charts

So I was curious how each team in the B1G was doing Home vs Away, and decided to do a quick compilation of some data.  Here are resulting charts (H means home team won, A means away team won, N means that game does not happen, and U means it's an upcoming game still):

(click embiggens)

And a chart with just the records by team:

As most of us are aware, Michigan is the only team with a perfect record at home in the B1G so far this year.  For as bad as Michigan has played on the road this year, Minnesota has the biggest difference in win percentage for home/road games.  Michigan comes in at #2, and Iowa at #3.

The average B1G team wins 64% of their home games to just 36% of their away games.  I'd be curious to see how that compares to other conferences, but I'm too lazy right now to try to dig up the data for that.

For the chart and graphomaniacs out there in the MGoUniverse:

Green Bay Packers 2010 Playoff Infograph

You may need spectables to be able to read some of the print, but well worth the prescription eyewear.

Let me first say I am not an RR hater. In fact, I wanted him to succeed as badly as anyone, and am appalled at the crap he has had to put up with, and the unwillingness of so many fans to acknowledge that he had so many poorly stocked (not unstocked) cupboards at some many position groups upon his arrival.

That said, I am just as frustrated as anyone else at the current mess.

Fact is, as has been posted elsewhere today, the 2008 and 2009 offenses scored more points in the first halves of Big Ten games than the 2010 offense did. That is incredible. To wit:

Stark improvement in the second halves this year, but because by the end of the 3rd quarter in the MSU, Wisc, Iowa, PSU and OSU games most or all the necessary damage had been done, each took its foot partially or completely off the gas in the 4th quarter until (Iowa and PSU) pressed, in which cases both merely got the clinching score needed.

Sure, there are myriad ways to interpret these stats. Few of them reflect well on the 2010 team, or RR.

You can never win or lose a game in the first half, but you can come close. A game's dynamic changes completely if a team gets out to a three-score lead.

I've looked at the play-by-plays and drive charts closely for this year's team, and for the 2008 team. And yes this year's team is a yard-gaining machine. The record-holder in M history -- well, or at least as far back as the late 1930s, when official NCAA stats started being kept. Indeed, 500 yards a game is impressive. On paper.

It is far less impressive when so many of those yards are gained between the 20s, or at least don't make it all the way in.

For instance, here is a look at how our first-half drives in Big Ten play (save half-ending kneel-downs) went:

(For those adding up, these TDs and FGs add up to 93; the fumble return vs Purdue brings the number to 100. And one of the first-half turnovers occurred on a KOR vs Wisc, hence the fumbles lost and INTs immediately above add up to 11, not 12).

There were many long first-half drives in Big Ten play that ended badly -- in fumbles, interceptions, on downs, or missed field goals. These mistakes effectively rendered all those yards gained on those drives moot. They're no more helpful to the scoring cause than punt yards. Because, really, when the 08 team kept punting from around its own 40, the other team would get the ball at around its 20 without having been scored on. The only difference with this year's team making so many mistakes in the first half is that the other team would acquire the ball at about the same location on the field, but instead of after a punt, rather after an M turnover, or on downs, or after a missed FG. There is no difference on the scoreboard.

A mistake prone-team renders its gaudy yard totals moot with its mistakes.

23 turnovers (whole game) in Big Ten play last year, and 23 turnovers in Big Ten play this year. That's almost 3 per game.

Ain'ta gonna cut it.