U of M thread (in the Lions Forum) :)

[nhwbrooklyn]

UofM will be very good again. The question is really when and how consistently.

[Masspartan]

lol ..... I guess Walverine fans conveniently forget that DickRod's classes were also always ranked in the top 5 and on the cusp of greatness. They apparently also forget how those rankings are biased based derived. Whatever. Sparty, Badger, Husker, Lions fans have heard it all before ... blah blah blah

The reality is that the big 2 will likely never dominate again the way they did in the past. Scholarship limits ... Expanded TV markets ... etc help to level the playing field.

[froot loops]

Yeah and the fact that the Big Ten in the 70's had a crippled Spartan team plagued by NCAA infractions and a lot of programs who just didn't choose to compete. Its never going back to that. Teams like Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern were terrible in that era they really weren't even trying. Plus there is like 14 teams. Its just not going back to that, buit that doesn't degrade the job Hoke is doing. They should have followed Lloyd's advise back then when he recommended Hoke for the job.

One of the biggest things now is the amount of bowl games. Back in the 70s, you didn't get to go to many bowl games, nowadays if you have a subpar season, you still get to go to a bowl game. Thats a big deal for programs with the extra practices and it helps in recruiting.

[Mainevent]

I get the feeling we're headed towards big 1 with that d-bag running things down in Ohio.

[froot loops]

well that might be a distinct possibility. OSU might have an Alabama like run. That jerk does not screw around. He's already challenging most of the recruting rules and standards of the Big Ten to try and compete like an SEC team. He might drag along the rest of the conference to do the same if he's successful.

[Rocky Bleier]

Big difference in the current classes and those of Rodriguez. He loaded up on small receivers and backs. He allowed the OL to get extremely thin, and the defenses was a joke. Hoke is building from the trenches out. We'll see. Also, they have coaches now who can actually coach. The Michigan defense looked like they Keystone cops for three years.

[*JD*]

I love how all the sparties rush in here to post when they feel threatened. They pull out their best Valenti imitations and try to convince themselves that they now feel better. The chip is alive and well. Only Brook seems to not take the panic pill and relate to things objectively.

I don't know for sure if Michigan is heading back to being on par with ohio. That blog article really didn't say much either. They have 3 verbals and 1 of them is considered very good. Recruiting is a big key, though, and Hoke & Co. have done very well in their first two years. I'm happy with that.

[froot loops]

Hoke is doing a good job, he's kind of like Lloyd was early in Lloyd's career. Thats what they always needed and I'm the one who told you guys that fact.

Its is worth it to note back then, Rodriguez's recruiting style was applauded. The vast majority were onboard with getting rid of the pizza eaters and big linemen in favor of smaller lineman.

[froot loops]

I love how all the sparties rush in here to post when they feel threatened. They pull out their best Valenti imitations and try to convince themselves that they now feel better. The chip is alive and well. Only Brook seems to not take the panic pill and relate to things objectively.

I don't know for sure if Michigan is heading back to being on par with ohio. That blog article really didn't say much either. They have 3 verbals and 1 of them is considered very good. Recruiting is a big key, though, and Hoke & Co. have done very well in their first two years. I'm happy with that.

No actually, you guys should listen to this Spartan. I was much more right about the Michigan situation than any of you guys were. Its true, its true.

The Spartans aren't going anywhere, you're the guy posting stuff to make yourself feel better.

[Rocky Bleier]

Its is worth it to note back then, Rodriguez's recruiting style was applauded. The vast majority were onboard with getting rid of the pizza eaters and big linemen in favor of smaller lineman.

But when he said he was going to make the OL thinner, we thought he meant their weight. Apparently, he meant he would only have 8 or 9 O-linemen on scholarship.

[froot loops]

Yeah and if you put those 8 or 9 on a scale, they'd equal 7 real offensive lineman.

[Deuce]

I get the feeling we're headed towards big 1 with that d-bag running things down in Ohio.

Michigan is recruiting too well for that to happen. (sincere) And Froot thinks MSU ain't going anywhere. (sarcastic) MSU needs an equalizer at QB, hopefully for them Damion Terry is just that. (sincere)

[froot loops]

They aren't going anywhere. As much as JD likes to joke about MSU recruiting classes, they were terrible for stretches where they are good now. They had terrible recruiting for long stretches and they still beat Michigan

[Rocky Bleier]

It'll be interesting to watch the interactions between Meyer and Dantonio. It won't be the same as with Tressel. In fact, it's going to be interesting to watch how Meyer and all of the B1G coaches get along. He's an arrogant jerk, and he really doesn't play well with others.

[Masspartan]

I don't think I've ever felt less threatened in all my years as a Spartan ... and sadly they've been considerable now. Sure Michigan is back, but the Spartans are now a solid program who with a proven head coach who has shown he knows how to identify talent.

Both programs have the right guy in place. Dantonio is exactly what the Spartans needed ... a steady solid guy who was not afraid of the fight. Michigan has one of their own in place who is embracing the rivalry with State and pinning his ears back for the Buckeyes.

The fight had been unfair over the last 5 years ... State dominated. Now it's balanced. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if the series goes 5-5 or 6-4 over the next ten years. It would be much more surprising if one team dominated in my opinion.

I just don't put as much stock in recruiting rankings as many others do. It isn't nearly an exact enough science. How can you explain Boise State rising to the top of the college football world when their recruiting rankings don't measure up against Indiana? They are lucky to get a handful of 3* recruits each year. Looking back in the last 8 years and they've NEVER had a 5* recruit. Yet there is little doubt they would have beaten the mighty Wolverines every year for the last 6 or 7.

The NFL draft also shows you how hard it is to predict future success. Despite 4 additional years of tape professional NFL scouts still get picks wrong. So how is Urban Meyer and his smallish staff going to get every recruit correct based on high school tape and a couple of camps? They don't. That's how.

Simply means that even if you think one high schooler from Florida is better than some other high schooler from Georgia ... you don't know for sure. Bodies change. Attitudes change. A lot can happen once they step onto a college campus.

Doesn't mean I don't get excited about the Spartans getting good recruits. I do. I just know that not every 5* is going to be a stud (Fred Smith?) and that I shouldn't be surprised when a 2* (BJ Cunningham) outperforms them by a wide margin.

What may be more interesting for the future of the BIG is the conference alignment once they role in Maryland and Rutgers. It will pretty hard for the supposed Big 2 to dominate if they end up in the same division as being proposed. Only 1 of the 2 would be able to get into the conference championship game.