M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[iam416]

They also share not being Undisputed CFP Champs. But, yeah, HARBAUGH!!!!!!

[Prime2]

What do Utah, Minnesota, Rutgers, Penn State, MSU, Northwestern and Maryland all have in common?
States that legally recognize the Meyer-Talent-DSL uber gay M?nage ? trois?

[lineygoblue]

But, yeah, HARBAUGH!!!!!!

Harbaugh is definitely the man.

Proven.

[Prime2]

Meyer must be commended, he sure knows his QBs.

Between Miller getting busted for selling drugs on his website and Cordalez Jonez' functionally illiterate "Twitz" Barrett might be the only one standing come fall, albeit on one ankle.

September might as well be a million miles away.

[lineygoblue]

But Prime .. remember now, ... they've got at least 15 other guys on the roster that are just as good!

[Dr. Strangelove]

Very nervous about losing both those guys...Braxton's drug ring clearly collapsing. Cardale about be to be given a 5 year show-case for bad grammar in a tweet

[iam416]

I'm starting to believe M fans that Ohio State is in a very bad situation. And it seems M fans are going to be correct that Ohio State doesn't stand a chance in AA this season and that M will win the East and probably the CFP. At least OSU had its magical run last season to an UNDISPUTED title. It'll be disappointing to watch M beat OSU every single time they play with HARBAUGH! at the helm, but I've accepted M fans' predictions. Based on their track record, what other choice do I have?

[lineygoblue]

Nah ... Michigan is still doomed at the hands of the mighty UFM and the University of Ohio...

I mean, ohio has it so good right now that even children who were conceived last night in ohio, have verbally committed to UFM ... and these guys are guaranteed to be 5*+ athletes ...

.... we're dooomed ... Harbaugh should hang his head in shame ....

#giveitupnowmichigan

[iam416]

I can only go by M fans and their predictions of dominance and Ohio State despair - yours included. I don't necessarily agree with those predictions, but they are what they are. And, as I've said, given the track record of M fans when it comes to these sorts of predictions, it makes a lot of sense to start believing them. Not sure if I'm there, yet, though.

I will say that your prediction about UFM dominance and never losing a game and all that jazz was fairly spot on. Though, he has lost 3 times -- so not 100% correct. If you're changing your prediction from M dominating the shit out of OSU and all of CFB to OSU being unstoppable, that'll make me feel better.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Don't count me among those M fans you mention.

My view is that M is two years away from returning to a serious discussion that entertains participation in the CFP.

I think there is a good chance that M beats osu in AA this season baring any serious injuries to key players on the roster. Despite the fact that, on paper, osu has better talent and depth than M, these kinds of games, with all the hype, go either way regardless of the skill or depth of the participant's rosters. All things being equal, M loses this game in c-bus or a neutral field. Not in AA on national TV with Harbaugh's first test as a big time CFB coach at stake.

I have no idea if this game leads to a spot in the CCG. Too early to tell, let alone .... QB, questionable RB and WRs. But I do think M wins The Game in AA in 2015. What does this mean for osu? Not much because if they lose one game this season it is going to be to M in AA. They'll be a major player for CFP spot and I can't say that about M ...... Yet

[lineygoblue]

If you're changing your prediction from M dominating the shit out of OSU and all of CFB to OSU being unstoppable, that'll make me feel better.

Oh absolutely.

I'm waving the white flag right now.

I think Jim Harbaugh should resign and get out of town while the getting is good. He needs to avoid the embarrassment of coaching a six-decade-long nationally irrelevant team, and get back into the NFL where he belongs. He can't have his name besmirched by such a losing program, with absolutely no hope of ever getting past the leviathan that exists in Columbus.

I totally surrender. Michigan is lower than pond scum. Cancel the series now. Maybe we can play somebody like Pepperdine or Stetson University at the end of the season ...

#PleaseHarbaughsurrendernow

[iam416]

I think there is a good chance that M beats osu in AA

Indeed, Jeff. This is the consensus amongst M fans, and why not? Ohio State isn't particularly good and has a real nightmare QB situation.

go either way regardless of the skill or depth of the participant's rosters.

I'm not one to think games can go either way regardless of how much better one team is than the other. Fortunately for you it seems like M just be flat out better than OSU. M has fixed its QB situation. OSU has a nightmare there. And OSU WRs are a clownshow. M fans are justifiably optimistic about never losing to OSU under HARBAUGH.

I guess the only M fan that seems to be reversing his predictions is Liney. He used to be all about how M was going to own Ohio State under JH and about how November would be painful for UFM, but he's apparently reversed course.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Sure, no question. osu is a great football team and ufm is a very good coach. There's an undisputed track record to prove that.

But I have to question your view that The Game, in fact any of the big rivalry games, nation wide, is NOT highly unpredictable with respect to outcomes given that both teams are playing well and don't have catastrophic injuries at a key position.

I would expect if we looked back historically at The Game or any of the big rivalry games the outcome is split 50/50 with the higher ranked team not at any particular advantage and the home team with a slight advantage.

[iam416]

I don't recall who the favorite was in 2005 (I think OSU by a hair) or 2000 (I think M by a few points). But, in the past 20 games (1995-2014) the favorite is 16-4 with M winning as an underdog in 1995 and 96 and OSU winning as an underdog in 2001 and 2004.

Going further back, OSU was a slight underdog in 1994 when they won. M was actually a 1-2 point favorite in 1993. M was favored in all games from 1988-92. OSU was an underdog in 1987 and won. M was probably a 1-2 pt underdog in 1986. So, for the past 30 seasons, the favorite is 22-7-1. Frankly, the notion that the better team wins far more often than not shouldn't surprise anyone. Rivalry game or not.

Further, assuming OSU was also favored in 1982, 1980 and 1979....Ohio State is 15-3 in its last 18 games as a favorite against M.

In the Era of Cooper, M was just the better team in his first 5 years. Cooper eventually got his teams to where they needed to be and famously choked in 1995 and 1996. But, in that era, the favorite was 9-3-1. In the post-Cooper Era, the favorite is 12-2.

[Jeff Buchanan]

My position is vacated.

Frankly, this is surprising. My gut tells me the rivalry games come out pretty even regardless of who the favorite is. Clearly, in the case of The Gme, that is not correct, not even close.

I think I extrapolated results in major bowl games which I know shows most teams to be about .500 when playing equally good competition.