Michigan at Purdue 9/23 - 4pm on FOX
September 12th, 2017 at 1:04 AM ^
we can take away or add different plays in a game to decide who may or may not have won a game? sweet......
September 12th, 2017 at 7:30 AM ^
Thats the whole point of making statements about having better QBs, it's an exercise in "what ifs".
You should be VERY used to this around here.
September 12th, 2017 at 6:45 AM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 2:26 PM ^
Got a wedding to go to and thought for sure this was gonna be a noon start
September 11th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
It's been listed as "3:30 or 4" for a couple of months now. I'd figured that meant ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 (3:30) or BTN (4:00). It never occurred to me that FOX would think, "Oh, Ross-Ade Stadium! That'll draw in the viewers."
September 11th, 2017 at 3:11 PM ^
Who is the asshole who agreed to an autumn wedding?
September 11th, 2017 at 5:59 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
Their game against Missouri will hopefully clear things up a bit. They got thoroughly outgained by Louisville and beat a middle of the pack MAC team (I assume that to be true for Ohio, because that's practically a definition of Ohio at this point). Some people may be confusing "better than we thought they'd be" with "good." Even Missouri may be hot garbage, so next week may not tell us as much as hoped. But if Purdue wins that one, as long as it's not by pure luck, I'll buy into them being something more than just a bottom two team in the West.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:05 PM ^
Mizzou just fired their DC after giving up 43 pts to Mizzou St and 31 to S Carolina so hot garbage could be an understatement.
September 11th, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
Yeah, but if Purdue goes in there and wins handily, even if Missouri is in fact hot garbage, it ups the likelihood that Purdue is looking to do more than scrape its way out of the basement. On the other hand, if Missouri wins handily, I think we can all go back to safely assuming that Purdue isn't going to pose a threat to any top half Big Ten team. If however, Purdue narrowly wins or loses, we probably won't learn much.
I'm not going to say it's unprecedented for a team like Purdue to make a one year turnaround into serious threat to the top of the league from the absolute depths where Purdue found itself last year. Just that it's pretty unlikely.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
Ohio under Solich has been a top half of the MAC program. Last year they tied for the East title and lost by 6 to WMU in the MAC Championship game. They aren't a slouch.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^
I watched the entire Purdue game and I agree. Ohio has an excellent secondary, especially the safeties, and they got torched by both of Purdue's QBs. Brohm called the plays and he RPS'd Ohio all first half. Purdue's receivers dropped tons of passes as well, this game could have been a bigger blowout than it was. Solich made some great halftime adjustments and the second half was played evenly between the two.
Purdue's defensive line is ferocious, especially at DT. They are going to be a solid squad once they upgrade their talent across the board. Michigan should put them away easily this year but it's not going to be a Rutgers-type game. I'd say something like 35-13, with Purdue having +/- a touchdown on that score depending on picks/fumbles/punt catastrophes.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:41 PM ^
There is a reason that Ohio is tied with Toledo for 2nd most total wins by MAC teams (Northern Illinois is #1) since 2005 and that is Frank Solich. If he wasn't 61 when took over in 2005 I'm sure he would have had another chance at a P5 program but ageism is a bitch.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:47 PM ^
Absolutely. He also hasn't had a losing season since 2008 which is quite impressive for a MAC team. I'm hoping they hire Bo Pelini when Solich is ready to retire and start a fired Nebraska coach redemption tour.
September 11th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
They'll probably be able to hire Riley by then.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
Why is Toledo considered elite when they haven't won the MAC Championship since 2004?
September 11th, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
That Kareem Hunt guy that just torched the Patriots had something to do with that.
September 11th, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^
Going by wins Ohio is tied for 2nd with Toledo, behind only Northern Illinois since 2005, when Solich took over.
MAC teams rarely are good teams. But Ohio under solich has been much more consistent than most MAC programs. They've only missed a bowl game once since 2009, and that was a year they went 6-6, the MAC doesn't have a bowl tie in for every time like the Big Ten does.
I've never made the claim that Ohio is the greatest MAC program. I've just made the claim that Solich has provided them with consistency that programs in that conference haven't seen. Being tied for 2nd most wins in the conference since he has been in Athens is proof of that. Toledo and NIU have been a revolving door for good coaches to move up. Kill, Doeren, Campbell. Of those guys only Doeren ever won MAC championships.
Beating Ohio under Solich isn't like beating EMU pre-Creighton.
And Jim Harbuagh has never won a division title, let alone a conference title in FBS. Doesn't mean he isn't a good coach.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
Ohio is the favorite to win the MAC East and their safeties are up there with the best in the conference.. Their CBs are definitely not good. Lorenzo Neal is a good DT and I think Purdue's DL on the whole is underrated. They only gave up 39 yards rushing to Louisville outside of Lamar Jackson and still held Louisville to 4.4 ypc including Jackson doing Heisman things.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:50 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
Ohio was picked by the coaches and the media to win the MAC East in their preseason polls.
http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/827598
https://www.hustlebelt.com/2017/7/26/16034188/mid-american-conference-p…
September 11th, 2017 at 4:08 PM ^
Maybe middle of the pack is harsh, but they've been quite remarkable at not being bad while also not being the best team in the MAC. Somewhere between 4-6 losses a year. Basically not a team that should challenge a P5 squad who isn't objectively terrible. Until this year, that would have described Purdue, and I'm not trying to argue that Purdue hasn't improved, maybe even significantly. Just not sure they're at the "good" phase yet.
September 11th, 2017 at 5:18 PM ^
It is fairly common for the MAC champion to have 4 losses (7 of the last 12 have had 4 or more losses). These are MAC teams we are talking about.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^
they went: 1-11, 3-9, 2-10, 3-9, and won a whopping 3 big ten games and almost half of those 9 wins were against FCS schools. Purdue might not be 'good', but it definitely seems like they are improved.
September 11th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
Purdue could be a P.I.T.A.
September 11th, 2017 at 2:50 PM ^
This game terrifies me way more than it should. Young team in their first true road game, Purdue has looked decidedly un-Purdue like the first two games, Michigan is traditionally butt on the road...I don't know...feels like a red flag game.
September 11th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
by 20.
September 11th, 2017 at 2:56 PM ^
was a road game experience
September 11th, 2017 at 3:22 PM ^
Technically yes, but there's a difference between neutral site and a true road game.
September 11th, 2017 at 4:33 PM ^
In some aspects, yes, but at least with respect to the mechanics of travel, etc., they've already been on the road. Those elements aren't insignificant.
The schedule actually set up pretty nice for working a young team into road game experience. Travel to a neutral site where you have significant fan support, though still have to face a situation where opposing fans are loud and into the game during a momentum swing. Then travel to two of the Big Ten's least intimidating venues, where there will likely be reasonable Michigan support. Before finally getting to the first true hostile environment at PSU. For a young team with some road tests on the schedule, I'm not sure it could have set up any better.
September 11th, 2017 at 9:21 PM ^
Honestly, the environment was louder in AT&T stadium with 40,000 Gator fans in a dome than it will be in West Lafayette with maybeeeee 50,000 Purdue fans outside.
September 11th, 2017 at 2:57 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 4:48 PM ^
Judging by the performance against Cincy, this team has the potential to have a down week against anybody. They will have more talent than anyone else on their schedule before the final game of the season. But the fire and determination doesn't quite seem to be there all the time. I'd be more surprised by a loss to Wisconsin than I would by a loss to Purdue or Indiana.
September 11th, 2017 at 6:27 PM ^
Tunnel. Screen.
Michigan has two weeks to fix its issues against those play calls but Cincinnati exploited them for large gains on those plays. Jeff Brohm will identify that and have Blough throw a number of them I am sure. This game by no means scares me how playing Purdue from 2003-2006 on the road did, but it's more concerning than it was when the schedule first came out. I will say this though, nice to see a team that was decent when I was a kid have some excitement around its program, Boilermakers have been hot trash since Joe Tiller retired.
September 12th, 2017 at 1:11 AM ^
give examples. iowa last year was a bad game. rutgers wasn`t all bad. there have been some tough games but most of your tough games are on the road. just because the game is competitive or maybe even lose , i wouldn`t call that traditionally bad.
September 11th, 2017 at 2:44 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 3:07 PM ^
instead of revealing the gender (his word choice, not mine), they just show a few ultrasound pictures to everyone at the party, and let all the non-ultasonographers get into "is that a penis?" debates. That could be pretty entertaining.
"Oh yeah, that's definitely a penis."
"What? That? That's a leg. That's the penis."
"You are both crazy, there is no penis, and this is a girl. Just wait 'til she's born and I tell her you thought her leg was a penis, she's gonna be pissed."
September 11th, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^
"It's a boy.. and what a boy!"
"Homer, that's the umbilical cord.."
September 11th, 2017 at 3:11 PM ^
Going from your "Joined" date, you are at least 9 years old. Impressive you were able to keep your gender a secret from everyone for that long.
September 11th, 2017 at 3:14 PM ^
beat me by one minute. Enjoy your upvote, good sir. :-)
September 11th, 2017 at 3:12 PM ^
Yeah, sooo... Not sure I want to ask, but, uhh, what the hell is a gender reveal party?
September 11th, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^
Rather than being told by a doctor or finding out at birth, expecting parents invite over a bunch of guests and the gender is revealed to them in a creative way. Food coloring in a cake, releasing colored baloons, hitting a ball that explodes in a ball of color, etc...
September 11th, 2017 at 6:05 PM ^
September 11th, 2017 at 3:33 PM ^
It's something the Frats and Sororities do the first month of school.
Seems a little risqué to me, but they are consenting adults so who am I to judge?
/college life vs. real life
September 11th, 2017 at 3:35 PM ^
It's an attention contest amongst female friends and family to see who can out-pinterest each other while documenting their faux-creativity on the 'gram.