2020 Michigan Football: Less Games, Still Losing to OSU

[Zososoxfan]

The B1G is back baby!! 8 game season +1. What's that +1 you ask? It's a CCG, plus a full slate of games lining up the same seeds across divisions. So, the CCG is winner of East vs. winner of West, but runner up East will also play runner up West, third place East will play third place West, etc. Full schedule to be released soon, but set to start on October 23.

Just today Michigan announced that Nico Collins is going pro and Dylan McCaffrey is transferring. The DMAC news is either a reflection that Milton is ready to be the starter and Dylan wanted to preserve 2 years of eligibility elsewhere, or DMAC just said fuck it and left anyway and Milton is being handed the job by default. Cade McNamara is the backup, and the only backup. Good thing 3rd string QBs never pla...nevermind. Nico leaving is incredibly unfortunate. The dude is a stud and he was stuck with shitty QB play and/or playcalling while he was here. I think he's going to be a good pro and I wish him all the luck. Ambry Thomas, Michigan's best CB, and Jalen Mayfield, a returning starter at OT, also declared for the draft back in late August when the season was postponed.

This year will be wacky, so I'm not going to get too worked up about it until Michigan gets its annual clobbering from OSU. HAIL!

 

[Granite Sox]

The pay boards over at the Michigan Insider have indicated that QB1 was Milton as far back as March, and that DMcC was actually in a battle with Cade McNamara for QB2. If so, then McCaffrey's decision to transfer makes sense.

I agree that Collins is a big loss, as well as Mayfield. I'm more confident about the smaller gap (imo) between Thomas and his potential replacements (Turner, Green, even Seldon).

There's still good talent at the offensive skill positions and at safety (Hill and Hawkins) . Completely new offensive line. As always, the OL, DL and QB will tell the story of the season.

Go Blue!

 

[Zososoxfan]

Mayfield back in. Paye almost certainly back in as well. Ambry has hired an agent and is waiting on answers from the powers that be before he even considers a return. Collins seems like he's staying in the draft. Schedule is also out:

October 24th: @ Minnesota
October 31st: Michigan State
November 7th: @ Indiana
November 14th: Wisconsin
November 21st: @ Rutgers
November 28th: Penn State
December 5th: Maryland
December 12th: @ Ohio State

 

[Zososoxfan]

As a Michigan fan, it's awesome to see Big Mike and Chase stepping into big roles on the Pats and doing very well. Wino was close to a sure bet IMO because he's got NFL prototype size and the motor that every footbaw coach loves. Onwenu had a lot farther to come, but he's always been a guy with incredibly speed, quickness, and agility for his size. He's definitely putting it all together with elite Pats coaching. It will be fun to watch Uche get on the field when he gets back. Although he will likely only flash this year, I hope he can make a big jump next season.

 

[Granite Sox]

View: https://twitter.com/umichfootball/status/1320108368967630849?s=21

 

[Zososoxfan]

Harbaugh should be on the hot seat at this point. The loss to MSU was inexcusable. The lack of competent CBs and DTs is inexcusable.

 

[soxhop411]

Welp View: https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/1345490750063083520

SOURCE: There is optimism inside Michigan that Jim Harbaugh's new deal will get wrapped up soon with an extension thru 2026.

Cc @Zososoxfan

 

[tims4wins]

Why? He sucks

 

[Sille Skrub]

This is the best year ever.

 

[luckiestman]

Why? He sucks

Does he? His resume looks pretty good to me at Stanford, SF, and Michigan.

 

[tims4wins]

Does he? His resume looks pretty good to me at Stanford, SF, and Michigan.

Has he won a single big game at Michigan? I went to UM for grad school. I want to root for them. I can’t with him as HC.

 

[snowmanny]

Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke will make you think “yeah not great, maybe not even good, but could be worse.”

 

[Zososoxfan]

Has he won a single big game at Michigan? I went to UM for grad school. I want to root for them. I can’t with him as HC.

He's had some nice wins, but no--you are correct that he's been mostly underwhelming during his tenure. He's only beat top 10 teams twice: 2016 vs. #8 Wisco and 2019 vs. #8 Notre Dame. Vs. all ranked opponents:

In 2015, Michigan beat #22 BYU, beat #13 Northwestern, lost to #7 MSU, and lost to #8 OSU (2-2).

In 2016, UM beat #8 Wisco, and lost to #2 OSU (1-1). Also lost to unranked Iowa.

In 2017, UM beat #17 Florida, lost to #2 PSU, lost to #5 Wisco, and lost to #8 OSU (1-3). Also lost to unranked MSU.

In 2018, UM lost to #12 ND, beat #15 Wisco, beat #24 MSU, beat #14 PSU, and lost to #10 OSU (3-2).

In 2019, UM lost to #13 Wisco, beat #14 Iowa, lost to #7 PSU, beat #8 ND, and lost to #2 OSU (2-3).

Overall vs. ranked teams = 9-11.

For one of the top 5 highest paid coaches in NCAA with a pretty healthy budget for assistants, that's just not good enough. What's weird about the JH era to me is how quickly the wheels fell off. There is a narrative here that makes sense until the 2018 OSU game. In 2015, JH brought in a transfer QB and established his culture. He lost his first game against Utah, lost a close game to a good MSU team, and got trounced by OSU. Michigan fans = mostly happy. 2016 was a great year with a bizarre lost @Iowa, and Michigan losing a nailbiter against OSU. 2017 shows a bad record, but that was a brutal schedule. That was also the MSU blocked punt game which still hurts, but was an extremely unlikely event. 2018 started with a very weird loss to Notre Dame that puzzled everyone, but UM came back and was a very good team until they got dismantled by OSU. That was the moment it became clear to me that as close as Michigan came to OSU, they were just smarter about identifying their obstacles to the CCG and corresponding gameplanning, in addition to obvious recruiting superiority.

But in 2019, when the PROGRAM should've been loaded and ready to hit on all cylinders for years to come, it all came apart spectacularly. The diminished focus on recruiting became painfully obvious and JH's new and more reserved demeanor left most people puzzled. This general feeling continued into the bizarre 2020 season which was also bad.

 

[Sille Skrub]

OK, now for my serious response.

While beating Michigan like a drum for the past decade or so has been really fun, it still hasn't erased the memory of Tim Biakabutka running rampant on us when I was an undergrad. College football (and the B1G) is so much better when Ohio State *and* Michigan are national powers. Harbaugh was a really outstanding hire at the time (successful everywhere he went, Michigan man, fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, etc) and I thought we were embarking on another 10 year war between Harbaugh and Urban. Frankly, this hire scared the shit out of me.

For some reason it hasn't worked and I really don't understand why. JH is 0-5 against Ohio State and 3-3 against Sparty. These are games he has to win or at least go .500 on. I sort of understood why they kept him around during the current contract because that is a big nut to eat. However, to extend him at this point seems really dumb. Look at Texas, at least they are cutting bait on Herman after four seasons. UM should do the same. You simply can't keep a coach that has to take a 1-4 Rutgers team to triple OT to beat them, pandemic or not.

An elite program such as Michigan really deserves better than what Jim Harbaugh has brought to the table.

 

[luckiestman]

is this a done deal, I ask because this story popped up in my twitter search (but don’t know if followed up later in the day today).

https://www.nj.com/jets/2021/01/nfl-rumors-michigans-jim-harbaughs-interest-in-jets-is-holding-up-contract-extension.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

 

[Zososoxfan]

OK, now for my serious response.

While beating Michigan like a drum for the past decade or so has been really fun, it still hasn't erased the memory of Tim Biakabutka running rampant on us when I was an undergrad. College football (and the B1G) is so much better when Ohio State *and* Michigan are national powers. Harbaugh was a really outstanding hire at the time (successful everywhere he went, Michigan man, fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, etc) and I thought we were embarking on another 10 year war between Harbaugh and Urban. Frankly, this hire scared the shit out of me.

For some reason it hasn't worked and I really don't understand why. JH is 0-5 against Ohio State and 3-3 against Sparty. These are games he has to win or at least go .500 on. I sort of understood why they kept him around during the current contract because that is a big nut to eat. However, to extend him at this point seems really dumb. Look at Texas, at least they are cutting bait on Herman after four seasons. UM should do the same. You simply can't keep a coach that has to take a 1-4 Rutgers team to triple OT to beat them, pandemic or not.

An elite program such as Michigan really deserves better than what Jim Harbaugh has brought to the table.

I'm legitimately not sure the bolded is true anymore. I mean, I still read a lot about college football, but I don't know how Michigan's facilities stack up. The money cannon is flowing for sure--JH is the 4th (!) highest paid coach in NCAA, Don Brown WAS the 8th highest paid assistant, and Gattis is at 32. The weather sucks, but it's not like OSU, PSU, or ND is balmy.

At the end of the day, I think most elite recruits just want to play on a great team in a program that will give them the best shot to go pro. Proximity to family is also usually a central consideration. And if they can have the maximum amount of fun during the little time they're not on the field or in the class, that'll obviously sway some minds too. Because Michigan has the (ancient) history in spades--it ain't doing shit for the program. What else matters? What else makes a program elite?

 

[Sille Skrub]

I'm legitimately not sure the bolded is true anymore. I mean, I still read a lot about college football, but I don't know how Michigan's facilities stack up. The money cannon is flowing for sure--JH is the 4th (!) highest paid coach in NCAA, Don Brown WAS the 8th highest paid assistant, and Gattis is at 32. The weather sucks, but it's not like OSU, PSU, or ND is balmy.

At the end of the day, I think most elite recruits just want to play on a great team in a program that will give them the best shot to go pro. Proximity to family is also usually a central consideration. And if they can have the maximum amount of fun during the little time they're not on the field or in the class, that'll obviously sway some minds too. Because Michigan has the (ancient) history in spades--it ain't doing shit for the program. What else matters? What else makes a program elite?

Ehhh, I don't know man. I just think the program is in a rough patch. It is still a great program. A packed Big House with "Hail to the Victors" blaring is still one of the elite settings in college football IMO. This is why the Harbaugh extension is such a head scratcher. Aside from his dreadful record against rivals, he hasn’t won a Big Ten East title, played in the Big Ten championship game or reached the playoff. I'm at a true loss for why anyone would want him back.

These things are very cyclical. When I was at OSU, I thought we'd never get back over the hump. We were saddled with John Cooper and then Tressel came along. Honestly, this is what Michigan needs, a fresh new voice and a new dynamic. 1-2 solid recruiting classes and the whole thing can turn around.

At this point, I honestly hope he bolts for the Jets job.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Ehhh, I don't know man. I just think the program is in a rough patch. It is still a great program. A packed Big House with "Hail to the Victors" blaring is still one of the elite settings in college football IMO. This is why the Harbaugh extension is such a head scratcher. Aside from his dreadful record against rivals, he hasn’t won a Big Ten East title, played in the Big Ten championship game or reached the playoff. I'm at a true loss for why anyone would want him back.

These things are very cyclical. When I was at OSU, I thought we'd never get back over the hump. We were saddled with John Cooper and then Tressel came along. Honestly, this is what Michigan needs, a fresh new voice and a new dynamic. 1-2 solid recruiting classes and the whole thing can turn around.

At this point, I honestly hope he bolts for the Jets job.

There was lots of talk about how the Lions would be a great fit since JH wouldn't need to uproot for it. It made a lot of sense to me, but it doesn't seem likely to materialize.

The extension doesn't make sense to me either, unless it's short and lowers his salary. If he wants to be a CEO/figurehead type coach and allocate his reduced salary to coordinators and other staff I guess it could work out, but it seems like the fire is gone and he's unwilling to put in the same effort he had when he first arrived. There's been some reports that Michigan's recruiting is not cohesive, and each coach is basically expected to fend for themselves. I'd guess that the guy before Nua didn't care much about DT, or the secondary/CB coach didn't care much for recruiting, but then it should've been Don Brown's responsibility, and if he's failing, then the ball has to stop with JH. It didn't.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

View: https://twitter.com/nickbaumgardner/status/1347387889689260039


"Source tells The Athletic Michigan and Jim Harbaugh are close to finalizing a five-year deal -- expected base salary is $4 million. With incentives, he could get it back to $8 million. Buyout is expected to be low. Harbaugh hasn't signed. Is expected to soon. "

 

[Zososoxfan]

View: https://twitter.com/nickbaumgardner/status/1347387889689260039


"Source tells The Athletic Michigan and Jim Harbaugh are close to finalizing a five-year deal -- expected base salary is $4 million. With incentives, he could get it back to $8 million. Buyout is expected to be low. Harbaugh hasn't signed. Is expected to soon. "

I'm guessing this is both sides coming together because neither liked their alternatives. JH didn't get much interest from the NFL and UM didn't want to pay any penalty for moving on from JH. I also imagine COVID has something to do with this and UM is happy not to rock the boat at this time.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

He'll be fired in the next two seasons if he doesn't perform.

Michigan ranked 13th and 14th the last two years in recruiting, which is not good enough IMO. He's been ok at recruiting, he needs to be great at it to keep up with OSU who has been nailing it for 20 years now.

He's out-recruited Michigan State, but can't beat them either. I think we see another two years of mediocrity from them and then UM moves on.

I thought for sure he was gone this season.

 

[twibnotes]

I wanted them to turn the page, but I’m not surprised at the outcome given the large payout in his prior deal and his history with Michigan football.

If he had to stay, I’m onboard with this kind of deal, but I do worry about his ability to attract top shelf coordinators and position coaches bc I can’t fathom a turnaround without that.

I would also love to hear Harbaugh speak openly about whatever changed in his approach from 2016 to now. I would welcome back the headset throwing maniac who likely beats Ohio that year with anything resembling decent officiating.

 

[Average Reds]

I wanted them to turn the page, but I’m not surprised at the outcome given the large payout in his prior deal and his history with Michigan football.

If he had to stay, I’m onboard with this kind of deal, but I do worry about his ability to attract top shelf coordinators and position coaches bc I can’t fathom a turnaround without that.

I would also love to hear Harbaugh speak openly about whatever changed in his approach from 2016 to now. I would welcome back the headset throwing maniac who likely beats Ohio that year with anything resembling decent officiating.

Co-sign.