Mailbag!

I think the non-conference scheduling complaints are a little unwarranted.  Most good teams use the same formula with their OOC games - one big game against a quality opponent, and three easy games against teams certainly outside the top 25, usually outside of the BCS conferences, sometimes outside of the FBS.  Although ND has had down years recently, they are our good team.  Look at the other big ten teams, OSU played USC and a bunch of nobodies, Penn State played Oregon State and bunch of nobodies, Illinois and Wisco were the same.  Michigan actually scheduled 2 hard teams in  Utah and ND this year, which can't be said for any other Big Ten team.  Last year we had Oregon and ND (we couldn't have known that it was going to be 3-8 ND).  I'd say we do as good a job as any major football program.  Take a look at who teams like Texas, Oklahoma, any of the Florida teams, or any of the SEC teams play and tell me if they had more than one challenging OOC game.

Just the one on the diag, of bluebook curse fame? Good explanation on the offense/defense thing.

Only thing I can think of that fits that descirtion is the giant M at the Northeast entrance to the stadium but that is not new.

As long as the MNC is based on overall records (and even if a playoff system uses overall records as the basis), expect all non-conference games to be LAME!

If you want M to win a MNC you should be opposed to us even playing nd.

I agree with Brian, it stinks.

The only solution is a playoff system that is primarily based on conference records.

Pursuit to the ball requires significantly more effort than blocking until the ball carrier gets beyond me.  Also, the physiology/biomechanics advantage is in the offense's favor.  Resisting a force is more difficult for humans than exerting one.  For example, chart an offenses ypp in the 1st to the 2nd quarter and the 3rd to the 4th.  The Barwis effect is real and measurable.  Michigan improved ypp on offense through the game (for reasons beyond conditioning, but Koger's, Minor's, and Threet's big plays are not quite as effective/don't happen).  Wisconsin's ypp in the game remained more or less constant (no trend beyond the equilibrium).   

Conventional wisdom has always been thats its harder physically to play D. Good offenses wear defenses out, they dont tire themselves out. I'd like to hear Gsimms weigh in on this.

Why do people contnue to denigrate our win by saying Wisco played Lloyd Ball. What did they do in the second half that was not part of their regular gameplan? I call BS on that.....our D created stops, its not because Wisco turtled and played whatever it is this mythical Lloyd Ball allegedly entails.

Besides, Lloyd Ball sure did win us a helluva lot of games. Hate that term.

Great explanation.

Both knowing where the ball is going pre-snap (and understanding your role, and how you have to use your energy, as opposed to defenders, who have an almost constant goal of "instant and constant pursuit to the ball") and the resistance/exertion point are dead on.

Particularly in pass blocking.  On pass plays, focus on the LT and RT, and the way they play the ends.  Actually, it's almost easier to watch the one-on-one drills you'll sometimes see linemen do on Rivals video.  The Dlinemen tries to either bull past, or run past the OL and get to the "QB", whereas the OL is merely trying to keep his arms extended, backpedal, and push the DE off the course. 

I just lost it in class when I read about Fred Jackson giving the antidote. Hysterical.

In NCAA 2009, my offense goes to red fatigue before the defense does.  Therefore offense is more tiring.

The M that I think of (the one which is sacred) is right outside the Grad School library, and I remember being told that I was not supposed to walk on it.

As far as scheduling in the future goes, I think that we ought to do a home and home with Tennessee right now, since they are so bad. The attendance figures would be great, and we could beat up on the SEC in the preseason.

as soon as I hit "send" I knew that I had typed "Brian" in too quickly, and called him brain. 

And now I've got "pinky and the brain" stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Lulz indeed.

Only thing to add is that we should be talking Number of Plays (NOP) NOT TOP.

Does anyone know why TOP is used?

It is actually easier to count NOP. And, players get tired during the play, not standing around in between plays.

A team that passes more will usually have a lower TOP due to incomplete passes.

For example, in the Wisky game TOP = 1.5 in favor of W, but NOP = 1.25 in favor of W.

I meant my email, referenced in the actual post.

The other issue with the non-conference cupcakes is $.  So long as M makes more money from playing against EMU that it does from having to do a home and home with a major school, there is little incentive to do so.  How much did Wisconsin lose by going to play at Fresno?

I read an article that the Sun Belt (home of non-con sacrificial lambs) is urging their schools to up the ransom to be the Washington Generals of the early college football season.  Until the price for Florida Atlantic becomes too high however, expect to see more of it.

UM has actually done a better job than most, and our non ND non-con games are often against the MAC, which despite being a non-BCS conference has teams that are often as good or better than half the Big Ten and Big 12.   But until those teams beat us on a semi regular basis or at least as often as we lost to Minnesota or Indiana, I would not expect much deviation from the MAC, ND, MAC, MAC formula.

Enjoy Life -- My guess as to why TOP is used instead of plays is that until maybe 10-15 years ago, everyone ran with the same basic offensive tempo -- huddle, line up, snap with less than 7 seconds on the play clock.  It made TOP a very credible proxy for snaps.  Obviously, incomplete passes make the proxy less accurate, but still decent.

Also, there are a defined 60 minutes in a game, making it easy for the viewer to grasp the ratio of TOP of one team versus another.  With snaps, the total number can very much more widely, making the simple math more challenging to the beer induced couch potato on the other end of the TV.

which sounds weird considering they beat us. But if ND can somehow win a bowl game at some point in the near future our non-conference schedule will be tougher, even if it lacks the sex appeal that comes with variety.

I've heard talk of a new 'Big M' statue/object/giant letter on campus? 
Does anyone have a picture of it for those of us unable to drop by and
check it out?

The only new M was the M in the student section.

At what point should a team like M (playing up tempo and hiking the ball with 15 seconds on the clock to wear out the defense) start to slow it down and use more clock?

Never?

With a 14 point lead in the 4th?

He's not eligible as per NCAA transfer rules. He did finally pass the clearinghouse. His story is that there was a snafu recognizing credits from an online class he took, but it was finally taken care of.

He would not be allowed to enroll without fully qualifying. He's on the roster, so he's qualified.

Enjoy Life -- The appropriate time to take the foot off of the opponents throat when the clock reads 0:00.  Just ask Spartan Bob.

it does take more energy to play defense.  it is like a game of tag.  it is always harder to chase someone.  there is less effort when you know where you're going.

(or whatever it is called now) Delaware is, in the event Michigan loses a la Appalachian State, maybe nobody would realize it.