Mailbag question: Where do you guys see this team

Mailbag question: Where do you guys see this team

What another ugly game!

Seems like we have not played well since ND and now that game does not really excite me since seeing how ND has struggled with every team they have faced.

Serious question, where do you guys see this team compared to what you thought before the season started?

Also what about the early polls?

One thing I have to do is give you guys credit because a lot of times you guys have given us information that many did not like, but it seems like many of those various things are coming true such as defense, recruiting, offensive line, etc....

Thanks for keeping it real.

Dan F.

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Thanks for the question.

We predicted Michigan would be 3-2 at this point, so from a record standpoint the team has exceeded our expectations.

Michigan's offense played well in the first three games and that really helped. The offense has disappeared some the last two games and that obviously has caused some problems.

We believe that with the talent level currently on the Michigan roster nothing will be easy this season. Everything will be a huge fight. With what Michigan has going on defense, any time the offense disappears things will get very interesting.

In the Big Ten this year Michigan 's offense should be scoring more than twenty points like they did against Michigan State, who does not even have a very good defense.

Look at the teams UM has played so far and take notice that all these teams have struggled as well.

Eastern Michigan (0-4) has had only one close game and that was Northwestern, where the Eagles scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it a close game and Northwestern pulled it out late.

Western Michigan (2-3) has beaten Hofstra (3-2) who is a FCS division or division two team and Miami (Ohio), is (0-5) with their closest game losing to Kent State 29-19. Western Michigan has really struggled even though they have a good quarterback.

Notre Dame (4-1) has had a dogfight their last four games, even though with their record they could have easily been 2-3 or 1-4 right now. When Michigan beat Notre Dame it was a great victory because many thought they were a good team, but that win is starting to tarnish just like the golden dome in South Bend.

Indiana (3-2) has wins over FCS division Western Kentucky, Western Michigan and Akron, so no quality wins there. They lost to Michigan, of course, and also to Ohio State, who beat them on their own field 33-14, whereby the week before Michigan squeaked by 36-33 against Indiana while at home.

Michigan State (2-3) with wins against Montana State and, of course, Michigan, but with losses to Central Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

We put this up not to downplay Michigan 's record, but to show that sometimes a record does not mean much of anything until you start playing the same type of caliber opponents.

Yes, it is nice to be 4-1, but right now we are sure the Michigan coaches are not happy with how this team has played the last couple of games.

This is why pre-season polls are really a joke and people need to stop putting a lot of stock into them until the season progresses past mere talk. We know polls will always be around because they creates interest, and yes all fans want to see their team ranked high. But until teams start playing the fifth or sixth game it is really hard to accurately judge some middle tier teams.

One problem with the early polls is that most people continue to believe in them when they see the rankings as the season starts. The problem with these early rankings is that when a team, such as Oklahoma State, is highly ranked and loses to a team that is not even ranked, Houston, the media-favored teams are still ranked ahead of the winner in the polls the following week.

Thanks for stopping by Go Blue Michigan Wolverine
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Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine