Program Snapshot post PSU
Sorry, this helps me cope. Here is my take on where we stand overall:
National Scene
- We are not on the radar until next year
- We all knew we weren’t there anyway after Wisconsin
- We are hoovering around being a top 10 program. There's a huge gap right now in college football between being a top 10 and a top 5 program.
Big Ten Scene
- Big Ten Title hopes are gone
- We would need both: 1. MSU to beat PSU and 2. Wisconsin to beat OSU to get back in the hunt. If that doesn’t happen this week, it’s officially over. If it happened, we would still need to win out and hope PSU loses to OSU. Then it would be 3 way tie. PSU would get eliminated due to divisional tiebreaker and we go to Indy based on head to head. Credit to someone else who pointed this slim scenario out to me.
- So yes, our big ten title hopes are down to fractions of a percent for one last week.
Coaching Scene
- I don’t think this week changed much for Harbaugh. The loss definitely hurts him. A win would have helped him a lot more. Most people saw that we were the better team.
- So we will continue to hear an unhappy fan base and the narrative is worse overall for Harbaugh.
- All this means nothing to the powers that be as long as we win 2 of the 3 rivalry games. The decision makers have a different perspective than the fan base. I think they realize the program is in pretty decent shape and think more long term.
- Someone else mentioned Don Brown leaving after the season as a possibility. I personally hope not.
- If we lose to MSU then this could all change for Harbaugh. This is the only way I could see Harbaugh resigning. He isn't getting fired.
The Rest of the Season
- There'll be a lot of trolls on MGOBLOG and people like Paul Finklebaum will talk.
- I think we are in decent shape for the future as long as our recruiting class holds up. Need a signature win to really change our fortunes. This week’s game is important for recruiting. And of course it’s always nice to beat ND.
- Shea quieted the critics temporarily. But now that hope for any form of championship is gone, he is actually on a shorter leash.
- There are still a lot of reasons to watch. Still get the top 3 rivals at home. 2 of them seem winnable. But the watching will be different unless the miracle scenario above happens. Less pints of beer during games for me. Watching with an eye towards next year.
- We have to finish in top ten in recruiting and a ten win season would sure help.
- Honestly, basketball doesn’t do it for me until March madness. Michigan is still about football. At least I have ski season coming up. I feel sorry for you alum who don’t.
- I am sad Bell didn’t catch that. Not just for what it means for the season and for the team. But for Bell. Seems like a good kid to me.
There is one chance the season can still unequivocally be classified as a success.
Beat OSU.
October 20th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
I'm excited for this Saturday. At this time last year, we had a top 5 team in the country. Then OSU ran mesh on us, some guys bailed before the bowl game and suddenly this fan base is comparing Harbaugh to Hoke. The offensive transition is almost over. Shea was throwing guys open consistently against PSU. We're already better than Notre Dame and will prove it this weekend. If that offense keeps improving, we'll give OSU a game in November.
October 20th, 2019 at 7:07 PM ^
we'll beat Notre Dame and MSU
OSU would be the signature win. Just before the early signing day.
October 20th, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
If you're saying PSU D took their foot off the gas, not sure I can agree there... seemed more like we were more aggressive, throwing the ball etc.
One really encouraging note, the team seems like they have been coached to step up in a deficit, in a road environment.
October 20th, 2019 at 7:12 PM ^
I am not sure I see the offense as improving. I saw a good quarter of play, but that doesn't equal a trend. PSU's D has only faced weak offenses this year and they may have gone to sleep in the second half. I think OSU puts up 50 points on PSU and we all come to an awakening.
ND is much weaker than imagined- their secondary is vulnerable but their running back is very good. They almost got clobbered at home by USC. This is a toss up game and will be decided by mistakes and bone headed coaching decisions- JH should let somebody else call the game and give the kids a chance to win it.
October 20th, 2019 at 9:18 PM ^
What am I missing? Did they get all 400 yards in one quarter? That's a ton of output on the #3 defense, and it excludes one of your biggest plays which was negated as OPI (oh by the way, it should have been a DPI given the CB had Nico by the chest plate).
I get it, they lost the TO and score battles. Game over. But how did this offense not show considerable improvement? Especially given the number of drops, that I'm sure Brian will point out were all catchable in UFR.
October 21st, 2019 at 12:23 AM ^
We'll throw out of the Pepcat formation eventually! You'll see!
October 20th, 2019 at 7:04 PM ^
WesternWolverine gave about as level headed a write up as anybody can do.
October 20th, 2019 at 7:20 PM ^
someone else in here said it perfectly... the Wisky loss was maddening. The PSU loss was sad. We were the better team.
October 20th, 2019 at 9:39 PM ^
We outgained them by 134 yards. That game went against us because of a few bounces of the ball and some bad officiating (just normal-bad officiating, not biased-bad like OSU 2016). I can't wait to beat Notre Dame so this site can go back to being for Michigan fans and not people with an axe to grind against Harbaugh.
October 20th, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
It's a pointless axe to grind.
Maybe people don't remember our last coaching search. Basically it was Harbaugh and then a field of lesser candidates.
October 21st, 2019 at 10:25 PM ^
Agree. I am on record as saying that Hoke would be the next Michigan coach in October of Rich Rod's last year because he was the best coach available that would take the job. It is very hard to find a good coach that is willing to leave their current position.
October 20th, 2019 at 7:08 PM ^
I think a lot is riding on this game as unusual as a mid-season interconference match-up can be...did we see a turning point in this offense or is it back to the samo samo
(Michigan is better than USC, FWIW and USC gave ND all kinds of problems)
October 20th, 2019 at 8:38 PM ^
We've had a top 5 recruiting class the last 5 years. It's become pretty evident to me that it just doesn't make a difference. There are clearly much more important factors that go into producing top 10 teams.
October 20th, 2019 at 10:16 PM ^
no, we have not had top 5 recruiting classes.
Maybe top 10, and not always that either
October 21st, 2019 at 11:05 AM ^
you are right.
"no, we have not had top 5 recruiting classes.
Maybe top 10, and not always that either"
Some good classes. some top 25 ish (in retrospect) classes.
why do people just make stuff up? to fit some preconceived narrative, maybe?
M is a top 10 to top 20 ish program.
October 20th, 2019 at 9:59 PM ^
If we beat Notre Dame, then win the next three (very doable as MSU is lousy), lose to OSU then we just need to beat some disinterested team in a mid tier bowl to be 10 - 3 again.
It really could happen.
Beating Notre Dame, at home, at night next week is the key to me.
October 21st, 2019 at 10:41 AM ^
Here is what we are under JH...tied for the second best team in the B1G with PSU and Wiscy. Every other year it's one of them and every other year it's UM. None of use are close to OSU. The big difference is PSU has a much better home field advantage and can beat OSU at home and we can't. But, PSU is not any better than UM. The home team generally wins that game...same as Wiscy. This is never going to change unless we can out-recruit OSU consistently and I don't see that happening. I've resigned myself to this. It won't change in the current landscape of CFB. Maybe player compensation on the horizon will change things.
October 21st, 2019 at 2:47 PM ^
Except TTUU (That Team Under Us) LIVES for its football glory, so player compensation would mean they'd spend MORE money on football.
October 21st, 2019 at 11:00 AM ^
agree with most of your post.
ND is not one of M's 3 biggest rivals. ND doesn't mean that much and is a distraction if our first goal is B1G CC. To go forward, M has to stop living in the past . Times change and hopefully M gets smarter.
October 21st, 2019 at 2:45 PM ^
Western Wolverine, you take good snapshots.
October 21st, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^
we're hoovering?
that sux
October 21st, 2019 at 9:16 PM ^
This was a good, logical post. Something that is less common these days. Much appreciated. Your point about the gap between top 10 and top 5 programs is quite correct.
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