Saturday, September 29, 2012
Michigan State vs. Ohio State Prediction
So here we are, another sneaking up on me. The best game in the NCAA is at East Lansing as Ohio State pays the Spartans a visit. Along with that, College Game Day is there out front of Beaumont Tower.
OFFENSE: So what can I say that I have not already? Michigan State knows what it needs to do and that is establish Bell as an offensive threat. Ohio State should come in expecting that and they will want to make MSU a one dimensional team. Because of this, Maxwell will need to continue to be on point. However, the bigger concern will be what the wide receivers can do with that ball. Will they drop it? WIll they fumble it? Will they be able to lay a block for the running game? Look for MSU to try to establish the passing game to let OSU know they can indeed pass it. I expect Sims to have a big game and for one of the wide receivers to step up - just one. This Ohio State defense is the last ranked defense in the B1G right now so MSU needs to get it going, get confidence going early and put points on the board.
DEFENSE: The Spartan defense needs to remain stout. Braxton Miller is a dynamic quarterback with an incredible ability to run the ball. Along with that, his wide receivers have been good, making plays down field, catching ball and creating a space for Braxton to run. To throw him off his game, look for the defense to hide blitzes in an attempt to get their hands on Braxton early and often. From there, containment will be key. Dennard and Adams have had some poor showings lately in the defensive backfield, they will need to bring their A game today. So will the outside linebackers. With Braxton's size and speed, Allen and Norman will be active on the side lines. If MSU can limit the big plays out of Braxton that should go a long way towards defeating the Buckeyes.
The offense really needs to score points. If the defense is on the field all day it will be a long game for the Spartans. Very simply, the offense needs to score. I cant break it down any more than that. With the way things have gone this year for the Spartans I expect a lot of fire out the Spartans especially those from the state of Ohio. Call this one 24-21 MSU
OFFENSE: So what can I say that I have not already? Michigan State knows what it needs to do and that is establish Bell as an offensive threat. Ohio State should come in expecting that and they will want to make MSU a one dimensional team. Because of this, Maxwell will need to continue to be on point. However, the bigger concern will be what the wide receivers can do with that ball. Will they drop it? WIll they fumble it? Will they be able to lay a block for the running game? Look for MSU to try to establish the passing game to let OSU know they can indeed pass it. I expect Sims to have a big game and for one of the wide receivers to step up - just one. This Ohio State defense is the last ranked defense in the B1G right now so MSU needs to get it going, get confidence going early and put points on the board.
DEFENSE: The Spartan defense needs to remain stout. Braxton Miller is a dynamic quarterback with an incredible ability to run the ball. Along with that, his wide receivers have been good, making plays down field, catching ball and creating a space for Braxton to run. To throw him off his game, look for the defense to hide blitzes in an attempt to get their hands on Braxton early and often. From there, containment will be key. Dennard and Adams have had some poor showings lately in the defensive backfield, they will need to bring their A game today. So will the outside linebackers. With Braxton's size and speed, Allen and Norman will be active on the side lines. If MSU can limit the big plays out of Braxton that should go a long way towards defeating the Buckeyes.
The offense really needs to score points. If the defense is on the field all day it will be a long game for the Spartans. Very simply, the offense needs to score. I cant break it down any more than that. With the way things have gone this year for the Spartans I expect a lot of fire out the Spartans especially those from the state of Ohio. Call this one 24-21 MSU
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Ranking the B1G
While it's approaching Big East levels of (dis)respect, it's still the conference that contains Michigan and MSU. Here's how I think the league shakes out to date:
1. OSU - They deserve this spot for being at 4-0 with a victory over Cal. Still, they haven't looked like world beaters in any of those victories. This Saturday will tell us a lot more about the Buckeyes. I wrote a couple weeks ago that a win in East Lansing and the Buckeyes may be looking at running the table...and I threw up in my mouth a little.
2. Northwestern - The best resume of any B1G team, but is it filled with lies? Their defense may begin to leak in B1G play. If they can hold teams down on D their offense can win them a lot of games.
3. Nebraska - I'm going to forgive the road loss to UCLA and give this squad the benefit of the doubt. Right now probably the very slight favorites in the Legends division.
4. Michigan - Only 2-2 but have clearly faced the toughest schedule in the conference. Would any other B1G team be better than 2-2 with Michigan's schedule? I say no, though maybe OSU could win @ND.
5. MSU - The best defense and RB in the conference could carry the Spartans to the B1G championship. That passing game certainly makes Spartan's nervous though.
6. Wisconsin - The offense has regressed tremendously without Russell Wilson but I think they have played the second most difficult league slate to date. It's only because Oregon State was so bad last season that Wisconsin's loss seemed like a big upset when in fact Oregon State is a pretty good team this season.
7. Purdue - The Boilermakers have a legitimate case to be higher here. Their defense is much improved and they have a very stout defensive line. The Purdue offense seems to have some cohesiveness for the first time since Danny Hope has been coaching there.
8. Minnesota - 4-0 but haven't faced much of a test to start the season. A much improved team over last season but probably still a year or 2 away from contending for the championship game. Need Marquis Gray back and healthy.
9. Penn State - If they lose this week on the road at Illinois it's an all out spiral. They need a W this week and then can look at games with Iowa and IU has likely victories.
10. Iowa - Their poor recruiting on the defensive side of the ball is finally bearing it's ugly head for the Hawkeyes. Is this Kirk Ferentz's worst Iowa team? A bowl game looks like a lofty goal this season.
11 Indiana - Hoosiers are better than last year but will likely struggle to win a B1G game this season.
12. Illinois - A train wreck under their first year coach. Maybe Zooker didn't leave as much talent behind as everyone thought?
And because I like stats here's a quick breakdown of where all the B1G teams rank nationally in their respective units (remember 4 games strength of schedule fluctuates wildly) I'm not sure if you can take any real meaning from any of this but I was surprised by the teams at the bottom of the conference on both offense and defense.
Total Offense
Nebraska 6th
Ohio State 36th
Northwestern 45th
Minnesota 46th
Michigan State 47th
Indiana 50th
Michigan 59th
Penn State 65th
Iowa 76th
Purdue 77th
Illinois 85th
Wisconsin 96th
Wisconsin is currently last in the conference in total offense...What a difference a year makes!
Total Defense
MSU 6th
Purdue 17th
Minnesota 21st
Iowa 25th
Wisconsin 31st
Illinois 35th
Michigan 37th
Nebraska 51st
Penn State 54th
Indiana 49th
Northwestern 60th
Ohio State 71st
Looks like it may be a low scoring year in the B1G. Much better rankings here than in the offensive categories. Is Ohio State really that poor defensively?
1. OSU - They deserve this spot for being at 4-0 with a victory over Cal. Still, they haven't looked like world beaters in any of those victories. This Saturday will tell us a lot more about the Buckeyes. I wrote a couple weeks ago that a win in East Lansing and the Buckeyes may be looking at running the table...and I threw up in my mouth a little.
2. Northwestern - The best resume of any B1G team, but is it filled with lies? Their defense may begin to leak in B1G play. If they can hold teams down on D their offense can win them a lot of games.
3. Nebraska - I'm going to forgive the road loss to UCLA and give this squad the benefit of the doubt. Right now probably the very slight favorites in the Legends division.
4. Michigan - Only 2-2 but have clearly faced the toughest schedule in the conference. Would any other B1G team be better than 2-2 with Michigan's schedule? I say no, though maybe OSU could win @ND.
5. MSU - The best defense and RB in the conference could carry the Spartans to the B1G championship. That passing game certainly makes Spartan's nervous though.
6. Wisconsin - The offense has regressed tremendously without Russell Wilson but I think they have played the second most difficult league slate to date. It's only because Oregon State was so bad last season that Wisconsin's loss seemed like a big upset when in fact Oregon State is a pretty good team this season.
7. Purdue - The Boilermakers have a legitimate case to be higher here. Their defense is much improved and they have a very stout defensive line. The Purdue offense seems to have some cohesiveness for the first time since Danny Hope has been coaching there.
8. Minnesota - 4-0 but haven't faced much of a test to start the season. A much improved team over last season but probably still a year or 2 away from contending for the championship game. Need Marquis Gray back and healthy.
9. Penn State - If they lose this week on the road at Illinois it's an all out spiral. They need a W this week and then can look at games with Iowa and IU has likely victories.
10. Iowa - Their poor recruiting on the defensive side of the ball is finally bearing it's ugly head for the Hawkeyes. Is this Kirk Ferentz's worst Iowa team? A bowl game looks like a lofty goal this season.
11 Indiana - Hoosiers are better than last year but will likely struggle to win a B1G game this season.
12. Illinois - A train wreck under their first year coach. Maybe Zooker didn't leave as much talent behind as everyone thought?
And because I like stats here's a quick breakdown of where all the B1G teams rank nationally in their respective units (remember 4 games strength of schedule fluctuates wildly) I'm not sure if you can take any real meaning from any of this but I was surprised by the teams at the bottom of the conference on both offense and defense.
Total Offense
Nebraska 6th
Ohio State 36th
Northwestern 45th
Minnesota 46th
Michigan State 47th
Indiana 50th
Michigan 59th
Penn State 65th
Iowa 76th
Purdue 77th
Illinois 85th
Wisconsin 96th
Wisconsin is currently last in the conference in total offense...What a difference a year makes!
Total Defense
MSU 6th
Purdue 17th
Minnesota 21st
Iowa 25th
Wisconsin 31st
Illinois 35th
Michigan 37th
Nebraska 51st
Penn State 54th
Indiana 49th
Northwestern 60th
Ohio State 71st
Looks like it may be a low scoring year in the B1G. Much better rankings here than in the offensive categories. Is Ohio State really that poor defensively?
Monday, September 24, 2012
Week 4 Blahs
This is a lot like the dog days of summer. You know that scene in Bruce Almighty where "Bruce" is controlling "Evans" mouth? aslkjdfaosfwjljalsflk sfjsaljfnvlkanfasf
(http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/bruce-almighty-gif)
That is how I am going to describe the MSU performance over EMU. Or as my dad pointed out, the Emu's. Get it? No? It's a play on words.
There was not a lot of positive to take out of it, other than our defense played OK and that Bell and Sims are the only thing keeping us from being 1-3. MSU looks like the 4th best team in the B1G right now. Behind OSU, Northwestern, Nebraska. Penn State might be as good as us as well, they can certainly pass the ball 100% better. Michigan I would put right about next to us as well.
-University of Michigan (no the) did not fair any better than MSU did against Notre Dame. Denard Robinson looked lost (MSU wide receiver level lost). Three of those picks were just plain bad. From what I can tell, Denard had room to scramble more on some of those picks, and maybe should have. Maybe that is the problem with trying to be a "Michigan" quarterback. Just be Denard, the best player in the B1G. Instead of Denard, the less good version of Braxton Miller (I went there). Along with that, the UM line did not live up to what it was once billed to be. That has a lot to do with the Notre Dame front seven being full on legit. Being a mostly outsider looking in on UM, every time I see UM struggle on offense, I think: why don't they just let Denard run the ball and get the juices flowing?
-Seriosuly though, Ohio State? Theye might be the biggest enigma in the B1G even though they appear, right now, to be the best team. For a team that was supposed to have one of the best defenses in the B1G, they love giving up points to wildly inferior opponents. Along with that, the offense is all Braxton. Take away his gashing run plays, and they are much less dynamic. I will break things if MSU loses next week.
-Penn State looked good against Temple. Temple is a solid Big East team (better than Eastern). Allen Robinson, looks like the best wide out in the B1G. McGloin still makes some bone headed passes/attempted passes but seems a lot more accurate when throwing down field. The running game is a bit up in the air right now. However, if the defense finally has turned it on, they could very well win the Leaders.
That was all the B1G I managed to watch.
Did I mention that CBS is ripping off what Pat already wrote? No seriously, Pat wrote this last Thursday. Now if only we could get the readers they do.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan Prediction
Normally I would have no problem playing EMU. But this Saturday I want to demolish them. I want Bell to run for 250 Yards and 5 Touchdowns. And after every one of the touchdowns. I want him to point to Mike Hart and do this.
Call me a littler brother, whatever. Fuck Mike Hart. Outside of that, I have had a lot of fun in Ypsilanti. Of course the game is in East Lansing, so I assume, I hope, that Hart will be booed loudly and audibly over the TV.
OFFENSE: Ugh, where to begin. Right now, MSU is missing what Fou Fonoti can do as a right tackle. With that, MSU needs to buck up on the offensive line and and push the Eagles around. Maxwell needs to continue to make passes on his receivers and those receivers needs to CATCH THE BALL. It is as simple as that. MSU needs a confidence booster on offense. Of course, the last time we had one those nothing good happened the next week. I will state this again, MSU is missing Fou Fonoti already. However, I expect Bell to establish himself early and Maxwell to work passes from all angles. The offense should stay in even after the game is over to get the extra reps.
DEFENSE: In this game, MSU needs to shut it down. Adams and Dennard will be a factor as EMU will need to pass to keep pace early in this game. Gholston should overpower the Eagles offensive line and feed in the backfield (I might need this to happen to protect my psyche for the rest of the season.) With Adams and Dennard laying a blanket in the secondary a defensive touchdown looms large in this game.
PREDICTION: This game should see the Spartan offense play with a lot of fire. Along with that, there will be perfect execution in this game. The Spartan team needs to play with a purpose on both sides of the ball and it will. Of course this is a short prediction because of the score I think will happen 45-6 MSU.
OFFENSE: Ugh, where to begin. Right now, MSU is missing what Fou Fonoti can do as a right tackle. With that, MSU needs to buck up on the offensive line and and push the Eagles around. Maxwell needs to continue to make passes on his receivers and those receivers needs to CATCH THE BALL. It is as simple as that. MSU needs a confidence booster on offense. Of course, the last time we had one those nothing good happened the next week. I will state this again, MSU is missing Fou Fonoti already. However, I expect Bell to establish himself early and Maxwell to work passes from all angles. The offense should stay in even after the game is over to get the extra reps.
DEFENSE: In this game, MSU needs to shut it down. Adams and Dennard will be a factor as EMU will need to pass to keep pace early in this game. Gholston should overpower the Eagles offensive line and feed in the backfield (I might need this to happen to protect my psyche for the rest of the season.) With Adams and Dennard laying a blanket in the secondary a defensive touchdown looms large in this game.
PREDICTION: This game should see the Spartan offense play with a lot of fire. Along with that, there will be perfect execution in this game. The Spartan team needs to play with a purpose on both sides of the ball and it will. Of course this is a short prediction because of the score I think will happen 45-6 MSU.
Define "Smiling"
Does anyone know what that saying means? "Irish Eyes are Smiling"? They must have been smiling in that way people only smile when feeling a knowing, psychotic rage after witnessing miraculous Michigan come from behind victories in the final seconds of the last three matchups in this rivalry.
If you've read anything on the internet about the Michigan - Notre Dame matchup this weekend you have heard one fact reiterated again and again: Denard Robinson owns the Irish. This, of course, is true. From his Heisman like pose in the game in 2010 to his 4th quarter heroics last year, Shoelace has been downright cruel to Rudy lovers everywhere. Can he do it again? Please, Mr Robinson, Irish tears warm the cockles of my heart.
Mercifully, after waiting through spring, summer, fall and three football games finally we get some concrete information on the Wolverines and maybe how they matchup with the Spartans. I'm sure MSU fans will have a keen eye on this game to help gauge where their team is at as well. Overmatched Eastern Michigan probably won't provide much opportunity to learn more about your beloved Spartans.
I fully expect Notre Dame to come out gunning for Denard in an attempt to shut down his running opportunities. Denard will need to beat the Irish through the air for Michigan to win this game. Despite Michigan's defense having some question marks, the Irish offense doesn't seem to be a juggernaut. The matchups in this game appear to be strength on strength (UM O vs Irish D) and ? on ? (UM D vs Irish O).
I'm torn on making a pick in this game. If the game was in Ann Arbor I'd be confident in picking Michigan, but winning in South Bend is a tall order...
Yet how can a Michigan fan (or any football fan) pick against dreadlocks dancing in the dark beneath the lights of famous old Notre Dame stadium under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus and torturing Irish souls one last glorious time?
Michigan 28-27
If you've read anything on the internet about the Michigan - Notre Dame matchup this weekend you have heard one fact reiterated again and again: Denard Robinson owns the Irish. This, of course, is true. From his Heisman like pose in the game in 2010 to his 4th quarter heroics last year, Shoelace has been downright cruel to Rudy lovers everywhere. Can he do it again? Please, Mr Robinson, Irish tears warm the cockles of my heart.
Mercifully, after waiting through spring, summer, fall and three football games finally we get some concrete information on the Wolverines and maybe how they matchup with the Spartans. I'm sure MSU fans will have a keen eye on this game to help gauge where their team is at as well. Overmatched Eastern Michigan probably won't provide much opportunity to learn more about your beloved Spartans.
I fully expect Notre Dame to come out gunning for Denard in an attempt to shut down his running opportunities. Denard will need to beat the Irish through the air for Michigan to win this game. Despite Michigan's defense having some question marks, the Irish offense doesn't seem to be a juggernaut. The matchups in this game appear to be strength on strength (UM O vs Irish D) and ? on ? (UM D vs Irish O).
I'm torn on making a pick in this game. If the game was in Ann Arbor I'd be confident in picking Michigan, but winning in South Bend is a tall order...
Yet how can a Michigan fan (or any football fan) pick against dreadlocks dancing in the dark beneath the lights of famous old Notre Dame stadium under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus and torturing Irish souls one last glorious time?
Michigan 28-27
Thursday, September 20, 2012
In Defense of the Big Ten
The national media is having a field day slamming the B1G, with a lot of pundits claiming this is the worst they have ever seen the conference. Let's take a closer look with a team by team breakdown and the losses the league has suffered and what we can really learn about the conference from those games.
Michigan
It all started with my beloved Wolverines getting taken to the woodshed by Alabama. Michigan was overrated as the #8 team in the country and hyped up heading into the showdown in Dallas. This game proved that Michigan is not on the elite level with Alabama, though there are few teams that can stack up to the Crimson Tide. Who can compete with them? Maybe LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon...anyone else? Alabama has since obliterated an Arkansas team that was a preseason top 5 pick by many, the same Arkansas team that lost the previous week to UL Monroe. Who would you pick in a matchup between the Razorbacks and the Wolverines?
Wisconsin
Wisconsin has been a huge dissapointment to begin the season, but before Russell Wilson was Wisconsin ever a dominant non conference team? I seem to remember them neeed a missed FG to beat Cal Poly a few years ago and some near misses versus Fresno State and UNLV as well. They lost to an underrated Oregon State team and nearly lost to Utah State. Everyone jumped on Wisconsin for the near loss against Utah State but this Utah St team will finish the year with no less than 9 wins and has already defeated a team from the media darling Pac 12 in Utah.
The Badgers certainly have issues offensively but I still believe they are the favorites in the Leaders division and probably the favorites to make the Rose Bowl.
Nebraska
The Corn Huskers lost on the road to a vastly improved UCLA team. This same UCLA team was even in the Pac 12 championship game last year. It's not easy winning on the road across the country against a fired up foe playing inspired for a new coach. Nebraska is just about what they were last season, a flawed team but a top 20 team nonetheless.
OSU
They struggled at home with a mediocre CAL squad but they did in fact pull out the victory. Urban Meyer has a 3-0 record for the Buckeyes and this is legitimately a top 10 team.
MSU
The loss to Notre Dame was ugly, but there needs to be some credit awarded for defeating Boise State. MSU lost big to ND last season and ended the year defeating SEC darling Georgia in a bowl game. Don't write off the Spartans.
Northwestern
The only team in the country to have three victories over teams from major conferences defeating a Big East team, an ACC team and an SEC team. Their win over Vanderbilt got no love from the media even though everyone was lauding Vanderbilt as a team that would give the top teir SEC teams fits throughout the season.
Iowa
They lost to Iowa State. Don't they lose to Iowa State 2 out of every 3 seasons anyway? What's so different about this year?
Illinois
Their complete annihilation at the hands of of Arizona State was a bad loss but they were also playing without their starting QB and have a new coaching staff playing in their first road test of the season across the country. They are also Illinois, did anyone expect them to be good?
Purdue
2-1 with a close call in a FG loss to a very solid Notre Dame team. This team seems like a fringe top 25 team to me.
Minnesota
They are a lot better than last year at least!
Indiana
Ha Indiana
PSU
Admittedly a tire fire but there's not much they can do about that these days.
For all the national media claiming the Big Ten is the worst they've ever seen it, I think it is a pretty typical year for the league with the exception that Michigan played one of the country's best teams in a nationally teleivised game to start the year and got embrarrassed. Beyond that the Big Ten clearly has no elite teams that can win a national title but they have a lot of solid teams that are going to battle and whoever comes out of the scrum will be a worthy Rose Bowl representative.
Michigan
It all started with my beloved Wolverines getting taken to the woodshed by Alabama. Michigan was overrated as the #8 team in the country and hyped up heading into the showdown in Dallas. This game proved that Michigan is not on the elite level with Alabama, though there are few teams that can stack up to the Crimson Tide. Who can compete with them? Maybe LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon...anyone else? Alabama has since obliterated an Arkansas team that was a preseason top 5 pick by many, the same Arkansas team that lost the previous week to UL Monroe. Who would you pick in a matchup between the Razorbacks and the Wolverines?
Wisconsin
Wisconsin has been a huge dissapointment to begin the season, but before Russell Wilson was Wisconsin ever a dominant non conference team? I seem to remember them neeed a missed FG to beat Cal Poly a few years ago and some near misses versus Fresno State and UNLV as well. They lost to an underrated Oregon State team and nearly lost to Utah State. Everyone jumped on Wisconsin for the near loss against Utah State but this Utah St team will finish the year with no less than 9 wins and has already defeated a team from the media darling Pac 12 in Utah.
The Badgers certainly have issues offensively but I still believe they are the favorites in the Leaders division and probably the favorites to make the Rose Bowl.
Nebraska
The Corn Huskers lost on the road to a vastly improved UCLA team. This same UCLA team was even in the Pac 12 championship game last year. It's not easy winning on the road across the country against a fired up foe playing inspired for a new coach. Nebraska is just about what they were last season, a flawed team but a top 20 team nonetheless.
OSU
They struggled at home with a mediocre CAL squad but they did in fact pull out the victory. Urban Meyer has a 3-0 record for the Buckeyes and this is legitimately a top 10 team.
MSU
The loss to Notre Dame was ugly, but there needs to be some credit awarded for defeating Boise State. MSU lost big to ND last season and ended the year defeating SEC darling Georgia in a bowl game. Don't write off the Spartans.
Northwestern
The only team in the country to have three victories over teams from major conferences defeating a Big East team, an ACC team and an SEC team. Their win over Vanderbilt got no love from the media even though everyone was lauding Vanderbilt as a team that would give the top teir SEC teams fits throughout the season.
Iowa
They lost to Iowa State. Don't they lose to Iowa State 2 out of every 3 seasons anyway? What's so different about this year?
Illinois
Their complete annihilation at the hands of of Arizona State was a bad loss but they were also playing without their starting QB and have a new coaching staff playing in their first road test of the season across the country. They are also Illinois, did anyone expect them to be good?
Purdue
2-1 with a close call in a FG loss to a very solid Notre Dame team. This team seems like a fringe top 25 team to me.
Minnesota
They are a lot better than last year at least!
Indiana
Ha Indiana
PSU
Admittedly a tire fire but there's not much they can do about that these days.
For all the national media claiming the Big Ten is the worst they've ever seen it, I think it is a pretty typical year for the league with the exception that Michigan played one of the country's best teams in a nationally teleivised game to start the year and got embrarrassed. Beyond that the Big Ten clearly has no elite teams that can win a national title but they have a lot of solid teams that are going to battle and whoever comes out of the scrum will be a worthy Rose Bowl representative.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Barometer Game
In my last post I indicated that we know very little about the Wolverines in 2012. (other than not being in the same class as Alabama) This week provides a great chance to find out a lot more about where Michigan is at right now and where they are likely to finish at the end of this season.
A nice big disclaimer here that I do not believe in the transitive property of sports. If Michigan goes out and beats the Irish that doesn't mean anything definitive about the outcome in their showdown with the Spartans. This is especially true in college sports where emotion and match ups greatly affect the outcome of games. Still, a win in South Bend would have Michigan fans believing a Big Ten championship is once again the expectation. A lopsided loss and the Wolverines may be staring down a mediocre season in 2012.
Here's some questions that may be answered Saturday night...
1. Can Michigan's defensive line hold up?
They could not against Alabama, got cut against Air Force (but did OK) and then played UMass lol. This week is a true barometer for the D-line, get blown off the ball by the Irish and it's going to be a long season. Hold down the Irish rushing attack and things will be looking good for the Wolverines.
2. Can anyone other than Denard run the football?
This is mostly an offensive line issue, but Michigan needs to establish a rushing attack outside of Denard's legs. Toussaint had a decent game against UMass, but that was UMass lol. Michigan's offensive line has provided Denard with solid pass protection this season but needs to do better in run blocking and this game will tell us a lot about where our expectations should be in that area going forward this season.
3. Will a linebacker please step up?
Jake Ryan has been Michigan's best defensive player but the other starting linebackers (Kenny Demens and Desmond Morgan) have seen their playing time usurped by true freshman James Ross and Joe Boldon. Morgan has been dinged up and sat out the UMass lol game but is expected back this week. It will be interesting to see if Michigan goes with their veterans in this game or if a switch to the freshman is in the cards for now and throughout the season. These two positions (MLB and WLB) are open and waiting for someone to sieze the spot, let's see if anyone can do that this week.
Heisman Thoughts
This is also a key game for Denard Robinson as I believe he still has a chance to win the Heisman trophy. The Alabama loss certainly stung his candidacy, but the season is long and other frontrunners have also had setbacks. Another huge performance in South Bend will see him shoot back up into the conversation here. A poor performance and a loss will see Denard out of the discussion for good.
Another interesting little thought about the Heisman is the hype that Braxton Miller is building and how it affects Denard's candidacy. If OSU enters the Michigan game with 9 or 10 wins and Miller is consistently in the Heisman discussion throughout the season it will provide a huge opportunity for the winner of The Game in Columbus. Say Denard is in the top five at that point and goes on the road and outplays Miller to clinch a berth in the B1G championship game, that would have a massive impact on Heisman voters. Still a long ways to go, but a scenario I could see potentially playing out.
FEI and other Metrics
We are only three games into the season so all statistical metrics have less validity but are interesting nonetheless. Here's a link if you need a quick brush-up on FEI.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/fei
Michigan is #49 in FEI
MSU is #21
(ND is #6, yikes)
Michigan is 42nd in Total Offense and 33rd in Scoring O
MSU is 60th in Total offense and 103rd in Scoring O
Michigan is 59th in Total D and 77th in Scoring D
MSU is 13th in Total D and 16th in Scoring D
A nice big disclaimer here that I do not believe in the transitive property of sports. If Michigan goes out and beats the Irish that doesn't mean anything definitive about the outcome in their showdown with the Spartans. This is especially true in college sports where emotion and match ups greatly affect the outcome of games. Still, a win in South Bend would have Michigan fans believing a Big Ten championship is once again the expectation. A lopsided loss and the Wolverines may be staring down a mediocre season in 2012.
Here's some questions that may be answered Saturday night...
1. Can Michigan's defensive line hold up?
They could not against Alabama, got cut against Air Force (but did OK) and then played UMass lol. This week is a true barometer for the D-line, get blown off the ball by the Irish and it's going to be a long season. Hold down the Irish rushing attack and things will be looking good for the Wolverines.
2. Can anyone other than Denard run the football?
This is mostly an offensive line issue, but Michigan needs to establish a rushing attack outside of Denard's legs. Toussaint had a decent game against UMass, but that was UMass lol. Michigan's offensive line has provided Denard with solid pass protection this season but needs to do better in run blocking and this game will tell us a lot about where our expectations should be in that area going forward this season.
3. Will a linebacker please step up?
Jake Ryan has been Michigan's best defensive player but the other starting linebackers (Kenny Demens and Desmond Morgan) have seen their playing time usurped by true freshman James Ross and Joe Boldon. Morgan has been dinged up and sat out the UMass lol game but is expected back this week. It will be interesting to see if Michigan goes with their veterans in this game or if a switch to the freshman is in the cards for now and throughout the season. These two positions (MLB and WLB) are open and waiting for someone to sieze the spot, let's see if anyone can do that this week.
Heisman Thoughts
This is also a key game for Denard Robinson as I believe he still has a chance to win the Heisman trophy. The Alabama loss certainly stung his candidacy, but the season is long and other frontrunners have also had setbacks. Another huge performance in South Bend will see him shoot back up into the conversation here. A poor performance and a loss will see Denard out of the discussion for good.
Another interesting little thought about the Heisman is the hype that Braxton Miller is building and how it affects Denard's candidacy. If OSU enters the Michigan game with 9 or 10 wins and Miller is consistently in the Heisman discussion throughout the season it will provide a huge opportunity for the winner of The Game in Columbus. Say Denard is in the top five at that point and goes on the road and outplays Miller to clinch a berth in the B1G championship game, that would have a massive impact on Heisman voters. Still a long ways to go, but a scenario I could see potentially playing out.
FEI and other Metrics
We are only three games into the season so all statistical metrics have less validity but are interesting nonetheless. Here's a link if you need a quick brush-up on FEI.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/fei
Michigan is #49 in FEI
MSU is #21
(ND is #6, yikes)
Michigan is 42nd in Total Offense and 33rd in Scoring O
MSU is 60th in Total offense and 103rd in Scoring O
Michigan is 59th in Total D and 77th in Scoring D
MSU is 13th in Total D and 16th in Scoring D
Monday, September 17, 2012
You Know Nothing, Jon Snow
A quick recap of the season for the Wolverines:
Week 1: Curb stomped by what appears to be an uber elite Alabama team.
Week 2: Struggled defensively against tricky triple option Air Force in a week of short preparation with a defensive coordinator who rarely faces the triple option and employed some flawed schemes.
Week 3: UMass lol. Just might be the worst FBS team in the country.
What have we learned through three weeks that we didn't know entering the season? Alabama proved Michigan cannot hang with Alabama, but can anyone? Air Force runs on everyone and Michigan was no exception. And UMass lol.
So after three weeks the fans and media really don't know a whole lot about where Michigan stacks up this season in regards to their competition in the Big Ten. The rest of the Big Ten looks so weak right now that Michigan might now be the favorites?
A rational argument could be made that Michigan is looking at 7-5 this season. A rational argument could also be made that Michigan is going to run the table and finish 11-1. Somewhere in the middle is the most likely scenario, around 9-3, but it's interesting things stand so unknown after three games.
--
The Spartans, on the other hand, seem to be a team easy to peg at this point. While the victory over Boise St still provides questions because we simply don't know how good Boise is this season, there are a few certainties with respect to Michigan State.
Week 1: Curb stomped by what appears to be an uber elite Alabama team.
Week 2: Struggled defensively against tricky triple option Air Force in a week of short preparation with a defensive coordinator who rarely faces the triple option and employed some flawed schemes.
Week 3: UMass lol. Just might be the worst FBS team in the country.
What have we learned through three weeks that we didn't know entering the season? Alabama proved Michigan cannot hang with Alabama, but can anyone? Air Force runs on everyone and Michigan was no exception. And UMass lol.
So after three weeks the fans and media really don't know a whole lot about where Michigan stacks up this season in regards to their competition in the Big Ten. The rest of the Big Ten looks so weak right now that Michigan might now be the favorites?
A rational argument could be made that Michigan is looking at 7-5 this season. A rational argument could also be made that Michigan is going to run the table and finish 11-1. Somewhere in the middle is the most likely scenario, around 9-3, but it's interesting things stand so unknown after three games.
--
The Spartans, on the other hand, seem to be a team easy to peg at this point. While the victory over Boise St still provides questions because we simply don't know how good Boise is this season, there are a few certainties with respect to Michigan State.
- The defense is elite. Will Gholston is playing below expectations, but the secondary and linebackers are fantastic. The loss to Notre Dame is likely the only way to beat MSU. Kelly virtually shut down the offense in the 2nd half and just let his defense win him the game. Which brings us to...
- Turns out it is not so easy replacing Cousins, Cunningham, Martin and Nichol. Leveon Bell is outstanding (and will keep making highlights by leaping people) but the young QB and receivers need to be able to beat teams who stack the box against Bell. Against the Irish they failed to do so and it wasn't pretty. The offensive line has had major issues in protection and Bell's success, IMO, has more to do with Bell making plays than the MSU offensive line creating for him.
- MSU still may be the class of the Big Ten this year but they aren't going to walk through their schedule and dominate. They will be in tough games with OSU, UM, Wisconsin, Nebraska and maybe Northwestern.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Recap and Quick Hits: Week 3
Well that was far and away from a win. Had it been played later it would have been a Sunday bloody Sunday. Rudy is still a douche bag.
-I watched the majority of OSU with the sound off. Braxton Miller is no doubt a stud. He made some Cal defenders look foolish. But man is that OSU defense underwhelming.
-Penn State put a whooping on Navy. Good for them, this was was pretty much necessary. I am not one of those people that wants PSU to tank every game - that's how I feel about Notre Dame. Robinson was making a lot of plays and looks like a legit threat for PSU. If they have anyone else on offense something good could start happening.
-Michigan ended the game against Umass about 10 minutes into it. Funchess with a touchdown and then Denard with a touchdown and then again and again and again. Michigan made this game look easy, for exactly that reason. It was easy. Umass is new to FBS and they will have a few growing pains.
-Lastly, MSU played a real snore fest against ND. The final score was 20-3 but it felt like even less than that happened. MSU played a good game defensively. The touchdown in the first quarter to Goodman was a complete mismatch.* (that was not pass interference either, shit call by the refs). Notre Dame managed only 300 total yards 122 rushing and 178 passing. This is a highly skilled offensive team. They are very dynamic with Wood in the back field and Golson's ability to run added a wrinkle that MSU did not seem prepared for. The Spartan interior line has no push which created a lot of passing and running lanes for the Irish offense. Along with that, the Spartan offensive line has no push which created a lot of rushed passes and tackles for loss. Both of these are issues need to be fixed immediately. Along with that, the wide receivers looked terrible again. Dropped passes plaged the receivers all game long. I have to assume that Arnett might be getting more burn going forward. Lippett dropped the ball and at times looked outmatched. Fowler dropped a touchdown pass on a leaping play; Larry Caper had a dropped screen pass as well. I will say that Mumphrey looked good, he was the only player on offense making any plays. Sims also had a quietly effective game. If anything, this game created a lot more question marks. A lot of MSU bloggers are mentioning how this happened last year and the team was able to win 11 games. This is a much different team. The talent different on offense is really showing. Currently MSU is ranked 13th in total defense, at 250 yards per game that is also tops in the B1G. But no matter how good your defense is, you need to score points. After this game, I am not sure what to expect on offense.
-I watched the majority of OSU with the sound off. Braxton Miller is no doubt a stud. He made some Cal defenders look foolish. But man is that OSU defense underwhelming.
-Penn State put a whooping on Navy. Good for them, this was was pretty much necessary. I am not one of those people that wants PSU to tank every game - that's how I feel about Notre Dame. Robinson was making a lot of plays and looks like a legit threat for PSU. If they have anyone else on offense something good could start happening.
-Michigan ended the game against Umass about 10 minutes into it. Funchess with a touchdown and then Denard with a touchdown and then again and again and again. Michigan made this game look easy, for exactly that reason. It was easy. Umass is new to FBS and they will have a few growing pains.
-Lastly, MSU played a real snore fest against ND. The final score was 20-3 but it felt like even less than that happened. MSU played a good game defensively. The touchdown in the first quarter to Goodman was a complete mismatch.* (that was not pass interference either, shit call by the refs). Notre Dame managed only 300 total yards 122 rushing and 178 passing. This is a highly skilled offensive team. They are very dynamic with Wood in the back field and Golson's ability to run added a wrinkle that MSU did not seem prepared for. The Spartan interior line has no push which created a lot of passing and running lanes for the Irish offense. Along with that, the Spartan offensive line has no push which created a lot of rushed passes and tackles for loss. Both of these are issues need to be fixed immediately. Along with that, the wide receivers looked terrible again. Dropped passes plaged the receivers all game long. I have to assume that Arnett might be getting more burn going forward. Lippett dropped the ball and at times looked outmatched. Fowler dropped a touchdown pass on a leaping play; Larry Caper had a dropped screen pass as well. I will say that Mumphrey looked good, he was the only player on offense making any plays. Sims also had a quietly effective game. If anything, this game created a lot more question marks. A lot of MSU bloggers are mentioning how this happened last year and the team was able to win 11 games. This is a much different team. The talent different on offense is really showing. Currently MSU is ranked 13th in total defense, at 250 yards per game that is also tops in the B1G. But no matter how good your defense is, you need to score points. After this game, I am not sure what to expect on offense.
(Until next year)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
MSU vs. ND Prediction
You know when you wake up at 5 am after "falling asleep" on the couch. You wake up a little confused, wondering where you are, but ultimately you manage to gather yourself and make it to bed. You wake up finally just before college football starts but inside your head it feels like a cesspool. That cesspool is Notre Dame. The constant pain in everyones head. Always begging for your attention. Sloshing around inside you ruining your afternoon. But thankfully you can abort that pain with some Advil.
OFFENSE: The front seven for Notre Dame is the strength of their team. Michigan State's offensive line better come to play. Along with that, Bell will need to have the best game of his career. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o will look to punish Bell and Maxwell. Taking that aggressiveness and using it against them will be necessary for MSU. Look for the MSU offense to try to establish the run both between the tackles and on the edge. This will set up play action passes where MSU will gain large chunks or yards. After finally getting a catch last week, I see Arnett having a much larger impact in this game. There is virtually no film on him in the MSU offense and that could help as no one is really sure how he will be used. Look for this game to really be the Bennie Fowler coming out party. He is a receiver that can use his big body and get down the field in a hurry. Bennie should be tearing up the less than impressive Irish secondary. The Irish will certainly try to make MSU one dimensional, though the air and these MSU receivers will make them pay.
DEFENSE: Notre Dame is going with their more spread quarterback Golson. He has a lot less experience than Reece. MSU will look to attack early and rattle the inexperienced quarterback. Spartan Stadium will be absolutely rocking throwing off some of the Irish timing and helping the MSU defense early in the game. Defensively the corner backs, Dennard and Adams, will need to be in lock down mode. Narduzzi will be dialing up blitzes, like usual, from all over the field. This will also help to stymie their great running back who is making his return this game, Cierre Wood. MSU will certainly give up a couple big plays, but as long as they are not runs, I do not see how the Irish will score on long bombs through the air. Gholston will command a lot of attention like usual and this will help free up Denicos Allen for some plays in the backfield. For the MSU defense to be successful, they will need to keep ND one dimensional. Just like ND will look to to against Michigan State, we will try to make Notre Dame throw the ball under duress.
PREDICTION: I was at the game two years ago. I have to say, MSU v. ND is my favorite game to go to. I despise Notre Dame. The game is usually really close and the fans in the stadium are rabid. After some early scoring from both teams, they settle down and starting grinding against each other for two quarters. This is perfect because this is exactly what MSU wants to do. As the game rolls along and the crowd gets louder and louder look for MSU to string together big drives and tire out the Irish defense. This game will remain close but MSU will prevail, call it 27-21 MSU.
OFFENSE: The front seven for Notre Dame is the strength of their team. Michigan State's offensive line better come to play. Along with that, Bell will need to have the best game of his career. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o will look to punish Bell and Maxwell. Taking that aggressiveness and using it against them will be necessary for MSU. Look for the MSU offense to try to establish the run both between the tackles and on the edge. This will set up play action passes where MSU will gain large chunks or yards. After finally getting a catch last week, I see Arnett having a much larger impact in this game. There is virtually no film on him in the MSU offense and that could help as no one is really sure how he will be used. Look for this game to really be the Bennie Fowler coming out party. He is a receiver that can use his big body and get down the field in a hurry. Bennie should be tearing up the less than impressive Irish secondary. The Irish will certainly try to make MSU one dimensional, though the air and these MSU receivers will make them pay.
DEFENSE: Notre Dame is going with their more spread quarterback Golson. He has a lot less experience than Reece. MSU will look to attack early and rattle the inexperienced quarterback. Spartan Stadium will be absolutely rocking throwing off some of the Irish timing and helping the MSU defense early in the game. Defensively the corner backs, Dennard and Adams, will need to be in lock down mode. Narduzzi will be dialing up blitzes, like usual, from all over the field. This will also help to stymie their great running back who is making his return this game, Cierre Wood. MSU will certainly give up a couple big plays, but as long as they are not runs, I do not see how the Irish will score on long bombs through the air. Gholston will command a lot of attention like usual and this will help free up Denicos Allen for some plays in the backfield. For the MSU defense to be successful, they will need to keep ND one dimensional. Just like ND will look to to against Michigan State, we will try to make Notre Dame throw the ball under duress.
PREDICTION: I was at the game two years ago. I have to say, MSU v. ND is my favorite game to go to. I despise Notre Dame. The game is usually really close and the fans in the stadium are rabid. After some early scoring from both teams, they settle down and starting grinding against each other for two quarters. This is perfect because this is exactly what MSU wants to do. As the game rolls along and the crowd gets louder and louder look for MSU to string together big drives and tire out the Irish defense. This game will remain close but MSU will prevail, call it 27-21 MSU.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Irish Eyes
So everyone has heard the news by now. Notre Dame is going to the ACC in who knows when...They do currently have a contract with the Big East that has a $5 million buy out along with a 27 month notification time frame. I am sure that lawyers will get involved with that.
A fellow MSU blog mentioned the ND switch in this post and conclude by saying that we are to not say that Notre Dame is irrelevant. I would disagree with that. This move does not make them anymore relevant. Notre Dame is known for their football team, which will not be a part of the ACC (along with the hockey team). The football team will start scheduling 5 games against ACC teams per reports. This of course should stop or create large gaps of time between those classic UM/ND and MSU/ND games, along with potentially USC. That is the real tragedy and is also the reason why their football team is no more relevant. The ACC is home to Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, but right now, is trading games against Michigan, USC and even MSU for those teams a win for Notre Dame? I do not think so.
Their basketball team is probably shitting their pants right now though.
For further reading on this read here (ESPN) and here (Dr. Saturday)
A fellow MSU blog mentioned the ND switch in this post and conclude by saying that we are to not say that Notre Dame is irrelevant. I would disagree with that. This move does not make them anymore relevant. Notre Dame is known for their football team, which will not be a part of the ACC (along with the hockey team). The football team will start scheduling 5 games against ACC teams per reports. This of course should stop or create large gaps of time between those classic UM/ND and MSU/ND games, along with potentially USC. That is the real tragedy and is also the reason why their football team is no more relevant. The ACC is home to Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, but right now, is trading games against Michigan, USC and even MSU for those teams a win for Notre Dame? I do not think so.
Their basketball team is probably shitting their pants right now though.
For further reading on this read here (ESPN) and here (Dr. Saturday)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Recap and Quick Hits Week 2
A day late on this one, I went to the Tigers Sox game in Chicago on Monday. The game stunk but the people watching was spectacular. I did not watch as much football as I did in the first week but I did manage to catch a few.
-OSU still did not really impress me, but Braxton continues to dominate. The defense looks like it wants to give up big plays at least once a game coupled with that is that no other player on offense is playing at near the level as Braxton. Pat sent me an interesting email. If OSU beats MSU this year, do they go undefeated?
-How about them Beavers? How about Wisconsin? They are really showing how different they are at QB with O'Brien vs. Wilson. Wilson's athleticism really opened up lanes for both Ball and and the Wisconsin receivers. Plus now they have let go of their offensive line coach.
-I saw a bits and pieces of the UCLA v. Nebraska game. If I were to root for a team that was not MSU, it would be UCLA. the Nebraska defense did not look from what I could see. Why did I see so little of this game? Well I was at Musky Fest and had a few barley pops.
-The Michigan game I did manage to watch quite a bit of. I have to admit I found myself cheering for Freedom. I mean, who can't cheer for Freedom? So what do I think about UM? Well their defense looks really porous. Both, lines, offensive and defensive are not playing as good as they did last year. Funchess looks pretty legit. Those runs from Robinson would have been useful against Alabama. In hindsight, this was a trap game, but I think UM should have put this game to bed by the third quarter. And allowing over 400 yards of offense to Air Force has to be alarming. I imagine their next game should serve as a big lift, especially when you look at what Indiana managed against UMass
-MSU played a pretty weak MAC team. Though CMU did show some sings of life. Their line, both defensive and offensive, played pretty well. The CMU left? tackle looks like he could be an NFLer. At the same time, MSU should not have let their lines look good. Maxwell finished with no turnovers and spread the ball all over the field. Bell had 17 carries and two touchdowns. There is not a lot to say about this game other than it was needed before the game against Notre Dame. Big confidence booster. Especially for the wide receivers.. Fowler finished with 99 yards, Sims had a rumbling touch down and Arnett looks like he belongs while only having one catch.
Overall, as the previous post mentions, the B1G does not look good right now. A win against ND for the Spartans will help with the national media. So will some dominating performances in the other games.
-OSU still did not really impress me, but Braxton continues to dominate. The defense looks like it wants to give up big plays at least once a game coupled with that is that no other player on offense is playing at near the level as Braxton. Pat sent me an interesting email. If OSU beats MSU this year, do they go undefeated?
-How about them Beavers? How about Wisconsin? They are really showing how different they are at QB with O'Brien vs. Wilson. Wilson's athleticism really opened up lanes for both Ball and and the Wisconsin receivers. Plus now they have let go of their offensive line coach.
-I saw a bits and pieces of the UCLA v. Nebraska game. If I were to root for a team that was not MSU, it would be UCLA. the Nebraska defense did not look from what I could see. Why did I see so little of this game? Well I was at Musky Fest and had a few barley pops.
-The Michigan game I did manage to watch quite a bit of. I have to admit I found myself cheering for Freedom. I mean, who can't cheer for Freedom? So what do I think about UM? Well their defense looks really porous. Both, lines, offensive and defensive are not playing as good as they did last year. Funchess looks pretty legit. Those runs from Robinson would have been useful against Alabama. In hindsight, this was a trap game, but I think UM should have put this game to bed by the third quarter. And allowing over 400 yards of offense to Air Force has to be alarming. I imagine their next game should serve as a big lift, especially when you look at what Indiana managed against UMass
-MSU played a pretty weak MAC team. Though CMU did show some sings of life. Their line, both defensive and offensive, played pretty well. The CMU left? tackle looks like he could be an NFLer. At the same time, MSU should not have let their lines look good. Maxwell finished with no turnovers and spread the ball all over the field. Bell had 17 carries and two touchdowns. There is not a lot to say about this game other than it was needed before the game against Notre Dame. Big confidence booster. Especially for the wide receivers.. Fowler finished with 99 yards, Sims had a rumbling touch down and Arnett looks like he belongs while only having one catch.
Overall, as the previous post mentions, the B1G does not look good right now. A win against ND for the Spartans will help with the national media. So will some dominating performances in the other games.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Few Legends, Lacking Leaders
Some games occurred while I was away...
Michigan was outclassed and eviscerated by the Crimson Tide, there is no other way to put it. Alabama is once again a national title contender and the Wolverines simply have not reached that level yet. The game raised massive concerns along both the offensive line and the defensive front seven. Still, shortcomings easily show against the best in the country, Michigan won't be playing another team on Alabama's level the rest of the season which allows for optimism.
I said all summer that I disliked scheduling Air Force the week after Alabama in Dallas. Michigan had a long trip home and a shorter week of preparation than normal for a triple option offense. Once again, there are tons of issues that need to be straightened out and corrected. Michigan simply is not a dominant team up front at this point. Against Air Force, Denard Robinson showed that Michigan does have the most dominant player in the Big Ten. He was simply ridiculous, setting an all-time college football record with his third game with both 200 yards passing and running while accounting for more total offense than Michigan's team total. As long as Denard is healthy, Michigan has a chance in it's remaining ten games.
And Michigan will have a chance in those games because woo-eee the B1G is bad this season. Wisconsin is not a top 20 team and no team looks like it's capable of competing on the national stage. The Big Ten remains wide open.
Let's look at some takeaways from the first two weeks for the Wolverines.
After an awfully disappointing first two weeks for the B1G, let's rank the league where things stand as of now:
Every Two Weekly B1G Rankings
1. Michigan State
The Spartans may have the most impressive league victory (home over rebuilding Boise St in an underwhelming performance...this league is bad) After a surgical demolition of CMU, the Spartans clearly have the league's best single unit as their defense. Maxwell, the offensive line and the receivers all need to continue their improvement if this team wants to make the Rose bowl.
2. Ohio State
An imperfect team both offensively and defensively, the Buckeyes are still probably the league's most talented squad. Braxton Miller might end the season as the B1G PTOY, so much for NCAA sanctions taking OSU down a peg.
3. Northwestern
Wait, what? This may look like a joke, but a victory over a good Vanderbilt team is arguably the Big Ten's best non-conference victory. Northwestern looked very susceptible through the air in their first game but really stepped up in week two.
4. Michigan
Michigan is only 1-1 but I'm not sure anyone would argue for another team in this spot. Michigan has issues to resolve but also once again has the most dynamic playmaker in the league running the show. Michigan has played clearly the league's best schedule to this point.
5. Nebraska
The first B1G team to play in the Rose Bowl this year, Nebraska is a talented team that will compete for the Legends crown. Losing to a mediocre UCLA team looks worse on paper than it really is as UCLA played inspired yesterday and does have a high level of talent.
6. Wisconsin
The league's best offense in 2011 is grounded without Russell Wilson. Danny O'brien and a new offensive coordinator have Wisconsin struggling to move the football.
7. Purdue
They had a chance late against Notre Dame and have one of the better defensive fronts in the league. The QB rotation seems to be working out OK for them but I think they will be better off naming one guy the starter.
8. Iowa
Who knows about this team. I thought they would be really bad defensively and very good offensively and then they lose 9-6 to Iowa State. Doesn't Iowa do this every season during the nonconference year? I have a feeling they will make noise in the Legends division as a spoiler.
9. Illinois
The Illini got crushed on the road against Arizona State, but they were playing without their starting QB against a team they were very poorly matched. I put Illinois here because I don't think it's unfathomable to see this team in Indianapolis (Illinois will be battling my 6th and 7th ranked teams due to OSU being ineligible)
10. Minnesota
2-0! Is this too low for the Gophers? Winning at UNLV is a solid victory for Minnesota. I might be keeping Minny down because of last season's record but they will soon have a chance to move up this list.
11. Indiana
The Hoosiers beat UMASS to get to 2-0 and get their first victory of the Kevin Wilson era over an FBS foe. Tre Roberson is out for the year with a broken leg though, poor Hoosiers.
12. Penn State
I know they have lost two heartbreaking games but this team is 0-2 with nowhere to go but down. They may end the season getting some victories but Nittany Lion fans have nothing but despair to look forward to for the next half decade.
The B1G is clearly outclassed by the SEC, the PAC-10 and likely the Big 12 and ACC as well this season. This may be a season of irrelevance for the Midwest.
Michigan was outclassed and eviscerated by the Crimson Tide, there is no other way to put it. Alabama is once again a national title contender and the Wolverines simply have not reached that level yet. The game raised massive concerns along both the offensive line and the defensive front seven. Still, shortcomings easily show against the best in the country, Michigan won't be playing another team on Alabama's level the rest of the season which allows for optimism.
I said all summer that I disliked scheduling Air Force the week after Alabama in Dallas. Michigan had a long trip home and a shorter week of preparation than normal for a triple option offense. Once again, there are tons of issues that need to be straightened out and corrected. Michigan simply is not a dominant team up front at this point. Against Air Force, Denard Robinson showed that Michigan does have the most dominant player in the Big Ten. He was simply ridiculous, setting an all-time college football record with his third game with both 200 yards passing and running while accounting for more total offense than Michigan's team total. As long as Denard is healthy, Michigan has a chance in it's remaining ten games.
And Michigan will have a chance in those games because woo-eee the B1G is bad this season. Wisconsin is not a top 20 team and no team looks like it's capable of competing on the national stage. The Big Ten remains wide open.
Let's look at some takeaways from the first two weeks for the Wolverines.
- Issues up front. For whatever reason, Michigan's experienced offensive line is struggling to start out the season. Will we see true freshman Kyle Kalis in the lineup at guard soon?
- The two best players on Michigan's defense? Jordan Kovacs and Jake Ryan.
- Defensive tackle is going to be an issue all season, how Michigan progresses here may determine how far this team can go in the B1G this season.
- Devin Funchess is going to be a star. He is too slim to be a reliable blocker as a true freshman but he showcased his playmaking ability against Air Force by high-pointing a TD pass for Michigan's second TD.
- Devin Gardner may just be Michigan's go-to receiver throughout the season. As a convert to the position he still has a lot of room for growth.
- Dennis Norfleet is going to be exciting to watch the next few seasons.
- I had Michigan's linebackers vastly overrated entering the season (both Demens and Morgan have been replaced often by true freshman James Ross and Joe Bolden)
After an awfully disappointing first two weeks for the B1G, let's rank the league where things stand as of now:
Every Two Weekly B1G Rankings
1. Michigan State
The Spartans may have the most impressive league victory (home over rebuilding Boise St in an underwhelming performance...this league is bad) After a surgical demolition of CMU, the Spartans clearly have the league's best single unit as their defense. Maxwell, the offensive line and the receivers all need to continue their improvement if this team wants to make the Rose bowl.
2. Ohio State
An imperfect team both offensively and defensively, the Buckeyes are still probably the league's most talented squad. Braxton Miller might end the season as the B1G PTOY, so much for NCAA sanctions taking OSU down a peg.
3. Northwestern
Wait, what? This may look like a joke, but a victory over a good Vanderbilt team is arguably the Big Ten's best non-conference victory. Northwestern looked very susceptible through the air in their first game but really stepped up in week two.
4. Michigan
Michigan is only 1-1 but I'm not sure anyone would argue for another team in this spot. Michigan has issues to resolve but also once again has the most dynamic playmaker in the league running the show. Michigan has played clearly the league's best schedule to this point.
5. Nebraska
The first B1G team to play in the Rose Bowl this year, Nebraska is a talented team that will compete for the Legends crown. Losing to a mediocre UCLA team looks worse on paper than it really is as UCLA played inspired yesterday and does have a high level of talent.
6. Wisconsin
The league's best offense in 2011 is grounded without Russell Wilson. Danny O'brien and a new offensive coordinator have Wisconsin struggling to move the football.
7. Purdue
They had a chance late against Notre Dame and have one of the better defensive fronts in the league. The QB rotation seems to be working out OK for them but I think they will be better off naming one guy the starter.
8. Iowa
Who knows about this team. I thought they would be really bad defensively and very good offensively and then they lose 9-6 to Iowa State. Doesn't Iowa do this every season during the nonconference year? I have a feeling they will make noise in the Legends division as a spoiler.
9. Illinois
The Illini got crushed on the road against Arizona State, but they were playing without their starting QB against a team they were very poorly matched. I put Illinois here because I don't think it's unfathomable to see this team in Indianapolis (Illinois will be battling my 6th and 7th ranked teams due to OSU being ineligible)
10. Minnesota
2-0! Is this too low for the Gophers? Winning at UNLV is a solid victory for Minnesota. I might be keeping Minny down because of last season's record but they will soon have a chance to move up this list.
11. Indiana
The Hoosiers beat UMASS to get to 2-0 and get their first victory of the Kevin Wilson era over an FBS foe. Tre Roberson is out for the year with a broken leg though, poor Hoosiers.
12. Penn State
I know they have lost two heartbreaking games but this team is 0-2 with nowhere to go but down. They may end the season getting some victories but Nittany Lion fans have nothing but despair to look forward to for the next half decade.
The B1G is clearly outclassed by the SEC, the PAC-10 and likely the Big 12 and ACC as well this season. This may be a season of irrelevance for the Midwest.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The Battle of Mid-Michigan
So here we are. Another Saturday. There has been some lame posting on here recently, you can blame me, but it is mostly Pat's fault. But here we go. Energized ready for the Chippewa's.
OFFENSE: After a both up and down offensive performance last week, look for this MSU team to come out gunning. Everyone has read about what Bell was able to do against Boise, look for more of the same against CMU. The biggest difference is that I cannot imagine Bell receiving more than 20 carries. There should be a lot of action for Caper and Hill in this game, (maybe then Hill will be allowed to tweet about Michigan?) Gaining large chunks of yards is something that MSU will look to do in the air. Anything to erase the ugliness of last weeks receiver performance. Burbridge and Arnett have been getting a lot of reps in practice and I expect to see a good bit of Arnett on the field. Tony Lippett will get a chance to redeem himself, but other players will get the chance to show their skills. In this game, Maxwell will need to show why so many MSU fans are excited about him. His strong arm, his ability to be mobile his command of the offense after three years. Along with that, the offensive line will need to be exactly what they are. Bigger and better than CMU. No turnovers for the offense this game.
DEFENSE: On the defensive side of the ball, this game will be won up front. I expect the MSU front four to get a ton of push and live in the Chippewa back field. CMU will counter this by trying to draw players offside and pick up cheap yards. Dennard and Adams will lay a blanket over the CMU receivers. Which will be necessary since CMU will need to pass a lot in this game. MSU will show off how deep its defense can play even though it is against a middle to poor MAC team. The psuh from the front four and the tight coverage on receivers should allow the linebackers to make plays in the pass game. Lot os pass deflections and maybe even some interceptions.
PREDICTION: This was a short review mostly because this is not the same CMU team of three years ago, or even the same MSU team. I expect this game to be mostly over by halftime. If CMU is hanging around when the band is playing, I will be shocked. How can they do that though? They need to make the MSU offense one dimensional. CMU will need to limit the running game and see if Maxwell has made any strides in his passing game. If that is the game plan for CMU, expect to see a lot of play action from MSU and some plays for large chunks of yards. We will call this 38-10 MSU
(I went to CMU for a year and lived in Chip Village)
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Recap and Quick Hits
This is wholly an MSU fans perspective. But there were a few things I noticed from the first week of college football. The first thing is that zero of the B1G of the teams really looked all that great.
-It was pretty obvious that OSU was going to outclass Miami OH, but they really stunk it up to start. Braxton Miller looks like he really made leaps in bounds. Of course this was not a B1G team they were playing.
-I liked Penn State's offense. Up and to the point where their starting running back got hurt. Should he be out for a while, PSU will really suffer this season. Their defense was really bad. While Ohio is probably the best MAC team this year, PSU was supposed to have a good defense. We will see if this is one a first game jitters thing.
-Taylor Martinez looked really good passing against Southern Miss. However, Burkhead left with a sprained MCL. That could be a big loss for Nebraska if this is a lingering injury.
-Wisconsin did not look like the team everyone thinks they are. Their offensive line did not have a lot of push, with Ball averaging less than 4 ypc. Their defense gave up some big plays that allowed UNI to stay in the game.
-I listened to the Purdue game on the Radio, that was a snore fest. Marve was on fire.
-Northwestern, the last few years has had a lot of play makers on offense. Syracuse is not exactly the cream of the crop but that was a heck of a game. It would be smart to pass the ball against Northwestern.
-Michigan got hit by a steam roller. I remember that from two years ago. Never a fun game to watch unless you're an Alabama fan. I have seen some people say the UM line played well, other said they did not. I am in the camp that thinks they did not. I am sure to catch some flack for that. It did not look like the Alabama defensive line was trying to go for the sack, they got some push stood there and created a wall, that was all they needed. On rushes they got off their blocks and made tackles. The wolverine receivers were nothing too great except for Gallon. (I will say that Gardner has a lot of potential.) Part of that was also the blanket that the Alabama secondary laid out on pass plays. It probably isn't fair to pick apart UM when they ran into the likely national champions. But when you have the kind of pre-season hype as UM did, you should at least show some signs of life. Robinson was completely ineffective. Both before and after he injured his shoulder, passes were off. After the game, Robinson said he needed to be more of a Michigan quarterback. Whatever that is. Denard needs to be Denard. Not something Hoke wants him to be. Personally, I think UM should have moved the pocket left and right, try to create more space for Denard to either pass or run. The lack of depth on offense was also a problem against Alabama. It likely wont be over the next few games, but should be as the season rolls on.
-MSU was pretty uninspiring, offensively. I thought the line played ok at best, no sacks, and we ran for a healthy 213 yards. I thought Maxwell played exceptionally mediocre (I wont say bad because we did win, and that's the whole idea). He certainly has a strong arm and can sling it all over the field. He also managed 3 interceptions. One of them was a pass right on the money, in the hands of Lippet who then appeared to toss the ball to the defender. Having watched that replay numerous times, Lippet was gone for a huge gain if he doesn't pitch it to the defender. The other picks were uncalled for. With that, the receivers were not too impressive. Lippet made a few mistakes, including a fumble after a 35 yard gain. Fowler played solidly, though only had 2 receptions. Dion Sims I thought was the most impressive. He made crucial grabs and was a big body we needed down field for blocks. The defense was very good, holding Boise State to 206 yards (Le'Veon Bell had more yards) of offense and no offensive touchdowns. Some people will say it was a failure because Gholston had no tackles but I found him disruptive. He was in the offensive backfield a bit and managed a pass deflection. Darqueze Dennard was very good on pass defense. Adams and Dennard will be tough to beat game in a and game out. I am happy with the win, even if it was sloppy.
(Greg Shamus/Getty Images)
-It was pretty obvious that OSU was going to outclass Miami OH, but they really stunk it up to start. Braxton Miller looks like he really made leaps in bounds. Of course this was not a B1G team they were playing.
-I liked Penn State's offense. Up and to the point where their starting running back got hurt. Should he be out for a while, PSU will really suffer this season. Their defense was really bad. While Ohio is probably the best MAC team this year, PSU was supposed to have a good defense. We will see if this is one a first game jitters thing.
-Taylor Martinez looked really good passing against Southern Miss. However, Burkhead left with a sprained MCL. That could be a big loss for Nebraska if this is a lingering injury.
-Wisconsin did not look like the team everyone thinks they are. Their offensive line did not have a lot of push, with Ball averaging less than 4 ypc. Their defense gave up some big plays that allowed UNI to stay in the game.
-I listened to the Purdue game on the Radio, that was a snore fest. Marve was on fire.
-Northwestern, the last few years has had a lot of play makers on offense. Syracuse is not exactly the cream of the crop but that was a heck of a game. It would be smart to pass the ball against Northwestern.
-Michigan got hit by a steam roller. I remember that from two years ago. Never a fun game to watch unless you're an Alabama fan. I have seen some people say the UM line played well, other said they did not. I am in the camp that thinks they did not. I am sure to catch some flack for that. It did not look like the Alabama defensive line was trying to go for the sack, they got some push stood there and created a wall, that was all they needed. On rushes they got off their blocks and made tackles. The wolverine receivers were nothing too great except for Gallon. (I will say that Gardner has a lot of potential.) Part of that was also the blanket that the Alabama secondary laid out on pass plays. It probably isn't fair to pick apart UM when they ran into the likely national champions. But when you have the kind of pre-season hype as UM did, you should at least show some signs of life. Robinson was completely ineffective. Both before and after he injured his shoulder, passes were off. After the game, Robinson said he needed to be more of a Michigan quarterback. Whatever that is. Denard needs to be Denard. Not something Hoke wants him to be. Personally, I think UM should have moved the pocket left and right, try to create more space for Denard to either pass or run. The lack of depth on offense was also a problem against Alabama. It likely wont be over the next few games, but should be as the season rolls on.
-MSU was pretty uninspiring, offensively. I thought the line played ok at best, no sacks, and we ran for a healthy 213 yards. I thought Maxwell played exceptionally mediocre (I wont say bad because we did win, and that's the whole idea). He certainly has a strong arm and can sling it all over the field. He also managed 3 interceptions. One of them was a pass right on the money, in the hands of Lippet who then appeared to toss the ball to the defender. Having watched that replay numerous times, Lippet was gone for a huge gain if he doesn't pitch it to the defender. The other picks were uncalled for. With that, the receivers were not too impressive. Lippet made a few mistakes, including a fumble after a 35 yard gain. Fowler played solidly, though only had 2 receptions. Dion Sims I thought was the most impressive. He made crucial grabs and was a big body we needed down field for blocks. The defense was very good, holding Boise State to 206 yards (Le'Veon Bell had more yards) of offense and no offensive touchdowns. Some people will say it was a failure because Gholston had no tackles but I found him disruptive. He was in the offensive backfield a bit and managed a pass deflection. Darqueze Dennard was very good on pass defense. Adams and Dennard will be tough to beat game in a and game out. I am happy with the win, even if it was sloppy.
(Greg Shamus/Getty Images)
Overall, the B1G definitely has some things to show in week 2. And most of the teams will have weaker opponents which should help.
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