Phil Steele: Michigan vs Toledo in Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Plus a heck of a DT in Corey Liuget.
eat better this year than pizza.
Funny it would seem he is grossly incorrect because I have us playing in the Rose Bowl. What a salacious accusation that we would possibly be considered to play in such a plebeian quality bowl.
Here's to incredibly unrealistically optimistic expectations.
I think that that prediction is just downright absurd, and no value should be put into it. Honestly, i think people here at mgoblog have a lot better idea on what bowl Michigan will go to than Phil Steele does.
Phil Steele is a born-and-bred Buckeye fan, so he may not be totally objective about Michigan. I know that he probably tries to remove all bias from his opinion, but at some fundamental level he probably can't help taking a more pessimistic view of UM's football team.
Well that would be extremely disappointing if this were to happen..
agree with aawolve........this year will not be great by any means. We are still under-talented on defense regardless of how many are returning players. Offense will be spotty against good, physical teams. Any serious run of injuries to almost any position will bring even more pain.
6-6 seems very likely. There are a few teams that on paper....may just spank us pretty good.
Our time is coming though....we will be back in the very near future.
PiZZZAAAAA.....
That said, for us to fall to this bowl, we would HAVE to be 6-6. If we were 7-5, we would get a much better bowl...look at last year. And even if we were 6-6, we would basically have to be the ONLY 6-6 team in the Big 10 as well.
I don't think we'll go to that bowl, because we're too attractive not to go to a higher one, but that record is possible. Last year's team was fortunate to go 7-6, as sad as that sounds. We went 4-0 in games decided by single-digits. Next year our luck in close games could turn. We might not get to play half the game against ND against a walk-on QB, or have an Illinois DB muff a game-clinching INT in overtime. It's possible that we could improve as a team and not even have it show in the overall record, if our luck in close games evens out.
While I agree that the 4 net close wins from last season is a concern, I would argue that our "luck" in that regard was balanced out by our "bad luck" in losing our 2 starting CB's and being forced to play multiple freshman in the secondary for an extended time period. UM might not have been in so many close games last season had the secondary situation not reached DEFCON 1. Fortunately, this year, it is unlikely UM will find itself forced to play any freshman in the secondary as there are multiple options that don't involve frosh.
I think a lot of UM fans are not fully realizing how much the defensive numbers will likely improve from last year due to 3 factors:
1) More experience -- especially in the secondary where we had two frosh starting for a good portion of the season.
2) Better coaching staff/philosophy -- Mattison is a better DC than GERG and he is being allowed to install the defense that he wants to run and knows how to run.
3) Slower paced offense -- no more "play like your hair is on fire" philosophy on offense. Just going back to a normal full-huddle offense will probably result in one or two fewer possessions for the opposing team's offense.
I fully expect (and I am a natural born pessimist) that UM will see its defense improve to giving up about 350 ypg and about 24 ppg. Not great defensive numbers, to be sure, but good enough to allow the team to win 7 or 8 games in the regular season.
as #1 in the Big Least. Wait until Tony G gets his teach on.....
Wow, I hope I'm not being unrealistic, but people would really be content with a 6-6 or 7-5 season? With the B1G POY returning, the entire offense from an already potent unit, and basically every important contributor (except for Mouton) on defense returning, plus the return of our best DB...
I could be overly optimistic, but I would set 8-4 as the most probable outcome.
I wouldn't exactly be content, but I think it's a possible outcome given that 1) last year's team wasn't even as good as its record indicated and 2) it's the first year in a new system. Many coaches - even some very successful ones - struggle in year one.
If Michigan fans are content with 6-6 season this year, then we fucked up in firing Rod and not giving him another year. Too many starters returning and somewhat better depth. Anything less than 8 wins would be a disappointment to me.
but i'll welcome the rematch next time we play Toledo. LOL
Brady Hoke will find out who his real friends are in Ann Arbor. Expectations are very high, perhaps unrealistically so, for lots of people.
It's such a tough year to predict. We have all the pieces neccessary to be awesome (lots of returning starters, heisman potential QB, defense that won't be entirely raw freshman thrown into the wood chipper), but a huge amount will be predicated on how brand new coaches can develop them and implement schemes that work with what we have. I have faith/optomism Hoke's staff can pull if off, but i would not be surprised by either 6-6 or 12-1.
Wait, a 12-1 season wouldn't surprise you? Love your optimism but that would shock me, In a great way of course.
but only plays 13 games total, I will eat my shorts. That means they'd have to finish 2nd in their division after going 11-1, thus missing the Big Ten Championship game.
I think there's no doubt that the defense and special teams will be better than they were last year. The only way I see us going less than 8-4 is if the offense takes an enormous step back. I really hope this is not the case. I understand that the coaches want to run more of a prostyle system, and this is what they understand and have done for years. However, the iso play, and play action variant of it do not seem to be overly complicated plays. I would be extremely disappointed if we not take advantage of a large component of what was successful last year on offense.
...but do not understand how som many experts do not regard Michigan in having a better season this year then last year. This team if RR was back would have been probably an 8-9 win team. Yes, I understand there is a new coach with a different style of offense for the best offensive player on the team, but you also have a new style of defense that would be better suited for the defensive players. The style of D under RR did not work not because there wasn't talent there, but because of its style in a conference with toughness.
I think U-M will be an 8-9 win team this year and go to a bowl game near New Year's Day, or on New Year's Day. I predict William Campbell will explode (in a positive way) in this new defense which mears the traditional defenses' at Michigan prior to RR era.
There are three factions that seem to have a voice here....
1. Michigan Coaching Change = BCS glory berth this year oh my god dream season!
They are being ridiculous.
2. Michigan Coaching Change = Oh sweet tripple titted christ, its the apocalypse coming down above our heads! the entire midwest is going to be swallowed up one great squall of failure (1-11) oh god!
This is just as retarded.
3. Michigan Coachign Change= Let's see what happens here.
We aren't going to the Rose Bowl. (Would love to be wrong, here). And we're not going to the Pizza Bowl.
Why don't we all (columnists who are continually wrong but still find some amazing way to keep their jobs) take a few breaths and wait until we've at least take the first snap of the season before we start reserving bowl game tickets?
My outlook is fairly simply. I hate to bring up Rich Rod again, as I know people are sick of hearing about him, but I believe he would have won 9-10 games this year, had we fully committed to him.
I believe you have to lower your expectations a bit with the scheme change, however I still expect us to be at least an 8 win team. I am behind Brady Hoke 100%, however I don't think we should give him a free pass on this year.
Evidence? RR managed to lose to Toledo and put teams out that couldn't fair-catch punts so...
after last year beating Utah (coming off 40 pt jaw dropping loss to TCU), USC (without Matt Barkley) and Miami (FL) in 34 degree weather. I do think the Irish will beat everybody next year except USC, Michigan, Pittsburgh and Stanford, so 8-4 plus a bowl win means 9-4 next year for Notre Stain. This is because "everybody else" on ND's schedule is a cupcake.
For Michigan I don't like 3 of the 4 starting games this season (WMU, SD State, Notre Dame) because I think all of these teams will be a lot better than anybody thinks and definitely better than last year. I don't like any of Michigan's road games this year either (NW, MSU, Iowa, Illinois). That's before some big home games at seasons end vs. Nebraska and tSIO.
I'll bet you have amassed a lot of points on your favorite nd board.
<br>Go Blue
If Michael Floyd plays for ND, we are in a world of hurt. Regardless of the circumstances, ND reeled off some impressive wins to end last year, we did not. Now we have a scaled-back offense and a defense we don't know much about, while ND returns a ton and is very dangerous. Expectations need to be tempered for this night game. The great recruits Hoke is pulling in won't have an on-field impact by Sept. 10. With the state our program was in after the Gator Bowl, a win in the Little Caesar's Bowl is a good first step.
I would put South florida as a potential upset for notre dame.
Especially given that ND is 1-4 against the Big East over the past three seasons.
South Florida will beat ND.
They must have realigned all the bowl tie ins in the offseason. The PIzza Bowl is where they send a team that is in serious contention to win a Big Ten Championship in November? Because that's what Michigan does and will do.
fuck that. Stay home
This is insulting to Michigan. We will definitely be playing on New Year's Day.
Just from having an older team and a better schedule, not to mention the severely decreased likelihood of Ohio or MSU going 11-1 again, Michigan should be at least 8-4 this season. That should get them a lot warmer climate than Detroit for the bowl season. I'm hoping for the Outback Bowl.
Leave the pizza to MSU.
8-4 would definitely mean a better bowl. Steele also mentions in his magazine that he has some expectations that UM goes 8-5 this season and makes a BCS run in 2012. He really likes teams who go 8-5 in year 1 coupled with the 2nd year in a new coaches system
...Phil Steele's preview.
I know Steele is very respected and has been putting this out for YEARS, but I'm sorry I just don't buy into his hypothesis' on teams. He has alot of knowledge yes, but his predictions are some of the most limp noodle vanilla predictions out there. I firmly believe there is zero critical thinking in his and his staffs write ups, and it shows.
I say michigan has a 9-3 season with losses at Northwestern, Iowa, and Nebraska.And plays arkansas in the outback bowl.
The way HOKE SMASH we are guaranteed to go to a better bowl game. Defense SMASH, Offense SMASH, OSU is going down too. We'll finally smash all three arch rivals.
Former domino's ceo Dave Brandon will never have UM playing in the little Caesars anything.
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<br>Also - some sort of Gittleson reference
It has been said..
Phil Steele is absolutely wrong about the M record this year. He is also dead wrong in his analysis of turnovers (but that is another matter to be dealt with later this summer).
Obviously this was "predicted" before all the osu fiasco and Pryor leaving.
Even in a transition year, there are really only 6 possible losses on the schedule. IMHO even 9-3 with losses to MSU, Nebraska, and osu would be a horrible season.
for Michigan to be 9-3 and only finish 5th in the division standings.
FWIW: CFN has us finishing 2nd in Big Ten and going to Capital One Bowl on Jan. 2.
I like it.We have a favorable schedule and play almost all our games at home.I think we lose to northwestern and nebraska.
cool.. we won't have to play the games since phil steele already decided our outcome.
I guess it's time to reiterate my 9-3 prediction for this season, since Mr. Steele seems to be down on the maize and blue this year.