Predict the B1G

[belcherboy]

Its is Ohio State's conference to lose every year.

Well they've only won 1 B1G championship over the last 7 years, so I guess they have managed to lose almost every year.

 

[iowajerms]

Iowa will do improve a lot during the season. Unfortunately, for Iowa, they have a brutal November. Even Purdue could be a scary trap game for Iowa.

 

[TheReal_NU]

Iowa will do improve a lot during the season. Unfortunately, for Iowa, they have a brutal November. Even Purdue could be a scary trap game for Iowa.

Damn.
Iowa scared of Purdue. C'mon man....





Wait a second...
What????
2015 you say????
We lost to fucking Purdue???

Well shit. Never mind.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Returning starters have experience. Game situations are very different. You don't even have the returning experience, so you're in an even worse position.

PSU is a far cry from the team you played early last year. Pretty easy to see. You will lose to them in 2017.

Sure we do, we have plenty of returning experience. They often just didn't get the first snap in the game, which is apparently important to you.

 

[Across The Field]

Sure we do, we have plenty of returning experience. They often just didn't get the first snap in the game, which is apparently important to you.

Nah, it's important to everyone. You lost the overwhelming majority of your major playmakers and return only rotational players that played decent but not spectacular. You'll likely go 8-4 or 9-3 this year, which will be nice for the amount of returning talent you have. However the OSU and PSU losses will likely be by 2+ TDs or so.

 

[Wamu]

Well they've only won 1 B1G championship over the last 7 years, so I guess they have managed to lose almost every year.

Well congrats on your moral victory.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Nah, it's important to everyone. You lost the overwhelming majority of your major playmakers and return only rotational players that played decent but not spectacular. You'll likely go 8-4 or 9-3 this year, which will be nice for the amount of returning talent you have. However the OSU and PSU losses will likely be by 2+ TDs or so.

Other than maybe 2-3 players, I think the replacements will be able to match the production of the guys they're replacing, if not play better. As I keep pointing out, I think our RB production this year will improve drastically without Smith starting. And I think some of those Hoke OL players were holding us back, unable to properly run block. And while we lose the solid hands of a guy like Darboh, we gain the freak athletic ability of a guy like Donovan People's Jones, which MIchigan hasn't seen before in the recruiting era at WR.

I think our defense will dip but maintain top 25 status and our offense will improve significantly with better line play and more pure athletes on the field.

 

[Across The Field]

Other than maybe 2-3 players, I think the replacements will be able to match the production of the guys they're replacing, if not play better. As I keep pointing out, I think our RB production this year will improve drastically without Smith starting. And I think some of those Hoke OL players were holding us back, unable to properly run block. And while we lose the solid hands of a guy like Darboh, we gain the freak athletic ability of a guy like Donovan People's Jones, which MIchigan hasn't seen before in the recruiting era at WR.

I think our defense will dip but maintain top 25 status and our offense will improve significantly with better line play and more pure athletes on the field.

If the offensive linemen that were sitting last year were all better than the starters, then Harbaugh is a complete and total fucking retard. Seriously.

You're losing your entire secondary and haven't really recruited it that well. OSU and PSU will have a field day throwing up and down the field.

Losing Butt is going to really, really hurt. He helped in so many ways. Speight is going to be even worse without him there.

DPJ is a completely unproven commodity, an 18 year old. How foolish can you be to just assume he's going to come in playing with a below average QB and become all-world as a true freshman? Breaking in 4 brand new offensive linemen is also going to be an issue. Again, not sure how you can expect guys with little experience as starters to suddenly come in and make your offense better even though you're losing all of your playmakers.

I can appreciate your optimism, but you're showing an extreme level of ignorant homerism. No more.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

If the offensive linemen that were sitting last year were all better than the starters, then Harbaugh is a complete and total fucking retard. Seriously.

You're losing your entire secondary and haven't really recruited it that well. OSU and PSU will have a field day throwing up and down the field.

Losing Butt is going to really, really hurt. He helped in so many ways. Speight is going to be even worse without him there.

DPJ is a completely unproven commodity, an 18 year old. How foolish can you be to just assume he's going to come in playing with a below average QB and become all-world as a true freshman? Breaking in 4 brand new offensive linemen is also going to be an issue. Again, not sure how you can expect guys with little experience as starters to suddenly come in and make your offense better even though you're losing all of your playmakers.

I can appreciate your optimism, but you're showing an extreme level of ignorant homerism. No more.

Your assumption is that players are often worse than the starters they're replacing. There are certain positions where I'm seeing a downgrade, like LB and CB, but I don't think it's as drastic as you're assuming. And I think there are spots where we will see improvements, and possibly drastic ones like at RB. All and all I see the offense improving more than the defense declining. Michigan hasn't had a five star recruit at places like CB, but there's enough top 250 players to fill the two deep.

 

[Across The Field]

Your assumption is that players are often worse than the starters they're replacing. There are certain positions where I'm seeing a downgrade, like LB and CB, but I don't think it's as drastic as you're assuming. And I think there are spots where we will see improvements, and possibly drastic ones like at RB. All and all I see the offense improving more than the defense declining. Michigan hasn't had a five star recruit at places like CB, but there's enough top 250 players to fill the two deep.

My assumption isn't that they're worse, per se. Rather, it's that when you're replacing 17 starters that this becomes a problem. You're not just replacing individuals; you're replacing units. Cohesiveness and leadership can never be quantified by a recruiting star ranking. To this point, Harbaugh hasn't proven to be a good enough coach to lead a team with veteran leadership to any less than 3 losses. Why would he suddenly improve on that with a team with less leadership, cohesiveness and proven talent? Because he had slightly better star rankings with his recruits than Hoke?

 

[7Samurai13]

Michigan State rotated a lot of young talent into their o-line and D-line in 2015, lost a lot to graduation, and look what happened to us in 2016. I'm not saying Michigan will shot the bed like that but you don't know what is going to happen when they don't have the first stringers in there covering up for any mistakes that could have been made by the backups. And as ATF said, you have no idea about their cohesiveness.

 

[BigRedMoe]

I'll say 13 other guys then Nebraska

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Its is Ohio State's conference to lose every year.

They have done a fine job of that with 1 title in 7 years.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

My assumption isn't that they're worse, per se. Rather, it's that when you're replacing 17 starters that this becomes a problem. You're not just replacing individuals; you're replacing units. Cohesiveness and leadership can never be quantified by a recruiting star ranking. To this point, Harbaugh hasn't proven to be a good enough coach to lead a team with veteran leadership to any less than 3 losses. Why would he suddenly improve on that with a team with less leadership, cohesiveness and proven talent? Because he had slightly better star rankings with his recruits than Hoke?

The answer is simple, because most of these guys are going to be guys that Harbaugh actually recruited and have only learned on system, under one coach, in college. And since we are replacing so many kids, these "units" have likely been playing, practicing and developing together behind the starters since they got here.

 

[Across The Field]

They have done a fine job of that with 1 title in 7 years.

Snake-bitten. Been the best team 3 other times, maybe 4.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Snake-bitten. Been the best team 3 other times, maybe 4.

I believe @Wamu has something to say about moral victories...

 

[Wamu]

I believe @Wamu has something to say about moral victories...

Yep. Moral victories & excuses are bullshit.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

If the offensive linemen that were sitting last year were all better than the starters, then Harbaugh is a complete and total fucking retard. Seriously.

You're losing your entire secondary and haven't really recruited it that well. OSU and PSU will have a field day throwing up and down the field.

Losing Butt is going to really, really hurt. He helped in so many ways. Speight is going to be even worse without him there.

DPJ is a completely unproven commodity, an 18 year old. How foolish can you be to just assume he's going to come in playing with a below average QB and become all-world as a true freshman? Breaking in 4 brand new offensive linemen is also going to be an issue. Again, not sure how you can expect guys with little experience as starters to suddenly come in and make your offense better even though you're losing all of your playmakers.

I can appreciate your optimism, but you're showing an extreme level of ignorant homerism. No more.

UM has signed 3 top 100 recruits at CB in the last two year -- 2016 we signed 2 of the top 12 CB's in the country with David Long and Lavert Hill. This past year we signed Ambry Thomas and Benjamin St. Juste -- St. Juste doesn't have the flashy ranking, but he is the guy who completely shut down Grimes at the Opening in the 7 on 7.

Talent isn't the issue at CB. Experience is. And with that being said -- Who is OSU going to throw the ball to? Curtis Samuel was the only guy who could get open for them and he is gone. PSU's top WR is gone, he just visited with the Lions.

Everyone is going to have issues. The reason OSU is the favorite is JT Barrett. Nothing about PSU worries me. UM struggled to run on many teams last year. We ran for like 500 yards On PSU and our OL wasn't that good.

 

[7Samurai13]

Snake-bitten. Been the best team 3 other times, maybe 4.

2016 who knows, you lost on a fluky play but you let the hang in the game
2015 probably, I would give you the nod despite everything stacked in your favor and you choked it away
2014 obviously, you won the natty
2013 nope
2012 definitely, couldn't win because you used ineligible players in 2010
2011 nope
2010 nope, lost to Wisconsin who lost to MSU.

 

[Across The Field]

I believe @Wamu has something to say about moral victories...

Yep. Moral victories & excuses are bullshit.

Who said anything about moral victories? We were the best team in the B1G for the last 3 years and also in 2012.