T-minus 24 Hours...

Fuck Jim Delany

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Shoalzie
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T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by Shoalzie »

Stop me if you've heard this before but Michigan is the third best team in their division...let alone the entire conference. Typical Harbaugh...they beat who they should beat, they get a couple notable(ish) wins at home and they've not accomplished squat away from the Big House. Ronnie Bell dropping a tying TD in Happy Valley doesn't get you mythical bonus points.

Do I want a win on Saturday? Of course. 0-for-OSU along with no trips to Indy is a massive hole in Harbaugh's resume.

Do I take a close loss to this particular OSU team as some kind of a moral victory? No. A loss is a loss.

Do I have the usual venom towards OSU like previous years? Absolutely not. Ryan Day is the least offensive coach on their sideline probably since Cooper and I can't find myself to say a bad thing about what they're doing while I'm far more critical of the Michigan program.

It's all about handling your own business before you can even start talking about this being a real rivalry game again. If you lose, this is still a second-rate program. A win doesn't get you in the playoff or get you to Indy but it's a statement win when this season had a 2017 stench to it.

As harsh of a Patterson and Harbaugh critic as I've been, they've at least circled the wagons following the Penn State loss. This team a month ago looks a lot different than what I see now. They've protected the football and they've been more efficient offensively. I actually feel more confident in Gattis and Patterson than I do towards Don Brown and his usual paper tiger act in big games.

I want to believe in this team again but I don't think it starts with tomorrow's game. I'd love to be wrong.

OSU 31, Michigan 17
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L45B
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by L45B »

This has all the makings for one of those shifts in the rivalry. As an OSU fan, we are on extreme alert. I predict a very very close game. Especially if there’s snow in the forecast.
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Shoalzie
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by Shoalzie »

L45B wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 5:53 am This has all the makings for one of those shifts in the rivalry. As an OSU fan, we are on extreme alert. I predict a very very close game. Especially if there’s snow in the forecast.

Don't be modest, your team is awesome this year. With the early kick I think the wintry mix won't come until later...if at all.

If they lose (again) today...at least Juwan Howard has peaked my interest on the hardwood. I was very cynical of the hiring but so far so good.
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L45B
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by L45B »

Agreed Shoalzie. This team has been special. Though I think PSU exposed a lot last week. And if this game is tight in the 4th quarter, look out.

And on the bball topic, yes, beating UNC and Gonzaga back-to-back has got to spring you guys into top 5 discussion. I always secretly liked the Fab Five :shock: so seeing Juwan Howard do well brings back some nostalgia from the 90s. As long as you guys lose to OSU, all will be fine. :wink:
“My dentist, that’s another beauty, my dentist, you kiddin’ me. It cost me five thousand dollars to have all new teeth put in. Now he tells me I need braces!” —Rodney Dangerfield
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by Shoalzie »

Answers my question...Day inherited the deed to Harbaugh's ass.
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by MgoBlue-LightSpecial »

Can we please stop acting like this game is still some glamorous rivalry? Yeah, the games were good in the 1970s, we get it. UM can't win or even compete anymore. It's not even the biggest game in the Big Ten this afternoon, that would be Wisconsin/Minnesota.
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by Shoalzie »

Don Brown's defense giving up close to 120 points the last two years to OSU...someone's head has to roll and it better start with him. They couldn't contain Jonathan Taylor and Dobbins clowned them even worse today.

I turned the channel and it wasn't even the end of the 3rd. It's light years away from being a rivalry again. You can shine a turd and say they lost to the three teams they were clearly not as good as but they got hammered in two of the games and had to rally from way back to make it close in the other.
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by Dinsdale »

Shoalzie wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:21 pm peaked my interest

Same old Shoalzie, for all intensive purposes.
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L45B
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by L45B »

So without going full on kick-a-dying-man-while-he’s-down, aside from pure satisfaction I am also a bit baffled at how lopsided this rivalry has become in the last near two decades.

I was at the 2001 game in AA— Tressel’s first season— essentially the birth of this run. Prior to that game, OSU hadn’t won up there since Earle Bruce’s last game in ‘87. I remember walking out of the Big House and hearing some Buckeye fans jawing. “This is just the beginning. Tables are turning now, get ready.”

I had no idea it would go full tilt. 8 in a row. 17 our of the last 19.

I have to ask the resident UM fans. What next? Harbaugh is the first coach to go 0-5 in the rivalry. Do you stick with him? Is there anybody else who could do better?

Curious to hear a non-emotional logical take.
“My dentist, that’s another beauty, my dentist, you kiddin’ me. It cost me five thousand dollars to have all new teeth put in. Now he tells me I need braces!” —Rodney Dangerfield
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Re: T-minus 24 Hours...

Post by Shoalzie »

He's had a "yeah but..." run with Michigan. Adequate winning record...yeah but 0-5 against their biggest rival and no conference titles or conference title game appearances.

To compare him with his notable predecessors...Bo, Moeller and Lloyd all over 75% of their games...Bo was .796. Harbaugh is currently at .746. He's .744 in conference play compared Moeller and Carr being over 77% and Bo was almost 80% at .796. Say what you want about Moeller but he won 3 conference titles in 5 years. Obviously Harbaugh is 0-for-5 so far.

His best year was 2016 when they started 9-0 before being beaten at the gun by Iowa in Iowa City ahead of the 2OT thriller in Columbus and they had a 1-point loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl. That's about as good of a 3-loss season as you can have but had nothing really to show for it.

Then I reference 2017 when they lost every notable regular season game on their schedule along with the bowl game and finished 8-5. Easily the worst of his 5 years.

I was worried this year was going to turn into that but thankfully they trashed Notre Dame and Michigan State but it doesn't hide the fact Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State hung L's on them. I'd put this team 4th out of his 5 Michigan teams.

2018 is obviously defined by the savage beating they took in Columbus but that was a 10-1 team entering that game. They get trashed by Florida after that to really rub salt into the wound and that 3-loss season has more sting than the 2016 season.

If you want to get into the "should he stay or should he go" debate...the question always has to be raised whenever you want to replace a coach or manager for a big team or school...who are your replacement options? Can the next guy do any better? I can't answer that nor could I even imagine if there's another worthy "Michigan man" you could hire. I think you'd have to go off the board with the next hire but we all know how the RichRod era went.

Deep down I think you want to hang onto him because I can't trust the next guy behind him to be any better because I don't know if they can make an ambitious hire outside the big blue universe that could change their trajectory.
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