Saturday, October 31, 2009

very disconcerting...

To go from a close to dominant position to getting blown out in s very short amount of time is very disconcerting.
Why is Roundtree so slow? He looked like he was pulling a wagon. Technically I think he was down well in side the 1 yard line. If they get a better mark, Brown (given the same run) scores on first down. Those inside runs just aren't Browns specialty. They needed minor in before 4th down. The plays they ran seemed to have too much lateral running and not enough North-South. On 2nd down I thought he could just run right upfield for 6, but he kept running right. Getting no points was very disappointing.
Of course that is no excuse for the defense forgetting how to stop the read option. 378 yards rushing? Mike Williams seemed out of place or making the wrong read on every score. How can there be no better safeties on the roster than Williams and a walk-on?
Next week is another "Biggest Game in RRs career at Michigan". I can't see M having much of a chance @ Wisconsin or against the Buckeyes. As sad as it is to say 6-6 and bid to the Pizza Pizza Bowl is much different than 5-7.
I'm sure they'll be tickets available, want me to pick you up one?

Should RR Be Fired

When last season started, M played worse than everyone expected. By the end of the season, M was not playing any better than at the beginning of the season.

When this season started, M appeared to be playing better than everyone expected. Now, however, they are playing much worse than early in the season.

It is very concerning that RR's teams don't improve. I thought having a roster with a lot of young players, which he has had both last year and this, meant improvement throughout the year. We haven't seen that. I am laying that squarely on RR.

Besides that, though, I am not sure what to blame directly on RR and what to blame on other things. I don't think Forcier is completely healthy, for instance. And I don't think the talent base was very high when he got here, etc. etc. etc. I just don't know.

I guess the way I look at it is that I am not confident in RR doing anything much different next year than he has done last year and this year. The talent level really doesn't appear to be improving much (best two players on D leaving next year, the WRs just aren't getting better, etc.) and I don't see anything in the innovation area that gives M the advantage that you would think M should have. So, looking at it like that, I guess I would say just dump him and get somebody better.

Which brings me to the problem with that. Is there anyone better? Is there anyone out there that would take the job that would actually be better than RR? And did RR become a bad coach all of a sudden after being successful in every other place he's coached? I just don't know if I believe there is anyone out there that IS better, and I don't don't know if I believe RR is a bad coach.

But, the past 21 games have been the worst 21 game span since a span starting toward the end of the season in 1961 and ending the last game of 1963 (7-12-2). That is 46 years. RR was born between the 62 and 63 seasons. Is RR just not the right coach for Michigan? Is there any coach that is the right coach for Michigan?

So, now what? Really. With no hope for the rest of this season, and little expectation of major improvement next season, I don't know what should be done. I almost hope they find something in the NCAA investigation so the decision to fire him is easy.

Not really.

IL Prediction

M 28
IL 25

Friday, October 30, 2009

Stimpy



The best dog in the world is making her final trip to the vet today. Please try to put her in your thoughts later this afternoon.


Many people who aren't "dog people" have told us they'd get a dog if they knew she'd be like Stimpy. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for us, this humane society special was one-of-a-kind.

When I met Stimpy she was still young enough to play and chase. She loved "Stimpy Runs the Bases Night" after our crappy softball games when she would chase me around the bases to help me shake off the funk of another double-header loss.


She wasn't sure what to think of Hobbes at first. I think she begrudgingly realized he was part of the family. They had their share of territorial battles of each others food dishes, but I think they ultimately got along pretty well. When Hobbes passed and we added Wendell to the family, she once again realized her status as the #1 child was being cut. Wendell is always looking for a bit of warmth and occasionally Stimpy was patient (or tired) enough to put up with him as the picture shows.


I don't know that we'll add another dog into our family. How could they live up to Stimpy, the perfect dog?

I'll miss you Stimpy!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

M vs. Illinois Prediction

Although I still think there is a chance that Illinois figures out some of their problems this week. I think M plays it as a MUST win.

I'll go with M 31, Illinois 17

Other guesses:

Tate takes >85% of the snaps
M rushes for close to 200 yards with at least one back breaking 100.
M wins the turnover battle

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Ryan Ermanni on WDFN

As I have stated before, a sports radio host using "verse" when they mean "versus" is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine. Today WDFN mid-day host Ryan Ermanni was the culprit.

I sent him the following e-mail:




From: Mike Altese
To: ryane@clearchannel.com
Sent: Wed, October 28, 2009 10:53:19 AM
Subject: versus is not the plural of verse


C'mon Ryan, you work in sports for a living. When two teams play each other, please say "versus" not "verse". It is a real pet peeve of mine. I can't believe how many sports radio personalities make this mistake.

He read my e-mail on the air and said something along the lines of "Get a life, I'll say a lot worse things this is no big deal."

So I replied with:


From: Mike Altese
To: ryane@clearchannel.com
Sent: Wed, October 28, 2009 11:08:35 AM
Subject: Re: versus is not the plural of verse


thanks, you're right - radio off, now. Life gotten...

So I guess I'll either be listening to podcasts, Colin Blowhard or trying to listen to the ticket on the internet.
Edit - just got a response from my first e-mail - maybe I'll give him another chance...

sorry mike, when your talking for two straight hours there are a lot of mistakes that i make... if that's the worst one i had a good day


Ryan Ermanni
Host: Ermanni Middays
27675 Halsted
Farmington Hills, MI 48331
ryanermanni@clearchannel.com


Since I'm talking about sports radio, Stoney will be guest hosting for Sam Webb on WTKA the next two mornings, I wonder what that will be like without Wojo to offset some of his Stoneyisms...

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

ESPN Bowl Predictions Vol 9

M has a new bowl option, for the first time they've been picked for the Insight Bowl against Kansas. Feldman still has M facing off with Clemson in the Champs. With the way M looked on Saturday, I think they'd be happy to accept either bowl right now.


WeekSchlabachFeldman
PreChampsPapaJohns.com
1AlamoAlamo
2OutbackOutback
3Cap OneOutback
4OutbackOutback
5ChampsChamps
6AlamoChamps
7ChampsChamps
8InsightChamps



Not too much changed in the overall Big1T1en predictions. just a couple changes at the bottom of the conference. Schlabach did drop PSU from the BCS bowl ranks - apparently beating M 35-10 on the road wasn't as impressive as TCU's win in his opinion.


PlaceSchlabachChangeFeldmanChange
1Iowa0Iowa0
2PSU0PSU0
3OSU0OSU0
4MSU+1Wisconsin0
5Wisconsin-1MSU0
6Michigan0Michigan0
7Northwestern+1Minnesota0
8 Northwestern+1
9 Indiana-1


Both have Texas in the BCS Championship game Schlabach has them facing Bama, Feldman has Florida.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

PSU Comments

It didn't look like much fun. I kindof thought from early on it wasn't going well, but M was, more or less, staying with it until the last few minutes of the first half. I was hoping there would be some sort of momentum change in the second and it actually was just more (and worse) of the what happened in the first.

As for the people using my seats, you gave a pretty big age range there. I don't really care if I sell my tickets to the opponent. His money spends just like your sister's does.

I don't know what to make of Forcier. In some cases I think the opposing Ds have figured out what to do (preventing him from leaving the pocket, for instance), in some cases I think the receivers are just not getting open (against Iowa most of his passes had to be perfect for the defender not to knock them down, and he actually made some of those), in some cases I think he is still hurt (he did get up holding his arm once) and in some cases I think his early performances may have been a fluke. In any case, he is still the best option for M and we have seen him do good things in the past. I think we can expect (read hope) he will do that again sometime this year. And if he does it against IL and PU, then M should end up 7-5.

Speaking of records, I have wavered little from my 6-6 prediction. I'm sure there were times I thought 7-5 was more likely, but that loss to MSU put me back to favoring 6-6. I still think M has the ability to play with anyone on the schedule, but after the PSU game, I am less likely to think it is going to happen against WIS and OSU. You have to concerned about the IL putting things together for one game (and the D giving up big plays to IL's big play people), and you can't take PU for granted. I don't expect M to lose the remaining 4, but I'm not so confident that I would put money on a bet like that.

Do you realize that the last 3 home games I didn't attend were blowouts. M is 1-2 in those games. PU is the next home game I don't attend.

I read the first paragraph of Pat Caputo's column this morning's Sunday Oakland Pres and he mentioned that M's improvement we thought we saw in the beginning of the season was a mirage. I didn't read the rest because I think that is absolutely incorrect. Even if Forcier is only a good QB, he is an improvement, and I think the OLine is much better. And I think much of the defence (pronouned di-FENTS) is better, with some big holes. Overall, the team is significantly better. And unless M doesn't make a bowl game, I consider it a successful season. Big steps taken. Next year will be important for RR to keep the fans on his side and his job.

Speaking of which, I haven't heard it yet, but I expect a lot of calls to fire RR.

I agree that there were way too many drops. I think there were 4 by the TEs alone.

I noticed Shaw positioned in the wideout slot for a couple key plays. I didn't realize he was the best receiving RB. Or maybe they were giving the other two a rest and didn't want to give the opponent a clue on formation, so they didn't put another slot receiver in.

The Drob experiment should be over. Putting him for a drive to give the team a spark is the equivalent to running a drive of trick plays to give the team a spark. If it doesn't work, it kills you. A coulple plays here and there is what he is capable of. Don't put him in the situation to have to throw the ball more than once on a drive. Because of that, I say Fire RR. (just kidding)

Pass D. Most of the game I listened to the WTKA broadcast while watching the CC on TV. Beck and Brand talked a lot about Stevie Brown covering a WR man-to-man. That resulted in two of the TDs. I don't know how M could fix that.

And the 15 yard cushion by Warren so evident. It almost looked on the replay that there was some sag-type zone coverage on the WR. Warren wouldn't even be in the picure at the beginning of the WR isolation shot. I don't know.

It was mentioned that Cissoko came in on a key 3rd down near the goal line, moving Woolfolk to safety and taking out Williams. PSU ended up throwing at Warren's man and he had good coverage. I didn't hear about that the rest of the game. I thought I noticed someone playing a WR tight later and I assumed it was Cissoko, but I couldn't see his number. Did he play much?

Kovacs is a good tackler. Most of the time.

During the broadcast, the M announcers said PSU shouldn't have gone for 2 when they took the 15 point lead. They went on and on that after missing it M could score two TDs and two 2-pt conversions and win the game. I think they are idiots. If PSU had made the 2-pt conversion, it would have then been a 3 score game. With it being a 15 point game, if M would have scored a TD, that would make it 9. M would HAVE TO go for 1 to prevent it from continuing to be a 2 score game and give M a chance to tie with another TD and then the 2 point conversion. Really, are they that stupid?
Of course, the reasons none of that mattered are:
-it was early in the second half and PSU had easily moved the ball and you had to expect it was going to happen again
-a FG by either team would have messed up any theories in the 2 point conversion debate

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Penn State game

That was not very much fun. The people in your seats were a 40-50 year old man and his 10-15 year old daughter. They were Penn State fans. The girl had a little pom-pom on a stick that kept dowsing us with water every time she shook it - which unfortunately was often. Nice job selling your tickets to he enemy...

Now to the game. Other than the last few minutes against MSU, Forcier has not played well since his last drive against Indiana. I don't know how much is the tougher opposition and how much is just not playing as well. Maybe he should have played more last week just to get some more reps.

There were way too many drops from the receivers today. The passes were not perfect, for the most part but they were catchable. Kelvin Grady dropped another third down conversion pass early in the game that would have been nice to have.

I don't think DRob should be a "this drive is yours" guy at this point. I think it would be better if he came in and Forcier moved out to WR etc. He's just too limited to have the full offense rely on him.

Defensively, there is so much help needed. Brandon Graham deserves better. He can be dominant at times. I think the rest of the DLine is promising. RVB, Roh and Martin have made some plays this season. Mouton and Ezeh have regressed. They make bad reads, miss tackles and can't run with RBs.

Moving Kovacs to the deep safety took him out of his strength - crashing down on runs. Williams missed a few tackles that Kovacs seemed to make in the past. Neither seem to be very good in coverage, so lets get Kovacs back into the run stopper safety and at least get that back.

How many times did M give up the quick pass because the corners (particularly Warren) were 15 yards off? If he is supposed to be such a lockdown corner, why does he need that cushion?

At this point if someone promised me M would finish 7-5, I'd take it. They look beaten.

test

Another S and S Poll question

What word best describes the quality of play in the Big Ten?
Parity
Crap

I am not going to answer that one because it is obviously Sharp's way to promote his anti-Big Ten-ism which is somewhat justified, but also overblown. My only comment is that a couple weeks ago he mentioned that the Big Ten is overrated. I think he believes, or wants to believe, that there are people who think the Big Ten is one of the best 2 or 3 conferences. Only an idiot would believe it. I think the Big Ten is probably a below the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10 right now. They are probably slightly ahead of or maybe even with the ACC/Big East (they will always be the same thing to me). In other words, the Big Ten is a below average major conference. A couple good bowl years would change that perception.

As far as the question itself (no, I'm not going to answer it), I don't think the two possible answers are even related. Parity means the teams are at the same level AS EACH OTHER and Crap implies the league is worse than OTHER LEAGUES.

As far as Sharp and his general negativity about most things M and Big Ten, I've come to realize that his opinions are made to create controversy, make people hate him, etc. Generally, he is the sportwriter that cares about one thing....Championships. If M wins a MNC or a team in the Big Ten wins a MNC, then his opinion would change. He cares about nothing else. He all but said the Wings had a bad season last year. He said the M-MSU game meant nothing this season. etc etc. He only cares about winning it all. It is a horrible way to look at things when you are a sports writer. And it is a horrible way to keep emotional fans (like all of us) interested. If M goes 7-5 this year, anyone who says it was an unsuccessful season will not have much credibility, because I know better.

Shep and Sharp's Poll Question 102209

Who has a better chance at winning Saturday?
Michigan
Michigan State

I think that is a great question. I think M has a better chance at keeping the game close. I think the likely goes something like this...

PSU beats M in a close one
IA beats MSU (close or even a blowout)
MSU beats IA in a close one
M beats PSU in a close one

As you can see, I think the M-PSU game is going to be close. I think MSU could get blown out, or could win or lose in a close one. Really, I guess that means I have no idea about either game.

My answer to the poll question: M

Friday, October 23, 2009

Update to the All-time college football mythical traveling trophy

As discussed here we have been trying to track the ownership of the mythical all-time traveling trophy in college football going back to the original Rutgers-Princeton match-up in 1869.

I sent for help to Greg from MVictors he gave me some good ideas to continue searching including finding a WV Wesleyan game we had missed. A 3-0 loss to Lehigh in 1925. There is still work to be done. I've posted the updated chain below.

The major areas of discomfort are the WV Wesleyan area in 1925. If this holds up the next problem might be in 1931-32 when the cup passes into the hands of Olympia Club. I was able to find a relatively quick loss for them, but over what would be a full season I can only find 3-4 games for them. Since I'm not sure what the Olympia Club was, it is certainly possible that I've missed some of their games.

Here's the updated trail of the cup:


Date wondate lostHolderGamesWLT
11/6/186911/13/1869Rutgers2110
11/13/186911/30/1876Princeton111010
11/30/187611/28/1878Yale11911
11/28/187811/18/1882Princeton262114
11/18/188211/25/1882Harvard1010
11/25/188211/21/1885Yale272511
11/21/188511/12/1887Princeton171511
11/12/188711/24/1887Harvard2110
11/24/188711/28/1889Yale302910
11/28/188911/27/1890Princeton141211
11/27/189011/30/1893Yale373610
11/30/189311/10/1894Princeton8710
11/10/189410/24/1896Penn262510
10/24/189610/23/1897Lafayette131111
10/23/189711/5/1898Penn161510
11/5/189811/24/1900Harvard242211
11/24/190011/23/1901Yale131111
11/23/190111/22/1902Harvard131111
11/22/190211/14/1903Yale121110
11/14/190310/15/1904Princeton6510
10/15/190410/29/1904Navy3111
10/29/190410/7/1905Swarthmore3210
10/7/190510/13/1906Penn151212
10/13/190611/10/1906Swarthmore4310
11/10/190610/19/1907Navy9711
10/19/190711/9/2007Harvard3210
11/9/200711/7/1908Carlisle10811
11/7/190811/20/1909Harvard111010
11/20/190910/15/1910Yale5410
10/15/191010/29/1910Army211
10/29/191011/4/1911Harvard9711
11/4/191111/2/1912Princeton9810
11/2/191210/23/1915Harvard262312
10/23/191510/28/1916Cornell8710
10/28/191611/18/1916Harvard321
11/18/191611/25/1916Brown101
11/25/191610/27/1917Colgate321
10/27/191711/3/1917Brown101
11/3/191711/16/1918Syracuse871
11/16/191810/25/1919MICHIGAN541
10/25/191911/22/1919OSU321
11/22/191911/13/1920Illinois651
11/13/192011/19/1921Wisconsin8611
11/19/192110/28/1922Chicago431
10/28/192210/20/1923Princeton651
10/20/192311/10/1923Notre Dame321
11/10/192311/24/1923Nebraska211
11/24/192311/8/1924Syracuse7511
11/8/192410/17/1925West Virginia Wesleyan211
10/17/192510/31/1925Lehigh211
10/31/192511/26/1925Mulenberg (PA)321
11/26/19259/25/1926Villanova101
9/25/192610/2/1926Lebanon Valley (PA)101
10/2/192610/16/1926Penn State211
10/16/192611/27/1926Notre Dame651
11/27/192610/15/1927Carnegie Tech431
10/15/192710/13/1928Washington & Jefferson8512
10/13/192810/27/1928Duquesne211
10/27/1928?Geneva (PA)101
?11/17/1928Grove City2011
11/17/192811/9/1929Villanova8611
11/9/192911/23/1929Bucknell211
11/23/192911/15/1930Fordham871
11/15/193011/7/1931St. Mary's871
11/7/19319/17/1932Olympic Club101
9/17/193210/22/1932Stanford541
10/22/193211/11/1933USC131111
11/11/19331/1/1934Stanford321
1/1/193410/20/1934Columbia321
10/20/193411/17/1934Navy431
11/17/193410/19/1935Pittsburgh541
10/19/193511/19/1935Notre Dame321
11/19/193511/21/1936Northwestern10811
11/21/193610/16/1937Notre Dame4112
10/16/193710/23/1937Carnegie Tech101
10/23/193711/6/1937Temple2011
11/6/19371/1/1938Michigan St211
1/1/193810/8/1938Auburn3111
10/8/19381/1/1940Tennessee19181
1/1/194010/26/1940USC5212
10/26/194010/11/1941Stanford871
10/11/194110/25/1941Oregon State101
10/25/194112/6/1941Washington St541
12/6/19411/1/1942Texas A&M101
1/1/194210/31/1942Alabama651
10/31/194211/21/1942Georgia321
11/21/194210/14/1944Auburn431
10/14/194411/4/1944Georgia Tech321
11/4/194410/6/1945Duke761
10/6/194512/1/1945Navy7511
12/1/194510/25/1947Army151212
10/25/194710/2/1948Columbia651
10/2/194810/9/1948Harvard101
10/9/194810/23/1948Cornell211
10/23/194812/2/1950Army222011
12/2/195010/6/1951Navy2011
10/6/195110/11/1952Princeton1091
10/11/195211/1/1952Penn3111
11/1/195211/8/1952Penn State101
11/8/19521/1/1953Syracuse321
1/1/19539/18/1953Alabama101
9/18/195310/31/1953So. Mississippi541
10/31/195311/7/1953Memphis101
11/7/195310/2/1954Arkansas St6411
10/2/195410/15/1954Mississippi St211
10/15/195411/6/1954Miami (FL)321
11/6/195410/29/1955Auburn10811
10/29/195511/12/1955Tulane211
11/12/195511/26/1955Vanderbilt211
11/26/19551/1/1957Tennessee11101
1/1/195710/5/1957Baylor321
10/5/195710/11/1957Miami (FL)101
10/11/195710/19/1957North Carolina101
10/19/195710/26/1957Maryland101
10/26/195711/16/1957Tennessee211
11/16/195711/1/1958Mississippi9711
11/1/195811/7/1959LSU12111
11/7/195911/14/1959Tennessee101
11/14/195911/4/1961Mississippi201811
11/4/196111/3/1962LSU11911
11/3/19621/1/1964Mississippi141112
1/1/19641/1/1965Alabama11101
1/1/196510/16/1965Texas541
10/16/19651/1/1966Arkansas651
1/1/19669/24/1966LSU211
9/24/196610/1/1966Rice101
10/1/196610/8/1966Tennessee101
10/8/196611/26/1966Georgia Tech651
11/26/196610/14/1967Georgia541
10/14/196711/18/1967Mississippi4211
11/18/19671/1/1968Tennessee321
1/1/19689/21/1968Oklahoma101
9/21/19689/28/1968Notre Dame101
9/28/196810/12/1968Purdue211
10/12/196811/22/1969OSU16151
11/22/19691/1/1970MICHIGAN101
1/1/197010/10/1970USC5311
10/10/197011/14/1970Stanford541
11/14/197011/21/1970Air Force101
11/21/197012/12/1970Colorado101
12/12/19709/18/1971Tulane211
9/18/197111/13/1971Georgia871
11/13/197111/27/1971Auburn101
11/27/19711/1/1972Alabama101
1/1/19729/9/1972Nebraska101
9/9/19729/23/1972UCLA211
9/23/197211/25/1972MICHIGAN981
11/25/19721/1/1973OSU101
1/1/197310/27/1973USC7511
10/27/19739/28/1974Notre Dame871
9/28/197410/5/1974Purdue101
10/5/197410/19/1974Duke211
10/19/197410/26/1974Clemson101
10/26/19749/20/1975Tennessee7511
9/20/197510/4/1975UCLA2011
10/4/19751/1/1976OSU871
1/1/197611/20/1976UCLA11911
11/20/197610/8/1977USC761
10/8/19779/23/1978Alabama1091
9/23/197810/14/1978USC211
10/14/197810/28/1978Arizona St101
10/28/197811/11/1978Washington211
11/11/197811/15/1980USC252212
11/15/19801/1/1981Washington211
1/1/19819/12/1981MICHIGAN101
9/12/19819/19/1981Wisconsin101
9/19/19819/26/1981UCLA101
9/26/198110/24/1981Iowa431
10/24/198110/31/1981Minnesota101
10/31/198111/21/1981MICHIGAN321
11/21/19819/25/1982OSU431
9/25/198210/9/1982Stanford211
10/9/198211/13/1982Arizona St431
11/13/198211/20/1982Washington101
11/20/19829/10/1983Washington St211
9/10/19839/17/1983MICHIGAN101
9/17/19839/24/1983Washington101
9/24/198310/1/1983LSU101
10/1/198310/29/1983Florida321
10/29/19838/27/1984Auburn541
8/27/19849/8/1984Miami (FL)211
9/8/19849/15/1984MICHIGAN101
9/15/198411/10/1984Washington871
11/10/198411/17/1984USC101
11/17/19849/28/1985UCLA5311
9/28/198510/19/1985Washington321
10/19/198511/2/1985Oregon State101
11/2/198511/9/1985Arizona101
11/9/198511/23/1985UCLA211
11/23/198512/28/1985USC211
12/28/198510/25/1986Alabama871
10/25/19869/12/1987Penn State761
9/12/19879/19/1987Alabama101
9/19/198710/3/1987Florida211
10/3/198711/7/1987LSU431
11/7/198711/14/1987Alabama101
11/14/198711/21/1987Notre Dame101
11/21/19871/1/1988Penn State101
1/1/19889/17/1988Clemson321
9/17/19889/2/1989Florida St1091
9/2/19899/9/1989So. Mississippi101
9/9/19899/23/1989Mississippi St101
9/23/19899/30/1989Georgia101
9/30/198910/28/1989South Carolina321
10/28/198911/4/1989NC State101
11/4/19891/1/1990Virginia321
1/1/19909/8/1990Illinois101
9/8/19909/29/1990Arizona321
9/29/199010/27/1990California431
10/27/199011/10/1990Washington211
11/10/199011/17/1990UCLA101
11/17/199011/24/1990USC101
11/24/19901/1/1991Notre Dame101
1/1/19919/14/1991Colorado211
9/14/199110/12/1991Baylor431
10/12/199110/19/1991Rice101
10/19/199110/26/1991TCU101
10/26/199111/16/1991Baylor211
11/16/19919/3/1992Texas Tech211
9/3/19929/19/1992Oklahoma211
9/19/199210/3/1992USC101
10/3/199211/7/1992Washington541
11/7/199211/14/1992Arizona101
11/14/199211/21/1992USC101
11/21/19929/4/1993UCLA101
9/4/199310/9/1993California541
10/9/199310/16/1993Washington101
10/16/199311/13/1993UCLA431
11/13/199311/26/1993Arizona St101
11/26/199310/8/1994Arizona651
10/8/199410/22/1994Colorado St211
10/22/199411/5/1994Utah211
11/5/199411/12/1994New Mexico101
11/12/19949/9/1995Wyoming211
9/9/19959/16/1995Air Force101
9/16/19959/30/1995Colorado St101
9/30/199510/14/1995BYU101
10/14/199511/24/1995Arizona St431
11/24/19959/7/1996Arizona211
9/7/19969/21/1996Iowa211
9/21/199610/19/1996Tulsa321
10/19/19969/6/1997BYU871
9/6/19979/20/1997Washington211
9/20/199710/10/1998Nebraska16151
10/10/199811/27/1998Texas A&M651
11/27/19988/28/1999Texas110
8/28/19999/18/1999NC State321
9/18/199910/7/2000Florida St15141
10/7/20001/3/2003Miami (FL)32311
1/3/200310/11/2003OSU651
10/11/200310/18/2003Wisconsin101
10/18/200310/25/2003Purdue101
10/25/20031/1/2004MICHIGAN431
1/1/20041/4/2006USC26251
1/4/20069/9/2006Texas211
9/9/20061/8/2007OSU11101
1/8/20079/29/2007Florida541
9/29/200710/20/2007Auburn321
10/20/200711/23/2007LSU431
11/23/20071/1/2008Arkansas101
1/1/200810/11/2008Missouri651
10/11/200810/25/2008Oklahoma St211
10/25/200811/1/2008Texas101
11/1/200811/22/2008Texas Tech211
11/22/20081/8/2009Oklahoma321
1/8/2009
12/5/2009
Florida1212

1


Sources include the James Howell database of scores, the College Football Data Warehouse, various media guides from small colleges in Pennsylvania and as mentioned above some help from Greg from MVictors.

MVictors post on Bob Bland times

Check out this post from MVictors about the Delaware St. game. Among many great ideas, I particularly like that he timed Bob Bland's trips out to pick up the tee. Very nice!

White Unis

I thought the Iowa game was supposed to feature White Pants. Am I mistaken or was that just a rumour.

Penn State pick based on historical data

M is 159-40-1 in all games I have attended (all data is based on games I have attended unless specifically mentioned)
M is 133-28-1 in games played at Michigan Stadium
M is 8-1 against Penn State
M is 8-2 when facing a team for the 10th time
M is 111-28-1 against conference opponents
M is 39-11 against "state name" State Universities
M is 6-0 when unranked facing a ranked opponent
M is 21-8 when unranked
M is 2-2 against the 13th ranked team
M is 29-10-1 against teams with adjectives commonly used in their nicknames
M is 28-4 against teams with feline nicknames

It is simple when you add it all up:

M 21
PSU 20

Thursday, October 22, 2009

ESPN Bowl Predictions Vol 8

Latest ESPN bowl predictions here
M falls to the Champs sports bowl on both predictions:




WeekSchlabachFeldman
PreChampsPapaJohns.com
1AlamoAlamo
2OutbackOutback
3Cap OneOutback
4OutbackOutback
5ChampsChamps
6AlamoChamps
7ChampsChamps


Both have M facing off with Clemson.

The overall predicted standings are:



PlaceSchlabachChangeFeldmanChange
1Iowa0Iowa0
2Penn St+1Penn St+2
3OSU-1OSU-1
4Wisconsin0Wisconsin-1
5MSU+2MSU+2
6Michigan-1Michigan-1
7Minnesota-1Minnesota-1
8Northwestern0Indiana+1?
9 Northwestern-1


In this case both have PSU making it to a BCS bowl. Hopefully M can put an end to that idea Saturday afternoon...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Who will be the next AD

Who will be the next U of M AD
David Brandon
Brad Bates
Lloyd Carr
David Chaffin
Bob DeCarolis
Jeff Long
Warde Manuel
Brian Movalson
Fritz Seyferth
pollcode.com free polls

Death on the run

So I met my high school classmate Todd Pepin at the start of the Freepress/Flagstar half marathon Sunday morning. I lost track of him in Windsor when I had to take a bio-break. He ended up finishing about 8 minutes ahead of me. I think that means he was lucky enough not to see a runner dying on on the road. As I turned from Bagley onto Rosa Parks an emergency vehicle went flying past. Shortly after that the race officials started squeezing the route from the full width of the road down to just a lane or two.
Then I saw why. There were several EMT types and vehicles concentrated in a tight area. As I got to within a few feet of the grouping I saw they were giving CPR to a man on the ground. The race is so large that there was still quite a grouping of us running past a full 2 hours into the race. Plus there was a relay exchange point right near this area. Everyone, from the EMTs to the runners passing by were yelling for the guy to keep fighting.
It was a very sickening feeling. I realized I've lived a very lucky life. Death has not hit too close to my family. Even as a health care profession this is the first time I'd witnessed people urgently working to save someones life.
There doesn't seem to be an easy answer to this runner's death or the 2 others. From what I've read these were relatively experienced runners in good shape. It appears to be a horrible coincidence. If I were forced to say what I think could have caused this the only thing I could even think to pin it on was the contrast in temperatures.
It was a beautiful day to run, clear and cool. It was probably in the 30s most of the morning. One spot where it wasn't so nice was the tunnel back to the US. It is hot in there, and there is a feeling that there is no fresh air in there. Then you come back out into the cold air.
That's at around the 8 mile mark so these runners still made it another 3-5 miles. Plus they've been running this route for quite a few years - it seems like there would have been more than one death in the previous races. I just don't know.
I don't feel like this will stop me from running long distances going forward. But I will certainly take the training regimens more seriously.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Something to do on Sundays

I'm not sure if you told me this, or if you just mentioned him, but did you know that Ron Cameron has a show on WDFN on Sundays? I'm interested in catching it.

3rd Quarter

M has still not allowed a TD in the 3rd Quarter. Total points allowed in the 3rd is 9.

What is interesting, though, is that M has only scored 28 in the third Qtr. No, that's not interesting. What is interesting is that M has not scored a FG in the 3rd Qtr this year.

PSU hasn't allowed a TD in the 3rd QTR since the first game when they were outscored by Akron 7-0 in that QTr.

So, the 3rd Qtr this week will likely have M outscoring PSU 7-3. Or less.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Shep and Sharp's Poll Question

Now, I won't be doing every poll question on every station, but only the ones I see and have any interest in. College football poll questions for sure, other M stuff and maybe the occasional other sport. I'm assuming there will be a non-sport question and, if I care about it, I will mention it.

Today, S and S have the question

Who Will Win the Big Ten?
1) Iowa
2) MSU
3) OSU
4) PSU
5) M

I think Iowa will go all the way to the OSU game without a loss and will probably lose at OSU. That will give OSU the head-to-head. Then, the only other Q will be whether Wis loses to someone on the way. Though I think Wis is probably better than everyone left on the schedule, they will lose (hopefully to M). That will give OSU the head-to-head tiebreaker and the trip to the Rose Bowl.

PSU prediction

Because that last post was such a teaser, I thought I would due my in depth analysis to come up with my prediction. So, here it is.

PSU 26, M 22

We're still a year away from pulling these kind of games out. I still think M will finish 6-6 and lose to CMU in the Motor City Bowl.

Poll Question

I've decided to add this new feature to the blog. No, I'm not going to make up poll questions for all of the readers to vote on. I'm just going to make comments on various radio stations' poll questions.

The first one is a doozy from WTKA.

Who is going to win the game?
a) Penn State
b) Michigan

Unfortunately, I have not yet made my official prediction, so I won't answer at this time. I will say this, however. M will need to play better than they did against Iowa if they expect to win. I know Iowa was on the road, PSU at home, etc. blah blah. Iowa probably looks at that game as one of their worst.

That's all I got.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Big Ten Tree after an upset

As might be expected, the PU upset of OSU really readjusted the Big Ten tree. Most significantly to all of the authors here is that M falls below the giant circle that was created. Here it is:

IA
PSU
OSU-WI-MN-MSU-NU-PU
MI
IN
IL

Using this to predict the remaining games, M would finish 6-6, beating only IL.

Next week's games are IL-PU, IN-NU, MN-OSU, PSU-MI, IA-MSU. If IL, IN or M win, it will bring M into the big circle. If MSU beats IA and IL beats PU, then all 11 teams are in the circle. At that point, I think all teams are officially 0-0 and the season starts anew.

Friday, October 16, 2009

NBA rule "change"

The NBA has made it official. They've changed the travelling rule to allow 2 steps. I admire their honesty, but say goodbye to fundamentals...

cfrc

With 114 rankings reporting, M is up to #34. That would mean going to VTU in the first round of a 36 team playoff.

The B10 is #6, but they are closer to #3 than they are to #7 (FBS Independents). B10 is much closer to #1 than to #8 Mountain West. The BCS conferences, at least in this system, are head and shoulders above the non-BCS conferences. I don't know if that is good or bad for college football.

Coaching Decisions

I think nearly everyone has commented on RR's decision to play DRob over Tate. So, I won't do that.

But, I wonder whether M should have tried the onside kick. If they hadn't, and everything from there happening the same way up to M getting the ball back, M would have ended up with the ball at the 30-ish and Denard may not have felt he had to go downfield.

Or not.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Rick Leach

I'm listening to the Rick Leach interv-, er monologue from this morning and I have to say this in no uncertain terms:

RICK LEACH IS AN IDIOT

That's all I've got.

DRob

I really don't know what went on with RR and Tate against Iowa, but last week's drive by DRob, the multiple injuries of Forcier and the low talent level of the opponent this week makes it a perfect situation for DRob to get some playing time. And, he will likely have some success. I fully expect it to be a happy day for the Laceheads (I made up that term).

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

M vs Delaware St based on historical data

This Saturday will be my 200th M football game!

M is 158-40-1 in all games I have attended (all data is based on games I have attended unless specifically mentioned)
M is 132-28-1 in games played at Michigan Stadium
M is 47-12 in non conference games
M is 0-1 against FCS opponents
M is 38-11 against "state name" State Universities (Delaware will be he 9th state in this category)
M is 20-8 when unranked
M is 13-8 when unranked playing an unranked opponent

1st game -10/30/1976 - M 45 Minnesota 0
50th game - 11/25/1989 - M 28 OSU 18
100th game - 11/1/1997 - M 24 Minnesota 3
150th game - 11/22/2003 - M 35 OSU 21

It's easy when you put it all together...

M 47 DSU 10


DATEMICHOPPONENTOPPWLT
30-Oct-7645Minnesota0100
29-Oct-7723Iowa6200
28-Oct-7842Minnesota10300
27-Oct-7927Indiana21400
25-Oct-8045Illinois14500
24-Oct-8138Northwestern0600
30-Oct-8252Minnesota14700
22-Oct-8316Iowa13800
13-Oct-8431Northwestern0900
14-Sep-8520Notre Dame121000
28-Sep-8520Maryland01100
5-Oct-8533Wisconsin61200
12-Oct-8531Michigan St01300
19-Oct-8510Iowa121310
26-Oct-8542Indiana151410
9-Nov-8547Purdue01510
23-Nov-8527Ohio St171610
20-Sep-8631Oregon St121710
27-Sep-8620Florida St181810
11-Oct-8627Michigan St61910
18-Oct-8620Iowa172010
1-Nov-8669Illinois132110
15-Nov-8617Minnesota202120
1-Jan-8715Arizona St222130
19-Sep-8744Washington St182230
26-Sep-8749Long Beach St02330
3-Oct-8749Wisconsin02430
10-Oct-8711Michigan St172440
17-Oct-8737Iowa102540
31-Oct-8729Northwestern62640
21-Nov-8720Ohio St232650
10-Sep-8817Notre Dame192660
17-Sep-8830Miami (FL)312670
24-Sep-8819Wake Forest92770
1-Oct-8862Wisconsin142870
8-Oct-8817Michigan St32970
22-Oct-8831Indiana63070
29-Oct-8852Northwestern73170
5-Nov-8822Minnesota73270
12-Nov-8838Illinois93370
2-Jan-8922USC143470
16-Sep-8919Notre Dame243480
30-Sep-8941Maryland213580
7-Oct-8924Wisconsin03680
14-Oct-8910Michigan St73780
21-Oct-8926Iowa123880
28-Oct-8938Indiana103980
4-Nov-8942Purdue274080
11-Nov-8924Illinois104180
25-Nov-8928Ohio St184280
22-Sep-9038UCLA154380
29-Sep-9045Maryland174480
13-Oct-9027Michigan St284490
20-Oct-9023Iowa2444100
10-Nov-9022Illinois1745100
17-Nov-9035Minnesota1846100
14-Sep-9124Notre Dame1447100
28-Sep-9131Florida St5147110
12-Oct-9145Michigan St2848110
19-Oct-9124Indiana1649110
2-Nov-9142Purdue050110
9-Nov-9159Northwestern1451110
23-Nov-9131Ohio St352110
19-Sep-9235Oklahoma St353110
26-Sep-9261Houston754110
3-Oct-9252Iowa2855110
24-Oct-9263Minnesota1356110
7-Nov-9240Northwestern757110
14-Nov-9222Illinois2257111
4-Sep-9341Washington St1458111
11-Sep-9323Notre Dame2758121
25-Sep-9342Houston2159121
2-Oct-9324Iowa760121
16-Oct-9321Penn St1361121
23-Oct-9321Illinois2461131
6-Nov-9325Purdue1062131
20-Nov-9328Ohio St063131
3-Sep-9434Boston College2664131
24-Sep-9426Colorado2764141
8-Oct-9440Michigan St2065141
29-Oct-9419Wisconsin3165151
12-Nov-9438Minnesota2266151
26-Aug-9518Virginia1767151
9-Sep-9524Memphis768151
30-Sep-9538Miami (OH)1969151
7-Oct-9513Northwestern1969161
28-Oct-9552Minnesota1770161
11-Nov-955Purdue071161
25-Nov-9531Ohio St2372161
31-Aug-9620Illinois873161
21-Sep-9620Boston College1474161
28-Sep-9638UCLA975161
19-Oct-9627Indiana2076161
2-Nov-9645Michigan St2977161
16-Nov-9617Penn St2977171
20-Sep-9738Baylor378171
27-Sep-9721Notre Dame1479171
11-Oct-9723Northwestern680171
18-Oct-9728Iowa2481171
1-Nov-9724Minnesota382171
22-Nov-9720Ohio St1483171
1-Jan-9821Washington St1684171
12-Sep-9828Syracuse3884181
26-Sep-9829Michigan St1785181
24-Oct-9821Indiana1086181
7-Nov-9827Penn St087181
21-Nov-9816Ohio St3187191
1-Jan-9945Arkansas3188191
4-Sep-9926Notre Dame2289191
11-Sep-9937Rice390191
25-Sep-9921Wisconsin1691191
2-Oct-9938Purdue1292191
23-Oct-9929Illinois3592201
30-Oct-9934Indiana3193201
6-Nov-9937Northwestern394201
13-Nov-9931Penn St2795201
20-Nov-9924Ohio St1796201
1-Jan-0035Alabama3497201
2-Sep-0042Bowling Green798201
9-Sep-0038Rice799201
23-Sep-0035Illinois31100201
30-Sep-0013Wisconsin10101201
7-Oct-0031Purdue32101211
14-Oct-0058Indiana0102211
21-Oct-0014Michigan St0103211
4-Nov-0051Northwestern54103221
11-Nov-0033Penn St11104221
1-Jan-0131Auburn28105221
1-Sep-0131Miami (OH)13106221
22-Sep-0138WMU21107221
6-Oct-0120Penn St0108221
13-Oct-0124Purdue10109221
10-Nov-0131Minnesota10110221
24-Nov-0120Ohio St26110231
31-Aug-0231Washington29111231
7-Sep-0235WMU12112231
21-Sep-0210Utah7113231
12-Oct-0226Penn St23114231
26-Oct-029Iowa34114241
2-Nov-0249Michigan St3115241
16-Nov-0221Wisconsin14116241
1-Jan-0338Florida30117241
30-Aug-0345CMU7118241
6-Sep-0350Houston3119241
13-Sep-0338Notre Dame0120241
27-Sep-0331Indiana17121241
18-Oct-0356Illinois14122241
25-Oct-0331Purdue3123241
1-Nov-0327Michigan St20124241
22-Nov-0335Ohio St21125241
1-Jan-0414USC28125251
4-Sep-0443Miami (OH)10126251
18-Sep-0424San Diego St21127251
25-Sep-0430Iowa17128251
9-Oct-0427Minnesota24129251
30-Oct-0445Michigan St37130251
13-Nov-0442Northwestern20131251
1-Jan-0537Texas38131261
3-Sep-0533NIU17132261
10-Sep-0510Notre Dame17132271
17-Sep-0555EMU0133271
1-Oct-0534Michigan St31134271
8-Oct-0520Minnesota23134281
15-Oct-0527Penn St25135281
29-Oct-0533Northwestern17136281
12-Nov-0541Indiana14137281
19-Nov-0521Ohio St25137291
2-Sep-0627Vanderbilt7138291
9-Sep-0641CMU17139291
16-Sep-0647Notre Dame21140291
23-Sep-0627Wisconsin13141291
7-Oct-0631Michigan St13142291
21-Oct-0620Iowa6143291
28-Oct-0617Northwestern3144291
4-Nov-0634Ball St26145291
1-Jan-0718USC32145301
1-Sep-0732Appalachian St34145311
8-Sep-077Oregon39145321
15-Sep-0738Notre Dame0146321
22-Sep-0714Penn St9147321
29-Sep-0728Northwestern16148321
6-Oct-0733EMU22149321
13-Oct-0748Purdue21150321
27-Oct-0734Minnesota10151321
3-Nov-0728Michigan St24152321
17-Nov-073Ohio St14152331
30-Aug-0823Utah25152341
6-Sep-0816Miami (OH)6153341
27-Sep-0827Wisconsin25154341
4-Oct-0820Illinois45154351
11-Oct-0810Toledo13154361
25-Oct-0821Michigan St35154371
1-Nov-0842Purdue48154381
15-Nov-0814Northwestern21154391
5-Sep-0931WMU7155391
12-Sep-0938Notre Dame34156391
19-Sep-0945EMU17157391
26-Sep-0936Indiana33158391
3-Oct-0920Michigan St26158401

The remaining games

What is interesting about the remaining 6 games is that 3 of them are 5-1 and 3 have one win (1-3, 1-4, 1-5).

Del St is an easy win.
Illinois will hopefully not get anything together the rest of the year, or at least when they play M.
But PU is interesting:
Purdue has played a lot of closed games. What is really interesting about them is that every team they have played so far is .500 or above. If Toledo beats N. Ill this week, then all of the teams they have played have a winning record. They play OSU this week.

On the 5-1 side, there is...
PSU. They have had no close games. That may be an advantage for M
Wis. After they play Iowa, I'll have an opinion about this team
OSU. Seeing that they are from down south, I'm hoping the bad Michigan weather will be difficult for them.

Midseason prediction: No upsets. We'll win the first 3 above, lost the others. 7-5

cfrc

With 111 rankings reporting, M is #35. In a 36 team playoff, M would go to Alabama in the first round.

Based on this, M will go 7-4. With home/road considered nothing would change.

Delaware St. prediction

I won't do it.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Midseason prediction review

Back in July I predicted M would finish 8-5 and would be 4-2 at this point.

WMU W
Notre Dame L
EMU W
Indiana W
@ MSU W
@ Iowa L
Delaware St W
Penn St L
@ Illinois L
Purdue W
@ Wisconsin W
OSU L
Bowl (Champs Sports or Motor City) W

I got the ND and MSU results reversed. Looking forward, I think I would switch @Illinois to a win and be less confident about the Wisconsin win. I think 8-5 is still likely, with a better chance of 9 wins then 6.

ESPN Bowl Predictions Vol 7

Latest ESPN Bowl predictions here

A new prediction for M's bowl hopes this week:


WeekSchlabachFeldman
PreChampsPapaJohns.com
1AlamoAlamo
2OutbackOutback
3Cap OneOutback
4OutbackOutback
5ChampsChamps
6AlamoChamps



I think the Alamo is a step up from the Champs so apparently Schlabach was impressed by the loss.

Overall the Big1T1en looks like this:



PlaceSchlabachChangeFeldmanChange
1Iowa+1Iowa0
2OSU-1OSU0
3PSU0Wisconsin0
4Wisconsin0PSU0
5Michigan0Michigan0
6Minnesota0Minnesota0
7MSU0MSU0
8Northwestern0?Northwestern0


Really not much change at all. Schlabach has OSU in a second BCS bowl which shifts everyone up a bowl.
Florida vs. Texas is back to the championship game for both of them.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Big Ten Tree

The current B10 tree looks like this:

IA - OSU
PSU - Wis
MN - MSU
MI - IL - NU
IN - PU

No circles yet. If PU upsets OSU, that may be the only way a circle could exist after next week.

Using the tree as a predictor, M will go 1-4 (home team wins same level games) from here. That would be 6-6 overall (assuming victory over Del St.).

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Iowa Thoughts

The main concern about DRob going in when he did was WHY was he going in? I was surprised at how much RR yelled at Tate, and it almost seemed like he benched him because he was mad at him. I've never really thought RR was like that, and I hope he isn't. But if he isn't, then the question is why he didn't put Tate back in for that second drive. With such little time left, it was clear we needed someone who could successfully throw downfield. I don't know the complete stats, but I know DRob now has 3 interceptions on throws downfield. I really liked the way he handled his drive. Running for 5, making the short pass for the first down. He did a very good job. His last play wasn't a run, nor a short pass.

The game was disaapointing, and at the same time it was encouraging. You really have to believe M can play with anyone in the Big Ten now. Of course, with the number of mistakes not decreasing each game, you could probably be concerned M could lose to anyone in the Big Ten. I'm going to think of the positive on this one.

Woolfolk seemed to be good. Williams made a bad decision and isn't good enough to recover. Warren made a couple very good plays. I'm glad he is playing for M.

Other than Zoltan's punts, the special teams were terrible. Bad KOR, bad KO coverage, bad punt coverage, and a dropped punt return. I guess the PAT team was good.

I expect to hear about the youth of the team making mistakes, etc. Of course, the muffed punt and probably the most costly of the fumbles were by seniors. If the muffed punt hadn't taken place, than a senior ruffed the kicker anyhow.

The D really did a good job most of the time.

It sounded like there were almost no Michigan fans at the game.

Kinnick Stadium the best stadium in the Big Ten? They've clearly never been to Northwestern.

thoughts on M @ iowa

So Iowa was pretty much what we expected - our predictions had them scoring 30 and 31 points. Michigan did better than we predicted 28 vs the 17 and 19 we predicted. I guess that is promising.

I thought Woolfolk looked like an improvement at corner over the previous options. The play of the safeties leaves a lot to be desired. How does Williams let someone get behind him on a third and 24? Kovacs looks great against the run (although he did have at least one costly missed tackle) he appears lost/very slow in coverage.

Offensively, you have to be pleased with Minor - except of course the very costly fumble.

This game was maybe more disappointing to me because I felt M was good enough to win for 60 minutes not 5-10 minutes like last week. They made too many mistakes.

I wasn't pleased with Denard coming in when he did but I can't argue with the results of his first drive. Not sure how a team supposedly as strong as Iowa defensively allows a qb who; let's be honest; does not have the pass portion of the offense in his grasp at this point, to march the team down the field as quickly as they did.

I guess I can see why RR sent him back out there, but I was hoping from Forcier. I thought 5 weeks of 4th quarter playmaking was worth giving him another chance over one drive from Denard. I was hoping Denard would prove me wrong, he didn't.

It looks like he panicked on that interception. He probably hasn't had enough game speed action to be fully prepared in that situation. I guess this week is a good chance to get him more snaps against Delaware St.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Eskymos destroy Braves

Escanaba 40 Gladstone 0 :-(

Friday, October 9, 2009

CFRC

With 96 reporting, M is #35. In a 36 team playoff, M would go to Florida in the first round. In a 72 team playoff, M would host

Projected record (no home / road adjustment) 7-5 (losses to IA, OSU, PSU, Wis). With home/road adjustment, no change. The nearest future home opponent above is PSU at #18. The nearest future road opponent below is #90 Illinois. Therefore, M is more likely to beat PSU at home than lose to IL on the road.

I don't think I believe that.

Our predictions, your rant and misc.

We both predicted 30 or more points for the Hawkeyes tomorrow night. Sam Webb just told me (on the radio) that he doesn't think Iowa can score that many points. If Iowa is going to win it will be in a low scoring game, M will win a higher scoring game.
Much to my surprise, Ira actually pointed out that M has given up 30+ points to Indiana, so why not Iowa.
Sam may be right, but the way he says things with such condescension for people who don't see things the way he does is ridiculous. Have you ever looked at his GoBlueMichigan Wolverine magazine or website? I can't imagine I would be too excited by the content.

MGoidiots and their love for "Shoelaces" are ridiculous. When he went out for that drive in the 4th quarter - I couldn't believe it. For me that was throwing away any chance for that drive. It reminded me of Carr putting the kid from OLSM in for Navarre on the 1-2 yard line against OSU in 2001. High chance for fail.

I would prefer he works on being the best option as a back-up QB then spend reps in practice working on double QB sets. We've seen Forcier get banged around a bit already. Having to rely on Sheridan or an unprepared Robinson would not be good.

I was glad to see MGoBrian agreed with me on the missed block by Minor last week. Brown had open field if Minor drops that defender and he whiffed.

Finally, Gladstone plays Esky tonight. Both teams have only one loss. Should be a good one. Go Braves!

Jim's Official Prediction

IA 30 M 19

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Re Robinson: SHUT UP!!!

I am tired of hearing people say they need to get Denard Robinson involved in the offense more, etc etc. Don't they think RR would do that if he could? DRob is likely not ready to run the offense, therefore he won't.

Then, the thing I hear/read related to this is how RR should put DRob in the backfield with Forcier. Again, do you think RR hasn't thought of that? And if he has, do you think you wouldn't have done it last week, for instance, if he thought it would work? Again, DRob can't be a blocking back, we don't know if he can catch, so putting him back there is either to give him the ball or be a decoy and RR doesn't think there is much value in either.

I DO think it would be nice to find a way to get DRob the ball in open field. Of course, it would be nice if Stonum, Odoms or Carlos Brown could get the ball in the open field, too.

So, to all of you people who have a love affair with DRob (because of 3 plays and 2 shoelaces), SHUT UP!!!! (i say this here, because I don't want to say it in person and get a black eye)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

M vs. Iowa pick based on historical data

M is 876-296-36 in all games
M is 718-256-35 in games I have not attended
M is 30-7-4 in games vs. Iowa that I have not attended (5-2-1 since I first saw M play Iowa)

It's simple when you go by the numbers

M 17
Iowa 31

Big Ten Tree (future, possible)

With the predictions of Ia, OSU, MSU, PU winning this week.

OSU - IA
WI - PSU
PU-NU-MN-MSU
MI-IL
IN

In this scenario, the only circle is PU/NU/MN.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Big Ten Tree

Using the tree method of evaluating the Big Ten, I come up with this currently (conference games only):

Iowa - Wis - OSU
PSU - MSU - MN
Ill - MI - NU
Ind - PU

A loss to IA really wouldn't change anything for M. MSU losing to IL would drop M, though.

If non-conference games are thrown in, then MI will move up with at least MSU. I'll try to do that later.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Cabrera, wtf

Did you hear about Miguel Cabrera's run-ins (yes plural) with the POlice this weekend. They came and kicked him out of the White Sox hotel in Birmingham where he was drinking with his buddies from the Sox. Then they were called to his home to break up a fight between he and his wife.
The fact that he went 0-11 in the series makes a little more sense now. Being hung-over and scratched up from the fight with his wife.
Hopefully he can pull himself together and play well Tuesday, otherwise he's in for a LONG offseason.

ESPN Bowl Predictions Vol 6

Link to full ESPN picks here

M's loss drops them a little in the bowl picture - but they go up against 1/2 of a BCS team this week. The "experts" have them facing BC or UNC. Any match-up with and ACC team might be the best hope for M. Note it is imperative the ACC team is not VaTech or, to a lesser extent, Miami (YTM).

WeekSchlabachFeldman
PreChampsPapaJohns.com
1AlamoAlamo
2OutbackOutback
3Capital OneOutback
4OutbackOutback
5ChampsChamps


I think that is quite a fall but probably more realistic.

Interpreted full BigT1e1n rankings

PlaceSchlabachChangeFeldmanChange
1OSU+1Iowa0
2Iowa-1OSU0
3PSU0Wisconsin+3
4Wisconsin+1PSU0
5Michigan-1Michigan-2
6Minnesota+1Minnesota-1
7MSU+2?MSU0
8Northwestern0


This makes it looks like M likely has 4 losses left on their schedule. Purdue is hard to read, they've played well at times but not enough to win. Illinois appears to be awful, but who knows if they get it together against M's defense. Hopefully Delaware St is an auto win.

Schlabach has moved Alabama ahead of Florida into the BCS championship game vs. Texas, while Feldman still has the UF-UT match-up.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Gladstone, Hillman

Gladstone has moved up in the playoff point race to #80 (out of 618 in the state). Hillman has moved up to #16 in Class D.

I'm not sure what number Tecumseh is, but they are actually about 85 spots below Hillman in overall points.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

M v MSU thoughts

I thought MSU was the better team for 3.5 quarters, but I don't think they dominated. Maybe they shot themselves in the foot too often, but they got breaks from M as well.

Would you like to have the fake punt back? Just go for it or at least call it off when you see they seem to have it snuffed out. Then they don't go for it on 4th and 1 at the 35 on the next drive.

I know they want to give Denard playing time. But that series early in the 4th quarter smelled of fail at the time. And given what Tate did the rest of the game, I would like to have that series back too.

That 10 minute drive in the 1st quarter was ridiculous. Three 15 yard penalties and they still march down the field and score. M never seemed to adjust to the bubble/fake bubble sweep the other way. One good thing is Graham finally got a sack - and caused a fumble on the play to boot. It is unfortunate he took himself out on the play Heininger got de-pantsed by Nichol (I think).

Iowa's score today seemed unimpressive - maybe that's some hope.

Quick Analysis of the MSU game

With MSU dominating most of 3 1/2 quarters, and whenever they did make a mistake, M didn't really take advantage of it for most of that time, M fans should be semi-pleased coming out of there with an OT loss.

There were enough things in this game that makes me still have some hope of winning some of those road games. At least, being in them. Karsch said he thinks the D turned a corner in this game. I think the D was inconsistent as usual. I hope Karsch is right.

One bright note: M still hasn't allowed a TD in the 3rd quarter.