| For more on Michigan football and Michigan basketball, or for more from Sean, check out SB Nation Detroit. |
Capital One Bowl Likely Will Not Be a Storybook Type of Ending
Share
4 CommentsSomething that has become forgotten in the search for a new head coach is that the current head coach still has 1 more game left. Lloyd Carr’s final game will be on New Year’s Day against Florida in the Capital One Bowl. Normally for a situation like this you would expect the team to come playing extra hard to get their coach a win in his final game, and although I don’t doubt Michigan will play hard, I’m thinking it will not be enough. Why? Because of this man:
This all sounds very negative with no hope at all, but I would ask anybody that says I’m not being a true fan this: How can you honestly say Michigan can win this game? We saw what Florida did to Ohio State in the national championship game last season, and although their defense may not be as good this season, Michigan couldn’t even get 100 yards of total offense against Ohio State. The offense shouldn’t be nearly as bad if both Henne and Hart are completely healthy, but even in a shootout I would expect Florida to win comfortably.
You can be as optimistic as you want when it comes to this game, but I’m just going to look at it realistically. There’s no point to be hopeful at all due to the match-ups that clearly favor Florida. Should the shocking upset happen (wouldn’t be unusual in this type of season), I will definitely be pleasantly surprised and will gladly eat crow. I just don’t see how a Michigan win is possible, though. If I were a betting man, I would go all in on Florida covering the spread of 10 points. It’s easy money.
As much as I’d like to see Lloyd Carr get a Gatorade shower one more time, Michigan would have to end the season in the same unlikely way they started it: with an upset. With Tebow and company standing in the way, Michigan would have to play a perfect game and then some, which is something that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Like I said, I hope I’m completely wrong in predicting a Florida blowout, but until I see the opposite happen, I will just take the loss and move on to next season.
Well, the upset could happen if michigan can do that one thing it has refused to do under the LLoyd Carr era….learn form its mistakes. The likelihood of this happening though are real slim!!!
The beautiful thing about this, though, is that Michigan has absolutely nothing to lose. No one expects Michigan to win. Michigan is to Florida what App State was to Michigan. Michigan has a month to come up with the wackiest no-holds-barred game plan in history. On-side kick for the opening kickoff? Why not! Blitz seven against a four-receiver set? Sure! Nothing. To. Lose.
Again, this is not Michigan – Appy State. Florida is not the monster that everybody makes it out to be. All we need to do is come-up with a sound gameplan, something we seem to be incapable of though.
Yes we might not lose, but not because we were out-talented, SEC speed bullshit. It will primarily be because we refused to adapt. Which is a big indictment in itself!!
This game will probably be the most onesided game of the bowl season and tells the tale of two different philosophies to coaching. At the beginning of the season both teams were very similar in make with both returning many starters on offense and few on defense. But the tracts each have taken has been diametrically opposite. Michigan has zero chance to win this game especially after the worst offensive output in 40 years. I don’t see how they can put together the 400 yards that is needed to keep them in the game after such a dreadful effort. Further Michigan is one week further removed from playing and is likely to be even rustier than Florida. Finally even if we are able to move the ball early, Mike Hart will likely come up lame after his 15th carry early in the second quarter as high ankle sprains are notoriously show in healingand easily injury if repeatedly traumatized.