Outback Bowl Prediction based on family near the Outback

My wife and I followed M to the Orange Bowl last season was joined by my sister and her husband

Unfortunately we weren't able to cheer M onto victory. Even with my dad there in spirit.

For various reasons we're not headed to Tampa to see M in the Outback Bowl. But my sister did travel to Australia this year - if not the Outback, per se...

 I trust that will lead to better success for M this bowl season.

M 28
SC 13

South Carolina Prediction

University of South Carolina Pedestrian Bridge

Robert Redden Footbridge, Rome, GA (birthplace of Will Muschamp, head coach of South Carolina)

Michigan 28

South Carolina 17

Pitt takes the trophy from Miami

Sorry for the delay in getting this out.

Last Friday, Pittsburgh, for the second year in a row, knocked off the #2 team in the country. This year's win included a bigger prize - The jiMpossible-sarcasMike Trophy!

Miami moves on to the ACC Championship game and a chance to make the playoff, Pitt is likely done for the season with a 5-7 finish. I believe there are already enough 6 win teams that unless there is a rash of schools turning down bowl bids, the Panthers will be home for the holidays.

This is only the 2nd time the Panthers have held the trophy. Their other holding began with win over Navy in November of 1934. The followed with wins over Carnegie Tech, Waynesburg, Washington & Jefferson and West Virginia before falling to Notre Dame in October of 1935.

They have 9 other losses against trophy holders:

Syracuse in 1924
Washington & Jefferson 1927
USC 1933
UCLA 1972
Notre Dame 1973
Penn State 1986
Miami (FL) 2000, 2001, 2002

The trophy itself hasn't missed bowl season since Arizona did not get a bowl bid after finishing the 1995 season 6-5.

Pittsburgh's schedule is not completely set for 2018. The opponents are known - but the dates of conference games are still TBD.

Here's what their website lists for 2018

Sept. 1: Albany
Sept. 8: Penn State
Sept. 29: at UCF
Oct. 13: at Notre Dame
ACC Home: Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Syracuse
ACC Away:  Miami, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest

A Penn State win on September 8 would get the trophy back to the B1G. Michigan hosts PSU November 3. The in-between games are Georgia State, at Iowa, Indiana and at Northwestern. There is a decent chance M will be playing for the jiMpossbile-sarcasMike trophy in 2018!

M-OSU prediction based on historical data

Michigan is 210-61-1 in all games I have attended (all data is based on games I have attended unless otherwise stated)

M is 175-45-1 in Michigan Stadium

M is 36-21 when unranked

M is 183-47-1 when unranked playing a ranked opponent

M is 5-3 vs. the 8^th ranked team in the country

M is 20-16 vs. teams ranked in the top 10

M is 136-45-1 in conference games
M is 9-8 vs. Minnesota
M is 11-12 vs. schools with non-Human and non-animal based nicknames

M is 75-17 vs. schools with mascots deemed lighter than a Wolverine
M is 32-7 when Jim Harbaugh plays a leading role for the team
M is 82-21-1 in noon kickoffs

M is 18-8 in the 7th game I have attended in a season
M is 2-0 on November 25

M is 25-14 vs. teams with head coach shares the first name of a Pope

M has played 3 teams 100 times OSU, MSU and Minnesota. In the first 100 games vs. these schools, M had an overall record of 197-89-14. In the games vs. these teams since their 100ths games, M is 5-20. They have however won one-in-a-row.

It's easy when you look at the numbers:

M 13

OSU 27

Ohio State Prediction

Pedestrian Bridge, Ohio State University

Veterans Glass City Skyway Bridge, Toledo, Ohio (birthplace of Urban Meyer)

Michigan 20

Ohio State 36

Wisconsin Prediction

Pedestrian Bridge, University of Wisconsin

Lake Wingra Bridge, Madison, WI (birthplace of Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst)

Michigan 15

Wisconsin 30

Wisconsin prediction based on a new Michigan fan in Madison

My status as a great-uncle only became greater this week as my niece gave birth to Aria Nicole.

They live in Madison, But I'm sure Aria will be decked out in Maize and Blue before too long.

Unfortunately I don't think her cheers will be enough this weekend.

M 11
W 12

Michigan vs. Maryland predictions based on a long list of QBs

I saw this on twitter today:

Three teams have three different quarterbacks who have started and won a game this season: Michigan, Maryland and Houston.

— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) November 8, 2017

Of course 2 of these teams meet this Saturday in Maryland. There is even a chance the Terrapins will be starting their 4th QB of the season as their most recent starter, Max Bortenschlager was unable to finish the game last week vs. Rutgers. The Baltimore Sun says it will be a game-time decision on their starter.

If Maryland goes on offense first and starts a 4th QBm Harbaugh should start Malzone for the first series to push the winner of the game up to their 4th QB win!

Michigan 38
Maryland 10

Maryland Prediction

Boardwalk at University of Maryland

Marshall Street Bridge, Youngstown, OH (birthplace of Maryland Head Coach DJ Durkin)

Michigan 33

Maryland 18

Alice’s 1943 jug

My mother loved Michigan football. She was a freshman in 1940 and she and her roommates cried when Michigan lost the Little Brown Jug to Minnesota 7-6.
She often told Minnesota was the big rival while she was in school.

We recently cleaned out my parents house in the UP getting ready to sell it. One of the items I claimed was this jug with the score from the 1943 Michigan - Minnesota game.

I know it belonged to my mother because in addition to the score and date it includes the Kappa Delta symbols, my mother had been the president of the sorority at one point at Michigan.

I don't anything more about the history of this jug, and that makes me a little sad.

Go Blue! Beat the Gophers! Protect the Jug

M vs. Minnesota Prediction Based on Historical Data

Michigan is 209-61-1 in all games I have attended (all data is based on games I have attended unless otherwise stated)

M is 174-45-1 in Michigan Stadium

M is 35-21 when unranked

M is 26-14 when unranked playing a unranked opponent

M is 135-45-1 in conference games
M is 15-3 vs. Minnesota
M is 120-21 vs. schools with non-Human animal based nicknames

M is 51-15-1 vs. schools who commonly include an adjective in the nickname
M is 74-17 vs. schools with mascots deemed lighter than a Wolverine

M is 1-0 vs. head coaches whose first name is given as initials

M is 13-2 vs. head coaches whose last name is associated with size or measures
M is 31-7 when Jim Harbaugh plays a leading role for the team
M is 1-1 in 7:30 kickoffs

M is 10-5 in night games

M is 23-7-1 in the 6th game I have attended in a season
M is 2-1 on November 4

M is 34-14 in trophy games

M is 23-3 in a QB’s first attended start (in case Peters starts Saturday)

–        QBs that lost first start are Shane Morris, Nick Sheridan and Tom Brady

–        Peters would be the first #18 to start – I believe Jermaine Gonzales was the only other #18 I’ve seen play QB for Michigan

It's easy when you look at the numbers

M 31

Minnesota 10

Minnesota Prediction

 Washington Avenue Bridge, University of Minnesota

Galena Rd Bridge over Route 56, Sugar Grove, IL (birthplace of Minnesota coach P J Fleck)

Michigan 30

Minnesota 13