Who would you like to see Michigan play in the bowl game?

Submitted by DISCUSS Man on

I'd like to see Florida in a bowl game in the state of Florida. They have a good defense but their offense is awful. 

Since the Rose Bowl is most likely out of the question even if Michigan wins the rest of their games, they'd need state to shit the bed three times. 

If Michigan wins out, they could get an at-large bid to a BCS ala 2011.

B1G tie ins

  • Capital One Bowl - B1G 2 vs SEC 2
  • Outback Bowl - B1G 3 vs SEC 3/4
  • Gator Bowl - B1G 4/5 vs SEC 6
  • Buffalo Wild Wings- B1G 4/5 vs Big 12 4
  • Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas- B1G 6 vs Big 12 6
  • Heart of Dallas Bowl - B1G 7 vs C-USA 3
  • Little Caesars Pizza Bowl- B1G 8 vs MAC 1/2

DealerCamel

November 5th, 2013 at 8:38 PM ^

or some team like that.

Basically, any team with a good offense and a so-so defense, cuz we'll do okay in that matchup.  We'd get murdered against a team with a good defense and a bad offense.

SFBlue

November 5th, 2013 at 8:39 PM ^

Sugar against Clemson.  Remote, to say the least, as it would likely require both Michigan and Clemson to get at-large bids.  But it would be historic (as Michigan has never played Clemson), would warrant a week-long binge on New Orleans cuisine, and would also be an exciting match-up.

As a more realistic alternative I would like to see LSU in the Outback.  This would be a difficult match-up, I know, but would again be historic. 

chewieblue

November 5th, 2013 at 9:09 PM ^

No thanks. Have a vague feeling that will not end well. Not sure why....



Would really like to play Purdue in a bowl game. Might be the only team in America we could handle right now... maybe. Is Saginaw available.

Look Up_See Blue

November 5th, 2013 at 9:15 PM ^

Well the good news is that Michigan became bowl eligible with the win against Indiana.  they finish 6-6 and a bid to the Little Caesars Bowl.  I know this doesn't answer the question but they will not finish with a good enough record for them to play any teams that I'd like to see them play.

JohnnyV123

November 5th, 2013 at 11:26 PM ^

I greatly apologize that in my head the first thing I thought when I read BCS bowl was "fuck off." However, I do not mean that in any way towards you personally.

Even if we win out BCS bowling is a huge stretch. Michigan State would have to lose another game and to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. I suppose it's possible but incredibly unlikely and it's not in our hands even if we win out. Also, might not even happen if one of the BCS buster teams makes it. Might not be room for a second Big Ten team in the BCS this year as we are perceived as probably the fourth or fifth best conference.

Maizenblueball

November 6th, 2013 at 2:23 AM ^

You know, some team where our pathetic O-Line doesn't have to block anyone.  I'd also like to see our RB's/FB's go out for passes, because it's not like Fitz is going to block anyone in pass protection anyway.

His Dudeness

November 6th, 2013 at 9:23 AM ^

Arizona. We would get smoked.

And since Bowl Games are stupid IMO - unless it is the Rose Bowl or playing for MNC -  I wouldnt care all that much.

It would provide me a great deal of closure so I could go on being a blindly loyal Michigan fan like I used to be.

Soulfire21

November 6th, 2013 at 9:33 AM ^

Rose Bowl Stuff:

MasseyRatings gives MSU the following win probabilities for their final three games: @Nebraska 0.75, @Northwestern 0.74, vs Minnesota 0.9.  So, the chances of them losing three straight games (assuming independence between games, which is not always the case.. injuries, etc., but still) is: 0.65%

Then, Michigan needs to win out.  MasseyRatings gives Michigan the following chances in their remaining games: vs Nebrasks 0.66, @Northwestern 0.43, @Iowa 0.38, vs Ohio State 0.21.  Michigan has a 2.2% chance of winning out.

Well, now that that's likely to not happen, I think Michigan has a decent shot at most of the middle of the SEC.  Florida, Georgia, etc.

chatster

November 6th, 2013 at 9:33 AM ^

Right now, my preferred bowl matchup would be Kansas State at Houston’s Reliant Stadium in the Texas Bowl where an indoor game would eliminate any weather-related problems.
 
I’d like to be optimistic and hope that Team 134, by far the worst of Brady Hoke’s three teams during his tenure as head coach, suddenly could become good enough to finish the season well and be considered worthy of playing in a Florida bowl game on January 1 or the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on December 28.  (BWW Bowl picks before the Gator Bowl this year.)
 
I’d like to be optimistic and hope that Team 134 would shock the football world by finishing this season on a long winning streak; but Team 134 doesn’t seem to be talented enough, strong enough or experienced enough to overcome any flaws in coaching or leadership to make that winning streak happen.
 
Finishing better than 6-6 sets up a dangerous opponent in a bowl game that could wind up being as hard a loss as the Michigan State game was.  Better to end the season with a win, if possible.
 
Finishing 6-6 could get Michigan in a bowl game that realistically might be “winnable,” even though the Wolverines would be entering the bowl game on a five-game losing streak and probably would be considered the underdog in the Texas Bowl against Kansas State, if they were the opponent as the sixth pick from the Big 12.  (Kansas State’s defense held Baylor, the nation’s top-scoring offense at 63.9 points per game, to 35 points.  Michigan is the only team other than 1-8 Indiana State, an FCS team, to give up more than 44 points to Indiana.)
 
Those who say that Michigan has three “winnable” games before an expected disastrous loss at home against Ohio State, forget that (a) two of those “winnable” games are on the road where this coaching staff typically has problems winning, (b) this year’s Akron and Connecticut games now could be viewed as “winnable” games that easily could’ve been losses, (c) the Penn State game was “winnable,” but turned out poorly and (d) right after the Notre Dame game, Michigan State also looked like a “winnable” game, yet that turned into an historically terrible performance.
 
A bowl win for Michigan would allow “those who stay” to go into the off-season with a modicum of pride and a small degree of hope for Team 135.  And then, the coaching staff that remains could re-examine and possibly revamp the system that simply has not worked as well as they’d hoped it would for themselves and the athletes they’ve recruited.

uminks

November 6th, 2013 at 10:00 AM ^

I think we will at least split the two road games but lose at home against OSU. Who knows, may be Michigan will play lights out against OSU and we will beat them? I think the '69 team was a bigger mismatch against '69 OSU team, then this year team against OSU. So, it is possible. If we knocked off OSU it would make my season, even if we lose the 3 other games!

uofmfan_13

November 6th, 2013 at 9:40 PM ^

Good points - and I would love to see a match-up vs KSU.  I have a bunch of co-workers who are die-hard Kansas St. grads - would be entertaining to trash talk to them in the run up.

I disagree that Team 135 will be 6-6.  Hoke does win at home.  He is awful on the road but he does win at home.  Therefore, I do think 8-4 is realistic, or 7-5.  Unfortunately, I am just not confident in anything on the road anymore.  Stinks.  But - we did win @ Northwestern two years ago so it is possible we sneak that out again.

blueblueblue

November 6th, 2013 at 9:51 AM ^

Whatever team has an OC who is older and less adaptive, creative, inventive, wise than Borges. Perhaps a team that just fired its OC and replaced him with its mascot. 

graybeaver

November 6th, 2013 at 9:51 AM ^

Texas or Oklahoma in the "Asian Zing Buffalo Wild Wing Bowl". I think it would be a competitive game against either school.

Forgive me.

November 6th, 2013 at 11:23 AM ^

The only right answer is the Pac-Ten Champion (every year unless we play for the NCG)

Oh... you meant in the real world. Crap.

I'll takeTexas in the BWW.

A FULL, open air stadium...under the lights...on a perfect grass surface... in 50 degree, crisp, dry air (65 and sunny during the day).

Now that's my idea of a holiday road trip.  

Don

November 6th, 2013 at 12:36 PM ^

The exact opposite is true.

In '69, we were 3-2 after our 23-12 loss up at MSU. We then put it together, winning the next four games 35-9, 35-7, 57-0, and 51-6. In other words, we got better as the season progressed.

We also had a very good OL anchored by Dan Dierdorf, and the OL coach was Jerry Hanlon, who was by far the best OL coach in Michigan's history. In other words, our OL could actually block people.

Whether the 2013 OSU squad is as good relative to the rest of the college football world today as the 1969 team was to its contemporaries is an open question, but there is no doubt that the 2013 Michigan football team is far weaker relative to its opponents than the '69 team was.

Most important is the difference between the two head coaches at Michigan. Bo wasn't without his faults, but the comparisons between Schembechler and his staff and Hoke and his staff couldn't be more stark.

umfanchris

November 6th, 2013 at 5:07 PM ^

No team has ever been ranked lower then 14th and recieved an at large bid. Currently we are 33rd in the AP. None of the next 3 teams we play even get any honrable mention vote. So none of these games will help us jump more then a couple spots. If we win the next 3 I can see us possibly cracking the top 25. If we win against Ohio State I don't see us making it any higher then 17. It's not happening!!

uofmfan_13

November 6th, 2013 at 9:43 PM ^

I agree.  Michigan just isn't BCS worthy.  Some might say we haven't been in, gulp, 7-8 years.  Pretty shocking really.  It is a lost decade.  Everyone has 'em.  Question is whether we learn our lessons and innovate and catch-up with the rest of college football.  Hire a new O-coordinator (at the least) and get smarter about this.