College Football General Thread, 2012-13

[mkocs6]

It's Week 1 of the college football season, so here's the open thread to work through the 2012 season. Fortunately, the lights back on here at about 8 AM today, so I got to see some live action today (but more importantly, had air conditioning). Post your thoughts here, from Week 1 through the beginning of January.

I, for one, went out to get a pizza just before the kickoff of the Alabama-Michigan game, and was surprised to learn that it was over by the time I got home.

[darvon]

It looks like Michigan is still a long way from "being back".

Looks like Ohio State is going to win the B1G. Going to be embarassing.

[darvon]

Interesting how Chris Fowler had an editorial piece on how lame (other than bama/mich) the schedule was for opening day.

He opined that it would be better with the 2014 selection committee. I wonder......

[Bengals1181]

Way to embarrass the Big Ten Michigan. That's what I get for rooting for you.

[GoBigOrGoHome]

I love Brady Hoke. I believe he will right the ship in Ann Arbor. But this team is still playing with the MAC squad assembled by Rich Rodriguez. Give Hoke a couple years to get it back together. Right this second, Michigan isn't even the best school in the state. Thanks to D*ckPole (RichRod), Sparty has a bevy of top end local boys who "didn't fit RR's scheme".

And to all you Buckeye guys - shut your pieholes about Michigan getting slapped around by an SEC team. Your guys wrote the book on getting taken behind the woodshed by a school from the South. At least the last time Michigan played an SEC team in a bowl game, they snot-bubbled Saint Timmy's Gators.

[Bengals1181]

I love Brady Hoke. I believe he will right the ship in Ann Arbor. But this team is still playing with the MAC squad assembled by Rich Rodriguez. Give Hoke a couple years to get it back together. Right this second, Michigan isn't even the best school in the state. Thanks to D*ckPole (RichRod), Sparty has a bevy of top end local boys who "didn't fit RR's scheme".

And to all you Buckeye guys - shut your pieholes about Michigan getting slapped around by an SEC team. Your guys wrote the book on getting taken behind the woodshed by a school from the South. At least the last time Michigan played an SEC team in a bowl game, they snot-bubbled Saint Timmy's Gators.

No one forgets Ohio State's past. Doesn't make last night any less true. Michigan fans can't dish it out and expect to get none in return. How many shots at tressel have you taken here in the last year?


As for the game, there seemed to be a definite talent gap in the trenches.

[DaBearsFan]

Michigan State's game against Boise State basically confirmed both everything I was confident in and everything I feared about this season.
Our defense completely shut down Boise's offense. Even though I know they replaced basically everyone on their offense, Peterson is a very very good coach, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I think holding them to 13 points, a defensive TD and two FGs with great starting field position, is a strong showing.
Our offense has a lot of room to grow. What got overlooked a little bit is that Maxwell did play a lot better in the second half. IIRC, he was 11/15 for about 150 yards and no INTs in the second half. Our WRs need to play better too, Tony Lippett especially, but I'm hopeful that our offense won't have to be the Javon Ringer 2008 offense starring LeVeon Bell.
At this point, we won despite four TOs, a missed FG, and a missed 4th down conversion. MSU still plays @Wisconsin, Michigan and Notre Dame, as well as home games against Ohio State and Nebraska. I'm not convinced that we do better than 2-3 in those 5 (the rest are much more winnable), and I don't know if that's going to be enough to win the Big 10. I'm convinced Michigan's better than it looked last night, and I think that yesterday is going to be a strong wake up call for them going forward.

EDIT: You can now go back to your UM-OSU talk.

[mkocs6]

I love Brady Hoke. I believe he will right the ship in Ann Arbor. But this team is still playing with the MAC squad assembled by Rich Rodriguez. Give Hoke a couple years to get it back together. Right this second, Michigan isn't even the best school in the state. Thanks to D*ckPole (RichRod), Sparty has a bevy of top end local boys who "didn't fit RR's scheme".

And to all you Buckeye guys - shut your pieholes about Michigan getting slapped around by an SEC team. Your guys wrote the book on getting taken behind the woodshed by a school from the South. At least the last time Michigan played an SEC team in a bowl game, they snot-bubbled Saint Timmy's Gators.

I like Hoke, too, insofar as I like Michigan coaches. I wasn't really trying to be snarky. I went out to get a pizza, and the game was literally all over but the crying by the time I got home. It was pretty apparent by the end of the end of Alabama's third possession that there was no way in hell Michigan was going to hang. I expected Michigan to show up, though. But since you asked, we'll make sure to give you guys a medal for beating a 9-3 team five years ago.

Anyway, yeah, Ohio State has gotten killed by two SEC teams. One Florida team--and maybe I'm slow, but I still don't understand what the hell happened that night--and an LSU team--in a game in which Ohio State was overmatched but somehow managed to only lose one game in an insane college football season and so ended up in the National Championship by default. Since then, they've played Texas within an inch of their lives, beaten Oregon, and Arkansas*. Most of the other losses to SEC teams in Ohio State history came under John Cooper, who basically turned into a paper shuffler during games against Michigan and in bowls, as you no doubt remember.

For the record, though, Ohio State is undefeated against Toledo.

[BuckeyeRidley]

That's alright. We'll take our cupcake win & the 'Bama Beating on Mich & like it. I know the Buckeyes failed against an SEC team in the National Championship Game BUT at least we made it to the game. Also, The Urban Meyer era is showing difference already with things like running Devin Smith (Mr. One Handed Catch) hard in practice all offseason & going for a TD versus a FG. The new era has come in & I can't wait until November. Bring it.

[darvon]

I love Brady Hoke. I believe he will right the ship in Ann Arbor. But this team is still playing with the MAC squad assembled by Rich Rodriguez. Give Hoke a couple years to get it back together. Right this second, Michigan isn't even the best school in the state. Thanks to D*ckPole (RichRod), Sparty has a bevy of top end local boys who "didn't fit RR's scheme".

And to all you Buckeye guys - shut your pieholes about Michigan getting slapped around by an SEC team. Your guys wrote the book on getting taken behind the woodshed by a school from the South. At least the last time Michigan played an SEC team in a bowl game, they snot-bubbled Saint Timmy's Gators.

I disagree.

Hoke has had 2 years of recruiting, 1.5 of training, 1.5 of conditioning, and 1.5 of motivating.

I think last year was suprisingly good. But the bar at Michigan isn't good. It is competing for a National Championship. That's obviously not this year.
If it is not next year, then Hoke wasn't good enough.

I fought this on a alumni forum with RR fans, of which I was one. I thought RR was a riteous hire, but it didn't work out. The RR crowd said he needed 4 or 5 years. That's silly. There was NO coach in the last 25 years that won a Championship that wasn't close by his 3rd year. Usually they won it within 3.
Shall we go through the list?

I wasn't as thrilled with Hoke, but last year was a surprise. This year, the PR got ahead of the horse. Michigan obviously wasn't the 8th best team in the country. Let's check back in 2013. Even with the playoffs, only the top 6ish will be a National Championship contender. That's about the top finishers in each Contract Conference (and I am being charitable ACC) plus about 2-3 other hot teams.

Let me know when Hoke has won the B1G. If that hasn't happened or been REAL close to happening in 1 more year, then it's time for a job search.

Seriously, which coach do you think is more likely to win the B1G first, Hoke or Meyer?