Michigan Football, the 2020 Abbreviated COVID Season

[Hannibal]

Mayfield and Nico would definitely at least shift a 35 point loss in Columbus to a 28 point loss.

It'll be huge if we get them both back.

[WM Wolverine]

With the state of the rivalry, I'm only worried about the other 8 games. Sounds like Ambry Thomas wants to play, not sure about Nico.

[Whitley]

I don't know about you guys but i am excited to see Milton. When I look at him--I think of Culpepper.

[lineygoblue]

I'm ready for any Michigan QB who can be an outstanding QB. Hopefully, that's why Milton got the job.

I'm tired of mediocre QB's.

[Hannibal]

I'm eager to see it too.

Milton is getting more off season hype than any Michigan QB since Denard's first year as a starter and it's very encouraging that he grabbed the job with authority away from a couple of other 4* athletes.

[lineygoblue]

Jalen Mayfield has officially been cleared by the NCAA to return to Michigan for football. I expect that pretty much anyone who announced they were leaving (any team) and choose to return will be allowed to do so. The NCAA doesn't want to be the bogeyman on all this.

https://247sports.com/college/michigan/Article/michigan-wolverines-football-jalen-mayfield-return-minnesota-152146713/?utm_source=247Sports%2520Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=200928_190746_MichiganWolverines&utm_content=Image

[Mike]

Good news. Would love to get Nico and Ambry back, too.

[lineygoblue]

Angelique Chengelis reported yesterday that when Jon Jansen asked Harbaugh about Nico and Ambry, he said that Mayfield was the only player to actually apply for a return to school. So, I guess our original hopes about those two may be dashed. It may be that Nico and Ambry already cashed a check from an agent, and spent some of the money. I'm not sure if either of them are still in school either.

Harbaugh also said that the RB's are "a real strength for us, a loaded room". He singled out Charbonet as having a great fall, Evans is 'providing leadership' and had high praise for true freshman Blake Corum. Said Corum looks "extremely good". Also said that Hassan Haskins "does a lot of things well".

Harbaugh also said the QB situation is going very well. Both are very competitive and want to play. Said they are both very smart. Just a guess on my part, but it sounds like not only did Milton catch and pass McCaffery, but McNamara may have done so as well. Again, just speculation on my part.

I admit, I'm more than a little curious about this team. I have no illusions of grandeur, but they could be fun to watch.

Minnesota is going to provide some high level competition right from the git-go.

[Cody_Russell]

I'm eager to see it too.

Milton is getting more off season hype than any Michigan QB since Denard's first year as a starter and it's very encouraging that he grabbed the job with authority away from a couple of other 4* athletes.

I'm not buying it yet.
REALLY like Milton, but we have been fooled by off season hype far too often. Milton hasn't played enough snaps to warrant hype. I would have said the same thing about my guy McCaffrey if he won the job.

... and I disagree about the "more off season hype than any Michigan QB" idea. The hype around Shea Patterson coming into the 2018 season was greater than Milton. Patterson fell flat.

Hope Milton breaks out, but it's safer to expect time for inexperienced players to get it going. There was a lot of hype for LSU QB Myles Brennan on Saturday. KJ Costello was far better than Brennan as Miss St beat LSU.

[lineygoblue]

I'm concerned for Milton as well. He's beginning his career as a starter on the road, having no starting experience under his belt at all. He's the man from the word go, and he's going to have to be very good right from the start. Minnesota returns a starting QB so this is a real concern for Game 1.

Milton has been working with Devin Gardner, which can be seen as good or bad. Gardner had a lot of raw talent, but he never seemed to get into a real groove with Michigan. In high school, he could run his way out of trouble, but in college, he found linebackers that could run as fast or faster than he did. It got him into a lot of trouble. And Gardner never seemed to develop a real touch on the ball. He had a rocket for an arm, but misfired on a LOT of passes. I hope Milton isn't a re-run of that.

[Hannibal]

It's a very positive sign that Milton won the job with authority, especially over McCaffrey, who had no red flags and looked very capable in mop-up duty before. He's a pretty well known commodity.

[Mike]

Fortunately this "road" game will be played in what can best be described as "laboratory conditions" so that should make for a much easier first start. Minnesota is a quality opponent, however.

[lineygoblue]

dang .. we're still 3 freaking weeks away from starting the season ....

[AlabamAlum]

No, we started last week.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I tuned into CFB today for the first time. Mostly out of curiosity because I have truly lost interest. COVID has pretty much crushed the things I love to do, go to M football games and travel. I'm dealing with it as first world problems that I shouldn't worry about either of them being curtailed.

But, sorry M football fans. I watched a talented, well coached Alabama team blast TAMU. The talent level differences were stark in the trenches and the skill positions. Texas got flat-out outcoached by Garry Patterson's TCU with Texas having, I would think, more talent.

Obviously, haven't see M play yet but, I was mostly nauseated by M's play in 2020, that play being dissected to death. It was bad. Bad coaching, players playing below both their hype and reported talent. Bad coaching and bad playing were synergistic factors that fed off each other to produce pretty awful football. That's M and I don't expect them to be better in 2021 - the few games they'll play.

M's talent level has fallen behind the elites and Harbaugh, now in his 6th season, has underperformed in the 5 preceding ones. Those two factors are also synergistic. It's a bad mixture for success and COVID just makes it worse. JH is who he is and M football reflects that.

I'm expecting a disappointing number of M losses and can't really get too excited about the abbreviated COVID CFB season. Gary Patterson's TCU boys out-playing and out coaching the Herman/Ashe duo at UT was fun. Watching Alabama crush TAMU just made me vomit.