M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[iam416]

I am ready to abandon the sinking OlieO ship.

I want peace with the Michigan faithful.

I hereby surrender.

Sincerely .. The Talent.

[hack]

To be fair, they have some talent at WR. Agreed that the blurbs for each team are pretty flippant and could use some explanatory meat. But Urban's world is nobody's idea of a utopia. Good thing it will be destroyed on November 30.

[iam416]

Neb & MSU meanwhile both play 'soft' schedules OOD, MSU misses all of Ohio, Wisky & PSU and Nebraska misses Ohio & Wisky... M meanwhile plays Ohio, PSU & Indiana in OOD... Head-to-head will be critical but so will be who you don't play and MSU & Neb both have a big advantage with their soft OOD schedules...

Well, M couldn't manage to win the division when MSU and N were playing harder OoD schedules. Maybe this way will work.

Michigan should win. But they will have a tougher time doing it than all the other teams MSU will lose to.

I'm not sure M "should" win. MSU stifled M last season and returns most of its defense, a defense that was 9th nationally in points allowed despite getting zero help from their shitball offense. The game is also in EL this year. To me, it has the look and feel of a toss-up. Perhaps Gardner will emerge. Indeed, some M fans think he will be better than Braxton Miller. So, if that happens, I concur with your "should". Until that happens, it's a toss-up in my book.

[iam416]

To be fair, they have some talent at WR. Agreed that the blurbs for each team are pretty flippant and could use some explanatory meat. But Urban's world is nobody's idea of a utopia.

Just citing more netural third parties. CBS and CNNSI both with big articles about how OSU may be the one to unseat the SEC. Dienhart correctly noting that OP's prediction has become a reality.

Cue jpeg denial silliness.



Talent with his daily ration of cotton candy ...

[WM Wolverine]

I'm not scared of MSU either, they won't score much against anyone with a solid defense. Their defense will have to carry that team. They look like an 8 win team to me but only thanks to their soft schedule.

Nebraska is Michigan's competition in the 'west.' That game has a good chance of deciding the division.

[iam416]

That game will decide the Legends if Nebraska wins. If M wins, I think UNL game at PSU and M's with OSU will decide the division.

I tend to think M beats UNL, but loses 2 conference games, including to OSU. If UNL goes 7-1, they're home. I think PSU is probably their best chance to lose. That said, NW has given them fits.

[hack]

ESPN says MSU returns 7 starters on D. Elsewhere I saw ``returning 21 of 25 top defenders''. So I don't know how much talent is coming back on that D but Gholston's gone and he was the last name left. I'm open to the idea that the D will be as good as last year or slip very little. But without Bell it's going to be a pretty rough ride. They'll score some on big plays to WRs, but moving the chains and holding the ball isn't going to be something they do with any level of consistency. I can easily imagine Michigan in the fourth quarter of that game pounding it on the ground behind Lewan and whatever mammoth ends up next to him at guard.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU

[hack]

I am just guessing but Michigan wins its big three conference games, largely because two of them are at home. Michigan will win in EL but lose one of the PSU, Iowa, Northwestern road games. Did Northwestern graduate a lot of players? Michigan has yet to prove it can handle those east-west speed/spread/option type of offenses. That Northwestern win last year was ridiculous. Combination of horrid clock management in the two-minute drill and one ridiculous throw/catch by Gardner and Gallon.

[iam416]

I can easily imagine Michigan in the fourth quarter of that game pounding it on the ground behind Lewan and whatever mammoth ends up next to him at guard.

I can easily imagine M again scoring 14 or less against MSU.

[iam416]

Not sure what NW has coming back. Haven't played them in 4 years. Supposedly, a "trap" game for OSU.

If Tressel were at the helm, I'd have zero concerns. He was seriously dedicated to assreaming those guys after 2004 because, if what "insiders" say is true, he didn't take too fondly to what OSU perceived as nutsack improprieties. Whatever the reason, he laid it on those guys big time after that.

Anyway, I'm not sure what they have. I can't imagine them stopping Ohio State, though.

[hack]

I can easily imagine M again scoring 14 or less against MSU.

12-10 in 2012. Then again the year before Borges was criminally stupid in goal-line packages and should have put at least 20 on the board. So although I'm betting that it's a FG war until Michigan pounds it home in the fourth quarter, I would not be surprised if Michigan puts up more. I just know that MSU isn't going to score on Michigan.

[SeattleLionsFan]

I think it's impossible to say what M is going to be this year. If Borges and Garnder can mesh they will be good. If they can develop a running game (please Derrick green and Kyle Kalis be good), they will be very good. If they can do those two things and Borges doesn't completely shit the bed in two games (like he has to date) they will be pretty great.

[hack]

The removal of an obvious terrible fit (Denard/Borges) has to be a positive in itself. I'm hoping we'll see a more sane Borges no longer taking huge risks because he's more comfortable with his own game plan.

[DennisT]

I'm pretty sure half the board will want to fire Borges no matter what happens.