Updated ESPN "Way-Too-Early Top 25" - Michigan #3
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/15994654/alabama-crimson…
8. ND
9. OSU
15. MSU
Baylor dropped out completely.
Yes I'm aware they just make minor changes to get people like me to click on it. And yes I will still inhale the whole thing.
This has to a based mostly on our defensive prowess. Ranking us #3 without a clear QB picture is a stretch.
Or they needed some clicks and comments.
I agree with the QB situation. I wonder if we would be #1 or #2 if Jake Rudock was returning.
Just my opinion, but I think the #1/#2 slots in preseason are those slots reserved for those who have proven to go out and beaten the best. You could tell me Alabama was replacing all 22 of his starters from last year, we return all our starters from last year, and I'm still not convinced we win that game.
I'm not convinced that Jake Rudock could out-duel Deshaun Watson. Especially considering that Watson looked damn good against Alabama's defense and won that game almost by himself.
We have not beaten the best yet.
Watson did not win that game
Watson looked damn good against Alabama's defense and almost won that game by himself.
way-to-early National Champion or way-to-early World Champion if that was the case. Not to mention, Ruddock as way-to-early Heisman Winner...Chesson and Darboh way-to-early co- Biletnikoff winners, Peppers way-to- early 1st Pick in NFL draft, etc
Ruddock won't be winning any awards, even if he was coming back.
Rudock,on the other hand, was awesome and I wish we had another year of him.
Not being a spelling snob...jerk.Were you around last season? The rule was that the worse he performed, the more D's added to his name.
Kind of like Ryan Raburn/Rayburn for the Tigers a few years back.
time on MGoBlog and make minimal comments when compared to to masses on this site.
I was not aware of proper and improper D usage.
time on MGoBlog and make minimal comments when compared to to masses on this site.
I was not aware of proper and improper D usage.
time on MGoBlog and make minimal comments when compared to to masses on this site.
I was not aware of proper and improper D usage.
But when I do I post the same thing three times in a row.
I have an amazing WPM!
But when I do I post the same thing three times in a row.
Apparently, more opportunities for him to be negged.
I understand. It's quite a time commitment.
And there are plenty of websites out there to instruct you in proper D usage.
I have always had a fondness for the "sorry, I don't spend as much time on this site as you lot" defense.
UofMCraZ has been found NOT GUILTY of using this defense in the past. Maybe this will get my MGo points back????? Maybe? saying there's a chance?
Holy shit, tons of teams could say if they had one guy back they'd be much higher ranked. Can't go down that road. Even worse when your guy was a Sr.; semi-legit if he was a Jr. that went pro early.
If we had Tom Brady back for his 21st year we'd be runaway national championship favorites!
And that rivalry with Tennessee would really be something.
Better to be ranked highly because of a kickass defense with the faith that your head coach is a great QB coach than to be ranked highly because you have shiny offensive stars and a shitty defense.
Like 2007.
the 2007 season...
What a bloody waste that was. That team was built to win the national title that year.
#thehorror
2007....
Plus the injury factor. If your high ranking is based on a superstar QB then one play could likely kill the potential. A top rated D in theory should be more robust and be able to handle at least one key injury and still be very very good.
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is soft. You can get away with the questionable starting QBs in the first 5 games since they're all at home in AA because of the defense carrying the team.
Was it Alabama a few years ago who was ranked really high, and everyone was up in arms because they didnt have a 'clear cut QB' heading into the season? When McCarron left, I believe there wasn't a clear cut QB unitl the final week of camp. Worked out well for them.
Worked out pretty damn well for Alabama. Not so well for MSU.
Nevermind OSU winning a NC with their 3rd string QB two seasons ago.
Haha exactly. While the QB is definitely a key figurehead in the overall direction of which way the season will go, I still think defense, returning starters and team synergy play a pivotal role.
Besides, it's not like we are heading into the season with a THREET vs. SHERIDAN competition!!! :)
That was mostly a matter of Jones catching fire, and Urban being extremely good at finding the one thing a QB does well and asking him to do it again and again.
However, we have the best QB coach in all of football as our HC. QB is the one position that I refuse to worry about going forward. No matter who is under center, we're going to be just fine.
Sounds like you have almost convinced yourself.
Quarterback is probably the position to have the least concern about, given Harbaugh's prowess. An easy nonconference schedule combined with the first five games being within the friendly confines of Ann Arbor should further mitigate concern.
I clicked on it. Damnit.
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Too high fo now.
Seems about right. Most places seem to think top four.
too low.
I don't think we should be ranked that high until we beat MSU and OSU.
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Ranked higher to start the season? Both teams lost so many proven stars. Our team is returning a ton of great players.
Returning a ton of great players, yes. But starting a new QB is stressful. And a ranking THAT high is extremely generous, maybe a little too generous.
I'm trying to think of the last time we had this high of a ranking going into the season with a new QB and I'm coming up with 1981. That was fresh off a Rose Bowl victory season, many key pieces coming back but a brand new QB. And that team lost a shocking season opener against Wisconsin (in the days where you DON'T lose to Wisconsin). Two other close heartbreakers and that team finished 9-3.
Yeah, I went back 35 years to make a comparison, which is probably lame as hell. Laugh if you wish.
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henson was the new QB (although injured to start the year) and we returned a great OL with plenty of stars on D.
That team was #4 to start the season. Henson was expected to do great things and he did. But the defense was very young and they played like it in every road game. 54-51 to Northwestern, ugh.
I guess that team is technically a comparison in starting a new QB but we return much more on defense this year than the 2000 team did.
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I don't [believe one] can think of Henson as a "new QB" in any sense at all in 2000. Yes, he hadn't actually started. But he played in every 2nd quarter for two thirds of the season, plus a couple of second halves (or at least parts of them, MSU alas) and was a known, productive quantity. (EDIT: reworded this paragraph because it sounds like a caustic smackdown of WH, whose opinion here isn't bad at all and whom I respect in any event. I apologize for typing like a jerk.)
This year it is either O'Korn, whose last game action was mediocrity in Houston a couple of years ago, or Speight, who made one nice throw but otherwise looked pretty challenged against Minnesota last season.
The defenses are night and day different.
All this aside, Michigan's preseason ranking was torpedoed by having Henson hurt to start the year, which forced us to start not-ready-yet redshirt freshman John Navarre at UCLA, a game we still almost won.
How about 2004? Maybe not quite that high and it was not only a new qb but a true freshman.
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In 1993 we were ranked pretty high to start the year and Todd Collins was taking over from Elvis Grbac.
According to Wikipedia M was #3 in both polls at the start of the 1993 season.
I want ohio state ranked #1 until we beat them every year...
I want MSU to lose every fucking game they ever play.
Sometimes I pretend that I want state to do ok, but that is a lie and I hate them!!!
Agree. This sums it up perfectly
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Meh..I would have to actually care to hate state. They had their moment in the sun...oops Alabama just scored again. Let's beat the Buckeyes!
you are good with losing to State?