Likely 3 Two-Loss Teams and a Top 5 Wiscy
Yesterday was Moving Day, as several squads were severely exposed (I'm looking at you ND, MSU and UGA), and at least 3 two loss teams (OSU, Auburn, and USC) will likely grace the new Top 10. Wiscy will be anywhere from #2 to #5, depending on your poll (probably #4 or #5 in CFP rankings).
Love the setup for our last two weekends, with a winnable top 5 game at Camp Randall and The Game featuring OSU likely no lower than #8. With Auburn looking legit - and UGA likely to face its second loss in the SEC Championship game, to either Bama or Auburn, and Clemson and Miami girding for an ACC Championship CFP play-in game, definitely a Chaos Year where a two-win team gets in.
Win the damn games. Go Blue!
November 12th, 2017 at 9:11 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:25 AM ^
Is the defense a very good and at times great defense? Yes.
Is the running game very good and at times great? Yes, but we need a healthy Higdon and having a healthy Ty Isaacs. The trio of Evans, Issacs and Higdon is really a great bunch of RBs.
The big weakness is at QB. Brandon Peters has done a good job but he is still the 3rd QB. The disruption at QB is going to make it very hard to run and keep the defense off the field.
Also forgotten in all of the discussion about the QB is development. Remember Jake Rudock? He got much better at the end of the season. Had we had him one more year, the team would have won even more. Speight going down lost the opportunity to learn and develop further. He has the physical size and skills to throw deep and accurately. He needed this season to work on improving his reading of defenses and in-game decision making. We lost that.
With just two games left, we will be competitive. From what we've seen from Iowa, it is possible to play one great game based on emotion. I just hope Peters continues to improve.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:34 AM ^
He is head and shoulders better than Speight and O'Korn and how the staff couldn't see it is beyond me. We would have beaten MSU with Peters at QB and be in position to take the division with wins against Wisconsin and OSU. Peters would be a stud by this point of the season instead of being inexperienced.
November 12th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 11:15 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 11:02 AM ^
Yes, but we need a healthy Higdon and having a healthy Ty Isaacs. The trio of Evans, Issacs and Higdon is really a great bunch of RBs.
This is like the new "Ruddock".
FYI, it's Ty Isaac.
November 12th, 2017 at 12:10 PM ^
because I think we only have one.
November 12th, 2017 at 5:49 PM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
He is better than Okorn. Maybe not as good as peak Speight last year and maybe his play thus far isn't enough to feel safe going into last two games, but he's played as well as anyone else this year... Florida, Cincy, Air Force, Purdue all under .500 and speight wasn't perfect in those games either
With this line, current state of WRs, not sure any of the QBs are sure things against top competition to turn in great performances, but I wouldn't say they are drastically diminished starting Peters
November 12th, 2017 at 12:15 PM ^
I'm not as quick to put everything on Peters. Sure he missed a few throws the past few weeks, but it's not like he has the best recieving core either.
November 12th, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^
Agree. Between the spotty pass protection and our young receiving CORPS (and the loss of Tarik Black), Peters deserves a little slack.
November 12th, 2017 at 12:33 PM ^
Speight was on the field warming up with the rest of the team in the pregame drills. Maybe he really is ready to come back and hit the field next week.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:12 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:13 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:16 AM ^
Win out, and Michigan is a well ranked NY6 success story the national media will fawn over. Harbaugh might even get some credit for the improvements since the MSU game...
November 12th, 2017 at 9:22 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:36 AM ^
but MSU beat M when M couldn't run or pass the ball. MSU has lost to NW and got CRUSED by OSU since. M is ascending and MSU is, well, decending. Now if M wins out (which is NOT likely, as much as I wish it was), then the BEST coaching job in B1G this year is Harbaugh. Up until Northwestern, I thought Dantonio was coach of year. If Wisconsin gets to B1G championship without a loss, I would give it to Cryst.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:54 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 5:52 PM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 8:11 PM ^
Yep... Sparty is a mudder.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:44 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:47 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 11:38 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 12:27 PM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:17 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^
With most teams having 3 games left there aren't any locks.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:21 AM ^
I'm sorry, ultimate downer here, but we are not good enough on offense to win out, and we won't. A split would be good.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:23 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:29 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:28 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:26 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 9:44 AM ^
to beat Wisconsin. I think the D can keep W to 17 or less points. The question is can M offense move ball against a very good Wiscy D? This will likely be a 24 17 type game. OSU on the other hand is looking very bleak as much as I HATE to say it. Peters looks promising, but he looks like a talented red shirt freshman. I am secretely hoping the Speight (yes I said it) is healthy for OSU. If Speight had the O line playing like Peters has had, I suspect he would have looked much better early in year. Unfortunately, (I hope I am wrong) but the OSU defense may overwhelm Peters.
November 12th, 2017 at 10:16 AM ^
Given the way Speight played before he got hurt not sure why you'd think he gives us a better chance than Peters against OSU.
OL still isn't good at pass pro, so I don't think Speight would have looked much better at this point.
November 12th, 2017 at 10:32 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:53 AM ^
What Speight brings to the table is that he likely has a greater command of the playbook than Peters and the coaches probably would trust him to run more of the passing offense. Also, he's played in pressure situations before.
If he is recovered, I'd have to consider playing him. Of course, it'd depend on whether he can shake off the rust.
November 12th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 10:54 AM ^
good Ds don't give up any points or yards...ever.
November 12th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
but thinking ahead about playoff scenarios when you're going into those two games as a clear underdog seems pretty much like fantasist thinking.
November 12th, 2017 at 9:48 AM ^
if we lose the next two, but--OTOH--our D should keep us in it against a Wisconsin team that can't throw and OSU is at home; we will have our chances. (Watch Parking God's highlights to feel better about everything.) I intend to be entertained and feel pretty good about the team's prospects even if we lose both.
And with a few weeks to prepare, people healthied up, we should be formidable in our bowl game.
November 12th, 2017 at 11:37 AM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 2:44 PM ^
that it always matters. Among BCS teams the home team won 67% of games between 2000-2011. How we play next week will certainly help determine whether OSU comes in with some trepidation, but don't think for a minute that Michigan's players be more charged up playing at home.
November 12th, 2017 at 5:42 PM ^
November 12th, 2017 at 8:18 PM ^
Context matters. Who was coaching Michigan in the last 10 years? How good were those teams? What were the expectations for those teams in late November?
Context matters...