2018 Michigan Season thread

[Mdot21]

season is over. don't give two shits about a bowl game. only thing I care about is the bowl practices these young guys will get. hopefully J'Oke gets absolutely zero reps. Why even waste them on him? Give every single one of them to Peters and McCaffrey. Wouldn't even give any to Speight. He's had plenty of experience on the field and he's going on his 5th year. Really hope they court Jacob Eason if he transfers from Georgia and Shea Patterson as well if he transfers from Ole Miss. Eason would have to sit, but Patterson might be able to play right away if Ole Miss gets hit by the NCAA. Stack up the talent and have an all-about battle in spring and fall for QB.

2018 they'll lose:

John O'Korn, QB - Lol.
Ty Isaac, RB - barely played all year. Higdon emerged as the clear cut best RB anyway.
Mason Cole, LT
Patrick Kugler, C

Everyone else on that offense returns. True frosh Cesar Ruiz started the last 4 games at RG because of an injury to starting RG Mike Onwenu. Ruiz probably slides over to C and starts there. Onwenu starts at RG. Ben Bredeson starts at LG. Those 3 are virtual locks. Juwann Bushell Beatty played well enough at RT the last half of the season to probably earn the right to start there going into 2018. Finding the replacement at LT is going to be key. I think that one all rests on how well Grant Newsome's rehab has been. He's back healthy- he's the starting LT. He's not. Eeeeegh. Could get dicey.

All the WR's and TE's return. Tarik Black and DPJ together for an entire season could be something lethal. IF they get a QB. RB's Higdon and Evans return.

Defense everybody on that entire two deep returns except DT Maurice Hurst Jr. and LB Mike McCray. Don Brown is gonna have a good defense again. My only hope is he learns to oh...I don't know...mix up his play-calling a little bit. It's OK to play some zone Don. It's OK.

think they could be really good next year if a QB emerges between Peters or McCaffrey. Speight has some of the some dumb football player issues that J'Oke had- just not to the insane degree. They don't get a QB to really break out- just gonna be same shit different year.

[MrNubbz]

Nice write up JH has to go with Peters or McCaffrey.Old dependable QB's won't get you to the next level.Either of those two emerge & Black/DPJ should be happy.Losing Hurst hurts but everything else is attrition.RB's should be decent also

[ELA]

If Michigan doesn't at minimum win a Big Ten title next year, the criticism will be legit

[FearlessF]

well, the East title better come down to "the game"

at minimum

[Mdot21]

If Michigan doesn't at minimum win a Big Ten title next year, the criticism will be legit

I'm with you. He's returning virtually every body. Only way it could've been sweeter is if he was able to get Mason Cole and Mo Hurst back. Other guys he's losing aren't that important because they just aren't that good.

If he can't develop an actual QB in year 4 and a capable back-up- something is wrong and all that criticism will be warranted. I think Peters should probably be the starter and Speight and McCaffrey should fight it out for the role of the back-up.

[Hawkinole]

Off-Season thread? It's premature. That said, the fan base should be patient. Harbaugh was a QB, and can develop QBs. He just hasn't had much to work with, yet. He did a great job with Rudock, who started slow. Rudock had some ability, but he had a ceiling.

After what's his name left . . . Hoke, Harbaugh went from 5-7 to 10-3. He was 10-3 a year ago. In 2017 so far he is 8-4. His overall winning percentage is better than both Lloyd Carr, and Gary Moeller. The sky is not falling even though it's rivalry day, and Michigan was defeated. Almost no one was coming back on the defense, and the Michigan defense was darn good this year.

[TresselownsUM]

I think UM has a really good chance at the east next year, OSU is going to lose some DL, WRs, QB. MSU however I think will be really good as well and UM will have to go to east Lansing and Columbus. The wolverines have had some bad luck in that I think their better teams have cycled in years they are on the road at sparty and OSU. Assuming Barkley leaves, penn st will maybe be in mix.

The pieces are there, they might need a little depth and obviously they need better qb play. But they're not far off. 

[Honestbuckeye]

Agree.  PEters is the real deal. DPJ is going to unstoppable and T. BLack may be just as good. Great RBs coming back. MIchigan will be a major force next season, with the offense finally able to get some consistent production.

Excellent corners and LBs coming back and some studs on the defensive line. They lose Hurst, maybe Winovich, but Gary is turning into the beast we knew he would and Soloman looks to be another outstanding inside guy.  

[CatsbyAZ]

Speight should transfer, either by his own realization or by the coaches telling him his best college football is at another school. Let him know there's room at Central Michigan where a recent Michigan transfer happened to make the best of it. Speight should've never been brought onto the roster; the story as I've heard it is that Hoke and another assistant flew down to Richmond VA, sat through one of Speight's practices, noted about 8 or 9 of his passes, and offered his a scholarship on the spot. Meanwhile, no one else of significance bothered recruiting Speight, which should've been the giveaway. Time to move on from Speight.

Peters has looked like the real deal at times but I think it's worth bringing in another transfer (that might not be eligible until 2019 anyway). I've heard one of Harbaugh's big recruiting targets, Eason from Georgia, is leaving. He's certainly more promising than O'Korn's play this season.

Beyond QB, it's time to win the big games, starting by simply beating the winning teams. Michigan's wins, in order, are against teams with records of 4-7, 4-8, 5-7, 6-6, 5-7, 4-8, 5-7, & 4-8. 

Meanwhile losses are against teams with records of 9-3, 10-2, 12-0, & 10-2. Granted opponent's records are what the schedule gave them, but there's still not much to show for this year. Looking at next season's schedule five opponents are given winners - 9/1 Notre Dame, 10/13 Wisconsin, 10/20 Mich St, 11/3 Penn St, and 11/24 Ohio St. Got to go 3-1 or better Vs the Big Ten opponents.

Save for the QB position working itself out, I'm not worried about the roster. It's the on-field follow through and finishing games for which there was a glaring lack of in these last two games.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Odd to declare that you don't care about a bowl game, when the match ups haven't even been decided yet. 

If Michigan draws, say, Notre Dame? I believe that the waning interest in the Bowl Game will all of a sudden sky rocket. 

[FearlessF]

If Michigan draws, say, Notre Dame? I believe that the waning interest in the Bowl Game will all of a sudden sky rocket.

or Washington, USC, Stanford

[Mdot21]

Care more about the bowl practices than the actual game itself. They need to spend that time getting young guys ready for 2018. Hopefully they give Peters and McCaffrey all the reps.

[ELA]

Seems like Michigan against the USC-Stanford loser in the Holiday is pretty likely.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Wow, I hadn't realized that Michigan didn't beat a single team this year that finished above .500. 

All the more reason to care about a bowl game, I suppose.