FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman ranks Top 10 Power 5 toughest 2015 non-con schedules; Michigan included
If it wasn't for UNLV, and instead of UNLV Michigan had, say, a UCF type team (which is coming in 2016, look out), M's schedule might be the toughest this season, but UNLV should provide a major breather.
Utah and BYU are physical, tough tests and Michigan will have to score to beat Oregon State (which hopefully won't be like scaling a mountain given Oregon State's defense).
It's July filler but what else are we going to do right now you guys
http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/texas-stanford-michigan…
Here's the thing.. Our OOC schedule is decent, but this speaks way more to the lack of marquee OOC matchups than it does our schedule. No way should ND, Rice, Cal be the third hardest schedule. That's just stupid. Nortwestern, UCF, ND at number 1??? Jesus, can we get some ballsy AD's to start filling out the lineup cards?
There is pretty much zero benefit to having a hard OOC schedule. There's even pretty much zero benefit to having a moderately challenging OOC schedule. The goal should be to land somewhere in between Baylor's Charmin soft OOC schedule and something that's going to provide a winnable challenge or two heading into conference play.
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Zero benefit? What if you're vying for the 4th playoff spot with another one-loss team(s), and the committee's comparing strength of schedule...
Also, not having to sit through a cupcake games. They suck for fans.
I see Utah as the toughest test and the other three as easy wins. Am I missing something?
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Given Michigan's long-standing issues defending good running QBs, Taysom Hill should scare the shit out of every Michigan fan.
Yeah, he's had injury issues and is on his 9th year of eligibility, but he pretty much single-handedly shot down Manny Diaz's rising star and killed Mack Brown's tenure at Texas.
Our defense had trouble stopping Air Force in 2012. If not for Denard we could have lost that game.
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Other than "Recent Events in Michigan Football History?"
Michigan has not been good, and they've been that way for a long time. I think BYU will be tough too, but hopefully UNLV and OSU will be cupcakes. If I had to place odds -
4-0 - 10%
3-1 - 30%
2-2 - 55%
1-3 - 5%
0-4 - 0%
I agree with the fact that 4-0 is more likely than 1-3, but I think it's a toss up between 2-2 and 3-1.
I would say:
4-0: 14%
3-1: 40%
2-2: 40%
1-3: 5%
0-4: 1%
While playing close in almost every game but losing in mind numbing fashion. Everyone on the planet attributed the poor play to coaching. The solution was supposed to have been found in Jim Harbaugh.
BYU lost to Utah State, UCF, Boise State, Nevada, and Memphis in 2014. None of those teams beat the 2014 Michigan team. I'll grant the Texas win but Texas did get blown out in several contests.
I blocked several of the Michigan losses from my mind last year. I just rechecked our performance. I think we can be 3-1 or 4-0 but you all are right it will be tough.
I have to disagree with you about "playing close". Rutgers was the only game we lost close Yeah, some of our losses we hung in there for 3 quarters and then self distructed.
Notre Dame- lost by 31, Utah-lost by 16 ,Minn-lost by 16, Rutgers-lost by 2, MSU-lost by 24, MD- lost by 7, OSU-lost by 14
We were also one bad play away from losing to Penn State and Nortwestern leaving us at 3-9.
However, I full agree that Harbaugh will have the team playing full 60 minute games now. No more moral victories about "hanging with OSU for most of the game".
Totally agree. I was in attendance in Columbus and the Buckeye fans thought it would be a nailbiter until said play. Then we self destructed in 5 minutes in typical Brady Hoke fashion.
BYU was undefeated before Hill went down, they thrashed Texas as well.
BYU's star QB was hurt in game 5. They went on to lose the game he got hurt in and the next 3. A few weeks earlier they put up 40+ on Charlie Strong's defense at Texas full of 4/5 stars...and ranking 20ish FEI/S&P+ (or about 20 spots better than UM's defense). Both Texas and UM had garbage offenses.
Losing their QB wasn't the reason they gave up 97 points to Nevada and Boise State.
After watching Michigan's offense the last few years, you should know what having a shitty offense can do to a defense.
Well they put up 65 points in those two games, so it wasn't that shitty.
Boise State was 12-2 last year - you realize that right? Boise would have beat UM by 20+ last year as well. They beat Arizona in their bowl 38-30 and last year's Arizona beat Oregon.
I said BYU had a crap pass defense - something Boise happens to do very well (throw the ball). I expect a high scoring game as both offenses exploit the other.
BYU is not a BCS team but its not a pushover which was the point of the original comment ie. "I see the 3 non Utah games as easy wins." I am calling for them to go into Neb and pull off the upset in game 1 this year. And give UM everything it can handle on defense.
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Don't forget that UVA - who also went 5-7 - almost beat BYU on the road last year. In fact they should have won, but blew it in the 4th quarter with terrible offensive playcalling and couldnt close it out. UVA thoroughly outplayed and outgained them. They're a tough team, but if you keep Taysom Hill under wraps and control the ball on offense Michigan should have the edge at home.
"....if you keep Taysom Hill under wraps and control the ball on offense "
Agreed but easier said and done. Top end players tend to lift their team. You basically gave the exact same game plan for 2012 for every team that played UM. "...if you keep Denard robinson under wraps and control the ball on theoffense"
Or you could have said that about Syracuse about 25 years ago "...if you keep Donovan McNabb under wraps..."
Michigan needs to show it can control the ball on offense - BYU has a top 20 rush defense in the nation. So that is also easier said then done. You can exploit BYU almost at will through the air. Thankfully we have a QB who can actually do that now. If rudock was not here this would have major upset potential and even with him here he has to have a big game.
So 12-2 Boise State run by one of the best coaches in the country would not beat 2014 Michigan? But beat Zona? Sure.
UCF gave Penn State all they could handle. Michigan and PSU were very similar last year.
Memphis was 10-3 and lost to UCLA 42-35 in Los Angeles.
You are going off names of teams rather than product on the field.
All those opponents would have given 2014 Michigan all it could handle.
Bryan Harsin took over from Petersen and coached Boise State last year, but otherwise I agree.
Put it this way: they went into Austin last year, against a good coach in Charlie Strong, and beat the ever loving shit out of the Longhorns. I don't know what exactly is coming back from that team from last year, but they will be dangerous for sure.
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Hold on now - I thought WE got the Vicious!
what she said......
That didn't come out right at all...
Unless you've missed the past 25 years of mobile QBs facing Michigan defenses and giving them nightmares you would be wrong to assume BYU is an easy win.
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/2015-byu-football-preview
BYU's pass defense is garbage so I expect a very high scoring game but this is what awaits UM's defense. He basically turned from Denard Robinson in 2013 to Denard Robinson who completed passes at a 65% clip in 2014 before he got hurt.
Oregon State on the other hand is probably one of the best P5 matchups UM could find and probably the least scary team in the P12 this year. The other "garbage teams" in that conf at least have prolific offenses that can be an issue for UM this year if the offense is not ready to be "functional" in September.
He's real good and exciting to watch (and hard to defend) but there's not much else on that team. Their defense was attrocious last year.
OSU will surprise.
Yeah, I don't think so.
They got a good coach, too.
Michigan has the advantage of being at home with a coach who is considered superior to Oregon State's HC
Do recall that he did lose 59-0 to the OSU team Michigan scored 28 on.
Taysom Hill from BYU is going to put up some points. Hopefully we can do the same.
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