Did conservative offensive play calling or ineffective o-line play cost UM CFP?

Seems like the magic happens when Harbaugh has his powerful offensive line that is able to push good defensive fronts off the LOS.  We're not there yet.  And yes, we failed to win vs Iowa and OSU because we couldn't close them out running the ball and churning out first downs.  It's been a problem for a few years now.

Look at what Clemson did to VaTech last night.  They hit some timely big pass plays down the stretch that helped but ultimately the game was decided by the offensive line winning the battle up front and DeShaun Watson running for back breaking first downs and TDs.  Same old script.

O Line was okay not sure where you got good to very good as an assessment.  An offensive line, unless a coach inherits a skilled crew, takes about 4-5 years to fully develop in a new program.

I would say just stop running into the kicker could help. Go back and look how those games we lost could have changed easy with out that. Michigan is going in the right direction so have a Merry Christmas and watch FSU get hammered.

is basically pointless. These teams were/are very even. Had Speight been 100% Michigan would have been narrowly favored. With Speight banged up OSU was narrowly favored. Neither team was going to win by 20+ points and probably not by two scores.

It's hard to stop a team when offensive holding ceases to be a foul. It's hard to use the pass to help the run when pass interference ceases to be a foul. This is especially true when your QB isn't 100%. It's hard to play the field position game that had served you well all season when your opponents are handed gift penalties that keeps their drive alive and you get penalties that kill yours.

Michigan lost because the team wasn't good enough to beat OSU in a grossly unfairly called game. Yes they made mistakes. So did OSU. Change almost any one of the flagrantly one-sided calls and Michigan would probably played Wisconsin for the conference championship.

It's time to stop dumping on various members of the team and realize that whether by intent or simple unintended bias the officiating cost Michigan a game they otherwise would likely have won. 

Okay, I got that out there, now I feel better.

you know what just stop with this bull shit. we lost and stop blaming every one. live with it. we are done with the past and start looking forward to fsu. i love michigan but to much of this crap gets me mad. once the the game is over move on like the team does.

from the offense and turnovers in the lost game's cost the maize and blue. So close. Oh and that other issue in Columbus. Still 20 and 5 up to this point without his full complement of his player's especially the offensive line. Impressive. Wish the bowl game game would be in a colder climate. That would be cool to see how old FSU would handle that.

O line is meh.

IMO, if 2-3 players from our O-line get drafted, that means the underlying problems are our RBs and probably, to a somewhat lesser extent, the play-calling.  It will be interesting to see what happens.

If I was asked to pick one play, it would be our failure to tackle the OSU RB 15 yards behind the line on 3rd down.

If one of any number of defenders makes that play, OSU has to kick what...about a 55 yard field goal with a kicker who'd already missed two...to tie the game.

We landed at #6 with 10-2 because the D was 1a or 1b with Bama while our O was 46th in total yards and 30th in rushing per game. OSU was 9th in rushing.

That is really the end of the discussion from my POV. Just couldn't run the ball well enough with an OL that had critical deficiencies and no premier back. It created zero room for error - so atrocious officiating or a couple of bad bounces or a few dropped passes crippled the ability of the O to move the ball.

If or when UM gets an OL that can really lean on the D and a RB with power/speed/vision, then UM will crush folks.We are on a path to some dominant teams, but it will take a 2+ years to get a combination of elite QB, productive OL and gashing RB. The powerhouse O this year against less talented teams is the powerhouse O in future years against top teams.

Has the OP already forgotten how much the officials f*cked Michigan in the OSU game? The zebras are the reason UM didn't get to play for a Big 10 title and a shot at CFP berth.

I did not see the game live, so I had to rely on the clips that were available. When I saw Darboh get dragged to the ground with no call, and Mike Weber and his bush league cheap shot not get called, and Grant Perry get bear hugged and...well, you get the point.

I still cannot believe that the Big 10 has not issued an apology to UM for how badly they were screwed by the refs nor have they disciplined/fired said refs.

I feel like Michigan's development, epspecially Speight and the OLine were hurt by the lack of away games earlier in the season. Critics of Michigan constantly cited that as a bonus to Michigan.  I'm not so sure.  Speight was steadily improving throughout the season, but was definitely off for the Iowa game.  It could be explained by the cold or that it was a night game as well, but he was missing passes that he was regularly making earlier in the season.  I just wonder if there had been a few more away games he might have performed better at Iowa.