2022 Michigan Football

[Hongbit]

1 hour ago, gehringer_2 said:

Buddha, I hope they find a way to do great under the new rules, but aside from the conversational value of being the Debbie downer about the program,  it does strike me that over a long series of years, recruiting rules have changed, academic requirements have changed, scholarship limits have changed, etc.,  and at many of these junctures there was great optimism that MI or the B10 in general would now have a more level playing field against the southern heathens, but it never happens. I find it hard to envision a future where Northern Midwestern schools ever catch up with the schools in the South no matter how the system changes. The overall reason is always the same  - that HS and College football is a bigger deal across the South than it is in the North. Has been for decades and I don't see much reason to think it will change. (If anything, HS FB in the Midwest and West coast continues to get weaker.) People go to FB games in the North, and they watch them on TV in big enough numbers, but you just don't get the same kind of pressure from the inside. Do you think Harbaugh could have lasted through the OSU losses for as many years as he did if he were coaching Alabama and was losing to LSU? He'd have been gone in the 3rd yr probably. So I think no matter what you do, that MI, MSU, Neb, WI or even PSU anymore, can vault into into consistent SEC style powerhouse status seem unlikely to me. OSU is the outlier, but OSU is less than 100 miles from the KY border. Their 'Southerness' is almost the B10 exception that proves the rule.

And on top of that you lay the inescapable overlay of the warm whether recruiting advantage. 

This is correct but it should be stated that most of these states are the American equivalent of “shithole countries”.  They lack the depth of education, wealth, business and commerce found in other states.  I wonder how many Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Northern Florida.  The professional sports footprint is also super small in these states.   High school and college sports are really all they do well and have to feel good about themselves.  It’s hard to compete in this situation.  

Edited February 4, 2023 by Hongbit

[buddha]

a lot of this is michigan (and northern) arrogance.  there is little difference between rural michigan, ohio, and pennsylvania and much of the south.  ohio and pennsylvania are football hotbeds too.  there are plenty of pro teams in georgia and florida.  there are probably more businesses headquartered in atlanta than detroit, not to mention texas is about to join the league.  is there a huge intelligence difference between austin and the hallowed halls of ann arbor, michigan?

michigan continually got top ten recruiting classes (many times top 5) prior to NIL.  once nil kicked in, michigan refused to play and has suffered.

meanwhile, the schools michigan considers to be its peers: notre dame and penn state, have caught on and are paying to play.  michigan hasnt.  the "ohio state is a southern school" thing is a crutch for michigan to use to excuse recruiting failures, but its not really true.  its "proximity to kentucky" is a meaningless strawman considering indiana and illinois are both located in areas you would likely consider "northern kentucky" and yet they suck at recruting (and yes  they have rich graduates too).

and finally, michigan's own history belies any idea that they cant compete on the pay for play front.  unless you've forgotten the Fab Five?

michigan football is a national brand.  it will continue to be a national brand if they choose to play by the new rules.  if not, they can choose to be northwestern.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

is there a huge intelligence difference between austin and the hallowed halls of ann arbor, michigan?

It's true that college towns are similar all over, but also consider that despite the town being what it is, the powers that control those colleges follow the overall state culture/politics - so governance at UT is Tx politics and that is miles further from  Austin than Lansing Politics are from Ann Arbor. The UM regent's slate would not have been elected in Tx. That goes for Ill also. Indiana is maybe your better argument I think - but Indiana is Indiana - football there has been screwed up since forever.

1 hour ago, buddha said:

notre dame and penn state, have caught on

Don't have much to show for it! PSU's best win was over....Purdue? ND did upset Clemson, on the way to 9-4. 

[buddha]

Just now, gehringer_2 said:

It's true that college towns are similar all over, but also consider that despite the town being what it is, the powers that control those colleges follow the overall state culture/politics - so governance at UT is Tx politics and that is miles further from  Austin than Lansing Politics are from Ann Arbor. The UM regent's slate would not have been elected in Tx. That goes for Ill also. Indiana is maybe your better argument I think - but Indiana is Indiana - football there has been screwed up since forever.

Don't have much to show for it! PSU's best win was over....Purdue? ND did upset Clemson, on the way to 9-4. 

penn state went 11-2 and won the rose bowl.

texas is a great state school, just like michigan.  the fact that the governor's policies on certain issues displeases you wont change that.

in fact, the university of michigan and its regents havent exactly covered themselves in glory lately.  especially the athletic department.

[gehringer_2]

3 minutes ago, buddha said:

in fact, the university of michigan and its regents havent exactly covered themselves in glory lately.  especially the athletic departmen

These Regents are definitely a major fallback from any group I can remember - that goes back a ways. The GOP has been running wackos and the Dems have been running people whose interest in actually serving the University seem tenuous to me at best.

[buddha]

1 minute ago, gehringer_2 said:

These Regents are definitely a major fallback from any group I can remember - that goes back a ways. The GOP has been running wackos and the Dems have been running people whose interest in actually serving the University seem tenuous to me at best.

that sounds like politics all over the country 

[gehringer_2]

1 minute ago, buddha said:

that sounds like politics all over the country 

you may have a point there.....

[Hongbit]

Harbaugh should get back in here.

 

[romad1]

10 hours ago, Hongbit said:

Harbaugh should get back in here.

 

might be it was harbaugh was the issue.  Maybe some blood between Lloyd and Jim?   or, if it was Weiss then maybe

[buddha]

33 minutes ago, romad1 said:

might be it was harbaugh was the issue.  Maybe some blood between Lloyd and Jim?   or, if it was Weiss then maybe

if he's looking to get paid by texas a & m, he's probably not a target for michigan anymore.

[romad1]

5 minutes ago, buddha said:

if he's looking to get paid by texas a & m, he's probably not a target for michigan anymore.

Man, can you imagine all that oil lucre that Texas A&M can funnel to a football team?   Texas has that plus technology money.   Meanwhile, poor impoverished B1G teams are just scrapping by with their do-nothing alumni not giving a crap at all about sport success.  :--)

[Hongbit]

One can assume Tommy Rees was a big factor drawing him to ND.   Not shocking that CJ may be keeping some options open since he left for Bama.

[buddha]

33 minutes ago, romad1 said:

Man, can you imagine all that oil lucre that Texas A&M can funnel to a football team?   Texas has that plus technology money.   Meanwhile, poor impoverished B1G teams are just scrapping by with their do-nothing alumni not giving a crap at all about sport success.  :--)

im going on what i - and probably you - hear about michigan's recruiting.  theyre not going to play that game with recruits.

its going to cost them, but that's how theyre doing it now.  theyre not going to get into bidding wars for guys.

Edited March 2, 2023 by buddha

[Hongbit]

FWIW (not much really)

 

[buddha]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

FWIW (not much really)

 

bwaaaa haa haa haaa.

ok ncaa.  sure jan.

[gehringer_2]

The system continues to spin into chaos.

I have no doubt only some future Congress will be able to sort out the mess the courts have created, but of course not likely this Congress.

[romad1]

4 hours ago, buddha said:

im going on what i - and probably you - hear about michigan's recruiting.  theyre not going to play that game with recruits.

its going to cost them, but that's how theyre doing it now.  theyre not going to get into bidding wars for guys.

Meanwhile this is the best era of Michigan football since possibly the 1940s. 

[gehringer_2]

3 hours ago, buddha said:

bwaaaa haa haa haaa.

ok ncaa.  sure jan.

The NCAA's angle is to try to protect the schools from an explosion in direct expenses. 

[buddha]

1 hour ago, romad1 said:

Meanwhile this is the best era of Michigan football since possibly the 1940s. 

and i'd like it to keep going.  and it wont if they dont continue to bring in 5* players like jj.

if jj stays healthy this year, i think this is michigan's best team since 97.

[djhutch]

😲

 

[Deleterious]

Duh.  

 

 

[buddha]

i see michigan state fans make good actors.

[MichiganCardinal]

55 minutes ago, buddha said:

i see michigan state fans make good actors.

Those are just the ones who realize Northwestern is in Illinois, not Oregon.

[MichiganCardinal]

 

[buddha]

now he needs to stick.