ESPN: First 2019 Way-Too-Early Top 25

Enhance said:
Yeah, I think that was combination of a lot of things - injured Martinez, a more talented Michigan team (especially defensively), and probably some psychological issues related to the team's poor start. I think Michigan might've also had a chip on their shoulder based on some of Frost's comments when they played UCF.

Nebraska wasn't in a good place at that point in the year. Things changed quite a bit as the season went along, though. The Huskers went to Columbus and played tOSU to within a score in early November once they started to figure things out. Sports are crazy like that.
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Also, playing reflexively = playing fast. As the year moved on, the positioning and calls became more innate. 

That said, UM is a different beast than an Illinois. 

 
Enhance said:
Yeah, I think that was combination of a lot of things - injured Martinez, a more talented Michigan team (especially defensively), and probably some psychological issues related to the team's poor start. I think Michigan might've also had a chip on their shoulder based on some of Frost's comments when they played UCF.

Nebraska wasn't in a good place at that point in the year. Things changed quite a bit as the season went along, though. The Huskers went to Columbus and played tOSU to within a score in early November once they started to figure things out. Sports are crazy like that.
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I think this can not be overstated.  Our team was defeated before they got on the plane.  The poor start, not having their star QB...etc.

Our team went into that game not believing they had a chance and showed it.

I'm not saying they would have won, but that game would have looked totally different if it were late in the season.

 
BigRedBuster said:
I think this can not be overstated.  Our team was defeated before they got on the plane.  The poor start, not having their star QB...etc.

Our team went into that game not believing they had a chance and showed it.

I'm not saying they would have won, but that game would have looked totally different if it were late in the season.
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I tend to agree. Naturally, I don't want to make excuses - Nebraska had no business playing that bad that day, but there are plenty of things we can look to and say 'yeah, that probably played a big role.'

I feel confident that Nebraska would've played them much closer had that game been in November, but I feel that way about a lot of Nebraska's games. The team that slugged and slouched through the first 4-5 games was not the same one that finished out November, whereas other teams (i.e. Wisconsin) definitely got worse later in the season.

 
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VectorVictor said:
The real question we should be asking is "who won't curbstomp Ohio State this year?"
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Oh they are still going to be a hard play every week.  I think they win 7 or maybe even 8 games this year.  But you don't lose Meyer and churn out a 10+ win season, plug and play works with players not coaches.  Sure there are exceptions to that rule but it's pretty far and few betweeen.  I see 3-5 potential losses on their schedule.

 
Enhance said:
I tend to agree. Naturally, I don't want to make excuses - Nebraska had no business playing that bad that day, but there are plenty of things we can look to and say 'yeah, that probably played a big role.'

I feel confident that Nebraska would've played them much closer had that game been in November, but I feel that way about a lot of Nebraska's games. The team that slugged and slouched through the first 4-5 games was not the same one that finished out November, whereas other teams (i.e. Wisconsin) definitely got worse later in the season.
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It's entirely plausible that had we not had our first game canceled, we curb stomp Colorado.  A solid warm up does wonders for a teams mentality.  Losing to the Buffs to start the year, at home, directly led to a mental hindrance against Troy.  Things snowballed from there.

Once we got the monkey off our back, we looked like a real team.  It's like playing through several levels of a game, then the lightbulb clicks and you're like "ohhhh, now I get it!  Maybe I shouldn't have skipped that tutorial....".

 
Redux said:
Oh they are still going to be a hard play every week.  I think they win 7 or maybe even 8 games this year.  But you don't lose Meyer and churn out a 10+ win season, plug and play works with players not coaches.  Sure there are exceptions to that rule but it's pretty far and few betweeen.  I see 3-5 potential losses on their schedule.
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I'd be a little surprised if they drop off that fast.  I have in my mind it will be more like a Solich slide.  They will have a few decent seasons then a really bad year.

 
BigRedBuster said:
I'd be a little surprised if they drop off that fast.  I have in my mind it will be more like a Solich slide.  They will have a few decent seasons then a really bad year.
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I could see that, but this isn't Meyer's hand picked protege years in the making.  He's only been with the Buckeyes a couple years I think.  I expect them to be back on top of the division by year 2 or 3 honestly, but this year could be ugly with Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State on the schedule.  They will be lucky to win half those games.

 
Redux said:
It's entirely plausible that had we not had our first game canceled, we curb stomp Colorado.
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It's also entirely plausible that we could've lost to Akron. I mean, they did beat the eventual Big Ten West champ just a couple weeks later.

 
Redux said:
I could see that, but this isn't Meyer's hand picked protege years in the making.  He's only been with the Buckeyes a couple years I think.  I expect them to be back on top of the division by year 2 or 3 honestly, but this year could be ugly with Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State on the schedule.  They will be lucky to win half those games.
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 5 star talent all over the field makes up for a lot of mistakes.  I personally would be surprised if they weren't a 10 win team in the running for the championship going into the game against Michigan.  

 
Hilltop said:
 5 star talent all over the field makes up for a lot of mistakes.  I personally would be surprised if they weren't a 10 win team in the running for the championship going into the game against Michigan.  
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You can be a thoroughbred and still suck if nobody teaches you to go the right direction.

 
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Redux said:
Oh they are still going to be a hard play every week.  I think they win 7 or maybe even 8 games this year.  But you don't lose Meyer and churn out a 10+ win season, plug and play works with players not coaches.  Sure there are exceptions to that rule but it's pretty far and few betweeen.  I see 3-5 potential losses on their schedule.
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Utah seems to have done alright.  If you first fit the horse's mouth around the firehose, you can make him drink.

 
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