Real talk: what exactly is this program's ceiling?

bro do you even mgoblog

Since you asked, here's what I think.  

1. Need an outside WR to emerge in the class of Manningham, Collins, Streets, Terrell.  

2. Our passing game needs to become more sophisticated.  Watching UGA, their passing game just seems more layered than ours.  Of course they have a 38-year-old senior QB.  I can't tell if this is that JJ is still learning or just Harbaugh dinosauring it.  I assume the former, since Luck/Stanford seemed to have more in this department.  Hopefully it's JJ, and will come with the continued learning curve.  

3. Feel like we really need an upgrade in our playcalling.  Not a single screen or QB read option last night.  That was crazy against a hyper-pursuing defense.  And where in THE HELL was the Jeff Brohm double flea-flicker keeper?  

4. If Corum leaves we need a high-end back desperately.  The Don is just not a down-to-down back. What a sinking feeling it was to keep seeing Mullings in the game on important downs.  I remember reading about our stacked RB room in preseason.  That evaporated with one injury.  

4. Let's drop the safety blitz from 20 yards back out of the playbook.  

5. If JJ keeps progressing, I think we could hang with anyone with the talent in place for next year. I also think that unless he flies over the moon with development or Harbaugh leaves, JJ will be 4 years at UM, with a chance to beat OSU every year.  He can keep us in almost any game.   

Agree 💯 

"JJ McCarthy had a better sophomore year than Andrew Luck, "

Huh? 

Luck had a better completion %, completed way more passes, had way more yards, averaged more yards per attempt, had way more toucdowns, and a higher QB rating.

The only stat JJ was better on was interceptions... And that was only 5 vs. 8, but in 50 less attempts with 10 less touchdowns.

We win that game nine times out of ten. TCU’s defense is absolute trash, and if Michigan doesn’t have about 50 self-inflicted wounds last night, we win by 28. Fuck TCU. I hope Georgia kills them.

THANK YOU. Both games were crazy close. We blew out the team that nearly beat Georgia. "Any given Saturday" we are capable of hanging with or beating other playoff caliber teams. But they're also capable of beating us, which is how it goes sometimes. 

Realistically, all you can do is get to the point where you're a regular playoff participant, then get the right matchup.  Luckily based on the projected roster for next year, we're in a very good place to roll those dice again. 

You are exactly 1000% correct.  Take away pick-sixes we're in the championship game.

Seems like this is the answer to 'what was this year's ceiling' - and yep, they gave it away. 

What worries me about the 'program ceiling' is this year may have been it if the apparent unwillingness to compete at the top level of NIL compensation is real. That means more sub standard recruiting classes.  If they want the ceiling to sustain at the level it was this season, then get the money/NIL approach solved and competitive. Prove it by getting Davis and a bevy of top level recruits for next season in the class before May. 

This is exactly why we have hit our ceiling.  Yup, we win that game 8/10 times.  The trouble is a team like that TCU wont make the final 4 much.  They made the playoff on a down year.  USC, LSU, and TCU are all in their first year with their coaches, all had great years, and all of them are getting much better recruits.  Couple that with Notre Dame still finding their identity, bama not making the playoff for the first time ever, and the fact that we will have to play a team of 5 stars every year for our last game of the season, statistically speaking our chances of doing better than we did this year are almost zero. 

That is not a realistic ceiling.  One team in the history of college football has done it.  A super high realistic expectation for a dominant program is one national championship a decade and winning the Big Ten 5 times a decade.  If you do that, you are a dominant program.

Especially at receiver.  Teams need to be scared to death to try to do what TCU did and constantly run blitz their LBs and secondary to stop the run.

We have the 5* QB and the 5* RB, now we need some 5* WRs to go with it.

No team can expect to win a National Championship in modern college football by running the ball 65% of the time in the playoff.

^Exactly this—consistent execution and focus whether favored or underdogs. No place for arrogance or entitlement because we are Michigan. Also, as I have said many times before the game style that wins national championships is not the one that wins Big Ten championships. Need to be as dedicated to passing and with as sophisticated scheme as you do for running the ball. The national championship teams do both equally well and at committed to both. Balance in all things.