Sometimes I can’t help but chuckle at your comments. Each article that I wrote after Michigan beat Illinois, Ohio State and then Purdue, I’d see a lot talk about how Michigan could compete with Georgia.
Some of you were really feeling yourselves saying if Michigan played Georgia in the playoffs it’d be different than last year’s 34-11 beat down. Talking about how this year’s defense is better than last year’s, which it wasn’t. And that J.J. McCarthy would be a difference maker. Maybe if he was throwing touchdowns to his own team.
I warned everyone as Georgia was putting the smack down on LSU in their conference championship game. You don’t want a piece of this.
Just don’t understand the optimism Michigan fans have in facing Georgia. You do not want that smoke.
— Jeramy Stover (@jstover96) December 3, 2022
The SEC is a different animal, and Georgia is at the top of that food chain.
The Bulldogs didn’t make TCU look like a non-SEC team, they made them look like a non-FBS team. That was an ass whooping, from start to finish. It was 38-7 at half time. That’s beyond embarrassing.
You can say what you want about how Ohio State should’ve beat them. But they didn’t. Well at least they kept it close. Doesn’t mean Michigan would’ve.
Ohio State has better athletes to run step-for-step with Georgia. They’re built like an SEC team. And they have a better quarterback than Michigan does.
If the Buckeyes and Georgia played ten more times, I’m not sure any other game would’ve been as close as the one that was actually played.
I’m certainly not saying Michigan would’ve lost by 57 to Georgia. That wouldn’t have happened. But would the Bulldogs have won by more than three scores, yup.
Recruiting, Recruiting, Recruiting
It isn’t an accident Georgia keeps smashing teams each season. In the last five recruiting cycles, the Bulldogs have ranked lower than third only once. And they had the number one recruiting class in three of those years.
On the flip side, Michigan has only finished better than 10th on one occasion. That was last season when they finished ninth. The difference between third and 10th in recruiting is significant.
Last cycle, Georgia had 11 players ranked in the top 100 according to Rivals. Michigan had only four.
Look at it this way. Say in this year’s NFL Draft, the Lions had 11 picks in the top 100 and the Packers only had four. Who’s future would you think is better?
And people, this is year, after year, after year, after year.
This is how Alabama was on top for so long. And it’s looking like Kirby Smart is mastering the Nick Saban playbook. That’s trouble for everyone else.
Georgia finished second in this year’s recruiting cycle. Behind guess who? Alabama. So they aren’t going to just go away anytime soon.
This isn’t me saying Michigan (or Michigan State) could never beat the SEC’s elite. But in order for that to happen you need to recruit more like them on a consistent basis. And Michigan has some work to do in that department.
