Michigan #2 in Big Ten in 2015?

Submitted by 1989 UM GRAD on

So, now that we have the advantage of retrospect, I think it's very easy to argue that Michigan was the 2nd best team in the Big Ten this year.

Michigan at its best and healthiest would beat MSU and Iowa at their best and healthiest more than 50% of the time. 

We had the #1 defense in the conference and, at our best, one of the top three or four offenses.  Again, I'm basing this on the offense we saw during the second half of the season and in today's game.  As for the defense, I'm assuming Glasgow and Ojemudia are available.

In other words, were the season to start over again today, I'd predict that we'd go 11-1 in the regular season...with OSU still going to the Big Ten Championship game and beating Iowa. 

Assume OSU gives Iowa a pretty serious beat-down in the championship game and qualifies for the playoff.  Do we go to the Rose Bowl or does Iowa?

What say you?  Am I wearing maize and blue glasses or does this make sense...with the benefit of a full season and hindsight?

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DJEasy12

January 1st, 2016 at 7:44 PM ^

I think we match up very well with both Iowa and MSU. We would've beat MSU comfortably had Rudock been familiar with the offense. If we played those assholed 2 weeks later, it would've been a beatdown. And Iowa is just like Northwestern, great defense (except for today), but no explosive players on offense. 

On another note, how the fuck did you ammass over 1 million points????

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BoYostHarbaugh

January 2nd, 2016 at 3:55 PM ^

has been Harbaughed since the spring and probably is as good or better than Jake. He was just ineligble to play under transfer rules. Thi is just my opinion of course, but O'Korn left a tantalizing tweet last night "This was just a taste of what next season brings" or something like that. 

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alum96

January 1st, 2016 at 8:11 PM ^

Pretty amazing to think if nothing changed this year other than those 10 seconds we'd have closed the gap record wise in 12 months.  UM and MSU would have both finished 10-2.  OSU 11-1 and the winner of the East in that scenario.

I think the Rose Bowl was trying to be true to the rankings and taking the 2nd highest rated B10 team which probably still would have been 12-1 Iowa.  But UM probably would have finished 8thish in the final standings - that beat down byt OSU would have hit us a few slots... we would have been 10-1 the prior week and probably #5ish?

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reshp1

January 1st, 2016 at 10:59 PM ^

We'd be in a slightly better bowl, and state would be in a slightly worse one, while Ohio wins the B1G and is in the playoffs. State probably looks better in their worse bowl and Ohio would have a good chance at beating Alabama. I much prefer Ohio not playing for another title (and beating ND, which is a nice bonus) and state getting embarrassed loke they did. Not saying I wouldn't have rather beat Sparty, but the other consequences of the loss ended up working out ok.

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justingoblue

January 1st, 2016 at 10:39 PM ^

It's actually our fault, but not something intentional. When you take points on our end (or give for that matter) we have the option of setting up an expiration, and there seems to be a glitch there.

One day I'll sit down and correct the couple affected accounts manually, but that's a little low on my priorities list.

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MGoPoints: 29741

BigOzzy86

January 1st, 2016 at 7:52 PM ^

OSU overlooking the spartans....    UofM muffing the last play against Sparty...   made it so the best team in the BigTen (OSU) did not make the cut.  They would have been a much better BigTen rep in the playoff system.   And Yes.. we would have been beating up on Stanford  

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troublet1969

January 1st, 2016 at 11:16 PM ^

Not so fast my friend! You had me until the Stanford remark. That would have been a struggle that could go either way lmho. The best overall player in the country plays for Stanford and we would have had problems with him. He is a mismatch against our linebackers and and just as fast as anybody's secondary. I guess it is the phrase "...we would have been beating up on Stanford" meant that we would beat them like we did Florida? Or, did you mean (by) Stanford? Again, it would have been something to see, I am just glad the way things turned out for them...



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hazardc

January 1st, 2016 at 7:53 PM ^

Our defense was beat up toward end of regular season, while ruddock continually improved and masked the problem. As soon as he went out against Ohio state, it was over . Utah can be written off as new qb in new system ...and just a decently tough opening road game in general with an inexperienced team . Sparty .... Yeah we should have won OSU, they took out the last person people we're criticizing while he turned out to be one of our best single season QBs ....

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M-Lemon

January 1st, 2016 at 7:53 PM ^

I think we're #2.  Which sadly means that OSU is #1.  They were really good again this season, but next year will be another story . . .

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M-Dog

January 1st, 2016 at 7:57 PM ^

If you measure it by who would win the most games if each team played each other 10 times right now, then Michigan is easily the second best team.

OSU would still beat us more times than not, but there is nobody else in the Big Ten right now that would beat us more often than not.

Not even close.

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Uper73

January 1st, 2016 at 7:55 PM ^

As nice as today's win was, the OSU game was a butt whipping similar to what MSU, NW and Iowa are experiencing. Would we have played them tougher with RG and MO, no doubt, but they exposed our LB weakness(as Fla tried to do today).

We did play a tougher schedule than most other BIG schools.

I am ecstatic we ended up 10-3, disappointed we let the MSU game slip away, but grateful we persevered against IU and Minny. Could have been a whole different feel had those games been different.

The team improved tremendously and so many of the players found new lives and showed potential.

Hope we end up in final Top 10.

Can't wait for next season.

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ThadMattasagoblin

January 1st, 2016 at 8:00 PM ^

In the words of Brady Hoke, we didn't execute. I don't think there's any question we were the 2nd best big ten team but we lost to MSU even if it was a fluky loss. Next year the universe corrects itself.

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andrewgr

January 1st, 2016 at 8:02 PM ^

As an OSU fan, I truly believe that OSU would have lost to UM if they had not lost to MSU.  The offense was completely dysfunctional all year, and the coaching staff was in disarray.  That loss not only brought the team together, but more importantly, it led Meyer to make some much needed changes with the coaching situation.

If the Buckeyes played the way they did in basically every game up to and including the MSU game, at the Big House, I think they lose.  I say that even taking into consideratin the actual result.  I watched every minute of every Ohio State game for the entire year, and they were not better than UM until the actual UM game.

 

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alum96

January 1st, 2016 at 8:21 PM ^

We are currently #17  - should rise to 10ish IMO.  ND should fall below us, FSU will fall below us, North Carolina will fall below us, Northwestern falls below us - so that is 4 spots there IMO.   Loser of OK State Ole Miss falls below us (winner stays ahead) - thats 5 spots.  Loser of TCU Oregon falls below us (winner stays ahead).

Houston was ahead of us and beating FSU probably keeps them there.  Baylor might move ahead of us - going to be close.

So I count probably 6 spots which would put us at #11.  This beatdown of Iowa could drop them below us too.  Would be nice to see Spartyfraud at #12 as well ;)

Prob something like:

  1. Bama or Clemson
  2. Clemson or Bama
  3. OSU
  4. Oklahoma
  5. Stanford
  6. MSU
  7. Winner TCU/Oregon
  8. Winner OK State/Ole Miss
  9. Baylor
  10. Houston
  11. Michigan
  12. Iowa?

 

 

 

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drjaws

January 1st, 2016 at 8:04 PM ^

I hope O'Korn or Peters > Rudock. If so, we're in for a hell of a year next year.

And yes, we're by far the #2 team in the B1G. And we would have scored against Bama. And MSU would have been close vs Florida. Iowa blows and had a cake schedule. IU would have gone 9-3 or 10-2 with that schedule.



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Saint_in_Blue

January 1st, 2016 at 8:30 PM ^

I hope we get ranked ahead of Sparty in the final rankings. They got absolutely manhandled. We had a very convincing blow out. I could easily see them dropping Sparty to 9 or 10 and us getting ranked 8 or 9. Plenty of teams ranked ahead of us are going to lose and a few of those have been blow outs.

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