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Did Michigan show a new way to build a national championship team?
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:27 pm
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:27 pm
Prior to last season, I felt there were only really two ways to build a team to win a national championship in a given year.
The first is to have elite recruiting for 3-4 seasons straight. This would be what Bama, UGA and OSU have had. It's simply having enough talent that they're in the mix regardless.
The second is to have "very good" recruiting combined with an elite QB. This is how Clemson won titles with Deshaun Watson/Trevor Lawrence, Auburn won with Cam Newton and LSU won with Joe Burrow. Just having the QB isn't enough (as LSU showed this year). You also need a lot of talent, though not as much as the truly elite recruiting programs who can win with more average QB's.
But Michigan did something different this year. They had very good talent, but their QB wasn't elite. He was just good. What they managed was to put together a team with 44 seniors. They had, for lack of a better word, elite experience.
Is this a path that others with less than ideal talent can copy through use of the transfer portal and appropriate redshirting? Is the window for doing this only in existence because of "covid seniors" and no other team can really be put together with such an experience advantage again since the window for the extra covid year is now over?
Or is there some other explanation for how Michigan managed to win a title without elite talent (some might say it's due to their cheating)?
The first is to have elite recruiting for 3-4 seasons straight. This would be what Bama, UGA and OSU have had. It's simply having enough talent that they're in the mix regardless.
The second is to have "very good" recruiting combined with an elite QB. This is how Clemson won titles with Deshaun Watson/Trevor Lawrence, Auburn won with Cam Newton and LSU won with Joe Burrow. Just having the QB isn't enough (as LSU showed this year). You also need a lot of talent, though not as much as the truly elite recruiting programs who can win with more average QB's.
But Michigan did something different this year. They had very good talent, but their QB wasn't elite. He was just good. What they managed was to put together a team with 44 seniors. They had, for lack of a better word, elite experience.
Is this a path that others with less than ideal talent can copy through use of the transfer portal and appropriate redshirting? Is the window for doing this only in existence because of "covid seniors" and no other team can really be put together with such an experience advantage again since the window for the extra covid year is now over?
Or is there some other explanation for how Michigan managed to win a title without elite talent (some might say it's due to their cheating)?
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Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:30 pm to DawginSC
You forgot about that cheating part.
Eta I guess you didn’t. I didn’t make it all the way to the bottom of the OP.
Eta I guess you didn’t. I didn’t make it all the way to the bottom of the OP.
This post was edited on 2/18/24 at 4:35 pm
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:32 pm to DawginSC
I think every team would like seniors to come back. Nothing ground breaking here
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:32 pm to DawginSC
Elite QB play has never been necessary. Most of BAMA's Championships and both of UGAs were with non-elite QB play. Elite QB play levels up an average team quickly but it's just not necessary to win.
There have always been multiple ways to win a title.
There have always been multiple ways to win a title.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:34 pm to DawginSC
I just think there was no real elite team, especially no really good team with an elite quarterback this year.
Georgia may have been the best team in the country, credit to Alabama for putting together a plan to win that game.
Georgia may have been the best team in the country, credit to Alabama for putting together a plan to win that game.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:39 pm to Prof
"Both Bama and UGA..." 
You get the Dumb Post of the Week award. Bama and UGA have had elite QB talent when they've won the NC. Bennett had over 4000 yds passing in 2022, surrounded by all sorts of NFL talent. Can you imagine what his numbers would have looked like had he had to do MORE to carry the team? And you would NOT call that elite? If not, you have a very low football IQ.
You get the Dumb Post of the Week award. Bama and UGA have had elite QB talent when they've won the NC. Bennett had over 4000 yds passing in 2022, surrounded by all sorts of NFL talent. Can you imagine what his numbers would have looked like had he had to do MORE to carry the team? And you would NOT call that elite? If not, you have a very low football IQ.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:39 pm to DawginSC
They were a team of older guys, with all the right components of a Natty team, who had tasted the sting of defeat in the playoffs twice before.
This post was edited on 2/18/24 at 4:40 pm
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:40 pm to DawginSC
quote:
Michigan managed to win a title without elite talent (some might say it's due to their cheating)?
SEC fatigue
Cheating
B1G bias
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:40 pm to geauxnavybeatbama
quote:
I think every team would like seniors to come back. Nothing ground breaking here
44 seniors on a team is pretty ground breaking.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:43 pm to DawginSC
Knowing what your opposition was going to do helps. 
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:44 pm to Darindawg
quote:
"Both Bama and UGA..." You get the Dumb Post of the Week award. Bama and UGA have had elite QB talent when they've won the NC. Bennett had over 4000 yds passing in 2022, surrounded by all sorts of NFL talent. Can you imagine what his numbers would have looked like had he had to do MORE to carry the team? And you would NOT call that elite? If not, you have a very low football IQ.
Bennett is a very good college QB. He's not special like Joe Burrow/Cam Newton/Deshaun Watson/Trevor Lawrence. By elite QB's, I'm talking about guys who are first overall pick quality players (Watson really should have been #1 overall and still went 12th).
If you can't see the difference between Cam Newton and Stetson Bennett, I don't know what to tell you.
That being said, when you have a ton of talent you can have an elite QB. I'd say Tua for Bama was elite (other than his injury woes). But I don't think Mac Jones, Jake Coker or Greg McElroy were.
This post was edited on 2/18/24 at 4:46 pm
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:45 pm to DawginSC
Having a bunch of COVID "super seniors" is a once in a lifetime thing. UM will slip back into mediocrity.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:49 pm to DawginSC
Bama and Georgia’s seniors are in the NFL.
Michigan lucked out that UGA lost the SEC championship game.
Michigan lucked out in not getting hammered by the NCAA and being on probation.
Michigan lucked out that UGA lost the SEC championship game.
Michigan lucked out in not getting hammered by the NCAA and being on probation.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 4:50 pm to DawginSC
Michigan had the best overall defensive front in the nation and a strong rushing game. That was the difference.
It seems like being very good at “being different” often pays dividends. I think when you don’t prepare often for a style of offense even athetically superior teams struggle a bit. Think about a good SEC team playing an outmanned but well coached triple option team. The SEC team will almost always win. But the option offense will make them look silly in the process.
It used to be three yards and a cloud of dust and defense won championships. Then spread offenses got the upper hand. In response almost everyone evolved to some flavor of spread offense, so that is what teams prepare for week in and week out. I wonder if Michigan winning this year will cause some teams to consider transitioning back to a more traditional run first ball control offense. I think this type offense also greatly benefits the defense as it runs clock, gives the defense time to rest and reduces the other team’s possessions.
It seems like being very good at “being different” often pays dividends. I think when you don’t prepare often for a style of offense even athetically superior teams struggle a bit. Think about a good SEC team playing an outmanned but well coached triple option team. The SEC team will almost always win. But the option offense will make them look silly in the process.
It used to be three yards and a cloud of dust and defense won championships. Then spread offenses got the upper hand. In response almost everyone evolved to some flavor of spread offense, so that is what teams prepare for week in and week out. I wonder if Michigan winning this year will cause some teams to consider transitioning back to a more traditional run first ball control offense. I think this type offense also greatly benefits the defense as it runs clock, gives the defense time to rest and reduces the other team’s possessions.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 5:32 pm to DawginSC
Well, fellow Dawg fan (?) you may not give a big thumbs up to a QB that takes his team to 2 NCs and wins the O-MVP twice, but I'll call him "special" if you don't.
This post was edited on 2/18/24 at 5:36 pm
Posted on 2/18/24 at 5:38 pm to DawginSC
Operative phrase........
What they did differently was to employ a male clone of Mata Hari to spy on their behalf! That's what they did differently!!
quote:
But Michigan did something different this year.
What they did differently was to employ a male clone of Mata Hari to spy on their behalf! That's what they did differently!!
Posted on 2/18/24 at 5:39 pm to Darindawg
Georgia's run was based on the talent of the team and not the QB.
Posted on 2/18/24 at 5:47 pm to JetDawg
quote:Bingo! That's it.
What they did differently was to employ a male clone of Mata Hari to spy on their behalf! That's what they did differently!!
Posted on 2/18/24 at 5:48 pm to dkreller
quote:
You forgot about that cheating part.
Eta I guess you didn’t. I didn’t make it all the way to the bottom of the OP.
You're delusional if you don't think lsu is doing every single thing they can to steal signs
Posted on 2/18/24 at 5:50 pm to BuckI
Hey, whale-lard for brains....the QB IS part of the team and its talent. 
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