Michigan Football - 2025 Season.

[lineygoblue]

Maybe Scott Frost could take over the Mildcats job ... he's likely rested and sober by now ...

[THE_WIZARD_]

Doubtful on the sober part...

[edindetroit]

Back in 1987 I went down to Baton Rogue Louisiana to visit my paramedic brother. One day he decided to take me to his part time job at Davy Crockett Fire Department. On the way, on a little dirt road in the middle of nowhere Louisiana he stops at Blimpy Burgers for lunch.

Hah! I just came across this and it wasn't Blimpy it was Wimpy's Burgers.

[lineygoblue]

There is only one Crazy Jim's Blimpy Burger ...

[THE_WIZARD_]

blimpy.jpg

[THE_WIZARD_]

When liney sees that....it's like me seeing a tractor...

[edindetroit]

You eat tractors?

[THE_WIZARD_]

I plead the Fifth.

[lineygoblue]

Since I'm bored today ... I'll give some too early thoughts on my Michigan 2023 expectations.

When we last saw the Wolverines, they had just completed one of the most successful regular seasons in program history. Then they played a post season game against a team that struggled to win its own conference, only to fall embarrassingly short, and hand Georgia the most easily won NCAA Title in the NCAA's history. Not sure Michigan would have fared a lot better than TCU, but Michigan certainly deserved to be there more than TCU. But, that's what poor preparation and overlooking an opponent will do.

So now, Harbaugh has gotten a few monkeys off his back, and is poised to have another successful campaign. He's gotten rid of the 'can't beat MSU' monkey, and he's now gotten rid of the "can't beat OSU" monkey as well. He's also won 2 conference championships now, so we can bury that monkey too. The gorilla that still remains on his back is winning in the post season. This is an important one to deal with because with the expansion of the playoffs coming up in 2024, Michigan is going to be a perennial postseason participant, either in the playoffs or in bowl games. Just reach that magic 8-9 game win plateau, and they're going to be in the post season somewhere. 10 wins may get them an at-large playoff berth in 2024. So, Harbaugh has to start (if he hasn't already) building this team to perform well in the post season. Winning conference championships is great, but that's not going to be where success is counted. Its going to be playoffs.

On paper, the upcoming season looks promising. Its not a weak schedule as some think, but its got some trap games. I believe that Michigan's first trap game is going to be in Lincoln Nebraska on September 30. Especially if its a night game. Our good friend The Wizard's protestations aside, I think this is a game that new coach Matt Rhule already has red-circled, green-circled, or whatever circle he feels is necessary, to get his team ready to play. Michigan's last visit to Lincoln was a night game, where the outcome was not decided until their QB uncharacteristically fumbled on what could have been the winning touchdown drive. Michigan left with a fortunate win. I think the Huskers are going to be lying in wait for the vaunted Wolverines, and the Michigan guys better not repeat what they did against TCU, and underestimate the Huskers. I see this as a definite trap game.

There are the other usual suspects on Michigan's schedule as well. Winning in East Landfill is rarely easy. At Minnesota, the canoe guy is going to want the Little Brown Jug back. I've read some reports that state the game at Maryland could be a problem as well. And, we haven't even discussed what Penn State can do. So, before everyone starts looking at Thanksgiving weekend, and anticipating the "Big showdown", I think we need to pump the brakes a bit, and hope that this team can play one game at a time, and treat each opponent with respect, and know that there are a lot of potential pitfalls along the way. Key injuries could play a role in that as well. I don't even want to mention them, and give that thought life.

So, I hope the season goes like it looks it should on paper, but this is college football. Things happen every season, that nobody expects. I'd love to see another 12-0 regular season with a conference championship, but its not going to be easy. I'm anxious to see who wins which positions in fall camp.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Thanks for that Linesman but hey, I got a better source. It's Google's Bard their AI Chat Bot experimental model. I asked it to provide a narrative assessment of Michigan's 2023 season. There are some obvious errors (Google makes no claims that everything Bard gives back to you after your prompt is correct and recommends you use the check it with the Google button that shows up in Bard's answer to your prompt). In that vein, the Bard response is like duhhh and pretty much boiler plate. After I typed the prompt, Bard filled the screen with a lengthy narrative in under 10 seconds. I'd like some analytics and I'll see if I can get that for the ECU game:

Here is a narrative prediction for Michigan football games in 2023:

The Wolverines open the season with a home game against East Carolina, which they should win easily. They then travel to Las Vegas to face UNLV, which should be another easy win. The third week of the season, Michigan hosts Bowling Green, which they should also beat handily.

In week 4, Michigan travels to Rutgers, which is always a tough game. However, the Wolverines should be able to get past the Scarlet Knights with a strong defensive performance. The next week, Michigan hosts Nebraska, which is another tough game. However, the Wolverines have a good chance of winning if they can control the clock with their running game.

In week 7, Michigan travels to Minnesota, which is always a rivalry game. The Wolverines should be favored to win, but the Gophers will be motivated to play spoiler. The following week, Michigan hosts Indiana, which should be a relatively easy win.

In week 9, Michigan travels to Michigan State, which is always a heated rivalry game. The Wolverines have won the last two meetings, but the Spartans will be looking to get revenge. In week 10, Michigan hosts Purdue, which is another tough game. However, the Wolverines should be able to win if they can protect the ball and get some big plays from their offense.

In week 11, Michigan travels to Penn State, which is always a tough game. However, the Wolverines have won the last two meetings, and they should be able to win again in 2023. The following week, Michigan hosts Maryland, which should be a relatively easy win.

In the final week of the regular season, Michigan travels to Ohio State for the annual rivalry game. The Wolverines have won the last two meetings, but the Buckeyes will be looking to get revenge. This game will likely decide the Big Ten East division title, and it could be a close one.

If Michigan can win all of their non-conference games and the Big Ten East division title, they will likely earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, they will need to win their bowl game to have a chance to win the national championship.

Here are some of the key players for Michigan in 2023:

• Quarterback J.J. McCarthy: McCarthy is entering his second season as the starting quarterback, and he has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten.
• Running back Blake Corum: Corum is a dynamic running back who can break off big plays. He is also a good receiver out of the backfield.
• Wide receiver Roman Wilson: Wilson is a speedy wide receiver who can stretch the field. He is also a good route runner.
• Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson: Hutchinson is one of the best defensive players in the country. He is a pass rusher who can get to the quarterback.
• Linebacker Josh Ross: Ross is a leader on the defense. He is a good tackler who can also make plays in coverage.

Overall, Michigan has a talented team in 2023. They have the potential to win the Big Ten and make a run in the College Football Playoff. However, they will need to stay healthy and avoid any major upsets if they want to achieve their goals.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Actually Michigan is @ UNL...but that won't matter...

[Jeff Buchanan]

Sure, here is a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of Michigan's first football opponent, East Carolina University:

Strengths:

• Experienced quarterback: Holton Ahlers is a fifth-year senior who has started 30 games for East Carolina. He is a dual-threat quarterback who can make plays with his arm and his legs.
• Explosive offense: East Carolina has a lot of weapons on offense, including Ahlers, wide receiver Tyler Snead, and running back Keaton Mitchell. This offense has the potential to score a lot of points.
• Home-field advantage: East Carolina plays its home games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, which is one of the loudest stadiums in college football. This could be a factor in the game, as Michigan is not used to playing in such a loud environment.

Weaknesses:

• Defense: East Carolina's defense is a bit of a question mark. The Pirates lost a lot of key players from last year's team, and they will need to find some new playmakers on that side of the ball.
• Turnovers: East Carolina has struggled with turnovers in recent years. They had a turnover margin of -10 last season, and they will need to improve in this area if they want to beat Michigan.
• Experience: East Carolina is a young team with only a few seniors on the roster. This lack of experience could be a factor in the game, as Michigan is a more experienced team.

Overall, East Carolina is a talented team with a lot of potential. However, they also have some weaknesses that Michigan could exploit. If the Wolverines can play mistake-free football and get pressure on Ahlers, they should be able to win the game.

Here is a table that summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of both teams:

Michigan	Experienced team, talented defense, strong running game	Turnovers, lack of explosiveness on offense
East Carolina	Experienced quarterback, explosive offense, home-field advantage	Young team, weak defense, turnover-prone

My comments: I'd still like to see Bard get into some analytics and I understand why, out of the box, it can't do that. AI, and Bard in this case, isn't doing an internet search for a response. The analytics are probably resident on Google using the internet. Bard, instead, creates it's response innately from what has learned and can surmise from that learning. Ostensibly, it will improve it's knowledge of CFB over a period of time by learning quicker and more completely than any human can

[Jeff Buchanan]

Actually Michigan is @ UNL...but that won't matter...

Yeah, Bard got a bunch of home away games confused.

[Tom W]

That's the least of the Bard's problems.

[lineygoblue]

Yeah, I LOL'd when it said that Aiden Hutchinson and Josh Ross were going to be key players. I'd love to have Aiden back, but somehow, I don't think he'd agree to the pay cut. And the "other" Harbaugh, (John) wouldn't likely give up Josh Ross at this point. I think he'll stay with the Ravens.