ESPN Article - Can the B1G Reach Past Rose Bowl?
While I don't care too much for the implication about the conference, it has been 4 years since the B1G had a team in the MNCG.
Also of concern was this:
For Michigan, it's a defensive line that looked this spring to be nowhere near as dominant as last year's bunch.
http://espn.go.com/ncf/notebook/_/page/BigTenspringwrap/big-ten-spring-wrap-2012
Well, your premise that everyone plays by the same rules as the SEC ia flawed because not everyone plays the game the way the SEC does as not every team has the ability to play it that way. To oversign you have to have excessive demand to attend your school. People knock down Alabama's door because Saban has the reputation of putting kids into the NFL (which is probably true). Add the tradition Bama has and it leads to kids wanting to play there even if they have to be given the backseat when other kids with more potential come along. UConn and Arizone State cannot play that way either. Also, the other conferences to not play by the same rules that the SEC does. Some play by more similar rules than others, but none play the game like the SEC does (ironic).
Besides that flawed premise, your arguments reads: we're fucked for having a moral compass and playing by the rules. It is not really sour grapes to bitch about others breaking the rules. You could say it detracts from our moral superiority by complaining. You would have been better served by arguing that oversigning isn't the only reason the Big Ten loses out, but it loses because it spends less on coordinators or there is more talent in the south etc. However, you would be overlooking the fact oversigning is incrediblely useful in the hands of Saban and Miles. Saban is a great coach but one has to wonder if so much of his success comes from his ability stockpile reinforcements where other programs fall off. It's like a duel where one side loads two bullets into his gun and Saban loads three bullets. Statistically Saban will have more succes regardless of his skill with the gun. For example, even though Nutt at Ole Miss was never as nationally successful as Miles or Saban, he was still better than most of the mid-range and bottom teams in the Big Ten. If he had the ability to coach that Saban has, then he could have combined that with his signing of 37 player classes to win championships.
Also, your analogy is flawed in that I would not be friends with someone who felt the need to "bang hotty after hotty on the side" so I wouldn't even be complaining about him. If you have problems with the complaints then find better replies or start associating more with the guy ignoring his marriage.
May be the stupidest thing ever to be written on MGoBlog.
Given the coaching and recruiting now happening in Ann Arbor and Columbus, I suspect we will be seeing National Championship caliber teams in the next 3-5 years.
But the irritating thing about the article is that it was clearly written by someone unfamiliar with Michigan Football. Analyzing a current player's statement that this year's goal is to win the Big Ten is silly. First, I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks that Michigan will be National Championship contending this year, given the team and the schedule. But more importantly, the Big Ten Championship has traditionally been Michigan's first and foremost goal, and Brady Hoke is a disciple of that thinking, so I wouldn't expect his players to say anything different.
Having grown up watching Bo led teams, I too am a disciple of that thinking. The Big Ten Championship is Goal #1. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake.
It's even more irritating than you think, because Brian Bennett IS familiar with Michigan football and knows exactly how Brady Hoke feels about the BTC. He's intentionally trying to make something out of nothing. Very bad practice among sports reporters. Oh wait... That's all they do.
I am pretty sure its you who is making something out of nothing. He simply is pointing out that from this perspective, its hard to see that Michigan is better that we were last year, because we don't know how good this defensive line -and because of this, the entire defense-- will be. How is that unfair? Why is BWC suddenly "the Fridge" because Hoke seems like he likes him?
"If we don't go anywhere else, as long as we go to that Big Ten [championship] game and win that, I think that will be a good season," Michigan running back Fitz Toussaint said.
Interesting quote by Fitz. Some would criticize this attitude as a reason why the BT has not won many NCs lately... however in this case, it appears that Fitz is simply echoing the single minded approach that Coach Hoke and staff are emphazizing.
Since Michigan has not won a BT title in 9 years...its best to focus on that first.
Nebraska players, on the other hand, are talking "National Championship" as their goal. Big talk for a team that has never won a BT title.
BTW Rittenberg is one funny looking guy on camera....and he is pretty sure of himself as well. Interesting dude to watch.
A smart coach should preach conf. champs as the goal. Its the only thing you can realistically shoot for. Win your conf games, get in the champ game, win -- all in your control. Getting to a nat. champ. game requires way too many outside variables that are outside your control. Setting an NC as a goal and then "settling" for a conf champ because pollsters didn't like you or whatever, would be a letdown.
It's going to take going undefeated in the regular season for a Big 10 team to be part of the NC discussion. Otherwise, it's the SEC champion against whoever else is undefeated from another major conference (Big 12, Pac 12, or possibly ACC).
I'm like others ... at this point I really don't care. I just want Michigan to play well, win the Big 10 and let whatever other chips fall where they may.
If Michigan starts winning the Big Ten again, then we're always going to want that next thing. Start winning the Big Ten, then you want titles. Start winning titles, then you want more titles than everyone else. So on and so forth...
Personally, I could really do with beating all of our rivals this coming season.
"If we don't go anywhere else, as long as we go to that Big Ten [championship] game and win that, I think that will be a good season," Michigan running back Fitz Toussaint said." - from the article
From a Michigan standpoint anyway, that's a realistic and attainable goal, and to boot, you go to the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten Champion, so I would like to at least applaud Touissant for being very grounded. I think the team realizes that they are only in the second year of this coaching regime, that they are still, to some extent, a work in progress that has produced great results early and often to date. This is actually one of the best things that I think the staff has done - keeping the expectations realistic and reachable, and raising them a little bit at each step. That's one of the more meaningful ways to build confidence and maximize performance, in my mind.
That being said, if we can beat Alabama, then the highly educated folks who vote in the polls each week will be on notice that the Big Ten actually, in fact, has NC aspirations since they seem to have forgotten that over this last drought.
At the end of the day, that should be the "true north", as they like to say in corporate circles (i.e., the ideal), but take care of the other things first (keep recruiting as you have, keep beating the teams you should beat and some that you're not expected to beat, develop talent...it could take some time, to be sure) and, at least in football, you will contend for "true north" sooner than you think, other things being equal, of course (and that, well...polls, perception, and the general BS intervene, it seems).
The reason the Big Ten has not won a MNC since Ohio bought theirs is because of talent. To try and argue that the Big Ten has the talent the SEC does at this time is just plain stupid. I can see the Big Ten looks like they are adding more talent now but the league is still a good 2-3 years away from having a team that can win it all. Over signing does help the SEC but look at the talent in the foot print of that league. Our time is coming but it will just take some time.
But did you see that accompanying video? Jesus Christ, someone buy Adam Rittenberg a comb. How did this guy get to cover football for ESPN??