Caveat it by saying I will ignore random barbs from MSU, OSU, and ND fans unless you are really adding value. So, the rest - who's buying all the hype around how good Michigan can be? Media sites have us slated at 7-5 or 8-4 at best but insiders are saying this team will be pretty darn good this season with the D being something special.
Well, I am buying it. I was watching some of the games from last year and of our 7 losses last year, we had a chance in 5 of them (@MSU & @ND we had zero shot). We were outscored by over 100 points I believe in the 3rd quarter total last season because Clappy Happy Hoke was likely eating donuts and high-fiving players for winning the 1st half at half-time versus talking adjustments.
Utah - we were up going into the 3rd quarter I believe and we just completely stalled
Minn - we were up if not for a long 87 yard TD drive for them in the 2nd half - we held them in check and could not do squat in the 2nd half.
Rutgers - we just played terribly and should have won that game
Maryland - we should have won that game, our D was great, offense could not do anything in the 2nd half
OSU - we were up I believe in the 3rd quarter until a DG interception was returned for a TD
And think about the fact that our 5 prominent players that left (Clark, Funchess, Gardner, Ryan, Countess) all had pretty crappy years last year versus their usual selves - I mean really crappy across the board. I genuinely believe that if JH was the coach and actually coached (unlike Hoke) we would have beaten at least Rutgers and Utah and potentially Maryland. JH or any coach for that matter would have gotten us to 7-8 wins last year. Now, combine that with the fact that other then 5 players I mentioned, everyone is back, a year older, with more experience, stronger, and hopefully way more fundamentally sound. You have to assume that will count for at least +1 or +2 wins. Not to mention, our toughest games this year are at home (MSU, OSU, BYU). I'm buying the hype - I think we end up losing at most 2 of 4 against @Utah, @PSU, MSU, OSU. I predict 10-2 but we will know a lot more about this team about 2 months from now. Flip side of course is that we could have easily lost to PSU and Northwestern last year but we dominated with a crappy coach int hose games. Either way, should be fun to watch this team grow and mature hopefully.
GO BLUE!
Well, I am buying it. I was watching some of the games from last year and of our 7 losses last year, we had a chance in 5 of them (@MSU & @ND we had zero shot). We were outscored by over 100 points I believe in the 3rd quarter total last season because Clappy Happy Hoke was likely eating donuts and high-fiving players for winning the 1st half at half-time versus talking adjustments.
Utah - we were up going into the 3rd quarter I believe and we just completely stalled
Minn - we were up if not for a long 87 yard TD drive for them in the 2nd half - we held them in check and could not do squat in the 2nd half.
Rutgers - we just played terribly and should have won that game
Maryland - we should have won that game, our D was great, offense could not do anything in the 2nd half
OSU - we were up I believe in the 3rd quarter until a DG interception was returned for a TD
And think about the fact that our 5 prominent players that left (Clark, Funchess, Gardner, Ryan, Countess) all had pretty crappy years last year versus their usual selves - I mean really crappy across the board. I genuinely believe that if JH was the coach and actually coached (unlike Hoke) we would have beaten at least Rutgers and Utah and potentially Maryland. JH or any coach for that matter would have gotten us to 7-8 wins last year. Now, combine that with the fact that other then 5 players I mentioned, everyone is back, a year older, with more experience, stronger, and hopefully way more fundamentally sound. You have to assume that will count for at least +1 or +2 wins. Not to mention, our toughest games this year are at home (MSU, OSU, BYU). I'm buying the hype - I think we end up losing at most 2 of 4 against @Utah, @PSU, MSU, OSU. I predict 10-2 but we will know a lot more about this team about 2 months from now. Flip side of course is that we could have easily lost to PSU and Northwestern last year but we dominated with a crappy coach int hose games. Either way, should be fun to watch this team grow and mature hopefully.
GO BLUE!