Diaries

Aside from the usual "well forget him if he doesn't want to be here"/"I didn't like him anyway"/"he's only three stars" typical responses, I think this story sheds some light on a large problem area for the team - at least in the opnion of the coaches.

Peace has, largely, been a WR in his HS career. During summer camps, he impressed lots of people - Michigan included - with his receiving ability but also his play as a defensive back. Michigan offered him thinking he could do either - play WR OR CB. Throughout the process, Peace made his desire to play WR pretty clear, and Michigan went along with it.

Now, we hear that the primary reason for his decommitment was because Michigan now really wanted him to play CB, not WR. Clearly, if Michigan was still recruiting Je'Ron Stokes and Travante Stallworth at WR, they were not overly enamored with his ability to play WR. So, as a WR, losing him is likely not a tremendous blow.

However, lets look and see what's happening elsewhere:

-*****Dre Kirkpatrick isn't coming.
-****Jayron Hosley has publicly stated that he really doesn't want to live in the cold-weather.
-***Demontre Hurst doesn't want to visit as long as we don't have a DC.
-***Mike Edwards goes to Glenville, who hates us.
-***Mywan Jackson, pretty much committing to UNC today.
-**Adrian Witty is a two star (yeah, I know Pat White, David Harris, blahblahblah - most 2-stars don't become anything), and seems like he's largely contingent on us getting Denard Robinson, anyway.

So, that's EVERYONE we have offers out on (per Rivals). So it seems like Michigan's desire to have Peace play CB in an act of desperation - he was the last line of defense (barring snake-oil) between us and a two-star/unrated guy. Clearly, given the number of CB's we've pursued, the staff sees CB as a need, and their attempt to convert Peace speaks further of that need.

So, I don't see this as losing a WR, which doesn't matter, because we have plenty. I see this as losing a CB - a position of need, no matter how you slice it.

This was originally going to be a response to a post on the Big 10 vs. other conferences in bowl games, but it got long
enough that I figure it should be its own diary submission. If you are tired about hearing justifications for why the
Big 10 is not as bad as it appears, by all means skip to something else.

Because I'm bored, here are the bowl match-ups for each conference. I also decided to rank the relative match-ups in
terms of conference ranking. For example, if the #4 team for Conference A plays the #3 team from Conference B, then
Conference A played "up" (+) in that bowl and Conference B played "down" (-). Equal rankings meant they were "even"
(=). In situations where non-BCS bowl teams were included, I tried to use my judgment as to how the Conference tie-in
fared. One other caveat - any bowl in the BCS was an automatic "=", no matter how that may play out over a given year.

Big 12 - +3

Fiesta Bowl Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large =
Cotton Bowl Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4/5 -
Holiday Bowl Big 12 No. 3 vs Pac-10 No. 2 +
Gator Bowl* Big 12 No. 4 vs. ACC No. 3 +
Alamo Bowl Big 12 No. 4/5 vs Big Ten No. 4/5 =
Sun Bowl** Big 12 No. 5 vs. Pac-10 No. 3 +
Insight Bowl Big 12 No. 6 vs Big Ten No. 6 =
Independence Bowl Big 12 No. 7 vs SEC No. 6/7/8 =
Texas Bowl Big 12 No. 8 vs. Big East No.3 (2008)/vs.C-USA No. 3/4 (2009) +

Big East - -5
Gator Bowl Big East #2 vs ACC #3 -
Sun Bowl Big East #2 vs Pac-10 #3 -
Meineke Car Care Bowl Big East #3 vs ACC #5/6 -
International Bowl Big East #4 vs MAC #3 -
PapaJohns.com Bowl Big East #5 vs SEC #9 -
St. Petersburg Bowl Big East #6 vs C-USA =

Pac-10 - -3
Rose Bowl USC-err Pac-10 No. 1 vs. Big Ten No. 1 =
Holiday Bowl Pac-10 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3 -
Sun Bowl Pac-10 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 4 -
Las Vegas Bowl Pac-10 No. 4/5 vs. Mountain West No. 1 =
Emerald Bowl Pac-10 No. 4/5 vs. ACC No. 7 -
Poinsettia Bowl Pac-10 No. 6 vs Mountain West No. 2 =
Armed Forces Bowl Pac-10 No. 7 vs Mountain West No. 3/4 =

ACC - +1
FedEx Orange Bowl ACC No. 1 vs. BCS =
Chick-fil-A Bowl ACC No. 2 vs. SEC 3/4/5 -
Gator Bowl ACC No. 3 vs. Big 12 3/Big East 2/Notre Dame =
Champs Sports Bowl ACC No. 4 vs. Big Ten 4/5 =
Music City Bowl ACC No. 5 vs. SEC 6/7/8/Navy -
Meineke Car Care Bowl ACC No. 6 vs. Big East 3 +
Emerald Bowl ACC No. 7 vs. Pac-10 4/5 +
Humanitarian Bowl ACC No. 8 vs. WAC 1 +
EagleBank Bowl ACC no. 9 vs. Navy =

SEC - +4
Sugar Bowl SEC No. 1 vs. BCS =
Capital one Bowl SEC No. 2 vs. Big 10 No. 2 =
Cotton Bowl SEC No. 3/4/5 vs. Big 12 No. 2 +
Outback Bowl SEC No. 3/4 pick vs. Big Ten No. 3 =
Chick-fil-A Bowl SEC No. 3/4/5 vs. ACC No. 2 +
Liberty Bowl SEC No. 6/7/8 vs. C-USA No. 2/3 =
Music City Bowl SEC No. 6/7/8 vs. ACC no. 5 +
Independence Bowl SEC No. 6/7/8 vs. Big 12 No. 7 +
PapaJohns.com Bowl SEC No. 9 vs. Big East No. 5 +

Big 10 - +1
Rose Bowl Big 10 No. 1 vs. USC-err Pac-10 No. 1 =
Capital One Bowl Big 10 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2 =
Outback Bowl Big 10 No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4 =
Alamo Bowl Big 10 No. 4/5 vs. Big 12 No. 4/5 pick* =
Champs Sports Bowl Big 10 No. 4/5 vs. ACC No. 4* +
*The Alamo Bowl has the 4th pick in 2007 and 2008, while the Champs Sports Bowl has the 4th pick in 2009. Since at
least 1/2 the time the Big 10 is likely playing up, I give the +
Insight Bowl Big 10 No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6 =
Motor City Bowl Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC No. 1 =

So what do we have
So by my (reasonably) objective rankings, we have a bowl SOS as follows:

1. SEC = +4
2. Big 12 = +3
3. Big 10 = +1
3. Acc = +1
5. Pac 10 = -3
6. Big East = -5

Empirically, this kind of makes sense. The SEC and Big 12 have generally been considered the strongest conferences the
past few years, and what makes this dominance even more impressive come bowl time is that the conference plays a
"tough" schedule against mostly equal or higher-ranked teams from other conferences.

The next tier is occupied by the Big 10 and the ACC, which again makes sense considering the recent bowl performances of both conferences. What surprised me the most, though, was how "equal" the Big 10 matched up in its bowl games - wherever you wound up in the Big 10 hierarchy, a similarly-position team was who you met in December/January. The ACC had a bit more stratification, but the Big 10 is clearly the outlier in terms of bowl tie-ins.

Next comes the Pac-10. This is the point I've seen made on these boards before (I've made it too) - the Pac-10 does so
well during bowl season, at least in part, because they tend to play weaker opponents on a consistent basis. Even
giving the MWC a whole lot of credit - which I do - the Pac-10 tended to play teams that they should beat. Yes, USC is a bear and can beat anyone, but after that it looks like the deck is stacked in the Pac-10's favor come December and
January.

Finally, the Big East. Ugh, but an ugh people have known for years. I'll leave it at that.

One final note - there is no metric that I can think of to account for the fact that most bowl games are played in the South and/or West Coast, which clearly benefits those teams located in those regions. How much it benefits, of course, is open for debate, but it certainly helps teams in the ACC, SEC, and Pac-10 that many of these bowl games happen in or near their own backyards.

But what about OOC (Out of Conference) record?

Before jumping to my conclusions, though, I would be remiss not to discuss the other key factor in determining relative
conference strength - OOC against BCS teams. Thought there are relatively few meetings every year, I figured I might
as well look at the conferences' marks against each other in the fall. Unfortunately, there really isn't an
easily-accessible database for determining how conferences match up against each other OOC. I was able to find a page
on ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3569645&type=story) that tracked all the BCS teams from 1998-2007, with OOC-against-BCS teams records (sans bowl games), which worked well enough. For the record, this is a great way to make a subway ride fly by.

** Caveat - there is obviously a huge difference between pre- and post-2005 Big East (when Miami, VT, and BC left, and USF, Louisville, Connecticut, and Cincinnati joined). I split out Miami's, VT's, and BC's records with the switch, and only counted the four new member's records since 2005.

Conference Wins Losses Winning %
ACC 89 81 52.35
SEC 53 61 46.49
Big 12 56 58 49.12
Pac 10 69 63 52.27
Big 10 81 73 52.6
Big East 65 76 46.1

Now, take these results with a grain of salt. In some of these conferences, there are teams with absolutely atrocious OOC records (e.g. Syracuse [5-18] and Duke [2-15]) and truly stunning ones (e.g. USC [18-6] and Nebraska [13-3]) that skew the numbers a bit. Plus, remember that these records have been accumulated over about a decade, during which time dynasties such as Nebraska, FSU, and Miami have come and gone, while new ones have emerged. Finally, I couldn't find the relative SOS of these records, meaning someone had to crush Syracuse, Indiana, and Duke, and certain conferences obviously benefited more from scheduling them than others. Similarly, elite teams such as Florida, Oklahoma, and Michigan didn't necessarily schedule a large number of tough OOC games, meaning that these numbers skewed mostly to middle-of-the-pack teams in each conference. This certainly helps to qualify the relative depth of each conference, but it doesn't really show the strength at the top.

All of that said, the data are telling that over the past decade, the Big 10 has been one of the top 2 BCS conferences in inter-conference winning percentage. This doesn't mean the Big 10 is living up to that record right now, but I hope it brings certain people back off the cliff a bit about the demise of the Big 10. Where some people may see a pattern of demise, I see a strong conference that has hit a recent rough patch, but one that it should overcome based on historical data.

Conclusions? Conclusions:

If you've made it this far, then rest assured I am almost done. What I hoped to show with this data is that while the Big 10 has struggled recently during bowl season, that is not necessarily a harbinger of doom for the conference overall. There are a myriad of factors at play come bowl season, from the long layoffs, the traveling, the match-ups, etc., and to simply go by wins and losses doesn't provide you with a complete barometer of the conference as a whole. Same goes with OOC records - the Big 10 looks pretty strong against other conferences, but there were far more Northwestern vs. Duke match-ups than Florida vs. Michigan.

Overall, I thought going in that the SEC and the Big 12 have been the two strongest conferences over the past decade, with the Big 10 and the ACC next, followed closely by the Pac-10 and the Big East gasping to the finish. Looking at the numbers, that seems to bear out. The SEC and Big 12 play the toughest bowl slates, while the Big 10, ACC, and Pac-10 have played better in the inter-conference match-ups. About the only consistency across the board is just how bad the Big East was, is, and probably will be in the future. Looking to the future with the Big 10, I see it going more the way of the ACC than, say, the Big 12 or Pac-10, where the stratification between the top and bottom teams is quite pronounced. Like the ACC, I see OSU, Penn St., and (hopefully) UM staying at the top, with the second tier a constant shift of Iowa, MSU, Illinois, Northwestern, and Wisconsin, with Minny and Indiana trying to become consistently relevant. That may mean a whole lot for more losses to USC in the Rose Bowl, but it will likely also mean a more competitive conference that will occasionally birth a real MNC contender.

I find this whole Jeff Jagodzinski firing story very interesting. In part, this is because we just pilfered a head coach from another BCS conference that was none too pleased by the idea of their coach going elsewhere as well. There are obviously many differences between these two situations, but I think as much as West Virginia was up in arms over RichRod's departure, their reaction was infinitely more justified than Boston College's.

Jagodzinski was interviewing for what would be a CONSIDERABLE upgrade over his current position. I think West Virginia could at least justify their attempts to milk every dollar out of Michigan and RichRod (and the accompanying dragging of his name through the mud) halfheartedly in the fact that Rodriguez was breaking contract to go take a position at another college that West Virginia (at least theoretically) would be competing with in the national rankings each year. With the way West Virginia had played in recent years under Rodriguez, the step up was mainly in prestige only. Jagodzinski would be going from a school that has rarely, if ever, been seriously considered a national title contender under his reign to the head coach of an NFL team that missed the playoffs by a game this season. That's a pretty huge leap.

What I don't get, is why would Boston College fire him other than to save face after attempting to bluff him off of the interview?

First, he's obviously a good coach. Boston College has played considerably well within their conference under his tutelage and he's done well enough to at least receive consideration from an NFL team.

Secondly, wouldn't this discourage other elite coaches from coming to Boston College? Boston College is basically saying, "We want you to come here and be successful, but if you ever try to leave we are going to make things absolute hell for you. Even if it's to a situation where you can't even conceivably compete with us."

Thirdly, why would they do this before he takes the job? Is it really worth the potential blow this is going to cause their recruiting class and any transition problems next season to show that you are serious about coaches honoring their contracts?

I just fail to understand this decision. If BC thinks they are going to start some trend where coaches don't constantly aspire to and leave for better coaching jobs, I think they are sorely mistaken. Firing Jagodzinski I think only causes many, many more problems than it solves.

Big game tonight.....well, they are all big as the program tries to navigate the league schedule and cobble enough wins to get into the NCAAs.

This is a game they must win. IU might win 2 league games this year and a loss--even on the road--to this year's Hoosier outfit might just cancel out one of Michigan's prime wins on it resume.

According to Vegas, UM is a 7-point road favorite.

IU is going through a similar situation to what Michigan football did this fall. They are completely rebuilding. Michigan football had the largest proportion of yards gained by freshmen in all of CFB because of the attrition that followed 2007. IU is in the same boat. Their top returning player scored a total of 28 points last year. Their second most experienced returning player logged a grand total of 11 minutes all of last season. Among all D-1 schools, IU ranks second in both points per game and minutes played by freshmen.

Tom Crean has done a great job of recruiting. He has a top-10 class ready to set foot on the Bloomington campus for next season. This season? He has a nice core of freshmen and first time contributors, most of whom, however, would only be solid role players on your typical IU basketball team. Doesn't that all sound familiar?

The results on the court have been similar too. UM trudged to its worst season in years in the first year of this transition. Indiana comes in at 5-8 and this longtime Big 10 hoops observer wonders just who exactly this club going to beat in league play. The program is headed towards an historically unprecedented awful record. IU was the last Big 10 team to go undefeated in league play. They may be the first team ever to go 0-18 in league play. So, IU is also channeling their inner Detroit Lions.

And, like the UM fanbase, Hoosier fans have found themselves arguing over what is the worst, more embarrassing loss in program history. While UM fans debate Appy St vs. Toledo, IU fans have their own compelling back and forth relative to terrible losses. The contenders? In this corner, there is a 14-point loss to Northeastern (you may recall UM whipping NE by 20 or so to open the season) in which the Hoosiers tallied their feweat points ever at Assembly Hall. In the other corner, is a wire to wire lose, albeit closer, to mighty, mighty Lipscomb. I don’t know, I guess I would go with Lipscomb as the worse loss. NE is in the notable Colonial Conference and may be a contender in that league. Lipscomb is an also ran in the Big South. Actually, I don’t think there is a right answer on this one. Both losses are shameful to the IU faithful.

Typically Indiana fans are discussing the quest for the Big 10 title and seeding prospects for the tournament. This winter, they’re debating moral victoriesand the likelihood of an 0-18 record. My favorite is the guy who considers Saturday’s Iowa game a win because the Hoosiers covered the 14-point spread. I think he’s my long lost brother.

In addition to the Michigan game, there are two other intriguing games going on tonight. The best part about UM's rise this year back into the basketball discussion is that it makes the whole landscape of college hoops relevant again to our fanbase. Each night this winter, there will be games that will impact the bubble, seedings and regional placement for the NCAA field. Instead of that world being foreign to us, now those games directly impact our program progress. Its way to early to talk bubble and seeding, but that does not mean things are not in focus enough to give us an indication of which scores elsewhere in the country impact Michigan.

Tonight, ESPN has a great doubleheader. Davidson plays at Duke at 7 pm. The Stephon Curry show performs at venerable Cameron Indoor Stadium. That is must see viewing. Davidson is a 13-point dog tonight, but they have covered the spread virtually every time when catching points the last two seasons when matched up with a BCS school. I think they keep it close.

The other contest is Gonzaga at Tennessee. These schools have already played, with Gonzaga winning in the Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving Weekend. The Zags are in a free fall, having lost four of five and dropped out of the national polls. The Vols are 3-point favorites. I expect the Vols to keep Gonzaga’s tumble going. The upshot of the Zags troubles for Michigan is simple. The WCC earned three bids last year, but with none of those schools looking good right now, I don’t think any of them are certain to get an at large. The more bids available, the better for a program like Michigan trying to get back into the dance after a decade long absence.

With a lot of the focus on the All American games, Michigan's newest quarterback has quietly made his way to Michigan. Tate Forcier arrived in Michigan today, and we spoke about what the future holds, and how he plans on getting himself, and the team on a winning track.

TOM: What are you most excited for on your way to Michigan?

TATE: Just getting started, it’s kind of hard because it’s different from San Diego. This is my new home, a new experience. I’m just going to have fun.

TOM: What’s the first thing Coach Rodriguez wants you to do football wise?

TATE: I’m supposed to meet with him tomorrow. I’m assuming he’s going to get me with Mike Barwis. I’ll be hurting the next day, but it will be good pain.

TOM: Have your brothers given you any advice on how to adjust, both to college life and to the speed of the game?

TATE: Both of them said it’s going to be different, but the first few days you’re going to think these guys are all amazing players. After a few practices it will start to slow down and you’ll learn what you can do and what you can’t do. They told me not to try to do too much, just take it one day at a time. Stay busy, and don’t ever catch yourself doing nothing.

TOM: Realistically, where do you want to be for spring ball? As far as knowing the playbook, weight training, and chemistry with the offense?

TATE: I want to satisfy the coaches. I want to be where they want me to be. I’m not sure the exact plans yet, but they’re not going to throw everything on me all at once. I’m just not going to rush it, that’s why I came out early, and just try to learn and have fun.

TOM: I read in another interview, you said you want to be like Colt McCoy. After that being said, is that who you would compare yourself to? Who do you think you see yourself really being like as a collegiate quarterback?

TATE: He’s nearly the same size as me; they don’t run a complete spread, but they run close to what Michigan does. When I watch all the college quarterbacks, he’s who I would describe myself as. He makes big plays, and he can run. I’m almost exactly like him.

TOM: Have you talked to any of the other offensive players yet, either current players or commits?

TATE: I have been talking to Willie Haulstead, and I’ve been trying to get him to commit. I’ve talked to him several times, it seems like it’s between Michigan and Florida State.  What I’ve been saying to everyone is this is not any other school, this is Michigan. People ask me why I chose Michigan, and the first thing I say is because it’s Michigan. You can’t really ask for anything more than what’s here, it’s the best of everything.

TOM: Your teammate, Brennan Clay, is a Michigan target for next year. Is there anything you’ve said to him about joining you, or is there anything you’ll do in the future?

TATE: I’ve been working on him since day one. He’s getting a lot of attention, he just got offered by USC last week. I want what’s best for him, but I have a good feeling if he was going to come back east, this would be a school he could choose. He’s going to come out for spring ball, so hopefully I can convince him. I know he loves Coach Smith and Rodriguez, and he likes Michigan. Talking with those guys is like extended family, they’re just really cool guys, which helps.

TOM: I know everyone is expecting a lot out of you in your first year, how do you deal with the expectations and pressure that comes along with this experience?

TATE: I’ve watched a lot of freshman play, and Coach Smith talked to me about this. I’m not going to try to do too much. I’m going to manage the team, rather than try to make the big play and taking a sack. The seniors and juniors make the plays, and I’ll just keep moving the chains. Take it one week at a time.

TOM: You’re going to get every chance to compete for the starting job, but it’s not going to be handed to you, what are you going to do to ensure you are the starting quarterback?

TATE: I can’t even answer that, there’s so much I have to do. I don’t care who you are, you have to earn it. I need to learn the playbook; work with the receivers, there’s so much. I can’t answer that until maybe spring ball, because I don’t know how to answer it.

TOM: What were your thoughts and initial feelings when you heard that Shavodrick Beaver had changed his commitment to Tulsa?

TATE: Shavodrick, I told Coach Smith I knew it was going to come. I almost felt like he was just trying to wait me out, to see what I would do. I think sometimes kids make their choice for the wrong reasons, and then this ends up happening.  Decommitting happens though, but this is Michigan, we should have no problem filling those spots, and we haven’t. As much as we would like to have those guys, we have found great replacements for them that are as good, if not better.

TOM: Have the coaches said anything to you about anything new they want to try, or anything on the offensive side that will change this year?

TATE: Coach Rodriguez says he’s going to be able to open up his offense more with me. With Threet and Sheridan you can’t really run the option with pro style quarterbacks. It’s hard to run the true spread without a dual threat quarterback. He’s going to have me running a lot. I just have to listen and learn.

TOM:  Throughout college there’s going to be a lot of adversity. With not being selected to the All American games, and the star rankings you experienced a little already. How do you use that to your advantage?

TATE: That makes me want to prove myself, and nothing against the recruiting services, but the star system is just opinion, it’s not fact. I have a lot to prove, and I’m not sure why I wasn’t rated higher than I am just based on stats. But, I don’t really care what the recruiting services say; I care what the coaches say. I was recruited by Michigan, so that’s proof enough for me. I just want to show everyone a freshman can do it.

TOM: I know you’re not there yet, but what are the keys to success for Michigan this year? Is there anything the coaches have been emphasizing?

TATE: For the team, I need to get more involved to answer that. For myself, it all comes on me, no one’s going to do it for me. I need to study, get all the guys together for drills. I have to go to them, they can’t come to me. Understanding why the coaches have the plays built the way they do is huge.

TOM: So, let’s put a hypothetical out there, or a look into the possible future. Tate Forcier is the starting quarterback, and the Wolverines are about to take the field. Everyone looks to you as the leader, what’s the message you give? How do you command your offense?

TATE: Show confidence. I’m going to have the same swagger as I always have. The quarterback is the leader for a reason. Michigan saw something special in me, and I’ll project that to the team. I want to be the same confident kid that I’ve always been.

I never thought I would actually write one of these diaries, but I thought I would get some perspective from some fellow Michigan fans, and better yet some fans that ultimately like to see the Big Ten as a whole succeed. After this bowl season I have finally realized how naive of a Big Ten fan I really am. I can't count how many times I have been in heated discussions with SEC, Big 12, etc. fans in arguing over which conference is better. After this bowl season, I decided to do a little research. I have taken all 6 major BCS conferences and have added up their bowl records and came up with the following (updated through OSU vs TEXAS)

College Football Bowl Records (Through January 6, 2009)

SEC W/L: 1995 2-4, 1996 5-0, 1997 5-1, 1998 4-4, 1999 4-4, 2000 4-5, 2001 5-3, 2002 3-4, 2003 5-2, 2004 3-3, 2005 3-3, 2006 6-3, 2007 7-2, 2008 5-2 TOTALS 61-40 60% Winning Percentage

BIG EAST: 1995 1-0, 1996 2-1, 1997 1-4, 1998 1-3, 1999 2-2, 2000 4-3, 2001 5-2, 2002 3-3, 2003 0-3, 2004 4-4, 2005 2-2, 2006 4-1, 2007 5-1, 2008 4-2 TOTALS 38-31 55%

BIG 12: 1995 6-1, 1996 2-3, 1997 2-3, 1998 3-4, 1999 3-3, 2000 4-3, 2001 3-5, 2002 5-3, 2003 2-6, 2004 4-3, 2005 5-3, 2006 3-5, 2007 5-3, 2008 4-2 TOTALS 51-47 52%

ACC: 1995 4-1, 1996 2-4, 1997 3-2, 1998 4-3, 1999 3-4, 2000 5-3, 2001 5-3, 2002 5-4, 2003 7-2, 2004 3-4, 2005 4-3, 2006 3-4, 2007 1-6, 2008 4-6 TOTALS 51-49 51%

PAC-10: 1995 1-4, 1996 1-4, 1997 5-1, 1998 1-4, 1999 1-4, 2000 3-2, 2001 2-3, 2002 2-4, 2003 4-2, 2004 3-2, 2005 3-2, 2006 2-3, 2007 4-2, 2008 5-0 TOTALS 37-37 50%

BIG TEN: 1995 2-4, 1996 4-3, 1997 2-5, 1998 5-0, 1999 5-2, 2000 2-3, 2001 2-4, 2002 5-2, 2003 3-5, 2004 3-3, 2005 3-4, 2006 2-5, 2007 3-5, 2008 1-6 TOTALS 42-51 45%

Are we the worst conference these days? I like to think that we are atleast fourth, but the gap in my opinion between the top 3(SEC, Big 12, Pac 10) and fourth best conference is substantial. I feel the playing style in the Big Ten is ancient these days. I am tired of hearing the reason we never do good in bowl games is because we have too long of a break before our bowl games or we are such a physical conference that we just beat up on each other, so by the time we get to our bowl games we are too exhausted. What are we doing wrong? Why are we not only the conference with the lowest winning percentage in bowl games since 1995, but also the only conference with a losing record since then, and Michigan has been a large contributor of that losing record in the past 5+ years. Who cares anymore about 20, 30, 40+ years ago when the Big Ten was a powerhouse. What do we need to do to succeed right now? I have been told to not worry about it because it is all cyclical anyways, but the only way it can be cyclical is if changes occur. I thought about what would have happened this year if we had a playoff system. What teams out of the 8 would OSU and Penn State been able to beat? The naive Big Ten fan part of me wanted to say they could have at least beat Utah and maybe Alabama, but the reality is we would have probably gotten beat by every single team.

I am a die hard Michigan fan and feel Michigan is actually moving in the right direction. They have taken a chance on hiring Rich Rodriguez, but it is a chance I feel will pay off in the future.

What does the Big Ten need to do? Why are we consistently losing big games out of conference? What will it take to get our conference and the University of Michigan back on top?

Thanks in advance for your input.