Records of the ten oldest teams in CFB
This thread follows up on the earlier thread "Records of the ten youngest teams in CFB" to give some light on how teams with the most returning starters are doing. At the beginning of the season, I inquired about why we should care about what Phil Steele has to say and his reasoning for being low on Michigan is that we are THE youngest team in CFB with only 5! returning starters.
1. Syracuse, 20 Returning Starters (20), 4-4 Record
2. Florida Atlantic, 18 RS, 4-3
3. Texas, 17 RS, 3-4
4. Oregon, 17 RS, 4-4
5. NC State, 17 RS, 6-1
6. Georgia, 17 RS, 7-0
7. Kentucky, 17 RS, 5-2
8. TCU, 17 RS, 7-0
9. PSU, 16 RS, 7-0
10. Northwestern, 16 RS, 4-3
Michigan sits dead last with only 5 RS. I think that we are doing a great job to currenlty sit with a 5-2 record, with a close loss to MSU. We will be just fine.
October 26th, 2017 at 8:24 PM ^
I've been wrong many times in my life and I'm not ever afraid to admit it like all of the egotistic clowns on here never would. Yet, I guarantee that I've been right more than most of you highly educated joe smoes will be in five lifetimes. You better believe it too because you are completely wrong about this offense. It almost kind of gives me chills because I just know that in 1 or 2 years I'm going to be having the time of my life at Buffalo Wild Wings and other sports bars while watching Michigan destroy teams in every way possible. Michigan will beat the shit out of Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, Oklahoma and Notre Dame to name a few. With Speight hopefully back as a redshirt senior and the younger two as redshirt sophomore and freshman, you better believe this passing game takes off and then it's lights out kids. You will have every position group with a SHIT ton more experience. In 2019 you will see a veteran Michigan team absolutely destroy Notre Dame and Ohio State in the Big House. Oh yes, absolutely embarrass. I honestly don't see a secondary stop them next year even. That's if the qb has time.So, I mean we all knew this team was going to take some punches this year. Just gotta get in the weight room big time and start hitting back faster and harder. All there is to it. Does this team have young men that want to dominate lesser men or are they a bunch of kids yet that are afraid if their muscles get too big they will have stretch marks in their mid thirties? That's the real question though. Think about it really. When it comes down too it, talent, strength, speed and experience don't need great coaching or good play calling. All they have to do is play and get the job done. It's takes care of itself.
October 26th, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^
Over 7 games that equates to about 1 more win.
October 26th, 2017 at 4:50 PM ^
I can think of one more win which would've been nice to have and an expierienced QB and/or WR may have made the difference...
October 26th, 2017 at 1:29 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 1:38 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 1:49 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 4:52 PM ^
looks like you're new here-his perspective isn't the couch. He's a bit of an insider.
October 26th, 2017 at 1:51 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:09 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
You're just not going to make any friends around here.
October 26th, 2017 at 2:33 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
I'm curious: What exactly doesn't he know? He obviously has insider access to our program. He obviously has a positive relationship with at least - if not more than one - player. He's obviously spent some time with the coaches.
So what is it? Are you upset he's making points or providing opinions that don't agree with the groupthink of the board? Please explain so that the rest of us posters that have to read you and Inman "can get it."
October 26th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
Inman and Maizeblue11 have nothing to offer.
Their level of analysis stops at "Harbaugh isn't FIERY enough"
Hence why they're calling out a former D1 college player who actually has access to the program and coaches elite college bound talent on a daily basis.
Quite funny actually, and I don't even agree with MichiganMan14 all the time either.
October 26th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
Oh God! You are right...I may have to avoid this place on Saturday. It could be HAWT!
October 26th, 2017 at 4:09 PM ^
PS...400+ points in less than a week is a lot! I had a poorly veiled insult I was gonna shoot over the bow, but you seem like a good dude! Hope you find your own X. :-)
October 26th, 2017 at 6:12 PM ^
Post your reume oh wise one...Lol
You probably don't know what he's talking about because you are bereft of the intellect to understand what he's talking about.
Maybe you should just leave it to the adults and just piss off.
October 26th, 2017 at 2:39 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:51 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:59 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 4:23 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 3:57 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 4:22 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 6:16 PM ^
much?
October 26th, 2017 at 11:50 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^
The guy makes a reasonable comment and you insult him. Please go away. I think MLive is accepting posters.
October 26th, 2017 at 2:55 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^
There is a sad - but vocal - minority of posters here who, in the face of facts and reality, decide throwing insults is the best response. Given your knowledge and contributions, you have no doubt experienced this countless times.
I appreciate your comments on this board. I may have misread, but you are a high school coach in FL (or used to be)? Given the schools that knock on your door, do you notice cool things Michigan does that make an impact? Similarly, do we do these that are turn-offs for high school players and coaches? I ask because our recruiting for 2018 just seems "off," and several people on this board have thrown out theories why. I'd be curious to know what you think...
Thanks!
October 26th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 4:31 PM ^
All things we will never be able to compete with southern SEC schools with lower academic standards. And those reasons make sense to lose out for Florida kids.
Our peer group is more Stanford, UCLA, USC, Notre Dame...those are schools that are going to have similar drawbacks, but will be attractive to kids that care about an education and that's probably what they have to pitch. The California schools do have better weather, they don't have as "live" a stadium experience as we do.
October 26th, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
all the major recruiting sites have him listed as a pocket passer.
he had 104 yards rushing, total, in his first (and best) year at Houston
October 26th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
In what way is John O'Korn a spread QB? Do you mean as a passer? I mean, the offense they ran at Houston was definitely a spread variant, but hell Michigan lined up out of the shotgun a bunch last year (and do some this year) before blocking issues made that very difficult.
Drake Harris tore his hamstring enough times he could never see the field and moved to corner, where he played a second against Florida and hasn't been seen since. Moe Ways was a miss. Wheatley Jr. is a RS sophomore who's probably better equipped as a blocker than a consistent pass catcher. I have no proof that Ways is a good blocker, but the fact he apparently can't catch the ball makes it a dicey proposition to put him out there for a soul purpose of blocking on running plays.
Also, and I assume this is coming from your insider info, do you know if the playbook they currently run is huge and dense? All I've seen the past 3-4 games is a scaled-down playbook with few variants. What is killing Michigan isn't the size of the playbook as much as not being able to consistently execute the plays they do have. They don't block particularly well on zone runs and struggle to get to the second level consistently. Running backs struggle to consistent read and react to cutback lanes and following blockers when they do properly set up the play. They don't block all that well during conventional passing downs, and O'Korn on the run is a diminishing return part of the offense that is further hamstrung by dropped passes. They aren't good on offense because they aren't that good at any one part consistently; they could call 10 plays a game and if you can only execute it well 50% of the time, that's not good.
I honestly don't know how the playbook has changed this year compared to previous seasons; my guess is losing Speight messed stuff up, plus them realizing that what they saw as growth in some parts of the team over the offseason didn't translate perfectly to the season. But saying "run a different offense with these players and teach them all of these new plays because they are perhaps marginally better suited for them" goes against what most successful coaches do. Michigan has tinkered at the fringes (they are more power-heavy further along this year, fewer receivers and more protection on passing downs, small wrinkles), but if I'm Harbaugh I'd rather suffer through a rough patch with a bunch of freshmen and sohomores now versus trying a 1-year experiment to get a slightly better version of John O'Korn and Moe Ways for 6 or 7 games.
October 26th, 2017 at 2:29 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:55 PM ^
Several NFL teams run spread schemes all the time. For example, the Chiefs and the Patriots run a ton of spread schemes and neither has a burner at QB (Alex is admittedly an OK QB runner...but you get my point).
I think this board associates "spread" with RR and Denard (and Oregon). It's almost like this board does not appreciate there are multiple types of spread offenses, several of which don't require a Denard runner at QB.
October 27th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
Look like it does now? Or would you like it to look like OSU's when clicking? The fact that Alabama is shifting towards spread tendencies should tell you a lot. Stupid to argue NFL offense and running qbs not working in the NFL. Last time I checked Michigan played in the B10 not the NFC East.
October 26th, 2017 at 1:42 PM ^
Specifically on offense, I agree with you. Losing Fisch and TW hurt, and I'm not impressed with Pep at all pretty much anywhere he's been. That's big net loss in my book.
Seems like our scheme is so complex that underclassmen can only grasp it a little bit at a time, so then they simplify the game plan/schemes so as not to overwhelm, but then that makes it much easier on the opponent to stop it. So that leads me to ask, is this mash-up pro-style with random passing spread elements offense just flat-out too complex for any team that isn't loaded with upperclassmen? So many moving parts have to work together to perfection versus a pure spread that has a lot more leeway for errors, or so it seems. That's the conclusion I'm leaning towards, but I don't really know the answer for sure.
October 26th, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 1:47 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 2:57 PM ^
October 26th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
Since you seem to know your stuff at the HS to D1 level, why is that that Michigan isn't in on more top guys? We get one every year or two (Peppers, Gary, DPJ, etc), but other schools get a helluva lot more.
Is it academics? Perception that Michigan isn't going to be competing for Big 10 and national championships?
Or are the top programs really just outright buying the best players?
I'll hang up and listen.
October 26th, 2017 at 3:30 PM ^