Way Too Early 2018 BIG 10 Predictions

Now that basketball is over, I decided to go look at every BIG team's schedule and predict everyone's record. Games on the road are italic! Somethings I noticed: Iowa and Penn State have cupcake schedules. Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, and Northwestern have very difficult schedules.

Illinois

Kent State - Win
Western Illinois - Win
South Florida - Loss
Penn State - Loss
Rutgers - Loss
Purdue - Loss
Wisconsin - Loss
Maryland - Loss
Minnesota - Loss
Nebraska - Loss
Iowa - Loss
Northwestern - Loss

Record: 2-10 (0-9)

Indiana

Florida International - Win
Virginia - Win
Ball State - Win
Michigan State - Loss
Rutgers - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Iowa - Loss
Penn State - Loss
Minnesota - Loss
Maryland - Loss
Michigan - Loss
Purdue - Loss

Record: 4-8 (1-8)

Iowa

Northern Illinois - Win
Iowa State - Loss
Northern Iowa - Win
Wisconsin - Loss
Minnesota - Win
Indiana - Win
Maryland - Win
Penn State - Loss
Purdue - Win
Northwestern - Win
Illinois - Win
Nebraska - Win

Record: 9-3 (7-2)

Maryland

Texas - Loss
Bowling Green - Win
Temple - Win
Minnesota - Win
Michigan - Loss
Rutgers - Win
Iowa - Loss
Illinois - Win
Michigan State - Loss
Indiana - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Penn State - Loss

Record: 6-6 (4-5)

Michigan

WITH Shea Patterson:

Notre Dame - Loss
Western Michigan - Win
SMU - Win
Nebraska - Win
Northwestern - Win
Maryland - Win
Wisconsin - Win
Michigan State - Loss
Penn State - Win
Rutgers - Win
Indiana - Win
Ohio State - Loss

Record: 9-3 (7-2)

WithOUT Shea Patterson 

Notre Dame - Loss
Western Michigan - Win
SMU - Win
Nebraska - Win
Northwestern - Win
Maryland - Win
Wisconsin - Loss
Michigan State - Loss
Penn State - Loss
Rutgers - Win
Indiana - Win
Ohio State - Loss

Record: 7-5 (5-4)

Michigan State

Utah State - Win
Arizona State - Win
Indiana - Win
Central Michigan - Win
Northwestern - Win
Penn State - Loss
Michigan - Win
Purdue - Win
Maryland - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Nebraska - Loss
Rutgers - Win

Record: 9-3 (6-3)

Minnesota

New Mexico State - Win
Fresno State - Loss
Miami OH - Win
Maryland - Loss
Iowa - Loss
Ohio State - Loss
Nebraska - Loss
Indiana - Win
Illinois - Win
Purdue - Loss
Northwestern - Loss
Wisconsin - Loss

Record: 4-8 (2-7)

Nebraska

Akron - Win
Colorado - Win
Troy - Win
Michigan - Loss
Purdue - Win
Wisconsin - Loss
Northwestern - Loss
Minnesota - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Illinois - Win
Michigan State - Win
Iowa - Loss

Record: 7-5 (4-5)

Northwestern

Purdue - Win
Duke - Win
Akron - Win
Michigan - Loss
Michigan State - Loss
Nebraska - Win
Rutgers - Win
Wisconsin - Loss
Notre Dame - Loss
Iowa - Loss
Minnesota - Win
Illinois - Win

Record: 7-5 (5-4)

Ohio State

Oregon State - Win
Rutgers - Win
TCU - Win
Tulane - Win
Penn State - Win
Indiana - Win
Minnesota - Win
Purdue - Win
Nebraska - Win
Michigan State - Win
Maryland - Win
Michigan - Win

Record: 12-0 (9-0)

Penn State

Appalachian State - Win
Pittsburgh - Win
Kent State - Win
Illinois - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Michigan State - Win
Indiana - Win
Iowa - Win
Michigan - Loss (if Patterson plays)
Wisconsin - Win
Rutgers - Win
Maryland - Win

Record: 10-2 (6-2) or 11-1 (8-1)

Purdue

Northwestern - Loss
Eastern Michigan - Win
Missouri - Win
Boston College - Win
Nebraska - Loss
Illinois - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Michigan State - Loss
Iowa - Loss
Minnesota - Win
Wisconsin - Loss
Indiana - Win

Record: 6-6 (3-6)

Rutgers

Texas State - Win
Ohio State - Loss
Kansas - Win
Buffalo - Win
Indiana - Loss
Illinois - Win
Maryland - Loss
Northwestern - Loss
Wisconsin - Loss
Michigan - Loss
Penn State - Loss
Michigan State - Loss

Record: 4-8 (1-8)

Wisconsin

Western Kentucky - Win
New Mexico - Win
BYU - Win
Iowa - Win
Nebraska - Win
Michigan - Loss (if Patterson plays)
Illinois - Win
Northwestern - Win
Rutgers - Win
Penn State - Loss
Purdue - Win
Minnesota - Win

Record: 10-2 (7-2) or 11-1 (8-1)

Michigan's Season Through Week 2

A Look at Michigan's Season So Far

Written By: Jared Bouck (@MichiganBoyAA)  

     As I'm flying into Dallas with my Father sitting beside me, I'm holding my girlfriend's hand because I was nervous(that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) I didn't know what to expect from this city, "The Big D" and the city of "America's Team", I had my doubts to say the least. What conclusion I came to as I landed at 4pm and departed at 3:30pm 4 days later, was that Dallas was....IS a sprawling city, you could feel the love, and the heat, from the moment you land. The people are as amazing as the picturesque views you can get from almost anywhere in the city. But I digress, we have a couple games to discuss.

     I feel the need to credit Florida fans for their realism, most fans knew that they weren't ready for this type of game, this type of stage, and the following 4 quarters proved that. Michigan was a brick wall and Florida's offense continuously tried to jump into it, this isn't Harry Potter. Florida gained 11 yards on 27 rushing attempts, a rousing 0.4 YPC. Florida QB's were a tad bit better, but not enough to score a single offensive touchdown in the game, they were a combined 14-26 for 181 yards. 

    While the Michigan defense was dominant, the offense left something to be desired. Michigan had a total of 433 first downs and 19 first downs, not bad considering Wilton Speight was 11-25 with two interceptions returned for touchdowns and one touchdown of his own. Speight WAS Florida's best offense. A couple positives for the Michigan offense though, Ty Isaac seems to have finally lived up to his lofty 5 star status. Isaac completed 3rd down run after 3rd down run to keep a stalling Michigan offense going, Isaac had 11 carries for 114 yards. Tarik Black also made his name known, the superfrosh had 2 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. 

      

     Week 2 Michigan played a Cincinnati team that struggled to put away FCS Austin Peay in week 1. Would should've been a complete and udder blowout turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for some, bringing boo's of all sorts from the Michigan faithful. The defense was once again dominant, allowing 200 total yards, 15-40 passing and 2.3 yards per carry, also returning 2 interceptions for touchdowns. The offense looked even worse in week 2 unfortunately. Michigan put up some okay yards(414 total, 221 passing, 193 rushing). Wilton Speight DID play better, he was 17-29 passing with two touchdowns. Isaac once again had a stellar performance on the ground, gaining 133 yards on only 20 carries. This game was closer then the 36-14 score Indicates. Cincinnati made the score 14-17 in the 3rd quarter before Michigan finally pulled away, a special teams blunder and an interception from Lavert Hill saved Michigan.

     All in all, what I've gathered from this Michigan team is youth, they are still very young, very inexperienced guys. This takes patience, the defense is the fastest I've seen from a Michigan team since....ever? Don Brown has done an incredible job but mistakes will be made, penalties, missed assignments etc. we've seen that in the first two weeks. Just be thankful that the defense we see now isn't the same we'll see against Ohio State in November. The offense has had many Michigan fans pulling hair, punching tv's and screaming, it's been that bad. Big plays haven't been the problem for Michigan, they've had 9 plays of over 30 yards in the first two weeks. The problem has been the red zone. Michigan is 127th in the nation in red zone scoring, for all you people that aren't too familiar with football, that's not good. Again, we have WEEKS before we see a real opponent that can threaten our offense, we will improve, but if we aren't careful, we could be in for a real scare against Air Force in week 3. 

      I know I said I'd only address this once in a previous article, but f*** it, I'm human. Stop calling for a new QB, if Wilton wasn't the best, he wouldn't be playing, period. Let's say for scenarios sake, that JOK starts next week and plays terrible, then what? Do we go BACK to Speight? Knowing that his job isn't safe can be one of the worst things for A QB, he starts to play scared, much like we're seeing JT Barrett do right now. Peters obviously isn't good enough yet. I know I know, I saw the spring game too, but are we really going to judge 1 practice enough to say that Peters should be starting? No. Speight has one valuable thing that almost no one else on this offense has, experience. He's been thrown in the fire before and came out on top. He needs to play better, no doubt, most of my last two Saturday's have had me yelling something along the lines "Noooo, what-are-you-doing? Why would you throw that?". But, we need to look on the bright side here, he's realistically only thrown 1 interception that was his fault this year, the other, the first interception in the Florida game, was admittedly a tad high, but a catch that Kekoa Crawford needs to make if he expects to make A significant impact on this team. 

    My last point I want to address is the offensive line, so so inconsistent, my God. I've been frustrated to say the least. I truly believe that some of Speights issues have been caused by this. Some plays, like the 48 yard pass to Nick Eubanks in the 4th quarter of week 1, Speight has all the time in the world to make a pass that he SHOULD make. Others, he's running for his life against Cincinnati. They are all individually good players, but when you have an offensive line that hasn't played together much in real live action games, it takes some time to gain that continuity. 

    This team as a whole has tremendous talent, and potential to be something of an animal, but potential just means you haven't done it yet. Fix the small problems, footwork issues, red zone offense etc, and we're golden. Luckily we have one of the best coaches in the country to get that done. Patience people, patience.

Predictions for Freshmen in 2017

PREDICTIONS FOR FRESHMEN IN 2017

Written By: Jared Bouck (@MichiganBoyAA)

     2017 is upon us and with that, that sweet smell of fresh cut grass(or field turf, whatever), those gameday hotdogs and "Popped Maize" that you can find all around the big house. Inside the stadium, we have some football to play ladies and gentlemen. Michigan has a total of 5 total starters returning this year from a team stocked full of seniors in '16. Now, this is all very subjective, players like Rashan Gary, Josh Metellus, and Khaleke Hudson all played meaningful snaps last year in big games, yet weren't termed "starters", but I digress. What does all this mean? Michigan fans are going to see quite a few new faces this year, and here to fill you in on most all of them is yours truly. Players who are not mentioned are predicted to either redshirt or see most snaps on Special Teams.

(Note: These are numbered but do not determine any type of ranking).

1. Kareem Walker RB 

Let's get this started off with one of my favorite recruits from the 2016 class. Walker was once the #1 RB in the country at one point as a senior, but grades and a few off field issues forced him to redshirt his first year. I don't see Kareem getting too many meaningful snaps this year, 2018 is when we'll see him more, but don't be surprised if he has a few big runs in games that were over by halftime. 

2. Tarik Black WR

STAR. That is my prediction, a bigger WR at 6'4 200lbs, Tarik has some excellent hands and decent speed for a big guy. Look for him to start as a freshman. 

3. Donovan Peoples-Jones WR

One of the highest rated recruits from the 2017 class, a physical specimen out of Detroit. Besides Gary, Michigan may not have a more physically gifted player then "DPJ". Seems very fluent with his motions and is incredible on the jump ball. I expect him to start opposite Tarik Black, I also see him making a few more mistakes, to go along with some "wow factor" plays. Michigan fans aren't going to like this, think of Donnie Corley without all the, ahem, you know.

4. Cesar Ruiz C

Now let's sway away from the speed guys and get to the big maulers up front. Ruiz was the #1 center recruit in the country but is battling a seasoned vet in Patrick Kugler for top dog. Rumor has it that Kugler has pulled ahead in this battle. Expect to see Ruiz in mop up duty against lesser teams.

5. Michael Onwenu G

Michael Onwenu is a MAN. Sitting at 360lbs, he's going to be a difficult man to move. Onwenu played on the defensive front in the spring game, but I fully expect him to make the shift to guard and start against Florida. Maurice Hurst has stated how big this man truly is, yet how quick his feet and reaction time is, you should be very excited to see him this Fall.

6. Brandon Peters, Dylan McCaffrey QB

I've decided to bunch these two players together on account of this "QB competition" hoppla that seems to be trending right now. Wilton Speight will be starting against Florida and the following 11-14 games, barring injury, mark my words on this. Peters, a redshirt, came in with a lot of hype and put his big arm on display during the spring game. He is without a doubt, the most talented of the QB's we've seen thus far, which brings me to my next point, Dylan McCaffrey. McCaffrey is as talented as they come and at one point, was the #1 QB recruit of the '17 class, but with a few players in front of him, don't expect to see Dylan much until Peters hears his name on draft day, fully expect him to redshirt. Listen, I'm going to give my hot take on this one time and one time only, Speight was a good QB last year, not great, more of a game manager and succeeded with all the talent around him, but you know what? We have the best QB coach in the country as our HEAD COACH. Go look at Andrew Lucks first year as starter, Kaepernick, then compare that to the 2nd year. Harbaugh develops the quarterback position better then anyone in America. Speight WILL be a great quarterback this year, and he's going to start, period. 

7. Ben Mason FB

I wasn't going to mention Mason as possibly playing this year, but after recent word from the head man himself, I think he backs up the freightliner that is Khalid Hill, yes that would mean he passed Poggi, let me explain. We're only going to see Mason in spare time, maybe 10-15 carries this year. Harbaugh recently said that Ben Mason was his favorite player, that's not something to be taken lightly, we're going to see him this year.

8. Luiji Vilain DE

Vilain has come in with a bit of hype, at 6'4 250lbs, he's a quick footed player with a lot of potential, he'll be a back up in the way that Gary was a back up to Taco last year....So not really a back up at all. He'll certainly add to the depth and, how awesome is that name? 

9. Donovan Jeter DT

Jeter is a big DT that Michigan stole from Notre Dame, God I love saying that. Jeter will have a chance to face his "what-could-have-been" team in 2018, but for right now, I expect him to be a rotational player with some great potential to be a future starter. 

10. Aubrey Solomon DT

I seem to remember a certain coach from SEC territory making a statement that went along the lines of "Any player we want from down here, we get, they won't be going up north". Well Michigan pulled the #1 DT recruit straight out of Georgia, for those not too familiar with Geography, that's south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Aubrey has come a long way from a leaked video appearing to show him saying a derogatory comment towards his future school. When questioned about the recruiting world, Aubrey said quote "I hate it. All that southern, and I'm supposed to be in the SEC? That stuff? That's a load of crap. Some people don't know what they're talking about". This 5 star will see playing time right away, simply because he's just too good. I don't expect him to start because well, let's be honest, Michigans DL is uber talented, but don't be surprised to see a 5 sack, 10 TFL type of year for the powerful freshman. 

11. Kwity Paye DE

Kwity is around the same size as Vilain(6'4 247lbs) but speed, speed and more speed is the name of his game. Coming in as only a 3 star, but the #1 player in the state of Rhode Island, I personally believe he's underrated. Paye has been making waves in Fall Practice, enough for the whole BTN crew to take note and mention him. That's not going unnoticed by Harbaugh. I expect to see him more then once this year, that's an understatement.

12. Drew Singleton LB

Drew Singleton is a player I'm very excited about. Coming in at 6'2 215 lbs out of Paramus Catholic(the same school as Gary, Peppers and Juwann Bushel-Beatty), Singleton was the #1 player in the state of New Jersey and the #5 outside LB in the country. Partridge, going as far as calling him a "freak", thinks he's going to be a special player and that's good enough me. With the LB starters pretty much locked up, I expect to see Singleton in mop-up duty **cough cough** Rutgers. 

13. Jordan Anthony LB

Anthony is another player with the potential to be very good, though maybe not as refined as Singleton, Anthony is very talented, but the talent is raw. Even so, we're going to see this guy this year. He's very quick and has almost the perfect frame for LB. Don Brown see's a man who can solve his problems with aggression, something we've come accustomed to at Michigan. To me, he seems like a guy who could make some big plays, along with some big mistakes, but no matter what it is, he'll be going 100mph. 

14. Brad Robbins P

Brad Robbins is coming in as just a 2 star, but the #1 punter in the country. Michigan offered Robbins on February 1st, and after 30 seconds, Robbins committed. Robbins has a solid leg with some decent accuracy, sounds generic but he's the best punter in the country, he'll be good. As Nordin is taking on kicking duties, I expect Robbins to start at punter. 

      So there it is, the 14 freshmen I expect to play this year, and possibly even start. This team is very young, but very talented. As much as it pains me to say it, look at Ohio State last year and how young they were, that's our benchmark right now. This team is going to be good in 2017, better in 2018, elite in 2019. I have Michigan at 10-2 this year, respectable for a team that lost so much. Thanks for reading and as always, Go Blue!

Welcome Cameron McGrone

Michigan Adds Cameron McGrone (2018) 

Written By: @VinnyRico_

The Facts

Newest Michigan football commit for the 2018 class is Cameron McGrone from Indianapolis, Indiana. He is ranked as the 14^th best outside linebacker in the country and the 217^th best prospect overall in the composite rankings. Although, 247 sports has him ranked as high as 3^rd best OLB and 40^th best player overall in the country. Most likely the reason for the huge discrepancy in the rankings is the fact that he tore his ACL six games into his JR year. Both McGrone and his coaches say that is back at 100% now heading into his final season of high school ball. He has descent size at 6’1 215 and runs between a 4.47 – 4.67 (both times listed on different sites), which if you split the difference is a pretty good time for a LB. It remains to be seen if he will retain that speed coming back from a serious injury but neither McGrone nor his coaches seemed worried. He is the second LB in this class with Otis Reese being recruited to play the viper position.

The Person

Cam has been described as a leader and the most NFL ready player his coach has ever worked with. Prior to his injury, he was the leader of the defense and a team captain. His coaches have stated he has the mentality to play at the next level. He’s team oriented, self-motivated, hard working, and a great student. He’s currently taking AP and honors classes and plans to study kinesiology, physical therapy, or sports medicine. He said of himself that he’s “great on the field, but even better greater in the classroom.” Regardless of if he ever starts for the Wolverines, I love what he brings to the team in terms of his intangibles. Leaders are hard to come by and leadership is one of the most important traits for a linebacker to have.

The Tape

McGrone is a great fit in this defense as a weak side LB in my opinion. He is constantly in the backfield. Always fighting through blocks. He would eat in Don Brown’s blitz heavy packages. He has the speed to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. He’s the prototypical linebacker the staff has been recruiting; fast, aggressive, downhill, and athletic. He is constantly moving. Once he makes up his mind on where he’s going, he arrives with a thump. He reminds me a lot of Mike McCray. He’s not the biggest hitter, a la Josh Metellus, but does make his presence known and is a sure tackler. Cam is a relentless worker who plays whistle to whistle. When he’s not blitzing, he’s patient and trusts his eyes. There isn’t much tape of him in coverage, but he back pedals well and keeps his eyes on the QB when in zone. He plays bigger than his 6’1 215 frame and can be seen throwing blockers to the wayside to get to his target.

The Summary

Cameron McGrone is a good pick up for the staff. Once he gets back on the field, don’t be surprised if he shoots up the rankings. This kid can play and wants to get better. At 215 pounds, I do expect him to put on some more muscle when he gets to campus. He will thrive both on and off the field in the competitive atmosphere that Harbaugh has built around this team. Welcome to the Michigan Family Cameron McGrone, you’ve made a great lifetime decision. Go Blue!

Defensive Line University

DLU

Written By: @HarbaughWeTrust

Yesterday, Michigan picked up a commitment from another highly rated defensive lineman. Stephen Herron Jr. Stephen is a 5-Star commit and he's rated as the #4 Weak-Side Defensive End in the entire country. 

Herron was just another addition to an already stacked defensive line unit. Greg Mattison has to be licking his chops with all of the talent in Ann Arbor right now.

Update: On August 5th Michigan received a commitment from 5-Star Christopher Hinton. Chris is the # 1 ranked WDE & the # 9 overall prospect in the 2019 class.

In the 2016 NFL Draft, 3 UM DLmen were drafted. Taco Charlton who went round 1 #28 overall to the Dallas Cowboys, he was a former 4-Star recruit. Chris Wormley who went round 3 #10 overall to the Baltimore Ravens, also a former 4-star recruit. Then last but not least, Ryan Glasgow (a former walk-on) who went round 4 #31 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. Michigan also has several other DLMen in the NFL: Brandon Graham (Eagles), Frank Clark (Seahawks), Willie Henry (Ravens), and Alan Branch (Patriots).

Despite losing 3 starters to the NFL I don't expect the DL to miss a beat. I have no doubts that the DL should still be Michigan's best unit on defense. Mo Hurst, who was one of the best backups in nation will be helming the middle of that defensive line. Rashan Gary, who is primed to have a an enormous break-out season. He is the former #1 overall recruit in the 2016 class. Chase Winovich had a really nice last season. He accounted for 5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss. I also expect Aubrey Solomon to make an impact as a true freshmen. He and Rashan are going to be absolute terrors for opposing Offensive Linemen. I also have a high hopes for Bryan Mone. We need him to stay injury free this season. Bryan has been battling injuries during most of his college career. Also, look out for true freshman, Luiji Vilain, he is another young guy who could come in and make an immediate impact.

There's no doubt that Michigan has the deepest defensive line in the country. James Hudon, Donovan Jeter, Derron Irving-Bey, Ron Johnson, Michael Dwumfour, Carlo Kemp, Kwitty Paye Joshua Ache, Lawrence Marshall, and Phillp Paea. That's a very scary bench!

Michigan's Defensive Line looks to be set for years to come! Us Wolverines fans owe a lot to Greg Mattison, who is one of the best defensive minds in all of Football!

Michigan's 2019 Class Starts Off Strong

Michigan Adds 2

Nolan Rumer (2019)

Earlier today Michigan received a commitment from 4-Star Offensive Lineman, Nolan Rumler out of Akron, Ohio! He is the #15 ranked offensive lineman and the #123 overall prospect in the 2019 class. Check out his commitment post here. 

Nolan's Highlights

Stephen Herron Jr. (2019)

Just now Michigan received a commitment from 5-Star Defensive End, Stephen Herron Jr. out of Louisville, Kentucky! He is the #4 ranked weak-side defensive end and the #34 overall prospect in the 2019 class. Check out his commitment post here.

Stephen's Highlights

Freshmen Freshmen Freshmen!

The New Guys

Our newest Wolverines from the 2017 class have their jersey numbers!

Jordan Anthony (LB) #1

Oliver Martin (WR) #2

Brad Robbins (P) #3

Nico Collins (WR) #4

Kurt Taylor (RB) #5

Aubrey Solomon (DT) #5

Tarik Black (WR) #7

Drew Singleton (LB) #8

Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR) #9

Dylan McCaffrey (QB) #10

Josh Ross (LB) #12

Ambry Thomas (CB) #13

Josh Metellus (S) switched to #14

Jaylen Kelly-Powell (S) #16

Luiji Vilain (WDE) #18

Kwity Paye (WDE) #19

Brad Hawkins (S) #20

O'Maury Samuels (RB) #23

Benjamin St-Juste (CB) #25

J'Marick Woods (S) #28

Deron Irving-Bey (SDE) #28

Phillip Paea (DT) #31

Ben Mason (FB/LB) #42

Cesar Ruiz (C) #51

James Hudson (SDE) #55

Chuck Filiaga (OT) #66

Ja'Raymond Hall (OT) #73

Grant Perry (WR) switched to #88

Donovan Jeter (SDE) #95