In the doldrums of the off-season I've been known to look far and wide for pretty much anything of interest regarding college football. Sometimes, I'll even take a step in to the dark side and peek at what's happening with some of our upcoming opponents.
While I believe it doesn't technically qualify as "trolling" if you don't post anything, I'm not proud of it.
In any event, I was reading some articles about ttun's latest messiah, Jim Harbaugh, when one particular opinion caught my attention. In a piece written by Beacher Report's Adam Biggers, he claimed Harbaugh's most important game next season will not be "The Game" - It will be Utah.
At first, I was as stunned by this suggestion as some of his rather angry 'homer' readers. But he's generally a decent writer (believe it or not) - so I gave the idea a little more thought - and decided he may be on to something.
The unbridled optimism coming out of AA right now is remarkable. Predictions of a ten, eleven or even twelve win season are common. It's so absurd, it's almost comical.
A Harbaugh-coached UM team hasn't even taken the the field yet - and their quarterbacks are so suspect, a graduate transfer back-up from Iowa, is being looked at as a potential solution. They went 5-7 last year. There's a lot of coaching to do - particularly on offense.
Like a number of my 11W brethren, I'm not sold on Harbaugh's ability to turn the ttun disaster around any time soon. I think Brady Hoke left a mess behind - especially, in regard to the program's fundamental culture.
In addition to that, lurking just beneath the surface there seems to be something not quite right about Harbaugh. I don't want to go so far as to suggest he's a borderline psycho - so, I'm glad I refrained from mentioning it.
Don't get me wrong - while he may be a little kooky, he's a good coach. It's just that the immediate expectations seem completely out of line.
That sets the tone for the significance of their season opener with Utah. With what to them would surely be perceived to be a shocking loss in that game, the meatchicken faithful could quickly find themselves once again in the unenviable position of making excuses for their team and/or coach.
It's abundantly clear, that is something they are absolutely not expecting this time around. The cognitive dissonance could be rife. Given their frustrations with the last two head coaches, Harbaugh's 'honeymoon' might not be as lengthy as it may appear to be right now. Those people are starving for a winner no matter how unrealistic those expectations may be right off the bat.
Obviously, most important - Harbaugh and his staff need (what are, of course, predominantly) Hoke's former players to "buy in" to what they're doing. Fair or not - a loss to the Utes will be considered to be 'embarrassing' by a delusional fan base - and potentially, by the team itself.
That could have a detrimental effect on the overall psyche of the team at a precarious time - possibly exacerbated by some ill-advised post game comments from a semi-crazed head coach feeling pressure 'unknown to mankind'.
And - I expect them to lose to Utah - possibly badly. The weasels lost last year's game and they'll be playing in Salt Lake City this time around. The Utes went 9-4 last season. I think they have about eleven returning starters, including their senior quarterback, a fine young running back, most of their offensive line and several key defenders.
Utah has been developing some talent lately - they sent five players to the recent NFL combine. They're also filling some coaching vacancies with excellent assistants. It's not a stretch to think they'll beat a team they beat last year, in its first game with a new coaching staff - in Utah.
The consequences for Harbaugh coud indeed be significant -
