Expectations have skyrocketed really quickly
I am totally OK with this, BTW. It just struck me as I was going through a couple of coaching staff threads that so far, Harbaugh is exceeding even our most unrealistic expectations. When I look back two weeks (!) and how I was feeling then, and what people were saying...what's happened since is truly unbelievable.
1. Harbaugh said yes.
2. Our program's perception among recruits, analysts, fans, etc. has undergone a complete turnaround. Without playing a game-hell, without having a practice-the perception is that Michigan is back, and a force to be reckoned with.
3. We are already getting spoiled, to the point where a poster commented that JH "Finally" is completing his staff. Dude, it's been 10 days, and he's put together an all-star group that I have to believe is one of the best in CFB.
4. I wake up every morning and say "Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh"...and smile.
I knew if he came here, it was going to be great. Just didn't realize it would be this great. I know, we haven't won a game yet. I know, only 6 recruits signed for this year. Don't care, so looking forward to watching this team play and once again arranging my other life commitments around Michigan football games rather than watching 5 minutes and then checking the score 3 hours later.
January 8th, 2015 at 11:58 AM ^
I know this doesn't need to be said, but if you want to see an o-line operating like with machine like precision, watch the Tyrone Wheatly tribute on youtube. Wheatly is a monster but that line and it's power scheme is incredible. Wide open holes, plus lead blockers consistantly laying out safeties and linebackers 5-8 yards past the line of scrimmage. My out of shape ass could average 4.1 ypc with that blocking. That's what I expect and wanna see this season.
January 8th, 2015 at 8:37 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 8:52 AM ^
I see 7-5 as the hard floor. Even with no coaching upgrade, the ridiculous amount of experience returning on the two-deep plus Peppers and Morgan coming back from injury is worth at least two or three more wins for a team that went 5-7. The coaching upgrade will be huge and the effects will be dramatic. I don't think that people have processed what a truly terrible job that last coaching staff did.
The one X factor that could hurt us in year 1 is the "Those Who Stay" effect. We may see some talented impact players sacrificed for the sake of the culture, and that could hurt us in year 1. I'm still thinking 8-4 for year 1. A couple of those losses will be really bad and discouraging.
January 8th, 2015 at 8:42 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 8:47 AM ^
Expectations have been the same since I've been following M football since the 70's.
But,yes the long road through mediocre has come to a end...
January 8th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^
I want to see the same red-assedness that I saw during '13 OSU game. And I want to see it in mid-season against the likes of Iowa and Minnesota. The kind of attitude that causes our 12-0 opponents to flip our fans the bird as they're kicked out of the game. I don't want to be dirty, but I want our program to play a bit angrier. Go to NFL films and watch the 'NFL's Greatest Games' episode of the 1995 AFC Championship where Harbaugh damn near beat the heavily favored Steelers. Greg Lloyd makes a point to mention numerous times that he didn't 'fear' Jim Harbaugh - which led me to guess that Harbaugh somehow got into the LB'ers head. I'm optimistic if we regain that vibe.
January 8th, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^
I think it's pretty cool that Michigan will never lose a game again. Has that ever happened?
January 8th, 2015 at 8:56 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 9:03 AM ^
With 135 pound linemen! And heavy wool uniforms! :-)
Those must have been heady times for Michigan football. Yost and his team must have been seen as the recent Alabama teams, but even better -- practically unbeatable. Opposing coaches must have watched the carnage and thought, "What in the hell are they doing and how can I possibly stop them?"
January 8th, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^
It is, indeed, fearsome.
Or so I dimly recall.
January 8th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
Say "Hi" to Willie Heston for me, okay?
January 8th, 2015 at 10:09 AM ^
This outcome would be acceptable. Harbaugh might not be pleased with the tie, but I could live with it.
January 8th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
WD, where can I get one of those heavy wool throwback uniforms?
January 8th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
I'm with others on the board and think that 8 wins would be a good place to start for next year, and even that may be a challenge. Especially since our out of conference schedule isn't going to be three or four guaranteed wins like it has been.
I'm looking to see how this team starts and how this team finishes. I'm expecting to see improvement throughout the season instead of regression.
I can see it now, though. By August we're all going to be predicting 10+ wins. It's just the way things go. All aboard the hype train!
January 8th, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^
I am likely overestimating the Harbuagh effect, but I am already 10 to 11 wins. Call me crazy ... because I probably am.
January 8th, 2015 at 8:57 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
I'll play my broken record -- yes, improvement in the W/L tally, but also obvious and visible improvement in the facets of the game.
I don't expect a 12-0 season. I'd be pretty happy with 8-4** if we saw evidence that all the fundamentals were improving -- blocking, tackling, route running, RB play, QB reads, etc. In other words, if Brian's UFRs had little or no "derp" indicators and the bottom line conclusion for each game was that the team played fundamentally well but on that day the better team won.
** Yes, of course 9-3 is better ... and 10-2 better still.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^
If we beat Utah convincingly in the season opener, we're going into The Game undefeated.
Urban took a 6-6 team to a 12-0 season in his first year. The roster JH is inheriting isn't as stacked as that OSU team, but JH is a better coach than Urban.
Harbaugh is going to turn Michigan back into a football juggernaut, and he's going to do it fast.
/9 wins is the floor next year. 2016 we're in the playoffs.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:04 AM ^
I love me some Harbaugh, but I think it's still hard to say he's a better coach than Urban at this point, at least at the college level.
January 8th, 2015 at 10:52 AM ^
This should not be negged. It's just a fact right now.
Meyer has proven it on the field. He is in my mind the best CFB coach in the country. (Lucky us that it happens to be for our biggest rival. FML.)
Harbaugh has the tools to go after him, but it's all just potential at this point. Meyer is king of the hill until somebody actually knocks him off.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
I think that we will see that same level of improvement, although the one factor that Urban had going for him that we won't is a cupcake schedule. Our schedule next year might be pretty hard.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
is a little concerning. But for the first time in years I'm not looking at it and thinking we're definitely losing to team X.
This kool-aid is really delicious.
January 8th, 2015 at 11:07 AM ^
Why is the schedule concerning? Our big ten crossover game are minny and NW, not nebraska and wisconsin. We get our two toughest games, OSU and MSU, at home. Yes our non conference schedule is solid but there is no top 10 team on there loaded with talent like we will see in future years with florida, oklahoma, texas. Compared with other years I think this schedule is favorable.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
Meanwhile Sparty has owned us and has four 11 win seasons in 5 years and won 2 major bowls in a row, both of which is Michigan has never done.
I'm as happy as anyone that Jim is here and I think he will do well but we are so far behind our rivals it is not even funny.
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January 8th, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
that every poster on this site is delusional when it comes to Michigan football. The only difference is the flavor of delusion.
And don't get me wrong, Urban is a great coach. He's a proven winner at every stop along the way.
I just think that JH would have a similar record if he stayed at his individual gigs a little longer. The turnaround he did at Stanford, and to a lesser extent the 49ers, cannot be understated.
We should have sky high expectations at Michigan.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:37 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
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January 8th, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
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January 8th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
And yet in predictions for next year, many people are saying "Yeah, eight wins would be a good start." Remember when that was the floor in years not named 2005 or 1984?
January 8th, 2015 at 9:40 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^
Haha!
January 8th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 9:31 AM ^
fuck yourself.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:41 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 9:26 AM ^
It's hard to predict what will come in 2015 football season until we know who the QB is. And even then.. we'll have to see him play a bit. Obviously a great coaching staff is being put together, and I think Michigan has great players currently... but we've seen what bad QB playy can do. Until then, I don't know where to project this team. We really need a QB to emerge. It would be nice if Michigan is one of those teams that just throws a young QB out there who does something amazing like we seem to see every year at some random univiersity. Let it be our turn!
January 8th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
Heck, Urban Meyer has OSU playing in the NC game with its 3rd string QB. Granted, part of that is due to talent, but I would argue it's more due to how Meyer is choosing to utilize the talent. I expect Harbaugh to have just as much success with our QBs.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 11:44 AM ^
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January 8th, 2015 at 9:40 AM ^
January 8th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
they are now great
January 8th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
More Sparty and Buckeye trolls responded to it than anything which in my opinion is the ultimate compliment.
They pretend we are irrelevant and that we don't matter to them yet or they are still obsessed with us and secretly worried.
And I love it...
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January 8th, 2015 at 10:51 AM ^
All I'd ask them is this: if a Meyer-coached team let a Hoke-coached team go toe to toe with them into the 4th quarter every year they squared off, do the fans really expect things to be any different for them now that Harbaugh is roaming our sidelines?
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January 8th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
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January 8th, 2015 at 4:39 PM ^
I felt that way when you guys hired Meyer.
January 8th, 2015 at 9:43 AM ^
As in 20 consecutive national championships starting in 2016. Why 2016? Because it would be ridiculous to assume harbaugh could turn it around in a single year.
Why 20? Well, I guess that's about when Jim retires. Michigan will not participate in college football the year following his retirement out of respect. Kind of like retiring a jersey number, we'll just retire the whole team for a year.
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January 8th, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^
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January 8th, 2015 at 9:46 AM ^
My expectations are to make a bowl game next year. Our OOC schedule is tough and going 3-5 in the B1G the last 2 years has me shell-shocked. 6-6 (4-4) is my expectation.
January 8th, 2015 at 10:28 AM ^