PSA: 5 P5 teams have better record than Harbaugh @ Michigan
January 1st, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:21 PM ^
Our improvement is staggering.
Look at the other teams around us...where were they 3 years ago? Where were we?
January 1st, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
They know it's too soon to trot out the Fire Harbaugh threads, but give it time. At present they just say "Harbaugh needs to be held 'accountable'."
It's what they do.
January 1st, 2017 at 3:23 PM ^
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January 1st, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:25 PM ^
It's amazing how bad Hoke's talent evaluation was on offense. Dan Samuelson over Pocic, one qb in 2013 etc. and yet we had one of the better offenses in the big ten.
January 2nd, 2017 at 7:40 AM ^
The BIG was awful back then is why. Now it's the best conference probably (Rutgers notwithstanding), which makes the turnaround even more impressive
January 1st, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^
Harbaugh inherited Hoke's.
There's a difference.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
What Harabugh is doing and will continue to do is special. He's done this with Hoke's players, next year may be a tougher one with a young team but the future is so bright for this program.
January 1st, 2017 at 3:31 PM ^
0-2 against our rivals the first year. 1-1 this year with an OT loss. Theres no doubt we are heading in the right direction. 1 of our rivals will be in the rear view mirror for years to come. If we out recruit them in our state, how are they going to have the talent to compete?
It might sound negavite to some but I can't wait for him to have the guys he recruited fill the roster. I remember McShay saing that at SOTS and Coach politely corrected him saying all these guys are our guys. But I can't help myself thinking things will be even better in another year or 2.
Go Blue!
January 1st, 2017 at 4:04 PM ^
Should have been 1-1 and a 2 game win streak against that team in our rear view mirror if not for one of the flukey-est plays in football history.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^
I've been spelling it 'flukiest' plays in football history. LOL However you spell it, that play sucked.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:51 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 4:41 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 11:01 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
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January 1st, 2017 at 3:28 PM ^
Sporting News dumb as hell
Name 5 schools out of all of college football , wow what percentage is that ?
alabama -Great Team
clemson -Good Team , see you next year when watson gone.
ohio st-they looked great , getting rolled . overated
oklahoma-crap team -crap conference
stanford-they stink now , on the downfall , wait till next year .
and all the others?
where are they ?
January 1st, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:42 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 4:51 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:45 PM ^
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January 1st, 2017 at 3:37 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^
Why is so hard for people to acknowledge that the program is on a positive overall trajectory, but also that the way this year ended was a significant missed opportunity? Both are true. Coaching is way better, recruiting is back to top 10 classes, culture has been fixed, off the field is fine.
But also, if you've been following Michigan football for decades, you know that there are ebbs and flows with talent, seniority and schedule. And that you have to seize on those years that come along every 3 or 5 or 10 years when you have the opportunity. This team was good, extremely experienced and talented enough. No, probably not good enough to beat Alabama, that's not realistic. But good enough to win the B1G and make the playoff. Sometimes it doesn't work out...and it's quite reasonable to be disappointed when that happens. So just let some people be disappointed and you can be content with 10-3 and it's all good.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
We are both seeing different sides of the same coin. I made this post because it is very easy to forget how impressive the monumental task of righting the Michigan football ship has been. In 2014, there was no reason to think this team would compete for anything. Harbaugh saw the talent and developed it immediately, turning them into B1G contenders in a single season.
Yes, I have a beef with some playcalling. But that has been the case with every coaching staff in the modern era. It is also the case with other elite programs. See MSU v OSU 2015, for example.
In regards to the 'striking while the iron is hot' mentality, there is no reason to think that our recruiting prowess will follow the ebbs and flows of previous staffs, which resulted in 1 special opportunity every 3-5 years. Harbaugh has shown an ability to connect with recruits in ways that his predecessors did not, and he is following it up with results on the field. I think it is safe to expect top 5 classes from this staff for the foreseeable future. In such a case, the loaded 2016 team becomes the norm, not the exception.
This season started with promise and ended with disappointment. I just wanted to put our journey in some relative context.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:14 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 5:06 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 5:46 PM ^
I agree that this year ended up being a missed opportunity, in the sense that we could have easily won every game on the schedule. But I disagree that this year represented some incredible combination of talent and schedule. We had to play the rivalry games on the road, as well as at Iowa, a historically tough place to play. And while we had a superb defense, our offense featured a lot of middling talents, outside of Jake Butt. The OL was shaky and the skill-position guys (Speight, Smith, Darboh, Chesson) were OK but not really game-breakers. We'll likely have improved talent in the future.
I also disagree with the notion that we'll only have an elite team once every several years. The way we are recruiting, it's going to happen more often than that.
January 1st, 2017 at 6:23 PM ^
There are gonna be cycles no matter how talented you are. Usually they parallel QB cycles but sometimes just with overall senior talent. Clemson will have to re-group without Watson, as FSU had to do without Winston. Sometimes you can clearly see it coming, like when we lost everyone on the offense after 2007 or 2000 etc.
Our recruiting is fine but not a juggernaut and it's no better, probably slightly worse than what it was from the mid-80s to mid-00s. We still went through the period down years eg 1984, 1987, 1993, etc (not coincidentally, those were the years right after Smith, Harbaugh and Grbac graduated). Maybe our coaching will be better, but definitely premature to say that at this point.
Now, on occasion, you get a little lucky and exceed your cycle. OSU, which is probably the 2nd most talented program in the country, was in a rebuilding year this year but managed to scrape out close wins over us, MSU and NW or this could have easily have been an 8-5 or 9-4 season for them. Occasionally you can buck the trend with a little bit of luck but generally not how it works even for the most talented schools. Or maybe you do a little worse if your QB gets injured etc. Alabama right now is more or less the exception to the rule. Even like an Alabama, they are basically having to make up for QB weakness/inexperience with a superlative D. Most schools can't cover up a big weakness like that, we couldn't with OL. But Alabama is pretty much at a Manifest College Football Destiny level at this point as they prove Crimson Tide exceptionalism. Fuckers.
January 1st, 2017 at 9:35 PM ^
Experience doesn't hurt, but it's not necessarily the difference-maker fans think it is. Here are this year's four playoff teams, ranked by senior contributors (out of 128) by Phil Steele:
Washington - 42
Clemson - 101
Alabama - 116
OSU - 128
Incidentally, Washington only had four senior starters per Steele, so I don't know why they are even ranked that highly.
The bigger issue is having enough talent, and that shouldn't be a concern for us going forward.
January 2nd, 2017 at 12:11 AM ^
Some good points. But I haven't looked a Steele in a while. I guess he is only weighting strictly for seniors so a true freshman and a RS junior are both just "not seniors". Doesn't seem like a great system for really evaluating the whole roster.
January 1st, 2017 at 6:18 PM ^
I agree with the points you made. And I disagree with the Jed York-ish sorts of comments that some posters have made about Harbaugh (and the players) when disappointment set in. That shouldn't be hard to understand. Just like, one could be (and should have been) disappointed with the final play of the 2015 MSU game, without voicing extreme and personal insults about O'Neil who had one bad play in that game.
January 1st, 2017 at 11:08 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 3:39 PM ^
I wouldn't trade organizations at this point with ANY of them.
January 1st, 2017 at 3:46 PM ^
And the fanbase needs to have some patience and perspective. No, Harbaugh is not God and not without flaw, but he is an elite coach and turned this ship around completely in 2 years.
Even more impressive...when have we actually been blown off the field? Once, is all I can remember...last year's OSU game where we had D-line injuries exploited, and frankly, they had an all time team of upperclass NFL talent.
Just think about this, and now add in a dominant Harbaugh O-line that can close games out with a power running game...
5 of the 6 losses...
1) to Utah by 1 score in Ruddock's debut in which he missed 3 sure TD's downfield
2) The MSU fluke last play punt
3) 1 point road loss at Iowa (IMO, this was the most disappointing loss of the Harbaugh tenure-one we blew)
4) The OSU officiating debacle, double OT bs loss
5) An epic game where we came back with great heart against a solid FSU squad.
So, yes, we've been on the short end of some heartbreakers, but this team is already competing at a very high level, and is 1 or 2 recruiting classes away from finishing off those types of games and competing with Bama.
January 1st, 2017 at 5:51 PM ^
I would agree with all that and just add that our most disappointing loss (Iowa) came to an 8-4 team on the road, at night. We should have won but it wasn't necessarily the complete shock result it has been portrayed as.
January 1st, 2017 at 3:52 PM ^
5 points from being undefeated? I'll take it even if the losses were very disappointing. And a muffed punt leading to another loss last year. Could be 24-2. Sure, "coulda woulda shoulda" but there's only been 1 game where Michigan has been clearly outplayed so far. Can't wait for a full roster of Harbaugh's recruits and some QB consistency. The future is bright and I wouldn't want any other coach for this team.
January 1st, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^
January 1st, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
I've been thinking about this topic for a little while now ... what programs truly are in a good position, what programs are on the fence, what programs are receding, and which are just tire fires.
Alabama is clearly the cream of the crop. They're a win factory at this point.
Ohio State, despite their loss yesterday, is in a very good spot.
Clemson probably is, depending on how they transition after Watson. Dabo Swinney is doing a great job there attracting talent.
Florida State -- they'll compete each year. Fisher is a good coach.
Washington -- as long as Petersen is there, they're the new Oregon in the Pac-12.
Michigan -- I'd rank them with FSU and Washington ... challengers to Alabama regency. Not yet there, but working towards it.
Florida -- I'm not so sure McElwain is the guy. Maybe, but the jury is out in my mind.
LSU -- Good, but not great; will live in Alabama's shadow.
Georgia -- will play second fiddle to Florida, Alabama.
Miami (YTM) -- I like Richt, he'll do okay, but won't challenge for the top.
Texas -- Herman is a good hire, but he's got a mess on his hands. We'll see.
Oklahoma -- I sense Stoops is a spent force. 10-2 ceiling in a poor conference.
USC -- no shortage of talent, but man what a mess that program has been.
Stanford -- Will dwindle.
Notre Dame -- They seem to be drifting aimlessly. I see chaos in their future.
Michigan State -- Done.
Wisconsin -- Meh ... B1G west but who cares.
Nebraska -- May compete for B1G west occasionally, but otherwise they're done.
Beyond that ... a bunch of programs that may occasionally do okay, but their trend lines simply does not project solidly.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^
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January 1st, 2017 at 4:17 PM ^
Relevant username.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
Pros: Harbaugh has done wonders turning the program around from recruiting, perception, talent development, brand marketing and value and general play on the field.
He also runs a clean program with integrity...and can be fun to watch as well.
Cons: Harbaugh still has a way to go in terms of his in-game coaching decisions. In critical games, there has been a stubborness to stick with certain offensive players (RBs) and plays which repeatedly failed, and were very poor calls/strategies in those particular situations (MSU punt formation last season, Iowa offense, OSU offensive calls, FSU offensive calls in the red zone, this season). At other times, the team has come out flat and unfocused in games where one would think that they would be sky high.
He maximizes the players abilities overall, but could do a better job of putting the offensive players in a better position to succeed during games.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:26 PM ^
As I said, the offensive playcalling was an issue with Hoke, RR, Carr, etc, as far back as I have been watching Michigan football. It is also not something that is isolated to Michigan. Alabama has bad offensive games with poor playcalling. OSU has bad offensive games with poor playcalling. It is an area of improvement.
January 2nd, 2017 at 8:41 AM ^
There was plenty of bitching about Schembechler's playcalling during the '70s when we were losing games to OSU in the early part of the decade as well as in all the bowl games we were losing.
And a good portion of the criticism had merit, too—Bo was never an offensive innovator, and believe me, there were plenty of games in Michigan Stadium where I and the fans near me could predict play calls in advance with alarming accuracy.
January 1st, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^
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January 1st, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
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January 2nd, 2017 at 12:13 AM ^
Why is Oklahoma done? I mean, yeah, they have a little bit of that later in the tenure feel w/o that cutting edge from when Stoops started, not like how they were in 2000 or 2003 or whatever. Their offense is not as unique as it was when Stoops started. But they were in the CFP just last year, they still won their conference this year, have top 10 recruiting class consistently, and are in what is clearly the weakest of the Power 5 conferences.
Texas has massive potential but is is going to take a while to rebuild that program, and their boosters are prone to messing it up due to impatience.