CollegeFootballNews.com shouldn't be allowed to talk about College Football
http://cfn.scout.com/2/967664.html
First, let me say that I love reading Bowl predictions, pre-season top 25, etc., and I don't really care who is the predictor(s). It's fun, even if it is baseless entertainment... it's still College Football in May! However, I expect the predictors to know what the hell they are talking about:
According to the experts at CollegeFootballNews.com, Michigan will be the #5 picked team for the Big 10's bowls... which is great (we'd all take that). They will be picked to play in the Holiday Bowl against the Pac-10 #3 - Oregon. Awesome!!! I have been yearning for a rematch with the Ducks. This sounds perfect - San Diego in December!
EXCEPT ONE MAIN THING - The Big 10 does not have an agreement to play in the Holiday Bowl.
And further - if you look at the rest of their predictions... they have 9 bowls with Big 10 agreements. Wrong. Including - the Gator Bowl with the #4 or #5 team and Insight Bowl with the #5 or #4 team. AND the Holiday with the Big 10 #5 team.
Nice work guys.... a little editing (let alone fact-checking of the bowl system and the current Conference/Bowl agreements) would of led you to realize that you had two Big 10 teams for Three bowls.
Why not have Florida State playing Pitt in the Rose Bowl. Maybe Alabama verse Kentucky in the Outback Bowl?
Lame.
and, we're surprised?
I know this isn't the main point of your post, but I would most definitely NOT be happy with 5th place in the Big Ten next year (if that is the same as "#5 picked team for the Big 10's bowls").
I don't know if happpy is the right word for finishing fifth, but its a realistic result to the season that i would be content with. If you figure we finish behind OSU, Wisc, Iowa, and PSU, fifth from tenth is a pretty drastic improvement.
But if that is a realistic result, would not Rich Rod's firing be a consequence of such a finish, and thus an equally realistic result?
I have high expectations AND I expect to be disappointed.
Then that translates to an 8-4 record if we kick ass out of conference. If Rod gets fired after an 8-4 season, I'll eat my hat. Next time do math before talking out of ass.
UofM will be lucky if they finish 5th in the Big 10 next season. I'm thinking 6th or 7th sounds about right.
OSU, Iowa, Wisconsin, PSU will definitely finish ahead of UofM and I think NWestern and, perhaps MSU, will too.
Of "rational" MSU fans.
OSU and wisconsin finishing ahead of UM? sure, probably actually. iowa and PSU, they both lose a chunk of their OL, PSU loses their QB as well and some of their defense. iowa is also playing at Michigan. northwestern? what? MSU still has no OL and the game is at Michigan as well.
where is this "lucky to finish 5th" thing coming from?
OSU will finish 11-1 (7-1 in Big 10).
Wisconsin will finish 9-3 (6-2 in Big 10) or 10-2 (6-2 in Big 10).
Iowa will finish 9-3 overall (6-2 in Big 10 play).
PSU will finish 8-4 (5-3 in Big 10 play) or 9-3 (6-2 in Big 10). Their defense and running game will do enough to get to at least 8 wins while the QB's mature. Their conference schedule is VERY favorable in that they do not play Wisconsin, play OSU and Iowa on the road (they would lose those games anyway) and ALL of their "toss-up" games are at home which will result in more wins.
N'Western will finish 8-4 (5-3 in Big 10) or 9-3 (5-3 in Big 10).
MSU (I think they will lose to UofM in AA, but will have a better record overall) will finish 8-4 (4-4 in Big 10 play).
I think UofM will be 7-5 (4-4 in Big 10).
Maybe they can do a tie in with the Bleacher Report. Yikes.
They have Michigan as the number 5 team in the Big Ten, but they have 5 teams finishing ahead of them. Don't think the math adds up.
Maybe you just shouldn't read what they write.
Is the worst college football site available. Pete Fiutak is the Trev Alberts of the interwebs.
If I read another thread about sportswriters who do not know every intricacy of college football or who project Michigan or some other big ten team to perform either too well or too poorly next season I think I am going to shoot myself in the head.
You should kill them.
Simple yet elegant.
If TCU makes ANY BCS bowl with their candyass schedule (3 somewhat legit teams), I'm getting out the tinfoil hat.