Hoping I Don't Sound Like a Cubs Fan
"There is always next year." This sentiment, or something similiar, is often expressed by fans of many teams. Cubs fans simply have had more oppurtunity than most to express those sentiments. When I say it concerning Michigan, I really mean it. There is great hope for next year, isn't there?
Here are some following reasons to realistically hope for a Big Ten Championship year.
Michigan won't be starting a true freshman qarterback. There is a reason Forcier is only the third true freshman quarterback to start for Michigan. (NCAA didn't allow freshman to play for a long time)
Not just quarterback, the team is young in many places. Michigan has a lot of first year starters. Next year, assuming Warren turns pro, the defensive back field returns 75% of the starters. That is the same percentage for this years first year starters in the backfield.
The defense has had three defensive cordinators in three years. Not having to start over this coming season should be a help.
By the way, don't give up hope for this year. One more win and the team goes bowling. Remember last December when there was no bowl game to anticipate?
What gives you hope for next year? Go Blue
October 26th, 2009 at 11:18 AM ^
I think this is more like when a baseball team says, "Our year is 20xx" than "you just wait until next year, we're going to be great then."
We're setting ourselves up for a lot of success, but with the changes that we've made, it was never going to be this year. I don't know that next year is "our year" either, but I think 2011 and on we should be pretty great.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:36 PM ^
I agree. I don't think next year is our year either. We will be better and more experienced in many positions, but I do not think we will be a National Championship contender. 2011 is the year where we could really be set up for a run.
The recruiting this year and last year will really determine how good we will be in 2011.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:06 PM ^
I have 2011 being our so called "breakout year" were we will show a lot of success and good execution with less mistakes. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, this year can still be a success. We have some big games left on the schedule and we will most likely get our bowl streak back on the the right track. I think this season is still a success and a good step in the right direction if we get to 7-5. Beating OSU can also make this a great season. I don't know what is happening to the team as of late, but they need to figure it out fast before the big ten season passes them up. Hopefully the guys can get used to the weather as well.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:39 AM ^
Were you expecting Michigan to win the Big 10 by 3 games? Did you even go so far as to think about legit a BCS Championship? I sure hope not. So no, you don't sound like a Cubs fan.
The Cub cycle starts with high expectations, followed by a kick to the groin, rationalization, and hope which then leads to high expecatations.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:39 PM ^
Moises Alou couldn't have said it better man
October 26th, 2009 at 1:59 PM ^
I would say my two largest sports loves are michigan football and cubs baseball (they are the only two in which a regular season loss to a better team destroys my day/week). That being said the Cubs are way more painful then Michigan football and it's not close. They always look good on paper and then lose. The worse part is as a Cub fan, no matter how good you think we are, you know in your heart you are going to lose. This makes the loss that much worse because you blame yourself for contributing to the karma. Furthermore, I have witnessed a Michigan National Championship in my lifetime. On the flip side, one of my dreams (not goals cause I have no confidence in it) is to see the Cubs just PLAY (not result dependent) in 1 world series before I die.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:41 PM ^
Cubbies are 100 years and counting for a WS Champ. We are all of 2 yrs into the RR era. Actually, things look bright now, and only look better in the future.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:41 PM ^
I think you missed the analogy.
October 26th, 2009 at 1:58 PM ^
I agree that it is unrealistic to expect a NC run next year, however there are plenty of reasons to heightened expectations. I do expect for RR to get his much needed "statement win(s)" next season. I expect a 9-3 type of year for next season thanks to the experience gained from this season and the offseason. The team is still young, and we are not losing a large quantity on good players (quality in BG and DW will hurt, but we have some young guys waiting in the wings that will hopefully become adequate replacements with time), so we should continue to improve every year for the next several years. It is an exciting time to be an M fan, because every year we will get to see improvement from the prior year, and that is a lot better than seeing the W/L column going the other direction every year!