I waited almost a week so I could post rationally - Cats will beat Michigan

[L8115]

Thanks for conceding that Northwestern might have a decent defense.

With regards to the Michigan offense, it ran up big totals against Western Michigan, SMU and Nebraska, while being held by Norte Dame. Western also gave up 55 points to Syracuse and SMU gave up 46 to North Texas. If you have watched Nebraska beyond your own game, you would know they have trouble stopping a power running game. I think you do have to discount Michigan’s big offensive outputs based on that. Putting together the Cats strength against the run and discounting Michigan’s rushing output based on opposition to date, I think the point I made that Michigan’s success on offense will largely be based on Patterson’s maturity holds. I don’t think that is crazed homerism.

Where my optimism comes into play is in hoping the Cats are healthy and can play a game plan that has been very successful in conference play with Thorson and this personnel group the last few years. That success is based on A very conservative approach that relies on precision in execution, particularly in the red zone and avoidance of turnovers. It is aimed at keeping close to teams with superior physical skills, playing a field position game, and optimizing the red zones both on offense and defense. It also generally shows up as statistically inferior. Assuming the Cats offense is healthy, which I think it will be coming out of the bye week, I think they will keep the game close. If they do, as I said, the outcome will hinge on Patterson’s maturity. Based on all of this, I think this could be a very boring game overall to watch, that is a very low scoring game, but one that may be very interesting for Cats’ fans in the last few minutes.

Excellent observations about the wmu and nebraska defense, but I'm surprised a Northwestern fan doesn't realize that the s&p+ is adjusted to opponent strength and also downweights garbage time points. So I'll clarify, Michigan is rated 23 in offense when their numbers are opponent adjusted. Northwestern is 96th in offense when their numbers are OPPONENT ADJUSTED. Nice try though.

Your concern of Patterson's capability is also overblown. You are looking at a Game 1 night game on the road against a rival and saying this is most indicative of his capability. In case you forgot osu lost an early night road game to virginia tech 35-21...they won the national championship that year. Moral of the story is I wouldn't read too much into that game, especially considering notre dame is 6th in overall defense. You are also likely looking at his performance against Bama as evidence he is overrated, despite leading the SEC in passing yards before getting injured last year. You are thinking you are seeing weakness where there really aren't any. A 23rd ranked offense is not a weakness however you want to skew things.

 

[GlideCat]

I always predict a loss where I see it. I said we would @ ND because they have a top 10 defense, it was week 1, and there is no time to work out errors. I said they would lose to osu last year and in general if we play a better team do not expect a win. If Michigan was playing Alabama next weekend I would have one prediction: PAIN.

Fair enough. That at least explans why you are here. You are likely not particularly welcome on your own board. We have "Negative Nellies" here, too. The reviews to their posts tend to be less than positive. I personally never pick my team to lose. If I feel the other team is just better, I keep that opinion to myself. These are fan boards. Why on earth would a person be a member of a fan board and post negative stuff about their team? I don't understand it.

If I want to post with a bunch of people dissing Northwestern, I will go to the Michigan board. This board is for fanatics who like Northwestern. To do the reverse is trolling. That is a very long-winded way for me to call you a troll.

 

[L8115]

Fair enough. That at least explans why you are here. You are likely not particularly welcome on your own board. We have "Negative Nellies" here, too. The reviews to their posts tend to be less than positive. I personally never pick my team to lose. If I feel the other team is just better, I keep that opinion to myself. These are fan boards. Why on earth would a person be a member of a fan board and post negative stuff about their team? I don't understand it.

If I want to post with a bunch of people dissing Northwestern, I will go to the Michigan board. This board is for fanatics who like Northwestern. To do the reverse is trolling. That is a very long-winded way for me to call you a troll.

I was coming here expecting some rartional input and conversation, and what I got was "in conclusion, we will beat Michigan because #reasons". Im definitely not here because I think Michigan will lose, so once again you are seeing what you want to make you 'feel' good. Im just interjecting the facts about the game. Anything is possible because cfb is crazy, I just don't see how NW fans are rationalizing a loss to Akron and Duke at home.

 

[eastbaycat99]

Excellent observations about the wmu and nebraska defense, but I'm surprised a Northwestern fan doesn't realize that the s&p+ is adjusted to opponent strength and also downweights garbage time points. So I'll clarify, Michigan is rated 23 in offense when their numbers are opponent adjusted. Northwestern is 96th in offense when their numbers are OPPONENT ADJUSTED. Nice try though.

Your concern of Patterson's capability is also overblown. You are looking at a Game 1 night game on the road against a rival and saying this is most indicative of his capability. In case you forgot osu lost an early night road game to virginia tech 35-21...they won the national championship that year. Moral of the story is I wouldn't read too much into that game, especially considering notre dame is 6th in overall defense. You are also likely looking at his performance against Bama as evidence he is overrated, despite leading the SEC in passing yards before getting injured last year. You are thinking you are seeing weakness where there really aren't any. A 23rd ranked offense is not a weakness however you want to skew things.

S&P is not particularly predictive the first half of the season. I don’t know how strong your stats background is, but you are probably on the wrong board to be making that argument.

I am not basing my evaluation of Patterson only on the ND game. I was able to see Patterson play last year in Berkeley in person. There are also published summaries of the Mississippi offense video that I watched in off season. He is a great physical talent who has put up huge numbers playing against inferior teams. He had yet to have a complete good game against a challenging defense. If you watch his tape you will see 3 things: he has had trouble reading a blitzing linebacker and finding a hot receiver, he relies on his very strong arm and sometimes throws into a small window in coverage and he is prone to scramble rather than step up, possibly because he is not very tall. All three tendencies have gotten him into trouble against better than average defenses.
He does have an incredible arm, and does have very decent foot speed which makes him difficult to contain. If he can develop maturity in reading and executing his offense he will be one of the best in the conference. To this point in a full combined year of starting he has not shown that maturity against an above average defense.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I was coming here expecting some rartional input and conversation, and what I got was "in conclusion, we will beat Michigan because #reasons". Im definitely not here because I think Michigan will lose, so once again you are seeing what you want to make you 'feel' good. Im just interjecting the facts about the game. Anything is possible because cfb is crazy, I just don't see how NW fans are rationalizing a loss to Akron and Duke at home.

Whatever bruh. I love these dudes who come here all puffy chested when they are 2 touchdown favorites. Bet you don’t even comment on OSU boards or PSU boards. You sure as hell stay off of Lil Brother’s board because they own you. Who wants to have rational input with a troll that tells you what is rational and what isn’t.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Elite defenses tend to be rude, Brown is certainly a douchebag for allowing only 80 total yards before the 3rd strings were put in. Also 14 tackles for less is incredibly disrespectful. Hudson's targeting was questionable as they usually are. Nebraska got away with several helmet to helmet hits and PIs becasue they were already getting clobbered and the refs were pitying them.

Hudson was a blatant targeting call. Take your maize (whatever that is) and Blue glasses off. You are a bigger douchebag than Brown, that is correct at least. Condescending troll.

 

[L8115]

Whatever bruh. I love these dudes who come here all puffy chested when they are 2 touchdown favorites. Bet you don’t even comment on OSU boards or PSU boards. You sure as hell stay off of Lil Brother’s board because they own you. Who wants to have rational input with a troll that tells you what is rational and what isn’t.

I love when fans who can't beat us play the osu card. You're 4-32 against Michigan since 1965, and 2-34 against the Buckeyes. you look up to big daddy osu even thought they will eviscerate you without hesitation. Pathetic response.

 

[L8115]

Hudson was a blatant targeting call. Take your maize (whatever that is) and Blue glasses off. You are a bigger douchebag than Brown, that is correct at least. Condescending troll.

Thats fine, our second string replacement helped hold Nebraska to 17 first half yards.

S&P is not particularly predictive the first half of the season. I don’t know how strong your stats background is, but you are probably on the wrong board to be making that argument.

I am not basing my evaluation of Patterson only on the ND game. I was able to see Patterson play last year in Berkeley in person. There are also published summaries of the Mississippi offense video that I watched in off season. He is a great physical talent who has put up huge numbers playing against inferior teams. He had yet to have a complete good game against a challenging defense. If you watch his tape you will see 3 things: he has had trouble reading a blitzing linebacker and finding a hot receiver, he relies on his very strong arm and sometimes throws into a small window in coverage and he is prone to scramble rather than step up, possibly because he is not very tall. All three tendencies have gotten him into trouble against better than average defenses.
He does have an incredible arm, and does have very decent foot speed which makes him difficult to contain. If he can develop maturity in reading and executing his offense he will be one of the best in the conference. To this point in a full combined year of starting he has not shown that maturity against an above average defense.

I'm not sure how strong your stats background is either, but you're a NW fan/grad so you must be smart by association. The s&p+ uses last year's results early on and then completely phases them out by the 8th week. So in this sense Michigan's rating is still skewed based on last year's results, as is Northwestern. If you get rid of those factors NW would be lower.

 

[blockm2]

S&P is not particularly predictive the first half of the season. I don’t know how strong your stats background is, but you are probably on the wrong board to be making that argument.

I am not basing my evaluation of Patterson only on the ND game. I was able to see Patterson play last year in Berkeley in person. There are also published summaries of the Mississippi offense video that I watched in off season.

what evidence suggests S&P is more predictive in the 2nd half of the season?

As for Patterson, there is very little relevance of any game tape at Mississippi to what he does at Michigan because of the vastly different offensive styles. The only relevant point scouting his time at Mississippi is analyzing his physical skills. He's a very talented QB.

 

[blockm2]

Whatever bruh. I love these dudes who come here all puffy chested when they are 2 touchdown favorites. Bet you don’t even comment on OSU boards or PSU boards. You sure as hell stay off of Lil Brother’s board because they own you. Who wants to have rational input with a troll that tells you what is rational and what isn’t.

trolls are lame, both ways

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Thats fine, our second string replacement helped hold Nebraska to 17 first half yards.

I'm not sure how strong your stats background is either, but you're a NW fan/grad so you must be smart by association. The s&p+ uses last year's results early on and then completely phases them out by the 8th week. So in this sense Michigan's rating is still skewed based on last year's results, as is Northwestern. If you get rid of those factors NW would be lower.

Betting you aren’t a Michigan grad for some odd reason.

 

[eastbaycat99]

Thats fine, our second string replacement helped hold Nebraska to 17 first half yards.

I'm not sure how strong your stats background is either, but you're a NW fan/grad so you must be smart by association. The s&p+ uses last year's results early on and then completely phases them out by the 8th week. So in this sense Michigan's rating is still skewed based on last year's results, as is Northwestern. If you get rid of those factors NW would be lower.

As I said, when you have something insightful that people here don’t already know, feel free to share it. Otherwise, as I said several times, I hope you will visit here next Sunday, when you can either gloat meaningfully or give a respectful congratulations for a good game.

 

[DaCat]

I was coming here expecting some rartional input and conversation, and what I got was "in conclusion, we will beat Michigan because #reasons". Im definitely not here because I think Michigan will lose, so once again you are seeing what you want to make you 'feel' good. Im just interjecting the facts about the game. Anything is possible because cfb is crazy, I just don't see how NW fans are rationalizing a loss to Akron and Duke at home.

So your idea of "rational input and conversation" is for opposing fans to stroke your ego and say how good your team is? Take a hike, loser.

 

[blockm2]

So your idea of "rational input and conversation" is for opposing fans to stroke your ego and say how good your team is? Take a hike, loser.

For a game like this, most rational talk would probably center around why NU fans think a particular matchup or style makes an upset more likely than most would think and from most Michigan fans why they are deservedly favored by a reasonable margin.

 

[eastbaycat99]

what evidence suggests S&P is more predictive in the 2nd half of the season?

As for Patterson, there is very little relevance of any game tape at Mississippi to what he does at Michigan because of the vastly different offensive styles. The only relevant point scouting his time at Mississippi is analyzing his physical skills. He's a very talented QB.

As was pointed out by the troll, S&P factors out prior season results in the second half of the year. If you do a full analysis, it has a better predictive value toward the end of the year as it has a better sample of the current teams on the field. Overall, I am not a big propoponent of Advanced statistics in college football. They do tend in general to reflect roster depth of stronger programs, but Beyond that can misstate a given match up, particularly because of the small sample size.

The Patterson maturity issue was reflected in the Notre Dame game. My observations of him was that he was very reliant on his terrific physical skills last year. The Notre Dame game indicated he had not really progressed a huge amount at that point, albeit against a very good team in a tough environment. He may come out and tear the Cats apart, but the three things I noted were all evident in that game, and could well come out against Northwestern. He is really an intriguing player. He has as good an arm as I have ever seen.

 

[wildcatpn]

I always predict a loss where I see it. I said we would @ ND because they have a top 10 defense, it was week 1, and there is no time to work out errors. I said they would lose to osu last year and in general if we play a better team do not expect a win. If Michigan was playing Alabama next weekend I would have one prediction: PAIN.

I don't understand the optimism here because its based on nothing other than a 'feeling'. Nebraska fans had the same 'feeling'. This is delusional. Definition of delusional from merriam-webster:
"a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary"

you lose to a mac team at home, and lose to duke 21-7 at home. Your one win is against a team who also lost to a mac team at home. Yet you are predicting a win because #reasons

I don't mind optimism but there's a difference between hoping for a certain outcome and predicting one. There is no 'predicting' that Northwestern will beat Michigan because that isn't a prediction, that is called hoping, which is based on nothing other than delusional thinking. In order to predict something you look at the available data, past trends etc. and come to a conclusion, meaning it is rational. An accurate prediction is northwestern will get manhandled. 'Predicting' a northwestern upset is called hopium, it feels good to think about all the way up until kickoff and reality sets in.

I've looked at the available data and past trends and have come to the conclusion that your blowhard fanbase should shut your mouths until you stop getting killed by your 3 big rivals.

 

[blockm2]

As was pointed out by the troll, S&P factors out prior season results in the second half of the year. If you do a full analysis, it has a better predictive value toward the end of the year as it has a better sample of the current teams on the field.

I'm aware of how S&P is calculated. I'm asking why you think it is a better predictor later in the season. It isn't. Maybe it isn't because of the relatively small sample size involved in a CFB season, but for whatever reason it really isn't.

Data from previous seasons is helpful to predict results this season even though players change. As KenPom himself points out with college hoops, you can tell a lot about a program based on recent and historical levels of success. For example, Alabama is probably the most likely team to win the SEC title in football in 2021. We know next to nothing about the coaching staff and roster of the teams for that season, but it's still a reasonably good bet. You don't need to wait for data through the first half of 2021 to make that educated guess.

 

[eastbaycat99]

I'm aware of how S&P is calculated. I'm asking why you think it is a better predictor later in the season. It isn't. Maybe it isn't because of the relatively small sample size involved in a CFB season, but for whatever reason it really isn't.

Data from previous seasons is helpful to predict results this season even though players change. As KenPom himself points out with college hoops, you can tell a lot about a program based on recent and historical levels of success. For example, Alabama is probably the most likely team to win the SEC title in football in 2021. We know next to nothing about the coaching staff and roster of the teams for that season, but it's still a reasonably good bet. You don't need to wait for data through the first half of 2021 to make that educated guess.

I think you should be talking to the Michigan guy who came over, not me. He used argued using S & P as predictive. I only pointed out that it gets a little better in the second half of the season. I agree on the historical trends. On that basis, Northwestern has been in the top half of the conference since realignment and in the last several years. Assuming that some key players are healthy, it should revert to norm as this season progresses.

 

[L8115]

As was pointed out by the troll, S&P factors out prior season results in the second half of the year. If you do a full analysis, it has a better predictive value toward the end of the year as it has a better sample of the current teams on the field. Overall, I am not a big propoponent of Advanced statistics in college football. They do tend in general to reflect roster depth of stronger programs, but Beyond that can misstate a given match up, particularly because of the small sample size.

The Patterson maturity issue was reflected in the Notre Dame game. My observations of him was that he was very reliant on his terrific physical skills last year. The Notre Dame game indicated he had not really progressed a huge amount at that point, albeit against a very good team in a tough environment. He may come out and tear the Cats apart, but the three things I noted were all evident in that game, and could well come out against Northwestern. He is really an intriguing player. He has as good an arm as I have ever seen.

Let me get this straight: Playing a top 10 defense on the road, game 1, in front of a sellout crowd, rival, etc. is the most indicative of his performance from here on out, but Northwestern losing to Duke and Akron at home after having a game to work out errors isn't? You're argument is incredibly weak so it doesn't even warrant second thought.

I also assume your rational for NW's defense holding their own against Michigan's offense goes something like this: "ND is a top 10 in defense, NW is top 25, there really isn't that much of a difference between 6 and 23, and playing ND on the road at night isn't really an excuse for the offense to look underwhelming." Michigan better watch out or they'll feel the full force home field advantage of Ryan field, just like Akron did. FOH.

 

[L8115]

I've looked at the available data and past trends and have come to the conclusion that your blowhard fanbase should shut your mouths until you stop getting killed by your 3 big rivals.

And I've come to the conclusion that you should stop living through the succes of other teams as some sort of talking bout. NW is the runt of the bigten in football and bball. 4-34 the last 50 years is the only number that is relevant when discussing Mich vs NW.

 

[DaCat]

And I've come to the conclusion that you should stop living through the succes of other teams as some sort of talking bout. NW is the runt of the bigten in football and bball. 4-34 the last 50 years is the only number that is relevant when discussing Mich vs NW.

No.

The last 50 years is not relevant to this season. Now get off my lawn!

 

[L8115]

For a game like this, most rational talk would probably center around why NU fans think a particular matchup or style makes an upset more likely than most would think and from most Michigan fans why they are deservedly favored by a reasonable margin.

exactly, but no one on here wants to have any rational talk.
If I say "Michigan's defense will likely dominate NW's offense" that is considered trolling, when it is very likely considering their respective ratings.

NW fans are saying that Nebraska is way worse than they are, even though Akron and Duke are the same caliber as Colorado and Troy. Nebraska put up 570 yards vs Colorado and had incredibly unlucky turnovers + their qb goin out late in the 3rd, otherwise they win that game. They had Martinez back against Michigan and put up SEVENTEEN first half yards, and NW fans aren't even batting an eye. I have never even heard of such a thing for a P5 team, especially with a team like Nebraska who is rated in the top 25 in recruiting talent. 17 total first half yards and a 39-0 score is unprecedented, that is in fact the worst first half beatdown ever handed to Nebraska.

The point is: Michigan's defense is essentially an Alabama caliber defense i.e. unfeeling death machine. Yet the fans on here look at their 96 rated offense and are saying "eh, we'll hold our own". that is delusional.

Now if you want to hear what some potential weakness NW can try to exploit are and vise versa I would be happy to discuss.

 

[L8115]

No.

The last 50 years is not relevant to this season. Now get off my lawn!

if they aren't they why are you bringing up past seasons of other teams?

 

[LACatFan]

I love when fans who can't beat us play the osu card. You're 4-32 against Michigan since 1965, and 2-34 against the Buckeyes. you look up to big daddy osu even thought they will eviscerate you without hesitation. Pathetic response.

Oh brother, another Walmart Wolverine living in his/her fantasy land. You suited up for the team, huh? Doubt it.

And also doubt that you attended scUM.

 

[mikewebb68]

For those who are saying Nebraska is worse...based on what? .

A talent level that has not improved from last year, particularly on defense, coupled with starting a true freshman QB, which is typically a sign of desperation (they almost always fare poorly)

 

[pipernavajo123]

Michigan fan here. I am lying here in bed, at 3 am unable to sleep due to a bad cold. And I am all miserable when I stumbled upon this "gem".

First, the L in L8115 stands for Loser! Some people would be so much better off without social media.
Second, no fan on our pay board ever has such absurd, insane, and baseless confidence in our team since......I can't remember that far back.
Third, you are totally a buckeye, just trying to make Michigan fans look bad.

I will post my own take next.

 

[zeek55]

The line for the game is fine based on recent results of both teams. Michigan is somewhere around a 2 TD favorite based on past results.

No Northwestern fan believes that we can beat Michigan playing the same way we played against Duke, Akron, and Purdue.

Our OL needs to be healthy and provide a level of protection that they haven't yet to this point. That is crystal clear to all of us.

CT needs to take the full job and make better decisions. Play calling will need to be perfect; can't waste 3rd and short situations like we did against Purdue. Our defense probably has to step up as well as play as well as ND's did in week 1...

It's a very tall order. And none of that stuff may happen. But at the very least it is still probably possible for us to play at that level given that we did for parts of last year when we won a lot of close games.

If Michigan doesn't play up to expectations, and we play our best game, we have a reasonable shot at making a game of it and taking a close one. That's a heavy if...

 

[pipernavajo123]

I'm counting on seeing the Wildcats that beat Purdue, on the same field Purdue beat #23 Boston College.
Michigan struggled to stop Wimbush when they played Notre Dame, but they did a lot better containing Nebraska. But I think there is a good reason for that. This is bad bad bad news for Nebraska, but Southern methodist was burning our o line, and we didn't magically get that much better in 7 days. So pretty much Nebraska is a dumpster fire and all of you Wildcats better grab your Stat sheets and get ready to pencil in some new records when you play that burning and ashen corn husker.

I think Michigan and Northwestern are fairly close right now. I think overall Michigan has looked better, but I think beating Purdue on the road is better than beating burning corn dumpster.

Recruiting. This is a testament to Fitzgerald quite possibly being a better coach than Harbaugh. If roles were reversed and Fitzgerald was working with 2 top 10 recruiting classes and Harbaugh with none, I think we would be talking about a blowout in favor of Fitzgerald and the Wildcats.
Michigan has not developed talent very well on offense lately and they also have little consistency.

Lastly, the better qb for Michigan very well could be McCaffrey. He has looked really good when he is on the field.

I will go with 27 - 21 Michigan.

 

[blockm2]

exactly, but no one on here wants to have any rational talk.
If I say "Michigan's defense will likely dominate NW's offense" that is considered trolling, when it is very likely considering their respective ratings.

Yes, you are a troll. Saying we are going to dominate blah blah blah and you suck is trolling. Saying our defense is really on a roll and here are some numbers to back that up is not trolling.

 

[GlideCat]

I was coming here expecting some rartional input and conversation, and what I got was "in conclusion, we will beat Michigan because #reasons". Im definitely not here because I think Michigan will lose, so once again you are seeing what you want to make you 'feel' good. Im just interjecting the facts about the game. Anything is possible because cfb is crazy, I just don't see how NW fans are rationalizing a loss to Akron and Duke at home.

You came here expecting a bunch of NU fans to bow down at your feet and praise mighty Michigan and reinforce your feelings of superiority? Speaking of illogical and unreasonable...

We are going to believe we are going to win the game until we either do or don't. Most opposing fan bases assume they are going to beat us. They all take our reasoning for why we will win as wishful thinking on our part. Since we are fans of NU, our way of thinking is appropriate.

Yours is pretty much the definition of a troll.

 

[FloridAlum]

Oh brother, another Walmart Wolverine living in his/her fantasy land. You suited up for the team, huh? Doubt it.

And also doubt that you attended scUM.

I had enough of this guy. He’s gone.I left it alone until he started getting insulting and I had to delete a couple of posts

 

[eastbaycat99]

I had enough of this guy. He’s gone.I left it alone until he started getting insulting and I had to delete a couple of posts

A grateful nation thanks you!

 

[ricko654321]

Meh O? I'd like to have a Meh O like that, lol. But hey, one of the worst teams in the Bottom 10 beat a ranked opponent today, so anything is possible....

You didn't answer the question.... what units or specific matchups are you most worried about?

They ran roughshod over the Nebraska D primarily because of the running game. On fairly simple run plays, Neb was (1) getting blown off the ball, (2) their LBs and Safeties were horribly out of position repeatedly, (3) took a bunch of terrible angles, and (4) missed tackles. I think that our DL will hold up better and our LBs are waaaay better than Nebraska's. I think that the weakness in our defense is our secondary. Shea Patterson seems to usually be a one-read QB, and he's pretty decent at that but if we are able to hold up against the run I don't think Shea will beat us. They do have some talented guys on the edge, so tackling in space will be a challenge for our DBs.

On defense they are elite. They also blitz constantly. I really hope our OTs are back healthy, and Clayton's mobility is improved, cause I expect he will be under siege. In order to score, we will need to execute well on short passes, have the running game give some production, and probably complete at least 1-2 deep balls over the top in order to force Michigan to back off. Those will be challenging, but not impossible.

If we win the turnover battle and are stout against the run, I think we will hang with these guys. Both of those are certainly "ifs" though.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

You didn't answer the question.... what units or specific matchups are you most worried about?

They ran roughshod over the Nebraska D primarily because of the running game. On fairly simple run plays, Neb was (1) getting blown off the ball, (2) their LBs and Safeties were horribly out of position repeatedly, (3) took a bunch of terrible angles, and (4) missed tackles. I think that our DL will hold up better and our LBs are waaaay better than Nebraska's. I think that the weakness in our defense is our secondary. Shea Patterson seems to usually be a one-read QB, and he's pretty decent at that but if we are able to hold up against the run I don't think Shea will beat us. They do have some talented guys on the edge, so tackling in space will be a challenge for our DBs.

On defense they are elite. They also blitz constantly. I really hope our OTs are back healthy, and Clayton's mobility is improved, cause I expect he will be under siege. In order to score, we will need to execute well on short passes, have the running game give some production, and probably complete at least 1-2 deep balls over the top in order to force Michigan to back off. Those will be challenging, but not impossible.

If we win the turnover battle and are stout against the run, I think we will hang with these guys. Both of those are certainly "ifs" though.

I am having a hard time seeing us generating much Offense. If our OL doesn’t step up we will get manhandled. If we ever are going to throw a new wrinkle in the game plan this is the game.

 

[corbi296]

I am having a hard time seeing us generating much Offense. If our OL doesn’t step up we will get manhandled. If we ever are going to throw a new wrinkle in the game plan this is the game.

Your second sentence is the only one that matters. If our OL plays physical and with the confidence they showed in the first half vs. Purdue, then this will be a game. If they play like they have the last two weeks, then it won’t. It’s as simple as that when it come to NU football right now.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I am having a hard time seeing us generating much Offense. If our OL doesn’t step up we will get manhandled. If we ever are going to throw a new wrinkle in the game plan this is the game.

We are still the same program that can put up 9 points on 277 total yards at home against Illinois State and 54 points on 490 total yards on the road against Michigan State in the same season.

Our best/only hope against Michigan is that our offense pulls its collective head out of its collective ass during the bye week, Thorson is healthy enough to take another step forward while taking all available reps, and we open up the playbook as a result.

Tough task for sure, but our program history tells us we are the kind of team that can lose to Akron and beat Michigan in the same season.

 

[GlideCat]

I'm counting on seeing the Wildcats that beat Purdue, on the same field Purdue beat #23 Boston College.
Michigan struggled to stop Wimbush when they played Notre Dame, but they did a lot better containing Nebraska. But I think there is a good reason for that. This is bad bad bad news for Nebraska, but Southern methodist was burning our o line, and we didn't magically get that much better in 7 days. So pretty much Nebraska is a dumpster fire and all of you Wildcats better grab your Stat sheets and get ready to pencil in some new records when you play that burning and ashen corn husker.

I think Michigan and Northwestern are fairly close right now. I think overall Michigan has looked better, but I think beating Purdue on the road is better than beating burning corn dumpster.

Recruiting. This is a testament to Fitzgerald quite possibly being a better coach than Harbaugh. If roles were reversed and Fitzgerald was working with 2 top 10 recruiting classes and Harbaugh with none, I think we would be talking about a blowout in favor of Fitzgerald and the Wildcats.
Michigan has not developed talent very well on offense lately and they also have little consistency.

Lastly, the better qb for Michigan very well could be McCaffrey. He has looked really good when he is on the field.

I will go with 27 - 21 Michigan.

Our D-Line versus your O-Line is an interesting match-up. We are less excited about our O-Line versus your D-Line. If our OC develops enough trust in our O-Line in the first half to allow for some slower developing and longer pass plays, then we may be able to exploit some things for which y'all did not prepare. If our QB is always on the move, you can keep your safeties up, and you can cover our receivers man-to-man then it will be a long day for us. Our hope lies in a radical improvement of our O-Line play.

When we are on defense, I am hoping that Harbaugh will try to prove something and force a style of play on your qb with which he is not comfortable. Your having a simple straightforward game plan works against us.

Y'all are favored by a little less than two TDs which we do not consider unreasonable with available information.

 

[wildcatpn]

Your second sentence is the only one that matters. If our OL plays physical and with the confidence they showed in the first half vs. Purdue, then this will be a game. If they play like they have the last two weeks, then it won’t. It’s as simple as that when it come to NU football right now.

Absolutely. It all starts with how our oline handles Gary and Winovich. If we can't control them at least a little then we are toast. I like our dline against their oline but if our oline doesn't step it up big time we will have trouble scoring more than 10-14 points.

 

[wolverheel]

As a Michigan fan this thread really makes me understand why everyone hates Michigan fans. @blockm2 and @L8115, kindly f*** off. You're pathetic trolls with literally no life if you spend any amount of your time arguing with opposing fans on *their* forum.

 

[blockm2]

As a Michigan fan this thread really makes me understand why everyone hates Michigan fans. @blockm2 and @L8115, kindly f*** off. You're pathetic trolls with literally no life if you spend any amount of your time arguing with opposing fans on *their* forum.

I’ve occasionally posted here for like 15 years without once being labeled a troll and even pointed out that yes the other dbag was being a troll.