Unverified Voracity: Dodging A Bulldog Edition

I can't offer much of a coherent preview for tonight's Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against Miami since I haven't seen the team yet, but that will change tonight with an Exciting Liveblog(!) of the game. This has been done in the past, most notably when Jennie Ritter's MacGuyver fetish turned into my MacGuyver fetish and the power of Richard Dean Anderson's ghost drove Michigan to a national championship in softball. Tonight promises to be a less excited version of same. The fun starts at around 9:30; you can follow the bouncing ball yourself on ESPN2.

See what my writing is like when I don't even bother to read it before publishing it! Yes it's different than this!

I tingle in anticipation. When the Columbia Bureau says that a Michigan-South Carolina Outback Bowl is "not a done deal," it's news to me that it's enough of a deal that you would say said deal is not done. Er. Anyway:

A number of published and broadcast reports in the last week have the Gamecocks (7-4) playing 20th-ranked Michigan (7-4) in the Outback Bowl, which kicks off at 11 a.m. and is televised by ESPN.

But McVay insisted that was premature, saying he didn't "want to get everybody pointing in a direction that has no support or substance at this point. We've still got a lot of conversations to go."

I don't get it. Isn't the Outback the #3 SEC bowl and wouldn't Florida, the Georgia/LSU loser, and Auburn all have preemptive dibs? Examining the SEC site reveals that the Outback is behind the former Citrus Bowl in a group that picks "third through fifth" with the Cotton and Peach Bowls. The Cotton Bowl has somehow already selected Alabama. Can wanderers from the land of the Waffle House enlighten us on the process here?

My initial reaction is "thank God it isn't Georgia." No offense to Darth Visor, but the idea of going up against Shockley, Pope, and that defense does not appeal in any way whatsoever. South Carolina seems much more managable. By the way, if this comes to pass rest assured that we will lock Orson and Stranko in a room, feeding them only Ron Zook's hair, until they produce a mighty tract on Spurrier fit for your consumption.

Also: this would extend Michigan's streak of "January 1st" bowl appearances to something like 500 years, and what a fradulent streak that is when you can finish fourth in the conference and still extend it.

At least you don't cause my head to ache. Marlin Jackson's NFL success does not cause my brain problems--unlike Cato June's--, so it's safe to pass along this article on his perfomance as a rookie. Jackson remains true blue:

"As a Michigan guy, it was nice to get a big interception like that against a team from Ohio," the former All-Big Ten cornerback joked last week. "Especially since Ohio State won [over Michigan] the day before. So it was nice to be able to come up with a play like that in a game that went right down to the end like it did."

Consolation? In no way whatsoever. But yay Marlin anyway.

Good god, y'all know my position on ESPN (we need to take it out behind the barn, Old Yeller-style, and tearfully put down the ravenous monster who used to be our best friend), but EDSBS just ejected more spittle at the Worldwide Leader In Suck than Lou Holtz does on an average halftime show. They wrote 52 things that suck about ESPN but didn't get to Scoop Jackson, Skip Bayless, and Michael "Mmmmm, Crack" Irvin.

Think about that. Yeah.