All Things SkunkBear

[Some Irish Bloke]

The latest Sam Webb update makes it sound really unlikely Harbaugh returns.

You have a link or is it behind a pay wall?

 

[notredomer23]

You have a link or is it behind a pay wall?

Webblog: What I’m hearing on Harbaugh (Part 3) - Agent perspectives

Webblog: What I’m hearing on Harbaugh (Part 3) - Agent perspectives

247sports.com

paywall

 

[Henges24]

The latest Sam Webb update makes it sound really unlikely Harbaugh returns.

You lost me at Sam Webb

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

You lost me at Sam Webb

haha fair but with him being such a homer that means there may be some legitimacy if he's having doubts about Harbaugh's return.

 

[KPENN]

 

[EvilleIrish]

Sounds like he’s more likely to come back.

 

[phork]

Sounds like he’s more likely to come back.

Well with Peyton looking like he is moving into the Chargers zip code, I bet Denver backs the truck up for him.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Sounds like he’s more likely to come back.

I never thought he’d leave. But it’s coaching carousel season and he had success in the NFL so it makes sense.

 

[Blazers46]

Well with Peyton looking like he is moving into the Chargers zip code, I bet Denver backs the truck up for him.

I think Denver has to. They need a run first and defensive Coach to mask Russell Wilson’s fall from top tier QB to serviceable.

But could you imagine Russel Wilson and Harbaugh in the same locker room? They are weird by themselves. They would be best friends or the worst of enemies.

 

[dublinirish]

Zak Zinter returning for another year


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NDPhilly]

Couple more players announced they are returing. May actually win the national title next year with a jump from McCarthy. Disgusting.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Meh, we'll see.

Hayes and Oluwatimi are gone, and Michigan didn't bring in another AA caliber replacement for those two like they did last year. They're gonna have holes to fill on the OL with not as many clear answers.

Michigan brought in a lot of transfers for the OL, but none of them were very good at their previous stop unlike Oluwatimi.

 

[Johannes]

Meh, we'll see.

Hayes and Oluwatimi are gone, and Michigan didn't bring in another AA caliber replacement for those two like they did last year. They're gonna have holes to fill on the OL with not as many clear answers.

Michigan brought in a lot of transfers for the OL, but none of them were very good at their previous stop unlike Oluwatimi.

Their 2023 schedule is a joke, even worse than their charmin soft 2022 schedule. OSU at home and road trips to Happy Valley and East Lansing. They'll be 11-0 heading into their big game again.

 

[irishfan]

Hoping Chargers make a run at Harbaugh

 

[Crazy Balki]

Their 2023 schedule is a joke, even worse than their charmin soft 2022 schedule. OSU at home and road trips to Happy Valley and East Lansing. They'll be 11-0 heading into their big game again.

I don't see them beating Penn State this time around.

Michigan struggles in Happy Valley. Even the times they've managed to win, they've been close games. I also think Penn State is unfortunately going to be good.

Ohio State will probably also have a chip on their shoulder going into that one after losing twice. Not to mention, if ND can give them some incentive, it may be their only shot at a playoff.

 

[317Irish]

Meh, we'll see.

Hayes and Oluwatimi are gone, and Michigan didn't bring in another AA caliber replacement for those two like they did last year. They're gonna have holes to fill on the OL with not as many clear answers.

Michigan brought in a lot of transfers for the OL, but none of them were very good at their previous stop unlike Oluwatimi.

I know it’s debatable, but I really hope Harbaugh makes the jump back to the NFL. Even with an internal hire I think it would create enough chaos to knock them back a peg even if it’s temporary

 

[Johannes]

I don't see them beating Penn State this time around.

Michigan struggles in Happy Valley. Even the times they've managed to win, they've been close games. I also think Penn State is unfortunately going to be good.

Ohio State will probably also have a chip on their shoulder going into that one after losing twice. Not to mention, if ND can give them some incentive, it may be their only shot at a playoff.

Eh, respectfully disagree about PSU. OSU and PSU will be breaking in new QBs. Allar is talented, but Franklin does not have a history of developing world beaters.

Obviously the OSU QB situation benefits ND as well.

 

[Fbolt]

Couple more players announced they are returing. May actually win the national title next year with a jump from McCarthy. Disgusting.

Serious? I thought they played one tough game this year-OSU. I just don't see them going three years in a row not getting exposed in the regular season. In 23 they play PSU & OSU - with their next most challenging games against the Terps and Boilermakers. Schedule is weak as is all of the B10.

 

[CoachB]

Couple more players announced they are returing. May actually win the national title next year with a jump from McCarthy. Disgusting.

Sorry, but no. Michigan is so overrated it is ridiculous. They are 20-30 points below top tier. They would never beat a Georgia or Alabama. They aren't as good as we were when we made the playoffs.

 

[NDPhilly]

Michigan finished 4th in SP+ in 2021 and 2022. The highest ND has finished is 7th in 2015. Unfortunately, they've been really damn good.

Also speaks to how BK's record isn't the best gauge of how good ND's teams actually were. He wont he games he was supposed to which was enough to get into the playoff.

 

[CoachB]

Serious? I thought they played one tough game this year-OSU. I just don't see them going three years in a row not getting exposed in the regular season. In 23 they play PSU & OSU - with their next most challenging games against the Terps and Boilermakers. Schedule is weak as is all of the B10.

This

 

[Crazy Balki]

Eh, respectfully disagree about PSU. OSU and PSU will be breaking in new QBs. Allar is talented, but Franklin does not have a history of developing world beaters.

Obviously the OSU QB situation benefits ND as well.

That's usually because during most of his tenure he's had an established low ceiling QB.

In 2016-2018, it was Trace McSorley.
In 2019-2022, it was Sean Clifford.

Neither of those guys I'd consider to have anything close to elite traits. Allar does.

We'll see what happens with Ohio State. But McCord and Brown were both 5-star QBs, and will again have immense skill talent around them. Good news for ND is that they get them somewhat early in the year, so it'll be the first major test for one of them. Meanwhile, Hartman has been in situations like this time and time again. But when Michigan rolls around, either of those guys will have a full season of experience.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Michigan finished 4th in SP+ in 2021 and 2022. The highest ND has finished is 7th in 2015. Unfortunately, they've been really damn good.

They played nobody and Ohio State crapped the bed royally in terms of game plan and preparation.

Then in the biggest game of the season, against a very beatable TCU squad in probably the most generous matchup a team like Michigan could hope for in a CFP situation, they crapped the bed.

I don't see Michigan's luck running like it has 3 years in a row.

 

[CoachB]

They played nobody and Ohio State crapped the bed royally in terms of game plan and preparation.

Then in the biggest game of the season, against a very beatable TCU squad in probably the most generous matchup a team like Michigan could hope for in a CFP situation, they crapped the bed.

I don't see Michigan's luck running like it has 3 years in a row.

Agree. Michigan is highly overrated. They are probably top 10, but nowhere near tops in the nation. The style they play, they will look really good playing against crap teams.

 

[TheProspector]

All of those guys came back because they didn’t have great draft grades. All mid to late rounders.

They’ll be good but when you look up and down their roster, they have a lot of good players but not many real 1st-3rd rounders. Will Johnson and Donovan Edwards will likely be the highest drafted of the bunch. I think their O will be about the same as this year and me even take a step back. Corum has sustained injuries the last two years and in typical Harbaugh fashion has been run into the ground.

The D will take a slight step back after losing 3 key pieces of their DL for next year.

Their biggest loss which no one is talking about is Jake Moody at K who has been something like 37/38 the last two years on field goals under 40
Yards. He’s been the best kicker in college football.

They still could make the playoffs but I don’t see how they’d beat a Bama or Georgia in a playoff game. They just don’t have the star power to win a game like that.

 

[Reaper97]

Michigan finished 4th in SP+ in 2021 and 2022. The highest ND has finished is 7th in 2015. Unfortunately, they've been really damn good.

Also speaks to how BK's record isn't the best gauge of how good ND's teams actually were. He wont he games he was supposed to which was enough to get into the playoff.

I’m going to stop you at SP+
Bill Conley’s formula is the most flawed way of ranking teams ever.
He literally ranked teams that LSU beat in 2019 ahead of them the following week in his SP+ rankings.
Read his article about crowning “true national champions” where he strips most ND teams of titles. He even says one ND team is arguably the most talented ever (who finished undefeated & #1), but then says they weren’t national champions in his SP+ rankings. He just looks at final stars with no knowledge of the games. Like when Leahy would be winning by 4 scores and the other team literally couldn’t move the ball past midfield, he would play 4th stringers the 2nd half. Skews stats.

SP+ doesn’t understand actual football. It’s nerds looking at stats & not watching actual games.
See Michigan versus TCU.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I hate when Michigan is good. But what's worse is when Michigan is just decent, but benefits from playing horrific schedules because the Big10 is down. I give them credit for what they did to OSU two years in a row, but that's about it.

Nice run, clap clap. But it's back to reality you go once Harbaugh bolts to the NFL (where I feel he rightfully belongs. Dude is too good of a coach to be sputtering around the Big Ten and dealing with 18-22 year old kids).

 

[Reaper97]

What is happening in college football a little is what happened in college basketball.
Above average teams challenge for the title when they get guys to come back for 4th and 5th years, while the elite teams have guys for 2-3 years.
So Michigan gets all their team to come back, & they have 23 year olds that are 150-450 guys playing 19 year olds at OSU who are top 100 guys.
Michigan returning seniors will beat OSU’s talented Sophomores.
Just like in college basketball teams like Gonzaga jumped up by having teams loaded with seniors every year.

 

[Crazy Balki]

What is happening in college football a little is what happened in college basketball.
Above average teams challenge for the title when they get guys to come back for 4th and 5th years, while the elite teams have guys for 2-3 years.
So Michigan gets all their team to come back, & they have 23 year olds that are 150-450 guys playing 19 year olds at OSU who are top 100 guys.
Michigan returning seniors will beat OSU’s talented Sophomores.
Just like in college basketball teams like Gonzaga jumped up by having teams loaded with seniors every year.

While this is true, it's not fool proof.

Last year, Michigan lost Vastardis and Stueber. Stueber was going to be a tough replacement, however for Vastardis, Michigan landed Oluwatimi. That was an immediate upgrade and took Michigan's interior with Zinter and Keegan from being really good to elite. Oluwatimi was the best interior lineman in CFB.

There's a reason why they've hit the portal so hard for OL, because their poor recruiting is about to catch up with them there. The problem is that unlike last year, there isn't an Oluwatimi to hold things down at center. Michigan went after quantity, but the quality isn't quite there. They got a few starters from Stanford, but the problem is that Stanford's OL was among the worst performing OL's in CFB last year.

There's likely to be a hole at C and they'll have to replace Hayes at LT. Those are two very tough spots to replace and they haven't recruited all that well to compensate it. So while guard should be a modest upgrade, center should be a substantial downgrade, and tackle will likely be a downgrade too.

 

[GoldenAura]

This seems to be the end of this year's Harbaugh saga. Until next time.