ESPN's Katz picks UM to start 7-0.
Sharon Katz of ESPN gives UM a good chance to start 7-0. According to the article
New offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier should bring toughness and physicality to an offense that was wildly inconsistent last season. Nussmeier's first task will be filling the gaps in an O-line that allowed the most negative plays (sacks and tackles for loss) in the nation. With an improved line, QB Devin Gardner should be able to return to his 2012 form, when he had the highest QBR (91.0) of any player in the nation with at least 150 action plays.
I did not know that Devin had such a high rating in 2012. It then goes on to say
Michigan's toughest early-season test will be at Notre Dame, a game with considerable historical significance, as it will be the last scheduled meeting between the two schools. According to FPI, Michigan has a 55 percent chance to beat the Irish. In every other game through Week 7, the Wolverines have at least a 70 percent chance to win.
Three other teams are mentioned as being underestimated.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
Was she at the open scrimmage?
/joke...I think 7-0 isentirely possible, and then it is time to man up and if we happen to suffer a loss to let team unity and leadership take over to prevent another.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
we go 8-0 and I've been saying 8-0 when the Playoff Committee releases its first ranking.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:15 PM ^
that as one of the wins. . . .
August 19th, 2014 at 2:49 AM ^
The open scrimmage means nothing yet. I said this yesterday: it may not happen but Michigan could enter the Ohio game 11-0 or 10-1. It depends upon a lot of factors. I won't waste anyone's time saying why I think each individual game is winnable, but they are.
I realize that five of them are loseable, too, but I think Brady Hoke knows his ass is on the line this year and knows enough to trust any "vote of confidence" from DB as far as he could throw the Big House. And now, if Braxton Miller ends up struggling with injuries all year, I am not even condeding the Ohio game, either.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:04 PM ^
The best thing for this offense is to lean more on the passing game early on while letting the oline gel and the run game time to improve throughout the season
August 18th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
That was my belief last year too, though we needed to mix up some short/intermediate routes instead of chucking it deep. Our WRs/TEs should not be tested significantly until we play MSU. That gives us a lot of time to use the pass to open up the run. The more we can keep the safeties back, the better chance we have of getting a "hat on a hat" in the trenches.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:10 PM ^
We were saying the same thing at the beginning of the season but realized it meant nothing by week 3 when the offensive line couldn't give DG more than three seconds in the pocket against Akron. Much of early on will depend on DG's decision making (scrambling, forcing throws, etc.)... No doubt there will be serious pressure on him in the first couple games, so I'd really be pleased if we saw improvement in his demeanor under pressure.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:35 PM ^
If against even Miami (OH) UM is getting blitzed nonstop and the OLine can't get Devin more than 3 seconds to throw the ball, at least Nussmeier's offense has built it hots that the QB can dump the ball off to try to save himself and the play, and maybe try to slow down the blitz and keep rushers honest.. Still baffles me that we didn't see any of those against MSU as they pummeled the pass protection all day.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:29 PM ^
hot routes because they had the ability to blitz and still maintain excellent coverage behind it. That's why they were the best defense in the country last year. What baffles me is why we didn't do it against Nebraska, who implemented a very similar game plan (blitz the crap out of us) but was vulnerable on the back end. We should have screened, drawed and quick routed the hell out of that team, Jake Butt up the seam was open all day and we went to it once... and completed it... for a first down. We had no business being held to 13 and losing that game.
August 19th, 2014 at 3:50 AM ^
Duval Wolverine, I think we'll exploit the passing game early, not so much out of necessity, but because we have such a talented corps of receivers. Once Butt is back, our passing threat is going to be a major nightmare for D coordinators.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
I think the schedule is permitting enough for us to start 7-0 which is very helpful considering the state of our offensive line, but it is the back end that I worry about more... Obviously Staee and OSU are the two toughest games we play this season, and I feel as if Indiana and Maryland could be trap games. Indiana gave us fits last season, and Maryland probably deserves a little more credit than they've been given so far.
I guess my point is, it would be great to start 7-0, but much of this season will depend on how we perform down the stretch.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:52 PM ^
Michigan doesn't have an open date until after the 7th game. One the week before MSU and the other two weeks before OSU. OTOH, OSU has both of their open dates before Michigan has its first. Those open dates through the last five games could serve Michigan very well indeed.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
That's a mighty big assumption he's making.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:44 PM ^
Based on the name, I guessing she.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:47 PM ^
I think people are reading the title and assuming Andy Katz. I did the same, until I remembered he was a basketball writer. I know the post says Sharon, but I skipped over that part the first time.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:02 PM ^
remembered he was a bball writer and then asked, "Isn't it a bit early for this?"
August 18th, 2014 at 7:13 PM ^
hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side,
Said, hey honey, take a walk on the wild side.
Sharon came from out on the island,
In the backroom she was everybody's darling,
But she never lost her head, even when
she was giving a 7-0 prediction,
She says, Hey baby, take a walk on the wild side,
Said hey babe, take a walk on the wild side,
And the MGoBloggers go
Doo doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo-doo...
August 18th, 2014 at 9:09 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 6:13 PM ^
Though, if we go total theoretical probability with FPI, there's a 21.48% chance Michigan starts 7-0, so it's not an insane limb that Katz is going out on. Still, his "logic and reasoning" is just a bunch of cliche.
I'd rather drop a game in those first 7 and start the season 7-1... If you catch my drift.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:25 PM ^
Isn't Sharon Katz a lady?
August 18th, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^
So ESPN is more positive than our fan base....wow
August 18th, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
Oh like that's saying much. I bet your average Buckeye is more positve about our team than our fanbase, if MGoBlog is any indication.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:32 PM ^
-nowayman 2014
We beat penn state at home. We flip the coin with the irish, but we all know it's gonna be Michigan again, Michigan.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:17 PM ^
Lololololololine.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:18 PM ^
I will enjoy any and all positivism...
August 18th, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
why you shouldn't sniff glue!
August 18th, 2014 at 7:16 PM ^
A friend of mine wanted to put the sandperson cheer on his computer for his error sound. Why, I have no idea. Back in 1996, this involved multiple steps which took us the good part of an evening to figure out how to do.
1. Wiring the sound from VCR into his roommate's computer
2. Recording the sound using the default Windows recorder
3. Outputting it as some kind of sound file
4. Transporting it via floppy disk to friend's computer
But holy shit, once he fired up that error sound, it was epic
August 18th, 2014 at 8:21 PM ^
que es?
August 18th, 2014 at 9:37 PM ^
but would not want this sound coming out of anything i own, and if one of our cows made that sound we'd put it down!
August 18th, 2014 at 9:45 PM ^
text.
August 19th, 2014 at 5:52 AM ^
(old dog, new trick)
August 18th, 2014 at 9:03 PM ^
sound files and replacing all my windows sound alerts.
Going from a vcr to the comp is way past that.
...But yeah, still a dork here.
August 18th, 2014 at 9:36 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
Indiana and Maryland are at home and we haven't lost to Indiana in forever. We had 750 yards of offense on them with our atrocious OL last year and our defense should lock them down more this year than last year. As for Maryland, I don't know but it doesn't seem like a game we lose at home in late November.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:24 PM ^
I pick UM to start 14-0.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:52 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 7:04 PM ^
Are you implying that we lose in the national championship game? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
August 18th, 2014 at 6:25 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
I agree, and also see a 7 - 0 start. I actually think that we could well go all the way to Columbus without a loss.
- With everything happening at ND, and the loss of 3 key starters, we are going to win that game.
- With the way we choked away the game against PSU, it isn't going to happen again. UTL will be electric, and we'll win that game.
- With all the crap Michigan has taken, they won't take any games for granted, and will be hungry to win every game.
- we have a bye week before MSU. In previous years, MSU was "just another game." I think it is now more personal, and Michigan will be scheming and working toward that game. In some ways, beating MSU in East Lansing may be our most important game this year.
If all the above is true, the OL will have a full season to gel, along with every other unit. That will make the OSU game winnable, although that's the game I see Michigan losing, being in Columbus.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:35 PM ^
...you realize we almost lost to Akron at home last year with two NFL tackles starting on the offensive line?
August 18th, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
Don't put that on the offensive line. We actually ran the ball decently well in that game. Toussaint was 19 for 71 and a TD, that's 3.7 ypc. Devin had 10 carries for 103 yards and a TD.
We almost lost that game because DG coughed the ball up 4 times, one of which was a pick-6, and another INT was so deep they got a FG without getting a first down. That's 10 points we literally handed them. The other 14 points they got off 8- and 11-play TD drives. That's on our D, not our O.
So after Gardner turns the ball over 4 times, we still score 28 points on 425 yards of offense. Can't blame the OL for that one.
August 18th, 2014 at 6:49 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:27 PM ^
Past performance is not a predictor of future earnings?
August 18th, 2014 at 6:53 PM ^
I'm going to preface this by saying that I hate being the negative nancy, but anyway:
-I don't think we have much of a right to say that there are games on the schedule that we are absolutely going to win. Especially not road games. Need we be reminded of how we were almost embarrassed two weeks in a row against two of the worst teams in America last year? I wouldn't even be 100% confident that we could go on the road to Purdue and beat them.
-We had a bye week before MSU last year, and we got crushed. Bye weeks can be good, but they're no guarantee that we'll be better off because of them. Also, I hate this crap of now of a sudden MSU isn't "just another game." You mean after getting our asses kicked by them for the last 6 years that all of a sudden, NOW we decide to take it seriously? NOW all of a sudden its more personal? You're entitled to your opinion, but I don't buy that. And I'm sure many of the current players wouldn't either Face it. MSU hasn't been beating us because they're just taking the game more seriously. They've been the flat-out better team in nearly every phase of the game. And the results on the field indicate that.
August 18th, 2014 at 7:02 PM ^
August 18th, 2014 at 8:53 PM ^
The passion argument is played out. They had the best defense in college football last year. We had the worst OL in college football last year. Our defense actually played decently for the first 2.5 quarters. Then it fell apart. We got a turnover vs MSU and then we proceeded to have 3 plays in a row that led to something like 4th down and 484839483 yards. That was effectively the end of the game.
We came in 8th place last year in a shit conference - its not about passion at this point. They came in 1st. We were totally unable to do anything on offense against a premier defense.
August 18th, 2014 at 8:24 PM ^
where belushi comes up with a plan and otter, while dabbing at his wounds says something to the effect of, 'no, bluto's right. crazy, but right. we could use conventional weapons and cost thousands of lives and millionsof dollars, or, we could...'
but mr. kass could just be on to something. what does mrs. k say?