Is TCU underestimating the Wolverines?

There are T-minus three days until the college football playoff, and now that the playoffs are getting closer, we’ve started to get juicy quotes from various podcast appearances, and media sessions from TCU/Michigan coaches and players.

Michigan’s coaches and players have said all the right things, showing respect to TCU, mentioning the more focused approach this year than last year, and wanting to get the national championship as the goal.

On the other hand though, TCU’s coaches and players have shown respect to Michigan football, for the most part, but there are some things that were said that certainly raised some eyebrows in the Michigan media world and for Michigan’s fanbase in general.

It all started when TCU star cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (the nephew of LaDainian Tomlinson), compared Michigan football to Texas.

I understand that Tre’Vius was probably asked what Big-12 team compares to Michigan the most and he said Texas, but Michigan football is nowhere being the same type of team as Texas.

Yes, the numbers on offense are similar in all of those categories, but that’s where the similarities stop. Numbers don’t tell the full story. Texas and Michigan have completely different offensive philosophies when it comes to the ground game and the passing game.

Texas doesn’t use tight ends like Michigan does. I don’t even know if Texas has tight ends on their roster (that was a joke, but you get the point). Texas is more of an RPO-based offense and uses four vertical seam concepts pretty often, which Michigan rarely if ever uses in their passing attack.

Lastly, Texas doesn’t have a Joe Moore award-winning offensive line. That’s the single biggest difference between the two teams. TCU hasn’t seen or faced an offensive line even close to as good as Michigan’s offensive line is in the Big 12. TCU is completely undersized to handle Michigan’s offensive line.

OSU at least had some size in the middle, and the talent to contend with Michigan’s offensive line. It happened for a half, but in the end, OSU got worn down just like every other team on Michigan’s schedule throughout the game.

To face a brutal, physical, punishing style of the offensive line for the first time like Michigan’s can have lasting effects. It can leave opposing teams shell-shocked. We’ve seen that time and time again. Matter-of-fact, it happened to Penn State, when they came and played Michigan football. They thought they were prepared, but they just weren’t.

Basically, if you put Texas’s offense into the Big Ten, would they be as good? Maybe. But I highly doubt it.

If Michigan were put into the Big 12, would their offense be as good? That’s a resounding yes. Probably would be even better. JJ McCarthy would probably have close to 30 TDs and not just 21 and Michigan’s receivers would probably have 300-400+ more receiving yards a piece in that no-defense conference.

An interesting comment from TCU head coach Sonny Dykes

The last eyebrow-raising thing that TCU said had to do with what their head coach Sonny Dykes said. He went on the Colin Cowherd show a few days ago and talked a little about his game plan for trying to stop Michigan’s offense and take advantage of Michigan’s defense.

Basically, he said that if (key word being IF) TCU can stop Michigan’s run game (they have the same base defense as Ohio State by the way, a 3-3-5), then Michigan won’t be able to pass the football.

I don’t know if Sonny Dykes noticed, but Michigan football didn’t run the football at all in the first half against OSU, but still ended up with over 240 yards rushing against Ohio State when it was all said and done.

This doesn’t even mention the fact that JJ McCarthy, when asked to shoulder the load, stepped up to the challenge and had 263 yards passing and three touchdowns. So, TCU can take Michigan’s run game away (very, very unlikely), but I still more than trust JJ to carry Michigan on his back.

Lastly, Sonny Dykes said TCU’s speed on offense will be the difference against Michigan’s defense. He also mentioned TCU’s ability to win contested catches.

TCU does have three wide receivers 6’4 or taller, led by Quinten Johnson, a likely Day 1 or Day 2 pick, but if TCU thinks they can beat Michigan by winning with all contested catches against Michigan’s secondary, and solely rely on that, they have another thing coming.

The speed thing is overrated. That can be neutralized or limited/slowed down with a good game plan (which I expect Jesse Minter to do).

TCU won’t be playing some Big-12 defense that can’t defend the ball or limit passing attacks. Even so, Stroud threw for nearly 400 again against Michigan and lost by three scores. TCU can get all the yards they want in between the 20s.

Michigan has seen passing attacks just like TCU’s. Marvin Harrison Jr. is 6’4. Michigan has seen size before at the receiver position as well.

So, overall, I just feel like TCU’s game plan is something that teams have tried unsuccessfully to do against Michigan to limit them all year long.

Are we really surprised that this is TCU’s plan of attack on offense and defense? No, not at all.

You’d think though that TCU would be at least a little more cognizant of other teams’ gameplans, and try to go against the grain, since it, you know, failed.

I’m not here to say that Michigan football is invulnerable either. TCU is still a damn good football team and will give Michigan a game for probably at least three quarters. Michigan does have weaknesses, just like every other team, but TCU is trying to attack Michigan’s strengths. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

You know what they say though. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity…

Michigan fans, what do you all think of TCU’s comments? Sound off in the comments below!