97 Nebraska vs 97 Michigan (ESPN Poll)

[Excel]

Michigan by two touchdowns

There's that reality vacuum again.

It was only three easy payments of $19.99.

No but really I think Michigan had a great team and I think they'd win. Great players and better performances against common opponents...that's just my opinion. You might disagree but it doesn't make me a troll.

I never accused you of being a troll. Consider this:

'SkersRule, on 21 March 2012 - 06:40 PM, said:

Let's see, after the 1997 season both Nebraska and Michigan were undefeated. Nebraska absolutely crushed a Peyton Manning led Tennessee squad that also featured future all-pro RB Jamal Lewis, Leonard Little, Peerless Price and a slew of other future quality NFL players. Michigan on the other hand barely squeaked by a Ryan Leaf led Washington State. But sure Michigan would have "beaten" Nebraska that year.

What say you to that?

WAHusker called me a troll.

Michigan had seven wins against ranked teams, four against teams in the top 10. They played a tougher OCS, had better wins against common opponents and had a team with future NFL'rs including Charles Woodson, Tom Brady, Steve Hutchinson, Jay Feely, Brian Griese and Dhani Jones.

Yes, I'm completely batsh*t insane for giving them a chance in this imagined game.

 

[Excel]

Hey man I get that, I'm just saying that looking back 15 years its one of the things we have to compare and Michigan played much better then you all. It is what it is.

Who played the tougher opponent in their bowl game Nebraska or Michigan?

Well in 1988 Washington State beat Tennessee 52-24 so clearly Michigan did.

 

[Hercules]

WAHusker called me a troll.

Michigan had seven wins against ranked teams, four against teams in the top 10. They played a tougher OCS, had better wins against common opponents and had a team with future NFL'rs including Charles Woodson, Tom Brady, Steve Hutchinson, Jay Feely, Brian Griese and Dhani Jones.

Yes, I'm completely batsh*t insane for giving them a chance in this imagined game.

That argument would carry more weight if those ranked teams were still ranked at the end of the season, when all is said and done.

1997's final AP Top 25 poll included only 3 of Michigan's opponents, and 5 of Nebraska's. 2 of Nebraska's opponents finished in the top 10, and only one of Michigan's opponents finished in the top 10.

Common opponents are meaningless, and all Tom Brady did was ride the bench while Nebraska held future NFLers Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis and Peerless Price to 9 points.

 

[Excel]

That argument would carry more weight if those ranked teams were still ranked at the end of the season, when all is said and done.

1997's final AP Top 25 poll, included only 3 of Michigan's opponents, and 5 of Nebraska's. 2 of Nebraska's opponents finished in the top 10, and only one of Michigan's opponents finished in the top 10.

Common opponents are meaningless, and all Tom Brady did was ride the bench while Nebraska held future NFLers Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis and Peerless Price to 9 points.

I already addressed that and you're right, it would carry more weight.

Refresh my memory since I don't recall what happened but from the magic of the internet I can see UT had 17 points that day.

 

[kchusker_chris]

That argument would carry more weight if those ranked teams were still ranked at the end of the season, when all is said and done.

1997's final AP Top 25 poll, included only 3 of Michigan's opponents, and 5 of Nebraska's. 2 of Nebraska's opponents finished in the top 10, and only one of Michigan's opponents finished in the top 10.

Common opponents are meaningless, and all Tom Brady did was ride the bench while Nebraska held future NFLers Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis and Peerless Price to 9 points.

I already addressed that and you're right, it would carry more weight.

Refresh my memory since I don't recall what happened but from the magic of the internet I can see UT had 17 points that day.

I think we gave them 8 in garbage time against our walk-ons we wanted to give a chance to play in a bowl game...

We were up 42-9 with a few minutes left, they scored with less than a minute left. Even their scrubs were in.

Rushed-yards .......... 21-128 68-409

Passing yards ............ 187 125

Comp-Att-Int ....... 25-35-1 9-12-0

Total offense ......... 56-315 80-534

EDIT: Look at those rushing numbers, and total plays. 68 attempts. We are lucky to get around 70 a game currently including pass attempts. Those teams played a very fast past. We need that kind of tempo. I'm sure a lot of that is on the defense too...but if you told me our offense was going to rush the ball 65 times a game, I'd tell you we're likely going to be winning that game. No wonder they were wore down.

 

['SkersRule]

Michigan had seven wins against ranked teams, four against teams in the top 10. They played a tougher OCS, had better wins against common opponents and had a team with future NFL'rs including Charles Woodson, Tom Brady, Steve Hutchinson, Jay Feely, Brian Griese and Dhani Jones.

Yes, I'm completely batsh*t insane for giving them a chance in this imagined game.

Well in 1988 Washington State beat Tennessee 52-24 so clearly Michigan did.

Well I wouldn't call you insane, just a little reality-challenged. :nutz

I appreciate your different take but clearly you are wrong in this instance. Nebraska's offense would have pounded Michigan's defense, whose strength was pass coverage, into the dirt. Meanwhile, Nebraska's stellar defense would have completely shut down the pro-style offense of Michigan just like they did against a far more talented Tennessee team. From strictly an offensive point of view '97 Michigan and '97 Tennesse were pretty similar in terms of overall scheme.

 

[Hercules]

That argument would carry more weight if those ranked teams were still ranked at the end of the season, when all is said and done.

1997's final AP Top 25 poll, included only 3 of Michigan's opponents, and 5 of Nebraska's. 2 of Nebraska's opponents finished in the top 10, and only one of Michigan's opponents finished in the top 10.

Common opponents are meaningless, and all Tom Brady did was ride the bench while Nebraska held future NFLers Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis and Peerless Price to 9 points.

I already addressed that and you're right, it would carry more weight.

Refresh my memory since I don't recall what happened but from the magic of the internet I can see UT had 17 points that day.

Tee Martin led Tennessee to a touchdown with 58 seconds left in the 4th quarter. It was a garbage time score.

 

[Excel]

I retract all my previous posts. Up until 2002/2003 or so NU would have pounded any opponent into dust. I also think NU will win the College Football World Championship next year, and yes I know that game doesn't exist...the powers that be will be forced to create it after witnessing the utter dominance that NU Football will be in 2012.

 

[kchusker_chris]

^ I know your tricks dewey.

 

[Saunders]

Final 1997 Sagarin ratings

HOME ADVANTAGE= 3.60 RATING W L SCHEDL(RANK) VS top 25| VS top 50

1 Nebraska A = 104.99 13 0 74.37( 42) 4 0 | 8 0

2 Florida St. A = 101.96 11 1 80.05( 10) 4 1 | 7 1

3 Florida A = 99.76 10 2 82.04( 7) 5 2 | 8 2

4 Michigan A = 98.20 12 0 75.96( 36) 4 0 | 8 0

5 Tennessee A = 97.37 11 2 84.44( 1) 5 2 | 10 2

6 UCLA A = 95.47 10 2 79.70( 12) 5 2 | 7 2

7 Georgia A = 93.88 10 2 77.58( 23) 2 2 | 7 2

8 Washington St. A = 93.61 10 2 76.60( 30) 5 2 | 7 2

Sagarin rating says that the team we b!^@h slapped in a bowl (and had 2 losses) was barely worse than UM.

 

[Enhance]

Although comparing schedules is part of a valid analysis, in no way, shape or form can it be used as a determining factor. I don't think anybody is trying to, but it's something to consider. Remember how Nebraska got dominated by Wisconsin, beat MSU up pretty badly and then MSU beat Wisconsin? Regardless of the Hail Mary, that kind of situation can't be explained away by statistics, and it happens all the time in sports. Every year, team A loses to Team B, Team A beats Team C, and Team C beats Team B. Just goes to show that schedules aren't everything.

Nebraska is used to being told they're not very good and play in a weak conference. Everybody remember Lee Corso's rant before the 1996 Fiesta Bowl? Of course you do, because nobody has been more wrong and put to more shame than Corso was that night.

Stats aside, consider the intangibles. Osborne was coaching his last game ever has a Husker, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a group of players/coaches that didn't love their head coach more or want to play harder for a head coach. Never underestimate the team with more to play for. Nobody had an offense as powerful as Nebraska's - they just didn't. And although Nebraska's defense wasn't lights out, they were still a Top 25 unit.

 

[jsneb83]

Michigan by two touchdowns

There's that reality vacuum again.

It was only three easy payments of $19.99.

No but really I think Michigan had a great team and I think they'd win. Great players and better performances against common opponents...that's just my opinion. You might disagree but it doesn't make me a troll.

People on here that think NU would've run away with it are more out of touch with reality than I am.

Performances against common opponents mean everything. Take this year for example. I mean, we beat the sh#t out of Michigan state, who beat you guys, and look what we did to Wisco.... oh wait. Well, I mean, how about our complete shutdown of Iowa, and they beat Michigan, and look how bad we kicked Michi...... Oh, nevermind.

Hey man I get that, I'm just saying that looking back 15 years its one of the things we have to compare and Michigan played much better then you all. It is what it is.

Michigan also played Colorado and Baylor at home, whereas NU played them on the road. They were also conference games, for us and the Colorado game was a "rivalry" game, so they were completely different factors. Just like the Mizzou game that year, it was on the road and "rivalry" game, which is why it was as close as it was.

 

['SkersRule]

I retract all my previous posts. Up until 2002/2003 or so NU would have pounded any opponent into dust. I also think NU will win the College Football World Championship next year, and yes I know that game doesn't exist...the powers that be will be forced to create it after witnessing the utter dominance that NU Football will be in 2012.

Ummmkay...

 

[Excel]

I retract all my previous posts. Up until 2002/2003 or so NU would have pounded any opponent into dust. I also think NU will win the College Football World Championship next year, and yes I know that game doesn't exist...the powers that be will be forced to create it after witnessing the utter dominance that NU Football will be in 2012.

Ummmkay...

 

[Saunders]

Fail