Oregon 38, Michigan 17: Predictably predictable
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Veteran newsletter subscribers know that my post-game columns usually follow a fairly similar formula each week — I point out things I liked from Saturday’s game, I mention some issues that have me concerned and then I start looking ahead to what’s next for the Wolverines.
But here’s the thing for this week: Everything about Saturday’s game — from the result, to the strategy to the in-game coaching gaffes — was predictable.
And I’m not talking about the good kind of predictable that trends more toward the “reliable” part of the definition, the type of predictable that made Michigan a mainstay atop the Big Ten standings for three straight years from 2021-2023.
No, I’m talking about the kind of predictable that is far closer to the “formulaic,” “uninspired” and “mundane” parts of the definition, the type of predictable that has become an unfortunate calling card from this program in 2024.
If my criticism of Michigan’s coaching staff is that it keeps doing the same thing without ever mixing it up, I figured it’s time to stop being a hypocrite and do some mixing up of things myself. So my Michigan-Oregon column has very little to do about Saturday’s game in a vacuum, and instead, is a look at the many ways Michigan’s coaching staff has failed its roster — both Saturday against Oregon and throughout the season in general.
That includes an in-depth breakdown of what I’ve discovered to be one of the most exploitable tendencies I’ve ever seen from a college football team — whether that team is from Ann Arbor or anywhere else across the country. Plus a look at Michigan’s embarrassing resistance to break said tendency.
So buckle up and let’s get to it below the paywall jump. 👇
