Rest of season predictions

Submitted by michman79 on
Considering Hoke's road record and our two home games against Nebraska and OSU, what is a realistic outcome for the last 4 games? Road games in Iowa and Chicago. I can see it going anywhere from 0-4 to 3-1 unfortunately. Anyone who can sell me on 3-1 please do so.

James Burrill Angell

November 3rd, 2013 at 5:37 AM ^

Alright, time to get off the ledge.
Are we a national factor, a potential league champ or even"good". Probably not any but fortunately we play in the B1G so none of that matters.

All kidding aside, lets look at our next four opponents.

1) Nebraska - I don't know how but somehow Hoke finds a way at home and Nebraska hasn't been too pretty anywhere this year. Opthey've only played road twice this year beating hapless Purdue but getting beaten soundly in Minnesota. They barely got by Northwestern today and the Northwestern of today is not the Northwestern of September. The only good team they've played all season destroyed them (UCLA). They've haven't played the stronger three teams in the league (State, Wiscy and Ohio). This game is winnable.

2) Northwestern - these guys are in full on free fall after the Ohio loss. Five losses in a row. Unless Venric Mark is in fact a super powered purple unicorn in an undersized running back's body who magically regenerates his wounded limbs in time for our game in two weeks and puts the whole NW team on his back.... Slightly more analytically speaking, Northwesterns game isn't defense the way State's is. They have to out score you to win and they haven't been doing that. Again, winnable.

3) Iowa - I dunno. I still see this as winnable. Is anyone really afraid of Iowa's offense? Yes they have a solid defense but they're not as good as State. Not nearly. They've really played a crap schedule and couldn't really contain any of the halfway decent offenses they played. However, it is on the road....Hoke can't win on the road meme...whatever. Still winnable.

4) Ohio - Not winnable. End of home win streak.

It's not a Kool Aid thing because I truly am straight miserable right now but I just don't think any of those games except Ohio are out of reach.

glewe

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:28 PM ^

I say we drop Iowa, go undefeated at home (scraping by Ohio once again), and beat Northwestern with a ND-like final score.

Sorry, but Ohio isn't as good as they look against nobodies like Purdue. No one else will be able to prey on our major weakness in the same way Staee did. Defenses are not nearly the same caliber.

9-3. Fire Funk.

ijohnb

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:36 PM ^

All due respect if you think we are beating Ohio your denial at what just transpired runs deep. This team cannot compete at that level right now. It is apples and oranges. This is a bad football team.

In reply to by ijohnb

glewe

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:40 PM ^

Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, Northwestern...all teams that are in our same caliber of play. None of them will exploit our O-Line like Staee.

Even if we drop Ohio, I still think we don't drop Nebraska or NU.

In reply to by ijohnb

The Baughz

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:40 PM ^

This is a very bad football team. Poor coaching, poor execution, poor preparation, etc. OSU will have the game against us wrapped up by half. 1-4 will be the most likely outcome. That includes another bowl loss.



Cant wait for Hoke's pressers. Well we've got work to do. Well we're young in some spots. We fought hard, but got out physicalled. Need to get better at the line of scrimmage. Blah blah blah. Tired of his nonsense. He needs to rip into his players and coaches. They are too fucking soft.

ghost

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:51 PM ^

You need to chill out.  Whether you like it or not they are extremely young, especially on the O-line and that is one position you cannot get away with throwing young players on the field.  Yes people say UCLA did it for a game because of injuries...... and they got blown off the field.  You cannot change the entire offense and expect it to be fixed on only 2 recruiting classes.  To expect that is pure insanity.

ghost

November 2nd, 2013 at 8:16 PM ^

How's that young UCLA o-line with the 1st round draft pick fairing against  a terrible Colorado team tonight?  

People that bitch and complain when a team struggles for obvious reasons (youth) are pathetic.  

CLord

November 2nd, 2013 at 9:21 PM ^

Ghost, really?  Youth?  The OBVIOUS reason is BORGES SUCKS bro?  Don't you see it?  EVERY team has to shore up youth at key positions every year, and if they can't then find some way to minimize exposure to it.  This is 100% on Borges, period.  Even after the Akron and UCONN debacles, there's AL still pounding the ball into a mediocre PSU D line 27 times.  The same D line that go mercied by Ohio.

Stop with the youth nonsense.  This is 100% Grade A Al Borges Must Be Fired time man.  He must go come end of year.  THAT is what is obvious.

The Baughz

November 2nd, 2013 at 9:56 PM ^

What is with the UCLA comparisons? They are beating CU by double digits. Im confused. They did get blown out by Oregon, but guess what, they put up points.

I guarantee you OSU will score at least 2 tds against MSU. Face it, we suck. We cant consistently score against any competent defense.

Clord is right. Borges must go. Youth is not an excuse. Nobody said anything about youth when they hung 60+ on IU. But whenever theres an ugly loss, its youth. Thats just a cop out. Its being out coached and unprepared when going on the road. Youth does play a tiny part, but its not why they lost today.

Yeoman

November 3rd, 2013 at 1:22 AM ^

Well, yes, they did score against Oregon. Only two Oregon opponents have scored fewer points and one of them was Nicholls State, but at least they didn't get shut out.

They scored at Stanford, too. Every other Stanford opponent has scored more, but....

The Baughz

November 3rd, 2013 at 8:44 AM ^

I dont really give a shit about what UCLA does. But they did look better against Oregon and Stanford than Michigan did yesterday. Did UCLA's young line struggle in those games? Sure. But they didnt have -40+ yards rushing. I know it was the sacks, but they didnt give up the numberof sacks Michigan has. Some of those are on DG, but still, this Michigan team/staff have some serious work to do.



Im hoping Borges and Funk are gone after this season. I doubt it, but one can hope.

harmon40

November 2nd, 2013 at 8:25 PM ^

and I don't get why this is so hard to understand.

14 scholarship OL. 10 have freshmen elegibility.  If our staff can't "coach 'em up" so that they can manhandle the juniors and seniors from the #1 defense in the nation, well, then they just suck at their jobs, simple as that.

The OL depth issues are not the fault of the current staff.  If you evaluate them based on what they have done to address the problem long term, I think they come off pretty well.  Short term, you do what you can but no game plan can hide an entire position group.

maizenbluenc

November 2nd, 2013 at 11:30 PM ^

Redshirt freshman years. Schofield - first playing time in his redshirt freshman year.

Who recruited the current set of redshirt freshmen?

How did we do against State the last time we played with a young inexperienced offense: http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/102508.html

Brandon Minor and Steve Threet managed to put up 21 points on State, and 84 yards rushing. (They put 202 yards on the ground against Penn State as well.)

No - the issue is player development - and that falls on either the S&C staff or the offensive coaching.

 

 

James Burrill Angell

November 3rd, 2013 at 5:53 AM ^

Molk was eventually a Rimington Trophy winner and one is likely a first round draft pick and both were not surrounded by two other guys creating the core of the line with as little experience and no one faced a defense this good. It kills me to say this but State's D is really damn good and senior laden.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not absolving the coaches here but offensive line more than any other position needs to be at least three or four guys with junior or senior eligibility if for no other reason than having three years learning the system, bulking up, and getting used to college caliber defensive players. Most of these guys were destroying kids half their size and a quarter of their talent in high school without the use of technique or the need to really have to seriously do conditioning, More than any other spot, you have to have experienced o-line. You could have the best skill players and Q in the world but they're worthless without holes to run through or time for routes to develop. Truth be told, next year might even get worse as we lose the only experience we have. Have to hope that among the ten freshmen eligibility guys we can find five that can play.

Bucktheworld

November 3rd, 2013 at 7:53 AM ^

He turned miller from a scrambling athlete into one of the most efficient qb in cfb. He recruited the likes of dontre and eze. He recruited bosa and spence. He installed a spread offense. Don't compare anything michigan does to Ohio State.

In reply to by ijohnb

WolverineJet

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:43 PM ^

Watch we will beat Ohio State because thats the only thing that can make this season any more frustrating we will have joy defeting Ohio State and pain at the amazing incosistency of this team its the only thing that will make this season complete.

I Like Burgers

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:35 PM ^

I don't get the people that have watched Michigan play, and have presumably watched Ohio State play and think that there's any chance that Michigan hangs with them.  They are going to get crushed.

I think you have to count every road game as a loss, maybe we win against Nebraska at home, and then Ohio State is a loss.  That's 1-3 for a 7-5 finish.

glewe

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:42 PM ^

Ehh. Games like that are the ones where our offense thrives. Something about the back and forth. We can trade scores handily. Two teams with high-powered offense and mediocre defense. That's our comfort zone.

Plus we get them at home. Ohio is definitely best in the B1G, but they are not as good as they look.

I Like Burgers

November 2nd, 2013 at 8:01 PM ^

So much wrong with what you said.  How are games like that ones where our offense thrives?  Our offense only thrives against terrible defenses.  And even then sometimes they still struggle.  Ohio State doesn't have MSU's defense but they are a far cry from Indiana and/or Minnesota.

Michigan and Ohio State are not two teams with high-powered offenses and mediocre defenses.  Ohio State has a high-powered offense, Michigan has a mediocre one.  Ohio State has a stout defense.  Michigan has an OK defense.

And Ohio State may not be the #4 team in the country, but they are definitely a top 10 team, and they are getting better as they go along this season.  Michigan on the other hand is getting worse as they go along.

They are two teams heading in opposite directions.  It won't be a close game.  Especially because Ohio State will need to score "style" points to try and improve their lot in the BCS as much as they can.

I Like Burgers

November 2nd, 2013 at 8:57 PM ^

You're expecting a win??  That's insane.  Like literally the definition of insane.

in·sane

inˈsān/

adjective

1. in a state of mind that prevents normal perception.

If you think the team will play up to the rivalry, then what would you call today's performance?  Or does the team just pick and choose when they want to defend their pride?  Ohio State will be favored by double digits, and should cover that easy.

glewe

November 2nd, 2013 at 11:54 PM ^

I don't feel optimistic. I just feel that our team has weaknesses that Ohio will not be able to exploit. And when those weaknesses aren't exposed like they were tonight, we will play a good game.

This is why I picked Iowa for the remaining loss. Neither NU nor Nebraska will be able to expose our weaknesses, but Iowa will because defense is their strength (plus tough road game). NU is like a home-away-from-home and they will probably not be playing with a full deck, plus they are of questionable quality with a full deck. Nebraska just is not very good and we get them at home. And Ohio will not be able to expose our weaknesses like Staee and we get them at home, so I expect victory in those three.

CLord

November 2nd, 2013 at 9:24 PM ^

If you expect us to win that implies you believe the odds are over 50% right?  In that case I'll give you 2 to 1 odds that we lose, for $1,000.  Meaning if we lose, I pay you $2,000 and if we win, you pay me $1,000.  If you have any gamble in you you would take this bet given it implies Ohio wins 66% of the time, whereas you believe it is under 50%



Deal?

UMFan95

November 2nd, 2013 at 8:09 PM ^

sorry but what world do you live in, that makes you think this team can win against ohio.  Like i said before this is a poor coaching staff, with sorry to say but no intellegence nor ability to improve players at all.  I cant believe what I saw today.  THe signs were there at penn state but people here are like no we are decent that and decent that.

glewe

November 2nd, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^

Nope. This was the worst football game I've ever seen. Our offensive line looked completely and utterly incompetent.

But no one else on our schedule will be doing that to us. You can think I'm fucking crazy all you want. Don't care.

sivaDavis

November 5th, 2013 at 7:49 PM ^

You do realize that MSU's defense is 1st against the run and OSU's is 4th right? For comparison, PSU has the 36th rated rush defense. Also, OSU leads the B1G in interceptions and is second to....yep, MSU. Kinda hard to argue with the stats man. I was convinced when they held Melvin Gordon and James White in check.....that's tough to do.

M-Dog

November 2nd, 2013 at 7:29 PM ^

Two more L's.  We lose to one of Iowa - NW, and Ohio State.

Hope you all enjoyed UTL II in early September.  It looks like that's our highlight for the entire year.