Florida State Prediction

Michigan Gulo Gulo 28
Florida State Runaways* 27

*the word 'seminole' derives from the spanish 'cimmaron', meaning 'runaway' or 'wild one'.

Orange Bowl Prediction based on historical data

Michigan is 205-59-1 in all games I have attended
        - Data is only for games I have attended unless otherwise stated
M is 71-15 in non-conference games

M is 6-0 vs. schools from the ACC

M is 8-5 in bowl games

M is 1-0 in the Orange Bowl

M is 1-1 when I attend a bowl game with one of my sisters

M is 3-1 when I attend a bowl game with one of my brothers-in-law

M is 1-1 vs. Florida State

M is 4-2 vs. schools from the state of Florida

M is 25-6-1 when facing a second school from the same state in the same season

M is 5-1 in games played in Florida
M is 47-18 when playing the opposition in their home state

M is 34-15 away Michigan Stadium

M is 132-42-1 vs. schools with mascots deemed heavier than a Wolverine

M is 20-7-1 vs. schools with Native American based Nicknames

M is 71-28-1 vs. schools with human based nicknames
M is 11-2 when ranked #6
M is 56-35 vs. ranked teams

M is 2-0 vs. teams ranked #10
M is 20-19 vs. teams ranked in the top 10
M is 27-5 when Jim Harbaugh plays a leading role for the team
M is 5-3 in night games

M is 40-5 when the next loss would make the total losses attended evenly divisible by 10

M is 2-1 when they’ve won their previous 11 attended games

It's easy when you look at the numbers:

M 27

FSU 17

Worst losses by a Big Ten Champion

When Penn State winning the B1G championship game Saturday night in Indianapolis. I wondered if any previous champions had lost a game by 39 points like they did earlier this year to Michigan (49-10).
I was not surprised to find that it was the new record. The previous record was just last season when MSU lost 38-0 to Alabama in the playoff game/Cotton Bowl.
I applied current tie breaker format to all previous Champs and compiled the worst loss (if they had one) for each champ in the table below.

year	champ	worst loss	bowl/playoff
2016	Penn St	39
2015	MSU	1	38
2014	OSU	14
2013	MSU	4
2012	Wisconsin	7	6
2011	Wisconsin	6	7
2010	Wisconsin	10	2
2009	OSU	8
2008	Penn St	1	14
2007	OSU	7	14
2006	OSU		27
2005	Penn St	2
2004	Michigan	16
2003	Michigan	4	14
2002	OSU
2001	Illinois	25	13
2000	Purdue	20	10
1999	Wisconsin	5
1998	Wisconsin	17
1997	Michigan
1996	OSU	4
1995	Northwestern	2	9
1994	Penn St
1993	Wisconsin	7
1992	Michigan
1991	Michigan	20	20
1990	Iowa	27	12
1989	Michigan	5	7
1988	Michigan	2
1987	MSU	28
1986	Michigan	3	7
1985	Iowa	9	17
1984	OSU	5	3
1983	Illinois	10	36
1982	Michigan	10	10
1981	Iowa	17	28
1980	Michigan	3
1979	OSU		1
1978	MSU	21
1977	Michigan	16	7
1976	Michigan	2	8
1975	OSU		13
1974	OSU	3	1
1973	OSU
1972	OSU	7	25
1971	Michigan		1
1970	OSU		10
1969	Michigan	23	7
1968	OSU
1967	Indiana	26	11
1966	MSU
1965	MSU		2
1964	Michigan	1
1963	Illinois	27
1962	Wisconsin	7	5
1961	OSU
1960	Minnesota	9	10
1959	Wisconsin	21	36
1958	Iowa	10
1957	OSU	4
1956	Iowa	10
1955	OSU	6
1954	OSU
1953	MSU	6
1952	Wisconsin	13	7
1951	Illinois
1950	Michigan	21
1949	OSU	27
1948	Michigan
1947	Michigan
1946	Illinois	20
1945	Indiana
1944	OSU
1943	Purdue
1942	OSU	10
1941	Minnesota
1940	Minnesota
1939	OSU	11
1938	Minnesota	19
1937	Minnesota	5
1936	Northwestern	20
1935	Minnesota
1934	Minnesota
1933	Michigan
1932	Michigan
1931	Purdue	7
1930	Michigan
1929	Purdue
1928	Illinois	3
1927	Illinois
1926	Michigan	10
1925	Michigan	1
1924	Chicago	3
1923	Illinois
1922	Iowa
1921	Iowa
1920	OSU		28
1919	Illinois	4
1918	Illinois	7
1917	OSU
1916	OSU
1915	Illinois
1914	Illinois
1913	Chicago
1912	Wisconsin
1911	Minnesota
1910	Illinois
1909	Minnesota	29
1908	Chicago
1907	Chicago	14
1906	Wisconsin
1905	Chicago
1904	Minnesota
1903	Minnesota
1902	Michigan
1901	Michigan
1900	Minnesota
1899	Chicago
1898	Michigan
1897	Wisconsin
1896	Wisconsin	10

OSU prediction based on it being about damn time

This is a picture of my mother and my Uncle Jim at the 1939 Michigan - Ohio State game. Michigan won that game 21-14 in Ann Arbor. Sometimes it feels like M hasn't won since. Then I remember...

My first OSU game was Jim Harbaugh's 1985 team. Michigan was the better team all day, but the Buckeyes got close late and them Harbaugh to Kolesar put it away. We went down on the field after the game, the north goal post came down and jiMpossible made an effort to grab the flag st the top of one of the uprights. A cop pounded on the upright with a billy club and that dispersed the crowd somewhat.

jiMpossible was Gilligan in the MMB halftime show for the 1986 Harbaugh guarantee game. Bo knew they would miss the field goal because it was his turn.

1991, of course belonged to Desmond Howard.

1993 was the first in a series of M ruining OSU's season, and the last time OSU was shutout.

1995 was the Biakabutuka-ing

1997 was Charles Woodson channeling Desmond 

1998 was my only trip to Columbus to watch the game. We sat in the first row - in bleachers right on the track - this was before they lowered the field. Tom Brady tried to keep them in the game, but the offensive line got no push and Michigan had negative rushing yards for the day.

In 2000 jiMpossible and I watched Drew Henson's naked bootleg ice the game from the TV in my apartment. M hasn't won in Columbus since (and he hasn't watched a game on TV with me since).
That brought Tressel and everything changed.

M won the 100th game between the two schools and my dad was on the field as legends returned to line the tunnel for the team touching the Go Blue Banner.

The 2005 game is when my then 83 year old father was knocked over by a BDBitL cymbal player.

M won again in 2011 with a great effort from Denard Robinson, but a poor pass from Braxton Miller missed a wide open receiver or that game too might have ended in a loss.

There were times this season when I was convinced Michigan had the better team. OSU has had several closer-than-expected games, But these past couple weeks Michigan's offense has been very disappointing. My head says the Buckeyes will win at home and probably make the playoffs. My heart says it's about damn time.

M 17
O 14

Ohio State Prediction

Michigan Gulo Gulo 19
Ohio State Aesculi Glabra 33

North vs. South Endzone update

As I had posted previously we put some of my mother's ashes in the south endzone of Michigan Stadium while the field was being resurfaced in 2003. My dad wanted me to keep track how many points were scored against Michigan in each endzone, convinced that her ashes would help stop the opposition.
This was a good year for my mom. the opposition only manages 22 points in the south endzone vs. 61 in the north endzone. This brings the total since 2003 to 996 in the north vs 842 in the south.

My dad passed away this summer and we haven't managed to get his ashes down on the field yet. But I'm sure we'll find a way and more importantly, find a way to track what difference his ashes are making for the Wolverines.

Indiana prediction based on historical data

Michigan is 204-59-1 in all games I have attended
        - Data is only for games I have attended unless otherwise stated
M is 133-44-1 in conference games

M is 15-0 vs. Indiana - Indiana is 0-16 in games I've attended, as I saw them lose to MSU in 1987
M is 74-0 vs teams I haven't seen them lose to

M is 3-1 when playing a team for the 16^th time
M is 170-44-1 in Michigan Stadium

M is 130-68 on artificial turf

M is 131-42-1 vs. schools with mascots deemed heavier than a Wolverine
M is 20-3 when ranked #4
M is 148-24-1 vs. unranked teams

M is 123-9-1 when ranked vs. an unranked team
M is 26-5 when Jim Harbaugh plays a leading role for the team
M is 55-23 in 3:30 kickoffs
M is 4-1 in the 10th game I have attended in a season

M is 1-1 on November 19

M is 12-2 against teams with head coaches that share the last name with the main character playing opposite Tom Hanks in a Tom Hanks movie (volleyballs count)

M is 9-1 in the first start of the season for that season's second starting QB

As I've posted before very few people alive have ever seen M lose to Indiana - lets keep it that way

It's easy when you look at the numbers:

M 38

IU 17

Indiana Prediction

Michigan Gulo Gulo 42
Indiana Hoosiers* 13

*A Hoosier is someone from Indiana.  So, I guess I could have said Indiana Indianans

Iowa prediction based on Jim Harbaugh's broken leg

Saw this tweet the other day that confused three different Michigan/Harbaugh stories

In 1985, #2 UM visited #1 Iowa & lost 12-10. Michigan QB Jim Harbaugh broke his leg. For that reason, the #HarbaughRevengeTour continues Sat

— LG (@LGhail) November 9, 2016

There are 3 things at play here:

When his dad was an assistant at Iowa Jim broke his leg on the first day they moved to Iowa City.
He did break a bone as Michigan QB in a loss, but that was his arm in 1984 diving for Jamie Morris's fumble against MSU.
He did quarterback the 1985 squad to that 12-10 loss.

My prediction for this week is none of these three things will recur

M 41
I 13

Iowa Prediction

Michigan Gulo Gulo 34
Iowa Oculi Accipitridae* 19

*The term 'Hawkeye' was used to help promote Iowa.  Though it may have something to do with the Indian chief Blackhawk, I decided to use the taxonomical word for hawk, precided by the Latin for eyes.  "Eyes of the Hawk"

Trophy Update - Tide rolls over LSU

Alabama maintained control over the jiMpossible-sarcasMike Trophy with a 10-0 victory over LSU in Death Valley.
This was the first shut out in a trophy game since Virginia Tech shut out Virginia in November of 2011. Just a reminder that 2011 Hokie squad lost to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl - although they had lost the trophy in the ACC championship game before playing M.
Bama still has a tough match up with Auburn and the SEC title game on their schedule along with facing Mississippi State this Saturday and Chattanooga next.
But at this point it seems very likely the trophy will be heading to the playoffs.

Maryland prediction based on historical data

Michigan is 203-59-1 in all games I have attended
        - Data is only for games I have attended unless otherwise stated
M is 132-44-1 in conference games

M is 3-1 vs. Maryland

M is 7-3 vs. schools that have been a member of more than one conference in separate attended games
M is 169-44-1 in Michigan Stadium

M is 129-68 on artificial turf
M is 116-21 vs. schools with animal based nicknames (non-human)

M is 33-6 vs. schools with egg-laying animal based nicknames

M is 72-17 vs. schools with mascots deemed lighter than a Wolverine
M is 4-3 when ranked #2 (4 straight wins)
M is 147-24-1 vs. unranked teams

M is 122-9-1 when ranked vs. an unranked team
M is 25-5 when Jim Harbaugh plays a leading role for the team
M is 54-23 in 3:30 kickoffs
M is 6-7 in the 9th game I have attended in a season (the only ordinal numbered game in which M has a losing record)
M is 1-0 on November 5

M is 1-2 when the day + month = year using DD/MM/YY format

M is 11-4 vs. head coaches with alliterative names

M is 26-6 vs. head coaches with a name that can be a job

M is 0-1 the week after scoring 32 points

M is 4-3 the game after giving up 23 points
M is 5-1 when going for their 10^th consecutive attended victory

M is 26-6 vs. schools from the original 13 colonies

M is 67-20-1 vs. schools with an alum/attendee that I have slept in the residence of

On game day it will have been 9,534 days since I attended an M victory over Maryland. The only longer streaks of teams I have seen M play but not defeat since my last attended victory are with USC and Florida State. On Saturday it will be 10,169 days since I saw M beat USC in the 1989 Rose Bowl. For FSU it will have been 10,997 days since M's 1986 homecoming victory of the Seminoles.

It's easy when you look at the numbers

M 38

Md 10