With only one-half share of a national championship since 1950, is Michigan football elite or overrated?
Link: Michigan Football: Elite or Overrated?
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I'm not joking. This is not a gimme for Michigan, I think. Army has maybe 14 starters back from a team that was formidable this year. Their qb can run (as usual) but he is actually a competent passer as well. Tough to defend.
UM seems to get a bump in expectations every year recently, apparently based on Harbaugh reverence. They haven’t lived up to it. That said, a big year next season could completely change it — it’s all fluid. I think ‘19 is a fork in the road for the UM/Harbaugh experiment. A couple of early losses might have Jimbo looking at the NFL again. He seems perpetually frustrated.
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as the saying goes “ even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then”.
Objectively, ND recruiting has been better overall across the last two cycles.
recruiting ranking seems to follow along somewhat with our preseason rankings.
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Like I said, over the past two cycles ND has recruited better. The statement that ND has “faded” and UM hasn’t in recruiting isn’t supportable.
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Link: https://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/
Your link was for 2017 signing day, which reflects the 2016 cycle. I’m referring to the 2017 recruiting cycle, which culminated in the 2018 signing day rankings — you conveniently left that cycle out of your list of comparative rankings. In that cycle, ND is 10th and UM is #22. That’s according to 247 — Rivals has it as ND #11 and UM #24. Including that recent cycle in the equation reveals a much different picture, which is probably why you left it out. Any fair comparison of the two most recent cycles (2017 and 2018) has ND on top. The assertion that ND has “faded” in recruiting and UM has not is off.
Link: https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/
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will have to give.
No idea what that was supposed to mean.
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Want to see Harbaugh and his team physically beaten down like Stanford was... Stanford quit.. Defense will be ready..
Great, great article. UM high in the 2019 pre-season polls already. With their track record under Harbaugh please explain that to me. He is a good coach, not elite though. Far from it. Media darling
Harbaugh has done a decent job at Michigan, pulling off three 10 win seasons in four years, and two NY6 bowl appearances. There's also a Citrus Bowl win in that array.
He doesn't have any outstanding seasons, though. If he would have had a Rose Bowl (or other NY6 bowl) win, then I'd say that they would definitely have elements of being an elite program.
With this fifth season coming up, it's going to be a defining moment for him. He has all of the parts in place, and all of the players on the roster are his players (not Brady Hoke's). That's including having multiple talented quarterbacks on his roster that were recruited for his power running West Coast offense.
They've all been developed though his programs and coaching, and he's had plenty of time to get things the way he wanted them.
He has no excuses this year, especially since there's no more Urban Meyer thorn in his side. If he can't at least win a NY6 bowl, then Michigan's team is more likely to be a good, even very good team, but not elite.
Just beat them on the road this year.... Remember that hit on Mack.. Harbaugh is a blowhard...
And that might be generous.
I really think this is a critical season for Harbaugh. If UM loses 2 games before getting to ND, I could see the wheels just coming off.
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And the Big Ten officiating crew blatantly cheated throughout that contest. I hate being an "It was the refs" guy, but that ballgame was nothing short of criminal. It changed the direction of that season.
Never underestimate what a devoted crew of officials can do to change the outcome of a game.
called for holding on a huge gain by Kyle Rudolph on a pass. Bad reffing in Jarious Jackson's senior year too.
ND Defense will show up...Book will have Claypool, Armstrong...
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Unless things have changed, they only allow Big Ten Officials to handle games in their stadium.
Kevin White was the one who gave away the "house" on this one.
We had ACC officials in SB, we'll get raped in AA.
Link: https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2016/07/details_emerge_in_new_michigan.html
ND shouldn’t have agreed to that.
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A little research shows that when ND signed their 20-year deal to play Michigan, Michigan insisted on having Big Ten officials at both Michigan and ND. We can thank Kevin White for that witless move.
Under the new deal, Michigan kept it's own officials and ND can chose who they want to use.
over White , of course, Id be compared to that clown...White and Willingham had to be the worst combo, AD and football coach, ever at ND...What a disaster,,
Guy was unbearable... Just so overmatched....
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He wasnt even good at that , made a fortune, and simply a beneficiary of the Belichick/BrADY DUO..Luckiest man in the world..
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Link: https://youtu.be/uA-yq-aFYz4