ESPN's Edwards has Michigan in 2016 Rose Bowl (Early New Year's Six Predictions)
Insider article, but ESPN's Brad Edwards lists Michigan playing Oregon in the 2016 Rose Bowl.
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12304511/early-2015-new-year-six-predictions
Rose Bowl: Michigan-Oregon
This game is guaranteed to be Big Ten versus Pac-12, and I'm going out on a major limb by taking Michigan to have first-year magic under Jim Harbaugh (remember, Brady Hoke reached the Sugar in his first year). What I like is that Michigan has recruited well in recent years and has the most returning starters in the conference. Harbaugh must find a productive QB, but having all starters back on the offensive line helps, as does a schedule that sends Michigan State and Ohio State to Ann Arbor. The season opener at Utah is a huge game for this prediction. On the other side, I'm thinking Oregon loses the Pac-12 title game to USC but doesn't fall from the top 10 withoutMarcus Mariota. I chose the Ducks over UCLA for this spot, because they have a better track record of replacing productive QBs without too much trouble.
Other Games are:
Orange Bowl (Semi) Ohio State vs USC
Cotton Bowl (Semi) Aubrun vs Oklahoma State
Sugar Bowl: Tennessee vs Baylor
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs Alabama
Peach Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Boise State
February 10th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
Agree, but always nice to see someone else have Maize colored glasses on.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
welp better buy my tickets now
February 10th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
Our toughest games are at home. And Harbaugh. Oh, and Harbaugh.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
Also, injuries are kinda unpredictable. The season will be a grind.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
would be nice to see jabrill recreating this shot:
i'm not getting my hopes up that high, though. if we win 9 games and beat staee, i'll feel okay about life.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:15 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
Harbaugh must find a productive QBThat's a big question mark to have hanging over you going into the season, but Michigan's situation doesn't look a whole lot different than MSU's of a couple a seasons ago. A team loaded with upperclassmen and a tough defense that allowed them time to break in Connor Cook and win the Big 10 Championship. Harbaugh hasn't stepped into the worst situation here. I'm excited.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:43 PM ^
Wasn't QB the biggest question heading into the '97 season as well?
February 11th, 2015 at 8:06 AM ^
I remember that there was a lot of grumbling over Carr naming Griese the starter over Dreisbach and Brady. I was one of those guys, and I was wrong. So wrong.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
yikes
February 10th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
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February 10th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
Lol @ Notre Dame vs. Alabama. That game is still hilarious to think about, and I hate bama. It was awesome to have the fighting irish fans finally realize how immensely overrated and lucky that team was.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^
I'm not convinced that the Fig-thing fans made that realization. They probably just thought Alabama got all of the calls or something.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
We would need to jump past the winner of the West division. That would be interesting.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
seeing two (or more) teams from the East division in the biggest bowl games. Losing in the BT championship game doesn't help a resume.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
Because I'm old. Who's the MGoUser who said he was going to buy 100 beers if Harbaugh became our coach? That same dude needs to make the same pledge at a bar in Pasadena if we get there.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:16 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
The key question seems to be the QB position, but there will be great competition in the fall and I am virtually certain that a gem will evolve from the process.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
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February 10th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
I'll have whatever Edwards is having. He is really drinking the Kool-Aid. I wouldn't be surprised if we have good season next year but the non-league schedule is tough. I think the team will get better as year goes on but, the Rose Bowl seems a little far fetched. I hope I'm wrong though.
February 10th, 2015 at 4:10 PM ^
I'll have whatever Edwards is having. He is really drinking the Kool-Aid
So . . . you'll have Kool-Aid?
February 10th, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^
I think that our current QB situation is going to be the worst we have under Harbaugh. O'Korn can't play this year, and Malzone and Gentry are true freshman who hopefully won't be playing this year. Speight and Morris are the two main options, and they're complete unknowns. So while we could be surprised and have very good QB play, I wouldn't bet on it.
Having said that, I don't think we need it. We have all the talent in we need in other positions to follow the Wisconsin model.
In 2010 Wisconsin made the Rose Bowl with Scott Tolzein at QB. He only threw 266 passes that year, about 20 a game, and 16 TDs all year. They beat OSU in a game where he threw 16 passes, OSU was ranked 1st then. He only threw 6 picks all year though.
If we have a QB who can limit mistakes, which is a big if, I don't see why we can't do the same. Our defense should be good enough to shut down most teams, and our running game was actually good at the end of last year. Add Ty Isaac into the RB group, bring back every OL with an extra year of development, and an actual coaching staff, and I'm cautiously optimistic, with or without stellar QB play.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^
fuck that game
February 10th, 2015 at 4:24 PM ^
I was there in their student section during the loss. When a students comes up to you and says, "would you like some of the alcohol in my flask" you know things are bad.... Uggg!!!
February 10th, 2015 at 12:37 PM ^
it's a little crazy. Michigan will beat one of the rivals but lose to someone unexpected such as PSU. They will lose 1 non-con game as well. New QB, new coaches-system. Expect improvement throughout the season but 8-4, 9-3 and best case scenario 10-2, but no bgtn championship this year. It's fun to dream but great things take time so let's not be disappointed with 8-4. This kind of expectation hurt RR team's. We need patience to let the process build, escalating expectations unrealistically won't help.
February 10th, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^
maybe even 9-3, coupled with the Harbaugh/Michigan brand is probably good enough for a Rose Bowl/New Year's 6 appearance.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
Finally, someone who makes sense!
February 11th, 2015 at 6:00 AM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Not about the Michigan prediction, but there's no way Tennesse and Baylor play in the Sugar Bowl and there's no way OkSt and USC make the final 4.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
Tennessee running DeBord's preferred offense versus Baylor would be....interesting, to say the least. Zone left versus the king of going four wide all day would provide for an entertaining game, if nothing else, although I have this persistent fear that the net result is Tennessee fans finding another reason to hate Michigan...not that it bothers me if they do.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
But based on your post, he has Ohio State going to the national semi, meaning he thinks they win the B1G. So if we lose to OSU, according to him, we need to beat Utah to get the 2nd best B1G bowl game. I think the Utah game is almost irrelevant for our post-season chances. OSU lost to Virginia Tech this past season. We are going to have a new QB in a new system in a road game. That game's not going to accurately reflect the team we have come December or January.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
He mentions the Utah game as an indicator of how the season will go. I think we crush or at least decisively beat Utah.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
Drink that Kool-Aid people, its delicious.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
February 10th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
He's made a safe prediction. I have a riskier one, but I honestly believe it:
Michigan beats OSU and MSU and wins the B1G. Maybe we drop one unpredictably early in the season.
But Harbaugh will not lose to OSU at home. No.
February 10th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
I was thinking the same thing about OSU. We're not making the playoffs, and I'd be surprised if we made a New Year's Six Bowl Game, but I just can't imagine Harbaugh allowing this team to lose to OSU in his first year AT HOME.
You can bet since the day he took this job, that he's been locking himself away in a dark room somewhere for a few hours every day game planning just for OSU. He's played in this rivalry, has won it, and he will have his team playing like a horde hellbent on total annihilation when the scum from Ohio come to play.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
Someone is desperate for web clicks.
February 10th, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
Don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but it would be nice to beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl.