Michigan #14 in Preseason AP Poll
August 20th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
I like it. Same spot as '97 I believe. We will expose ND and PSU. Our schedule is a gauntlet though. Almost as tough as Rutgers.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
From 1997 Michigan football wikipedia page...
(Bolded emphasis mine.)
Going into the 1997 season, the Wolverines were ranked No. 17 in the pre-season Coaches' Poll and had experienced four consecutive four-loss seasons for the first time since the 1934–1937 Michigan Wolverines football teams.[1] Michigan had not won a national championship in nearly 50 years and had not played in a Rose Bowl Game since the 1992 season. The 1997 Michigan team was the first since the 1969 team to have no Rose Bowl veterans.[2][3] In early September 1997, The Columbus Dispatch wrote off Michigan, noting that "the longtime beast of the Big Ten ... has lost much of its aura" and predicting that Michigan's 1997 schedule "doesn't create a feeling that the pendulum is about to swing back."[4]
Let's doooooooo this!!!
August 20th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
I remember buying Street and Smith magazine that summer because it has Charles Woodson on the cover. They had Michigan at #4 overall. I'll never forget wondering what the fuck they were thinking. Turns out they were right.
August 20th, 2018 at 3:45 PM ^
A little more literally, we were #14 in the preseason AP Poll in 1997. That team also had a salty defense and an offense with tempered expectations, coming off a disappointing 8-win season and Outback Bowl loss.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
Yeah, 14 is fair considering how we finished and the untested portions of the team...but Wisco at #4??? Inflated IMO.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
They likely have the best OL in the country. Pair that with a good defense, a great RB, and a serviceable QB, and you’ve got a really good team.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
I think UM can take advantage of the game against them, they've lost that #1 receiver of theirs and some personnel changes. Although I don't disagree with you, but I think 4 is high...top 10 okay, but I think it's a bit inflated.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:26 PM ^
Wisconsin's schedule boils down to road games against Michigan and Penn State, both of which could be considered toss-ups. They'll be prohibitive favorites in the remainder of their games. If the Badgers can split those two marque games, they'll easily be ranked Top 5, inflated or not.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
I don't know. When you only have to get up for two games all year (a common theme for Wisconsin) and you split them, I don't think you deserve to be in the top five. If you win the conference title game in addition to one of those games, I guess. But that's still pretty generous.
Wisconsin's freakishly easy schedules over the years have not fooled the pollsters, especially in regards to preseason predictions. This is the first time I can ever remember them being picked this high.
August 21st, 2018 at 8:36 AM ^
Its all good. I hope they stay at #4 or go higher by 10.13: beating a top 5 team in conference play can do nice things to our prospects at the end of the regular season. Go Blue!
August 20th, 2018 at 7:46 PM ^
with that schedule, we get to beat them twice!
August 20th, 2018 at 12:50 PM ^
And a pretty weak schedule. Damn I wish we were in the west.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:05 PM ^
Seriously; offensive line play feels very week across the board. Maybe it's a Big 10 thing, but there seems to be a ton of teams with an Offensive line problem. Wiscy having like 8 quality starters or whatever feels like it's worth a top-ten ranking by itself.
Given that they have a good defense, good RBs, and Randy Rivers leading the way... #4 seems OK.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
The B1G needs to blow up the East and West divisions. Wisconsin continues to get the softest schedule year after year. Must be tough running through that West division gauntlet of Nebraska, Iowa and Purdue every year.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Totally agree. Such imbalance. Also such garbage. Balance these GD divisions. Idiot Delaney.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:27 PM ^
I think the divisions are fine.
What needs balancing is the out of division schedules.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^
Generally I agree, but their conference schedule isn't soft this year. Crossovers @ Mich and @ PSU plus they play @ NW. Their non-con is always a joke, but that's not Delaney's fault.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
They have played LSU twice and Bama in their recent out of conference schedule.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
So one good Bama team and one decent LSU team and one bad LSU team in the last 10 years.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
All they need to do is swap Michigan State and Purdue. It even preserves an East/West divide.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:41 PM ^
that would likely mean the B1G would make UM/MSU a protected cross-division rivalry in addition to adding a resurgent purdue every year. idk if that helps or hurts our chances on a yearly basis.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
Brohm will be gone no later by the end of next year. Purdue problem solved.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
I'm not sure any program would complain about this. Give MSU Mich a protected match up. Purdue and IU too if either of them even care.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:20 PM ^
Purdue and IU have the only protected cross-division matchup right now. If this change were made, IU and Purdue would be in the same division; no protected matchup needed.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
I think every conference should get rid of divisions and have the 2 best teams play for the Conference Championship. This would balance out everything, including the playoffs.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:50 PM ^
I never can remember which division IU is in.
August 20th, 2018 at 2:19 PM ^
Yeah, but here's the thing. Even before the divisions were created, Wisconsin's schedules were almost always a joke. They played a home and home with one elite team in non-conference play per decade and the rest were cupcakes. Last year, someone here added up all the records of every non-conference team the Badgers have played in the last 25 years and I believe it was barely 30% win percentage.
Their Rose Bowl teams under Barry Alvarez always missed out on playing one of the top conference teams (Penn State in 93 and 99 and Ohio State in 98) in addition to losing to Michigan. And even when they went to the Rose Bowl, they played against teams like UCLA which had a RichRod defense and unranked Stanford coached by Ty Willingham. That's a pitiful comparison to the competition we would often play in the Rose Bowl like Texas with Vince Young and USC with all the best players Pete Carroll could buy.
Wisconsin just continues to get very special treatment from the schedule GODS, whether it's from incredibly lucky timing or by their own hand. I thought this would finally stop once the Big Ten split in two divisions but that hasn't been the case.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
Possibly. But they have no one that can challenge them in their division. Their toughest matches are Michigan and Penn State. And overall they have a pretty well-rounded team with no glaring weaknesses.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Top 4 is exactly what I would have.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:16 PM ^
About right for preseason. I expect us to finish the season much higher
August 20th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
14 is a great place to start!
August 20th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
Very fair. Beat ND.
August 20th, 2018 at 2:06 PM ^
Especially with our schedule, heck if we beat ND and Wisconsin and we are undefeated we will be no.1 or no. 2 easily. Man I am jacked for this season. I cant remember a season I have anticipated so much.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
If you're into numerology, The Bear (Chris Fallica) tweeted a nice note a few days ago. In each of the last two seasons, the highest ranked team in the preseason poll which finished the previous season unranked made the Playoff.
2016 - Washington
2017 - Georgia
2018 - Michigan is the team that fits this description.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
Georgia went 8-5 in 2016. A lot of returning talent and an upgrade at QB, and a year later they're in the NCG. I see a similar story playing out this year.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^
Don't stop papi, I'm almost there
August 20th, 2018 at 12:24 PM ^
What took you so long?
August 20th, 2018 at 12:27 PM ^
I used a topical desensitizing cream, you can buy it in most grocery stores
August 20th, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
Harbaugh went 8-5 in his third season at Stanford and a year later he was 12-1. Not that this is news to anyone here.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:00 PM ^
I'd believe this logic a lot more if they had any common opponents in their respective season schedules- like maybe if both teams started the year on the road in South Bend at night.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
Well, buddy, do I have a recent Georgia football schedule to show you...
August 20th, 2018 at 1:06 PM ^
I don't imagine ND, USC and Oregon were cupcakes in '10 either.
August 20th, 2018 at 2:51 PM ^
Cupcakes no, but USC and ND both went 8-5.
August 20th, 2018 at 1:20 PM ^
All right, I'll make another comparison. The 2005 Michigan team was decimated by injury, finished the regular season with four losses, including a close one at home to OSU, then lost a bowl game nearly everyone expected them to win.
During the offseason, Coach Carr made some high-profile coaching changes, including at OC.
At the beginning of 2006 the Wolverines were ranked #14 (AP).
They finished 11-1 and missed the NC game by three points.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
Fair--maybe. Enlightened--no way. I think Georgia is the favorite, and we are definitely in the top 5. AP is nothing but a beauty contest, and for now, based on nothing but returning people from last year. How we are 14 with that defense and the addition of Patterson is laughable.
Good part is--it doesn't matter. Just win.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:21 PM ^
Us being in the top-5 after proving nothing on the field yet would be a joke.
We have to go out and actually DO IT instead of talking about it.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
I actually think Michigan should be #6.
I look at each of those teams and think, right now, based on the limited info on each team, who do I think would win on a neutral field?
I believe Michigan would lose to all the teams ranked 1-5 and beat the teams 6 and below.
(Polls should never be predictive of season performance or strength of schedule. They should just be snapshot on perceived team strength, IMO).
August 20th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
Agree..pres-season polls are over-reliant on last years data. There really shouldn't be a poll until week 3 or 4 though.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
#14 after an 8-5 season and utter collapse in the bowl game?
I'll take it. Potential for top 10 after week 1 with a really good showing.
August 20th, 2018 at 12:18 PM ^
Win games. Move up.