In this edition of Blue’s News, Michigan is a Big Noon Saturday fixture, playoff odds rise, draftniks take notice and more.
HOPE YOU LIKE GUS AND JOEL
After Maryland and Iowa the last two weeks and Indiana this coming Saturday, Michigan will appear on FOX’s Big Noon Saturday broadcast for the fourth consecutive week when they host Penn State:
I cannot bring myself to have strong opinions about this. While some variety might be nice, Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt are a good broadcast duo (particularly given what else is out there) and the production value is high. I enjoy Michigan noon games and being able to move on to the rest of college football for the remainder of the day.
That said, maybe they should’ve saved the Maize Out for the Halloween weekend Michigan State game that looks increasingly like it’ll be a night kickoff. Much better aesthetics.
MORE IOWA ANALYSIS: THROW OUT THE PFF GRADES AGAIN
ESPN’s Bill Connelly posted his advanced box score from Saturday’s Iowa game. Michigan’s ability to stay on schedule with the run made the most significant difference.
I found one part particularly enlightening. Iowa broke a lot of their tendencies on offense:
Throwing on early downs and actually targeting downfield receivers produced a better-than-expected performance from Spencer Petras. Michigan still finished with an 84% win expectancy.
Meanwhile, in this week’s PFF Grades That Cannot Be Trusted:
- PFF gave Iowa a better run-blocking grade than Michigan. The Hawkeyes averaged 0.0 yards before contact per rush. The Wolverines were at 2.0.
- J.J. McCarthy graded out at a reasonable 70.4 overall. Spencer Petras, meanwhile, received an All-American-level 90.1 grade. Yes, the Iowa quarterback. That Spencer Petras.
- Open for a surprise.
PFF grades cannot be trusted.
There’s a much longer article to be written but the upshot is that I don’t believe even a team of graders can fairly or accurately grade every player from every game, particularly in their initial run-throughs using broadcast film (not all-22). It’s difficult enough for MGoBlog, which is deeply familiar with the schemes of the team they’re grading, to grade one game for one team over the better part of a week.
There are too many aspects of PFF grading that don’t pass the smell test. For instance, Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in run-block grade. Wisconsin, which just fired their head coach in large part because of their offensive line’s deterioration, is wedged between Illinois (good) and Michigan (good) at No. 5. I dare you to make sense of that.
FROM THE MAIZE AND BLUE THINKING CHAIR
- According to SP+, Michigan’s playoff odds have risen from 17% in the preseason to 41% after last weekend and their Big Ten title odds moved up from 14% to 22% in the same span. Yes, there’s a distinct possibility of two Big Ten teams making the playoff, at least by those numbers.
- The Athletic’s Dane Brugler featured Blake Corum as one of 11 NFL Draft prospects who’ve improved their standing so far this season. He also mentioned Olu Oluwatimi and Luke Schoonmaker as draft stock risers.
- A follow-up on yesterday’s post: Paul Chryst agreed to a reduced buyout, taking $11M now instead of ~$19.5M βΒ minus any offsets if he took a new job βΒ paid over the course of his original contract. That’s a sensible deal for both parties.
MICHIGAN-ADJACENT VIDEO OF THE DAY
It’s Indiana week. This is obligatory: