ESPN's way too early bowl predictions

Citrus or Holiday at worst, maybe even Rose at best.

I think there's a long list of reasons to expect big improvement over last year, but disregarding all the other ones, simply looking at the difference that motivation, intensity, focus, effort and engaged coaching made in the OSU game vs the rest of the season should be a big clue that with Harbaugh and the new staff we'll be seeing at least that level of those intangibles all year and through the roof in rivalry and revenge games. That factor alone would've turned at least 3 of last years losses into wins, and maybe more.

Now add in the difference between no special teams coach and terrible special teams switching to one of, if not the, best special teams coaches in the land. This is a guy who scores a lot of points with his S/T's. We might even put the right number of guys on the field!

Now look at the number of guys Hoke buried on the bench or played out of position or didn't use well and look at the new staff and their reps for evaluating and maximizing talent and the way they've looked at so many guys trying new spots. Just think of one position, RB, with Drake on the bench all year until injuries forced the Hoke hand.

Think about Rudock's lack of int's, that means we'll have his safe game managing as a floor if nobody beats him out, how many games will that be worth compared to being turnover central? Also a player I spoke with told me he thinks we'll go with Rudock given his experience and that he "doesn't try to throw interceptions" & that Harbaugh will try to make him a little "more courageous"

Think of Drake playing all year instead of a few games if he comes back healthy, or if Isaac or Higdon is better?

The line was already improved and improving and gelling last year, it's ready to step up. Don't forget they were split up in the spring game and that aside from the couple of trick plays the offenses were only running 5 plays. The D knew all the plays and had seen them every day, and as one of the starters told me, "we have a very good defense"

The tight ends had injuries and were pretty much ignored. With, ahem, a fully healthy Butt... improving Hill back, Bunting ready to play(?), & Ty coming in, with Harbaugh's TE usage this will be a big difference making position. We will open the defense and keep so many of our former 3 & out drives alive by awakening the TE and using it as a weapon. The fullback will now be another weapon that has to be accounted for coming out of the backfield and actually running the ball as well.

Speaking of weapons we didn't see in the spring game, think of Peppers on offense and returning kicks and punts?

Peppers basically didn't play last year, assuming he stays healthy for the whole year, is that not an impactful difference to the whole defense? Morgan back for a whole year after missing most of the year. The D is ready to be a dominant force with all the returning & emerging talent along with the tremendous coaching improvement. I mean going from a guy learning on the job trying to coach db's to having a playmaking & play calling coach on the field in Peppers joining the backfield being coached by longtime NFL db's in playing and coaching?

This is a coach & staff on a mission. The team will be on a mission. They can't possibly be as disorganized or as mistake prone as before. They will know what the hell they're doing so much more as individuals and as a team. The coaching staff won't possibly do as many dumb things or be as clueless and listless as the old one, sorry.

I was talking to someone on the Dline about the problems with the offense and he said when they (on D) would be running gassers & busting their asses the offense would be doing casual walk throughs and standing around a lot. I asked if he thought that was because Hoke was just a defensive guy and not paying much attention to the offense and he said that he thinks that was part of it. So think of the fact that not only will that obviously never be the case again, but that the whole team now spends twice as much time practicing on the field instead of meeting room time.

I don't know what we'll see out of the receivers. I hope Cole can play a lot and live up to the flashes he's shown, that others step up, that Peppers is peppered in. There's still a chance of a grad transfer also. But regardless, after summer drills, lifting and conditioning and fall camp I fully expect to see an offense come out that at the very least will look sharp, organized, disciplined, intense, playing with purpose, effort and heart and not killing itself with the same mistakes over and over again.

If you remember, that's what we had all year in '97 prior to the Rose Bowl when Griese and the O opened it up a little. I'm not counting on a '97 defense, but this could be a hell of a defense!

We have both bad guys at home this year, that's a big difference too.

Any great year takes some luck with injuries and balls and calls bouncing your way and everything coming together, nothing can be counted on even for a monster team, but I don't think there's a game on our schedule that we can't win. Barring serious injury problems I have a hard time seeing less than 9 wins and wouldn't be shocked no matter how many more than that they won.

I'm not promising or counting on anything more than 9/10 wins, but it's certainly not out of the question. We have had actively bad coaching and bad luck & extreme levels of unforced errors, self defeat and helping the other team. Simply bring all of that to average would be a big help, but flipping to great coaching, a will and know how to win, forcing errors and hopefully some good luck.. anything is possible. We don't need anything on the level of the one year Auburn turn around, but we know even that is possible.

I am sure JH will play that up.

Yes, it could have been the Poulan Weedeater Bowl!

My kids love these.

Nothing gets you going like GMO corn and factory farmed antibiotic laden chicken. Mmmmmm, Mmmmmmmm!

Levi's Stadium is in Santa Clara.

Office parks and Great America parking lot. 

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Except that only one of those supposed next tier of teams has a coach like Harbaugh. JH has to be worth at least 3 wins over guys like Riley and Ferentz. I don't expect us to be undefeated or anything but we return nearly everyone from our team last year and JH has had quick turnarounds at San Diego, Stanford, and San Francisco so I don't think we're going to be limping around just adding a win over Rutgers or Maryland which is essentially what this guy is predicting. I see 8-4 as the low end and 9-3 as the high end. The only way I agree with this guy is if we lose somebody like Jabrill, Jourdan, Desmond Morgan, or Jake Butt for the season.

IF we beat two preseason top 10 teams then lost 6 other games to teams of far less ability it would be a very strange season.

It would call for losses to the likes of Indiana sandwiched in between beating MSU and OSU.

Also this sounds a lot like MSU logic of the 80s, 90s and 00s - hey I'd be cool with 6-5 as long as we beat Michigan.

If UM somehow swept both those teams it would be difficult to see anything less than 9-3 in the regular season i.e. losses to @Utah, @Minn, @PSU.  Maybe 8-4, but 7-6 would just be wacky.

They're still real to me damnit.