Don't look now but Ohio State appears poised to win the Leaders Division
That is, unless we can stop them from doing so. The standings are misleading. PSU stands at 5-0 and in first place of the Leaders Divisionbut they have a brutal 3 game stretch to finish the season. I suspect they will lose all three games. But even if they just lose 2 of them that would place them in a tie with Ohios State who currenty only has 2 conference losses. Meanwhile Ohios State would have the head to head tie breakers against PSU and Wisconsin. The only thing really standing between OSU and the B!0 championship game is Michigan. Btw, I was very impressed with the OSU defense last night. They really out muscled Wisconsin.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:47 AM ^
The test for Hoke is OSU.
If he fails, Da-veed will run him through his personal grape presser (it's monogrammed, natch) and take over the team for the bowl game.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:53 AM ^
After you have tried detox, why don't you come back and try again?
October 30th, 2011 at 4:50 PM ^
Your momma Bill in Birmingham...Just trying to start a healthy discussion on a tough opponent that is still on my schedule. But I suppose that's way above your head...
October 30th, 2011 at 4:56 PM ^
Bill's response was to the jibberish NYC_wolverines posted
October 31st, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
Your mom goes to college
October 30th, 2011 at 8:53 AM ^
October 30th, 2011 at 9:21 AM ^
Re new coaches, schemes, etc.... When Bo beat Woody, I am pretty sure Bo did not say, in describing The Game "Well boys, we have all these mitigating factors, so let's just treat this as a tune-up for next year..."
If Tressel came up here and beat us his first year, I want Hoke to be able to boast the same. It's Michigan v. OSU, it's The Rivalry.
Sure, Iowa, the "game by game, don't look ahead" is fine, but I am pleased that Hoke put up the countdown clocks for MSU and OSU.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
October 30th, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^
While that tends to describe Bum's tenure as Head Coach, his 1968 team was ranked 4th in country heading into the OSU game.
October 30th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
The were also one yard short of being undefeated in 1964, shut out OSU (YTOSU), and won the 1965 Rose Bowl handily over OSU (NTOSU).
October 30th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
In 1969, OSU had what people were calling the best team in college football history. In 2011, they will enter the Michigan game with 3-4 losses and have a freshman quarterback and interim coach.
You're right, it's not the same situation. In terms of the rivalry, Hoke has it MUCH easier and I expect him to pounce on the opportunity at home.
October 30th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^
wasn't much different. In 2001, OSU came to Ann Arbor with a 6-4 record, a first year coach and coordinators, and a QB making his first career start after Belisari's DUI earlier in the week. Michigan was 8-2 and ranked 11th.
OSU won 26-20.
October 30th, 2011 at 2:56 PM ^
1969 was significant.
October 30th, 2011 at 12:55 PM ^
And if LSAClassof2000 is what a fierce pragmatist looks like, I no longer want to be one.
Be a FAN, man. Not a whimpering sap offering preemptive apologies.
October 30th, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^
I have to laugh at the absurdity of the poster who hates basically every coach/GM in town talking about the need to "be a fan."
October 30th, 2011 at 2:10 PM ^
Didn't anticipate personal abuse. If there's anything the last three years taught me, it's pragmatism about Michigan football, and no, I would never apologize for beating OSU. No one should ever apologize for beating that school in any sport, including intramural ones.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
October 30th, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
Bullshit. That's a loser's mentality and it's not one that Bo (or Tressel, quite frankly) carried into this rivalry.
It is a test. It is HUGE, from day one. Hoke wouldn't tell you any different. Your post goes against the very spirity of football and rivalries.
October 30th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
You are the biggest moron on these boards.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
I am probably in the 95th percentile of this board in terms of verbal skills.
One piece of this evidence is I have never resorted to the sentence "You are the biggest moron on these boards."
October 31st, 2011 at 4:38 AM ^
October 30th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
No, he wont. Hoke has already exceeded most fans expectations for this year.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:49 AM ^
By the time we play them, they will have had 2 or 3 more players suspended so no worries.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:53 AM ^
Good. Maybe we can beat them twice.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:54 AM ^
No....by the time WE face them all players will be magically reinstated. Heck - I'm still not 100% sure TP won't somehow be granted just one more game eligibility so he can play.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:21 AM ^
Were they not supposed to have the ruling on them by now?
October 30th, 2011 at 11:39 AM ^
The first round of rulings/sanctions are going to come out right before The Game. That could deflate them a bit. Is that timeline right?
October 30th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^
expected them to come out on Friday of the bye week. Now, who knows?
October 30th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
Was the second Posey allegation actually in the NOA, or did they have to go back and add it? If they had to go back it seems like they would tack on a week or two to their schedule.
October 30th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
on that one. My understanding is that they were aware of the issue before the hearing, but I could be wrong.
October 30th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
Kinda makes one re-think the outrage most UM fans expressed when it looked like the OSU vs. Michigan game might get moved up in the schedule by the evil Jim Delaney. If UM had gotten the chance to play OSU when MSU got the Buckeyes (no Mike Adams, no Dan Herron, still unsettled on a QB), I am pretty confident UM would have won the game.
Unfortunately, Braxton Miller is starting to remind me of Troy "Wolverine Slayer" Smith. He looks kind of lost out there but just "makes plays" with his feet and, occasionally, his arm.
October 30th, 2011 at 2:34 PM ^
You don't trade the sanctity of that game for all eternity in return for one win.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:54 AM ^
I think just about everybody over-estimated Wisconsin after they embarrassed Nebraska. They are a decent football team, but they seem to have peaked early in the season while most everybody else is improving.
This will make our victory over Ohio all the sweeter. Hell, maybe we'll get to beat them twice in one year!
October 30th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^
That Wisky played two night road games in tough environments and lost those on two hail mary type passes.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:38 AM ^
Definitely a tough row to hoe, those games could of went the other way for sure.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:03 AM ^
October 30th, 2011 at 11:50 AM ^
They're not a national championship caliber team but they're still probably the "best" team in the conference. in games against the three next best teams in the league (MSU, Neb and the current level of OSU) they lost two of them in away games in the closest possible manner, while destroying the third.
In any neutral field playoff among B1G teams Wisco would justifiably still be the favorite. Maybe OSU at this point, but who knows with that team.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:00 AM ^
PSU has 3 tough games left. The easiest of which is OSU. If PSU wins that one game, they stand in fron ot OSU. If PSU losses to OSU, then they may take themselves out of it (because they will likely then lose the other two as well).
PSU is as legitimate as UM RIGHT NOW.
SO...unsurprisingly, it is PSU that stands in front of OSU and the B10 championship game.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^
If tsio loses 1 more then even Wisconsin is ahead of them and ...so actually No they are not "poised" to win their division. They DO NOT control their own destiny.
Go Blue!
October 30th, 2011 at 9:04 AM ^
I was thinking this last night. How sucky is our conference this year, if a team that got pummeled by MIAMI will be in the conference championship? Penn State, for all that is said about them, only lost to Bama...a respectable loss.
I still think Penn State beats OSU, and will clear this up. They will not let them run on them.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^
is not the same Ohio team that is playing now. The only Big Ten school that got to see that team is MSU which is why they control their own destiny in the Legends.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:26 AM ^
Every time OSU went out and embarrassed itself earlier this season, I reminded myself that, by the time we play them, Dan Herron will have started six games this season and Braxton Miller will have ten games under his belt. "This is not that team. This is not that team. This is not that team."
October 30th, 2011 at 9:41 AM ^
Yesterday, if there was any wilting in OSU's confidence, it's no longer there. Miller is beginning to actually look good, good enough that if Tyrelle were still around, I'm not sure I'd not rather see him out there instead of Miller as the starting QB. Of course that defense is a beast; suddenly my concerns for THE GAME have risen several notches.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:16 AM ^
They'll also have Devier Posey back.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:14 AM ^
Don't forget that Joe Bauserman was behind center for OSU.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:06 AM ^
I think we all know in our hearts that OSU is going to smash Penn State.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:23 AM ^
PSU's record against tsio is not that bad.
Go Blue!
October 30th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
against Penn State since PSU joined the B1G. At home, OSU is 8-1 against Penn State.
October 30th, 2011 at 1:58 PM ^
I'm curious though how many teams have that many wins against OSU since PSU joined the Big Ten. It's probably not all that many.
October 30th, 2011 at 2:38 PM ^
We have six, Illinois has four. I'm not about to go deeper because it would require looking up entire OSU seasons and that would make me physically ill.