Michigan 2017 Season Thread

[Anonymous Coward]

All the good stuff is on the old thread (which can still be seen here, as of today: http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=451&f=2364&t=15199407&p=28); so, let's start writing some new good stuff.

We're still in the dog days, so the new stuff will arrive slowly. Today there were three newsy bits, though:

Beginning with the deskjob army, Michigan has hired two more behind the scenes types. And the first is a lot more intriguing than most. Harbaugh has hired Tom Gamble, a recent assistant-GM of the 49ers and Eagles. He was also an office executive when Harbaugh was in SF. This is a more unusual hire than most. I'm guessing he'll be much more than a recruiting coordinator.

Michigan also seems to have hired Matt...Dudek (Ha!). The other wrinkle of interest here is that Dudek (Ha!) was Rich Rodriguez's "Director of Player Personnel" (ugh, these titles; I feel like every one these days gets a capitalized pile of words that I can't instantly comprehend; so, what precisely did he do?) at U-Arizona.

The final news is negative and does not regard Michigan directly. Senior UF safety Marcell Harris has torn his Achilles. I don't know much about Harris except that (1) this sucks, (2) he's a returning starter, (3) represented his team at media days, and (4) this sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's official, Garrett Moores is HOTY:
https://twitter.com/gmoores11/status/888148262666063872/video/1

Short. Funny.

[ohio1317]

College Football News (no longer affiliated with the the CFN old forums which will soon be disappearing  ??? ) has the Woverines winning the conference.  If the youth on the team can grow up fast, schedule might work out well for them.

[847badgerfan]

I see at least 10 wins, and yes, those last few games are the toughest (sans Florida, which WILL be tough).

The talent is there. It must translate from talent to team.

It will be interesting to watch.

[Anonymous Coward]

I can see 10 or more. I'm predicting 9. Just like the rest of the world. 8 would be more of a disaster than 10 would be remarkable, so I guess that means 8 seems less like than 10, but 9 is likeliest, so 10 would be some kind of overachievement, given the standard expectations for this kind of attrition. But yeah, still so much talent and good coaching.

That's why it's going to be so fun. Loads of questions and "low" expectations.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Florida's SS tore his achilles, so that's fun.  That leaves 2 experienced guys in our base-nickel package.

If UM can't pass on Florida, it'll be a long year.

[Honestbuckeye]

I am seeing the UM/PSU game deciding the east. 

[Temp430]

Summer camp starts in just 9 days.  In my mind the biggest issue to resolve is the composition of the starting OL.   And I hope that happens early on.  I hate when they're still dicking around with the OL after the season has started.  The next largest issue is getting the young but talented DBs up to snuff.  Other than that I think Michigan will be better than fine and should go 11-1 with the loss most likely happening on the road at Wisconsin. 

[Anonymous Coward]

The Dudek hire seemed like a forgone conclusion when I posted it, but it'll probably roll in through a bunch of increasingly official announcements.

Here's the first:


https://mobile.twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/888820612738764800

Dennis Dodd @dennisdoddcbs

Breaking: Arizona's talented Matt Dudek expected to be named Michigan director of recruiting. First reported by footballscoop.

[DevilFroggy]

lol, "talented"

uofa's recruiting hasn't exactly been gangbusters while he was there.

[Anonymous Coward]

lol, "talented"

uofa's recruiting hasn't exactly been gangbusters while he was there.

What do you think the theoretical gold standard at his position could accomplish as football recruiter at a basketball school in the desert, overshadowed by USC (to the extent that *maybe* Arizona traditionally lands one USC offeree per 5 or so years), all while tied to a sinking Rodriguez ship whose returns diminish further each season?

I think we should implicitly trust Harbaugh's ability to find and integrate supremely useful people.

Meanwhile, despite his last name, Matt's not someone I've ever heard of. But a brief google search does quickly float a few things consistent with him being a "stand out." First, he was named the national "Director of Player Peronnel of the Year" in 2014...by FootballScoop. That website qualifier zaps the wind out of the credit, because who is "FootballScoop" (?), but still. Second, apparently he rose to the level of "General Manager" at Arizona -- apparently the first to hold that title in CFB. Also: weird. I don't fully know what to do with either of those. They don't move the needle nearly as much as Harbaugh's being sold by him, but they do indicate that people other than Harbaugh (some inside and some out of his circle) respect him in unusual magnitude (for a desk jobber).

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm stealing this observation from a poster at mgoblog:

Sports betting sites have coin flip odds on Michigan's QB starter in Game 1:

https://www.bookmaker.eu/live-lines/football

Michigan Starting QB Week 1
Speight -105 (51.22% implied probability, meaning you need to bet $105 to win $100)

Peters +110 (47.62% implied probability, meaning a $100 bet wins $110)


That feels like easy money. I'd call it much more likely if the first opponent were a directional school, but against a Top 15 Florida squad, Peters would not only have to be overwhelmingly talented but also way ahead of schedule to unseat one of the best 2 or 3 Big Ten passers from 2016.

A far more interesting bet involves who will be the starter versus OSU. If Speight can get to his pre-injury form, he's a great option, but Peters has a much better chance to blow up over that time frame.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Funny, UM's opponent's QB isn't certain, either.

[Anonymous Coward]

I feel like Michigan's QB is super certain, though. *Maybe* not for the full season but for the opener.

And I'll be satisfied when Speight starts. Having said that, if somehow the Earth opens to swallow him hole, that will imply things about Peters which will also be very satisfying.