2011 bowl games open thread

[il Padrino Ute]

Yes, we've established that you have no sympathy regarding the plane crash. In any case, Bama had zero claim to #1, whereas OSU had a plausible one.

[woot]

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/spo...v-ratings.html

Lowest-rated championship game in BCS history.

[Flystripper]

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/spo...v-ratings.html

Lowest-rated championship game in BCS history.

No matter now much Musberger tried to put lipstick on that pig last night it was still a disgusting pig of a game wallowing in its shit. I had a hard time watching it and college football is my absolute favorite sport. I can't imagine that it would hold the interest of average joe. I watch tens, if not hundreds, of meaningless games every season that are more entertaining that that game.

[woot]

[il Padrino Ute]

That's a great find, woot. Hilarious.

[Eddie]

I've been unable to read this thread specifically because I was afraid that someone might use the word honeybadger - causing me to shove pens clean through my eardrums.

Painful...

[TripletDaddy]

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/spo...v-ratings.html

Lowest-rated championship game in BCS history.

Don't worry. Petros has SC playing Michigan next year in the BCS Championship game. Those ratings will adjust quite nicely!

[woot]

Don't worry. Petros has SC playing Michigan next year in the BCS Championship game. Those ratings will adjust quite nicely!

I've seen a couple predictions of Michigan in the MNC game next year, but I don't buy it and neither does anybody in the fanbase. It's all based on returning starters, but we lose the C (Rimington winner), a couple great DL, and our best WR. Denard is still Denard, which is great when RichRod is your coach but not so great when you've got an OC who will throw away two games to inferior competition because he's so determined to implement his west coast stuff despite ample evidence that his personnel can't run it. Michigan also got pretty lucky this year, causing a ton of fumbles and grabbing a huge percentage of them. I don't buy that fumbles are all luck like some people do, but a big part of it is, and Michigan will almost certainly regress toward the mean in that regard. And then there's the sugar bowl, in which the defense was pretty good but not great, the offense was turbl, and the football gods were clearly rooting for us.

All this is to say that I'm ecstatic about Hoke and Mattison and think Michigan is likely to be consistently good, but I don't think it's a safe bet that they'll win 11+ next year. I'd say they're still a few years away from having the talent-level they want and the types of players they need to run their preferred schemes.

Then again, Borges has said on a few occasions that Denard is likely to make big strides as a senior, just as Cade McNown did at UCLA his second year under Borges. If that happens, then maybe Michigan can be great. I'm just not sure Denard's got it in him.

[TripletDaddy]

I've seen a couple predictions of Michigan in the MNC game next year, but I don't buy it and neither does anybody in the fanbase. It's all based on returning starters, but we lose the C (Rimington winner), a couple great DL, and our best WR. Denard is still Denard, which is great when RichRod is your coach but not so great when you've got an OC who will throw away two games to inferior competition because he's so determined to implement his west coast stuff despite ample evidence that his personnel can't run it. Michigan also got pretty lucky this year, causing a ton of fumbles and grabbing a huge percentage of them. I don't buy that fumbles are all luck like some people do, but a big part of it is, and Michigan will almost certainly regress toward the mean in that regard. And then there's the sugar bowl, in which the defense was pretty good but not great, the offense was turbl, and the football gods were clearly rooting for us.

All this is to say that I'm ecstatic about Hoke and Mattison and think Michigan is likely to be consistently good, but I don't think it's a safe bet that they'll win 11+ next year. I'd say they're still a few years away from having the talent-level they want and the types of players they need to run their preferred schemes.

Then again, Borges has said on a few occasions that Denard is likely to make big strides as a senior, just as Cade McNown did at UCLA his second year under Borges. If that happens, then maybe Michigan can be great. I'm just not sure Denard's got it in him.

I didn't want to say anything but I don't buy it, either. Im not even convinced Michigan will survive their game against Alabama let alone play for the title.

I am already on record as saying I don't buy the SC pre-season hype either. I'm hopeful and excited but way too early to be penciling in teams for that game.

But the ratings WOULD be epic...

[woot]

I didn't want to say anything but I don't buy it, either. Im not even convinced Michigan will survive their game against Alabama let alone play for the title.

I am already on record as saying I don't buy the SC pre-season hype either. I'm hopeful and excited but way too early to be penciling in teams for that game.

But the ratings WOULD be epic...

Yeah, that game would get some attention. I don't expect Michigan to beat Alabama. They lose quite a few players, but all the backups are going to be great (they've got at least 1 extra option at every position than non-SEC schools do). It could be close, since it's the first game and bama will be breaking in some new starters, but most of the new starters will already have seen a lot of PT.

A lot will depend on how well Michigan can replace 3/4 of the DL, since they were probably the best unit on the whole team this year, and the LBs and DBs have a lot of question marks even though almost everybody comes back.

[il Padrino Ute]

Gotta love The Onion.

[LiveCoug]

Bowl ratings:

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...rage_bowl.html

Once again, BYU sucks. What is the excuse this year?

[Coach McGuirk]

Bowl ratings:

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...rage_bowl.html

Once again, BYU sucks. What is the excuse this year?

That is what you took from that article?

[TripletDaddy]

With BYU in that bowl, there was an 8% increase in viewership over last year. Most bowls were down this year.

[BoylenOver]

With BYU in that bowl, there was an 8% increase in viewership over last year. Most bowls were down this year.

Is that what you took from this article?