Despite some of the pessimism, I always sort of expected the Big Ten to work their way back to playing in some fashion. I'm glad they managed to make it happen this fall, but I do have some concerns about how all this plays out.
For instance, with everyone playing 8 games in 8 weeks, they've given themselves no margin for error. I understand why they had to wait until the 24th (thanks a lot Wisconsin), but I think we all expect there to be a few games that end up not being played. That's fine if we are talking about Illinois and Purdue, but let's say Michigan and OSU are both heading into the final week at 7-0, and one team cannot play because they have an outbreak? Is it considered a forfeit? Does the team that can field a team the division champion? And if that is the case, aren't we just incentivizing teams to lie about what is going on in order to play with so much on the line? The Big Ten really needs to have an announced solution to this ahead of time or they are asking for another headache. I do think not having fans was a good move. With so many different situations going on at different schools, I think this was the only fair way to go forward. I am interested to see how it impacts "home field" however. The "champions week" actually sounds kind of fun to me. At the very least it is an extra game to be played for everyone. Sure, nobody is going to be that excited about Rutgers vs Northwestern. But if it is Michigan vs Nebraska or Iowa, that's a pretty fun "bowl" game.
As for the team in general, I'm looking at this as basically a practice year. With only 8 games, the possibility of key players being held out or even games outright cancelled, no fans allowed, and who knows what other extrenal factors, everything this year comes with an asterisk. Would I enjoy an unbeaten season and a victory over OSU? Absolutely. But whether we go 8-0 or 4-4, I'm not putting too much stock in the record. That feeling may change as we get into this, but for now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the games. I also fully expect us to have one of the tougher schedules with some of the bigger games front loaded. The Big Ten is working through the TV stuff with the networks, but given that they are trying to maximize dollars, they are going to do their best to give the best matchups possible since they will be short 3 games per team.
The opt outs are a little frustrating, but I'm fine with it either way. Like I said, everything about this year is really just about building for next year. Let the young OL get reps. At QB, I'm actually kind of excited about the prospect of Milton taking over and getting a full season to just get better. If he's a stud - great! If he's not, hopefully the experience helps. And without McCaffrey looking over his shoulder, he can hopefully play with a little more confidence knowing he's going to get a chance to play through mistakes. My big concern coming into this season either way is that whomever won the job would have a short leash. I was really looking forward to seeing one more year of Nico. The fact that we never got the full benefit of Nico/Tarik/DPJ is unfortunate, but I guess sort of what we've come to expect as Michigan fans.
Bottom line - I'm excited. Hoping for a safe and healthy season that builds towards next year where I think we have the potential for something really special.
For instance, with everyone playing 8 games in 8 weeks, they've given themselves no margin for error. I understand why they had to wait until the 24th (thanks a lot Wisconsin), but I think we all expect there to be a few games that end up not being played. That's fine if we are talking about Illinois and Purdue, but let's say Michigan and OSU are both heading into the final week at 7-0, and one team cannot play because they have an outbreak? Is it considered a forfeit? Does the team that can field a team the division champion? And if that is the case, aren't we just incentivizing teams to lie about what is going on in order to play with so much on the line? The Big Ten really needs to have an announced solution to this ahead of time or they are asking for another headache. I do think not having fans was a good move. With so many different situations going on at different schools, I think this was the only fair way to go forward. I am interested to see how it impacts "home field" however. The "champions week" actually sounds kind of fun to me. At the very least it is an extra game to be played for everyone. Sure, nobody is going to be that excited about Rutgers vs Northwestern. But if it is Michigan vs Nebraska or Iowa, that's a pretty fun "bowl" game.
As for the team in general, I'm looking at this as basically a practice year. With only 8 games, the possibility of key players being held out or even games outright cancelled, no fans allowed, and who knows what other extrenal factors, everything this year comes with an asterisk. Would I enjoy an unbeaten season and a victory over OSU? Absolutely. But whether we go 8-0 or 4-4, I'm not putting too much stock in the record. That feeling may change as we get into this, but for now I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the games. I also fully expect us to have one of the tougher schedules with some of the bigger games front loaded. The Big Ten is working through the TV stuff with the networks, but given that they are trying to maximize dollars, they are going to do their best to give the best matchups possible since they will be short 3 games per team.
The opt outs are a little frustrating, but I'm fine with it either way. Like I said, everything about this year is really just about building for next year. Let the young OL get reps. At QB, I'm actually kind of excited about the prospect of Milton taking over and getting a full season to just get better. If he's a stud - great! If he's not, hopefully the experience helps. And without McCaffrey looking over his shoulder, he can hopefully play with a little more confidence knowing he's going to get a chance to play through mistakes. My big concern coming into this season either way is that whomever won the job would have a short leash. I was really looking forward to seeing one more year of Nico. The fact that we never got the full benefit of Nico/Tarik/DPJ is unfortunate, but I guess sort of what we've come to expect as Michigan fans.
Bottom line - I'm excited. Hoping for a safe and healthy season that builds towards next year where I think we have the potential for something really special.
