Team 137 by Jim Harbaugh. Football talk and Predictions.

[Detroit Dan]

OSU, Oklahoma, and Clemson are 8:1. Not much difference.

Funny how the "HARBAUGH!!!" joke is not really a joke anymore. At least I'm not laughing. Harbaugh has certainly earned a lot respect. It's not like the media hyping Marco Rubio, for example.

[lineygoblue]

I still say it doesn't get interesting unless they are undefeated going into November.

That would mean that they just beat MSU in EL on Oct 29th, and would be coming home for a game vs Maryland. The next potential trap game would be at Iowa City the week after that, and the unpredictable Indiana back in A2 a week later. Then, of course, the trip to Columbus.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If they go undefeated and win the B1G Title, they will have earned it. Its not going to be an easy road.

[iam416]

HARBAUGH!!!! was never a joke -- it was/is a M fan thing. A one-size-fits-all solution. And, of course, they've been proven entirely right.

[Hannibal]

Iowa won't be a trap game because Iowa will be getting some hype and they will probably be a fashionable upset pick.

[Mike]

I don't think we're at a National Championship level yet but the Big Ten Championship and CFP are certainly obtainable goals this year. Anything less than at least a NY6 bowl will be a disaster. 11-1 regular season is the most probable result, IMO. Winning the East will depend on which game is the loss. My gut tells me this will be a 2006 redux sending us to the Rose Bowl at 11-1. An acceptable consolation prize. Anything less is total failure.

[SeattleLionsFan]

I think Mike is correct. Part of me would prefer the Rose Bowl to playoffs, but I do not think I'd be bothered with either.

[WingsFan]

Hard to believe having this conversation already and its great. 5-7 (Dave Brandon) before last year and Hoke put the damn headphones on!

[Hannibal]

I don't think we're at a National Championship level yet but the Big Ten Championship and CFP are certainly obtainable goals this year. Anything less than at least a NY6 bowl will be a disaster. 11-1 regular season is the most probable result, IMO. Winning the East will depend on which game is the loss. My gut tells me this will be a 2006 redux sending us to the Rose Bowl at 11-1. An acceptable consolation prize. Anything less is total failure.

Nothing more need be said. I would also add in a sweep of OSU+MSU. Anything less is failure.

[hack]

Agreed.

[Pasadena Blue]

Bucks are still loaded. I think anything short of 11-0 heading to C-bus would be a failure and disappointment (barring injuries or other freak occurrences -- e.g. last second blocked punt - return TDs), but I would think Bucks will be solid favorites at home. Assuming Bucks would be CFP-bound at that point, 11-1 heading to the Rose Bowl sounds about right (I assuming the B1G West champ would have 2 losses and a 1 loss M would be chosen over them).

[Detroit Dan]

The Buckeyes are the big question mark, in my mind. They'll probably be very good, but also significantly less good than their absolutely overwhelming power houses of the last few years. By the end of the season, they may be rounding into shape. I wonder what that the dog food magnate (IAM) thinks of the Bucks' prospects.

[lineygoblue]

The bucknuts return a high quality QB, and that can hide a multitude of shortcomings. That would be my biggest concern, especially if Michigan goes into Columbus undefeated. We've seen that scenario before. Without Troy Smith, ohio probably has 2-3 less wins. He saved their bacon many times.

If Michigan can bring in its defense relatively injury-free, they'll have a decent chance.

[hodgkal]

I've always been a "glass half empty" person. It's not that I'm superstitious, I just don't want bad luck :-) All this talk about winning the BIG, going to the NC, etc. just makes me nervous. I'd far rather be an underdog and let the opponent get over-confident in a big game.

My main concern is depth. In the Bo years when someone went down he could just plug in the next stud as we went on with our winning ways. Injuries are inevitable and we recall what happened last year when we lost some key players near the end of the season. That was a big factor in the regular season finale when we played the buckeyes even for a half but just ran out of gas.

That doesn't mean JH won't bring a powerful squad to the table in the Fall, but we have to avoid some bad luck where we are most vulnerable. All that said, I can't wait!!

[jaadam4]

I want to temper my optimism with Gary but I can't wait to see how he adapts to this level of play.

What rb do you guys think will shine this year?

[Mike]

RB? None. That's one of the weakest position groups on the team, IMO. Walker has the best shot at breaking away from the pack.