Week 1: Michigan vs Bama Preview

Can we just sit back and take a moment to enjoy today?  Football is finally here, and it is officially football season from today through the rest of the year (at least).  Yes, our Wolverines do not get to play until Saturday night, but actual football games will be played tonight.

                   

Ok, lets jump back into some analysis, shall we? 

On paper, Saban's fighting elephants have a massive advantage over Hoke's Heroes. But, luckily for us Michiganders, the game is not played on paper.  I want to take a look at each aspect of the game and predict who will have the advantage during the 60 minutes on gametime. 

Alabama Rush Offense vs Michigan Run Defense
It seems like all of Bama's strengths match up perfectly against our weaknesses.  This does not make for an encouraging preview, but I will try to put my homer glasses on a bit.  The Tide's OL has been talked about all offseason as the best in college football.  Barrett Jones just won the Outland Trophy last season as the nation's best OL while play LT.  He will complete the OL cycle (started at LG for 2 years) this year as he anchors the offense from the Center position.  The reason for the change?  The backup sophomore LT is too good not to put on the field.  This group could have 2 All-Americans at the end of the season and possibly 3 All-SEC players.  Meanwhile, Michigan will counter with a mostly new defensive front. It will take each of these guys best effort just to hold their own ground.  Alabama lost Trent Richardson, but replaces him with a stable of 4 and 5 star running backs, with likely another Heisman Trophy candidate. It will be interesting to see how Will Campbell plays with his redefined body against the best center he will face all year. Michigan will need to rely on the 3 returning LB's to make the majority of the tackles, and hope that Bama's OL cannot get to the second level on each play.  Advantage: Bama by a large margin.

Alabama Pass Offense vs Michigan Pass Defense
Well, Michigan's defense will need to be anchored by the returning back 7 this year (when was the last time we could say that?).  Alabama runs a very B1G style of play-calling, but they do it with superior athletes. The offense is not complicated.  The OL will zone block the heck out of the defense, they will line up in power sets (2 WRs and TE) and run at you.  They will also mix in a very efficient play action passing game.  Alabama is breaking a new WR group which could help Michigan attack the quarterback (or focus on the run).  It will be important for the cornerbacks to not bite on the play action fake and stay with their man.  I trust JT Floyd and Blake Countess do make passing a little difficult on AJ McCarron.  The problem here is if Jake Ryan or any other pass rush specialist can get any pressure.  Greg Mattison is a Remember the Titans type DC ("We are going to blitz all night").  I cannot argue with this logic because the only way to beat a team with a huge physical advantage over you is to take risks.  Playing it safe is Bama's style (and eventually Hoke's as well), but in this game Michigan will need to take some calculated risks in hope of forcing a turnover or to shake McCarron's confidence.  Remember, using a high risk strategy has potential to back fire as well, so I wouldn't be surprised if Bama had a couple of plays over 40 yards.  The goal is for them to also have 2+ turnovers.  Advantage: Michigan slightly

Michigan Run Offense vs Alabama Run Defense
The goal for Michigan is to take pressure of from Denard.  The less Alabama can focus on our Heisman hopeful, the better chance he has for taking the game over.  While most of this sits with Denard's ability to pass the ball, it plays out in the run game as well.  With Toussaint likely suspended for at least some of the game, Michigan will be looking to Thomas Rawls and Vincent Smith to get some tough yards.  The problem with both guys is there is no homerun threat with either.  Bama's defensive line could likely catch both of these guys from behind, and we saw how well running into the heart of the defense over and over again worked for LSU last January. Michigan's offensive line is breaking in a couple of new faces, but should be one of the B1G's best units by the start of the conference season.  If they are able to open up a few holes for Rawls to get 4-5 yards per carry, Michigan's offense will be tough to stop.  However I dont really see that happening with Bama's terrifying 3-4 set. Just the fact that they run a 3-4 defense is incredible (it will take too long to explain, but just know it is a very difficult formation to succeed in).  Again, it is a very simple defensive concept with superior athletes at most positions.  Their nose tackle (Jesse Williams benched 600 pounds in the offseason) will call for a double team on each play which will give their D-end sized linebackers a chance to pressure Denard.  Folks, their smallest rotational LB is 6'2" 235 and have guys all the way up to 6'3" 262 or 6'6" 248.  If Denard can get a few plays into open space, he might be able to run away for most of these guys.  The problem is that they are so good at containing the edge that getting to the outside will be a struggle all game long.  Advantage: Bama by a large margin if Fitz does not play.

Michigan Pass Offense vs Alabama Pass Defense
This is the great unknown in this game.  There are so many question marks that pretty much anything can happen.  Has Denard improved as a passer?  If so, by how much? Will a receiver step up to be a downfield threat? How will Bama's new secondary play in their first game experience together?  I happen to think Denard has improved as a passer, but by how much I have no idea. With the WR position a question mark for this team, he will likely need to throw open his receivers at different points in the game.  Bama like to run a lot of different types of blitzes with all of their LB's and a couple of their DB's.  Denard's track record against teams with a high pressure defense is not very good.  However, if he can get into any sort of rhythm  to make the safeties back up a yard or two, Michigan could be able to sustain drives on this team.  There was one team that scored 14 points on Bama last year.  Yes, I know they lost a lot to the NFL, but Arkansas was able to do it with a short passing game and by mixing up the tempo of the offense (no huddle a few times, then snap the ball with 1 on the clock).  Bama's defense likely will not be as stout in this first game as it will in the SEC Title game, but it will be a struggle to move the ball.  I have some confidence in Denard, but not enough in our receivers to take advantage of the new secondary.  Advantage: Push

Special Teams
Michigan is pretty set at all special teams positions at this point in the season which is a comforting truth, but so is Alabama.  With the new kickoff rules, I think the kick off specialists will not be very effective this season.  With 10 or more combined punts expected in this game, field position will be a big factor.  Michigan has 2 possible punters (one consistent one and one with a golden leg), it will be important for Michigan to win the field position battle and pin Alabama deep in their own zone.  If the offense can get a few first downs, this could happen, but I expect it more from Alabama.

Prediction
Nick Saban usually plays the non-conference schedule very close to the polo.  He hasn't revealed too much before SEC games start, and I would guess he has the same plan on Saturday.  Meanwhile, Brady Hoke has the weight of an entire conference on his shoulders and will likely need to play with the playbook open.  Not only would a win here put Michigan closer to elite status again, it would greatly help the view of the B1G.  Alabama's last 3 games against the B1G has resulted in a 100-21 point differential.  If Michigan can keep it close in the 4th quarter it would be a minor victory.  I think Michigan finds a way to make just enough big plays throughout the game to keep the score reasonably close, but scoring 17+ points against Bama seems like a huge feat.  I think the final score will be around 24-14 (Michigan beats the spread of 13.5)

Week 1 Upset Alert

Hey folks I wanted to give you a few games to look out for this weekend where a top 25 team could be upset in their first game of the season.

Let's start in SEC country with the very first game of the year: Vanderbilt vs South Carolina.  South Carolina is considered by many to push for the SEC East title and a BCS bowl berth.  They are led by 2 of the best players in all of the conference, Lattimore and Clowney.  I don't think the Commodores are likely to pull off the stunning win, but Vandy is quietly building a decent football team again and could hang with the favored Gamecocks for at least half of the game.

Moving on to Friday night, Boise St vs Michigan St.  You already saw my preview of this game in my last post, so you know I expect MSU to roll over the Broncos, but I have been wrong before. Boise St is coming is being mostly overlooked again this year, and usually that means bad things for their opponents when that happens. The smurf-turfers should have enough talent on the roster to keep the game close for a while, and if Maxwell cracks under pressure and turns the ball over a few times, MSU could wish they stuck with Florida International West Tech State Community College to open the season like usual.

Notre Dame is ranked by some sites, so I will include them in this list.  Navy vs ND. ND has 2 scholarship cornerbacks on the roster along with a number of suspensions for this first game.  I think Navy will play them tough and push Notre Dame more than the golden domers would like. 

Southern Mississippi vs Nebraska could be a game that trips up Big Red.  I also previewed this game in the previous post and think it is unlikely, but it could be entertaining for a half.

Finally, the pick most people are going with as upset of the week is Clemson vs Auburn.  Clemson will be without their versatile WR Sammy Watkins for the game and Auburn will be breaking in a new OC.  I think Auburn has enough talent on the roster to slow the high power Clemson offense a bit, but I dont think it will be enough.

If I have to go with one game, I will choose Navy over Notre Dame in a close, ugly, slug-fest.  If you want to argue that ND is not favored enough to call it an upset, fine.  My second choice would be Vandy over South Carolina, although they would have to turn the ball over a lot to give Vandy a chance.

B1G week 1 predictions

It is week 1 of the college football season, and I cannot be more excited right now.  For those of us in the Michigan area, we have the final Lion's preseason game on Thursday, Detroit Tigers taking on the nasty Sox this weekend (hopefully with a chance to rightfully take back 1st place in the division), Little Brother taking on Trick Play U Friday night, and finally Meechigan taking on the Bama dynasty. What's not to like people?

My plan for the season is to go through each game of the B1G schedule and give a quick prediction, possibly with a marquee game each week getting a little special attention, and of course there will be an in-depth preview of each Michigan game. 

Going in order of game time.

Minnesota @ UNLV 11:00 8/30: I have to be honest, I do not know much about the current Runnin' Rebels roster, I know they struggled last season and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't again in 2012. I do however think the Golden Gophers are going to be much improved this season, possibly with a chance of making a bowl game. Minnesota escapes with a close, higher scoring win.

Boise St @ MSU 8:00 8/31: As you can probably figure out, the bolded game means this week's marquee battle (outside of the ole Maize n Blue). This scheduling is win-win for MSU, they welcome a Bronco's team fresh off losing the winningest college QB ever.  So Boise St is still a known name, but they have so many question marks that the Broncos have little hope of winning this game.  Both teams will be replacing their record setting signal callers, but MSU has more weapons to ease Andrew Maxwell into the role.  I expect Sparty to blitz, and blitz often.  This will likely cause 2+ turnovers from the smurf turfers. Unless the Bronco defense can force a few of their own, I just don't see this game being that close at the end.  The Spartans are too strong to lose this opener.

Northwestern @ Syracuse 12:00 9/1: Northwestern breaks in a new quarterback against the Orange.  I think the Purple People Eaters have too much talent on their roster to drop this game, even on the road.

Ohio @ Penn St 12:00 9/1: I don't know if a coach, a team, a university, or a state has ever wanted the season to start as much as Penn St does now.  Bill O'Brien wants the focus of his work to be on football, like he intended when he was hired.  It has been a long off season.  Penn St is still littered with talent, but it will be interesting to see how they come out and play on Saturday.  I expect a lot of emotion and possibly a few forced mistakes from the Nittany Lions, but in the end Penn St nation can cheer about something again.

Western Michigan @ Illinois 12:00 9/1:  Western almost tripped the Illini up last year, but I am doubtful they can repeat themselves again.  Western loses a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, and even though Illinois has a lot of question marks of their own I think they give Coac Beckman his first win in the Blue and Orange.

Miami (OH) @ Ohio 12:00 9/1: Urban Meyer's reign officially begins with yet another non-conference cupcake.  The Bucknuts might struggle offensively to begin the game, but will figure things out by the end in this route of the inferior MAC team.

Iowa vs Northern Illinois 3:30 9/1: Iowa gets to play in Soldier Field for this one, and maybe they can borrow a Bears running back since they are down to 2 scholarship players (one started as a receiver). I think James Vandenberg starts his big year with style against NIU.

Eastern Kentucky @ Purdue 3:30 9/1: Really, Eastern Kentucky?  The Hilltoppers? The mainstay on ESPN's bottom 10? Enough said about that.

Southern Mississippi @ Nebraska 3:30 9/1: Big Red looks to start their season off on the right foot against the reigning Conference USA champions. The Golden Eagles were amongst the nation's best at stopping the run last season, but they lost their head coach and many starters.  Of course, Nebraska wants to line up and pound the ball on the ground all afternoon.  I think this one could be exciting to watch for the first half, but then the big uglies up front will just wear down USM's dline.  Another thing to look for here is if Taylor Martinez is still a contender to be an Olympian shot-putter or if he actually morphed into a real QB.  My bet is shot put is in his future.

Northern Iowa @ Wisconsin 3:30 9/1: Welp, another season means another 4 meaningless games for the Badgers.  I know they struggle finding decent teams to play in the non conference month, but come on schedule a neutral site game against someone that has at least smelled the top 25 in the last 5 years. Will Monte Ball score 6 or 7 TDs?

Indiana State @ Indiana 8:00 9/1: The battle of the Hoosier state, but folks this isnt basketball which means this isnt worth watching.  Indiana is primed to have a big 2 win season this year, and it starts Saturday night.

Michigan vs Alabama 8:00 9/1: In-depth preview later this week, so check back in. 

B1G predictions way too early (Awards)

This is my preseason All-B1G offensive and defensive teams.  I am going off of 2011 production along with 2012 potential. I will also guess on a kicker and punter and returner, so out of these 25 picks I hope I can get 5 of them right. 

Offense

QB: Denard Robinson, Michigan (Braxton Miller, James Vandenberg, and Taylor Martinez are special mention)

RB: Monte Ball, Wisconsin

RB: Le’Von Bell, MSU (Rex Burkhead and Fitz Toussaint are special mention)

WR: Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin

WR: Kyle Prater, NW (Kenny Bell, Roy Roundtree, and Keenan Davis are special mention)

TE: Jake Stonebrunner, Ohio *he might switch to WR, but I will leave him as a TE for this list* (Jacob Pedersen special mention)

T: Taylor Lewan, Michigan

T: Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin (Jack Mewhort and Michael Schofield are special mention)

G: Chris McDonald, MSU

G: Spencer Long, Nebraska (Graham Pocic, Patrick Omameh, and Brian Mulroe are special mention)

C: Travis Frederick, Wisconsin (Ricky Barnum and James Ferentz are special mention)

Defense

DE: William Gholston, MSU

DE: John Simon, Ohio (Michael Buchanan, Cameron Meredith, and Marcus Rush are special mention)

DT: Jonathan Hankins, Ohio

DT: Jordan Hill, PSU (Kawaan Short, Akeem Spence, and Baker Steinkuhler are special mention)

LB: Denicos Allen, MSU

LB: Chris Borland, Wisc

LB: Jonathan Brown, ILL (Max Bullough, Mike Taylor, Gerald Hodges, and Kenny Demens are special mention)

CB: Johnny Adams, MSU

CB: Ricardo Allen, Purdue (Micah Hyde, Josh Johnson, Terry Hawthorne, and JT Floyd are special mention)

SS: C.J. Barnett, Ohio (Jordan Kovacs and Ibraheim Campbell are special mention)

FS: Isaiah Lewis, MSU (Thomas Gordon is special mention)

Special Teams

PK: Drew Basil, Ohio (Brett Maher and Dan Conroy are special mention)

P: Brett Maher, Nebraska (Ben Buchanan and Will Hagerup are special mention)

Ret: Raheem Mostert, Purdue (Jeremy Gallon and Jared Abbrederis are special mention)

Offensive POY

Denard Robinson, Michigan.  Yes this might be a homer pick and a very hopeful choice, but this award comes down to a battle between QB and RB’s.  Monte Ball was off the charts last season, but I just don’t see him repeating as POY.  That leaves Denard or Le’Von Bell for this award according to my preseason list.  While Taylor Lewan might be the best player in the B1G this year, I am choosing Shoelace. If Denard can somehow become close to a 60% passer he will likely be holding up a very prestigious award in December.  That is a big if though.  Currently I see this race shaping up like:

2. Monte Ball

3. Braxton Miller

4. Le’Von Bell

5. Rex Burkhead

Defensive POY

This is a tough one for me to choose, but at this point I have to go with William Gholston.  He is by far the most dynamic defensive player in the league.  We will get to see how he performs without Jerel Worthy taking up the middle, but I think he will do just fine.  He is a monster to block and is an athletic freak.  He will be the key to MSU's Rose Bowl run because if their defense is going to be in the top 5 again, they will need a pass rush.  Gholston will face a double team almost every play, so if he can still reak havoc for opposing offenses this award will be his. Currently I see the race shaping up like:

2. Chris Borland

3. Denicos Allen

4. Jonathan Hankins

5. Ricardo Allen 

 

 

B1G predictions way too early (Legends Division)

Legends Division
1. Michigan

I know this is most likely a homer pick, but a little piece of my heart was crushed at the thought of putting MSU in this number 1 spot.  At the end of the season Michigan’s record will not reflect the quality of the team (just like last season, but in the opposite way).  This year’s schedule is absolutely brutal, I would say that only 3 teams in the country would be able to finish with 2 or less losses playing the same teams.  So while MSU will likely have a better overall record, I think Michigan can grab the top spot in the Legends Division.  This is the first time in my recent memory that Michigan has a solid back 7 and some depth behind the starters.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see any one of the 7 make All-B1G recognition at the end of the year. There are question marks on both lines, but I think that will get solidified as the season progresses.  Offensively, the team will be one dimensional until Denard can prove he can be a 55%+ passer. If he can be, this team’s ceiling is very high.

2. Michigan State

As much as I dislike Sparty, I think they are a legitimate top 10 team.  At this point I believe that they have less question marks than Michigan, but the difference is that Michigan’s question marks have higher ceilings than Michigan St.  A great MSU season results in a Rose Bowl appearance and maybe a 5^th overall ranking, but an average season has MSU finishing still inside the top 15.  On the otherhand, Michigan’s great season would likely involve a BCS championship game appearance and a top 5 finish, but an average season puts Michigan outside the top 15. Michigan State is definitely the safe pick at this point to win the conference, but I still don’t want to think about Sparty in Pasadena. The defense in East Lansing will be the best in the B1G and likely a top 5 overall group again, but the offense will be a big question mark.  The offensive line is more experienced, but are strides behind Wisconsin’s road graters, the receiving corps has a lot of young potential, and they are breaking in a new quarterback.  Le’Von Bell will need to shoulder the load, at least in the beginning of the season.

3. Nebraska

Nebraska might be the 3^rd best team in the conference this year, but the problem is the top 2 teams are in the same division.  Taylor Martinez looks to correct his nasty side arm slinging to become a real quarterback, and Rex Burkhead is back again to carry the ball 25+ times a game. If Martinez can stay healthy all season, Nebraska could finish with 10 wins. They do have some questions on the defensive side of the ball, but have young talent to fill those big holes left by the graduating players.

4. Northwestern

The Wildcats lose their best quarterback in recent history, Dan Persa, but the signal caller’s job is made a little easier knowing that talented Kyle Prater is going to be catching his passes.  Northwestern has lacked a big time play maker over the years, and now that they finally have one, will they be able to get him the ball.  Again, like the Nebraska preview, Northwestern would fare much better in the Leaders Division (and likely get 1-2 more wins). Unless something goes very wrong, the Wildcats will be bowling again.

5. Iowa

Well Iowa is not getting much hype this offseason which is usually about the time that the Hawkeyes make a run for a B1G title.  I have a very hard time seeing history repeating itself this year.  It seems like Iowa has lost its top 10 running backs in the offseason and are now down to two freshman players remaining.  If one of these guys can take some pressure off of Vandenberg, Iowa could again surprise some people.  They have lost their big play receivers and some depth on defense.  We will see how far a veteran quarterback can carry the Hawkeyes this year.

6. Minnesota

Well Minnesota is going to be better this year, but the problem is they are in the tougher division.  If Marqueise Gray can stay healthy at quarterback, the Gophers could push for a bowl game.  It seems that all 6 teams in the Legends Division are in the top 10 of the conference right now (including 5 in the top 7). Lets hope that Coack Kill can stay healthy enough to enjoy his improving team.

B1G predictions way too early (Leaders Division)

I have to admit, with only 8 days until the start of the 2012 college football season, I have been sucked back in and am already wrapped up in all of the hype. So lets dive into the B1G conference and try to see who will be playing in Indy for the championship.

Leaders Division
1. Wisconsin
Whether Wisconsin is a dominant as the past 2 seasons or they take a step back, the Leaders Division seems to be all but wrapped up before Labor Day because OSU and PSU are not elgible for the B1G championship game.  The 3 toughest games on the Badgers schedule are: @ Nebraska, MSU, and OSU.  Wisconsin could lose all of these games and still make the trip to Indianapolis for the 2nd straight season.  I don't think the Badgers are as good as they have been the past 2 seasons, but they still will have some fire power. The defense should be greatly improved from last season, but still will be lacking the overall speed that the elite defenses have.  I think the offense will take a step back with Wilson gone, but the best OL group in the conference will cover some of those problems.  It seems like Bielema will continue his success with another 10+ win season.

2. OSU
The Buck-nuts could be the best team in the Leaders Division, they surely aren't lacking talent, but with the post season ban, ole Urb will be building for a future powerhouse. While the Scarlet and Gray will be missing from Indy for another year, they will still play a major role in determining the 2 teams that do play for the title.  Ohio plays @ MSU, @ Wisc, Michigan and Nebraska. I think Braxton Miller will improve a lot as the season goes on under the new offense. Which might lead them to be a top 15 team by the end of the year. 

3. Purdue

The Boilermakers are my sleeper pick this season.  They ended 2011 with a little momentum, including beating OSU and winning a bowl game, and I think it can carry over into 2012.  If Purdue can stay healthy they might be able to compete for the Leaders Division title. Ricardo Allen is back, and he is one of my favorite cornerbacks in the conference.  Purdue starts the B1G schedule with Michigan, Wisconsin, and @ OSU.  This is the toughest 3 weeks of anyone in the conference all season.  If they could find a way to win one of those games, especially a division opponent, they could be setting up for a January 1^st bowl game.

4. Illinois

Year 1 of the Tim Beckman project in Champaign.  Ron Zook left some talent on the roster so will this be the year that they play up to that talent?  I think the transition will be a difficult one, and that the Illini will struggle to be bowl eligible. Nathan Scheelhasse is back, but he will need weapons around him to be effective. 

5. Penn State

How will Penn State respond to all of the transfers, sanctions, and new coaches?  I have no doubts that the players left are going to play with fire all season, but how far does that take you if you are lacking so much in talent?  We will find out this season.  The Nittany Lions have enough talent left in their first line to compete for 3^rd in the division, but there is little to no depth behind that.  I have a feeling this team will win a few games early, but eventually run out of gas and finish out of the bowls.

6. Indiana

Well it is going to be another long year for Hoosier fans.  Yes, their coaching staff has not changed so they could improve as a team, but Indiana’s talent deficiency is so large that they will struggle to win a B1G game all season.  I guess some team has to finish last… it just seems like Indiana is in the cellar more than most.

Justin's preseason top 25

It is the time of year where everyone becomes fortune tellers and makes up crazy preseason rankings.  I think it is way too early for rankings, and that polls should be released for the first time after the 4th week of the season.  But, since everyone else is doing it.. peer pressure. 

So how should preseason rankings be determined?  Is it how I think these teams will end the season, or based on last years results, or just overall quality... no matter how many losses I think the team will end up with. I think it is too early to predict the end of the season results, so I am going to go with overall quality. 

USC, Bama, OU, Oregon, LSU, GA, UM, MSU, SCar, Ark, WV, FSU, Wisc, Clem, Stan, OKSt, Neb,

25. Purdue.  I know, I am a little biased to B1G, but I think Purdue has a realistic shot at coming out of the Leaders Division for the B1G championship game.
24. NC St. They are one of the most experienced teams in the ACC, so even though they might be lacking in superior talent... they have a good chance at pushing for an ACC crown.
23. TCU. In the Big 12 now could get knocked down a peg from facing actual teams all season long, but I think they have decent quality and some depth to actually compete with the big boys. 
22. Georgia Tech. Running that crazy offense, they return their top 3 rushers.  They could be primed to put up a lot of points.
21. Virgina Tech. Well lets face it, they are always ranked at the end of the season.
20. Kansas St. After the surprising top 10 finish last season, they will look to follow it up with another strong year with their QB returning. He actually could be a Heisman dark horse.
19. Ohio. Gross, but talented.  It will be fun watching them beat up on the B1G knowing the whole time they cant go to the championship game or a bowl.  I think Braxton Miller will thrive in the new offense.
18. Texas.  With all of those 4 & 5 star recruits, they have to put it together soon enough, right?
17. Nebraska. With side slinging Martinez back to impress all with that form and Burkhead continuing to carry the load, Neb could sneak by the Legend's favorites into the championship game.
16. Oklahoma St. Even with losing a lot of talent last year, the system under Mike Gundy is just scary. 
15. Stanford.  Same explanation as above.  Their recruiting has gone nationwide.  They will likely take a step back this seaosn, but the Cardinal is a program here to stay.
14. Clemson.  One of the most talented teams in the nation will likely under perform like every Clemson team in the last 40 years.
13. Wisconsin.  Do they still have a road grating offensive line? yes. Enough said.
12. Florida St. Will this be the year that all of those top recruiting classes actually shows up on the field?  I doubt it.  Will Jimbo be on the hotseat, I think so.
11. WVU. They will fit right into the Big12. All offense and no defense. Should be fun to watch some of their matchups with Geno Smith back.
10. Arkansas. Returning Tyler Wilson and injured RB Davis.  If the Hogs can overcome the stupidity of their old coach (and new), they will finish in the top 10 again.
9. South Carolina. Talented enough to take away the SEC West's dominance, but will likely have 1-2 bone head losses.
8. MSU. Ugh, I hate this, but they are going to be good again.  If Maxwell can figure out the offense and live up to his hype, MSU could get to their first BCS game. They will again have a top 5 defense.
7. U-M. Remember this is going on talent.  I think Michigan will finish around 12-13, but be a far better team than last year.  One of the toughest schedules in the nation will make this season tough to get to double digit wins.  Will this be the year that Denard is actually invited to NY for the Heisman presentation? I think so.
6. Georgia. Aaron Murray is a monster and will be one of the best QB's in the nation. If he can cut down on turnovers, you might be looking at the Heisman winner.
5. LSU. How will the lose of the Honey Badger hurt the Tigers? I think enough to keep them below Bama.
4. Oregon.  I am already dreaming about the ABC 8pm game between USC and Oregon this fall.  So fast and the system is close to unstoppable.
3. Oklahoma. The dirt stache that is Landry Jones will likely cruise through the Big 12 this season.
2. Alabama. Bama loses a lot of starters on the defense, but will replace them with future All-Americans. The offensive line might be the best college football has ever seen.
1. USC. Even with the scholarship reductions, USC is extremely talented.  Matt Barkley is on a mission for a national title and likely a Heisman.  Will they have a normal USC mid-season slip up, or will they be headed to face the SEC champ undefeated?

State of the Tigers

Hello everyone, I am back.  I know you had many sleepless nights and worried work days since I havent posted in over a month, but now you can relax.  I have to be honest, I didnt know how much work blogging about every Tiger series, posting power rankings, and trade rumors was going to be, but by mid-July I was burned out.  So I took a break, and now I have the blogging itch again.

Since my last post, the trade deadline has come and past and the Tigers were again amongst the major buyers.  Detroit offered up their once untouchable pitching prospect, Jacob Turner, with 2 other possible major leaguers for a rental pitcher, Anibal Sanchez, and former Detroit Tiger Omar Infante.  At first I thought that the Tigers over spent for these two players, but in reality, every team in the league knows that Mike Illitch wants to win a world series title before he leaves ownership.  On paper, this trade should sure up the Tigers rotation, and actually make a decent competition for the 4th (and final) starting spot for the playoff rotation.  This is of course if the Tigers can get to the postseason again.  But after a month of this trade, Sanchez is taking longer than expected to get accustomed to the AL.  However, Infante continues to show Tigers fans just how big of a black hole second base has been for the past 2 seasons. 

Anibal has had one quality start out of 4 with his new team and just seems uncomfortable pitching in the new league.  He is struggling to get people out with the low strike out rate and appears to be over-pitching because of a lack of confidence in his stuff.  I don't know if he will turn things around to even push Rick Porcello for the final spot on the postseason rotation.  I hope so.  Luckily, Omar Infante is proving that this trade was positive.  He started slowly, but now is quickly becoming one of the Tigers most consistent hitters.  All the while, he plays an above average 2nd base.  I am glad he is locked up through next year. 

The good: the offense seems to be more consistent than earlier in the season.  If they can continue, hopefully they can carry the Tigers into the postseason.  The best of the lineup has been Miguel Cabrera.  He has become the first Tiger to ever hit 30 bombs with 100+ RBIs in 5 straight seasons.  Folks, he is the best hitter in baseball right now, and we are witnessing history with each at bat.  At this point in the season, Miguel should make the Tigers the first team in 13 years to have back to back MVP's.  Yes, wonderboy Mike Trout can push Miguel for the crown, but I am crossing my fingers that the voters finally reward Miguel for being incredible.  The starting pitcing, overall, has been very good.  Justin Verlander is having similar secondary stats to his historic season last year, but has been the victim of the least amount of run support in the AL.  This has led to only a 12-7 record, with many NDs.  Verlander likely will not win back to back Cy Young awards, but he is still the clear best pitcher in the game.  Doug Fister is practicing his inner Ryan Raburn by having his second strong last half of the season in a row.  He has gotten his record back to 7-7, and had looked dominant on the mount lately.  Finally, Max has continued his unbelievable strike out rate throughout the season and seems to be a lot more consistent this year.  His less than dominant starts are still going for 6 innings and 3-4 runs, I think we can all live with that.  If he continues on this pace, we can easily say we have a Big Three starting pitchers and a Big Three bashers.

There have been a few disappointing things lately, mostly it involves the gas cans in the bullpen... but this is my first post back so I dont want to focus on the bad right now.  If Benoit keeps giving up bp homeruns, then I might complain soon, but for now Go Tigers.

Currently the team sits at 2.5 games behind the Dirty Sox and 1 game behind the surprising O's for the final wild card spot.  With a weekend series against Baltimore, Detroit can be back in the playoff picture soon.  With 16 games at Comerica in the next 19, look for Detroit to get on a bit of a hot streak.