Michigan Ohio state likely to be played early in football season
"According to a report Friday in the Columbus Dispatch, the Michigan-Ohio State game “probably” will be played earlier in the season to avoid potential cancellation in late-November because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By playing The Game earlier in the season, there’s a cushion in the schedule to play it later if there is a postponement because of the coronavirus."
"How 'bout NO"
- Dr. Evil
Crazy Dutch bastard
I am already calling it. Michigan will win this year against OSU. We will win, because we as Michigan fans, are destined to only win against OSU when they can cry “foul” or that it “wasn’t a real win”...such as last time we won when an OSU friend told me “Your win was a ‘Luke Fickel win’, it wasn’t a real win!”.
I’ll take it at this point.
Me too Brother!!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and it has been tarnished the last 15 years. LOL
The OSU game will be the last one of the season, regardless of when it's played.
I have long advocated for it to be moved to the first game of the season. We need to change the mojo.
The mojo has been toxic. Couldn’t agree more!
Good for us. Any change in that series is welcome.
Cool! Less time for 4 new OL starters and a new QB to try to get things figured out. Surely this couldn't play out worse!
On the contrary, moving it up benefits U-M.
What we’ve seen over and over in that game is OSU’s superior depth—whether it’’s them weathering in-game QB injuries or U-M suffering from Winovich and Speight and Bush being banged up or knocked out. You can easily see another such scenario playing out with U-M’s DTs getting through the season but being too worn out or thinned out to take on OSU.
Playing in September would of course be bad, granted. But the drop-off from our 1s to our 2s is worse than theirs. The later the game is played, the more that’s a factor.
Pretty sure that was their starters scoring all those touchdowns last year.
Michigan would greatly benefit greatly in some ways if there is not a season at all, and I think missing OSU is one of them. That would mean that Michigan will not need to play OSU with Justin Fields under center again. Unless he makes the decision to come back instead of being paid, the next time Michigan would see the Buckeyes, they will have a new QB.
The other is that next year you would likely have a legitimate 3 way battle at QB with Cade probably getting a shot. It probably also means that you will likely have an experienced (a few years in the program) back up. I am working off the assumption that the loser of the QB battle jumps into the portal immediately, meaning Cade steps in as the back up without any real reps at all.
It is worth noting that there are some other programs that benefit way more than Michigan would. MSU for example wont have to get their teeth kicked in by the best teams in the conference, and would lose a year of bad football under Mel Tucker that would postpone poor recruiting at least one year. Right now, Mel can sell the future, goina 3-7 and getting outscored by roughly 80 points combined to Michigan, Penn State and OSU doesn't exactly look great for that future to a recruit.
OSU has beaten us with Craig Krenzel (twice) and Todd Boeckman. They've beaten us with a backup QB who only had like 40 snaps all season (Haskins). I'm to the point now where we have to stop worrying about who they have suiting up and focus more on our team being prepared.
The team I feel most sorry for, I guess, would be Minnesota. This season was set up for them to make a run to Indianapolis. Will their rising Juniors come back next year if there's no season?
Fields is a Heisman finalist. Their last QB was a Heisman finalist. Their QB before him as atop the OSU record books for passing yards. Mixed in there is a back-up who quarterbacked them to a national championship. Ohio State is going to be absolutely stacked every year. If people are waiting for a year for them to vulnerable, they're going to be waiting a very long time.
Agreed! I get your drift; it doesn't really matter when Michigan plays OSU. As for this season, if we have one, I'd rather see it played in late October, say the last East Division game then play the west after that to close it out.
The Buckeyes will be ready to play Michigan in week zero or after Thanksgiving.
Since when has Michigan playing OSU when they're breaking in a new QB made any difference in Michigan's favor in the last 10 years?
Remember what Dwayne Haskins did after stepping in for Barrett in 2017? An argument can be made that if Barrett never got hurt, Michigan wins that game. Instead a redshirt freshman comes in for OSU and absolutely shreds Michigan's defense.
Remember Cardale Jones coming in for an injured Barrett in 2014? The minute he came in, OSU started to run away with the game.
Remember a true freshman Braxton Miller being one overthrow away from beating Michigan in 2011?
I also remember OSU's backup QB having very little issue moving the ball down the field last year when Fields went out for a series.
Sure, not having to play Justin Fields again would be nice. But OSU's system is plug and play. Has been for nearly 20 years. They plug a new guy in at essentially any position, and the machine keeps on rolling as well as it did for the guy who came before. If not better. So if its not Justin Fields who shreds Michigan's defense for 450 total yards and 5 TDs, it'll be the next guy on the depth chart.
Your point makes sense, but we have to factor that Michigan defense was more effective against Barrett in that his down field threat was not lethal. The unknown Haskins, well, was lethal.
I think there is a similar reasoning that can be made with Jones coming in for Barrett.
Enter Fields legs compliment with Dobbins with any down field threat and Michigans D is shredded
OSU has the QB stable with differing strengths. This years absence of Young and Dobbins at least give us hope.
Absence of Dobbins. well about that........... Trey Sermon just transferred to OSU after rushing for over 1,000 yards at Oklahoma. He's pretty good.
Dobbins 2001 yrds 2019 While Sermon was the 3rd from the top in rushing in the season he ran for less than 1000. Not comparable to Dobbins.
Sermon averaged 6.1 ypc and has big play capability.
Dobbins and Jonathan Taylor put up identical numbers. I have no doubt Sermon is going to be a great back for OSU. But I wouldnt bet on him equalling those two guys. Id have to see him earn that.
Ugh, thanks for that walk down memory lane, Perkis-Size Me. Excuse me while I go check to see how that ledge outside my window has fared since last November.
Makes one feel Perkis-sized after reading that post.
I know all the get-off-my-lawn folks will hate this, but it's for the best. Michigan has lost this game 15/16 times. Any way to shake things up and maybe throw off the routine beatdown should be considered good. Michigan hasn't played well in November any time this century anyway.
We were playing our best football in November last year until the OSU game. All blowouts including a lopsided win over a surprisingly good Indiana team who, I'm sure you'll remember, had put the fear of God into us the prior four meetings. That was the main positive I used to prepare myself for last year's game; we're finally playing well in November. Didn't make a damn difference.
Maybe it's my pessimism talking but would a schedule change really make that much of a difference? Again, I use last year as an example. Remember how awful we looked out of the gate? Last year, we'd probably lose to OSU in September much worse than 56-27.
OSU has 4-5 players that may sit out the season to not ruin their draft status, by lessening the chance of getting Covid-19.
Generally: I think it's best to move it away from the Thanksgiving weekend... has always been ridiculous to have the game played when many (most?) students are away from campus. If it can stay the last game of the season that's fine, just on a different weekend.
This season: any football is better than no football.
BOHICA, September edition.
With our luck, the team will lose all its key contributors to COVID just before the game is played, irregardless of when it’s played.
Note: I love irregardless...
Then maybe they'll pull a Purdue and "misunderestimate" us. LOL
Nevernogardlessthermore.
O$U has the most to lose than anybody because they have the most overhead.
Moving the game from the end of the season to the middle of the season or the start, in front of what would be an empty Ohio Stadium? I'll take it. Anything that changes things up, because what is happening right now isn't working.
I'm not going to pretend that really helps Michigan's chances, but it at least doesn't hurt them. Michigan hasn't played well in November, from start to finish, in a long time.
If nothing else, we can rip the band-aid off early in the season and just get the loss overwith.
I’d rather see it early than not see it at all.
It’s a crazy year, it sounds reasonable.
Put me down as a True Blue fan that is not looking for any help from covid in the season. I hope for a heads up starters on starters smash mouth football game. That said, it is unlikely to take place this season. But the game needs to go on as best it can. Our hopes should be on a QB with a vision of the field, accuracy in his arm and great decision making skills. We are due for hot QB development
I still believe in the ability to Michigan to win. The coaching staff has greatly improved. The offensive system has potential. The line will be young but some have playing time experience.
A trip to the snake pit will be different without a full stadium. Home field advantage goes away.
The guys go down there with some health, some polish, and angry, anything can happen.
The greatest question mark is will how many quarantines will be added to injuries.
I want some of what you’re smoking.
When I stop believing in my team ill be in the grave.
Michigan football and its fans could certainly use a change. Not sure that it would help much. Not extremely optimistic about the college football season happening at this point. Time will tell.
Going to give it a 10% chance of a season happening at best, already thinking about having to move the game to lower the chances of it not being played tells you all you need to know about what the people in charge think of the prospects of this season. There is just no way the numbers aren't going to be even worse by the time they start the season. If it is played it probably favors OSU to play earlier, proven QB versus a unproven one who needs game experience. Though lack of overly hostile road atmosphere might help.
Skip it. I need a break from the OSU game. We ALL need a break from the OSU game.
For the love of God, skip this game. It can’t get worse. It can only get better from here.
Good - we can get the disappointment over with sooner than later.
I'm cool with this for a year.
It's not like playing on the last weekend of the season in front of 100,000 intensely loud people has served us so well.
Maybe a mid-October game in Columbus in front of 20,000 spread out quiet people is just what the doctor ordered.
osu offered refunds to all season ticket holders a couple days ago...had option to donate, credit to next year...or wait for updates. osu says 20k at a game....governor says 10 ppl max at public events. osu never gives money back willingly...even for things that are cancelled. doesnt look good.
Moot point since there will be no season.
early in 2021?
The dude was in the Big 12. With defenses over there, ALL playmakers have big play capability
August 1st, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
there you go, underestimate him. If you think that Sermon isn't a big time running back ( not JK big time) then I don't know what to tell you but the guy presents an issue.