Predicting Wins/Loses

11-1 only loss is ND.

Exactly what you said. 12-2. Win the Big Ten Title and lose the Rose Bowl

I agree on a lot of your premise, but I honestly think between ND, MSU, and Nebraska that we have a better shot at losing to ND this year. Last years State and ND games were against a transitional team 132, but they were very close games, while we completely dominated Nebraska on offense, defense, and special teams last year. Since then they've lost their top 3 defenders... I think it's finally time we break the short streak against sparty with our offense finally figured out, but it's possible that after a loss to Alabama and 2 relatively easy games against Air Force and UMass that ND could catch us and finally break the streak.

I'll predict the bowl game when I know who we are playing.

9-3.   Sparty is going to prove to be a difficult task.  They'll be a top 5 defense nationally this season and I think that Maxwell might surprise some during his first year.

But Lincoln might be a tough place to play later in the year. I have no idea how deep Nebraska is this year.

And who knows with OSU, they'll be better sure, but no one knows how much.

8-4 or 9-3.  Losses to Alabama, and three/two of ND, Nebraska, MSU, Iowa.  I'm hoping we at least beat MSU this year.  Their defense will still be very good, but will take a small step back due to losing Jerel Worthy.  Maxwell remains a question mark and even though he physically is better compared to Cousins, he has yet to manage an entire game or season for that matter.  Also, their wide receiving corp is very talented but young and not nearly as experienced as what Cousins had to work with.

Think about it, if you add a bowl win Hoke is 22-4 with the other guy's players. It would be an amazing coaching accomplishment.

I think we go 9-3 this year. Loss to Alabama, lose one of Nebraska/MSU, lose one of Iowa/OSU. Going 9-3 this year would be a very good season with this schedule and it would give me much hope for the future. 

10-2 losses to Bama and Sparty

I think 9-3 is the safe bet. Alabama is a huge favorite, MSU will be very tough, and between OSU, ND and Nebraska on the road, I think Michigan will be lucky if they win more than two of those five. Still, with this schedule and with how much we lost from last year, 9-3 is a very solid season.

Honestly, it sucks to say this, but I think OSU and MSU will be slightly favored against M this year. I think they can beat Nebraska and ND, but MSU and OSU will be very difficult games.

Also, book it now, the MSU game is Denard's Heisman coming-out party. Huge rivalry game, lots of media attention, top-ranked defense. Last-minute Heisman moment.

Somewhere between 8-5 and 13-0.

11-2, 7-1. Lose to Bama and get upset somewhere else along the line. Win the B1G Championship and head to the Rose Bowl. 

I think they lose to Bama and then run the table, due to a greatly improved Denard Robinson and the fact that every tough opponent other than Bama has at least one "fatal flaw."  They barely miss the BCS "Championship" game, though, whose berths go to Bama and USC.  

The bright spot, though, is that they play in the Rose Bowl against a team that not only isn't the Pac 12's best team, but also isn't from LA.  This negates the usual "home field advantage" that happens when USC or UCLA plays in the game, and Michigan wins handily.  

Period.

think MSU will be tough? They lost a lot of starters and it's a home game.

Nitpick: If Pipkins is starting by the halfway point that will mean our D-line did not step up against ND because BWC is going to be anchoring the line.  I sort of understand the pessimism about Big Will given his track record but with a full year and a half under Hoke and Mattison and all the positive talk about him this offseason I think we should be a little more optimistic.  I think he's gonna step up.  It's going to take a monstrous showing from a true freshman DT to start over him, because at the very least BWC is going to be solid.

11-1 regular season is doable.

I think we go 9-3 regular season with losses to Bama, ND, and probably Ohio.



Bama is simply much better on paper right now. In a few years we'll be able to take on anyone, but not just yet.



I honestly feel we lose to ND simply because we have it coming after stealing wins the past 3 years. I'll glady steal another one, though...



MSU will definitely have a good defense but I just have a hunch Denard is going to be cranked up and have a performance similar to ND '10. I think he's got a real bad taste in his mouth when it comes to Sparty and with a senior game at home, Denard's going to go off.



We'll win the B1G and head to Pasadena, which is a realistic goal to me, but Bama is simply too good for us to run the table.

Losses to Bama, Nebraska, and one of State/Ohio, or both. Beating at least one school with the word "State" prominently in the title and advertising will make me happy.

14-0 MNC A run of magical health and the lines are better than expected. 

SHOCK THE WORLD.

10-3.  L's to Alabama, ND and the BCS bowl game.  B1G champs.

Alabama is probably an 85-90% loss. Notre Dame is still a complete unknown. They've got a ton of talent, but huge question marks at some QB, receiver, and in the secondary. It's probably a 50-50 game in South Bend.

MSU is going to be good, but they'll have serious offensive problems that I think will force them to take a step back to 8-4ish. We'll probably win that one in Ann Arbor.

Nebraska is a paper tiger until I see them beat someone good.

OSU might be good by the time The Game rolls around. They'll have a full season to get used to Meyer's offense and have great defensive talent. It will all depend on their line developing and Miller staying healthy. That game is impossible to peg.

I think every other game should be a win, but upsets can always happen. Overall, I'd guess 8-4 to 10-2 depending on the breaks.

Losses to Alabama and one of ND or Ohio Bobcats. Beats Wiscy in the B1G Title Game. Then wins over USC or Oregon in the Rose Bowl by a field goal (oo-hoo!).

losses to Bama and OHIO (pains me to say that). We beat the Badgers in Indy. Then we beat Oregon in the Rose (I feel like a slappy after the last one). USC will be in the NCG. 

Regular season 9-3 (7-1, 5-0). Losses to Bama, ND, and Ohio (barf). Win the Bo Division and the Big Ten Championship, and lose the Rose Bowl thus ending the year at 10-4.

The OL should be OK, center is of concern; Denard, Fitz, RR and JG will generate pts. The DL is the real Q. Can BWC, PeeWee and the DL generate enough pressures? The back 7 seems to be stout;  pressure and contain.

Anywhere between 10-2 and 8-4, plenty of toss up games that include ND, MSU, Nebraska, and OSU.

AT THE VERY LEAST!

But I believe it will be another 10-2 season again

Ill try to be as Unbiased as possible, hopefully i won't get mobbed :)

Alabama - LOSE - This is just too much to overcome. I do believe you will lose by 14+

Air Force - WIN - Close until you pull it out in the 4th quarter. 

Massachusetts - WIN. I don't need to say anything

Notre Dame - WIN - Do they even have a QB?

Purdue - WIN - Trap game. Purdue may actually be in Indy this year. I think you win but it's close

Illinois - WIN - Eh. 

Michigan State - LOSE -  Yea you guys probably won't agree with me, but I think by now Maxwell will have his confidence built up to be servicable at LEAST. I think we'll pound the ball on you which isn't good considering your depth and questions on the D-line. We came off a bye last year, and this year we come off @Indiana, which is pretty much the same thing. 

Nebraska - LOSE - Nebraska is a tough team to beat on the road, let alone at night. They are 31-5 all time under the lights at memorial stadium, and I don't see you giving them their 6th loss the week after the MSU game.

Minnesota - WIN - Could be dangerously close, or could be a blowout. Marqueis Gray can play. 

Northwestern - WIN - I love Kain Colter and Northwestern but I don't see them walking out of the Big House with a W. 

Iowa - WIN - They have arguably the best Passer in the B1G, but once again, i don't see them walking out of the Big House in this one. 

Ohio State - WIN - This is a tossup for me. I know its their bowl game and blah blah but I honestly do not believe that they will be good, at least not this year. I may be completely wrong though and they're good. 

That's 9-3/8-4 with OSU as a tossup. not a bad season with such a tough schedule, especially if you get the 9 wins probably good enough for the Capital One Bowl.

There's something special about a coach's 2nd year at the helm (or sometimes 3rd, in Lloyd's case). For whatever reason, there is a history of success in major college football recently (perhaps the new system is installed, but enthusiasm hasn't worn off yet--I don't know). Lots of returning starters, including the most electrifying QB in college football today; A full season + 2 offseasons of Hoke/Mattison/Borges teaching. I realize it's one of the toughest schedules in recent memory, but somehow, I believe:

11-1 with a very close opening loss to Alabama in Dallas. U-M has a good enough showing to keep them well in the hunt, and after winning the B1G Championship Game, they end up in the top 2 or 3, hopefully earning a trip to the National Championship Game.

Crazy? Maybe.

Optimistic? Definitely.

Possible? Absolutely.

These are my take on the % chances of M winning:

Alabama - 20%

Air Force - 100%

UMass - 100%

ND - 45%

Purdue - 95%

Illinois - 95%

MSU - 70%

Nebraska - 60%

Minny - 100%

Northwestern - 85%

Iowa - 80%

Ohio - 40%

Expected value, 8.9 wins rounded up to 9.

I think we are in the range at worst 8-4 to at best 10-2. I think Bama is a loss, along with Nebraska, and possibly ND. I think that would still most likely put us in the B1G championship game.

On a side note, I was wondering if anyone knew any information on tickets for this year. I have never been to an actual game in AA and would really like to go to big games especially MSU. I called up to ticket office and keep getting different dates on when I can buy the 4 game pack of tickets, because that is the only sure fire way of getting a ticket for the MSU game, besides spending 250 for one seat on stubhub. I also know that you get MSU, UMASS, and then two others of your choice. If anyone could help me get an exact price and an exact date for ticket sales that would be really appreciated.

8-4 or 9-3. But we will be a better overall team than last year. Bama is a great team, and the oversigning will continue to help them replace departed players. I think we lose to them. Then we lose 2/3 of ND, MSU, Nebraska, and OSU. Anything can happen in South Bend and it seems like we usually botch that game when we're the favorite there. MSU is still very tough and will have a good defense again. Lincoln is a tough place to play and I'm sure the Huskers will be motivated to get revenge for their embarassment last year. OSU is still the most talented team in the conference and it'll be in Columbus.

10-2 to 12-0 regular season. Alabama game is going to set the tone for the season, play well and lose we could very well go 11-1. Get blowed out and can't get past midfield on offense we could be in for a up and down year beating who we're supposed to and losing to who we're supposed to.

I'd have to guess 10-2/9-3.  I hate to break-up the party a bit, but we really weren't that good last year.  We were fortunate to beat ND, lost to a very average Iowa team, and were fortunate again to beat VaTech.  Hoke/Mattison/Borges magic happened, but we could easily have lost 4 games last year, even with our favorable schedule and glut of home games.

That said, we should be a year better with the new coaching.  Losses to both lines hurt badly though...so I think among 'Bama, ND, MSU, Nebraska, and ohio, there are probably 2-3 losses, and that's mostly because 4 of those games are away from the Big House.  I think we lose to 'Bama, and maybe split the other four, but those are all toss-ups.

We could absolutely survive with one or two losses, and win the B1G.  But with our schedule, and with the relative lack of talent on our team (let's face it...RR's guys really aren't that good), we'd have to be VERY fortunate to go undefeated.

Usually we have one of these pick the record posts a week starting right after signing day. This year we made it to late July, where it's, like, appropriate.

i can't make an honest prediction, as so much hinges on how we perform in the bama game. if the game is competitive, as in losing by a td or less, or we somehow pull the upset, i really believe it can give the team the confidence to win out. more than likely, we'd lose a game in there somewhere, like nebraska or nd, but if you can beat bama you can beat anyone, regardless of all the talent they lost this year. if we get embarressed by bama, i could really see a lackluster season where guys just lose confidence. in that case, i'd see 8-4, maybe even 7-5.

11-2.  Loses to ND and Neb.

Obviously, that COULD happen. But you're basically assuming the same record as last year with a tougher schedule and unproven replacements at a number of key positions, including center, WR, TE, and almost the whole defensive line.

You're also assuming no stumbles in the games where M should be favored. Historically, most teams have an unexpected whiff somewhere along the way.

My father has told me for years that I can't predict with any accuracy what I will wear tomorrow.  I think he is right and for evidence present my last four predictions for Michigan footbaw.  For four consecutive years I have predicted an 8-4 regular season record.  I wrongly thought that RichRod offense scheme would be enough to overcome the transition his first season and a mediocre record, by UM standards, of 8-4 would be achieved.  In RichRod's second season I predicted a record of 8-4, because come on Michigan doesn't have two losing seasons in a row.  In his third season I predicted 8-4 because he had to rebound right?  In Hoke's first season at the helm, my thought was that he could get the team to 8-4 (I was shellshocked and thougth this might be overly optimistic). 

This year I believe UM loses only to Alabama (overmatched by a little) and Notre Dame (just feels like time we lose to them after Gallon and Tate type miracles the last several years).  I think UM runs the table in B1G conference play.  After it is discovered that Wisconsin has been creating offensive linemen in lab just north of Green Bay, the Badgers are ineligible for post-season play for three years.  Thus, a 10-2 UM faces off with a 7-5 Purdue team in the conference championship game and wins.  We lose the Rose Bowl to USC thus restoring the great tradition of playing in and losing that game.  The final 2012 record stands at 11-3.