Great ESPN Article and Really Sums Up Where our Program is Now and Waiting for Next Year.
Fair, level headed, objective yet not "the sky is falling" article that is worth your time. I think this really sums up what we all are feeling. It is like this dude has read every article on this board since the OSU game.
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/143697/michigan-enters-offsea…
January 4th, 2018 at 7:39 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:38 PM ^
No way in Hell we catch "lightning in a bottle" and win 11 games next year. That schedule would be almost impossible for a team that had a great defense, a solid O Line, and a competent QB. Furthermore, "stumbling" to 9 wins? How about fighting like crazy to get 9 wins.
January 4th, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^
They will have a great defense. They were top 10 this year by any measure, with 10-ish starters returning.
A competent QB is possible. An improved receiver corps is inevitable. The O line is questionable, of course. But 10-2 in the regular season is very do-able. (9-3 is more likely.)
January 5th, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:39 PM ^
Thanks, bronxblue. Don't see anything in this article that could be considered insightful.
January 4th, 2018 at 7:45 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 8:05 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 8:09 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 8:34 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:00 PM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 6:59 AM ^
And the NCAA. And I'm sure that old reliable, the weather, will be good for excusing a shitty loss somewhere.
January 5th, 2018 at 1:52 AM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:34 PM ^
Great point on the QB's. Can you imagine what it would / will feel like to eventually have a QB that actually helps Michigan win. I'm tired of rooting like crazy for the dude under center to just not effe up like crazy.
January 5th, 2018 at 1:06 AM ^
I can't recall a qb from Speight to JOK to Peters looking comfortable
That is because the QB problems are a symptom of a larger issue: the OL.
When all of your 3 quite-different QBs are bad, it's time to look where else there may be issues.
The inconsistent OL and the playcalling that makes it worse - run, run, 3rd and long pass - have been a disaster this season.
As the OL goes next year, so goes the season, no matter who plays QB.
January 5th, 2018 at 3:08 AM ^
and took way too long to throw to their checkoff WR or TE. I thought Brandon was playing well until the bowl game where he looked awful, always throwing at the ground ahead of his WR and looking completely lost at times. There was some pressure at times by uSC but Brandon had time to throw, he just could not complete passes. If we have another 1975 type throwing yardage season we will easily have 5 losses. But if one of the QB can emerge as good, that could add 3 more wins for a 10 win season. I guess only time will tell. Yes, I hope the OL can improve.
January 4th, 2018 at 8:12 PM ^
Seriously, these guys can’t even get basic facts straight. Their tidbit previewing the bowl game mused about if Speight might be healthy enough to play even though he explicitly said he wasn’t going to the game. Oh and the Miss State mixup. Just two recent examples.
January 4th, 2018 at 8:16 PM ^
2018 should be Harbaugh's best team ever. But the schedule is ridiculous. 5 of these teams are preseason top 15. 3 are away games. And then add Frost at Nebraska for a 6th tough game.
2018
Sept. 1 -- at Notre Dame
Sept. 8 -- Western Michigan
Sept. 15 -- Southern Methodist
Sept. 22 -- Nebraska*
Sept. 29 -- at Northwestern*
Oct. 6 -- Maryland* (Homecoming)
Oct. 13 -- Wisconsin*
Oct. 20 -- at Michigan State*
Oct. 27 -- Bye Week
Nov. 3 -- Penn State*
Nov. 10 -- at Rutgers*
Nov. 17 -- Indiana*
Nov. 24 -- at Ohio State*
No other team in the country has a schedule even close to this. Even Alabama wouldn't survive this schedule without a couple of losses.
January 4th, 2018 at 8:22 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 8:23 PM ^
The sad thing is that Alabama knows that this is a tougher schedule (although I think they could survive it) and will continue to play its round robin with Presbyterian, thank you very much.
In all seriousness though, if we somehow manage to get through that schedule relatively unscathed....SOMEHOW, the operative word here, as it is not at all likely on paper right now....that would be a pretty fun season indeed.
January 4th, 2018 at 9:24 PM ^
"Fun"!? That would be a "streaking in the Quad" type of season!!! LOL
January 4th, 2018 at 10:19 PM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
Agreed. Even though Bama has more 4 and 5-stars than most, if they're playing decent-to-good teams most of the season that exposes them to a greater likelihood of player mistakes becoming a factor plus facing better coaching staffs who can find something to exploit. Also it exposes his own coaching staffs to potential errors in game prep. As it is, when you're playing teams like McPhereson state for half the season, you only need your vanilla game strategy for those teams, giving him plenty of time to prep for the real teams.
January 4th, 2018 at 8:25 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:26 PM ^
Not being pessimistic, but being realistic, it is pretty hard to think an early loss is OK considering who we play the last game of the year. I guess sometime we have to beat them though...right?
January 4th, 2018 at 8:32 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:03 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 9:28 PM ^
I think its both. It is the schedule with not having a QB. That equation pretty much equals a turd burger.
January 5th, 2018 at 11:08 AM ^
I must respectfully disagree. I feel like OL is the biggest problem, and if that gets fixed back to traditional standards, we are a real threat to take Big Ten title.
January 4th, 2018 at 9:51 PM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 6:15 AM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^
But that's the worst-case scenario for them, and even so they were still in consideration for the CFP. Looking forward to the day when the same is true for M.
January 4th, 2018 at 10:18 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 11:04 PM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^
you reference is OSU, but PSU and ND recruit at a pretty similar level to UM.
2015 - 247 rankings
ND - 13th class, 90.45 rating per player
PSU - 14, 89.05
UM - 37, 87.81
2016
UM - 8, 89.86
ND - 15, 89.00
PSU - 20, 88.08
2017
UM - 5, 91.20
ND - 10, 89.37
PSU - 15, 88.32
2018 (so far)
PSU - 4, 91.27
ND - 7, 90.42
UM - 14, 89.01
January 4th, 2018 at 11:23 PM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 1:15 AM ^
This is a hard schedule, but it has a lot of nice breaks at key points throughout it:
Notre Dame, then two easier games before Neb / NW.
Maryland at home, who will be better but not great, before Wisc / MSU.
A bye week before Penn State.
Then Rutgers before IU / OSU.
Not ideal, but there are a few points along the way for us to catch our breath.
January 5th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
The easier games will help. It's also unclear exactly how tough Notre Dame, Neb, NW, MSU, PSU, and ISU will be. They won't be bad as a group, but they could doable. All depends on the UM offense.
Maybe I am big optimist but I wouldn't be surprised if we went 6 - 0 against them and I WOULD be very suprised if we went worse than 4 - 2.
January 5th, 2018 at 8:53 AM ^
The last game of the schedule is the same every year and if we can figure out a way to win it on a semi regular basis (1 out of 3 years would be ok at this point) we will be fine.
January 5th, 2018 at 9:48 AM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 8:28 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 8:56 PM ^
Its pretty much the same every year. Also no one knows how ND will look without their two best olinemen and i think 4 overall. Or how Penn State is without barkley. I think the season will end the same as this season if Drevno is still there.
January 4th, 2018 at 9:56 PM ^
January 4th, 2018 at 10:48 PM ^
That made he difference is the MSU and OSU game?
January 5th, 2018 at 4:53 PM ^
Do you think they get the same amount of "home-cooking" from the refs if that game is played in Ann Arbor?
Home teams win 57.3% of their games in the NFL.
http://freakonomics.com/2011/12/18/football-freakonomics-how-advantageo…
Let's say that's roughly 60%. So if you have 4 50/50 games a year, if all 4 are at home, your expected # of wins = 0.6*4 = 2.4
If you have all 4 on the road, that drops to 0.4*4 = 1.6
That's almost a full game in the standings just because of home field advantage.
January 4th, 2018 at 9:11 PM ^
I will always get hyped. I will always be optimistic and always believe in the team. I almost always experience pain as well. Still can't imagine supporting any other team in the world.
GO BLUE!!
January 4th, 2018 at 9:31 PM ^
The last 15 years have jaded me a bit. I am always hyped but not optimistic anymore. I don't know how I can be both of those things, but I am. I just don't want to be a fool. I don't want to continue to "believe" and have Lucy pull the football away right before I kick it. That's what the last 15 years have felt like. I guess my "optimism" is that is has to change sometime. Don't think it will be next year, but it has to change sometime.
January 4th, 2018 at 9:48 PM ^
I️ know some people have multiple teams they follow closely...that must be nice...
January 5th, 2018 at 12:26 AM ^
My prediction is we go 12-0 in 2018
January 5th, 2018 at 8:48 AM ^
January 5th, 2018 at 10:20 AM ^
Literally all of my first concrete memories of sports happened that year. Red Wings and Michigan won championships, Barry rushed for 2000+ yards. They are still my favorite teams to date. Maybe that happens anyway, but I'm not nearly as big of a Tigers or Pistons fan.