Looking on the bright side:

Submitted by FatGuyTouchdown on

In 2008, Urban Meyer led his Florida team to great heights just two years after he won a championship while beating his biggest competitor, Alabama in the biggest game of the year. Meyer also signed one of the best recruiting classes in the country while Alabama was relegated to the Sugar Bowl.

In 2016, Urban Meyer led his Ohio State team to great heights just two years after he won a championship while beating his biggest competitor, Michigan, in the biggest game of the year. Meyer will likely sign one of the best recruiting classes in the country, while Michigan will likely be relegated to the Orange Bowl.

Both Harbaugh and Saban were in their second years at programs that were historically great but fell on hard times. College Football changes fast, keep the faith, and don't ever stop believing. Go Blue!

 

Broken Brilliance

December 4th, 2016 at 6:40 AM ^

I just can't look its killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
Cause I'm Mr Brightside

FatGuyTouchdown

December 4th, 2016 at 3:24 AM ^

if we want to make more comparisons, 

Alabama signed the #1 WR in the country, who was from their home state, and was widely coveted by every program in the nation. (Julio Jones=DPJ?)

And our average star rating and class score, if most Best Guess Recruiting Classes are remotely accurate, will be above 2008 Alabama.

JTrain

December 4th, 2016 at 10:17 AM ^

There was a gap closed. But, many think this was our year to do it because we are/were loaded with seniors and depth. That all goes away next year. Not to mention OSU was one of the youngest teams in College football this year. And OSU has the most ridiculous recruiting classes ever.
Personally, I think if Harbaugh gets the right guys playing OLine in the next couple years...we will give OSU all they can handle and then some. Obviously dline too.
The thing that get me about being in these threads is that there are always those people out there that think just because we are Michigan, we are due, and Harbaugh is our coach that we are automatically going to win the Natty every year. It ain't that easy fellas. Look around. We took a lot of shit for granted back in the day.




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Mr. Owl

December 4th, 2016 at 4:41 AM ^

Is it too much to ask that they get their asses handed to them AND have a few bad calls go againt them?  Then we can laugh at the fanz whining about a holding call from when they're down 5 touchdowns being why they lost.

ijohnb

December 4th, 2016 at 8:01 AM ^

I typically end up hoping that BIG teams do well in the post-season. (Except for State last year because fuck them). Seriously though, I don't see how it helps us now for OSU to get blasted.

Maynard

December 4th, 2016 at 8:50 AM ^

Why would you hope OSU does well i.e. winning another national championship? Big 10 logic I suppose. The league is good. We don't need OSU to do well to prove that. Fuck them and fuck wishing them well in a playoff.

Double-D

December 4th, 2016 at 10:33 AM ^

program. Watch what happens with Penn State's recruiting class to close out the year after their win last night.

The Big Ten East likely just got much tougher.

It's a game of inches as we know and every bit of momentum helps. Plus the Buckeyes are assholes.

fksljj

December 4th, 2016 at 10:57 AM ^

I'm typically a conference guy as well but after the bullshit they pulled last saturday I hope the ACC wins every ACC/B1G challenge and the B1G goes 1-7 every bowl season with the 1 win belonging to Michigan. Fuck the big ten.

SpikeFan2016

December 4th, 2016 at 10:20 AM ^

This is stupid. 

 

It benefits us directly both in terms of SOS, and more importantly, if the conference is strong it entices recruits. Middling SEC teams were able to receive an extreme boost the last decade by being able to sell being in the best conference. 

 

However, Ohio State is an exception to this and PSU may be becoming one, because those two schools are already recruiting well enough where we'd rather hurt them with losses. Especially OSU, I hope they lose by 80. 

bacon

December 4th, 2016 at 3:38 AM ^

We're 10-2, #5 team in the country, in the playoff discussion (more so last week) and losses were on the road by 1 and 4 points. We're going to a New Year's Day bowl and we have Jim Harbaugh as our coach. And maybe best of all? Fans are disappointed. We're back. That to me is the bright side.

Bodogblog

December 4th, 2016 at 9:21 AM ^

People keep saying this as if defense is the only phase of the game.  Offense: average OL, OK WR's (including near disappearance of Chesson in big games), limited RBs, first year QB (who I really like).  Yes AA TE, but too many limitations.  It cost us in two very close games, though even in those a play here or there (and some terrible officiating at critical moments) M could have been 12-0.  That seems like a pretty good result, #5 in the country. 

We'll have very good defenses in the future (and sometimes historically great), and vastly better offenses.  Is this so hard to see?  

MichiganMAN47

December 4th, 2016 at 10:24 AM ^

Has about 9 NFL guys on it. Lewis, Strib, Wormley, Charlton, Glasgow,Hill, Hurst, Peppers, Clark, and eventually Gary. That doesn't happen often unless you are Alabama. I have confidence we will reload to become a top 10 defense, but it's unlikely to have the #1 defense again anytime soon. There's a reason people say that defense wins championships.

huntmich

December 4th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^

This. Last season we started winning the games we were supposed to win. This season we beat 3 top ten teams and were in the playoff race until the conference championship weekend. This isn't going to be harbaugh's only great team. Next year we are returning a lot of great players that will have another year of seasoning under harbaugh et al.

Perkis-Size Me

December 4th, 2016 at 8:59 AM ^

This will be the year that makes the committee consider having an expanded field in the future. If OSU is left out, they bitch because they think they have the best resume, and because they have Urban Meyer. If PSU is left out, they bitch because they have the conference title and the head to head win over OSU. If Washington is left out, then its all a major conspiracy against the Pac-12. 

If I were an OSU fan, I'd be a bit concerned tonight. There is a legitimate case now for them being left out. But I think this is why it needs to go to six teams. 1 and 2 get first round byes, 6 has to play 3, 4 has to play 5. 1 then gets to play the lowest ranked seed the following week. 

I dumped the Dope

December 4th, 2016 at 10:13 AM ^

is it not the controversy that the CFP causes that keeps people (fans) "engaged"...

3 of the 4 teams are going to face the same eventual fate as the #5 team, just that they got to play an extra game or two.

Not trying to say I don't care, I think we made a great case, but the bounce of the footballl didn't go our way this year.

 

OwenGoBlue

December 4th, 2016 at 3:59 AM ^

Fuck off with this arbitrary logic. Things are good because they are good. If they turn to great it will be because they are great, not because dates=things.

FatGuyTouchdown

December 4th, 2016 at 4:02 AM ^

it's because dates=things. I'm using a pretty similar example of a situation much like the one Michigan is in, and how fast college football changes as a sport. I really don't think because Alabama got Julio Jones in 2008, it means Michigan will get Donovan Peoples-Jones and be a great dynasty. In no way, shape, or form, do I believe Causation=Correlation.

Ghost of Fritz…

December 4th, 2016 at 8:15 AM ^

valid.

At that time Florida with Meyer looked like an  unstoppable juggernauht.  They were winning everhything and getting amazing recruiting classes.  And then suddenly things did not go according to script.

Just a really good example of how, even when a program looks unstoppable, stuff happens and they come back to earth. 

 

LKLIII

December 4th, 2016 at 8:26 AM ^

Dumb question, but what really did happen to break the Florida machine? Was it Alabama? Was it that rumor about Meyer shagging a graduate assistant and being forced to step down? (Can't imagine Florida AD, boosters & fan base would care). Or has Meyer always coveted OSU job as his dream job or something? Just locker room cultural implosion due to success/ego? What was the blueprint for taking down his Florida growing dynasty anyway? Assuming he's building OSU the same way, you'd think the structural weaknesses would be similar too.




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Ghost of Fritz…

December 4th, 2016 at 8:48 AM ^

Florida finished 8-5, and then Meyer 'retired.'  They have never recovered.

In 2007 Florida finished with the no. 1 recruiting class.  In 2008 they had the no. 6 class. 

And when those guys should have been hitting their stride in 2010 Florida finished 8-5, and in 2011 (under Muschamp) they finished 7-6. 

All those losses cannot be attributed to Saban arriving at Alabama. 

Starz are not everything.  You are not going to win it all without stringing together several top 10 classes.  But college football is high variance, so things can go sideways fast for any number or reasons.

One factor for Florida probably was that after Tebow, they never really found a QB that worked really well for their system.