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

[Optimus Prime]

Looks like a certain "glassjaw" poster is still smarting from that Stan beatdown.

40-34, Final Score.

Not that it matters, but most of those CFB News pundits actually took LSU over Alabama in the title but keep reading.

[lineygoblue]

Looks like we're the overwhelming underdog for the next five years.

Fine with me. I like that.

[iam416]

I can see that, Liney. It's a familiar role....

....and to think, mere months ago the talk was of "wilderness" and such things....

[hack]

I didn't read it that way. That's a fair amount of respect from a bunch one wouldn't expect such from, and in particular considering that Michigan still needs to get past its depth issues.

[iam416]

That's how I read it, Hack. I read it as (A) an overt prediction that the "little 8" are up against it; and (B) that OSU and M are going to be very good.

It's also CFN, so it matters not a lick. But, meh, whatever. OP was offended (plus 1 for me!) and Liney took his mocking "extreme" position. At least you got it!

[Optimus Prime]

Time is best spent "fast stackin' Benjamins" and not wasted on perusing inane BuckNut banter......JMO.

[whodean]

Most of what those guys are saying is just that Meyer has a more proven track record than Hoke, remains to be seen if #1 Meyer will perform like he has in the past and #2 if Hoke will perform at that high level as coach.

[iam416]

I think it's a bit more than that. I think it's also the pairing of coach and program. Hoke and Mattison aren't fumbling around in Muncie. They have the weight of the M program to throw around. Same thing with UFM.

From my OSU-perspective, if UFM can win at other places, surely he can win in Columbus. I also would think that if Hoke can win in San Diego, he can surely win in AA. Especially with Mattison aboard.

[WM Wolverine]

UfM will do very well in Columbus if he's healthy. Expect a continue Tressel's level except with more competition from their biggest rival.

[lineygoblue]

and Liney took his mocking "extreme" position.

I don't see it as extreme. There were what, 8 of them who voiced opinions, and of those, 7 said that Ohio was going to be better over the next five years, right? To my way of counting, I think that makes us a decided underdog over the next 5 years, and I prefer that. Its better than having to go into Columbus as the favorite.

Meyer has a lot of expectations to live up to. Hoke, somewhat less.

[iam416]

With Rivals top 100 out, a very early look at OSU's 2013 targets

#7 Burrows -- IN
#41 Marshall -- IN

#28 Woodward -- NEAR LOCK (maybe this weekend)
#26 Foster -- OSU looks really good
#44 McCray -- OSU lock if offered
#83 Evan Lisle -- OSU lock WHEN offered (hopefully this weekend)

#27 Ethan Pocic -- OSU probably leader -- hard to say
#34 Jaylon Smith -- OSU and ND -- we'll see how big brother Rod likes life under UFM
#64 Derrick Green -- OSU probably clear favorite


#14 - Joey Bosa -- in the hunt/visiting
#15 - EJ Levenberry -- in the hunt/visiting
#22 - Adam Breneman -- in the hunt/visiting
#24 - Marquez North -- in the hunt/visiting
#31 - LaQuan Treadwell -- in the hunt/visiting
#77 - Dymonte Thomas -- ya never know :-)

So, that's an early take on the Rivals to 100 guys. And, FTR, the "in the hunt/visiting" guys are guys with an offer and who are at least willing to check out OSU. I probably missed a few, but those are longshots for now.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I liked most of those breakdowns - some better than others - and most of them predicted an outcome for different reasons, except one. All of them were uniformly enamored with ufm ...... I think that's fair. He's a good coach with an exceptional coaching and recruiting track-record.

No question, these two programs will be duking it out at the top of the B1G for years to come. I don't have a clue what the outcome will be but it will be close to 2 & 3 either way over the next five years.

My reservation, if I were an osu fan, would be ufm may not be as good as his past record reflects. Why? He's vulnerable on many levels not the least of which is his state of mind. Guys with that kind of intensity, are in my experience, a little bit nutz. One of his better teams, with Tebow at his best and surrounded by a talented group of players, got out coached and his team got out played by, believe it or not, Lloyd Carr, a guy whose best qualities are on display in Brady Hoke, his worst pretty much not in evidence (so far). And Greg Mattison instead of Ron English or Jim Herrmann? Borges instead of Debord? Wow, no comparisons.

Bottom line for me ..... The Game is back on. Let 'em take the field.

[SeanB]

Interesting breakdowns. I quit reading the first one when I saw this:

Brady Hoke is doing a terrific job building on what Rich Rodriguez started to put together.

That first guy clearly has no clue what he is talking about.

[Optimus Prime]

JB , I posted similar earlier, damn cell phone. 2008 Cap One ( Citrus Bowl), defending National Champ Meyer & Tebow Gators were handled with ease by LC.

[iam416]

One of his better teams

Heh. If by "better" you mean the UFM Florida team with the 2nd worst record in his 6 years, I concur. The only year he ever lost to Georgia, too. The more accurate way to put it would be "his 2nd worst team".

There are some valid reasons to at least have some concerns over UFM, but this loss to M isn't one of them. They had a terrible (and very young) defense that year -- they gave up 100+ more points than any other UFM Florida team except his worse (only 50+ points more than that team). And they got outscored by M. I suppose M would have scored 80 if Mattison wasn't there to hold down the score. Heh.

UFM is uber-intense. He was head coach for 9 straight years (plus 16 or so as an assistant) and finally burned out. Whether he's around long-term, then, is a fair concern.

There were rumors that the players on his last team weren't buying into his system. So, perhaps, even more importantly, he only has a shelf-life of 5-6 years at certain school b/c players tire of his intensity and his system.

Now, if you want to look at his record at Florida, I'd think his 10-2 record against his main rivals and his 2 BCS Titles would be more indicative of the type of coach he is than a Citrus Bowl. Call me crazy.