Ron_Lippitt

July 30th, 2011 at 9:52 AM ^

I would take a 2-10 season GLADLY so long as the wins were little brother and tsio. I can't take another season of hearing about how we haven't beaten those inbreds in 3000+ days.
<br>
<br>Get the freaking monkey off our back, and then look to the future.

ForeverBlue

July 29th, 2011 at 1:15 PM ^

If those are our losses, I would be fine with that season. Beating msu, osu, and nebraska and winning the division more than makes up for the losses to notre dame, iowa, and illinois.

Mr Mackey

July 29th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^

Well, I'm not sure many people outside of Ann Arbor will agree with that, but I guess I'd be ok with that season. Optimism is good.

 

cigol

July 29th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^

I am as on board as any body with the Hoke train.  But if you guys are only "fine" or "OK" with going 9-3 and beating OSU and MSU, then I'm afraid your expectations are set waaaaaay too high.

Let's not forget, we were absolutely humiliated in our last three games, and were outmanned by MSU, Iowa, and Penn State last year.  I think we will play more competitively in big games, but would be absolutely ecstatic with a 9-3 result, beating OSU and MSU. 

Why do people not consider SDSU a threat?? That was a very solid team last year with a ton of returners.  They would have put up 50 on our "defense" last year, and considering they had some semblance of a defensive coaching staff, I'm sure they could have slowed us down enough.  All I'm saying is don't discount teams such as SDSU and Northwestern who played much more respectable games against formiddable opponents than we did last year.

redhousewolverine

July 29th, 2011 at 3:24 PM ^

Well:

In the blowouts, we missed Mike Martin for most of Wisco and all of TSIO (if I recall correctly). Although having Mike would not have given us a chance to win, the games might have been a little closer with our best defensive player in the rotation.

MSU and Iowa, although losses by decent margins, were closer games and would have been more competitive minus several key turnovers, particularly in the red zone. Also, MSU was the only game one can definitively say Denard did not play well (can't really throw in qualifiers like dropped passes and defense was so poor that offense needed perfection to win). If Denard doesn't throw a pick or two in MSU, then it is a much closer ball game.

Also, SDSU is a threat, but since I doubt we are competing for a national championship, a loss to SDSU doesn't doom our season. Even if we start slowly and loss to ND and SDSU, yet we go 8-4 or 9-3, that means we still did well against most of Big Ten. I think that there is optimism that this year the team will really look like they are getting better throughout the season. It is not as much as overlooking SDSU, but if we lose to them, I won't have to hear it like if we lose to MSU. Also, people we really afraid of UConn. That ended up going pretty well for us.

Iowa is decimated. Illinois lost some top talent to the NFL. MSU lost two top LBs, several key OL, best CB in Ruckner, and best WR in Dell. NW was less dangerous without Persa, and he might not be full healthy (see Kalin Lucas after injury). We miss a good Wisco team and a good Penn St team (if had a decent-good QB would prob be a dangerous team). Nebraska losses some important starters and Martinez wasn't the same in the second half of the year. ND still doesn't have a QB and has RB depth issues. SDSU underwent a coaching transition and has no WR.

Summary: 9-3 isn't preposterous. Really I could see us literally doing anything this year. But I am not expected 9-3 (or better). Hoping for 8-4 or 9-3 season with no blowout losses.

coopfour24

July 29th, 2011 at 2:07 PM ^

...everytime we got within 30 yards of the endzone, things went like this: 

Coach Hoke:"Alright Wile, you're up!"

Wile:"but coach, it's first and..."

Coach Hoke:"This is Michigan!"

Not only would he have the most points of any kicker in the history of college football, but then we could put him in on kick returns as well. He'd be a lock for the Heisman.

jcgold

July 29th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^

Not as crazy as most people are making it out to be.  We don't play Wisconsin or Penn St, While Nebraska has to play both.  MSU only misses Penn St, and Iowa misses OSU and Wisconsin.  

It is CFN, and they always are way off.  However, I really feel that Nebraska will not take the division because of schedule.  Its up to us, Sparty, and Iowa.

MGoCooper

July 29th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^

"BeckerBROSKEY: @WolverineInABag you are a moran... everyone knows they both come from green families... and will more than 70 percent be green. #walmart"

los

July 29th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^

I'd be very content with a 9-3 season this year. I have no idea how we will look, though. If indeed they keep some wrinkles from the spread our offense might not drop off as much but I don't think we'll be the yard-racking machine we were last year in what will mostly be a new offense. Our defense should improve substantially but there's still too many questionmarks. Now that I think of it... We're probably the hardest team to predict in the Big Ten. 

BlockM

July 29th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^

I love to agree with this, but I just doubt it. Nebraska is going to be good/great, and MSU could be scary if their oline can get its act together. If we can pull off an upset against Nebraska and our dline can run through MSU's oline, then it's doable, but I'd be a little surprised. 

psychomatt

July 29th, 2011 at 1:49 PM ^

Nebraska has the best defense in the division, but also has by far the toughest conference schedule. They sagged at the end of the B12 season last year and their B10 schedule is much tougher. UM and PSU are both in good position to pick them off at the end of the season.

MSU probably has the next toughest schedule and has a very suspect OL. NW is a wildcard, depending on Persa's recovery.

UM and Iowa have the easiest schedules. UM has 19 (?) starters returning along with Wolfolk, while Iowa has to replace its starting QB and top RB and WR. Iowa also lost some key players on defense (e.g., Adrian Clayborn).

Generally, I agree with CFN that 6-2 probably wins the division and we are as likely to reach six conference wins as anyone. It very well could come down to the tiebreakers.

Lampuki22

July 29th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^

I start to feel confident.  We now have a kicker.  19 returning starters.  GMat leading the defense.  Some freshman who could see time.  We have a kicker.   A very good returning O line.  Denard, Martin. Woofolk and Floyd back.  Molk healthy.  Denard. Did I mention, we now have a kicker?

 

8-4 with wins over Sparty and OSU but losses to Neb and ND.  .

eth2

July 29th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^

[ Source:  Anonymous, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, In the Year 2000 ]

  • Pete Rose goes on national television to admit for the first time that he bet on the Reds. Not the Cincinnati Reds, he bet that the Soviets would win the Cold War.
  • New research in geometry will result in the renaming of several familiar shapes. New Year's Eve in New York will be celebrated in Times Oval, and teenage boys everywhere will participate in rhombus jerks.
  • Pornography finally gets accepted into the mainstream when the Academy Award for Best Actor goes to Long Dong Hanks.
  • When it is discovered that it takes exactly 437 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, it will be announced that science is officially over.

And finally

  • Years of sophisticated testing will prove that the stain on Monica Lewinsky's dress is actually mustard. Mustard from the head of Bill Clinton's penis.

hart20

July 29th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^

We could do even better. We have just as good of a chance to go undefeated as we have going 8-4. Our toughest games are all games that we have a very good chance to win. OSU has questions at QB and at HC, Nebraska has a crazy tough schedule and they fell off at the end of last year, MSU loses an important part of their defense and they got lucky doing so well last year (IMO), and we have ND at home at night, not to mention they have some key positions to fill too. We return a a lot of experience both with the players and at DC, and we have Hoke. With strides made by the players,call me optimistic (which rarely ever happens to me), we have a chance to do something special. Maybe 10-2, if not better.

brandanomano

July 29th, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^

Anybody else think it would be funny at the end of the season if we beat OSU but lost to MSU earlier in the season? They would be so happy about beating us but we wouldn't care because we beat our real rival. Then again, I only have to listen to State fans when I go to RCMB for a good laugh. It would probably still be miserable to listen to them for people who live in Michigan

MrWoodson

July 29th, 2011 at 2:47 PM ^

Also, CFN has OSU winning the other division, with a 10-2 (6-2) record. Wisky also at 10-2 (6-2), which must mean OSU wins the tiebreaker. How cool would it be if it played out this way, but OSU had to watch us play Wisky in the inaugural BTCG because they are barred from postseason play?

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1090311.html

LSAClassOf2000

July 29th, 2011 at 5:12 PM ^

Their prediction of losses to ND, Iowa and Illinois make me want to  call shenanigans on this particular 9-3 prediction. I think we can beat a Iowa's "decimation through graduation" team, and at least one of the other two. I would have gone with OSU, Nebraska and perhaps one of the three mentioned.