Michigan football projected to go 8-4?

[Michchamp]

You don't think Deveon Smith is the man? I'd be shocked if he doesn't get 15+ carries in any non-blowout. I love the way he runs, and he seems to be getting better and better under Harbaugh.

gah, for some reason I thought he graduated. never mind about the RBs then.

 

[rumseyhouse77]

The end of the season is brutal. I think they beat MSU this year. The other games are tough. They are going to have to go into the OSU game with a chip on their shoulder and fight their collective asses off to win in Cbus. Until they get a few games under their belts it is hard to say but I am hoping for 10-2, with losses to OSU and one other. Time for Harbaugh to put up. Hoke's 1st year was great, but things went down hill quick. I think Harbaugh will be different, but we shall see.

 

[Gulo Blue]

I'm not buying into the sky high preseason predictions. An 8-4 prediction doesn't bother me at all. If it turns out to be a great year, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than set myself up for disappointment if it doesn't happen. And really, beating OSU and MSU is what really matters in my book anyway.

The one thing putting extra pressure on this year is the level of experience and the drop off next year. This year is the most experienced team we've had in many years. 2017 is going to be the least experienced team in over 20 years.

 

[UMRules06]

I'm not buying into the sky high preseason predictions. An 8-4 prediction doesn't bother me at all. If it turns out to be a great year, I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than set myself up for disappointment if it doesn't happen. And really, beating OSU and MSU is what really matters in my book anyway.

The one thing putting extra pressure on this year is the level of experience and the drop off next year. This year is the most experienced team we've had in many years. 2017 is going to be the least experienced team in over 20 years.

I don't see 10-2 as sky high. That's a reasonable expectation for this Michigan football team. You wouldn't be disappointed with 8-4? That's a step backwards with all the talent we have coming back. Lloyd Carr used to get blasted for going 8-4. If we were to have four losses, I would have to assume that they would include MSU and OSU anyway.

 

[wlvrnstlr4life]

The one thing putting extra pressure on this year is the level of experience and the drop off next year. This year is the most experienced team we've had in many years. 2017 is going to be the least experienced team in over 20 years.

As far as next year, the only concern is the Oline. They will be young, but they should be rolling by the end of 2017. The defense will still be loaded with talent. We wont be as deep on the defensive line, but we will be loaded with talent everywhere. By 2018 this whole football program should be plug and play.

 

[Michchamp]

As far as next year, the only concern is the Oline. They will be young, but they should be rolling by the end of 2017. The defense will still be loaded with talent. We wont be as deep on the defensive line, but we will be loaded with talent everywhere. By 2018 this whole football program should be plug and play.

the dropoff will be mostly on the defensive side. esp. the DL & secondary. on the plus side, the current young LBs will have another year of experience.

on the offense this year we have 3 5th year seniors starting on the OL, PLUS Mason Cole. that's so much experience, you can have a significant drop-off in experience from that and still be experienced even if Cole goes pro a year early. and theoretically, we should have an experienced QB in 2017. the biggest losses on offense will be our receivers and TEs.

 

[Gulo Blue]

I don't see 10-2 as sky high. That's a reasonable expectation for this Michigan football team. You wouldn't be disappointed with 8-4? That's a step backwards with all the talent we have coming back. Lloyd Carr used to get blasted for going 8-4. If we were to have four losses, I would have to assume that they would include MSU and OSU anyway.

Yeah. 4 losses would be a dissapointment at this point. I just mean I'd like preseason ranking to be in the high teens/low 20s because I think Michigan can make the top dozen. It's the #3 in the country/playoff pick predictions that I mean when I say "sky high". Buying into that is setting yourself up for disappointment. Even if a team is that good preseason, a lot can happen.

 

[Gulo Blue]

FYI, with regard to projected 2017 experience, I'm talking about the chart on page 75 of the MGoBlog preview. "Career starts of players on playable roster at start of season." The chart goes back to '97. They're projecting about 30 for the defense. Next lowest number over the past 20 years is about 75 in 2000. They project about 85 on offense. We've had a few offenses that thin before. But nothing is close to both offense and defense being that thin at the same time.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what they mean by "projected."

 

[Michchamp]

I don't see 10-2 as sky high. That's a reasonable expectation for this Michigan football team. You wouldn't be disappointed with 8-4? That's a step backwards with all the talent we have coming back. Lloyd Carr used to get blasted for going 8-4. If we were to have four losses, I would have to assume that they would include MSU and OSU anyway.

those 4-loss Gary Moeller-Lloyd Carr teams from the mid 90's were very good teams, and if the results were disappointing, at least they weren't a cause for concern. like those teams, if all four losses were very close, and/or could be chalked up to bad breaks in close games, I could say "shit happens" and move on.

but in the end, for me it would be tough to see a Harbaugh-led team lose 4 times and not be disappointed, esp. as noted, given all the returning talent and experience we have this season. and it's not like the rest of the conference is THAT good. those 4-loss Moeller/Carr teams were losing to solid opponents.

 

[Gulo Blue]

those 4-loss Gary Moeller-Lloyd Carr teams from the mid 90's were very good teams, and if the results were disappointing, at least they weren't a cause for concern. like those teams, if all four losses were very close, and/or could be chalked up to bad breaks in close games, I could say "shit happens" and move on.

but in the end, for me it would be tough to see a Harbaugh-led team lose 4 times and not be disappointed, esp. as noted, given all the returning talent and experience we have this season. and it's not like the rest of the conference is THAT good. those 4-loss Moeller/Carr teams were losing to solid opponents.

This was the norm back then. 4 losses was a bad year. Anything worse hadn't happened since the 80's. And 5 losses meant people started talking about how it was time to retire a national championship winning coach.

 

[Michchamp]

This was the norm back then. 4 losses was a bad year. Anything worse hadn't happened since the 80's. And 5 losses meant people started talking about how it was time to retire a national championship winning coach.

I don't remember what people were saying in the early 90's because I was 10-14 those years & was not on any Michigan message boards. there may not even have been Michigan message boards back then.

in know people were pretty pissed at the 2005 season, but at least all the losses were close, even though we did struggle with bad injuries all year. and a lot of posters, not MOB-related posters, did make that point and defend Carr.