TSUN News/Recruiting

[BuckeyeMike80]

Originally Posted by SNIPER26

Utah Win
Miami (Ohio) Win
@ Notre Dame Young squad vs. young squad, and I'll take Rodriguez over Chuck Cheeseburger Win
Wisconsin Loss
Illinois Loss
Toledo Win
@ Penn State Annual win
Michigan State See previous
@ Purdue Loss
@ Minnesota Win
Northwestern Win
@ Ohio State Loss

That's 8-4, with major swing games with Sparty, PSU, and ND. So anywhere between 6-6 and 9-3 is possible IMO. PSU will undoubtedly have more returning talent, but it seems like we always beat them no matter what.

I think Michigan loses against Penn State but will end up 7-5....

[SNIPER26]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeMike80

I think Michigan loses against Penn State but will end up 7-5....

Till PSU beats us, I always expect a win.

[BuckeyeMike80]

Originally Posted by SNIPER26

Till PSU beats us, I always expect a win.

I could say the same about Ohio State and Michigan

[SNIPER26]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeMike80

I could say the same about Ohio State and Michigan

Likely, though the streak is at 5, not 9

[Sportsbuck28]

Originally Posted by SNIPER26

Till PSU beats us, I always expect a win.

Yeah, but they don't have Morelli anymore, which means they actually stand a chance.

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by SNIPER26

Utah Win
Miami (Ohio) Win
@ Notre Dame Young squad vs. young squad, and I'll take Rodriguez over Chuck Cheeseburger Win
Wisconsin Loss
Illinois Loss
Toledo Win
@ Penn State Annual win
Michigan State See previous
@ Purdue Loss
@ Minnesota Win
Northwestern Win
@ Ohio State Loss

That's 8-4, with major swing games with Sparty, PSU, and ND. So anywhere between 6-6 and 9-3 is possible IMO. PSU will undoubtedly have more returning talent, but it seems like we always beat them no matter what.

I would agree with that except I think you dismiss MSU too quickly. I think one of PSU and or MSU break through. If they make that PSU game a night game you'll be hard pressed to keep the streak alive.

I agree that PSU, MSU and ND are your big swing games but I'm not sold on Purdue or Illinois next year either. They could both very well be duds.

I'd say the only 2 games where you might be out classed are Wisky and OSU, and the good news for you is that you get Wisky early and at home. Best chance you could ask for to take advantage of their new QB. The rest could go either way depending on how they buy into RR and the impending QB situation.

I personally don't see the B10 being tough enough for you guys to fall to 6-6 unless its a lot worse than I think up there. I'd say 7-5 at worse with 8-4 the most likely.

[SNIPER26]

Originally Posted by Sportsbuck28

Yeah, but they don't have Morelli anymore, which means they actually stand a chance.

Uh we've beat them nine straight times. They've had more than one QB during that time. Anthony Morelli, Michael Robinson, Zack Mills, Matt Seneca and others have all lost to Michigan in that time. Even in their best year in over a decade while Michigan was busy being awful at 7-5, they still couldn't beat us.

[SNIPER26]

Originally Posted by Jaxbuck

If they make that PSU game a night game you'll be hard pressed to keep the streak alive.

Like they did last time we were in Happy Valley????

[Wingate1217]

Originally Posted by SNIPER26

Uh we've beat them nine straight times. They've had more than one QB during that time. Anthony Morelli, Michael Robinson, Zack Mills, Matt Seneca and others have all lost to Michigan in that time. Even in their best year in over a decade while Michigan was busy being awful at 7-5, they still couldn't beat us.

The same could be said about the Bucks against Michigan in the 90's, however one thing is certain times they do change........

[SNIPER26]

Our defense SHOULD improve, seeing as how we have our entire DL coming back, 1 LB, and half of our starting secondary. If I had to guess, our D will look something like this.

DE- Brandon Graham
DT- Terrance Taylor
DT- Will Johnson
DE- Tim Jamison
OLB- Jonas Mouton
MLB- Obi Ezeh
OLB- Marell Evans/Brandon Logan/Freshman?
CB- Donovan Warren
CB- Morgan Trent
FS- Michael Williams
SS- Stevie Brown

In addition, Brandon Harrison will hold down the nickel, we have some youngsters who will likely see some time on the DL. LB could be a serious question mark, even with Ezeh improving at the end of the year. This COULD be a strength of this team.

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by SNIPER26

Like they did last time we were in Happy Valley????

You had your best team in a decade then. I agree that you guys own them but you better hope the players don't take PSU and MSU as lightly as you do.

Now that I took a second look at your schedule I'd break it down like this:

should be wins (5)
Utah(be careful here)
Miami
Toledo
Northwestern
@Minny

Significant underdog (2)
Wisky
OSU

Push (5) easiest to hardest imo
@ ND
@ Purdue
Illinois
MSU
@ PSU

It really comes down to how you do with those 5 games. At this point I could see you winning or losing anyone of them so I still keep coming back to 8-4.

[HailToMichigan]

Originally Posted by NFBuck

I don't think anybody knows what to expect from you guys next year, so I wouldn't say 6-6 is out of the question. DickRod is an unknown quantity at this point. How much will this legal mess distract him? How will the UM players adjust to his system? How will the OL perform? (that's the big one IMO). Look at DickRod's record at WVU, he didn't do anything special until he got Slaton and White in his system...3-8, 9-4, 8-5, 8-4 in his first four years. I've never seen why some people are so enamored by him. I won't even venture to make a prediction at this point because I have no idea what to expect out of him, or how UM will adapt to his system...and it's a big adjustment.

Well, that 3-8, 9-4, 8-5, 8-4 looks bad to a UM or OSU fan but to West Virginia, it is special....and then there's, you know, the three 11 win seasons in a row. This is West Virginia we're talking about - not the glitz of LA or the thunderously huge crowds in Ann Arbor or Columbus or Austin or Knoxville, or the glamor of Miami or the places that legends haunt like Bear Bryant and Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden .... you know, the places where national championships traditionally are decided. Putting West Virginia in national title hunts alongside Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan - that's why people are enamored of him. Don Nehlen is West Virginia's super-duper-legend, God in a bucket, the granddaddy of granddaddies at West Virginia, and RR's got him beat by a country mile when it comes to the W-L record. Not since 1924 has West Virginia had a coach with a better record at the school. That's the kind of stuff that enamors people.

And, y'know, Pat White and Steve Slaton - they didn't just drop from the sky all Chris-Rock-in-Dogma style. Somebody recruited them there.

Anyway, valid points - it's a big adjustment, and yes, the offensive line (though the potential is there) is a giant looming question mark - and sucky offensive lines tend to sabotage game plans. But it's not like Henne, Hart, Long, and Manningham leave and suddenly the place is a talent ghost town. I wouldn't call RR an unknown quantity, and he does have two rounds of practices to implement things before Utah. And the legal stuff, fortunately, is happening in January. Maybe if it drags into September, I'll worry about distractions, but I don't ever buy the idea that a program with issues in the offseason has some kind of cloud over their head unless the issues drag into the season. Settle this stuff and it's water under the bridge and down to the business of coaching.

I'd say the only 2 games where you might be out classed are Wisky and OSU, and the good news for you is that you get Wisky early and at home. Best chance you could ask for to take advantage of their new QB.

That is a damn good point about Wiscy. I do like that. It seems like every year we have to play either them or Penn State the week before the Game. I hate that.

[tsteele316]

it's not to be discounted that wvu was never a legit contender for anything until miami, vt, and bc all left the big east. being the king of the roost that is now the big east is not all that impressive.

[BuckeyeBill]

Originally Posted by tsteele316

it's not to be discounted that wvu was never a legit contender for anything until miami, vt, and bc all left the big east. being the king of the roost that is now the big east is not all that impressive.

Just a philosophical question about RR. I wonder how much of his success at at WVU can be attributed to Stewart? Before their bowl game, I wouldn't have given it much thought, but now I wonder. They sure didn't seem to be missing their head coach. This is not meant to be a flame on UM, because I really don't know. But it will be interesting to see how he does over the long haul in the B10. I suspect that for several years he may have more success than people expect, it seems to happen frequently to new coaches. But then the rest of the league begins to adjust to their style of play and the wins don't come as easily

[BuckTwenty]

If I were a scUM (and thank the Lord I'm not), my expectations would be pretty low this year, not predicting another 8-4 year. This is going to be a transition year, going from Carr to RR and those kids are gonna have to learn a lot in a short amount of time, going from a heavy pro-set offense to a quick run spread offense and from a 4-3 to a 3-4 (which is a mistake IMO with the DL they have returning).

Utah's no lock for a win, either (and you could make a case for ND too, but I'd rather not). Utah can play inconsistent, especially early in the season, but they had some pretty big upsets last year. Last year, they beat Navy and their run option in the Poinsettia Bowl, won at Louisville & TCU, and killed UCLA at home. Not a team to overlook, especially with the challenges scUM will have playing in their first game of the year.

Two words: Appalachian State.



P.S.- I thought Jamison graduated this past season. Does he have one more year with y'all?