I really think that UM that should beat ND - but strange things always seem to happen in South Bend (the 2002 Carlyle Holiday phantom touchdown and the 2004 How did we lose to Tryone Willingham again game come to mind).

You never know what can happen in South Bend with all the echos being awakened and returning to glory happening.

We have a better coaching staff, a better defense and I think our offense at this point is time is probably equivalent to NDs (I think we have a better run game but the EMU looked alright throwing a deep ball) - based I this I think we should win.

Also - I'd say bet the house on USC (especially if Beanie can't go) - they have consistently destroyed non-conference competition under Carroll.

Better bet for this game will be the under, which I expect to be one of the lowest over/unders of all time.

First time since the series resumed in 1978 that both teams are unranked going into the game. Given the ineptitude of our offense and the fact it's on the road in a place where we've had many weird losses, it's crazy that ND is a dog, regardless of how bad they looked against SDSU. With the crappiness of the ND offense, I think the score will be 6-3 ND. They'll give up 19 sacks but we'll turn the ball over 8 times, and the network will switch to the Canadian Special Olympics Dressage championships midway through the fourth quarter. The real story coming out of the game is that Charlie Weis will be seen in the UM S&C facility in furtive, tearful, late-night conditioning sessions with Barwis screaming insults in his ears.

OSU/USC: if Wells can’t go then USC is a pretty easy bet. I suspect Wells will play but he may not be 100%. So, we won’t know until he starts running. The scary thing for OSU is the defense was giving up 5+ YPC to OU. If you can’t stop the run the otherwise easy Big Ten schedule will be tough. Much of that running was the QB which leads me to believe OSU has not solved their troubles with the spread. I still like Illinois against them.

M/ND: Cripple Fight II is just as inscrutable as the original iteration.

I can’t believe the line moved like that. Just how bad is SDSU? It may be they are north of 75 or so out of the 110+ Div I teams. ND’s offensive line was fine in pass blocking but that may mean very little. In run blocking ND looked less well off. That may just be Weis’ inability to actually call running plays (or have someone else do it) despite his desire to ‘pound it.’ ND will have a hard time running against Michigan. Much as I hate to admit it, Claussen looked much better this season. He also made plenty of mistakes. Michigan will need those.

On defense, I don’t know what to think. SDSU had plenty of opportunities. But, their QB much like Michigan’s is not that accurate. Tenuta’s much heralded incessant blitzing was incessantly ineffective. Since Michigan only runs short patterns I expect that same result. It would be nice if the Michigan QB can get the ball around the blitzers for those screens unlike SDSU. If ND is going to walk their safeties up, I expect we will see several sideline fly routes that can be thrown quickly. ND had some problems containing SDSU when they did run but it was so rare it’s hard to know what to think.

Utah is much better than ND. Miami may be just a tad worse. SDSU is probably the worst team in the equation.

If either team can get a 2 score lead they will squat on it like a hen and hope to hatch a victory.

For some reason I blocked it from my mind. Still sticking with my 6-3 guess, though. If we manage to beat them, Ann Arbor Torch & Pitchfork should open up a branch in South Bend. The Jon Gruden-to-ND rumors will start up bigtime, too. I also expect Lou Holthsp will start pumping son Skippy for the job.

We're going to win by like 50. Mark it the fuck down.

Clausen looked good because he didn't get pressured or sacked. This week he will get pressured and sacked.

And let's not forget that ND Defense has been pretty terrible under Weis.  Our offense will improve on the execution front with every game this season. This could be the breakout game we were all hoping Miami would be.

Intangibles scare me the most. Especially it being the first road game for the young guys. We need to get a good lead early. The disappointment-familiar ND crowd will get real quiet really fast.

Clausen looked great. (At least his playing did. He's ugly as anything.) His throws were beautiful. That said, he's doomed. The o-line did not look good at all. I hate to sound like a total homer, but I really think that ND will struggle immensely against Michigan's defense, especially ND's o-line against the d-linemen. Yes, the defense is not invulnerable, but the d-line might absolutely eat the o-line alive.

jamie, tressel as a game day coach has taken a distinct step backwards in the last two NC games. Tressel was flat out coached in both games, in particular, Miles embarrassed Tressel last season. Go Blue toledo -- the idea of lining up in the power I behind the worst OL in recent Michigan football history and throwing rock is a certain recipe for disaster. Our young RBs are best suited for running in space, not bouncing off of LBs. Is our passing game clicking. No. But Threet was making good decisions, just not putting the ball on the mark. Jake Long is in the NFL. We lost three other contributing OL from last year. There is no quick fix for our offense, other than more snaps together so that the OL will start to gel and a QB starts to catch on.

jamie -- I should also note that Carroll is not the greatest game day guy, just the best recruiter and a master motivator. Many people feel that he was out coached by Mack Brown in the NC game at the Rose Bowl, and most people put mack brown in the same strong recruiter bucket as carroll.