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

[*JD*]

Can't give up on something I wasn't particularly on board with to begin with.

Michigan struggled with a very average team; that they won doesn't change the point. They are not a particularly good team, and I see them losing to MSU and OSU again this year.

I just wonder how quickly the administration will turn on Hoke when he doesn't win those games either.

If he goes 0-6 over 3 years against those teams, the heat will be on just like it was for RR. However, he's already 1 B1G win away from tying RR's best conference showing.

[chemiclord]

If he goes 0-6 over 3 years against those teams, the heat will be on just like it was for RR. However, he's already 1 B1G win away from tying RR's best conference showing.

I beg to differ.

I suspect they'll be perfectly fine with it, because Hoke's a "Michigan Man." There wasn't one peep about Carr when he went 1-6 against OSU and Tressel.

W-L against Ohio State and OSU only matter when you're an "outsider." If you're one of them, they couldn't care less.

If you can't be good, you can at least be arrogant.

[*JD*]

This is not to be confused with the OSU team we have seen the last 8 years or so.

Are they driving free Fords instead of free Chevys now?

[*JD*]

I beg to differ.

I suspect they'll be perfectly fine with it, because Hoke's a "Michigan Man."

If you can't be good, you can at least be arrogant.

Speaking from experience?


Regardless, I don't think we Michigan fans will ever have to worry about that. It may or may not start this year but I think Michigan handles spartie next year in A2.

[*JD*]

But they have talent that can hide the bad areas to a degree. I mean they got a player that can literally just be the offense. And the defense still has players on it with some talent... they just needed a real system. I think UofM is likely overrated but so do most UofM fans and Hoke himself. But I don't see an RR style meltdown.

Michigan does not deserve such a high ranking. They should be just cracking the Top 25 right now.

[chemiclord]

Speaking from experience?

Nah.

I don't pretend to be good.

[*JD*]

Haha.

[chemiclord]

Now with that said, Michigan has seemed to have learned some lessons from the RichRod debacle.

They opened the checkbook to bring in great coordinators, something they had been reluctant to do, well... ever.

I'm still not sure they understand that the recruiting game has changed though. The days where you could flash the winged helmet and get 4 and 5 star talent lined up to be backups and a chance to get national exposure are gone. Hoke had a good first recruiting season, but Michigan as a whole still didn't seem quite aggressive enough in pursuing the cream of the crop. They are going to have talent until they really start pursuing players outside of their typical funnels.

The great teams in college football nowadays recruit hard nationally. Michigan still seems regionally driven with the occasional outside the Midwest talent.

[dvlion52]

Hoke has been exposed to West Coast talent being in SDSU for a bit. There are a lot of blue chippers out west here too....

[*JD*]

Now with that said, Michigan has seemed to have learned some lessons from the RichRod debacle.

They opened the checkbook to bring in great coordinators, something they had been reluctant to do, well... ever.

I'm still not sure they understand that the recruiting game has changed though. The days where you could flash the winged helmet and get 4 and 5 star talent lined up to be backups and a chance to get national exposure are gone. Hoke had a good first recruiting season, but Michigan as a whole still didn't seem quite aggressive enough in pursuing the cream of the crop. They are going to have talent until they really start pursuing players outside of their typical funnels.

The great teams in college football nowadays recruit hard nationally. Michigan still seems regionally driven with the occasional outside the Midwest talent.

A top 5 class is still a top 5 class. They aren't completely done either.

[*JD*]

Also, they were smart enough to focus on D- something that was an afterthought for RR.

[*JD*]

Hoke has been exposed to West Coast talent being in SDSU for a bit. There are a lot of blue chippers out west here too....

He did land at least one guy that he was recruiting for SDSU.

[chemiclord]

Hoke has been exposed to West Coast talent being in SDSU for a bit. There are a lot of blue chippers out west here too....

Will he bring them in, though?

That's the question.

Granted, I haven't seen all the commits so far to U-M, but from what I have seen, they're pretty much a vast majority midwest recruits. That's not the way to be a national powerhouse anymore, and that's what Michigan claims they want to be.

[*JD*]

Granted, most are from the midwest (we have 1 from CA, 1 from Tenn. & 1 from Utah) . Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing a little FLA & TX mixed in there too but Ohio is top 5 state to recruit from (and from what I've read, this is a very good class they have for 2012), plus we are helping those that have been trapped in that state for the first 17 or 18 years of their lives.

They only (or is "already" a better term?) have 3 recruits for the 2013 class. A top QB from MI, a kid from Kentucky and 1 from OH.

[chemiclord]

Granted, most are from the midwest (we have 1 from CA, 1 from Tenn. & 1 from Utah) . Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing a little FLA & TX mixed in there too but Ohio is top 5 state to recruit from (and from what I've read, this is a very good class they have for 2012), plus we are helping those that have been trapped in that state for the first 17 or 18 years of their lives.

They only (or is "already" a better term?) have 3 recruits for the 2013 class. A top QB from MI, a kid from Kentucky and 1 from OH.

And if your goal is to win the Big Ten and have the Rose Bowl as a reward, that's fine.

But that's not Michigan's supposed goal. Their goal is to be a consistent national title contender. That means you have to be aggressive outside your region and find the cream of the crop consistently.