football

I have never been to a game before, and with all going on this weekend I think its just a great game to start with.

I have been a UM fan for as long as I can remember and living in the heart of Bucknut country has never swayed me.  Even my days working at OSU Med Center I wore Maize and Blue running shoes.

Best is that I get to share the experience with my 10 y/o son who is getting a lot of heat from his OSU buddies to switch to the dark side. 

It will be a great day for he and I!

So I have a question about the Michigan vs UConn game. I remeber reading a few weeks ago that Rich Rod was trying to bring back all the current NFL alumni has honorary captains for the UConn game, does anyone have any further info on how many players, if any, will be attending?

Hooray, it's finally September!  I've been jonesing for football so bad that I caught myself watching the second half of last year's Michigan/Illinois game.  And I knew what the final score was going to be!

The early season games are difficult to pick for this column, since last year's usual suspects could very well improve, or someone decent could fall on their face.  So, without further ado and very litle research, let's get down to it.

Bowl Recap: Wyoming and Freson State played an entertaining 2OT game, with Wyoming coming from behind to win 35-28.  Minnesota and Iowa Stateclunked around, with Iowa State winning 14-13.  So Congrats to Minnesota for finishing sub .500 even with a bowl game.  South Florida beat the crap out of Northern Illinois 27-3.  When you have almost as many yards punting (233) as total offense (238), the fans are in for a long night.

But we're going to put the past behind us, and look forward to a bright, shiny, new 2010 season.  Minnesota manages to get noticed again, mostly for starting on the road against Middle Tennessee.  Middle Tennessee was 10-3 in the SunBelt last year, so this is no cupcake for Minnesota, who struggled with the #109th best offense last season.  Bonus: it's on Thursday on ESPNU.

Also on the road, Arizona travels to Toledo.  Arizona is probably still smarting after getting hammered by a pissed-off Nebraska team in their bowl game, but Toledo had the #13th overall offense last year, despite finishing 5-7.  Toledo knocked off Colorado, and should be looking to do the same to Arizona.

Colorado versus Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown is nothing if not entertaining.  Last year, Colorado lost to CSU again.  This is the same CSU team that finished 3-9 and lost their last nine in a row, including such powerhouses as Wyoming, UNLV and San Diego State.  Colorado looks to counter Dan Hawkins with returning talent at RB, but nothing can counter Dan Hawkins.

My twitter is blowing up this morning. Two true freshmen starters, according to the first official depth chart, Carvin Johnson at a hybrid saftey spot. And Will Hagerup at punter.

And according to Varsity Blue "Rich Rod: Devin Gardner probably won't redshirt."

http://mgofootball.com/ This is the best link I have found this morning to the new depth chart.

Hey i remember watching College Football Live a few weeks back and Randy Edsall was on and they were talking about the Big East and opening up with Michigan, and he made the comment that he has yet to beat West Virgina.  So I was thinking will this help Michigan this saturday considering that West Virgina still runs Rich Rods system.  What do you guys think?  I think the lack of experience on defense is the main factor. Sorry guys i know this isn't a great post just trying to get threw till saturday.

Here are last year's National Rankings:

Comparing Offense vs. Defense:

The teams are pretty even in most categories.

Michigan has an advantage in Rushing Offense but UConn has an even greater advantage in rushing offense (which then carries over to the total categories).

So, once again, it appears that our rushing defense is the key.

EDIT: SOS (strength of schedule)    UConn #24 (540 Points), U/M #75 (476 Points)

http://www.rogerspoll.com/ncaafb_2009_sos_final.html