The Blue Board

Nothing like taking a players quote's after a spring practice regarding how good Worthy was and declaring it fact for next fall that our D line will struggle... go back to your community college message board

So, I guess it means nothing. Good call on that, I would rather that random message board posters word on Worthy's loss over a guy that actually played with him. Solid post.

Poor wolvies are always so persecuted.

MSU fan here. I'll attempt to take a (rational) stab at it.

vs Alabama L 13 - 38
Bama lost a lot, but they are simply going to overpower Michigan in the trenches. Shoelace is going to be running for his life in this one. You've seen him struggle against physical defenses like MSU, and Bama's is even better. Could get real ugly for UM.

vs Air Force W 38 - 21
As someone else mentioned, the triple option is very difficult to prepare for. If I was a head coach, I wouldn't schedule this game. But, Michigan's defense is good enough to get some stops, while the Michigan O won't skip a beat.

vs UMASS W 51 - 13
Yawn.

at Notre Dame W 27 - 24
Should be a good game. ND is very suspect at the QB position, which spells trouble for a big game early in the season.

at Purdue W 24 - 23
Big time trap game for UM. Purdue's defensive line is supposed to be pretty darn good, but UM will get it done on some late game Shoelace heroics.

vs Illinois W 31 - 21
Home game vs a rebuilding Illinois team. However, Illini still have some talent and an experienced QB. Illinois won't go down without a fight, but UM takes care of business.

vs Michigan State L 17 - 24
Sorry Michigan fans, the winning streak continues for MSU. Narduzzi laid a blueprint for defending Dreadlock Jesus, and with an even better defense returning this year, things won't get any easier for Denard. But the game is at home and it will be an emotional dogfight; probably down to the wire.

at Nebraska W 30 - 27
Football is a game of match ups, and, quite frankly, Nebraska doesn't match up very well with Michigan. The Huskers really struggle against mobile QBs, and in that department, Denard is the best in the business. Road game in a very hostile environment though should make this one a close affair.

@ Minnesota W 45 - 14
No explanation needed.

vs Northwestern W 42 - 27
The Cats are pesky, and will probably hang around for a half, but won't be able to match Michigan score-for-score.

vs Iowa W 27 - 20
Probably making this one much closer than it will be. Iowa is going to stink this year.

@ Ohio State L 30-34
Toss up game. Give the edge to the Bucks for being at home and having a pretty nasty defense.

9-3 (6-2)
2nd Place in Legends Division

I spit my drink out laughing so hard

Your point about Robinson is interesting. i always thought losing Worthy would be tough on you guys, but I think it might be tougher to lose Robinson. Michigan has a safety like him in Jordan Kovacs. A guy who did not get a Michigan offer, but plays with his head and leads the secondary. In my experience as a fan, CBs can rely on talent, but safeties have to be SMART first and athletic second. Michigan has guys much more talented than Kovacs (Furman), but I would expect a sizable drop-off without him. Overall, with everyone else getting better, I think MSU will have a good defense right around where it was last year, not much better and not much worse. Without a proven offense, it could get dicey.

Anyway, we are not turning this into the MSU/UM thread, so here is my reasoning for Michigan's rank and/or prediction on the season:

Sat., Sep. 1 vs. Alabama Jerry World 7:00 p.m. CT
L. Bama will not repeat as national champion this year. It has never happened in the BCS. They are likely in store for a 3 loss year. Michigan can hang with a team like that, but will ultimately lose late in the fourth.
Sat., Sep. 8 vs. Air Force Michigan Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET
W. Potential trap.
Sat., Sep. 15 vs. Massachusetts Michigan Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET
W.
Sat., Sep. 22 at Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 7:30 p.m. ET
W. ND seems very talented, but internally dysfunctional. They are the only thing holding themselves back.
Sat., Oct. 6 at Purdue * West Lafayette, Ind. 4:00 p.m. ET
W. Tougher than one might expect.
Sat., Oct. 13 vs. Illinois - Homecoming * Michigan Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET
W.
Sat., Oct. 20 vs. Michigan State * Michigan Stadium TBA
W. The second half of last year MSU's defense was giving up 20-30 plus a game. But they will be good on D. On offense, not so much. Oh, and they can't win big games on the road against good teams under Dantonio.
Sat., Oct. 27 at Nebraska * Lincoln, Neb. 7:00 p.m. CT
L. Night game. In Lincoln. After MSU. Ugh.
Sat., Nov. 3 at Minnesota * Minneapolis, Minn. TBA
W.
Sat., Nov. 10 vs. Northwestern * Michigan Stadium TBA
W. Home field helps here.
Sat., Nov. 17 vs. Iowa * Michigan Stadium TBA
W. Same as above.
Sat., Nov. 24 at Ohio State * Columbus, Ohio 12:00 p.m. ET
W. This is not the same Meyer who coached at UF. needs time to put together "his players" anyway.

So, 10 wins 2 losses. The reason Michigan is ranked this high is because they won 11 last year, return Denard, a proven RB in Toussaint and a lot of the starting OL were starters before along with some returning WRs. Denard got more familiar (and less INT prone) as he learned the offensive plays last year. The offense should be good. The defense was better than MSU in allowing points last year and was ranked high in the country. An amazing turnaround. They return a lot of players on defense and got a lot of production out of some young guys last year. Overall, every team has questions, but returning most players on both sides of the ball from an 11 win (BCS bowl win) team with an expected bump from the players coming out of a transition year....well that means a likely top 10 pre-season ranking. (I mean they finished last year in the top 10 and return most players, so.....)

Sat., Sep. 1 vs. Alabama Jerry World 7:00 p.m. CT
L. No doubt

Sat., Sep. 8 vs. Air Force Michigan Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET
W. It will be close until the start of the 4th Q

Sat., Sep. 15 vs. Massachusetts Michigan Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET
W. Even Rich Rod beat UMASS.

Sat., Sep. 22 at Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 7:30 p.m. ET
W. Toss up. but they have no QB

Sat., Oct. 6 at Purdue * West Lafayette, Ind. 4:00 p.m. ET
W. Purdue could win the leaders, so it will be a tossup

Sat., Oct. 13 vs. Illinois - Homecoming * Michigan Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET
W. Easy

Sat., Oct. 20 vs. Michigan State * Michigan Stadium TBA
L. MSU's defense will dominate, but the score will be close

Sat., Oct. 27 at Nebraska * Lincoln, Neb. 7:00 p.m. CT
L. Away night game in Memorial Stadium... Not going to happen

Sat., Nov. 3 at Minnesota * Minneapolis, Minn. TBA
W. Itll be much close than last year. Marquise Grey can ball.

Sat., Nov. 10 vs. Northwestern * Michigan Stadium TBA
W. Denard Robinson > Kain Colter. love NW though

Sat., Nov. 17 vs. Iowa * Michigan Stadium TBA
W. This will be a beatdown.

Sat., Nov. 24 at Ohio State * Columbus, Ohio 12:00 p.m. ET
L. It was a close game last year with OSU in a mess. Now they return almost everyone and are at the Shoe.

8-4 with a few tossups (ND, Purdue). I dont think they break the streak against MSU this year, i think their best shot at doing so will be in 2 years when they are back in AA with Shane Morris at QB. They would finish 2nd or 3rd in the division.

Great post. Only change I would make is that you lose at home to MSU like the last 4 years. Our D comes through for the win.

7-5 5-3. A good season for Hoke now that he faces a tough schedule in just year 2 of his tenure.

We're not probably losing to OSU or Nebraska. They're both grossly overrated.

Who's throwing the ball for ND?

We got gifs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I agree

So........your prediction for Michigan is?