December 3rd, 2016 at 9:26 PM ^
If you think National Championships during the 70's and 80's were "mythical" then I wonder what you say about National Championships at the start of the 20th century, when the game was basically rugby with slightly different rules.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:23 AM ^
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December 3rd, 2016 at 4:03 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 7:09 AM ^
While I get what you're saying, making the argument that Michigan is SUPPOSED to be like Alabama and Ohio State while simultaneously claiming that Michigan is ALWAYS one or two plays short and ALWAYS loses a couple of games would mean that Michigan is indeed that latter team and not Alabama and Ohio State.
December 3rd, 2016 at 3:08 PM ^
Is I feel we are supposed and we are not and it is frustrating.
December 3rd, 2016 at 3:01 PM ^
so why would we want to be like them?
December 3rd, 2016 at 10:22 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:12 AM ^
Mike Valenti, is that you?
You were just missing a rant about running Wilton Speight in Hurricane Katrina.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:14 AM ^
In a couple years we will be in! Too bad our OL and QB were not good enough to reach the playoffs.
December 3rd, 2016 at 1:30 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 3:40 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:05 AM ^
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December 3rd, 2016 at 12:07 AM ^
Exactly. We are projected to have the most NFL draft picks of any team this year and we won't make the playoffs.
December 3rd, 2016 at 2:17 AM ^
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December 3rd, 2016 at 12:08 AM ^
I hate that we wasted a historically good defense.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:14 AM ^
Fortunately we have a historically good defensive coordinator. Maybe not next year, but in the future Brown will field another defense like this year's.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:18 AM ^
Hope so. He seems to have figured out the Spread / running QB thing, which is a first for Michigan stretching all the way back to McNabb.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:22 AM ^
The difference this year, was scheme.
if we could run for a fucking first down we are undefeated.
Blame our backs?
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December 3rd, 2016 at 12:32 AM ^
a defense that's 80% of this year and I think we'd stomp everyone on the schedule.
Its gonna happen. This is right in Harbaugh's wheelhouse to build an OL.
I feel like we have 5 years of Brown and Mattison, then we're gonna need a new generation of coaches to take over where they left off.
December 3rd, 2016 at 1:25 AM ^
With better talent at all of the position groups that are meant for his defense. It wont be a new defense either obviously. This defense was/is experienced and very good yes but I would'nt give it so much of the raw/special talent label. Lewis, Pep and maybe Taco are your true raw talents that are leaving. The rest of them I respectfully claim have their more talented replacements in the waiting.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:19 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:30 AM ^
Our offense actually averaged 41 points per game, our highest average in 40-some years. That was with an average (at best) OL and not particularly remarkable skill-position talent. Our staff has done a really good job in these two years.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:32 AM ^
Our staff did do a great job, but that average is heavily skewed by the Hawaii, Maryland, and Rutgers games. When they needed to show up, the offense was ass.
December 3rd, 2016 at 1:00 AM ^
Take those three games out and Michigan averaged 32.8 points per game in its other nine games, which still would be one of our highest scoring averages in the last 20 years.
This offense punched above its weight most of the season. If it looked ordinary against Wisconsin and OSU, two top-10 national defenses, well yeah, that's to be expected. Iowa is the only real clunker in my book.
December 3rd, 2016 at 9:04 AM ^
will be dominant when the OL becomes dominant.
The OL fell just a little short against strong defensive opponents.
And the margin from pretty good (which it actually was) to great was not that big for the o-line this year.
Pre-season people hoped the o-line would take another step forward from 2015 production. In fact the o-line did exactly that.
But it still was just a shade short of the level needed to take over games in the 4th against the better defenses.
Again, close on the o-line prospects in the recruiting board. Do that the Michigan will be in the playoff conversation every November for years to come.
December 3rd, 2016 at 1:15 AM ^
This is a little misleading because we had huge amounts of points scored in blow out games. If our offense was really that good.. if we just ground out a few (just maybe even 2?) first downs in the fourth quarter of the iowa game or ohio state game... we win both of those games
December 3rd, 2016 at 8:16 AM ^
"This is a little misleading because we had huge amounts of points scored in blow out games." But isn't that true for blowout games in every year? If you're going to discount points scored in blowouts, then you have to do it across all of the years that youre comparing.
December 3rd, 2016 at 9:10 AM ^
The fact the Michigan ran up huge scores and yardage against lesser and mediocre defenses shows what the Harbaugh/Drevno/Fisch offense is all about.
Once the o-line goes from good to great you are going to see M's offense controlling games against top defensive units too.
December 3rd, 2016 at 1:32 PM ^
I means you are executing to your potential. The things a coach can influence.
Getting better athletes across-the-board requires multiple recruiting classes.
December 3rd, 2016 at 3:12 PM ^
unfortunately, "averages" in college football are only mild correlates. Specifically when the disparity of competition is so dramatic with 128 FBS teams.
You've got 12 data points, and the difference between a 35th ranked defensive opponent and 6th ranked defensive opponent is miles wide, not to mention when you collect a quarter of the stats against teams in the 50s, 70s, 90s, etc.
December 3rd, 2016 at 3:12 PM ^
unfortunately, "averages" in college football are only mild correlates. Specifically when the disparity of competition is so dramatic with 128 FBS teams.
You've got 12 data points, and the difference between a 35th ranked defensive opponent and 6th ranked defensive opponent is miles wide, not to mention when you collect a quarter of the stats against teams in the 50s, 70s, 90s, etc.
December 3rd, 2016 at 2:11 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:23 AM ^
Rebuild? Year 2? Lol. Senior laden teamThese two arguments aren't necessarily contradictory. This is a veteran team but by no means the most talented Harbaugh will ever coach, especially on offense.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:12 AM ^
The Orange Bowl is in December.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:04 AM ^
Sorry to be a downer, but I could not care less about the Orange Bowl. It feels like Michigan football has not won a game they've absolutely had to have since 2003. I was 10. It's just so frustrating. Not just Colorado getting smoked today but the last 3 weeks of the season.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:04 AM ^
It seems like Orange Bowl attendance is worse than any of the other major bowl games. Always seems like there's patches of empty seats unless it's the playoff or championship game site.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:16 AM ^
You need some local support beyond just the two teams traveling in. One look at Miami (YTM), and you can see what the local "support" is like.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:06 AM ^
Even that year we lost to Oregon and Iowa which we shouldn't have.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:10 AM ^
And the 2011 OSU game and Sugar Bowl. Those felt pretty important at the time as must-win game.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:20 AM ^
Michigan had no chance to even win the conference in 2011 against OSU. And they were 6-6.
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:20 AM ^
Serious question
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December 3rd, 2016 at 12:43 AM ^
Virginia Tech stayed in the top 15 after the bowls I believe. I think OSU might have been the only unranked or barely ranked team.
I'm just saying that those were games we had to win with something on the line.
December 3rd, 2016 at 1:22 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 8:20 AM ^
2011 wasn't too bad. (And yes, I do remember the loss to MSU that year.)
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:02 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:06 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:07 AM ^
December 3rd, 2016 at 12:27 AM ^
I don't think taking over 6 - 7 team with a bowl ban is a "perfect situation", but the Big Ten (Michigan in particular) being down certainly helped. Recruiting is the reason Alabama is at the top every year. If you want to win four out of seven national championships, you'll need to win a few recruiting national championships and we are not there yet. We are doing well enough to be in the mix but Alabama is in a league of their own right now, program-wise. Ohio State isn't there yet, but they are getting close.
I read this somewhere today...Current number of 2017 5 star recruits: OSU 6 - The rest of the Big Ten 1. I believe Iowa has the one.