Football still unpredictible...

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I knew Michigan could beat Purdue, but I did not expect that we would hold on to a 48-7 lead with less than 3 minutes left in the game. Those two late TDs we gave Purdue does not change the outcome of the game. Michigan dominated from start to finish. Hart only played half the game and put up some pretty impressive numbers (over 100 yards and 2 TDs). He had a mild ankle sprain and did not play in the second half, but according to most sources, he should be ready for the Illinois game. </p>

<p>Speaking of Hart, I think he now has as good a shot at winning the Heisman as any player in the country. Until today, I would say that McFadden (Arkansas' RB) was clearly favoured to win it. He was the favourite since the season started. However, Arkansas is losing too many games and is currently 3-3 (0-3 in the SEC). Its three wins have been against Troy, North Texas and Chattanooga! In today's loss, McFadden rushed for fewer than 50 years and no TDs. In short, he is out! Hart will still not be considered among the top 3 Heisman candidates, but he is still very much alive. He currently leads the nation in rushing yards with 1,100 yards (no other RB has over 950 yards) and 12 rushing TDs (only one or two other RBs have scored 10 or 11 TDs so far this season. Assuming he stays healthy and Michigan continues to win, big games against Wisconsin and OSU to end the season could earn Hart a Heisman.</p>

<p>For the third week in a row, two top 5 teams lost. This time, it was #1 LSU and #2 Cal. There are not only 7 undefeated teams remaining, and with the exception of OSU and Kansas, none of them belong to major conferences. OSU should be ranked #1 in tomorrow's poll. Yuck! But as they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Boston College will be ranked #2. That should tell us how weird this season has been. Michigan should be ranked among the top 25 by tomorrow. #15 Cincinnati, #18 Illinois, #19 Wisconsin and #21 FSU all lost to sub-par teams and Michigan beat #24 Purdue convincingly, so I would be very surprised if we weren't ranked.</p>

<p>If Hart is not hurt and if we stay on track, things look good for Michigan, which along with OSU, is the only undefeated team remaining Big 10 play.</p>

2

<p>Hart is a beast…he’s been pulled out of a bunch of games this year and is still putting up monster numbers. Don’t forget about Matt Ryan though, he has just as good a shot as Hart and McFadden do.</p>

3

<p>After today’s game, I think McFadden is out. Ryan is probably the leader right now.</p>

4

<p>Woodson looked pretty good today too. I hope those last-minute TDs don’t hurt U of M’s chance at being ranked.</p>

5

<p>Michigan beat a top 25 team by 27 points. I would be shocked if Michigan isn’t ranked in the top 25 this week.</p>

6

<p>Cal, LSU also lost! Think UM still has a chance at that 'ship if they beat #1 OSU?</p>

7

<p>hpandu, there is a lot of football left to be played. It is HIGHLY unlikely that Michigan will make it to the championship game, but at this stage, given the number of upsets out there, anything can happen. Obviously, Michigan has to win the rest of its games, but that won’t be enough. Wisconsin, Purdue and PSU should all finish their seasons strong and Michigan should finish with a convincing win over an undefeated, #1 ranked OSU. </p>

<p>But there are many teams that would remain ahead of us if they remain undefeated or lose just one game. Here they are:</p>

<p>Boston College: BC doesn’t have much clout. One loss should knock them out of the running. Their remaining games on BC’s schedule will all be tough. BS will probably lose to VTech next week.</p>

<p>Virginia Tech: Most of VTech’s remaining game will be tough. Chances are, BC and VTech will paly each other in the ACC championship game later this season.</p>

<p>West Virginia: Luisville and Cincinnati are the only moderately tough games left on West Virginia’s schedule, so there is a good chance they will finish their regular season with just one loss. However given the weakness of its conference, it is unlikely that West Virginia will gather enough points from the pollsters to finish among the top two teams.</p>

<p>University of South Florida: Again, here’s another team that may not lose a game due to lack of tough scheduling. The only conceivably tough game remaining on USF’s schedule is Cincinnati. But even if USF should finish undefeated, given their weak schedule, I don’t think the pollsters will reward them with a top 2 ranking.</p>

<p>Cal: Its loss this weekend should knock them out, but another loss would secure their disqualification. They still have to play at UCLA and ASU plus they also have a home game vs USC.</p>

<p>USC: USC has looked shaky the last three weeks. At this stage, they should not be ranked in the top 10. But USC will need to lose another game. Games at Notre Dame, Orgeon, Cal and ASU will all be tough, as are home games vs Oregon State and UCLA.</p>

<p>Oregon: The Ducks will have to beat USC, ASU and Oregon State at home and UCLA on the road.</p>

<p>ASU: With home games vs USC and Cal and road games at Oregon and UCLA, chances are, ASU will lose a game or two.</p>

<p>The PAC 10 has no dominant team this season and a lot of good teams, so the odds of all those teams losing one more game this season are pretty good. </p>

<p>LSU: LSU just lost one game, but one loss will keep them ahead of us, even if we win out. LSU doesn’t really have many tough games left, but the SEC is unpredictible. Next week’s game vs Auburn will probably be its toughest regular season game. A game at Alabama could also prove to be tough. Of course, LSU will have to win the SEC championship game.</p>

<p>Florida: With road games at Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina and a home game vs FSU…to say nothing of a SEC championship game, Florida is unlikely to remain merely a one-loss team. </p>

<p>South Carolina: Road games at Tennessee and Arkansas and a home game vs Florida. Then there’s the SEC championship game.</p>

<p>Kentucky: Kentucky has tough home games vs Florida and Tennessee and a tricky road game vs Georgia. Again, should they win them all, the SEC championship game looms. </p>

<p>Like the Pac 10, it doesn’t look like the SEC has a dominant team at present. I see all of the teams above losing one more game. </p>

<p>Oklahoma: Given its remaining schedule, it is unlikely the Sooners will lose another regular season game. The only way Oklahoma loses another game this season would either be courtesy of a huge upset or in the Big XII championship game vs either Colorado or Kansas. </p>

<p>As you can see, there are lots of teams out there, so we should hope for Michigan’s continued improvement and for many upsets!!! LOL!</p>

8

<p>Michigan ranked #24 in the AP Poll, good to see.</p>

9

<p>This got me thinking though…if we had just made that kick vs. App State, we would definitely still be in the running. Good analysis.</p>

10

<p>Michigan is ranked #25 according to the media (AP) and according to the computers (Harris). The coaches somehow ranked Michigan #26, behind #25 PSU, a team we beat. But the ranking that matters most, the BCS, has us ranked at #25. We have 5 weeks to prove our worth. All we can do is win our games. If we do, an outright Big 10 Championship and Rose Bowl trip (the 4th in 6 years) is guaranteed. That alone would make this season a success. Anything else would be icing on the cake.</p>