Moving on-the bowl
Saturday sucked. We have much work to do. However I seem to be in the minority of people who really care about our bowl game. I’ve seen a lot of comments about the bowl doesn’t matter. I think it matters a lot. When we dismantled Florida in the first year I was probably at my peak excitement level. I thought we were positioned to be launching towards elite and would not look back. After the bitter loss to OSU, we came out flat against Florida State to end the year with a thud. 1-3 in the last 4 games. Same thing last year. Last year was awful with the qb situation, but we all thought a month to prepare Peters would give us an easy win against a mediocre South Carolina team to finish 9-4. Didn’t happen.
This team has to make the bowl game their Super Bowl. We crapped the bed vs OSU and now they need to decide if they are going to roll over or make a statement. To me it will show a lot about Harbaugh and our future. Beat Washington in the Rose Bowl or Florida in the Peach to finish 11-2. We’ve only won 11 games a handful of times in the past few decades. I just think there is a lot to play for in that game still.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^
If we play LSU, Georgia or Washington I will watch
If its Florida again, pass. Playing another crappy offense wont tell us much if Urban just owns Harbaugh or if our defense is just massively overrated.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:48 PM ^
at first i read that as "if we play LSU or George Washington I will watch" and was like what kind of horrible ass bowl do you think we'll be playing in?
November 26th, 2018 at 5:02 PM ^
Would George Washington wear a mouth guard or just role with his dentures (that were 100% not made of wood, but sometimes made of ivory, lead, and gold)?
November 26th, 2018 at 5:46 PM ^
roll*
November 26th, 2018 at 5:31 PM ^
I'll answer for you so you don't have to watch. Massively overrated.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:33 PM ^
We want Georgia
November 26th, 2018 at 4:48 PM ^
No, we want Pasadena. Peach bowl sucks.
Also, I can't blame anyone for sitting out the bowl game but it would diminish my interest greatly.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:52 PM ^
As the saying goes, user name checks out.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:54 PM ^
No, we don't want OSU in the playoff. Fuck that, last time it happened we all thought they would get embarrassed and they won the whole damn thing.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:02 PM ^
The last time OSU was in the playoff they got shut out by Clemson.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:44 PM ^
Actually, I was one of the few who knew they would slaughter Oregon. I was surprised they beat Alabama, but Oregon was such a predictable game.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:58 PM ^
Rose bowl and fiesta would be great. Peach bowl don't care for.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
I will watch any bowl Michigan plays in, just like any other year.
Forever Go Blue!!
November 26th, 2018 at 4:49 PM ^
Same here. I care about our bowl. We'll get an NY6.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:19 PM ^
I hope it’s the Rose Bowl.
November 26th, 2018 at 6:01 PM ^
Can't wait to watch the bowl game...and just as important, we get extra practice time. I just so hope we show up with something interesting.
November 26th, 2018 at 6:36 PM ^
Yes, I don't skip watching the bowl game. However, my hotel reservations in Indy will be cancelled tomorrow. I hope we get a great bowl, a tough matchup, and destroy them.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:24 PM ^
I’ll watch, don’t really care about the outcome. I think the bowls are mostly meaningless money grabs, but I won’t complain about watching UM play one last game. I am glad the team will get a trip and extra practice and it will be interesting to see who sits out.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
Season ended Saturday. The super bowl game would have been the playoffs
November 26th, 2018 at 4:35 PM ^
Ahhh the old bowl movement.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
Yeah, we'll get our "#2" choice.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:18 PM ^
The fact that I'm reading this in Plankton's voice makes it all the better.
November 26th, 2018 at 6:04 PM ^
Appropriate comment for a fan base that's down in the dumps, feeling crappy and wiped out from Saturday's results in Columbus.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:36 PM ^
Agree somewhat. Definitely big on recruiting. Can’t be having losing streaks anymore to end seasons.
Depends on who we play. Washington in Rose would be nice, that means OSU makes CFP :(. I think Georgia would be interesting. I want no part of Florida or LSU. Not because we can’t beat them, but because they play boring. I want a pass attack (see if we learned a thing from osu) or top 6 team that has athletes everywhere. Washington & Georgia do this for me as possible options.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:06 PM ^
Georgia is better than OSU. I’m not saying I don’t want Michigan to play them but your essentially asking for a loss. Georgia has a few elite receivers and a much better running game than OSU. Plus a better defense.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:07 PM ^
No, you should want a winnable game. The media won't portray it as "let's see if they can do better against athletic teams. " it'll be a Michigan loses another osu/ bowl game combo narrative. I want a bowl game that Michigan can win.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:12 PM ^
No. We cannot beat them either. We will again be unprepared and lose our 3rd straight bowl game.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:18 PM ^
Is it big on recruiting? Early signing period, where around 70% of recruits sign these days, is Dec 19-21. The majority of Michigan's class last year was already signed before they even played.
Going off a TomVH article from a few days ago, but from the ESPN 300 last year 221 out of the 300 signed early. 11 out of their 14 five stars did too. And that's likely to increase a bit this year too.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:37 PM ^
A bowl win, regardless of how the regular season went, goes a long way in feeling better about the program during the offseason. If OSU jumps OU (which they should) in the playoff standings, we most likely head to the Rose Bowl to face the winner of the Utah/Washington game. If OSU doesn't get into the playoffs, we'll face a very good opponent elsewhere.
I think your point about how the team and coaching staff responds makes a big deal on the perception of this program. A third straight bowl loss will be a serious blow.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:38 PM ^
ESPN has us going to the Fiesta
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Jan. 1, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Bonagura: Washington State vs. Michigan
Sherman: Michigan vs. LSU
November 26th, 2018 at 4:44 PM ^
LSU would be fun and we should win handily. WSU does a LOT of what OSU did to us on Saturday but I doubt they will be able to keep the QB clean so I equally doubt they will have nearly as much success so I'd take either of those two.
The two I do NOT want are UCF (absolutely nothing to win and everything to lose) and Oklahoma cause if we're not mentally into the game and a bunch of our key defensive players are sitting out it could get real ugly.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:48 PM ^
...but I doubt they will be able to keep the QB clean...
That's exactly what everyone said going into the OSU game. I'll pass on getting lit up by an air-raid team in back to back (to back? Does IU count?) games.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:54 PM ^
"(insert bowl opponent here) would be fun and we should win handily."
I have heard this confident prediction before every one of our 25 bowl losses since the '70 Rose Bowl.
There is no fanbase anywhere in sports whose confidence is so completely unjustified by on-field results as Michigan fans before a bowl game.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:00 PM ^
Especially against a team that runs an offense similar to the one that just lit us the hell up in one of our worst losses ever.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:36 PM ^
Or before any game really. I'm amazed at how many fans just blindly follow and believe whatever other people say. Every "good" team we beat this year sucked. Most people just look asst the score and say we're awesome
November 26th, 2018 at 8:10 PM ^
Are you new here? Cuz that's exactly what goes on here.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:39 PM ^
Except for that 2007 Capital One Bowl where we were just hoping for "not in the face" and then we came out a threw the ball all over and the only reason the game looked close was because Mike Hart, who literally never fumbled, fumbled twice inside the 5.
That win, the Jim Harbaugh citrus bowl win, and 2006 ND are the most memorable wins for me in the last 15 years.
Two of those are bowl games, so though I am pissed now, my attitude adjustment will take place within the next month an ill be excided for the bowl no matter who we play.
November 26th, 2018 at 6:26 PM ^
You’re right. People should be hyper- bitter and expect to lose. Such a fun way to approach an event.
November 26th, 2018 at 6:18 PM ^
I actually think taking on a team like Oklahoma would actually tell us the most about this team and coaching staff.
Was OSU an aberration or is UM's 90s era ball control+defense simply no match for an elite modern college offense?
Would the staff make schematic adjustments based on the OSU game or if they will stubborn insist on just trying to "execute" better?
I would rather get embarrassed by Oklahoma if helped accelerate needed changes than go through another year of fools gold just to get absolutely pissed on by OSU again next year.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:10 PM ^
I kind of agree.
OSU was such a strange unprecedented event that I want another data point.
Do we have any chance at all to defend and keep up with a high scoring offense?
The sooner we know, the better.
We criticize the Big 12 because they don't play any real defense, but you could just as easily criticize the Big Ten for playing no real offense.
The first time we saw a real offense, we got crushed by it.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:15 PM ^
Do you guys watch football? The WSU air raid and OSU's spread to power run and mesh routes are nothing at all alike. NOTHING!! WSU runs as a constraint, and floods the field with WRs. They throw 20 yards downfield on most plays. They aren't clearing out the middle for a crossing pattern, and their not running power through your DTs. I think WSU would be a MUCH better matchup than OSU was.
Caveat - I thought we'd beat the crap out of OSU... But the two teams are nothing similar, at all. BTW, OK runs an air raid, also - they do not run anything similar to OSU.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:38 PM ^
USC last year really soured me on Michigan bowls.
When they really needed to show up, they mailed in a shit performance.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:04 PM ^
yep.
It's the reason I always kept one foot on the floor during this season.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:25 PM ^
I would have preferred if Michigan literally mailed in shit to that bowl instead of actually playing it.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:39 PM ^
I won’t only watch I’ll go. Unless it’s the rose bowl then I can’t take off that long. I can surely do a quick trip to Florida though. I know Saturday sucked but fuck those inbreds. We had a good season with a bad loss but we move on or quit rooting for Michigan. Shit I live in ohio with a middle school son who sacked today up more than half the people on this board.
November 26th, 2018 at 5:45 PM ^
I assume you'll be starting the countdown thread in May.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:39 PM ^
I'm sure I'll care some day. I just don't care this day.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:13 PM ^
My thoughts exactly.
When it's New Years Day, I'll be all bright eyed and bushy tailed and excited for the Bowl Game.
But right now, it feels like a participation trophy.
November 26th, 2018 at 4:43 PM ^
I also care about the bowl game. I'd love to see us take on anyone but UCF. If it's an SEC team, let's see how both UM and that conference stack up. If it's Washington or Texas (?), then it's a cool and unique matchup.
November 26th, 2018 at 11:07 PM ^
I was hoping we could play UCF. Shut them up with their undefeated, we deserve a chance nonsense.