Thursday, December 29, 2016

Florida State Prediction

Michigan Gulo Gulo 28
Florida State Runaways* 27

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


Wednesday, December 28, 2016

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

Monday, December 5, 2016

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.
yearchampworst lossbowl/playoff
2016Penn St39
2015MSU138
2014OSU14
2013MSU4
2012Wisconsin76
2011Wisconsin67
2010Wisconsin102
2009OSU8
2008Penn St114
2007OSU714
2006OSU27
2005Penn St2
2004Michigan16
2003Michigan414
2002OSU
2001Illinois2513
2000Purdue2010
1999Wisconsin5
1998Wisconsin17
1997Michigan
1996OSU4
1995Northwestern29
1994Penn St
1993Wisconsin7
1992Michigan
1991Michigan2020
1990Iowa2712
1989Michigan57
1988Michigan2
1987MSU28
1986Michigan37
1985Iowa917
1984OSU53
1983Illinois1036
1982Michigan1010
1981Iowa1728
1980Michigan3
1979OSU1
1978MSU21
1977Michigan167
1976Michigan28
1975OSU13
1974OSU31
1973OSU
1972OSU725
1971Michigan1
1970OSU10
1969Michigan237
1968OSU
1967Indiana2611
1966MSU
1965MSU2
1964Michigan1
1963Illinois27
1962Wisconsin75
1961OSU
1960Minnesota910
1959Wisconsin2136
1958Iowa10
1957OSU4
1956Iowa10
1955OSU6
1954OSU
1953MSU6
1952Wisconsin137
1951Illinois
1950Michigan21
1949OSU27
1948Michigan
1947Michigan
1946Illinois20
1945Indiana
1944OSU
1943Purdue
1942OSU10
1941Minnesota
1940Minnesota
1939OSU11
1938Minnesota19
1937Minnesota5
1936Northwestern20
1935Minnesota
1934Minnesota
1933Michigan
1932Michigan
1931Purdue7
1930Michigan
1929Purdue
1928Illinois3
1927Illinois
1926Michigan10
1925Michigan1
1924Chicago3
1923Illinois
1922Iowa
1921Iowa
1920OSU28
1919Illinois4
1918Illinois7
1917OSU
1916OSU
1915Illinois
1914Illinois
1913Chicago
1912Wisconsin
1911Minnesota
1910Illinois
1909Minnesota29
1908Chicago
1907Chicago14
1906Wisconsin
1905Chicago
1904Minnesota
1903Minnesota
1902Michigan
1901Michigan
1900Minnesota
1899Chicago
1898Michigan
1897Wisconsin
1896Wisconsin10

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

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

Monday, November 21, 2016

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.

Friday, November 18, 2016

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 16th 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

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Iowa prediction based on Jim Harbaugh's broken leg

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

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"

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

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 10th 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