I love this so much!! You can’t truly appreciate the highs without sometimes experiencing the lows. This win is so amazing not just because the beauty of this season, but also because of how that beauty contrasts to what has happened previously!! Go blue!! National Champions!!
For me personally, it is because they are terrible in a unique and interesting way, and that is... unique. Most years there are like 2-7 very good teams that could legitimately win a national title. There are then usually another 30-40 teams that aren't winning national titles, but they are solid teams, who if things go right, can beat those very good teams. Then there are all the rest of the teams, who are all shades of bad. They're not beating those top teams, except on a complete fluke. They just aren't very good at football, which usually makes them uninteresting. Iowa is in that group of bad teams. However, they are bad in a totally unique way. They are in fact incredibly good at a large part of the game. So good in fact, that that they're possibly better than many/most of the 2-7 national title contenders on defense. It just so happens that they are simultaneously so monstrously bad on offense, that it doesn't matter how good they are on defense. Not many teams combine such competence and extreme incompetence.
PS. Their offensive incompetence is also just funny.
That is illegal too. On the other hand, there are untold numbers of women he could have met on tinder and similar places to do this and no one other than his wife would have cared. It’s immoral, abusive, and stupid beyond belief. It seems like he’s just suspended now, but guy deserves to be fired, even if his inconsistent version is true.
This is exactly the offense I was hoping for. Throw when they think you are running so are selling out to stop the run. Run when they think you’re gonna pass. Add uncertainty into the minds of the defense. If we play like this, I really don’t know how anyone other than maybe Georgia can stop our offense!!
I went to NYU. The college experience was pretty amazing and getting to go to school in Greenwich Village is an experience that is pretty hard to beat. However, I did feel I missed out on the traditional university football/basketball game experience in the student section. I really wish I could have had that experience.
In 2018 or 2019 I bought a maize Michigan hoodie that I wore for every game. After our loss to MSU last year, I decided it needed to go, and I ordered a new blue Michigan football t-shirt online. I have worn that shirt for every Michigan game since and we are 18-1 in that time. I know there is no logical way that my choice of clothes could impact the outcome of the game, but I will be in the stadium today, and there is literally no way I would not wear that shirt. Go blue!!
This is the most bougie post I've ever seen!! Paradise Valley yes, but all of Mesa no? Mesa has the best Asian food in the valley by a lot and Chandler and Peoria are both fine. I'm guessing you haven't been to either of those places in a very long time.
PS. As a fellow Phoenix metro transplant from Chicago, do you also avoid Glenview and Northbrook, because only Wilmette and Highland Park are nice enough for you?
I moved to Phoenix last year, so I know a bit, but I'm very far from an expert. I'll make this response more general for all the people heading into Phoenix metro for the game.
What you should do and where you should go is entirely down to where your tastes lie. If you are an upper middle class or wealthy person between 40 and 70, I'd say Scottsdale is the place for you (though avoid old town at night). There will be golf courses, upscale restaurants, and wine bars to go to. I don't fit into that category, so I don't have any specific recommendations for those kinds of places. However, I went to Roka Akor for my wife's birthday (its a reasonably upscale Japanese place in Scottsdale) and it was quite good.
If you want to party like you're still in college, Old Town Scottsdale has a lot of places that will allow you to do that. I'm in my 30s and its too much for me, but if that is what you're looking for, a lot of people like it.
As far as what I like, I'd recommend Roosevelt Row over Old Town Scottsdale for sure. Its still gonna run on the younger side, but there is a little more sophistication to the places than in Old Town Scottsdale. I like beer and cocktails over wine, so my recommendations for drinks would be places like the Whining Pig, which has a very large selection of beer. I also like Cobra Arcade Bar. As far as cocktails, Killer Whale Sex Club is good, so is Little Rituals, Pigtails, Bitter and Twisted, and Highball. When it comes to restaurants, I don't agree with the Pizzeria Bianco recommendations. I've only been there once, but I didn't think it was even remotely worth the hype. I liked the Parlor's pizza more and I didn't have to wait. Valentine is really good. Reathrey Sekong is a good Cambodian restaurant with really nice owners. Taco Boy's has great steak tacos for a decent price. Lastly, Lom Wong is one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to, its totally worth checking out.
For people who are staying near the stadium, Westgate is your best bet. However, I used to work kind of near there, and if you have a car, Ta'Carbon has good tacos for cheap and is about 10-15 minutes from the stadium. Fabio on Fire is straight up the 101 from the Stadium in Peoria and is one of the best Italian places I've had in Phoenix (including pizza I liked more than Bianco).
Lastly, for outdoors type stuff, I wouldn't recommend Sedona this time of year. It is a really beautiful place, but its gonna be kind of cold this time of year. Phoenix in the winter has good hiking and nice weather during the day.
Last recommendation to people who have never been to Phoenix before, you don't need many pairs of shorts. Its gonna be nice during the day, but at night it gets chilly. So bring a jacket and pants (a couple pair of shorts might be good, but more pants).
I don't know the specifics of your situation it may be the case that your private school is great and your public school is terrible. However, as another person who is a teacher, I can tell you with very little doubt, that the average public school offers a better quality education than their average private counterparts. That is not to say they have equal outcomes, they often don't. However, that has everything to do with many elite private schools testing for admissions, charging tuition (therefore weeding out disengaged parents), and expelling for academic reasons. If public schools could do all those things, their outcomes would be radically different as well.
No, the real draw of private schools is deeply interconnected with racial anxiety on the part of many white parents. Their local public schools are "unsafe," because they are unwhite and their local private schools are entirely "safe" because they are overwhelmingly white. I had parents who made the same sacrifice you did, largely because the public school district I was in was one of the only schools in the area that wasn't majority white. That this impacted their decision was entirely unconscious of course, but I remember the way our local public school was discussed, and only now in hindsight do I understand the subtext.
Again, let me reiterate that this is not a personal attack, because I know nothing about your personal situation. I am simply talking about statistics. Statistics say around 50% of public school students in America are white, but 75% of private school students are white. Facts say that private school attendance increased dramatically after Brown v Board. So it may have been the right choice for your family, but as a general rule, it is usually a choice deeply interconnected with American racism and classism.
For sure. I’m a former Loyola Academy football player from a working class background.
I still remember we played our rivals New Trier High School and the Loyola kids would chant “that’s alright that’s ok, you’ll be working for us someday” every time New Trier did anything good. That sounds bad independent of context, but in context it is particularly insane, because New Trier is one of the richest high schools in America. But the unjustified sense of superiority in those Loyola kids ran so deep, that even New Trier kids were part of what they considered to be the unwashed masses!
I feel confident my current quite left wing political leanings are a direct byproduct of my enmity towards the spoiled ass holes I shared a school with (I hope I’m not breaking the no politics rule, I’m not trying to be controversial, just being descriptive).
Why do people all say this as if it is a fact? I actually seriously disagree. What Cade lacks is arm strength, so he won't succeed in an offense that wants to drive the ball downfield. That is exactly what a non-horrible version of Iowa's offense wants to do. They want to run the ball, then get downfield shots off play-action. Where I believe Cade would actually thrive would be in a pass first spread offense, that finds space by spreading the field horizontally instead of vertically. He has good accuracy, he is good at pre-snap reads, and he can get the ball out quickly. IMO Cade would succeed best at a school like Washington State, Purdue, etc.
he Chick fil A near to me has wild lines, where they have significant parts of a mall parking lot roped off, and the few times I ate there, I can't imagine why anyone would ever sit through those lines. Is it bad? No. Is it remotely worth a minimum 20-30 minute wait for fast food? Also no.
Well what other choice do we have? We’re 11-0, but only delusional people don’t realize that is all a mirage. We’re first in ppg allowed, but that is also a mirage based on having played no one. We’re fifth in ppg scored, but we ran too much when we scored all those points. On top of all that, we almost lost a game this year. We didn’t of course, but we almost did, and everyone knows almost losing is obviously far worse than actually losing!!
Who is the "his" in this post? We were missing our best and 2nd best offensive players. We were missing two starting offensive linemen. Our starting and 2nd string TEs. Probably our best defensive player. After all that, we beat a good team in a hard fought win. Tell me when Michigan has ever done that before the last two years? This is what winning teams do. They win games. Georgia played like garbage against Missouri, but they found a way to win. Ohio State didn't play well against Northwestern, but they found a way to win. We have dominated everyone all year and the first time we don't, people with personality disorders come out of the woodwork to shit on people who got us to 11-0 for the 3rd time in my lifetime. If you can't enjoy this season, this team, and these coaches that is on you, not on this team or these coaches.
Last year Cade said something after the Nebraska game about how previous Michigan teams he played on would have lost that game. I feel exactly the same way about this one. My entire life as a Michigan fan, Michigan found ways to lose games like these (with the obvious exception of 1997). This team found a way to win. We have now built a culture of winning, where we now win games even when we play like garbage. That is all about that culture and hopefully we now get Corum, Edwards, and Mike Morris back for OSU and we beat them down!!
Somebody posted that on here a few weeks back and it seemed so insane to me. I get these are bitter and twisted human beings, but rooting against Hutchinson as a Lions fan, just because he went to Michigan, is weird even for them. I'm a Bears fan and I don't wish ill on Justin Fields just because he went to Ohio State. The idea that I would is deranged.
Don't get me wrong, these are great times!! My entire childhood was shaped by Saturdays watching Michigan football. We then were terrible for a few years, but now we are back to being really good. I love watching this team and my week is filled with UFRs, Neck Sharpies, and Opponent Watch. Michigan football brings joy into my life most of the time under Jim Harbaugh and I truly love him for that. However, thinking someone is an excellent coach, doesn't require me to think they are perfect. Harbaugh is one of the best football coaches in the world, but in order to take the next step from excellent to national champions, I do think we need to improve our passing game. I don't think saying that means I don't appreciate the good times, because I really do.
I agree with you, but expectations are shaped by past results. If we start making the playoff every couple years, eventually we will start to expect more. I love Harbaugh, I always have even through the hard times, but ultimately the goal is to beat a team like Georgia, and I think we do need to be more successful throwing the ball to accomplish that. That doesn't mean abandoning our physical character. It just means adding efficient chunk plays and unpredictability, in order to keep defenses honest, so our awesome run game can thrive.
I think 45-17 after 3 quarters, then we put in our backups and final score is like 48-27 or something like that. Which will make it seem closer than it was.
I don’t really care. If we were up to the standard of what Michigan football should be, we would beat them most times, and if we didn’t, it would be an upset. Does anyone think this years team loses consistently to any Iowa or Wisconsin team from this past decade? Maybe 2017 Wisconsin and maybe 2015 Iowa, but that’s about it. If we were at Ohio’s level, as I believe we are now, I don’t think it would matter who we played from the west. Whoever it is, we should beat them!!
Not related to either school, but I checked the yards per game stat of our next opponent after Maryland. Iowa is 4th in yards allowed. However, they are dead last in yards gained. They've hardly played a murderers row of defenses either. They gained 150 yards against Iowa St, who gave up 320 yards against SE Missouri St. Iowa did gain 337 yards against Nevada, which isn't good, but not terrible either. Until you understand that Nevada gave up 616 yards to something called Incarnate Word one week earlier (a school I've literally never heard of previously). We all know Iowa's offense is bad, but the depths of their awfulness cannot be overstated.
Ahhhhh, McCarthy completed 100% of his passes in week 1, then down to 91.7 last week, now down to 83.3 this week!! The the regression is clear!! Fire everyone, Davis Warren for QB1!!!!
Watching Notre Dame recently, I have been struck by how Marcus Freeman is probably the most handsome football coach I've ever seen. It doesn't seem to correlate to being any good at coaching. But at least he can look handsome while sucking.
Let me guess, in your mind, you think you are part of the 1%? People who say silly things like this almost always do.... Oh and by the way, with your extraordinary genius, you should audit a statistics course. Mediocre is a synonym for average, and 99% of people objectively cannot be average.
Ya, as a Bears fan, I always resent you guys for ruining our draft pick, by consistently sucking just slightly more than we do. If not for beating the Lions twice last year, we could have just picked Fields with our own first round pick. Instead we had to trade up and now the Giants have our top 10 pick...
But in all seriousness, I have far less hostile feelings towards the Lions than I do the Vikings or especially the Packers (which I feel is common among Bears fans). Is that reciprocal, or do you all hate us just as much as the Vikings (Of course everyone hates the Packers the most)?
Speaking of Norm, as a kid I was a big fan of Dirty work. A movie directed by Bob and starring Norm and Artie Lange. Insane to think Artie Lange is the only one of that group still alive, considering the debauched life he has led. He must be like the comedy equivalent of Keith Richards.
I love this team, I love these players, and I loved this season!! This game sucked, but that doesn’t change how much joy this team brought me this year!!
Ya, that is not surprising. It's not a good job. If I were a coordinator at a top 10-15 program, the ultimate goal is obviously to get a head coaching job at a top 10-15 program eventually. I don't think programs like Duke are good stepping stones to a job like that. They are programs with enormous challenges that even very good coaches will struggle significantly to overcome. If I'm Gattis I'd rather go to a good G6, or wait for at least a mid-tier P5 program to open up. Otherwise, I think continuing to win at Michigan will be a better path to a good HC job than a terrible P5 job would be.
As an aside, I don't understand these lower tier P5 programs going after guys like Mike Elko or any other P5 coordinator, because anyone good enough to win there is going to jump ship at the first opportunity possible. I'd be looking at guys running highly heterdox systems, who can overcome inevitable talent gaps by just being super weird to play against. You are going to win more games in the long term doing that at Duke, Kansas, Vanderbilt, etc. than getting a coordinator to come run conventional systems, even if they coach them up very well.
I care about one game and care a little about the Georgia-Alabama game, but that is it. I'd prefer Georgia win, because I want to avoid them in the semi-final. I know we'd have to beat them to be champions, but I want that to be in the title game, not before. Otherwise, I think we'd have a very good chance at beating every other team in the semi-final, so all I'm worried about is beating Iowa.
I feel like there is no amount of money they wouldn't match. They would cancel all in person academic operations and move all classes online (taught by adjuncts), before they'd allow their football program to lose a coach to another NCAA program. The only way Day is leaving, is for the NFL.
I think the blue print on how to beat them (and really any elite offense) is clear. The way you beat an offense like this, is to scheme away their first reads on a relatively frequent basis and then get consistent pressure before the QB can get to their secondary reads. Knowing that is one thing, accomplishing it is completely different. If we can confuse Stroud (who is very talented, but still a freshman) and then hit him consistently, those hits begin to take their toll. It can speed him up, so he throws into that covered first read, or gets antsy before getting into his secondary reads. It can cause him to make mistakes or start worrying about the pressure, even before it is there. In order to do that, we need Hutchinson and Ojabo to be at their best, but also for the DTs to do a better job winning their one-on-one matchups when they arise, so we can get some interior pressure as well. If we can do that, we have a chance. However, if they chip/double both ends and nullify them, and the DTs are contained one-on-one, we will get absolutely picked apart. I expect us to lose, but I have more hope than I've had since 2018.
As a passionate fan of this team and someone who loves Jim Harbaugh, I feel like the catharsis that would come from winning this game cannot be measured by a clever quip on the internet!! A win would be a euphoric experience that would make this one of the great holiday weekends of my life. A loss would be the same as usual, but it would make my wife sad, because I'll be in a shitty mood the rest of the weekend.
Why? I’m not predicting that will happen, but they’ve scored fewer than 40 three times this year, not coincidentally against likely the three best defenses they’ve faced. Holding them under 40 clearly isn’t easy, but we have the pass rush to make some big plays. We won’t stop their offense, but we don’t need to. Just limit big plays on their side, make a few big plays on our side, and hope the offense is as balanced and explosive as it was today.
Soul sucking pessimism and genuine stupidity are often confused for “realism” by the simple minded. You’re not realistic. If you simply said, we’re not gonna beat Ohio, I’d be cool with calling that realism. But saying we have “no chance” of losing fewer than 3 games is not realism, you just suck…
Based on what exactly? From everything I've read, Michigan has been hitting with a lot of the guys at the top of their board this year. So what if they don't have stars? If Domani Dent really is highly regarded by the staff, should they take someone else with more stars, who they like less? That doesn't even take into account the fact that Michigan has a real shot at 2 5-star prospects, an outside shot at another 5-star, and is still in the running for high 4-stars they think very highly of. If Michigan closes on Domani, Connerly, and Lander Barton this is a great class. Even with only 1 or 2 of them, it still seems pretty solid.
That Sainristil catch was just as good IMO. People make diving catches sometimes, where the dive looks nice, but wasn't all that necessary. Sainristil needed every inch of that dive to make that catch. It was, as you said, a thing of beauty.
Harbaugh, excluding last year, had an extremely similar track record to Loyd Carr era Michigan post 2000. Last year was Rich Rod bad, but if that was just a weird COVID blip, we can go back to being good enough to enjoy most Saturdays. If that was a trend, then ya, that sucks. But if you didn’t feel more hopeful in 2015-2019 than you did in 2008-2014, that is on you and you alone.
Exactly. Saying good things about Michigan Football on this Michigan fan forum is a bit like going on a MAGA forum to extoll the virtues of Hillary Clinton or on a Ohio State forum to extoll the virtues of dentistry. Those things just don't fly around those parts!
If Rutgers is actually good ( a big if), then this can be spun as a scrappy win against a solid team. If Rutgers is just Rutgers, then this was a very bad sign for what is to come when we come up against teams that are actually good.
I understand your pessimism, but I don't think what you said about the defensive scheme is accurate. Don Brown's aggressive press man coverage absolutely put the CBs on and island, but all that I've read about the new defense is that it will be more multiple and have a lot fewer instances where the CBs will be on an island. It is hard to say that for certain of course, because they obviously haven't come out and explained the defense in detail, but that certainly doesn't seem like it will be the case.
Illinois doesn't have any ugly losses to any really weak teams. All of Illinois' losses have been against quad 1 teams and they've all been reasonably close (except for Baylor). I understand wanting to rationalize losses to stay positive, but sometimes you have to admit when you lose to a good team. Illinois is really good and they played much better yesterday. That doesn't mean that will happen in a rematch, but it definitely happened yesterday.
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https://youtu.be/P_i1xk07o4g?si=JZeOFcKMnKWK76WK
I love this so much!! You can’t truly appreciate the highs without sometimes experiencing the lows. This win is so amazing not just because the beauty of this season, but also because of how that beauty contrasts to what has happened previously!! Go blue!! National Champions!!
For me personally, it is because they are terrible in a unique and interesting way, and that is... unique. Most years there are like 2-7 very good teams that could legitimately win a national title. There are then usually another 30-40 teams that aren't winning national titles, but they are solid teams, who if things go right, can beat those very good teams. Then there are all the rest of the teams, who are all shades of bad. They're not beating those top teams, except on a complete fluke. They just aren't very good at football, which usually makes them uninteresting. Iowa is in that group of bad teams. However, they are bad in a totally unique way. They are in fact incredibly good at a large part of the game. So good in fact, that that they're possibly better than many/most of the 2-7 national title contenders on defense. It just so happens that they are simultaneously so monstrously bad on offense, that it doesn't matter how good they are on defense. Not many teams combine such competence and extreme incompetence.
PS. Their offensive incompetence is also just funny.
That is illegal too. On the other hand, there are untold numbers of women he could have met on tinder and similar places to do this and no one other than his wife would have cared. It’s immoral, abusive, and stupid beyond belief. It seems like he’s just suspended now, but guy deserves to be fired, even if his inconsistent version is true.
This is exactly the offense I was hoping for. Throw when they think you are running so are selling out to stop the run. Run when they think you’re gonna pass. Add uncertainty into the minds of the defense. If we play like this, I really don’t know how anyone other than maybe Georgia can stop our offense!!
I went to NYU. The college experience was pretty amazing and getting to go to school in Greenwich Village is an experience that is pretty hard to beat. However, I did feel I missed out on the traditional university football/basketball game experience in the student section. I really wish I could have had that experience.
In 2018 or 2019 I bought a maize Michigan hoodie that I wore for every game. After our loss to MSU last year, I decided it needed to go, and I ordered a new blue Michigan football t-shirt online. I have worn that shirt for every Michigan game since and we are 18-1 in that time. I know there is no logical way that my choice of clothes could impact the outcome of the game, but I will be in the stadium today, and there is literally no way I would not wear that shirt. Go blue!!
Ya, it feels like this guy watches White Lotus and thinks "these people all seem really nice, cool, and well adjusted."
This is the most bougie post I've ever seen!! Paradise Valley yes, but all of Mesa no? Mesa has the best Asian food in the valley by a lot and Chandler and Peoria are both fine. I'm guessing you haven't been to either of those places in a very long time.
PS. As a fellow Phoenix metro transplant from Chicago, do you also avoid Glenview and Northbrook, because only Wilmette and Highland Park are nice enough for you?
I moved to Phoenix last year, so I know a bit, but I'm very far from an expert. I'll make this response more general for all the people heading into Phoenix metro for the game.
What you should do and where you should go is entirely down to where your tastes lie. If you are an upper middle class or wealthy person between 40 and 70, I'd say Scottsdale is the place for you (though avoid old town at night). There will be golf courses, upscale restaurants, and wine bars to go to. I don't fit into that category, so I don't have any specific recommendations for those kinds of places. However, I went to Roka Akor for my wife's birthday (its a reasonably upscale Japanese place in Scottsdale) and it was quite good.
If you want to party like you're still in college, Old Town Scottsdale has a lot of places that will allow you to do that. I'm in my 30s and its too much for me, but if that is what you're looking for, a lot of people like it.
As far as what I like, I'd recommend Roosevelt Row over Old Town Scottsdale for sure. Its still gonna run on the younger side, but there is a little more sophistication to the places than in Old Town Scottsdale. I like beer and cocktails over wine, so my recommendations for drinks would be places like the Whining Pig, which has a very large selection of beer. I also like Cobra Arcade Bar. As far as cocktails, Killer Whale Sex Club is good, so is Little Rituals, Pigtails, Bitter and Twisted, and Highball. When it comes to restaurants, I don't agree with the Pizzeria Bianco recommendations. I've only been there once, but I didn't think it was even remotely worth the hype. I liked the Parlor's pizza more and I didn't have to wait. Valentine is really good. Reathrey Sekong is a good Cambodian restaurant with really nice owners. Taco Boy's has great steak tacos for a decent price. Lastly, Lom Wong is one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to, its totally worth checking out.
For people who are staying near the stadium, Westgate is your best bet. However, I used to work kind of near there, and if you have a car, Ta'Carbon has good tacos for cheap and is about 10-15 minutes from the stadium. Fabio on Fire is straight up the 101 from the Stadium in Peoria and is one of the best Italian places I've had in Phoenix (including pizza I liked more than Bianco).
Lastly, for outdoors type stuff, I wouldn't recommend Sedona this time of year. It is a really beautiful place, but its gonna be kind of cold this time of year. Phoenix in the winter has good hiking and nice weather during the day.
Last recommendation to people who have never been to Phoenix before, you don't need many pairs of shorts. Its gonna be nice during the day, but at night it gets chilly. So bring a jacket and pants (a couple pair of shorts might be good, but more pants).
I don't know the specifics of your situation it may be the case that your private school is great and your public school is terrible. However, as another person who is a teacher, I can tell you with very little doubt, that the average public school offers a better quality education than their average private counterparts. That is not to say they have equal outcomes, they often don't. However, that has everything to do with many elite private schools testing for admissions, charging tuition (therefore weeding out disengaged parents), and expelling for academic reasons. If public schools could do all those things, their outcomes would be radically different as well.
No, the real draw of private schools is deeply interconnected with racial anxiety on the part of many white parents. Their local public schools are "unsafe," because they are unwhite and their local private schools are entirely "safe" because they are overwhelmingly white. I had parents who made the same sacrifice you did, largely because the public school district I was in was one of the only schools in the area that wasn't majority white. That this impacted their decision was entirely unconscious of course, but I remember the way our local public school was discussed, and only now in hindsight do I understand the subtext.
Again, let me reiterate that this is not a personal attack, because I know nothing about your personal situation. I am simply talking about statistics. Statistics say around 50% of public school students in America are white, but 75% of private school students are white. Facts say that private school attendance increased dramatically after Brown v Board. So it may have been the right choice for your family, but as a general rule, it is usually a choice deeply interconnected with American racism and classism.
For sure. I’m a former Loyola Academy football player from a working class background.
I still remember we played our rivals New Trier High School and the Loyola kids would chant “that’s alright that’s ok, you’ll be working for us someday” every time New Trier did anything good. That sounds bad independent of context, but in context it is particularly insane, because New Trier is one of the richest high schools in America. But the unjustified sense of superiority in those Loyola kids ran so deep, that even New Trier kids were part of what they considered to be the unwashed masses!
I feel confident my current quite left wing political leanings are a direct byproduct of my enmity towards the spoiled ass holes I shared a school with (I hope I’m not breaking the no politics rule, I’m not trying to be controversial, just being descriptive).
Why do people all say this as if it is a fact? I actually seriously disagree. What Cade lacks is arm strength, so he won't succeed in an offense that wants to drive the ball downfield. That is exactly what a non-horrible version of Iowa's offense wants to do. They want to run the ball, then get downfield shots off play-action. Where I believe Cade would actually thrive would be in a pass first spread offense, that finds space by spreading the field horizontally instead of vertically. He has good accuracy, he is good at pre-snap reads, and he can get the ball out quickly. IMO Cade would succeed best at a school like Washington State, Purdue, etc.
IMO Popeye's is better than both. T
he Chick fil A near to me has wild lines, where they have significant parts of a mall parking lot roped off, and the few times I ate there, I can't imagine why anyone would ever sit through those lines. Is it bad? No. Is it remotely worth a minimum 20-30 minute wait for fast food? Also no.
I thought the bit about almost losing being worse than losing left no room for misunderstanding, but some people are very literal I guess…
Well what other choice do we have? We’re 11-0, but only delusional people don’t realize that is all a mirage. We’re first in ppg allowed, but that is also a mirage based on having played no one. We’re fifth in ppg scored, but we ran too much when we scored all those points. On top of all that, we almost lost a game this year. We didn’t of course, but we almost did, and everyone knows almost losing is obviously far worse than actually losing!!
JJ finished 18/34 for 208 yards against the S&P+ #4 defense. Is that good? Obviously not. Is that "bad bad bad" also obviously not.
Who is the "his" in this post? We were missing our best and 2nd best offensive players. We were missing two starting offensive linemen. Our starting and 2nd string TEs. Probably our best defensive player. After all that, we beat a good team in a hard fought win. Tell me when Michigan has ever done that before the last two years? This is what winning teams do. They win games. Georgia played like garbage against Missouri, but they found a way to win. Ohio State didn't play well against Northwestern, but they found a way to win. We have dominated everyone all year and the first time we don't, people with personality disorders come out of the woodwork to shit on people who got us to 11-0 for the 3rd time in my lifetime. If you can't enjoy this season, this team, and these coaches that is on you, not on this team or these coaches.
Last year Cade said something after the Nebraska game about how previous Michigan teams he played on would have lost that game. I feel exactly the same way about this one. My entire life as a Michigan fan, Michigan found ways to lose games like these (with the obvious exception of 1997). This team found a way to win. We have now built a culture of winning, where we now win games even when we play like garbage. That is all about that culture and hopefully we now get Corum, Edwards, and Mike Morris back for OSU and we beat them down!!
Somebody posted that on here a few weeks back and it seemed so insane to me. I get these are bitter and twisted human beings, but rooting against Hutchinson as a Lions fan, just because he went to Michigan, is weird even for them. I'm a Bears fan and I don't wish ill on Justin Fields just because he went to Ohio State. The idea that I would is deranged.
Don't get me wrong, these are great times!! My entire childhood was shaped by Saturdays watching Michigan football. We then were terrible for a few years, but now we are back to being really good. I love watching this team and my week is filled with UFRs, Neck Sharpies, and Opponent Watch. Michigan football brings joy into my life most of the time under Jim Harbaugh and I truly love him for that. However, thinking someone is an excellent coach, doesn't require me to think they are perfect. Harbaugh is one of the best football coaches in the world, but in order to take the next step from excellent to national champions, I do think we need to improve our passing game. I don't think saying that means I don't appreciate the good times, because I really do.
I agree with you, but expectations are shaped by past results. If we start making the playoff every couple years, eventually we will start to expect more. I love Harbaugh, I always have even through the hard times, but ultimately the goal is to beat a team like Georgia, and I think we do need to be more successful throwing the ball to accomplish that. That doesn't mean abandoning our physical character. It just means adding efficient chunk plays and unpredictability, in order to keep defenses honest, so our awesome run game can thrive.
I think 45-17 after 3 quarters, then we put in our backups and final score is like 48-27 or something like that. Which will make it seem closer than it was.
I don’t really care. If we were up to the standard of what Michigan football should be, we would beat them most times, and if we didn’t, it would be an upset. Does anyone think this years team loses consistently to any Iowa or Wisconsin team from this past decade? Maybe 2017 Wisconsin and maybe 2015 Iowa, but that’s about it. If we were at Ohio’s level, as I believe we are now, I don’t think it would matter who we played from the west. Whoever it is, we should beat them!!
Not related to either school, but I checked the yards per game stat of our next opponent after Maryland. Iowa is 4th in yards allowed. However, they are dead last in yards gained. They've hardly played a murderers row of defenses either. They gained 150 yards against Iowa St, who gave up 320 yards against SE Missouri St. Iowa did gain 337 yards against Nevada, which isn't good, but not terrible either. Until you understand that Nevada gave up 616 yards to something called Incarnate Word one week earlier (a school I've literally never heard of previously). We all know Iowa's offense is bad, but the depths of their awfulness cannot be overstated.
Ahhhhh, McCarthy completed 100% of his passes in week 1, then down to 91.7 last week, now down to 83.3 this week!! The the regression is clear!! Fire everyone, Davis Warren for QB1!!!!
Wouldn't most people prefer that?
Watching Notre Dame recently, I have been struck by how Marcus Freeman is probably the most handsome football coach I've ever seen. It doesn't seem to correlate to being any good at coaching. But at least he can look handsome while sucking.
Let me guess, in your mind, you think you are part of the 1%? People who say silly things like this almost always do.... Oh and by the way, with your extraordinary genius, you should audit a statistics course. Mediocre is a synonym for average, and 99% of people objectively cannot be average.
Ya, as a Bears fan, I always resent you guys for ruining our draft pick, by consistently sucking just slightly more than we do. If not for beating the Lions twice last year, we could have just picked Fields with our own first round pick. Instead we had to trade up and now the Giants have our top 10 pick...
But in all seriousness, I have far less hostile feelings towards the Lions than I do the Vikings or especially the Packers (which I feel is common among Bears fans). Is that reciprocal, or do you all hate us just as much as the Vikings (Of course everyone hates the Packers the most)?
Speaking of Norm, as a kid I was a big fan of Dirty work. A movie directed by Bob and starring Norm and Artie Lange. Insane to think Artie Lange is the only one of that group still alive, considering the debauched life he has led. He must be like the comedy equivalent of Keith Richards.
Anyway, RIP Bob and Norm.
I love this team, I love these players, and I loved this season!! This game sucked, but that doesn’t change how much joy this team brought me this year!!
Ya, that is not surprising. It's not a good job. If I were a coordinator at a top 10-15 program, the ultimate goal is obviously to get a head coaching job at a top 10-15 program eventually. I don't think programs like Duke are good stepping stones to a job like that. They are programs with enormous challenges that even very good coaches will struggle significantly to overcome. If I'm Gattis I'd rather go to a good G6, or wait for at least a mid-tier P5 program to open up. Otherwise, I think continuing to win at Michigan will be a better path to a good HC job than a terrible P5 job would be.
As an aside, I don't understand these lower tier P5 programs going after guys like Mike Elko or any other P5 coordinator, because anyone good enough to win there is going to jump ship at the first opportunity possible. I'd be looking at guys running highly heterdox systems, who can overcome inevitable talent gaps by just being super weird to play against. You are going to win more games in the long term doing that at Duke, Kansas, Vanderbilt, etc. than getting a coordinator to come run conventional systems, even if they coach them up very well.
We are big ten mother fucking champions!! Time to celebrate!!
They scored 3 points in 59 minutes against a good but not great Auburn defense. Alabama is good, but 2020 Alabama they are certainly not!
I care about one game and care a little about the Georgia-Alabama game, but that is it. I'd prefer Georgia win, because I want to avoid them in the semi-final. I know we'd have to beat them to be champions, but I want that to be in the title game, not before. Otherwise, I think we'd have a very good chance at beating every other team in the semi-final, so all I'm worried about is beating Iowa.
Not gonna comment on past comments, all I can say is I love Jim Harbaugh, I love these coaches, I love these players, and I love this team!!
I feel like there is no amount of money they wouldn't match. They would cancel all in person academic operations and move all classes online (taught by adjuncts), before they'd allow their football program to lose a coach to another NCAA program. The only way Day is leaving, is for the NFL.
I think the blue print on how to beat them (and really any elite offense) is clear. The way you beat an offense like this, is to scheme away their first reads on a relatively frequent basis and then get consistent pressure before the QB can get to their secondary reads. Knowing that is one thing, accomplishing it is completely different. If we can confuse Stroud (who is very talented, but still a freshman) and then hit him consistently, those hits begin to take their toll. It can speed him up, so he throws into that covered first read, or gets antsy before getting into his secondary reads. It can cause him to make mistakes or start worrying about the pressure, even before it is there. In order to do that, we need Hutchinson and Ojabo to be at their best, but also for the DTs to do a better job winning their one-on-one matchups when they arise, so we can get some interior pressure as well. If we can do that, we have a chance. However, if they chip/double both ends and nullify them, and the DTs are contained one-on-one, we will get absolutely picked apart. I expect us to lose, but I have more hope than I've had since 2018.
As a passionate fan of this team and someone who loves Jim Harbaugh, I feel like the catharsis that would come from winning this game cannot be measured by a clever quip on the internet!! A win would be a euphoric experience that would make this one of the great holiday weekends of my life. A loss would be the same as usual, but it would make my wife sad, because I'll be in a shitty mood the rest of the weekend.
Why? I’m not predicting that will happen, but they’ve scored fewer than 40 three times this year, not coincidentally against likely the three best defenses they’ve faced. Holding them under 40 clearly isn’t easy, but we have the pass rush to make some big plays. We won’t stop their offense, but we don’t need to. Just limit big plays on their side, make a few big plays on our side, and hope the offense is as balanced and explosive as it was today.
Soul sucking pessimism and genuine stupidity are often confused for “realism” by the simple minded. You’re not realistic. If you simply said, we’re not gonna beat Ohio, I’d be cool with calling that realism. But saying we have “no chance” of losing fewer than 3 games is not realism, you just suck…
Based on what exactly? From everything I've read, Michigan has been hitting with a lot of the guys at the top of their board this year. So what if they don't have stars? If Domani Dent really is highly regarded by the staff, should they take someone else with more stars, who they like less? That doesn't even take into account the fact that Michigan has a real shot at 2 5-star prospects, an outside shot at another 5-star, and is still in the running for high 4-stars they think very highly of. If Michigan closes on Domani, Connerly, and Lander Barton this is a great class. Even with only 1 or 2 of them, it still seems pretty solid.
That Sainristil catch was just as good IMO. People make diving catches sometimes, where the dive looks nice, but wasn't all that necessary. Sainristil needed every inch of that dive to make that catch. It was, as you said, a thing of beauty.
Enjoy yourself... thats kind of the point of our pointless football viewing hobby.
Harbaugh, excluding last year, had an extremely similar track record to Loyd Carr era Michigan post 2000. Last year was Rich Rod bad, but if that was just a weird COVID blip, we can go back to being good enough to enjoy most Saturdays. If that was a trend, then ya, that sucks. But if you didn’t feel more hopeful in 2015-2019 than you did in 2008-2014, that is on you and you alone.
Exactly. Saying good things about Michigan Football on this Michigan fan forum is a bit like going on a MAGA forum to extoll the virtues of Hillary Clinton or on a Ohio State forum to extoll the virtues of dentistry. Those things just don't fly around those parts!
If Rutgers is actually good ( a big if), then this can be spun as a scrappy win against a solid team. If Rutgers is just Rutgers, then this was a very bad sign for what is to come when we come up against teams that are actually good.
I understand your pessimism, but I don't think what you said about the defensive scheme is accurate. Don Brown's aggressive press man coverage absolutely put the CBs on and island, but all that I've read about the new defense is that it will be more multiple and have a lot fewer instances where the CBs will be on an island. It is hard to say that for certain of course, because they obviously haven't come out and explained the defense in detail, but that certainly doesn't seem like it will be the case.
Illinois doesn't have any ugly losses to any really weak teams. All of Illinois' losses have been against quad 1 teams and they've all been reasonably close (except for Baylor). I understand wanting to rationalize losses to stay positive, but sometimes you have to admit when you lose to a good team. Illinois is really good and they played much better yesterday. That doesn't mean that will happen in a rematch, but it definitely happened yesterday.