Crazy 4 Maize and Blue

Week 1: Middle Tennessee Not the biggest cupcake you could put on the schedule to start the season, but this team only ranked 77th in the country in scoring offense and 66th in scoring defense. They could put up some passing yards against a Michigan secondary trying out some new starters at both safety and corner if they can find a QB, as they did well enough throwing it last year. However, the Michigan players are eager to make a statement and I don't see them disappointing in this contest. Michigan 38 - Middle Tennessee 17 Week 2: Army Even more so than previous week, this is no cupcake of an opponent. In fact, Army is fairly impressive overall. They are bringing the triple option offense that was second in the country in yards per game (312), as well as a rugged defense that was 10th in the nation in points allowed last year. They will be coming to town in hopes of catching a Michigan team off guard. This one will be a lot closer than the home town fans would like, but...

These are the top players that will most likely get any playing time this year. Whether it be as a starter, special teams cover man, role player, or mop-up duty specialist, these are all the names and numbers to watch out for this fall (names and numbers subject to change). The thing that jumps off the page with this roster is that it doesn't seem top heavy at all. In fact, despite a lot of youth, this roster is one of the deepest I have ever seen at Michigan. It might not have a lot of returning stars, but there are definitely enough to lead the younger talent. And I feel at a number of positions they could get hit with a rash of injuries and barely notice. Quarterback and receiver are the two big ones that I can think of off the top of my head. Go ahead, name a deeper quarterback room than the one in Ann Arbor right now. And while you're at it, name another group of receivers with as many as three possible high NFL draft picks who might be at risk of losing their jobs to a ...

As most fans are aware, the 2019 Michigan Wolverines football team will be an experienced one despite the early NFL defections,  It might also be one of the most talented teams the program has had in the last 30 years. There are several highly-touted players returning on both sides of the ball and dozens of younger players who were highly-rated prospects looking to get some playing time of their own. I can't remember this much talent at some key positions in my lifetime. And though we know who will most-likely be starting at quarterback, offensive line, and wide receiver, the competition at most of the other positions should be fierce. Let's get to it... Roster Breakdown: 13 fulltime starters returning (8 offense/5 defense) 12 others returning with starting experience (4 offense/8 defense) All top four kicking specialists are also returning (2 kickers/2 punters) with loads of experience and postseason accolades to boot. Possibly one of the best two-deep grou...

First off, before I get ahead of myself, I want to say that I do not blame Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Charles Mathews for wanting to earn a paycheck playing the game they love to play. They deserve the opportunity. I do, however, blame the NCAA for allowing this to happen. And by that I do not mean there should be rules against it. No, what I mean is that there really is very little incentive for these guys to stick around for another year at the college ranks except for the possibility that they may be able to raise their draft stock. I must admit, that does not sound very appealing when they know that at the very least they could be making a paycheck in Italy or Croatia without the added pressures and responsibilities that come with being a student-athlete, as well as the hunger pangs. Nobody ever misses those. That mission will soon be accomplished one way or another for the Michigan trio. My guess is that two out of the three get drafted and the third will get picked up ...

Defense: Josh Ross - Hey, the proof is in the pudding here. Ross was a solid defender whenever he played as a sophomore last season and finished the year fourth in tackles (61) while mostly playing behind Devin Gil and Devin Bush Jr. He also had 5 tackles that went for a loss, a sack, three QB hurries, and two pass broken up. Expect most of those numbers to increase in 2019 because when he was given the opportunity to start in the middle against Florida he responded with 11 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss. He was pretty much the team's best defender in the game but it went virtually unnoticed because of the overall outcome of that shitfest. I am willing to say that he will easily surprise many fans while exceeding most people's expectations this fall. He won't be Devin Bush Part II. He is not that kind of athlete. He might not run a 4.5 forty but he is fast enough. He has flashed ability in coverage. Again, I don't think he is slow by any means, but what he lacks th...

A position by position analysis for the upcoming recruiting cycle. Point-Guard On roster for 2019-2020 season: Zavier Simpson (Sr) David DeJulius (So) The Scoop: The point looks to be set for the foreseeable future. Simpson is entrenched as the starter and barring anything crazy he will be back occupying that space next season. Brooks and DeJulius are slowly progressing in their respective developments and will look to compete for the starting position in another year while expanding their roles in the upcoming year. The team isn't signing any prospects here in the current cycle but could look to add a couple in the 2020 class. Shooting-Guard On roster for 2019-2020 season: Eli Brooks (Jr) Adrien Nunez (So) Cole Bajema (Fr) The Outlook: If Poole decides he is ready to test the NBA waters after this season it could be a complete disaster here next year. Sure, there will be enough bodies to fill in from other positions, but it will definitely water down ...

Going into spring I have put together two separate squads of players from Michigan's roster using a draft-style format. The two teams are 'Team Maize' and 'Team Blue' of course, and by virtue of a coin flip, Blue goes first. The picks rotated in each round, so the teams got to make consecutive picks except for the first and last overall. There were 33 rounds - I kinda ran out of real talent at that point so it felt like I would just be throwing darts at the rest of the roster in order to make picks. It is interesting how the two different squads shaped up. I will talk more about that below. First, let's take a look at how this fake draft turned out. For all intents and purposes, I should tell you that I did all the selecting myself. I don't think it matters, but I like to be transparent. I felt like I was always trying to make the best possible pick for each team in any given round. I would love to here some arguments about how my selections fell into pl...