SIAP: ESPN Bowl Projections
ESPN has Michigan v. Baylor in the Meineke Car Car Bowl ...
http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections?season=2011&week=0
Big 12 #6 v. Big Ten #6
Thoughts?
August 20th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
Rose Bowl!
August 20th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
i think that's a crappy bowl game for a 8-9 win B10 team
August 20th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
ESPN sux
August 20th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
It could be my Michigan bias, but I don't think so. I feel like everyone is underrating us. We're going to surprise a lot of people this year.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:20 PM ^
Bull. Bowls will take Michigan over any other team with an equal record. If Texas/Florida have a similar record as us, you can bet bowl execs will make that happen.
August 20th, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^
It depends on the kind of ghost man, have you even met Casper?
But yeah I'm with you, last year is a great example. Michigan Tradition + Michigan's traveling fans + Denard != Meineke Bowl.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:20 PM ^
hmmmmmm I don't care. MICH is gonna be playing in the MNC game.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^
Meineke has 50% off brake pads and shoes right now.....
I can't remember a recent post about bowl predictions directly, but I am pretty sure there may have been a thread which at least mentioned them.
I actually try not to have a lot of thoughts about bowl predictions until about 3/4 of the way through the schedule myself.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
What is the point of these projections before like week 10?
August 20th, 2011 at 4:11 PM ^
I didn't even click on the link to view it.
August 20th, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
Clicked on the thread clearly labeled to discuss it. It is silly. But discussions like this are what sports fans do. 90% of the projections, discussions and threads on here ate basically wait and see.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:36 PM ^
Since when is the meineke car care bowl part of the big ten bowl tie ins?
August 20th, 2011 at 2:39 PM ^
I had the same thought. But apparently the old Meineke Car Care Bowl is now called the Belk Bowl. And the old Texas Bowl which Illinois won last year is now called the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:42 PM ^
I have the midas touch.
Everything I touch turns into a muffler.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
Bowl Projections right now are about as good a topic as the Heisman Watch. They mean nothing. And preseason rankings are one very small step ahead. Just another sports list for fans to discuss and get ANGAR about, while ESPN rakes in clicks because humans are incapable of NOT looking at lists.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
If indeed we're in the Meineke Car Care Bowl with Baylor, sitting at #6 in the Big Ten, then on that day, we can reconvene and blow our collective stacks. I personally think we'll turn some heads and do better than that.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
I would not be stunned if we finished 6th in the BIG.
I'm guessing they have,
Nebraska
Wisconsin
OSU
ahead of us followed by some combination of MSU, Iowa, Illinois, NW, PSU, and Michigan sandwiched somewhere in the middle there.
That would be at the low end of my expectations for this team, but it still within reason.
The actual bowl they slotted us in is pretty far-fetched, however, because we are a much more desireable team than anyone south of OSU. Meaning if we are within one game in the standings of any team above us we will be chosen first, probably in the 4th / 5th bowl that gets to pick.
August 20th, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
That's the key. After the past few years we've had, in addition to our large fan base, the Outback/Gator/Insight is gonna pass on anyone who isn't Nebraska, Wisconsin, or OSU to get us, especially if we have 8 wins.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:44 PM ^
August 20th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
ESPN either publishes this or the intern's groundbreaking analysis of Villanova basketball. They probably should have gone with the article where Lee Corso predicts which campus will emulate his hairstyle en masse. That one at least had the potential to be mildly amusing.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^
I can't believe there are people who click on bowl prediction links that help pay the people who get paid to make bowl predictions in August.
August 20th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^
I can't believe how many people are paid for prognostication generally.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
I may have been happy with that prediction. I have much higher expectations this year. However, it is silly to worry about what bowl game Michigan will go to at this point. It is more important to worry about 4 specific items.
1) Will the defense be able to hold good opponents under 30 points a game?
2) Will there be a kicker who can make field goals consistantly inside of 40 yards?
3) Will the offense be able to gel and execute consistantly?
4) How will the team react in the first meaningful game of the season against Notre Dame?
August 20th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
I can actually see some value in projecting the top 25 teams, or so, as long as one doesn't get too carried away with the precision of those forecasts. But to project pairings for 35 bowl games means precisely placing 70 teams in their final conference standings and predicting tie-breakers where needed. Impossible. However, ESPN and their ilk will keep doing so as long as we keep clicking on their websites or tuning in to their broadcasts.
August 20th, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^
I thought, given everyone we had coming back plus a fairly accomadating schedule, that 9-10 wins was highly likely even if we'd left everything the same and rolled with Rodriguez and Robinson.
Now, with the same schedule and a huge upgrade in defensive coaching, plus an OC who seems to understand that playing to this offense's strengths is to everyone's benefit, I'd say that offsets any kind of downgrade in the win total we might have had given there was a coaching change. I'm gonna stick with 9 wins (including OSU) and the Capitol One Bowl.
Such a strange season to predict though. It's one of those years where you could see everything falling apart starting with a week two blowout loss to Notre Dame and finishing up 5-7, 6-6 or everything just comes together and we end up playing for the Big Ten Championship in Indy.
I won't be surprised by anything.
August 20th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
As such, I'm not going to go bananas if we only win 6. On the other hand, I don't see a single game on our schedule that we can't win. We probably aren't going to win them all this season, but if we get a few bounces, Indy really does seem possible.
August 20th, 2011 at 3:06 PM ^
gonna be pretty interesting to see how we end up playing in the meineke bowl when 2 days later we are scheduled to play in the Rose Bowl.
August 20th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
Well, at least ESPN is honest enough to admit their predictions are dumb. For years 2006-2010, their website has a week-by-week lists of predictions. Comparing preseason's and final record is a great laugh for the day.
I do pity those sportswriters though. They need to do these ridiculous tasks (and they know it) so that their girlfriends/wives could have all the Victoria's Secrets and Tiffanies...
August 20th, 2011 at 3:42 PM ^
I have already started to build my Rose Bowl float.
August 20th, 2011 at 3:42 PM ^
I have already started to build my Rose Bowl float.
August 20th, 2011 at 4:32 PM ^
I agree that bowl predictions now are pointless. But the Meineke Car Care Bowl? Is that a bowl that the NCAA thought up last week?
August 20th, 2011 at 5:38 PM ^
I think the Wolverines are going to surprise us this year. I have a good feeling about this!
Go Blue!!!
August 20th, 2011 at 9:26 PM ^