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The Official Michigan, MSU, and 1 Random Guy from Arky Thread

  • Itz Pstein! said...

    Tough to tell on the fact that we really don't know how Maxwell is going to be. His ceiling is higher than Cousins, but that's all potential at this point. But only senior on the defense and if I had to guess Jerel is leaving cry but returning 9 of 11 on one of the best defenses in the nation will make up for some issues on offense, as it has had to this year.

    Tough to tell on Michigans end also with losing Martin, Van Bergen and Woolfolk on the Defense, and Molk, Hyuge, Koger, Hemingway, and Odoms on the Offense. Just throwing a very early prediction out there. Alabama is a neutral site game, the other 3 I put up are away games for Michigan.

    xxmgobluexx

  • Due51 said...

    IMO, Iowa is at a major crossroads. Not just the season, but I think Ferentz's coaching tenure. With all the off-field crap that has occurred, the suspensions, the Rhabdomyolysis, and losing to one of the worst B1G teams in recent history, I think this team is walking a razor thin line.

    They could come out swinging in hopes of redeeming their season, and possibly saving their coach's job. Or they could fold their tents and come mail it in.

    For what they're paying him he needs to produce. No question about it. I'm too lazy to google it but losing that RB early on this year seemed to be crucial for them.

    Nothing I saw Saturday against Minnesota will change my feelings about us playing in Kinnick. I still see that as an extremely difficult game for us.

    signature image

    steveschneider

  • xxmgobluexx said...

    Tough to tell on Michigans end also with losing Martin, Van Bergen and Woolfolk on the Defense, and Molk, Hyuge, Koger, Hemingway, and Odoms on the Offense. Just throwing a very early prediction out there. Alabama is a neutral site game, the other 3 I put up are away games for Michigan.

    I pretty much agree with this. I know you guys are losing a lot but you are also bringing in that amazing recruiting class. Also, pretty hard to foresee what your team will look like next year at the QB position. Maybe you can shed more light on it for me, but who's going to be the starting QB? I picture Gardner getting the job but I really have no idea.

    This post was edited by steveschneider on 10/31/2011 at 12:57 PM

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    steveschneider

  • xxmgobluexx said...

    What's your early thoughts on MSU's record next year overall?

    I see Michigan going 8-4, losses to Alabama, ND, Neb, and OSU.

    Nebraska's getting way too much love from everyone. They collapsed down the stretch last year in the B12 and their defense was vastly overrated coming into this year. And for all the criticism of Denard's passing, Martinez is light years worse. We will be a better team next year than this year on both sides of the ball. I doubt that is true for Nebraska if Martinez is still the starting QB.

    Similarly, I don't see ND as an automatic loss next year. We were supposed to lose to them each year for the past three years, but didn't. They probably will be better next year, but so will we. IMO, that game will be another close one and could go either way.

    The OSU and Bama games will be the toughest, because of their defenses, but catching Bama for the first game of the season throws a bit of uncertainty into the equation. Assuming they lose a handful of top players to the NFL, that game will be the first start for those players' replacements. You never know what can happen in an opener. We play OSU at the Shoe and they still have the best defense in the B10, IMO, but depending on what happens with their coaching situation (i.e., new coaches often mean new schemes) they could have some growing pains.

    IMO, 8-4 would be the bottom end of the range for next year, with 10 wins possible depending on how the Bama and ND games fall. If we split those games to go 3-1 in our OOC schedule, we could lose one of OSU and Nebraska and still end up 10-2. Even if we lost both the OSU and Nebraska games, we would end up 9-3.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by WingedHelmet on 10/31/2011 at 1:02 PM

    WingedHelmet

  • WingedHelmet said...

    Nebraska's getting way too much love from everyone. They collapsed down the stretch last year in the B12 and their defense was vastly overrated coming into this year. And for all the criticism of Denard's passing, Martinez is light years worse. We will be a better team next year than this year on both sides of the ball. I doubt that is true for Nebraska if Martinez is still the starting QB.

    Similarly, I don't see ND as an automatic loss next year. We were supposed to lose to them each year for the past three years, but didn't. They probably will be better next year, but so will we. IMO, that game will be another close one and could go either way.

    The OSU and Bama games will be the toughest, because of their defenses, but catching Bama for the first game of the season throws a bit of uncertainty into the equation. Assuming they lost a handful of top players to the NFL, this will be the first start for their replacements. You never know what can happen in an opener. We play OSU at the Shoe and they still have the best defense in the B10, IMO, but depending on what happens with their coaching situation (i.e., new coaches often mean new schemes) they could have some growing pains.

    IMO, 8-4 would be the bottom end of the range for next year, with 10 wins possible depending on how the Bama and ND games fall. If we split those games and go 3-1 in our OOC schedule, we could lose one of OSU and Nebraska and still end up 10-2. Even if we lost both the OSU and Nebraska games, we would end up 9-3.

    I actually think you guys have a solid chance of taking Nebraska. I give you a 70-75% shot of taking them at home. I also don't see them winning out for the year.

    If they came to EL I would of felt a lot more confident in us taking them.

    I'll also add on to your thoughts on ND, you never know when that team is going to show up or crap the bed. I will always feel like both of our schools have a good shot at them.

    This post was edited by steveschneider on 10/31/2011 at 1:04 PM

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    steveschneider

  • steveschneider said...

    I actually think you guys have a solid chance of taking Nebraska. I give you a 70-75% shot of taking them at home. I also don't see them winning out for the year.

    If they came to EL I would of felt a lot more confident in us taking them.

    I'll also add on to your thoughts on ND, you never know when that team is going to show up or crap the bed. I will always feel like both of our schools have a good shot at them.

    I agree. I am not guaranteeing a win over Nebraska, but you guys just played a bad game against them. You were on the road and coming off three big games. If you played them in EL or even two weeks from now, I think it would be a much closer game. They are very one-dimensional on offense (moreso than we are) and their defense was ranked 8th in the B10 coming into their game against you. And, unless they are redshirting a bunch of killer offensive skill players we don't know about, I don't see their offense being much better next year.

    As for ND, we always play them close. Again, it's not a lock, but they have underperformed for years and people need to stop assuming they are better than they really are. They are going to end up as an 8-4 team, at best, this year. One more slip-up and they will end up 7-5. To be honest, I'm still scratching my head a bit at how you lost to them this year. You have, by far, the better defense and you should have had the better offense. Your offense has just not performed up to expectations for one reason or another. Cousins looks like a different player this year than he did last year.

    WingedHelmet

  • WingedHelmet said...

    I agree. I am not guaranteeing a win over Nebraska, but you guys just played a bad game against them. You were on the road and coming off three big games. If you played them in EL or even two weeks from now, I think it would be a much closer game. They are very one-dimensional on offense (moreso than we are) and their defense was ranked 8th in the B10 coming into their game against you. And, unless they are redshirting a bunch of killer offensive skill players we don't know about, I don't see their offense being much better next year.

    As for ND, we always play them close. Again, it's not a lock, but they have underperformed for years and people need to stop assuming they are better than they really are. They are going to end up as an 8-4 team, at best, this year. One more slip-up and they will end up 7-5. To be honest, I'm still scratching my head a bit at how you lost to them this year. You have, by far, the better defense and you should have had the better offense. Your offense has just not performed up to expectations for one reason or another. Cousins looks like a different player this year than he did last year.

    My biggest ? for UM has to be their O-line. They're losing what 3 starters or something? I know a thing or two about bad line situations.

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    Itz Pstein21607

  • WingedHelmet said...

    Nebraska's getting way too much love from everyone. They collapsed down the stretch last year in the B12 and their defense was vastly overrated coming into this year. And for all the criticism of Denard's passing, Martinez is light years worse. We will be a better team next year than this year on both sides of the ball. I doubt that is true for Nebraska if Martinez is still the starting QB.

    Similarly, I don't see ND as an automatic loss next year. We were supposed to lose to them each year for the past three years, but didn't. They probably will be better next year, but so will we. IMO, that game will be another close one and could go either way.

    The OSU and Bama games will be the toughest, because of their defenses, but catching Bama for the first game of the season throws a bit of uncertainty into the equation. Assuming they lose a handful of top players to the NFL, that game will be the first start for those players' replacements. You never know what can happen in an opener. We play OSU at the Shoe and they still have the best defense in the B10, IMO, but depending on what happens with their coaching situation (i.e., new coaches often mean new schemes) they could have some growing pains.

    IMO, 8-4 would be the bottom end of the range for next year, with 10 wins possible depending on how the Bama and ND games fall. If we split those games to go 3-1 in our OOC schedule, we could lose one of OSU and Nebraska and still end up 10-2. Even if we lost both the OSU and Nebraska games, we would end up 9-3.

    Being away games is what makes the difference for me in the ND and Neb. games.

    xxmgobluexx

  • Itz Pstein! said...

    My biggest ? for UM has to be their O-line. They're losing what 3 starters or something? I know a thing or two about bad line situations.

    We lose C Dave Molk (big loss) and RT Mark Huyge (not that big of a loss).

    Replacing Molk will be RS Sr. Rocko Khoury, so we won't lose much at C. For RT, Mike Schofield will step in and start. He's been starting and playing a lot this year, so that's not really losing a starter. Our starters will be just as good, if not better, than they are this year. The depth is where it gets iffy.

    Our (projected) two deep:

    LT: Taylor Lewan, true freshman. Lewan is a Jake Long clone, should be a very high draft pick, and IMO will be an All Big Ten type player next year. Kalis and our next addition (Banner, Diamond, Garnett) will be the first off the bench.
    LG: Patrick Omameh, Elliot Mealer. Same as our two deep this year.
    C: Rocko Khoury, Jack Miller. We lose Molk, but Khoury is very able to fill in.
    RG: Ricky Barnum, Chris Bryant. Bryant is redshirting this year, but he's got a lot of potential. Huge guy, RS Fr. Should be a great backup.
    RT: Mike Schofield, same true freshman as LT.

    So starters are solid and inside line depth is solid. Everyone (even Michigan fans) are freaking out about the OL next year, but the only real iffy spot is our backup tackles. And Lewan has been extremely reliable and durable, so the only real question mark is the RT backup. Pretty good IMO.

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    Ducksworth

  • Itz Pstein! said...

    My biggest ? for UM has to be their O-line. They're losing what 3 starters or something? I know a thing or two about bad line situations.

    Our biggest losses will be Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, David Molk and Junior Hemingway. But, to be honest, our OL and DL play has been very inconsistent the past few years because of the constant switching around of schemes. Next year will be the second year under the new coaching staff and the returning lineman as a group should be more fundamentally solid. Also, both Denard and Devin are extremely mobile, so they have the ability to bail out breakdowns on the OL better than your average QB. Losing Hemingway will hurt, but we get Stonum back so that is close to a push. And we should see a major improvement at LB, DB and RB. Overall, our defense should take another step forward next year.

    WingedHelmet

  • xxmgobluexx said...

    Being away games is what makes the difference for me in the ND and Neb. games.

    Yeah, playing on the road definitely makes a big difference. But I just think that assuming we will lose all four games is a bit harsh. Take the Bama game, for example. We probably will lose, but it could play out very similar to the 2008 Capital One Bowl. That Florida team was the defending national champs and had a Heisman Trophy winning QB in Tim Tebow. They also won the national championship again a year later, but the 2007 season was a slight step backward for them. Bama took a similar step backward last year after they won the national championship. Bama might be the best team in the country this year, but they very likely will lose a bunch of players to the NFL and will not be exactly the same team next year. That's all I'm saying. No question that our toughest four games next year will be Bama, ND, Nebraska and OSU, but I don't think we will lose all four. IMO, we should be competitive in all four games.

    This post was edited by WingedHelmet on 10/31/2011 at 1:59 PM

    WingedHelmet

  • WingedHelmet said...

    I agree. I am not guaranteeing a win over Nebraska, but you guys just played a bad game against them. You were on the road and coming off three big games. If you played them in EL or even two weeks from now, I think it would be a much closer game. They are very one-dimensional on offense (moreso than we are) and their defense was ranked 8th in the B10 coming into their game against you. And, unless they are redshirting a bunch of killer offensive skill players we don't know about, I don't see their offense being much better next year.

    As for ND, we always play them close. Again, it's not a lock, but they have underperformed for years and people need to stop assuming they are better than they really are. They are going to end up as an 8-4 team, at best, this year. One more slip-up and they will end up 7-5. To be honest, I'm still scratching my head a bit at how you lost to them this year. You have, by far, the better defense and you should have had the better offense. Your offense has just not performed up to expectations for one reason or another. Cousins looks like a different player this year than he did last year.

    Going into the ND game I looked at the history of our series and felt like we had a good shot at a close competitive game, looking at it in hind sight I understand we had no chance. Our OL was abysmal at that point in time of year. Add on all the penalties, SPT mistakes and the poor OC call playing we had no chance to win. Re: our OL even YSU was pushing our OL around. The only thing I liked in that game is the way our D played. I had a feeling early one from what I was seeing that we'd have a really good year on the D side of the ball.

    I think you summed up quite well what the challenge was for us in Nebraska. I haven't one time thrown Cousins or Roushar under the bus for that game. I thought Nebraska played solid D and on the O side of the ball they had two really good sustained drives that ate a lot of time off the clock. They were the better team that day.

    For the rest I'm going to put my green shades on, I love Kirk Cousins and I refuse to throw him under the bus after last weeks game. Looking back on October the big glaring mistake was the interception against OSU, other than that I think he's done a pretty good job in not turning over the ball and making plays when he needed them in a really difficult month. He had time to throw against Neb. problem was no one was open.

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    steveschneider

  • Itz Pstein! said...

    My biggest ? for UM has to be their O-line. They're losing what 3 starters or something? I know a thing or two about bad line situations.

    Nah. The depth is absolutely horrid, but the starting 5 should be pretty good.

    The DL is the trouble area- losing Martin, RVB, and Heineger. Need a lot of young unproven players to step up next year.

    Big M

  • steveschneider said...

    Going into the ND game I looked at the history of our series and felt like we had a good shot at a close competitive game, looking at it in hind sight I understand we had no chance. Our OL was abysmal at that point in time of year. Add on all the penalties, SPT mistakes and the poor OC call playing we had no chance to win. Re: our OL even YSU was pushing our OL around. The only thing I liked in that game is the way our D played. I had a feeling early one from what I was seeing that we'd have a really good year on the D side of the ball.

    I think you summed up quite well what the challenge was for us in Nebraska. I haven't one time thrown Cousins or Roushar under the bus for that game. I thought Nebraska played solid D and on the O side of the ball they had two really good sustained drives that ate a lot of time off the clock. They were the better team that day.

    For the rest I'm going to put my green shades on, I love Kirk Cousins and I refuse to throw him under the bus after last weeks game. Looking back on October the big glaring mistake was the interception against OSU, other than that I think he's done a pretty good job in not turning over the ball and making plays when he needed them in a really difficult month. He had time to throw against Neb. problem was no one was open.

    You should win all four of your remaining games. But, as you (or someone else) mentioned above, Kinnick has not been your friend. And I still think NW is going to knock off someone in a surprise upset this season, though they are running out of games. You cannot afford another bad game against either of those teams on the road. If you play the way you did against us and Wisky, you should run the table from here.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by WingedHelmet on 10/31/2011 at 2:21 PM

    WingedHelmet

  • WingedHelmet said...

    You should win all four of your remaining games. But, as you (or someone else) mentioned above, Kinnick has not been your friend. And I still think NW is going to knock off someone in a surprise upset this season, though they are running out of games. You cannot afford another bad game against either of those teams on the road. If you play the way you did against us and Wisky, you should run the table from here.

    I've felt pretty comfortable playing against Northwestern and feel like we match up against them pretty well. Dantonio crapped the bed against them his first year, outside of that he's beaten them every time since. Last year was a hard fought game, but I don't think Persa is the same Persa we saw last year.

    That was me that mentioned Iowa is the house of horrors. For the longest time I had a rule that Camp Randal, Kinnick and Happy Valley were automatic losses. We finally broke the Happy Valley slump so who knows maybe this is our year, but I'm still bracing for the worst. We haven't won there since 1989.

    This post was edited by steveschneider on 10/31/2011 at 2:28 PM

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    steveschneider

  • steveschneider said...

    I've felt pretty comfortable facing up against Northwestern. Dantonio crapped the bed against them his first year, outside of that he's done a great job. Last year was a hard fought game, but I don't think Persa is the same Persa we saw last year.

    That was me that mentioned Iowa is the house of horrors. For the longest time I had a rule that Camp Randal, Kinnick and Happy Valley were automatic losses. We finally broke the Happy Valley slump so who knows maybe this is our year, but I'm still bracing for the worst. We haven't won there since 1989.

    Well, we go to Kinnick this weekend. Not sure if Iowa is going to be back on their heels because of the loss to Minny or will come out swinging because they are desperate for a win. This is a big game for us. We have not looked good in either of our road games - we were sloppy in the first half against NW and lost to you - so we need to come out hot and not let the game get away from us early. If we do that, I think we will win. Also, it's an 11 am CST game, so hopefully the crowd will be a bit subdued.

    WingedHelmet

  • WingedHelmet said...

    Yeah, playing on the road definitely makes a big difference. But I just think that assuming we will lose all four games is a bit harsh. Take the Bama game, for example. We probably will lose, but it could play out very similar to the 2008 Capital One Bowl. That Florida team was the defending national champs and had a Heisman Trophy winning QB in Tim Tebow. They also won the national championship again a year later, but the 2007 season was a slight step backward for them. Bama took a similar step backward last year after they won the national championship. Bama might be the best team in the country this year, but they very likely will lose a bunch of players to the NFL and will not be exactly the same team next year. That's all I'm saying. No question that our toughest four games next year will be Bama, ND, Nebraska and OSU, but I don't think we will lose all four. IMO, we should be competitive in all four games.

    4 losses covers losing a game we shouldn't lose. Those 4 are the hardest ones though.

    xxmgobluexx

  • Ducksworth said...

    We lose C Dave Molk (big loss) and RT Mark Huyge (not that big of a loss).

    Replacing Molk will be RS Sr. Rocko Khoury, so we won't lose much at C. For RT, Mike Schofield will step in and start. He's been starting and playing a lot this year, so that's not really losing a starter. Our starters will be just as good, if not better, than they are this year. The depth is where it gets iffy.

    Our (projected) two deep:

    LT: Taylor Lewan, true freshman. Lewan is a Jake Long clone, should be a very high draft pick, and IMO will be an All Big Ten type player next year. Kalis and our next addition (Banner, Diamond, Garnett) will be the first off the bench.
    LG: Patrick Omameh, Elliot Mealer. Same as our two deep this year.
    C: Rocko Khoury, Jack Miller. We lose Molk, but Khoury is very able to fill in.
    RG: Ricky Barnum, Chris Bryant. Bryant is redshirting this year, but he's got a lot of potential. Huge guy, RS Fr. Should be a great backup.
    RT: Mike Schofield, same true freshman as LT.

    So starters are solid and inside line depth is solid. Everyone (even Michigan fans) are freaking out about the OL next year, but the only real iffy spot is our backup tackles. And Lewan has been extremely reliable and durable, so the only real question mark is the RT backup. Pretty good IMO.

    You're nuts if you think there won't be a drop off at Center. Molk is a potential AA. It is like spartans fans saying that Bullough will be better than Jones.

    xxmgobluexx

  • xxmgobluexx said...

    You're nuts if you think there won't be a drop off at Center. Molk is a potential AA. It is like spartans fans saying that Bullough will be better than Jones.

    I am not saying there won't be a drop off but the big difference between Khoury taking over for Molk and Bullough for Jones is that Khoury will be a 5th year senior and Bullough is a redshirt freshman.

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    WillyWolverine ●

  • WingedHelmet said...

    Well, we go to Kinnick this weekend. Not sure if Iowa is going to be back on their heels because of the loss to Minny or will come out swinging because they are desperate for a win. This is a big game for us. We have not looked good in either of our road games - we were sloppy in the first half against NW and lost to you - so we need to come out hot and not let the game get away from us early. If we do that, I think we will win. Also, it's an 11 am CST game, so hopefully the crowd will be a bit subdued.

    Not sure how your two teams match up, my guess is you guys will do alright. From what I've seen during the Rich Rod era with a similar offense is you guys move the ball pretty well against Iowa. I think you could get the win.

    My .02 on their home environment is even if it's a 11 am CST you can pretty much count on that stadium to be packed and ready to go.

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    steveschneider

  • xxmgobluexx said...

    You're nuts if you think there won't be a drop off at Center. Molk is a potential AA. It is like spartans fans saying that Bullough will be better than Jones.

    Just curious, do you think Bullough could ever be as good as Jones? I think the jury is still out on that one. I like Bullough a lot, but he definitely has some areas for improvement.

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    steveschneider

  • I don't care about Michigan. I only are about Indiana. panic Best rivalry in sports.

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    Itz Pstein21607

  • Itz Pstein! said...

    I don't care about Michigan. I only are about Indiana. panic Best rivalry in sports.

    Are there even any Hoosiers on here to catfight with?

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    steveschneider

  • Maize&Blue said...

    I am not saying there won't be a drop off but the big difference between Khoury taking over for Molk and Bullough for Jones is that Khoury will be a 5th year senior and Bullough is a redshirt freshman.

    Bullough is a true soph and while I don't think he's as good as Jones, we certainly have not spent any time crying over the loss of Gordon and Jones.

    Partially because of the increase in d-line play, but according to Narduzzi last year Bullough had the mental grasp of the game of a senior and he was only a true freshman. This year he's starting as a true sophomore and has given us very solid play at the spot.

    I think he has the potential to be better than Greg Jones over his career, but as of now he is a good replacement at least.

    And to be honest, I disagree with you about your C replacement. Molk is one of the top 5 centers in the country imo and top 3 in the Big Ten (Konz, Brewster, Molk are all very good). I don't think Khoury comes in and just gives you the same play.

    Macks

  • Itz Pstein! said...

    I don't care about Michigan. I only are about Indiana. panic Best rivalry in sports.

    There's "The Game" and then there's the Battle for the Brass Spittoon. Protected rivals for generations to come.

    xxmgobluexx

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