Looking on the bright side:
In 2008, Urban Meyer led his Florida team to great heights just two years after he won a championship while beating his biggest competitor, Alabama in the biggest game of the year. Meyer also signed one of the best recruiting classes in the country while Alabama was relegated to the Sugar Bowl.
In 2016, Urban Meyer led his Ohio State team to great heights just two years after he won a championship while beating his biggest competitor, Michigan, in the biggest game of the year. Meyer will likely sign one of the best recruiting classes in the country, while Michigan will likely be relegated to the Orange Bowl.
Both Harbaugh and Saban were in their second years at programs that were historically great but fell on hard times. College Football changes fast, keep the faith, and don't ever stop believing. Go Blue!
December 4th, 2016 at 2:51 AM ^
I've been drinking heavily, but I just see so much gloom and doom that it's nice to know that the best possible outcomes are still, in fact, possible.
December 4th, 2016 at 6:40 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 3:10 AM ^
Ugh, fine. I appreciate your optimism. :)
December 4th, 2016 at 3:15 AM ^
Let's recruit like Bama did after the 2008 season.
December 4th, 2016 at 3:24 AM ^
if we want to make more comparisons,
Alabama signed the #1 WR in the country, who was from their home state, and was widely coveted by every program in the nation. (Julio Jones=DPJ?)
And our average star rating and class score, if most Best Guess Recruiting Classes are remotely accurate, will be above 2008 Alabama.
December 4th, 2016 at 8:07 AM ^
Has there been any 'grade inflation' in recruiting star rating? More 4 and/or 5 stars in 2016 than in 2008?
If not, and if Harbaugh 's second class closes out as projected, then maybe the Saban second year is a valid comparison.
December 4th, 2016 at 9:59 AM ^
Just stop it... Urban is recruiting his best class of his career. We aren't closing the gap. It's widening.
December 4th, 2016 at 10:10 AM ^
When's the last time we could look at the OSU game and say we clearly outplayed them for almost the entire game, win or loss? 2003? Harbaugh is finishing up on the best class we've seen in a decade. The further we get from Hoke's OL recruiting mishaps, the better.
December 4th, 2016 at 10:17 AM ^
Personally, I think if Harbaugh gets the right guys playing OLine in the next couple years...we will give OSU all they can handle and then some. Obviously dline too.
The thing that get me about being in these threads is that there are always those people out there that think just because we are Michigan, we are due, and Harbaugh is our coach that we are automatically going to win the Natty every year. It ain't that easy fellas. Look around. We took a lot of shit for granted back in the day.
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December 4th, 2016 at 11:33 AM ^
Why do we need the very highest ranked class to win it all?
Are the differences between the #4 class and the number 1 class so great that coaching can't overcome them? (Please tell Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa)
December 4th, 2016 at 7:47 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 3:32 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 3:51 AM ^
it's close. I hope Clemson annhiliates them 49-6
December 4th, 2016 at 4:41 AM ^
Is it too much to ask that they get their asses handed to them AND have a few bad calls go againt them? Then we can laugh at the fanz whining about a holding call from when they're down 5 touchdowns being why they lost.
December 4th, 2016 at 8:01 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 8:50 AM ^
Why would you hope OSU does well i.e. winning another national championship? Big 10 logic I suppose. The league is good. We don't need OSU to do well to prove that. Fuck them and fuck wishing them well in a playoff.
December 4th, 2016 at 9:16 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:33 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:57 AM ^
I'm typically a conference guy as well but after the bullshit they pulled last saturday I hope the ACC wins every ACC/B1G challenge and the B1G goes 1-7 every bowl season with the 1 win belonging to Michigan. Fuck the big ten.
December 4th, 2016 at 8:52 AM ^
I'm not convinced Clemson would annihilate Grand Valley
December 4th, 2016 at 9:13 AM ^
The Big Ten is legit good and Clemson has spent the entire season barely beating ok teams. Wouldn't surprise me to see a beat down. like 56-20 Ohio State
December 4th, 2016 at 9:32 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 9:41 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 9:00 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 9:51 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:20 AM ^
This is stupid.
It benefits us directly both in terms of SOS, and more importantly, if the conference is strong it entices recruits. Middling SEC teams were able to receive an extreme boost the last decade by being able to sell being in the best conference.
However, Ohio State is an exception to this and PSU may be becoming one, because those two schools are already recruiting well enough where we'd rather hurt them with losses. Especially OSU, I hope they lose by 80.
December 4th, 2016 at 10:38 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:58 AM ^
Agreed.
December 4th, 2016 at 3:38 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 4:05 AM ^
make the playoffs with a historically great defense, it rightfully will leave fans disappointed. Hate to say it, but we haven't had too many great moments over the last 15 years that went our way.
December 4th, 2016 at 9:21 AM ^
People keep saying this as if defense is the only phase of the game. Offense: average OL, OK WR's (including near disappearance of Chesson in big games), limited RBs, first year QB (who I really like). Yes AA TE, but too many limitations. It cost us in two very close games, though even in those a play here or there (and some terrible officiating at critical moments) M could have been 12-0. That seems like a pretty good result, #5 in the country.
We'll have very good defenses in the future (and sometimes historically great), and vastly better offenses. Is this so hard to see?
December 4th, 2016 at 10:24 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:39 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:44 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 7:40 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 9:14 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 10:10 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 9:34 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 3:53 AM ^
5 conference champions plus 3 at-large. That would give us 3 BIG teams this year and will facilitate any Division imbalances in the future.
December 4th, 2016 at 7:32 AM ^
First week 28 bowl games
8 byes
Reseed
2 byes
Then 17 more bowl games
Keep on going
But you have to get way better officials...
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December 4th, 2016 at 8:59 AM ^
This will be the year that makes the committee consider having an expanded field in the future. If OSU is left out, they bitch because they think they have the best resume, and because they have Urban Meyer. If PSU is left out, they bitch because they have the conference title and the head to head win over OSU. If Washington is left out, then its all a major conspiracy against the Pac-12.
If I were an OSU fan, I'd be a bit concerned tonight. There is a legitimate case now for them being left out. But I think this is why it needs to go to six teams. 1 and 2 get first round byes, 6 has to play 3, 4 has to play 5. 1 then gets to play the lowest ranked seed the following week.
December 4th, 2016 at 10:13 AM ^
is it not the controversy that the CFP causes that keeps people (fans) "engaged"...
3 of the 4 teams are going to face the same eventual fate as the #5 team, just that they got to play an extra game or two.
Not trying to say I don't care, I think we made a great case, but the bounce of the footballl didn't go our way this year.
December 4th, 2016 at 3:59 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 4:02 AM ^
it's because dates=things. I'm using a pretty similar example of a situation much like the one Michigan is in, and how fast college football changes as a sport. I really don't think because Alabama got Julio Jones in 2008, it means Michigan will get Donovan Peoples-Jones and be a great dynasty. In no way, shape, or form, do I believe Causation=Correlation.
December 4th, 2016 at 5:23 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 8:02 AM ^
December 4th, 2016 at 8:15 AM ^
valid.
At that time Florida with Meyer looked like an unstoppable juggernauht. They were winning everhything and getting amazing recruiting classes. And then suddenly things did not go according to script.
Just a really good example of how, even when a program looks unstoppable, stuff happens and they come back to earth.
December 4th, 2016 at 8:26 AM ^
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December 4th, 2016 at 8:48 AM ^
Florida finished 8-5, and then Meyer 'retired.' They have never recovered.
In 2007 Florida finished with the no. 1 recruiting class. In 2008 they had the no. 6 class.
And when those guys should have been hitting their stride in 2010 Florida finished 8-5, and in 2011 (under Muschamp) they finished 7-6.
All those losses cannot be attributed to Saban arriving at Alabama.
Starz are not everything. You are not going to win it all without stringing together several top 10 classes. But college football is high variance, so things can go sideways fast for any number or reasons.
One factor for Florida probably was that after Tebow, they never really found a QB that worked really well for their system.