Respekt? 6 ESPN writers pick Michigan to make the Playoff
You know that Desmond Howard is picking M to win it all. But surprisingly, Howard is not alone. 5 other ESPN writers—out of 42 total—are picking M to make the CFP: Marty Smith, Dan Orlovsky, Cole Cubelic, Rod Gilmore, and Todd Blackledge.
15 writers picked Wisconsin to make the CFP; 11 picked OSU; 8 picked PSU; 3 picked MSU.
3 writers picked 2 B1G teams to make the CFP: David Hale picked Wisconsin and OSU; Tom Luginbill picked PSU and OSU; Dan Orlovsky picked M and Wisconsin.
Yeah, play the games and all that, but I have yet to develop time travel, so if you want to see the picks, link here.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:11 PM ^
you're my favorite communist. thank you for posting, comrade.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:02 PM ^
I'll allow it.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
Didn't PSU lose their wizard OC and once in a generation RB this year? They're not doing shit.
Wisconsin will be Wisconsin. Win 11 games and lose in the Big 10 Championship game.
To us.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:12 PM ^
That would give them 2 losses to us.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:53 PM ^
Don't forget all world leaping 6'8" TE Mike Gesiki. That dude caught everything and posted a 4.7 40 at the combine. Oh and they replace 8 or 9 defensive starters. But yeah they'll be fine this year.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:56 PM ^
Gesicki is 6'6" and posted 4.54 at the 40 but he also had 41.5" vertical jump, 129" broad jump, 6.76 3 cone, 4.1 SS. All are elite numbers especially at TE. 4.7 is just average for a TE.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:55 PM ^
Don't forget all world leaping 6'8" TE Mike Gesiki. That dude caught everything and posted a 4.7 40 at the combine. Oh and they replace 8 or 9 defensive starters. But yeah they'll be fine this year.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
And Fox's Skip Bayless too:
August 28th, 2018 at 4:22 PM ^
Skip Bayless is a jackass. His opinion should not be valued for any reason.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:14 PM ^
I can time travel. I’m about to go back in time and dong punch you before you post this and get my hopes up
August 28th, 2018 at 3:15 PM ^
When you've won Skip Bayless, you've won the nation.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:17 PM ^
Fun personal note: I was at the Lions-Vikings game in 2008 in Minneapolis when Dan Dan Orlovsky ran about 20 yards out the back of his own endzone for a safety. In fact, the play happened right in front of me. It was the funniest football play I'd ever seen live.
The Lions would go on to lose that game 12-10 on a last-second field goal (yes, the safety accounted for the margin of defeat), the closest game in the infamous 0-16 season.
Anyway, what I'm getting at is . . . is it a good sign that THAT guy picked us?
August 28th, 2018 at 3:25 PM ^
I don't like your attitude Larry.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
To this day, Jared Allen claims - probably jokingly - that he was shouting and warning Orlovsky to stop. The fact that an opposing defensive end would even pretend like he was taking pity on the 2008 Lions at all makes me chuckle, then I realize that I am a Lions fan, and then I weep.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:05 PM ^
Don't be ridiculous.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:25 PM ^
That guy spent 12 years in the league (and made about $800,000 each year) and that’s literally the only thing any football fan remembers about him.
He remembers that he made a few million dollars.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:32 PM ^
Actually, what's least reliable about the Orlovsky pick is that he picks both Michigan and Wisconsin to go to the playoff.
In that scenario, Michigan and Wisconsin almost certainly play each other twice, including in the B1G title game.
I guess he thinks Michigan clips Wisconsin in October and then loses to them in Indy?
It's a pretty narrow scenario that he's picking, here. Generally your conference title game loser is not going to make the playoff.
August 29th, 2018 at 2:12 AM ^
Exactly, both games would have to be so close with one loss each, only to each other. Then I think the championship game would have to go into double over time. Even then you would probably still need some help from other teams around the country having 2 losses.
It would be fun though, by some chance playing Wisconsin in the National championship game.
August 28th, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
Bad NFL QB always translates to GREAT college football prognosticator.
August 28th, 2018 at 7:27 PM ^
See, Danielson, Gary...
August 28th, 2018 at 5:59 PM ^
Aah, I remember that travesty like it was yesterday. The Lions legitimately won that game -
Trailing 10-9 with 2:15 left, Minnesota had 2nd-and-20 from their own 32. They had done nothing against a surprisingly stalwart-for-a-day Lions D.
As Minny continued to move backwards on their final possession, Gus Frerotte threw a desperation deep ball 20 yards out of bounds to Aundrae Allison. I believe it went into the stands, or just clipped the banister separating the front row from the field.
Pass interference - Leigh Bodden. 42 yard penalty. Automatic first down.
Minny runs 3-and-out and kicks the winning FG just before time expires.
Yes, I had to look up the receiver/defender in this scenario...but my recollection of a 45-yard prayer penalty that wasn't, the quarterback, game situation, and finality of that ridiculous call is still fresh in my memory, because 0-16 and the forever-laughingstock schtick of that season does NOT happen had that travesty of a call not occurred (or maybe Minny, having negative yardage all 2H converts on 3rd or 4th and 20, who knows...it is the 2008 Lions).
Apologies for the novel - that ranks up there with the entire Sparty Bob drive/ clockkeeper in terms of end of game injustice imo/ End rant
August 28th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
This conference might be full of bad actors but at least we're good at football. Five different B1G teams picked at least three times to make the CFP is wild.
Might have missed a team but a quick scan shows the SEC has three (bunch of Bama, some Georgia, saw one vote for Auburn) and the ACC has two (Clemson and one Miami vote). Pac-12 just has two with a lot of Washington and one Stanford pick. Big 12 has two OU picks and two WVU picks*.
*I originally missed all of the Big 12 logos but BTB got me right
August 28th, 2018 at 3:32 PM ^
There's two OU picks and two WVU picks
August 28th, 2018 at 4:01 PM ^
Thanks for the correction my eyes glazed over hard from logo fatigue.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:27 PM ^
Lets hope Dan Orlovsky is correct and our new B1G on responsibility conference is off to a great start!
August 28th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
I'm wondering if anyone will have the guts to hold up a sign about the Pope on the GameDay broadcast on ND campus. Nothing too provocative; just a passing reference to pedophilia and related topics. I'm not sure how one would make it whimsical but I know there must be some creative soul out there.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^
it's not a whimsical topic
August 28th, 2018 at 3:30 PM ^
How would Michigan and Wisconsin both going even work? Split their regular season matchup and the Big Ten title game while running the table otherwise along with no one-loss also-ran in the SEC or ACC?
August 28th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
Lots of possible scenarios. One could be - one loss tOSU beats undefeated Michigan in The Game. Then OSU loses to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Title game. One-loss Michigan and one-loss Wisconsin both go to playoff (with Michigan's schedule, a single loss at OSU will still make it a playoff team).
August 28th, 2018 at 3:48 PM ^
It would be real tough for Michigan and Wisconsin to make it. That would mean a possibility of playing them three times in one season. I don’t think the committee would even want that on the table unless the first two matchups were must see TV. However I doubt that’s the case. But 3 times? Has that ever happened before? It would be more likely that 2 east teams make it. Like a Michigan and OSU with both undefeated going into the game and the winner going on to win the big ten championship. That’d be a good case for the loser to still make the playoff.
August 28th, 2018 at 5:08 PM ^
Logic is not a factor in making playoff picks. If Michigan were to beat Wisconsin twice, and Wisconsin was otherwise undefeated, do you think voters are going to advance the Badgers over some other team with the same number of losses? Because that's the only way they get in. Wisconsin or Michigan if they beat each other, would be subject to the playoff debate, in all other circumstances, not a factor.
August 28th, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^
How epic would it be for Michigan and Wisconsin to each finish 12-1, each handing the other their only loss, and have a rubber match in the CFP?
August 28th, 2018 at 4:01 PM ^
In this world, is OSU bad? Because a 1-loss Michigan team probably would not get into the B1G Championship game over a 1-loss OSU team.
Or were you saying that M wins the regular season game, then Wisc wins the Championship? Because that would drop us out of the playoffs most likely.
August 28th, 2018 at 6:57 PM ^
If both M and OSU have one loss, then the winner of the head-to-head goes to the CG. Say Wisconsin wins a very close one against UM in the regular season, then UM hands them their only loss in the B10CG. Michigan goes for sure, but UW has a chance if the other contenders are less compelling.
August 28th, 2018 at 7:33 PM ^
Nope, not interested in that scenario.
I'm quite fine with Michigan going 13-0 and Wisconsin finishing 11-2 after the Big Ten Championship.
I've grown to hate Wisconsin after the injury to Grant Newsome and then the injury to Peters. I hope Harbaugh dominates Paul Chryst going forward.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:02 PM ^
Orlovsky may be out of bounds on this one, but at least he didn't go with a safety pick.
August 28th, 2018 at 4:04 PM ^
at ND, MSU, NW and OSU - and home against UW & PSU ...if they can make it through that schedule with only one loss, without question they'll deserve to make the playoffs
August 28th, 2018 at 5:01 PM ^
Six ESPN guys picked Michigan while eight picked PSU. That's all you need to know about what they know.
August 28th, 2018 at 6:20 PM ^
Rod Gilmore has an IQ only slightly below that of my German shepherd.
August 28th, 2018 at 7:53 PM ^
sounds to me like there are 37 more people who might lose their jobs