November 10th, 2013 at 8:53 PM ^
The point is that you will never have a truly crappy season when you beat Ohio State. Beating Ohio State does "save the season".
November 10th, 2013 at 10:09 AM ^
We can't beat Ohio.
We must all shut up and eat our mush.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^
puts Hoke in line for canonization.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:11 AM ^
In all honesty, since we're going to lose to ohio no matter what, I hope Urbz just curb stomps us to get DB to see that Hoke is nothing more than a glorified recruiter.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:11 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:40 AM ^
A lucky win?? What a pathetic post.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
It depends on what you mean by "save". If you mean that fans and players will be able to look back on this year with some pride and a sense of accomplishment, then yes, it would save the season. And it might even save a coach's job if his performance is under scrutiny at the end of the year and the fire-retain decision is a close call. At a minimum we would go into the bowl game and 2014 with a lot more confidence, which wouldn't be a bad thing. But it wouldn't mean that we are totally satisfied with the team's performance, or that there shouldn't be changes in personnel or how things are managed. In that sense, no, it wouldn't save the season.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
Sure, it saves the season. Just like switching o-lines with Alabama would save the season.
I'll leave it up to you to determine which is more likely.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:15 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:17 AM ^
It would not save the season, but it would re-establish confidence in the coaching staff. How this teams finishes the season will have a huge effect on perception. If they win out, then the future is bright, if they lose out the future does not look good. Finishing strong and winning matters.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:20 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:33 AM ^
I know I'll take a lot of flak for this comment, but yes it does. Just look at the logic. Ohio is hands down the best team in the B1G. They are always near the top even in down years. Also, the game is played at the end of the season. So beating Ohio would always signal a success in my book because it means we're at least heading in a good direction when we can defeat a team like that no matter what the previous 11 games looked like. Plus, my hatred for Ohio is so strong that I would trade beating them 90% of the time throughout the rest of time for our winningest record!
November 10th, 2013 at 10:38 AM ^
Our offense looks demoralized and disorganized. We're not socring points against teams with a defense.
The wheels are off the bus. There will be no upset of OSU.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:39 AM ^
I don't see how beating Ohio means anything more this year than any other...IMO, it almost means less.
They'd still go to the B1G championship game. They'd still win the B1G. They'd still go to the Rose Bowl.
Even if they go undefeated, that's their likely path. The only way we get some sort of satisfaction out of it is if Alabama or FSU lose and now we're in some kind of spoiler role.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
Dude. We're going to lose by a minimum of 3 scores.
Worse, the stadium is going to be packed with those scarlet and grey-wearing mongrels.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:40 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:41 AM ^
this is how i used to think during the RichRod era. Some kind of sad state of affairs that we are already back to this kind of wishful thinking.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
Looking at the BCS projections both Baylor and Stanford may pass OSU. Baylor plays Texas Tech (comparable to Michigan), Indiana (comparable to TCU), @OK St. (which will be worth more than beating MSU at a neutral site), and Texas while OSU plays Illinois.
Stanford plays a bad Cal team, USC, ND and then likely UCLA. That is a better closing schedule than what OSU faces and Stanford's has 3 wins that are either better than OSU's best win or equal to their best win.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
Stanford has a loss. If Ohio State wins out, Stanford is not passing Ohio State, regardless of schedule.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
The BCS standings disagree with you. Stanford is projected to be within about 0.02 of them. And if MSU slips against either Nebreska or Northwestern there goes that quality win in the Big10 title game.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
The BCS standings disagree with you. Stanford is projected to be within about 0.02 of them. And if MSU slips against either Nebreska or Northwestern there goes that quality win in the Big10 title game.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
...given the lower expectations and hubris of Gardners pre season remarks.
Despite practice limitations during season and outside it - the final game is the culmination of a teams work minus injuries. Our schedule (at least until DB screws the pooch ... again) underscores that pinnacle with "The Game" which this year is against a team that is likely to go undefeated for two straight seasons going into it.
Win The Game and the season is saved. A new story is told of overcoming failure and we will likely regale this season as the most pleasantly unlikely in our storied history.
Not that it will happen mind you... but that is what it would be.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:51 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:58 AM ^
but Miles has/had issues. It matters how you win and how you carry yourself. There are good reasons to go sailing. Les is one of them.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^
a lot of people keep saying stuff like this about Les, but a couple of things are clear:
1 - he loves Michigan
2 - he can coach
As for the current head guy, I am sure about 1, but 2 is increasingly in doubt.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:17 AM ^
I want to win like everyone else but I don't want that kind of leader.
Note I'm still waiting on MSC's halftime speech to be inter-tubed... so count me as still drinking the 32 kool-aid.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:01 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 11:09 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 11:13 AM ^
a single glorious day.
But save the whole season? No. But on that one day, the rest of the season doesn't matter.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:33 AM ^
Beating Ohio is always great for several reasons:
- Breaking Urban's unbeaten streak
- Knocking Ohio out of NC contention
- Beating Ohio is just plain fun
- Helps recruiting wars
So anyway you slice it, its fun to beat Ohio. BUT, it might just save Borges job - I really hope not but it could. To me that would be disasterous...
However, all things considered, the season is failure regardless of what happens the next three games:
- We played down to Akron/UConn.
- We let IU score a bazillion points on us.
- We got curb stomped by our little brother.
- Nebraska just stole out lunch money and we did nothing about it.
- PSU beat us with half a team.
- ND actually sucks and beating them was no real accomplishment.
- Devin has regressed into a shell of a QB.
- The OL is bad - all time bad - horrendous.
- Brunettes dinging kicks off the uprights is a "thank god" moment after being automatic for 2 yrs.
- Zero pass rush from our DL - against anyone on the schedule.
- And on and on...
Don't get me wrong, there are things to still cheer about - the band, the players, the nostalgia, etc... But, we're failing at our pre-season goals by a mile.... The season is lost.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:34 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^
You are 100% correct and wrong - we aren't a good team, but we did/do have superior talent. So, we played down talent wise, but not team wise. Horrible coaching...
November 10th, 2013 at 11:45 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 11:56 AM ^
The loss to PSU is looking worse and worse each week and yesterday was really bad.
I don't know how in the world they can beat OSU, but it damn sure would be awesom.
November 10th, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
Cause the idea that we could beat that other Ohio is hilarious.
While we're fantasizing, yes, it does kinda save the season in a way, unless it leads to retaining Borges et al., in which case it's the worst thing that could happen to us the rest of the year.
EDIT: I totally take back what I said above. I just checked, and Ohio U beat Akron 43-3. They would fucking beat our asses. My apologies to their fine program. Hail, Bobcats.
November 10th, 2013 at 12:33 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
For me personally we would have to win out. 10-3 with wins over OSU, a quality bowl opponent, and Notre Dame is a pretty good season. It actually would be better for me than the 2006 season since we would have won our two most important games of the year. It is not the season that basketball had last year though in some ways it would be close since with basketball we didn't win the Big Ten regular season or Big Ten Tournament. Of couse we proved during the Tourney that we are one of the better teams in the nation so that made last year a very special year. This of course is not possible with football but that's another story.
Bottom line: If we lose out but somehow beat Ohio State that is more of a fluke. If we win out it means we are making progress and again have the hope that next year or the year after we will be where we want to be: at the top.
Is it going to happen? Eh.
November 10th, 2013 at 12:47 PM ^
IF we win, it'll be great but then instantly the thought that comes out will be, "For Fucks Sake where the Fuck was that for 90% of the year?!?!?" This is assuming our offense does reasonably well and we don't have a pick 6, fumble return for a score, punt return for a score and 4 safeties which our defense helps us with.
November 10th, 2013 at 12:51 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 12:56 PM ^
The season was lost when they lost to MSU. Yesterday was the nail in the coffin.
But the season isn't a complete failure yet. A win over OSU would be very significant for the Hoke regime. It may not save Borges, but it would do some real good for fans' hope in Hoke going forward. And at this point, it's the only way Hoke can salvage something meaningful out of this season.
And honestly, we're lying to ourselves if we think a win over an undefeated OSU wouldn't mean anything. Ruining their national championship hopes would be awesome.
I just don't see it happening. Unless Borges (and Hoke) somehow finds a way to stop coaching scared on offense. And figures out how to deal with a fricking blitz, especially ones that EVERYONE sees coming.
November 10th, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^
It would salvage the season. It would mean everything. Much of what people are saying is from pain and then numbness from the pain.
Not thinking there is a chance, though, except that in college football there's always the theoretical chance of upset.
Still going to be there anyway, in Section 43...our family home for over 4 decades.
November 10th, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 1:14 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 1:17 PM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 1:24 PM ^