ESPN Names Michigan as a 2018 Playoff Contender
Here's the (link). Unfortunately, it's accompanied by some silly talk on Harbaugh hype. Worth noting that the list intentionally excludes current CFP participants. Among others making an appearance: Auburn, Stanford, and both Ohio State and Penn State.
December 27th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 10:48 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 10:07 AM ^
Look, I was proven wrong this year about them - they turned out to be a very, very good team after all - but that same team minus Barkley and Moorhead is not a playoff contender coming out of the Big Ten East.
December 27th, 2017 at 11:56 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 12:46 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 10:12 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 11:00 AM ^
It's year 4, this is where the bar should be set. I was one of the ones knowing this year would be a struggle but there's no reason they can't be a playoff contender next year with as much as they bring back and potentially finally having an above average QB.
December 27th, 2017 at 11:13 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 12:25 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 1:27 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 11:13 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
I'm with Joel Klatt. He sure seems like a nice guy BTW.
December 27th, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
Is that a Resident Evil avatar by chance?
December 27th, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
Man, if we only had all three rivals at home in 2018, I'd certainly buy the hype. The road record versus good teams has not been kind to Harbaugh.
December 27th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^
The 2017 season was primarily the result of Hoke's poor final recruiting and Harbaugh's hurried up initial recruiting class. Now we have Harbaugh's players. It's time to generate some positive waves.
December 27th, 2017 at 1:36 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^
At this point, I think what we need more than any particular record is to win at least one game that we "shouldn't" or play above our heads.
The hardest part of the Harbaugh era hasn't been the record to rivals, or lack of Big Ten Championships, but the inability to just grab one signature win to hang our hats on.
What's our best win? The 2015 Florida blowout was great, but the Gators were barely a Top 25 team and the stakes were low. 2016 Wisconsin was great, but a single-score, rock fight win over a 3 loss Badger team at home doesn't necessarily scream "signature win" either.
December 27th, 2017 at 1:47 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 3:23 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 3:20 PM ^
Where's Rutgers(lol) on the list?
December 27th, 2017 at 3:22 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^
December 27th, 2017 at 7:15 PM ^
One more reason for PSU to fall back to the middle of the pack
December 27th, 2017 at 8:28 PM ^
The freshmen this year will become sophomores. Look how much improvement our sophomores have from last year. You guys seem to forget about Jordon Anthony, Drew Singleton, etc. on the linebacker corps. Also, freshmen WRs suck do not imply sophomore WRs suck. Remember, our WRs could put on extra weight in the offseason and rebuild their bodies. Also, we have not 1, but 3 QBs that could effectively distribute the ball in Shea, BP, and DCaff.
This team will be back with vengeance. I am sure of it. Our fanbase is still undergoing PTSD. I am not a concern troll when I said our WRs will suck at the beginning of the season.
December 27th, 2017 at 8:51 PM ^
I think the OL is a couple years away from being good. The tougher schedule may result in 3 losses but overall the team should be improved. I'll worry more about Harbaugh if he cannot beat OSU and MSU at home in 2019 and if he can it may be an 11-1 record and a B1G championship and the playoffs.
December 28th, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^
As soon as we get some development out of the OL, the team will start to look closer to the 2016 early season team rather than the 2017 version. I'm not going to start predicting anything until the guys up front start to win the war in the trenches, because thats pretty much what Harbaugh's system is.
Hopefully all of those redshirts this year mean development.
December 27th, 2017 at 10:10 PM ^
My prediction for next year stands at going into Columbus with one random loss.
December 28th, 2017 at 12:18 AM ^
December 28th, 2017 at 12:37 AM ^
It will be tough to finish 11-1 with ND, MSU and OSU away, plus Wisconsin and PSU at home (and Northwestern won't be pushovers either). So I don't think we're making the playoff. But a much improved team that goes 10-2 seems plausible to me, based on current information.
Of our challenging opponents, ND and PSU should be more pliable than they were/would have been this year, and Wisconsin will be easier to beat at home than away. MSU will be tough in EL, but we have a higher ceiling so I think we can do it. OSU will be as tough as they always are.
December 28th, 2017 at 8:37 AM ^