September 30th, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^
Link to the announcement if you need it
September 30th, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^
great. Good way to test out brand new corners.
September 30th, 2020 at 1:24 PM ^
I'd rather test them out and let them get their feet wet against a Rutgers or MSU vs. their first game being on the road against a great passing attack, featuring one of the best WRs in the conference. If not the best.
But that's just me.
September 30th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
On the road? There won’t be any fans at the game. Stop making excuses and beat a mid tier college football team. If your worried about Minnesota than the season will be a train wreck anyways so why worry
September 30th, 2020 at 1:47 PM ^
Mid tier? They just beat Auburn in their bowl. If they are mid tier, what are we? I fully expect to lose this game.
September 30th, 2020 at 1:53 PM ^
bOwL gAmEs dOn'T mEaN aNyThInG!!!11
unless Michigan starts winning bowls then they'll be important again.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
No. They still won't.
September 30th, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
They still don’t mean shit. You enjoy your bowl games I’ll enjoy playoff appearances and big ten championships
September 30th, 2020 at 6:42 PM ^
Haaa,.. and you're a Michigan fan?!
September 30th, 2020 at 3:20 PM ^
This. I will be shocked if Michigan and their new QB will be favored in this game. Michigan has a lot of questions on offense.
September 30th, 2020 at 6:46 PM ^
Mich is favored (was ~ 2pts)
September 30th, 2020 at 4:46 PM ^
Auburn is not some juggernaut. The last time they lost fewer than 4 games was seven years ago and Malzahn is 2-5 in bowl games.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:12 PM ^
There is a possibility they will be a slight favorite going into that 1st game. They were ranked in the preseason and coming off a 11-2 season. Not exactly what I consider mid-tier.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:19 PM ^
The Minnesota defense lost 9 out of the 11 defensive starters and have shit for replacements, especially at DL and LB. This game will not be "speed in space" for Michigan. Pound the rock and keep Bateman & Tanner on the sidelines.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:36 PM ^
Not doubting your facts or your gameplan, I just wouldn't call them mid-tier, if so we have to look in the mirror, because Vegas is calling this pretty much a toss-up including the over/under in season wins.
September 30th, 2020 at 8:55 PM ^
They’re unranked now and Michigan is! Perception is that we have the better team this year. And if they’re favored, even better! They can get the underdog road woes off their back early. They literally have a month to prepare and Lord willing will be healthier going into that game moreso than any other this season.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
I guess you didn’t watch an ounce of Minnesota football last year.
Minnesota won 11 games. They beat Penn State. They beat Auburn (an Auburn team that beat Alabama, mind you) in the Outback Bowl.
Minnesota isn’t OSU, but they aren’t a pushover anymore. In fact they’ve got a pretty goddamn good team, and their strength goes right into Michigan’s biggest weakness right now.
Minnesota is more than capable of beating Michigan.
September 30th, 2020 at 3:08 PM ^
If you watched Minny last year, you saw them squeak out wins against SD State, Fresno St, and GA Southern and avoid playing OSU. Kudos to them for outperforming. An alternate universe exists where they were a ~7 win team.
They just don't have the recruiting depth to reload to that level year to year. Michigan barely does. Minny is not a pushover - you're correct - and are good, but not very good. They should worry us at the same level NW/Iowa/MSU does, but they're no PSU or UW.
I don't put much stock in your logic of Minny beating Auburn last year in a bowl game. Totally different teams year to year and transitive properties don't apply in football.
September 30th, 2020 at 5:59 PM ^
You’re basically describing a season Iowa has every 5 years when they manage to beat Wisconsin and they pull 2 easy crossover games. They’re a solid team and it’s on the road but with no fans. Also, I’m pretty sure we’re going to play 2020 Minnesota and not 2019 Minnesota.
In general I’m having a laugh at everyone being terrified of Rashod Bateman. Ohio State is going to put 3 Rashod Batemans out in the field every play. One mismatch can be schemed around, the other not so much.
September 30th, 2020 at 6:26 PM ^
Who is terrified of Bateman? I see a solid, well coached program and a road game. When is the last time we won one of those?
September 30th, 2020 at 2:54 PM ^
Minnesota is ranked #20 in S&P+ preseason rankings; UM is 21st. Considering UM is on the road, beating Minnesota would actually be a pretty big upset; losing certainly wouldn't be a negative.
September 30th, 2020 at 1:34 PM ^
I agree, but at least they will have had a month to prepare by time 10/24 rolls around. Although history tells us the extra prep time doesn’t usually help UM.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:21 PM ^
Well, I hate to break this to you, but that "...month to prepare by the time 10/24 rolls around" is something that UMinny gets also. In any case, the Michigan secondary is going to get blitzed. Whether they can hold up while the DL and/or offense finds its footing will be the story - whether we want that to be the story, or not.
September 30th, 2020 at 7:14 PM ^
I am old enough to remember not being afraid of gophers
September 30th, 2020 at 7:53 PM ^
And they shouldn't be able to stop our attack either as 3/4 of their defense graduated. I doubt that they have recruited well enough to just re-load. It should be a wild game but I have no worries that we can win it.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:18 PM ^
Their QB won't have the time to get the ball to him...
September 30th, 2020 at 1:16 PM ^
Against a pretty green secondary in week one.... 2020 it!!
September 30th, 2020 at 1:32 PM ^
Row the Titanic!
September 30th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
Not official till they check with Ohio State.
September 30th, 2020 at 1:37 PM ^
Of course, why not, I guess at least Penn State didn't get theirs back
September 30th, 2020 at 1:37 PM ^
Use the submarine to scuttle their boat. PJ Fleck coached at Ohio State. Beat the 2020 out of them.
Go Blue!
September 30th, 2020 at 1:45 PM ^
Who are the projected starters at CB? Gray and Green/Turner?
First year we don't have a lockdown corner under JH.
September 30th, 2020 at 1:53 PM ^
Bet the over.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:02 PM ^
Just needed to "keep my oar in the water" ... "let's row". How corny is that stuff ?
Time to strap it on and find out. Only 24 days !
September 30th, 2020 at 2:43 PM ^
Row the boat, chop the wood, yada yada - all very corny.
September 30th, 2020 at 6:15 PM ^
What about, "With an enthusiasm unknown to mankind"?
September 30th, 2020 at 2:40 PM ^
Something tells me Dax Hill might end up covering Bateman. That thought alone makes me take a decompressing drink of liquor.
September 30th, 2020 at 2:51 PM ^
Might as well test out this secondary early on. Bateman's really good but I do think some people are reacting a bit too negatively to the secondary right now. Assuming Daxton Hill takes the next step in his development and Gray improves a normal amount, you have a couple of known commodities that you hope the other guys can fill up around. And Minny will be breaking in a new OC, so there might be growing pains there as well. I'm not overly optimistic about this team for 2020, but there's more stability and production in the secondary than, say, the QB spot.
September 30th, 2020 at 3:24 PM ^
Unfortunately for Gray, I fear his ceiling is Brandon Watson. You can’t teach speed.
September 30th, 2020 at 3:44 PM ^
PTSD from Brandon Watson chasing WR’s from OSU in 2018 just came into my mind.
September 30th, 2020 at 4:00 PM ^
They will be a tough matchup for UM. PSU out gained them on the road last year despite Bateman having a ridiculous game. UM controlled PSU last year except for the score; UM’s defense is better than PSU’s last year and Minny’s defense is likely worse than their D last year; the opposite probably applies on O. Net, should be close.
I think it’s a big game for the team’s momentum and for the narrative regarding Harbaugh’s trajectory - but we could claim that for all games this season.
September 30th, 2020 at 4:56 PM ^
Eh...stick Dax on him and we’ll be ok
September 30th, 2020 at 8:13 PM ^