The Dueling OSU Narratives on the Board

Submitted by Hard-Baughlls on

So I see a bunch of griping / trolling on the board about how we can't and won't beat OSU or compete for championships because

1) They get all these 4 and 5 star recruits and simply out-talent us and

2) Urban Meyer is a genius college coach and his system is amazing and he is more accomplished than Harbaugh, etc, etc

The echo chamber on the recruiting front has gotten even louder this year, due to what appears to be an underwhelming incoming class (based on the sites/starz) and another apparently top 3 incoming class for OSU.  IE, I think the recency bias of this particular class is blinding people a bit regarding actual talent levels on the respective teams.

So my question for the board is, which narrative is true - because Meyer is either underachieving at OSU (I know- heresy to have such a thought), or the "talent gap" is simply not what the recruitniks would like to believe.

Nobody here is in to moral victories, but the facts, since Harbaugh took over, are that 

While UM is a brutal 0-3 against OSU....

In year 1 they were clearly out-classed all over the field by a team many considered the best in college football, despite a fluke loss to MSU in the rain. There was a clear talent gap, but hard to put it all on Harbaugh, given he only had 12 months to develop those players.

Harbaugh year 2, it would be fair to say that UM outplayed OSU for most of the game despite having an injured QB and horrible officiating going against them.

Harbaugh year 3, UM has a chance to win the game on a final drive, starting their 3rd string QB and playing underclassmen all over the field after having 8 players drafted to the NFL from the prior year.

Don't shoot me for not doing all the advanced analytics, but since taking over, UM under Harbaugh has only been completely out classed in 2 games.  OSU 2015 and PSU 2017 (revenge game under the lights)

Meyer, with despite a 2 year head start at OSU, has been blown out by Oklahoma and Iowa this year, and the Clemson playoff debacle last year.  It would seem to me that if this "talent gap" is as wide as the recruitniks are preaching, we'd have to say Meyer is underachieving with all these top rated classes - given they have just 1 B1G title in the past 3 years.  They should be dominating at BAMA levels.... Or

The "talent gap" as evidenced by the games on the field (both head to head and vs. similar competition) just isn't what some here keep preaching.

This isn't meant to be a snarky post, just curious as to which narrative will continue to be pushed, because either 1) Meyer is underachieving despite absurd talent and resources at his disposal (a narrative I see a lot of Bucknuts pushing)  or 2) The "talent gap" just isn't there and we've had some bad breaks the past couple years in terms of officiating and injuries at the QB position.

For the record, I think OSU has underachieved a bit the past few years but Meyer is still clearly one of the top coaches in college football.  Regarding UM, we've been incredibly unlucky in a few big games (MSU 2015 and OSU 2016) come to mind first, and the "talent gap" just isn't what many on here keep claiming.  

NRK

December 21st, 2017 at 6:44 PM ^

Oh good, I had missed people saying “until we beat OSU...” as a reason that we can’t discuss something. So this solves that.

Modernmanshustl

December 21st, 2017 at 7:19 PM ^

Urban is not underachieving yet.  His 2017 class was epic, and this years is shaping up well for them.  The next 2-3 years are what concerns us and 2018, and 19 are when those classes mature.  Next year's game should be an all out war with our 2016 peaking against their 2016/17 ones.  I expect Ohio to have a good year next year with their big year being 2018. The big thing they have going for them next year is they get us at home, which is the big thing we have going against us, and we learned just how much home-field advantage they have after last years game.

Ty Butterfield

December 21st, 2017 at 7:22 PM ^

Next year is always the year. All this stuff is just smoke filled coffee house crap. People need to wake up to the harsh reality that Michigan football will never be elite. I predicted 8-4 for 2017 and see the same for 2018. Harbaugh is not capable of winning big games. It is what it is.

Hard-Baughlls

December 21st, 2017 at 7:42 PM ^

and Clemson before Dabo

and UGA before Smart

I believe Harbaugh will get us there or die trying.  From what I saw in 2016, after Harbaugh coached up Hoke's best recruits and we were 1 or 2 plays/calls from the playoffs - I'll roll with Harbaugh every day of the week and twice on Saturday.

If you can't see that he is an elite coach, and just went 8-4 with underclassmen all over the field, that on you.  But his top tier classes are about to explode onto the national scene, and the next 2 years will be special.

Also, might I advise prozac, zoloft, wellbutrin with a side of klonopin or xanax for that which ails you.  Your pessimism, while fair when looking over the past 15 years of UM football, is not grounded in today's reality of where this team is headed.

The Fan in Fargo

December 22nd, 2017 at 12:47 AM ^

I believe the last upperclassmen classes at Clemson were ranked in the teens a few years in a row. Only a couple years back so, Michigan is getting the guys that they can. This was one of the youngest teams in the country this year and with solid quarterback play, easily could've been a one or two loss team again. I think Penn State could've been beat if Michigan had battled back and most certainly Wiscy, sharty and the bucnuts could've all been handled. The bucnuts get talented athletes but how many of those guys actually can count to 6 and spell more than their names? All the Michigan quarterbacks would have to do in the future is yell out audibles in the teens or higher and the game would be over before halftime. Their players would be sweating like whores in church. 

Jimmyisgod

December 22nd, 2017 at 9:36 AM ^

WTF? I knew he was an MSU lean, but this is the type of high 4 star in state talent we need to be in on. #60 overall. And he's teammates with 5 star O Lineman Devontae Dobbs who is also an MSU lean. Love recruiting nationally, but we should be sweeping elite instate talent.