Sporting News Countdown
They have them at 38. It'll be interesting to hear their evaluations.
http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2009-07-16/kickoff…
Man, I didn't realize they already had that posted. So much for the anticipation.
Maybe I'm just more cautious after predicting 7-5 last year, but I think 6-6 will be a good record this year. We shall see.
I don't know man. UM was about 2-3 plays away in 3 different games from a W and 6-6 for the season. (Toledo, ND, NW)
Man, I didn't realize they already had that posted. So much for the anticipation.
Maybe I'm just more cautious after predicting 7-5 last year, but I think 6-6 will be a good record this year. We shall see.
I don't know if I'm buying Iowa at #26 either. They smell like a fraud to me.
That being said, there is surely going to be one B10 team that beats up on the underbelly of the conference, gets ranked way to high, and end up getting a Jan 1 date with a beast from the SEC.
Here's to hoping its UM and we can give Tebow and his superman pajamas another taste of dirt
MSU last year? Tim Tebow will be playing Oklahoma or Texas. Boomer Sooner!
I'd love to play Florida State or Clemson in the Champs sports bowl.
I think Iowa this year is going to be a lot like Wisconsin last year, lot of hype that they never live up to. I'd also bet on Florida and timmy t being back in the BCS title game, so I don't think we'll see them again anytime soon.
entire OL who paved the way for Shonn Green who had a great year last season. They have a possible top 5 pick in Brian Buluga at LT. They return their starting QB in Ricky Stanzi who is not great across the board but not bad across the board. The defense are always solid despite the fact that they have no big name on the defensive side.
Iowa at #26 isn't that far-fetched. At least they deserved to be ranked this high rather than MSU who has to replace their starting QB and workhorse RB and a few key players.
Um, Iowa loses two offensive line starters, actually. One of them, Seth Olsen, was a 1st team All-Big Ten guard. They do return Stanzi, as you said, as well as Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, their best receiver.
As far as defense goes, they return 8 starters from a really good defense. Plenty of people here doubt Iowa, but I think that they are going to be a very good team this year.
just typing from the top of my head. Iowa has a very favorable schedule. Wouldn't surprise me to see them have 3 losses in the regular season.
tebow 0-1 vs wolverines, soon to be 0-2. Mich the biggest suprise in the nation 2 years in a row,that pairs thing,shocks the nation while going 13-0.How?
1. a qb who actually is a threat to keep the ball and either, run for more than 6-8 yards,or throw it downfield on the fly at a 60 to 65% completion rate.
2. with the threat of an actually talented qb the lanes open up for a slew of talented rb's.between minor, brown, shaw,smith and fitz,count on 2200-2600 yds.
3.taking care of the football can only get better. the turnovers will be cut in half.
4.Three and outs will become a one year aberration.cut in half is not asking too much.
5. thanks to the turnover and 3 and out improvement, look for the defense with an agressive style of play to improve by leaps and bounds.
6. ATTITUDE!!
Thats about where we should be ranked considering last year. Lets hope we actually play well this year and to our potential. The departure of Threetsheridammit should help.
Our first opponent is ranked #34
If everyone above us beat us, we would lose to OSU, PSU, ND, Iowa, MSU, and WMU leaving us at 6-6 with losses to all of our rivals and another MAC team. Although 6-6 with a bowl win would be awesome, those 4 losses would really sting, even though I know it is still a rebuilding year.
Awesome? More like acceptable.
sounds just right
Although 6-6 with a bowl win would be awesome
Ugh. I hope this is the last offseason in which our fans ever say something like this. I can't wait for Michigan to be Michigan again.
I was just about to post this. An acceptable season should be 9-3 with a bowl win.
9-3 + every season is a hell of a accomplishment. An acceptable season should change from season to season depending on returning personnel/injuries.
There is no such thing as an "unacceptable" season.
Especially considering that since 1969, 30% of Michigan's seasons have resulted less than 9 wins, inclusive of bowl games.
include Ole Miss at #5 (ain't gonna happen), Oregon at #7 (lost their O-Line and defensive secondary), Oregon State at 17 (really?) and Texas Tech at #20 (at least five losses this year - starting week three against Texas).
Dang West Virginny 38 Michigan 39, would anyone like to see that bowl matchup? I don't think I would.
Holy crap, that's one deluded Gopher.
I think it's great that Houston Nutt has his squad at #5 — deserved or not — while the folks in Fayetteville who couldn't wait to push him out have to be content with #45.
Fuckin' Geauxfurs.
This is the same Ole Miss that won 14 total games between 2004 and 2008, right? One quarterback does not a top-five team make.
Significant overall change in talent level and coaching. It's definitely not the same team.
I'm going to respond to you because I have 666 points and it's frightening me
I call bullshit on Oregon. Ole Miss actually has the talent to be a top 15 or so team but they've gotten waay to much pre-season hype.
I absolutely love that they have Michigan ahead of West Virginia.
western michigan is ranked at 34...jeez is it possible that were actually the underdog
4 ranking places in a meaningless preseason poll do not overcome the reality that the game is played in Michigan Stadium.....and they are Western Michigan.
Michigan will be favored by 3 1/2.
'Tis nothing but an arbitrary ranking by a publication not exacting known for getting gold stars for covering college ball and recruiting.
Although, the App State debacle makes me bite my tongue before I say outright that Michigan is the better team than Western, but the numbers are in favor of blue.
rivals has us ranked at 46