Go Blue vs. Go Dawgs

Champion

  • Michigan

    Votes: 11 78.6%
  • Washinton

    Votes: 3 21.4%

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .

Prina

Avoiding imperial entanglements
Joined
Jan 5, 2023
Messages
1,364
Meanwhile it's after 3 AM here and I'm farting around on the internet because I'm stoked after watching some good football games and can't sleep.
'Some good football games' is bit of an understatement. 'Bama - Michigan and Texas - Washington were the best pair of semifinals I can remember. At the age that lots of us are, as in having seen our alma mater play for a half century, you can get a feeling that when you win Jan. 1 or Jan. 8, that you may not be around to see a bigger, more important win so @Laszlo drink up that feeling while you can!

My guess, backed up by no cash whatsoever, is on team Blue & Maize rather than team Purple because of a better defense, run game and both O & D lines along with an ape**** crazy coach. But they're only 4.5 point favorites and the Huskies have a fantastic passing game. And it's college football.
 
'Some good football games' is bit of an understatement. 'Bama - Michigan and Texas - Washington were the best pair of semifinals I can remember. At the age that lots of us are, as in having seen our alma mater play for a half century, you can get a feeling that when you win Jan. 1 or Jan. 8, that you may not be around to see a bigger, more important win so @Laszlo drink up that feeling while you can!

My guess, backed up by no cash whatsoever, is on team Blue & Maize rather than team Purple because of a better defense, run game and both O & D lines along with an ape**** crazy coach. But they're only 4.5 point favorites and the Huskies have a fantastic passing game. And it's college football.
They were both exciting, evenly matched football games, and I agree, best night ever - yeah, it may be the last time I get to see something like that involving Michigan.

I have nothing but respect for Washington. They're great. I could only say 'wow' last night. Should be an exciting game. No doubt in my mind that, depending on how the breaks go, either of these teams is capable of winning.

Interesting factoid: Penix was Indiana's QB in the COVID year when they beat a Michigan squad that had several players from the current team as young players that year. I'd guess he isn't afraid at all. He can inflict damage on Michigan, and he's done it before. Gotta respect his ability.

Also, Penix should get good protection; he operates behind an offensive line that won the Joe Moore national award for best O-line (that Michigan won last year and the year before).

My self-serving guesses are centered around the comparison between the two defenses. To SP+, which is an advanced metric that takes opponents' records and fancy stats into account, last night's Texas's defense was not as highly rated as four of Michigan's 2023 opponents (OSU, Iowa, PSU, and 'Bama),

I think that 'Bama was the #3 defense, Iowa the #6, Penn State the #4, and Ohio State the #12 or something close. But going by memory here on that. Anyway, they were all very good defenses.

Washington's defense is ranked #44.

In particular, they show vulnerability to the run. Last night we saw that Texas could run on them. The run game is Michigan's bread and butter. That may be the difference-maker. But you never know. One fumble, one turnover, or one blown assignment could cost either team the game.

The Michigan defense's SP+ rating is #1 if memory serves. We saw that they were able to stuff 'Bama - but only for a half. Credit to 'Bama, they figured it out and pretty much owned the second half until the last drive in regulation and the OT.

We haven't seen a game this year - until last night - with special teams errors of the kind that M made last night. I think previously we saw a couple of missed long field goals, and that was it. They came very close to blowing it. You just never know with this stuff.
 
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Penix should get good protection; he operates behind an offensive line that won the Joe Moore national award for best O-line
Didn't know that about the Moore award. A number of analysts are saying that the matchup to watch will be the UW O-line vs. the UM D-line. If UW doesn't win that battle their paths to victory get narrow pretty quickly.

And I'm not sure that UW is giving out all the info that they have on running back Dillon Johnson's last minute foot/ankle injury. Their line is 'X rays were negative' and they expect him to be on the field. I think both of those things are true but that's way less informative for a ligament injury than 'the MRI is negative' and 'we expect him to be nearly 100%.'

ESPN Analytics gives Michigan about a 75% chance of winning. As you said, UM nearly gave it away on special teams. But it's college, even two 14-0 teams won't be perfect and few leads will be safe.

Should be an awesome game.
 
I’ll take the Huskies. I lived in the outlying Seattle area in the 70’s, and was a Cheese Head in the late 70’s to early 80’s. A buddy of mine was a Michigan grad, and kind of insufferable about it. So, I just kind of enjoy seeing Michigan go down.
 
Disclaimer: Huge Michigan fan...

I look at it from the perspective that while Washington may have won the award, which is decided upon by a CFP-like panel, Michigan's lines are NFL-caliber, including their depth. Who's scheme is most effective obviously will dictate things. I feel that Odunze is a better receiver than Harrison, but they need to slow up Polk as well. Do that and reasonable pressure in the pocket, and maintaining gap assignments should be enough to somewhat stifle Washington's deep attack. This should be a fun one.
 
A buddy of mine was a Michigan grad, and kind of insufferable about it.
That's pretty much most of them, from what I've see. :D:D
I just kind of enjoy seeing Michigan go down.
I will also!

As someone who's been a jock all his life, there is nothing worse than a cheater. CHEATERS SUCK!
 
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So bitter
You’re the one that should be bitter. I don’t see any recoil from Michigan’s fans AT ALL! if Ryan Day got caught in a major cheating scandal and had been signed stealing for two years and had won two national championships, I’d be the first one screaming to fire him and ban him from college football. I don’t see any Michigan fans calling for hairballs head at all. Seems like they are so glad to finally win a couple that they don’t care what it took to get the wins.
 
You’re the one that should be bitter. I don’t see any recoil from Michigan’s fans AT ALL! if Ryan Day got caught in a major cheating scandal and had been signed stealing for two years and had won two national championships, I’d be the first one screaming to fire him and ban him from college football. I don’t see any Michigan fans calling for hairballs head at all. Seems like they are so glad to finally win a couple that they don’t care what it took to get the wins.

Let's not kid ourselves....they all do it.

Your Delta Tau Chi name is.....Envy ;)
 
Let's not kid ourselves....they all do it.
T
Your Delta Tau Chi name is.....Envy ;)
17-6 since 2000! And that counts the 21 and 22 seasons in which they cheated to win, and 2020 when they would have been slaughtered but chickened out. What do I have to envy? :p:p:p

So all that rival gamesmanship aside, I do feel bad for some of the players. They had nothing to do with all the cheating, but within a year or two will probably have most of their wins vacated. But Hairball… he needs to be permanently banned from the sport.

The only question really is, are all you Xichigan fans really OK with the cheating?
 
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