Who ends up more successful this year - Lions or Wolverines?
And yes, that's not a question I would expect to be asking seriously.
The Lions are 9-4, currently leading the division over 7-6 Minnesota and Green Bay. They play @NYG and @DAL then host GB to close out the season.
The Packers play @CHI, host MIN then @DET. The Vikings host IND, then @GB and host CHI.
The Lions have a pretty good chance to take advantage of the Vikings horrific injury run and the Packers' malaise. Winning the division for the first time since 1993 would be quite the accomplishment.
So, do you think the Lions will make the playoffs, and is that a more successful season than the Wolverines?
December 12th, 2016 at 7:46 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 7:52 PM ^
Ncaa 128
NFL 32
Exactly 4 times as many NCAA teams so use that as the barometer.
Michigan was top 8 the entire year and top 4 some of the year currently top 5. The lions would have to make the Conference Championship to match UM and make the Superbowl to surpass us in my opinion.
U of M was never out of the top 10% of their field. The lions have not been in the top 10% of their field yet.
December 12th, 2016 at 7:47 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 7:48 PM ^
ways. terrible ways. they are about to go 0-3 and lose both the division championship and get aced out of the wild card spot. the packers woke up, and look out. the giants woke up, and look out, and the cowboys have the best record in the NFC. so we'll finish 9-7 and that will be that.
December 12th, 2016 at 7:54 PM ^
They will miss the playoffs because of that.
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December 12th, 2016 at 7:57 PM ^
nor answer them.
December 12th, 2016 at 7:58 PM ^
They're the fucking lions.
They last won a championship in the 50s.
Until the Fords sell the team, the answer will ALWAYS be anyone but the Lions.
December 12th, 2016 at 7:58 PM ^
UM more successful because you can always count on the #SOL showing up when optimism is highest.
The Lions were the Cardiac Cats back in 2011 when they had a similar season of come from behind wins but then made a fart noise in the playoffs. then in 2012, all of their "good luck" from 2011 evened out and they were terrible again. This team will do the same.
December 13th, 2016 at 12:19 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:00 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:01 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:03 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:07 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:05 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 8:12 PM ^
I've been a Lions fan for 30+ years, and I every time I think they're going to turn the corner, they shit on me.
The Lions schedule is TOUGH from here on in. Winning in New York and Dallas won't be easy, especially if Stafford is hurt. And currently Green Bay is on a tear.
So I think even with the disappointment of not winning the B1G or making the playoff, Michigan ends up having the more successful season.
December 12th, 2016 at 8:14 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 8:17 PM ^
It just seems like it is easier to compare the teams to their own performances rather than to one another's performances.
For the Lions, this is a successful season if they get into the playoffs and win a game, in my own opinion. Anything less just seems like another year where they did well enough only to fade.
For the Wolverines, there's definitely a major disappointment in missing the CFP, especially given the way the Iowa and OSU games went. Will I take the Orange Bowl in Harbaugh's second year when I wasn't expecting quite that on 12/30/2014? Yeah, I think I will.
December 12th, 2016 at 8:22 PM ^
If the Lions win the division, they would have had a more successful season than Michigan. Although it isn't exactly the same, a division title in the NFL is comparable to a Big Ten championship, which we unfortunately fell short of. But there's still a long way to go for the Lions. I'll believe it when I see it
December 12th, 2016 at 8:26 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:35 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 8:36 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 8:37 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 8:39 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:42 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 8:58 PM ^
I'm sorry but there's no other way of saying it. They didn't lose to Iowa because of luck. They lost because the QB missed on multiple deep passes to WRs that had at least a couple steps on the DB, a blown blocking assignment that caused a safety, and fumbling the opening kick of the second half. Those are unforced errors.
They played a bad game and when afforded a chance to put the game on ice, they threw a pick and went 3 and out.
December 12th, 2016 at 8:44 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:49 PM ^
winning lots of close games. While better than losing a lot of close games, they are not a dominant team and a reversal of forture seems very possible.
If Michigan wins the Orange Bowl then M probably ends 3rd or 4th in the final polls, and it seems unlikely that the Lions would end up with a comparatively more successful season.
December 12th, 2016 at 8:56 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 9:13 PM ^
you maniac vlad, that must be some strong stuff.
seriously, i think stafford has played all-world this year but the rest of the team is 'meh' at best. on the road in 2 tough venues plus playing the pack at home? we have as good a shot as georgia (NTG) had against your invading forces.
December 12th, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 8:59 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 9:01 PM ^
...is technically more than what Michigan would've accomplished. Michigan did not hit on any of their season goals, outside of getting us halfway to being able to doing things after beating MSU and OSU.
I find it interesting though that Michigan's season went sideways thanks to a QB injury, and now Stafford has a banged up middle finger. If Stafford can overcome that, they have at least one more regular season win in them, which would be good enough to get the division.
December 12th, 2016 at 9:03 PM ^
... In the last 46 years (since 1970) the Lions have won more games than Michigan exactly 6 times. 6 times! And they play at least 3-4 more games per year historically.
In the past 20 years (since 1996), they have won more games just 1 time!!! This includes the Rich Rod years!
I don't usually use !, but those are insane stats given the 16 game NFL season.
December 12th, 2016 at 10:05 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 9:26 PM ^
December 12th, 2016 at 9:29 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 9:32 PM ^
expectations for the Lions.
To me, their season is all just a little aloe for the massive sunburn that was November 26.
December 12th, 2016 at 9:40 PM ^
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December 12th, 2016 at 10:20 PM ^
Is this topic sponsored by Capital Mortgage Funding?
December 12th, 2016 at 10:57 PM ^
Lions will absolutely, without question, lose their next two games because they are the Lions. Will come down to home game vs Pack to see if they end up 10-6 or 9-7, and again since they are the Lions, I say 60% chance it's 9-7. So to answer your question, not my Lions. Never my Lions.
December 13th, 2016 at 2:45 AM ^
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December 13th, 2016 at 4:39 AM ^
and with Stafford injured, the Lions will lose the finale against GB at home.
December 13th, 2016 at 7:27 AM ^
December 13th, 2016 at 8:07 AM ^
This is my rule of thumb. Michigan playing in a NY6 Bowl is comparable to the Lions making the playoffs. Therefore, the Lions need to make the playoffs to equal what Michigan already has in the bag. Granted, we all have Lucy & Charlie Brown PTSD, but if you check out prideofdetroit.com, they have laid out fairly logically all the things that have to go wrong for the Lions to not make it. Yes, it is possible, but it would take something epically, comically so Lions to do so.
Barring the laughably typical Lions season finish, I think we have to consider Michigan and the Lions on equal footing. Same/same if they both won their Orange Bowl/playoff game. I'd rate the Wolverines as more likely to win their next game, putting them in the lead if the Lions do their usual playoff performance. Finally, there is the remote chance that Michigan yaks up the Orange Bowl, while the Lions wins a playoff game, and finally-finally, the Lions have a theoretical chance of winning TWO (check the Book of Revelation to see if this is one of the signs) playoff games.
That feels about right. If the Lions manage to TRIPLE their number of playoff wins IN MY LIFETIME, yes I would say they have accomplished more than even an Orange Bowl winning Michigan team. Moreover, scoring their SECOND playoff win IN MY LIFETIME would be about as significant as the Harbaugh revived Wolverines winning a second consecutive Bowl game. (Pause for a second and think about the last time Michigan won two consecutive Bowl games. Was it one of those Lloyd Carr teams that bumbled their way to a comically overmatched opponent in the Jimmy's Bail Bonds Bowl? I'm thinking of the game against Arkansas.) Lastly, if either team yaks up its postseason game, that would end its season with enough of a thud (Michigan in particular would have to answer for losing 3 out of their last 4 games, including the Carr double-double of losing to both OSU and in the Bowl) that the other team would be clearly more successful if it won.
December 13th, 2016 at 8:58 AM ^
you see, I watched every single Michigan game all season, even went to the UM-Iowa game in person.
Conversely, I haven't watched a single Lions game (though I may have watched a few minutes of the game on Thanksgiving day while cooking, I don't remember).
So based on that fact alone, Michigan wins in my household.
December 13th, 2016 at 2:12 PM ^
After fluffing its fanbase up, the Lion's will pull the ultimate blueball special and lose the last 3 games, losing the division and not making the playoffs.