Who do you want to play in the Citrus Bowl?

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

We've heard what the projectionists think about our bowl opponent.

Who do you want to play in the Citrus Bowl?

I think it's either gonna be Florida or LSU. Michigan can beat either one of these teams, but I'd really feel better about our chances against Florida.

 

M-Dog

November 30th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^

It would be very appealing to get to 10 wins by beating a brand-name SEC team in a New Year's Day bowl game.

If you would have asked us at the beginning of the season if we would take that deal, you would not have even gotten all of the words out of your mouth.

But part of me wants to see us get back on the horse and face our nemesis . . . a good spread team with a running QB.  I want to see how Harbaugh and staff adjust with a month to prepare.  You know that this is burning them up and they would like to have another shot at it.  OSU is very good, but everybody knows this was not our best effort.

 

Wolverine Devotee

November 29th, 2015 at 6:14 PM ^

Yeah. I saw us play Saquon Barkley who had some good games this year and shut him down.

LSU is one dimensional. 

Michigan has had trouble against teams with great QB play, especially ones that are credible dual threats. LSU does not have that.

Pit2047

November 29th, 2015 at 6:38 PM ^

And isn't Rudock hurt? Regardless of what our defense does what makes people think we will score? I'd rather win the bowl game thank you, give me Florida. Also I don't want our rush defense within 500 miles of Leonard Fournette. If you thought Elliot was bad think of someone twice as good and no this is not a "oh just crowd the box and we'll shut him down, how easy is that?!" situation. We are not Alabama. We do not have an A'Shawn Robinson. Fournette will rush for 175+ without even thinking about it. Give me Nussmeier's offense that Mattison should be extremely familiar with and let's end this season with a good taste in our mouths, get double-digit wins in Harbaugh's first year, then head into signing day and next season with a little momentum.

Moe

November 29th, 2015 at 6:31 PM ^

But here is a bigger breakdown:

1. Winner of MSU-IOWA is in the playoff, loser makes the Rose or another BCS Bowl (most likely the Fiesta).

2. Ohio St sneaks into the playoff with craziness, or gets the Rose or BCS bowl that the above team does not.

3. From there, the bowls pick the team they want in their games.  The Citrus picks first, followed by the Outback, and then the Holiday Bowl (First two are against SEC schools, Holiday Bowl is Pac 12).  They are picking between Michigan, Wisconsin, and Northwestern, so Michigan will be the obvious first choice for the Citrus.  They will then pick the best available SEC team, or the matchup that will sell the most tickets.  LSU and Florida are the two most likely, but don't count out Mississippi St.

Moe

November 29th, 2015 at 6:56 PM ^

On your 2nd point.  They are forced to pick the top SEC team after NY6.  You are dead wrong on the first though.  The Citrus Bowl is live tweeting their 200 committee member discussion on if they will pick Michigan or Northwestern.

Crazy Canuck

November 29th, 2015 at 6:54 PM ^

MI Expat NY

November 30th, 2015 at 11:02 AM ^

Hard to see it being LSU in that case.  Florida or Ole Miss will be in the Sugar bowl vs. Baylor or TCU based on contractual tie-in.  The Rose will be OSU/BTCG loser v. Stanford also based on contractual tie-in.  Then, the Peach or Fiesta would have to choose Florida or Ole Miss over two of OSU/BTCG loser, Baylor or TCU, Florida State, and Notre Dame.  I just can't see a three-loss team jumping both Florida State and Notre Dame.  

UMichStudent2019

November 29th, 2015 at 6:26 PM ^

Read an ESPN article  (prior to this weekend) that had Michigan and Notre Dame lined up to play each other, assuming both teams won. I'm oping that since both teams lost, the potential still exists. Of course, the bowl committee isn't using the same selection process that I'm applying. BUT, I think it is a possibility ( a slim one but a real one).

After Brandon practically singe-handedly ended the Notre Dame rivalry, I'd love to see the rivalry revisited (and potentially reignited) in a bowl game with Notre Dame. And I think it's a safe bet to assume that said game would attract a lot of attention, which, from a business perspective, is a very positive side effect.

UMichStudent2019

November 29th, 2015 at 6:35 PM ^

True that ND backed out, so the fault is mostly on them. But I think much of that decision was a product of Brandon's attitude and tendencies. Not to mention, a more competent AD would not have signed a contract that said either team could back out at either time without adding a clause that said both teams needed an equal number of home games for the remainder of the rivalry.

UMichStudent2019

November 29th, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^

A contract dated May 16, 2011, stated that the schools would play only until 2017, rather than 2031 as the previous cotnract had declared. This contract was crafted when Notre Dame realized that Dave Brandon had noted that the rivalries with OSU and MSU were greater. ND athletic director Jack Swarbick was well aware of Brandon's favoritism toward the other rivalries. So, he added a clause to the contract that claimed any team could opt out so long as they gave three years notice. Brandon, who was advised to revise the contract to ensure that both teams had the same number of home games (something that was clearly not included in the contract and later exploited by ND), signed the contract without concessions. Shortly after the contract was signed, ND began its negotiations with the ACC. 

Essentially, ND capitalized on Brandon's disregard for the rivalry, decided it would be best to abandon the rivalry, added a clause that they knew Brandon would accept without concession, and then got an extra home game out of it. The media (with the help of Dave Brandon), illustrated this as Notre Dame "chickening out" (hence the chicken dance being played at the final game at Michigan Stadium) and missed the real root causes of the ending of the rivalry.

UMichStudent2019

November 29th, 2015 at 9:10 PM ^

Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football. It's not the perfect source, but it seems to have info from inside sources that the media otherwise doesnt have access to. Of course, most of my argument is based on the info that previous staff members in the UM athletic department provided to Bacon, which included former CFO Jason Winters' claim that Swarbrick crafted the clause and Brandon dismessed his advice to thoroughly examine the clause. 

I was assuming that Bacon is a reliable source. If that's a misconception, however, I'll retract my previous statements, and avoid citing him in the future as well.