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Discord

Hey y'all.  My name is keith7812 on Reddit.  I would like to join the Discord server, when it becomes available again, and rake in some sweet karma to help out the war effort.

The best part.

More than 20% of all texts sent just said the word "Brutus".  More than 1/5 of all texts were OSU fans who couldn't even figure out how to use the service.

I'm not sure I know exactly how auto-correct works...

but does that correction mean you use "sublimated" more frequently than "similar" on your phone?  I'm impressed.

Especially since we're mocking another school...

...let's get rid of the typo in the meme?

Unless that's some sort of joke that went way above my head.

We won't have sole possession of first place with a win.

We'll be tied with Indiana with a 6-1 record.

Agreed.

And this year it was actually four - Neb/Georgia, Michigan/SCar, Purdue/Okla. St, and Northwestern/Miss. St. all started between noon and 1 EST.

Agreed.

And this year it was actually four - Neb/Georgia, Michigan/SCar, Purdue/Okla. St, and Northwestern/Miss. St. all started between noon and 1 EST.

Nah.

I was just including teams currently ranked in the Top 25 - I think looking at where teams were ranked at the time they played is a little misleading; wins over then-#10 Arkansas and then-#10 Michigan State should not be looked at as more impressive than a victory over formerly unranked Stanford, for example.

But yes, that was a victory over a team that was ranked in the Top 25 at the time that is worthy of mention.

Schedule.

Prior to yesterday (I'm not excluding their loss just to make a point; just excluding it because it's irrelevant to their pre-game ranking), they had played 11 total games: 6 of those were against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. 

By contrast, we tout our own schedule as difficult, but we've only played against 3 teams currently in the Top 25 and we've lost all of them.  Our best win is against Northwestern.

I'm not suggesting at all that Michigan isn't better than Arizona - I would take Michigan as 10-point favorites against Arizona on a neutral field after watching Arizona last night; just providing some comparison as to how ridiculous Arizona's schedule has been.

Arizona has two victories over Top 25 teams (Oklahoma St. and Washington) and their four losses are to teams ranked 5th, 8th, 15th, and 17th.  Prior to yesterday, Arizona didn't have a loss to a team worse than them.

I'm actually impressed they were ranked - the voters rarely can look past the record of a 4-loss team to actually analyze their season as a whole; if there was any 7-4 team that deserved to be ranked, it was Arizona.

Of course, that all goes out the window now that they lost to their rivals at home and we are about to stomp our rivals on the road.

What.

What.

Um, Fitz would do better in that scenario because that's...

...exactly what the zone read is designed to do.

The theory is that if Denard reads the play correctly and the offensive line blocks correctly, either he or Fitz will have a hole.

He's not handing the ball off when there's no room for anyone, he's handing the ball off when there's not a hole for himself; if the play is executed properly, that means there IS room for Fitz.

It's not like every single running play is either THERE ARE ALL THE HOLES FOR ALL POSSIBLE RUNNERS or THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ANYONE EVER.  This would be a pretty boring sport if it was that black and white.

Our game vs. Air Force...

indicates we aren't a top 15 team.  Our game against Alabama indicates we aren't a top 15 team.

I understand that everyone looks bad against Alabama, but that was not the performance of a top 15 team; also, we looked atrocious against Air Force.  Regardless of all the excuses we've made about the difficulty in preparing for Air Force's offense, they are NOT a good football team.

We looked great against Purdue, and little can be made of our game against UMass.

In short, I disagree with you.  Top 25 team?  I can buy that, but it's a little high given what we've done so far.  Top 15 team is a big stretch.

As multiple others have said earlier in the thread,

Ohio is ineligible to be ranked in the coach's poll because they are ineligible for the postseason.

Yeah.

They're winless in a whopping THREE GAMES!

I'm guessing you didn't take any advanced statistics classes.

You CANNOT be seriously complaining about Minnesota.

Minnesota didn't get any AP votes, nor SHOULD THEY.  They were a terrible, terrible team last year.  They are merely a terrible team this year.

Have you watched any of their games?  Actually, have you looked at any of the teams they have beaten?  Christ, Northern Iowa would be undefeated against the teams Minnesota has played this year, and I can't imagine you would be bitching about that.

If you are attempting to fit Minnesota into the "B1G plays tough OOC opponents" theme and believe they are getting screwed, you are sadly, sadly mistaken.

I think you out-multi-negatived yourself there...

"can't say I'm surprised"...or...

"I am not suprised" would have made sense there.

Not what you said.

 

Unless it was meant sarcastically, which brings up a whole different set of possibilities!

Anyone know the explanation...

for why Jarrod Wilson was in on the play where he committed a blatant pass interference against Eifert on the 1-yard-line?

Was this a dime package (Brian says "nickel even") and he was our fourth corner?  Was he in for T. Gordon on that play?

We don't rotate our secondary very frequently, so I was surprised to see an inexperienced true freshman out there on such a crucial play.

Long standing riff, eh?

Funny OSU Idiot in that AMA

He has SEVEN separate comments bitching about Hoke/team/us referring to OSU as "Ohio".

(he doesn't outright declare himself an Ohio fan, but I checked his comment history and he has several anti-Michigan, pro-Ohio comments...I have no life)

Fair enough.

Our sentiments are in agreement.  I was really just nitpicking because of the emphasis you placed on Boise having one win.  But, again, we are in agreement that Boise was an unproven commodity, at least before tonight.

Boise St. has only played two games.

Boise St. has played two games, one of which was a close loss on the road against a solid team, one of which was a predictable blowout of a terrible team at home.

Trying to categorize Boise State's season with their "only win" is a little ridiculous; implying they are bad due to only having one win when we all know they lost to MSU in Week 1 is silly.

The phrase is "tongue in cheek".

What exactly did you think "tongue and cheek" meant?

I'm Glad you Asked!

Here is my Top 25, which is far better than Brian's Top 25 because I did it and Brian didn't.

  1. Alabama
  2. LSU
  3. Oregon
  4. Georgia
  5. Oklahoma
  6. South Carolina
  7. West Virginia
  8. Florida St.
  9. Stanford
  10. Notre Dame
  11. USC
  12. TCU
  13. Texas
  14. Clemson
  15. Florida
  16. Kansas St.
  17. Ohio
  18. Michigan St.
  19. Boise St.
  20. UCLA
  21. Michigan
  22. OHIO!!!!
  23. Mississippi St.
  24. Arizona
  25. Nebraska

So now I'm allowed to critique away!  Which is now irrelevant since I already have shared all of my thoughts in a neatly-organized list.

 

Any specific examples?

You know, to be helpful and provide constructive criticism?  Or do you prefer to just throw that out there with no supporting evidence?

Nixon?

But, why Nixon?

Also, noteworthy that the creators of that video only took the time to find 30 seconds worth of footage and just looped it six times.

And why did I keep watching it after I figured out it was looping?  Because of the amazing music, I suppose?

Right.

But it completely invalidates your point above where you disagreed with the poster who said his criminal record and Clark's would be identical.

Edit: Unnecessary Flamebait, take 2

Edit: unnecessary flamebait, take 2

My apologies for wasting your time.

Edit: Unnecessary Grammar Correction

Unnecessary Flamebait, Take 1

Nitpick.

We play Appalachian State in 2014.

Odds are...

that she is half your age.  Keep your TWSWBC in your pants.

Ok.

Then do you care to share why exactly you clicked on this thread?

A Michigan State Player.

Have you guys heard of William Gholston?  I think he's really underrated and I wish ESPN would spend some time talking about him.  Just look at the stats he put up against Boise State.  And it's not only his individual stats; his pressure has resulted in an uprecedented number of sacks for the team through two games.

And while we're at it, how is Le'Veon Bell not a more-talked-about Heisman candidate?  His yards per carry is well above 4.0 and his average of 31 carries per game alone means he must be an elite running back.

What?

You can't compare the AP preseason poll to Brian's Week 1 poll.  You're comparing apples and oranges.

That's a pretty silly viewpoint.

So "we should try and do a better job of ignoring it rather than highlighting it here all the time" when you just spent a moderately-long post directly responding (highlighting) to the offending tweet?

-

are?

Fourth Quarter Update

Don't worry.  Minnesota is still terrible.

Any bets on the number of heinous insults...

that this author receives from non-Georgia SEC fans?

He clearly is just brainwashed by the southern-hating, elitist, B1G-loving media.

Pretty interesting, and actually pretty accurate...

for the extremes, I think.

If you look at the programs that are the extremes in "doing it right" (i.e. winners and admirable), you end up with: Stanford, Michigan, Vanderbilt, BYU, Georgia, Virginia Tech, and MSU. 

The only one I would disagree with there would be MSU, as I think Dantonio's program's admirability is highly overrated.  I would probably throw Texas in there among the elites - they've had a couple down years, but Mack Brown is a coach I respect a lot for his on-field and off-field coaching.  Arguments could also be made for Nebraska and Wisconsin.

 

Alternatively, if you look at the programs that are the extremes in "doing it wrong" (i.e. winners but not admirable), I can't argue much with that list either: USC, Oregon, Alabama, Ohio St., UNC, Miami, Auburn, West Virginia, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, and Florida St.

He even appropriately put Penn St. off the bottom of the chart, to accurately reflect that their level of shame doesn't even compare to the others' set of recruiting violations, improper benefits, and the like.

That satisfied one...

of the five requirements for a group of words to be considered a sentence.

Interesting.

You know, I completely forgot about all freshmen when responding to that question.  I probably would have included Darboh (or Chesson) and not Funchess, but regardless, I forgot.

A response.

To preface, I am probably more pessimistic than the average Michigan fan around here, so take what I say with a grain of salt.  To get the unrequested score prediction out of the way early, I'll say Alabama 30, Michigan 20.

 

1)  How do you expect RB to look during the game on Sat?  Will it be a steady diet of Rawls, or by committee?  What do you expect of Rawls?  Does it fall off dramatically after him, or does the senior have any ability?

I expect our RBs to struggle somewhat during the game on Saturday, unless Toussaint plays.  Our between-the-tackles running backs are inexperienced and we are facing the best defense that we've faced in years.

In the likely chance that Toussaint does not play, I expect to see a mix of Rawls, Smith, Hayes, and Hopkins (fullback).  Rawls may get the most carries, but I would not expect him to get a vast majority of the carries.

In my estimation, there is a big drop-off from Toussaint to Rawls, but Rawls/Smith/Hayes/Hopkins/.  They all have different styles, but I'd say they are all roughly equivalent in ability (Rawls and Hopkins are more inside runners, while Smith is your typical third-down back).

2) Do you actually believe that Robinson will run around Bama in the same way he would run around, say, [insert Big10 defense]?  (I ask this question fully admitting that he's the fastest player in CFB.  If he played at Bama, he'd be starting at Right Corner, returning punts, and would be the first corner off the board on draft day.  He's athletically legit.)  What are the chances you thnk he will need to help win the game with his arm more than his legs?

I think you're right - Robinson will have to win the game with his arm more than his legs.  Robinson has typically struggled running the ball (by his standards) against the best defenses he has faced.  While his legs are a very effective weapon, teams that have forced him to pass have had some success shutting down the pass and the run.  If he passes well, though, watch out.

3) Do you have any faith in hitting a 52 yarder for the win?

Absolutely.  I have lots of faith in Brendan Gibbons.  And, if Hoke says Wile is better for long-distance field goals, then I have a lot of faith in Wile.  We struggled mightily in 2010 with kicking, but our kicking game is no longer a glaring weakness, and may in fact be a strength, if Gibbons takes another step forward.

4) Do you think our DB situation is worse than your LB, WR, or Dline situation?

I am not familiar with your DB situation, so I unfortunately cannot make that comparison.

However, I can speak to our situations.  Our LBs will be fine.  They were solid last year, and we return all of them.  Plus, two of them are now sophomores and could see the typical freshman-to-sophomore jump.  Our d-line is inexperienced, but I think that will be somewhat compensated for by the fact that the d-line is the area of Hoke AND Mattison's highest expertise.  I am not TOO concerned about our d-line, given the lack of experience there.  Additionally, any preview on our WRs seems to give little credit to Roundtree, Gallon, and Dileo, who all have extensive game experience.  Plus, the wild card of Gardner, who appears to be Big Ten-starter worthy from limited practice reports, can only help.

In short, I think our WRs and d-line will be better than they look on paper, and our LBs are not an area of concern in the first place.  I am actually more concerned with our RBs in Game 1 than I am with our WRs and d-line.

5) How much of a jump do you expect from your D based on your DC having installed more of his blitz package?

As discussed above, our defensive line is inexperienced (Campbell and Washington have limited playing time, Roh has three years of experience, and Black has one year of limited experience).  I think that will limit a huge jump in our blitzing in the early season.  As the season progresses, I think Year 2 under Mattison will result in great things.

6) Do you expect, and I mean expect, to have - at minimum - 2 offensive TD's in the game?

Honestly, and it pains me to say this, but I expect a minimum of 10 points in the game.  I think, at the very least, that we'll get a touchdown in the 4th quarter if we're trailing by more than a score - when we really open this offense up, we're nearly unstoppable.  I hope I'm dreadfully wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Alabama's defense all but shut us down in the first three quarters.

7) What is the general assessment of your new Center?

Not too concerned - he was a starting guard last year.  Obviously, he had to go through a transition and he's not likely to be an All-Big Ten player or anything, but I think he'll be solid.

8) Is mental mistakes at LB, either inside or outside, a concern of yours?

Not really.  Kenny Demens has been a very solid MLB for 1.5 seasons now.  Ryan and Morgan (sophomore outside linebackers) made some freshman mental mistakes, but they're no longer freshmen.  They might be overwhelmed physically at points, but I certainly don't expect some sort of mental meltdown from that crew.

9) Can your starting secondary play man if they had to, each on an island?  (I'm not asking about Kovacs.  He's a true strong safety.  He's a glorified roving mini-linebacker of destruction.  I like Kovacs. He could play on my team anytime.)

Yes, I believe so.  Floyd made enormous strides last year and Countess was outstanding for a freshman.  I don't know too much about Alabama's receiving corps, but I don't expect them to walk all over our CBs or anything along those lines.

I'm not too familiar with Thomas Gordon "on an island", so I can't speak entirely to that.

However, overall, we had VERY few big plays allowed last year (with the exception of Ohio State).  I think that speaks to the competency of all four secondary members, who all return for this year.

10) How often do you expect to play bump-and-something with your corners this year?

Not an area that I am familiar with; I'll have to let someone else answer this.

11)  How much has Denard improved his footwork and mechanics this season?  Do you expect the same player with simply more maturity and less-forcing, or do you expect him to improve his accuracy to between 60-65% and be a more consistent threat to pass?

I simply don't know, and I don't think anyone knows for sure; his improvement will go a long way toward determining our success this year.  The coaches have certainly stressed his footwork and mechanics this offseason, but I don't know how that will play out.  While Denard's passing was a weakness last year, it's important to keep in mind that his 2010 passing was outstanding from a statistical standpoint.

I expect more maturity, less forcing, and numbers more similar to 2010 than 2011.  But, I don't know if the benefit from being in the second year of a new offense will take hold immediately in the first week.

12) In your estimation, can you put 3-, 4-, or 5-wide WR set on the field, where every wide receiver is an athletic threat with good hands?

3-wide -> yes:  Roundtree, Gallon, Gardner

4-wide -> yes: Roundtree, Gallon, Gardner, Dileo (although he is a smaller, slot receiver, he definitely has good hands and could run the shorter routes in this scenario)

5-wide -> not sure: Our fifth receivers would be Jerald Robinson and Jeremy Jackson.  We haven't seen much about them in a game scenario.

Obviously, that is predicated on the idea that Gardner is as good as the practice hype indicates.  If he isn't quite ready to be a full time wide receiver, my confidence in 4- and 5-wide set drops.

13) Do you have enough talent to rotate 2 groups on your Dline and still play high quality run defense as well as rush the passer, thereby being reasonably fresh for a 4th Q battle?

Good question.  Probably not.  Our backup defensive lineman are also pretty unproven.  I would expect our defensive lineman to wear down over the course of the game, unless we rotate excessively throughout and spread that talent deficiency throughout the game.

14)  Thank you for taking RichRod from us, and thank your moreso for taking his clown-demon of a wife.  This is not so much a question, but rather a appreciative declaration of fact.

Dude, Rita rocks.  And, this is not going to be a popular opinion,  but I would take Rich Rodriguez as my coach over Nick Saban any day.

Here's to hoping for an excellent, injury-free game.

10-point teaser...

means you get the selected teams +10 points, at a much reduced payout rate.

So, for the bet listed above, you would expect maybe a 1:1 payout (if you're lucky) if all three teams are within ten points of covering the spread.

So the spreads he listed are 10 points more in favor of U-M, MSU, and SCar than they are otherwise.

...unless the question is

"What is never the answer?"

I understand that it's ultimately not your call.

And I obviously do not know all of the details behind your legal and professional relationship with MGoBlog.

But, what was preventing you from posting something along the lines of, "Guys - I understand your concern.  I did not steal this.  This is not my call, but I have brought it to Brian's attention."?

Obviously, some people are wound a little tight 'round these parts, but that simple acknowledgement that you witnessed the complaints about the shirt and were going to try to discuss with Brian about it would have saved a hell a lot of unnecessary hand-wringing around here, and it would have been much preferable to dead silence about the issue, in my opinion.

Uh, yeah - what you said.

Ignore my post below.

So Lucky!

Yeah, they've played the two-time defending B1G champions three times over the past two years, while we've played them zero times.

I understand your point about Ohio's team and Boise's team, but let's not pretend that we haven't had our scheduling breaks as well - MSU arguably had a tougher bowl opponent than we did, too, despite not making it to a BCS bowl game.

Pat Summit is on the list.

Number 14.

 

 

It made me quite happy...

to see that "pulling a Lance Armstrong" was already used in the context of a story that broke two hours ago.

Uh oh...

Courtesy of cdycus, above

The internets... they are fast. Really you need to go to UMGoBlue.com as it's the "original" site they went by... :)