't that we weren't exactly fielding good teams. We just weren't fielding great ones. Someone started a thread last year asking what program was the most overrated program in the Big Ten. People were throwing out Wisco, Penn St, Iowa, or MSU. I remember after 8 or so posts someone goes: it is probably UofM and then the whole thread exploded with the OP yelling at the guy saying we are the winningest football team, we have tradition, we are consistently rated in the top 25 and among the top in the Big Ten, yada yada yada. Then the guy who mentioned UofM says, ya that is why were are the most overrated.

So point being we have been good, but not great and using that stat to say we have had good teams isn't really true. Also, probably shouldn't exclude the last three years when comparing us against other programs. Other programs make mishires and go through rough patches.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates.

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July 20th, 2011 at 2:50 PM
(Reply to #10) #16
turd ferguson
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Joined: 12/09/2009
MGoPoints: 7670
posted from iPhone

Maybe I'm nitpicking, but a ~.500 bowl record really isn't that damning. In theory at least, teams are matched with comparably good teams in their bowl games. Over a long period of time, everyone's bowl record should be around .500, and that's true whether you're a perennial title contender or a Motor City Bowl regular.



In fact, a .500 record for a Big Ten team that typically has to travel south to play an SEC team or west to play a Pac 10 team - and often gets matched to a higher-finishing team from another conference - actually is quite good.

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July 20th, 2011 at 4:59 PM
(Reply to #14) #17
funkywolve
Joined: 10/08/2008
MGoPoints: 3225
Penn State

since joining the Big Ten, PSU is 10-4 in bowl games.

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July 20th, 2011 at 7:51 PM
(Reply to #14) #18
bfradette
Joined: 02/04/2011
MGoPoints: 224
Ive been saying that for a

Ive been saying that for a whle. 

Let USC come to Detroit to play UM in the motor city bowl, instead of playing all their bowl games essentially at home, and see how they do. 

Let Auburn play their bowl game at Camp Randall or Kinnick, and see how those teams do when the bowl games are home games for us, instead of big 10 teams playing road games all the time. I'd love to have seen Wisconsin against some left coast team at the big house for a bowl game. Let them play in our environment.

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