http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/49259/the-b1g-in-college-footba...
Take home points:
1. Rest of B1G:
No. 12: Michigan State
No. 16: Wisconsin
No. 17: Nebraska
No. 20: Ohio State
2. Breakdown from Rittenberg & Bennett who both voted MSU #9, M #10.
3. Rittenberg put Ohio at #13 (!!!!!!)
4. Alabama #3
5. Notre Dame #24
6. Scroll down for silly Spartan fan logic.
i don't think ohio at 13 is crazy
It may not be "crazy" but I
It may not be "crazy" but I think most people would agree it is a reach for a 6-7 team, new system, and only a 2nd year QB.
But hey, I have a bias against Rittenberg and Bennett, so I may be harping on that pick. Frankly, I think they are lazy and only attempt to scratch the analytical surface of the B1G.
i tihnk
the people voting in this thing are looking at OSU and their last few games. Sure, Bauserman sucked. But if you look at the stats, Braxton Miller lit up some of the defenses he faced down the stretch. Give him a few more options and a spread and shread system and I could see them making noise. Secondly, their defense is decent, and their recruiting class was ridiculous.
With regard to MSU, they might have the best 1-2 combo at CB in the country. That alone would be a solid start to their D, but their LBs are fast as hell and very active.
Big question for them is, can their DL keep their LBs clean to make plays.
Think that MSU has more question marks than OSU really, considering 2 WRs that might be their top 2 are iffy to be able to play next year. Not to mention, 1 protection breakdown on a blindside blitz and they are starting an 18 year old kid in the B10.
On the fifth night—possibly the sixth—a breeze arose.
It was cool and dewy.
Really?
If MSU has the best set of corners in the country im surprised considering they were 9th in the conference in pass defense last year.
So far this calendar year, the ESPN B1G blog
has been variations of "We think MSU is slightly better than Michigan, and we'll see about Wisconsin and Ohio." And then there's usually a comment about how much better the SEC is than the B1G.
It's getting a bit old, but I guess there's really only so much you can say about football during the off-season if you're not allowed to use statistics and/or write anything creative.
Formerly 'mgoblaniel.'
A crazy hope
I hope people aren't jumping off of ledges if Michigan starts out 2-2, which is a somewhat likely possibility...I also don't think OSU at 13 is crazy. They have a ton of talent and an easy schedule.
It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- Yogi Berra
13 maybe a bit high for a
13 maybe a bit high for a team that has no proven RB or WR,but it's not too off.
Vice.com
Get past Bama
with an upset and Michigan should hang around the top 4 the whole season with assumed wins against the big 3 in the schedule.
MSU will hang on it's new QB and receivers. Defense will keep them close and if the O comes together they will exist within the top 10 for the season as well.
Get past Bama...
And all things are possible. World domination.
Serious
If we beat Alabama, win at Nebraska and win at ND we would not be #4, but #1 easily. I HOPE we get 2 of 3. 1 of 3 seems much more likely. Go blue! If we lose any two of those games we will be at around 10 by the end of the season.
[Caved troll is caved. Sorry, Mobile app users.]
I doubt we'd start 2-2. 3-1
I doubt we'd start 2-2. 3-1 looks like the worst we could start after watching ND's spring game.
903 wins most in college football
I hope you're right
The fact that it's a night game at ND is going to help their cause, though.
It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- Yogi Berra
did you wtch our spring game?
did you wtch our spring game? I'm just messing with you but i dont believe we are the #10 team in the country but i'll take it.
Vice.com
Yes, spring games tell you
Yes, spring games tell you everything you need to know about an upcoming season.
Edit: I just caught your sarcasm(?) derp
I sure hope not, there was no
I sure hope not, there was no scoring in the Syracuse spring game.
Zero.
Syracuse '03, Michigan G'05
Space bitches, space.
Defense wins championships.
Defense wins championships.
That def. coordinator at
That def. coordinator at Syracuse must be a bad ass.
Vice.com
Did you watch the spring game
Did you watch the spring game last year? They looked way worse! The spring game is equivalent to an NFL preseason game. Remember when the lions went 4-0 in the preseason? Well... you know the rest of the story
“When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing” - Bo Schembechler
That's damefan1 logic right
That's damefan1 logic right there. Night game at their place will not be easy to win.
"Ohio is like a giant turd that Michigan just can't pinch off"
Don't care about preseason rankings.
Just win baby!
MSU is going to be in alot of close games. They will probably have a top 10 defense again this year. It is hard to win without offensive playmakers and MSU lost alot from last year. I wouldn't be shocked if they won 10 games this year though. That being said who cares if they are ranked ahead of us in the preseason. Once we beat them this year they won't be.
A (space)
lot.
I struggle with giving them a top 10 defense
I think the loss of Worthy is going to prove very big. He not only caused a ton of disruption on his own, but he also forced several teams to double team him, freeing up the other clowns. They'll be good, and may flirt with 10 wins, but with their lack of expected offense, and in my opinion, and drop off on the defense, I don't see them living up to a top 10 defense, or even top 12 ranking.
I think the #10 ranking for us is a reach as well though.....
Rittenberg & Bennett
'Try growing up in Texas a Michigan WOLVERINE'.
It's incredible to believe
It's incredible to believe that just one year removed from that savage beating in the Gator Bowl to Mississippi State Hoke has made Michigan into a team ESPN considers the preseason B1G favorite.
Agreed
The Gator Bowl was painful to watch. First game I left early in 42 years.
First one ever
Living in Florida that was the first game I was ever fortunate enough to attend. I have since decided my fandom is best served from my living room.
Imma tell you something about me, MGoCommunity, that you might not know. I smoke rocks.
MSU love?
I know MSU has a lot back on defense but replacing Cousins will be more difficult than the experts think. MSU will learn the hard way how valuable Cousins was for their team.
And call me crazy but I think OSU will be a pretty good team this year.
Losing Cousins is a big loss,
Losing Cousins is a big loss, but I think losing Worthy is the biggest loss on their team. He had such an impact on their defense - he was the reason their LBs looked so good. Considering they lost their other starting DT and they'll be starting a converted DE at 3-tech, his loss will seem that much greater.
Ohio is tough to tell. They
Ohio is tough to tell. They could be really good. The fact that they have a bowl ban this year which is of course the year we play them at the shoe means they'll go all out balls to the wall for The Game. You think the alabama game is going to be tough? The ohio game is our toughest game of the season bar none.
"Ohio is like a giant turd that Michigan just can't pinch off"
I hate being ranked that high
I hate being ranked that high in the pre-season. Imo, the higher our pre-seaon rank, the bigger the target on our back Put us at 12-15. I think that's more realistic. I know it doesn't really matter, and if we want to play for a title, we have to win em all, regardless where we're ranked in the pre-season.
So do you ever want to be a
So do you ever want to be a favorite? I have never understood this way of thinking.
This is Michigan fergodsakes.
This is Michigan fergodsakes. We have a huge target on our back every week because of that.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
That feels high to me. I
That feels high to me. I love this team, but they are basically replacing their entire front line on defense, don't have a legit #1 WR, and still have questions in terms of depth at key positions. #10 is a fringe MNC team to me, and that doesn't describe UM. MSU at 12, though, seems even crazier given how uncertain they are about the offense going forward and the fact that the defense, while solid statistically, doesn't strike me as the world-beater necessary to buoy that rebounding offense.
But that's college football,
But that's college football, everyone has questions. USC just lost first rounders at LT and DE, and they don't have the numbers to replace them and keep good depth, yet they're #1.
We don't have a true #1 receiver, but we have essentially two #2 receivers in Roundtree and Gallon, and a handful of young guys, a couple of whom will step up. We won't be bombing it down the field, but as a run-first team, we have enough firepower to dink and dunk to keep defenses honest. We lost a few guys on the DL, but everyone else returned and with the moves we made on the DL, we have starters with a good amount of experience.
Remember that we had a top-5ish recruiting class, and 3 or 4 of those guys will impress.
Depth
Depth is the primary concern with Mcihgan. Someone mentioned spring game, what? There wasn't a srping game this year, there was a scrimmage, you need two full teams to have a game.
ESPN
Does this mean that David Pollack will give his "expert" analysis as to why the SEC is superior to us?
my hot asian wife love me long time
Why
do I read the comments? I just get too heated...so many stupid msu/ohio fans
Go Blue!
Not sure why Nebraska should be ranked higher than Ohio
Huskers lost 3 star defensive players to the pros and their offense still needs a consistent passing game. I think the Bucks' defense will be better than Nebraska's and their running game should be about even.
Sparty is definitely
Sparty is definitely justified in being ranked ahead of us. They've got a lot of offensive questions, but their defense will carry them in a lot of games. That having been said, I think its realistic for MSU to take a step back and have an 8-9 win year.
Don't get me wrong. That defense will keep them in every game, but I don't think they're going to have enough playmakers on the other side of the ball. Their entire WR corp is gutted, and Le'Veon Bell, while good, isn't Trent Richardson, and can't carry the load by himself.
It's been a lot. Its been a roller coaster that for some reason seemed like it would never get good. But you know what? We kept fighting. It's like that old saying goes, "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." -David Molk
Not only is Bell not Trent
Not only is Bell not Trent Richardson, he doesn't have anything close to Richardson's OL. Here's our gameplan against MSU:
Stack the box and let our veteran backfield hang back until MSU's new QB and new receiving corps prove they can do anything against us. On offensive, we pound the inside because I'm not sure MSU has DTs this year. See how long their speedy LBs can handle getting pancaked by our guards all day. Unlike MSU, we'll actually be able to throw to keep them honest.
Every game
The MSU defense didnt keep them in every game last year (ND and Nebraska) and lost possibly its best two players. They have a solid defense but we are giving them way too much credit, probably because we have struggled against them.
It is April,
who cares where anybody is ranked.
"I hate losing more than I like winning." - Zack
Sparty is overrated
They lose all their weapons on offense and Jerrell Worthy. They will still have a good defense but I think they should be in the 20s
Silly logic?
How about merit? The spartans have earned a high ranking...in fact they have seemed to appear more Michigan-like, than we have since Carr's final two years. As much as I dislike the disrespect spewed by Dantonio toward Michigan, I almost equally detest not giving credit where credit is due. And this is coming from a Michigan grad. Though I am not gonna give FULL credit to them... because Dantonio had a huge advantage tag-teaming with Tressel when it came to recruiting (remember the Dantonio recent meltdown when Meyer wouldn't play the same way).
Karma will get Dantonio for the disrespect he repeatedly shows us, along with the hard work by Hoke..... however at the present time, the Spartans are tough and should be ranked that high.
It's a new season. They
It's a new season. They aren't being ranked on how well they did last year or the last few years or how they didn't against Michigan, it's about how well they'll do this fall. Even great teams that lose all the talent MSU did have down years, and this will be a down year for them.
That wasn't in regards to
That wasn't in regards to their ranking, it was in regards to the trolls in the comment section.
Michigan state
They will be good next year, but the comments that dantonio made is definitely going to fire up Michigan players. I'm sure hoke reminds them constantly.
Sparty will have solid defense, but will have holes up front. Also, their wide recievers are going to be worse than they have in a while. Also, who is to say that this new qb will be any good?
Watching some of there spring
Watching some of there spring game rite now on btn. They don't look to bad. Conner cook looks better at throwing than Gardner. Gohlston will be beastin this year. They look solid. Will be a tough game this year at the big house. The more physical team will win. Omg I won't be able to handle another loss to sparty this year. We better win! Go blue!
John 14:6 - Jesus said " I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me."
I can think of a few things
I can think of a few things that'll fire them up more than some comments from Dantonio. I don't know how MSU will turn out next year... But I'm confident that the head to head will be a beautiful cleansing.
FerGodSakes
This is pre-pre-season rankings. Come summer they will change to pre-season and all that matters after that is BCS (for bowls) but ultimately the final rankings. I feel we have a good team but are they good enough...time will tell. Hoke will have the team prepared and not paying attention to the rankings. Hoke will have his staff and players making sure they are worrying about playing football 1 game at a time. No doubt Michigan is on everybody's radar..."This is Michigan...fer god sakes"
And when we play as a team, when the old season is over, you and I know it’s going to be Michigan again. Michigan!
-- Bo Schembechler
and i don't think MSU at 9 is crazy. the spartans have talent and so does ohio.
I will fucking cunt punt the next person I hear about doing something like that, and I don't give a fuck if you SOR me, I WILL FUCKING ASSAULT YOU.