Hi All,
I'd like to get people's take on this. I've read a lot of talk about the 2012 schedule being tougher than this year and this year having been our big chance at the BCS champ, but it seems to me that next year is a much better shot. Hear me out:
Game 1 against Navy is tough because playing against that system is always mentally challenging, but playing against it in another country first game of the year is more to our advantage than this year, for example, when we'll be coming off an emotionally charged and physically taxing battle with USC the week before. We get more time to focus on prepping and they have had no game action to get their precision down. Instead of this year where we played a good S. Florida defense w/ an inexperienced quarterback coming off a serious surgery who had barely won the starting job, we'll have a veteran quarterback coming off a season and a half of winning football.
Then, game 2, instead of going to the Big House for the first night game and 100,000 crazy fans against us, we get to come back to our own place against what will be an even worse Purdue team than they were this year. That could have been a really tough game, week after playing in another country against an option team. Playing a weak Purdue team at home is way easier than what we had to deal with at Michigan this year after S. florida.
Game 3 at Mich St. won't be fun but we get to play them with a new quarterback and wide receivers. That will make their running game even less dangerous. Also, Jerel Worthy will probably leave early, which will make their defensive front much easier to run on. That is easier than what we had to deal with this year in Cousins, Cunningham and Martin, etc.
Game 4 is Michigan which will be tougher than Pitt away this year on its face but it is a lot easier to play Michigan game 4 after 3 easier games than this year where they were the 2nd game of the year, in their place, and the 1st start of the year for our qb. Also, Michigan is going to have some losses on defense.
Game 5 we get Miami, which is going to have losses from graduation and be in the thick of a sanction cloud which can only be demoralizing. We get them after a bye week too, so we'll be ready to roll. Plus, Soldier Field is going to be pretty much a home game for us. Purdue was an easy game this year, but I don't think that Miami game is going to be a huge challenge.
Game 6 we get a hugely weakened Stanford team at home. No Andrew Luck, losses on defense, losses at receiver. I'll take that instead of playing a crazy Air Force scheme.
Game 7 this year against USC is far harder a game than playing BYU next year at game 7 and harder than it will be to play USC next year last game of the year even in Los Angeles. Barkley might be gone but even if he's not, they have losses on an already weak D and the sanctions only make things harder depth wise. They are going to be worn down at the end of next and, if they dont have Barkley...it is going to be a long year for them way before they play us. This year, they are much more dangerous.
Really, game 8 at OU is the only killer game for us next year. But, they do lose Broyles and Hanna on O, their most difficult receiver matchups and they might lose Landry Jones. on d they have some losses too, most importantly Travis Lewis, which would be like us losing Te'o. If we lose a game, this will be the one, but I like our chances after a good lead up schedule of 7 games than what we had this year, with our schedule being horribly organized except for the bye week prior to USC. And, Navy after a hard fought USC game this year is no walk in the park, even at home.
9, 10 and 11 with Pitt, BC and Wake are as easy or easier than WAke, Maryland and BC this year which takes us to game 12. I'll take USC with some losses even if Barkley comes back and probably depleted and worn down line depth at the end of the year with us likely playing for either high BCS or national champ in Los Angeles than having to play Andrew Luck in his last game at Palo Alto with them likely playing for a high bcs game.
This year just seemed top to bottom a tougher year than next year with the main factor being how the schedule is organized. I just think that Navy/Purdue/weakened Mich St. start is going to show us what a good team can do when it gets a starting few games that it can build from rather than 3 trap games like we normally have.
...or am I just starting my personal batch of Kool-Aid a little early?
I'd like to get people's take on this. I've read a lot of talk about the 2012 schedule being tougher than this year and this year having been our big chance at the BCS champ, but it seems to me that next year is a much better shot. Hear me out:
Game 1 against Navy is tough because playing against that system is always mentally challenging, but playing against it in another country first game of the year is more to our advantage than this year, for example, when we'll be coming off an emotionally charged and physically taxing battle with USC the week before. We get more time to focus on prepping and they have had no game action to get their precision down. Instead of this year where we played a good S. Florida defense w/ an inexperienced quarterback coming off a serious surgery who had barely won the starting job, we'll have a veteran quarterback coming off a season and a half of winning football.
Then, game 2, instead of going to the Big House for the first night game and 100,000 crazy fans against us, we get to come back to our own place against what will be an even worse Purdue team than they were this year. That could have been a really tough game, week after playing in another country against an option team. Playing a weak Purdue team at home is way easier than what we had to deal with at Michigan this year after S. florida.
Game 3 at Mich St. won't be fun but we get to play them with a new quarterback and wide receivers. That will make their running game even less dangerous. Also, Jerel Worthy will probably leave early, which will make their defensive front much easier to run on. That is easier than what we had to deal with this year in Cousins, Cunningham and Martin, etc.
Game 4 is Michigan which will be tougher than Pitt away this year on its face but it is a lot easier to play Michigan game 4 after 3 easier games than this year where they were the 2nd game of the year, in their place, and the 1st start of the year for our qb. Also, Michigan is going to have some losses on defense.
Game 5 we get Miami, which is going to have losses from graduation and be in the thick of a sanction cloud which can only be demoralizing. We get them after a bye week too, so we'll be ready to roll. Plus, Soldier Field is going to be pretty much a home game for us. Purdue was an easy game this year, but I don't think that Miami game is going to be a huge challenge.
Game 6 we get a hugely weakened Stanford team at home. No Andrew Luck, losses on defense, losses at receiver. I'll take that instead of playing a crazy Air Force scheme.
Game 7 this year against USC is far harder a game than playing BYU next year at game 7 and harder than it will be to play USC next year last game of the year even in Los Angeles. Barkley might be gone but even if he's not, they have losses on an already weak D and the sanctions only make things harder depth wise. They are going to be worn down at the end of next and, if they dont have Barkley...it is going to be a long year for them way before they play us. This year, they are much more dangerous.
Really, game 8 at OU is the only killer game for us next year. But, they do lose Broyles and Hanna on O, their most difficult receiver matchups and they might lose Landry Jones. on d they have some losses too, most importantly Travis Lewis, which would be like us losing Te'o. If we lose a game, this will be the one, but I like our chances after a good lead up schedule of 7 games than what we had this year, with our schedule being horribly organized except for the bye week prior to USC. And, Navy after a hard fought USC game this year is no walk in the park, even at home.
9, 10 and 11 with Pitt, BC and Wake are as easy or easier than WAke, Maryland and BC this year which takes us to game 12. I'll take USC with some losses even if Barkley comes back and probably depleted and worn down line depth at the end of the year with us likely playing for either high BCS or national champ in Los Angeles than having to play Andrew Luck in his last game at Palo Alto with them likely playing for a high bcs game.
This year just seemed top to bottom a tougher year than next year with the main factor being how the schedule is organized. I just think that Navy/Purdue/weakened Mich St. start is going to show us what a good team can do when it gets a starting few games that it can build from rather than 3 trap games like we normally have.
...or am I just starting my personal batch of Kool-Aid a little early?
