Non-Michigan related questions about the upcoming season! For total enjoyment of fans!

1.  He might take a few years to get going, but I think he can do fairly well there.  He will never take the south division from USC though.

2.  MSU will probably beat BSU, and I suspect fairly easily.  BSU has a completely new team in a tough road environment for the first game of the season.  They can't reload like a team like Bama can.  Peterson is a great coach, probably one of the best in the league, but he can only do so much with 20 or so new starters.

3.  Bad.

4.  I sure don't

5.  Bama's bubble will burst on Sept 1.  Either that or whenever the NCAA catches wind of some shady activity, which will happen sooner or later.

6.  Meh.

7.  Huh?

8.  Depends on if they pay anyone to QB for them.

9.  Hopefully the dong one, that would be hilarious.

10.  Dantonio probably isn't going anywhere.  Hollis will pony up the dough to keep him.  Narduzzi probably will be offered a job and take it.

Prediction:  MSU 21, BSU 7

1. Good

2. Bad

3. Mediocre

4. Curly McLain

5. September 1st, 2012 at approximately 7:12 p.m.

6. Maybe

7. What's today?

8. Better than in 2008, worse than in 2010

9. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks; I'll go with the slap.

10. Notre Dame will consider it, but only if Gruden's not available.  Amirite?

I hate to say it, but I truly believe MSU will handle Boise. Their D will be too much and Bell will have a nice rushing the ball. MSU by 2 tds. Hope Im wrong.

Shutting up Paul Finebaum would be one of the greatest outcomes of a Michigan win next Saturday!

I am looking forward to leaving Jerry's World next Saturday while singing "It's Great to be a Michigan Wolverine" until I have no voice left.

Go Blue!!

I think RR's success in Arizona will ultimately depend on if he can find that Heisman caliber QB to run his offense.  Arizona will always be mediocre to kind of good otherwise.  I've got nothing against Oklahoma.  They have cheerleaders with southern accents.  I respect that.

1. Hope RR has a good season in Arizona, I don't feel any anger to him.

2. I typically root for the Big10 teams in non-conference play, so I do want Sparty to win.

3. Hard for me to root for ND, I guess I want them to win except when they play the BIg10 (see #2 above.)

4. I had a really good steak outside Lawton near Fort Sill while I was there once.

5. I am hoping we can burst Alabama's bubble, or at least shrink it some.

6. South Carolina is a good team, but they happen to be in the SEC and finish somewhere in the middle.

7. TMI

8. I think he has the tools to succed at Auburn, good luck to him and Auburn this season.

9.  JL Smith is to unpredictable to predicte.

10. MD stays there, Narduzzio may move on sooner.

1 - It will take a few years for RR to have a decent team. However, I doubt he will be able to consistantly compete with USC and Oregon. Plus, Washington is doing some things recruiting wise. He will have some good seasons, but Arizona will be toward the top 3 or 4 teams in the PAC.

2 - Michigan State I think wins somewhat easily. Their defense is just too good to falter against a Boise State team that has quite a few question marks.

3 - Notre Dame will end up either 7-5 or 8-4 in the regular season and then lose their bowl game. Business as usual for them again.

4 - I don't really have an opinion on Oklahoma one way or the other.

5 - Alabama is going to be a top team until Saban is no longer coach. After he leaves, who knows?

6 - South Carolina is usually a contender, but they seem to blow it just about each year.

7 - Not sure.

8 - Meh, they will be decent but the next few years they will be pretty good again and be competing for the top of the SEC.

9 - Dong punch, ftw.

10 - Dantonio will stay at Michigan State forever. Narduzzi on the other hand will have plenty of teams calling him up at the end of this season and will ultimately leave MSU.

Michigan State 31 - Boise State 17

Anyone notice that Arizona's first game is against Toledo? Funny coincidence but I hope RR does well against them. his first season will be rough, but he doesn't need the Toledo loss to come up again, too easy for the reporters.

On a different note, anyone else excited for a good 28 hours of football starting next Friday? MSU vs Boise at 8, then ND vs Navy at 9am on Saturday, followed by a couple day games(I'll probably watch OSU vs Miami, and Neb vs Mississippi St). and Michigan at 8pm. I can't think of a better lineup of opening day games in a while.

Dont forget about Thursday night. South Carolina at Vandy. Will be a good one.

1) They will be difficult to watch this season, but I will be keeping an eye on them. What's the word on his defensive coaching staff? Did he finally get Casteel?

2) Man, I'm conflicted on this too. It would of course be better for the B10 if MSU wins, but I kinda want to see Sparty get stomped. Doesn't matter, MSU will win convincingly.

3) Notre Dame is going to put in another extremely mediocre season, and losing to most (if not all) of their major rivals will spell the end of the Brian Kelley era.

4) My roommate just graduated from OU after having lived in Oklahoma his whole life. He's a pretty cool guy.

5) I'm with you, but unfortunately I think they're going to be outstanding for the foreseeable future. Unless some sort of huge scandal breaks, they're going to keep getting ALL OF THE 5 star recruits. Say what you want about Saban (such as DIRTBAG) but the dude can coach.

6) I think Steve Spurrier has the ability to make South Carolina a winning program, but I honestly think he just doesn't care that much anymore. He was very successful at Florida and now he's pretty old, and just putting in enough effort to stay where he is. Who's going to fire Steve Spurrier? Fuggin' nobody.

7) Sooner than you think. Also, you're asking a lot of questions about SEC coaches. Can we please talk about Danny Hope's moustache? Which goes first, his facial hair, or his job?

8) I think Auburn was kind of a flash-in-the-pan. They've failed to match any of the productivity they had with Cam Newton, and I don't believe they'll get there again, unless they catch another lucky break. Alabama is the superior school of that state.

9) I don't know about you, but this is singlehandedly the thing I'm looking forward to most about this (non-Michigan related) college football season. John L. Smith. Coaching at a brand-name SEC school. I have no other words, except I cannot wait.

10) I think Dantonio is pretty entrenched at MSU. I don't think he wants to be anywhere else, and MSU loves him. I think they'd probably throw as much money as he wants at him to keep him in place. Narduzzi is a lock to take a head coaching position at a smaller school in the next couple years, IMO. Next time one of the directional Michigan MAC schools is looking for a new HC, I would expect Narduzzi's name to be in the mix.

Who gives a shit about Rich Rod.  I only talk about coaches who coach for Michigan.

1. 3-9 this year. Mediocre the rest of his tenure which will be accepted by Arizona fans
2. Whoever pulls the best trick play wins.
3. 7-5 they'll win a game they shouldn't (Oklahoma) and lose a game they shouldn't (BC or Stanford)
4. Have a friend who LOVES him some Oklahoma so I want to see them lose to ND and/or WVU
5. September 1 2012 at approximately 11:15 pm EST
6. They can be but they won't be
7. Ewe
8. Crazy man let go midseason
9. MD stays, Narduzzi goes to Arkansas or Tennessee
MSU 24 BSU 21

Observed an early twenties dude decked out in ND football jersey, ND mesh shorts, and ND visor the other day while getting gas. I have a Go Blue sticker in the back window of my truck. He apparently noticed and spent the time attempting to stare me down. I had dark sunglasses on so he never really knew if his intimidation tactics were working or not.

1. How will Arizona fare under Rich Rod? Think he could face some of the same problems he faced here...I dont doubt he can have a potent offense, but until I see a decent defense, I dont expect them to really take off...Also, I think he could struggle in recruiting high end talent. Chip Kelley's ears are tiny, but not as small as Shelden Williams (former Duke B-Baller).

2. How will MSU do against Boise State? I want MSU to lose every single game this year by a painful amount of points, but I fear that they will be very good. Although Dan Antonio is the biggest le douche of all time, he has developed some pretty solid depth across their entire defense, which should stymie a Boise team that lost EVERYTHING.

3. What sort of season will Notre Dame have? I honestly cant see them being that good. Last year, I thought they would be a very good team, and ehhhh...they lost Michael Floyd and nearly their entire secondary, which sucked last year, too...

4. Who gives a shit about Oklahoma? I've always sort of liked Oklahoma and Texas...?

5. When will Alabama’s bubble burst? Not sure what will have to happen for it to take place, but it doesnt look like its going to be anytime soon... But, hey, who thought Florida would plummet so fast after they won 2 MNC's in 3 years?

6. Can South Carolina really be good? No, and I think they have the most delusional fans in the hemosphere... (If anyone is ever on the Rivals MainBoard...You'll see)

7. When will Mark Richt get caught for cruising at highway rest stops? Hope not, his crystal clean image is kind of refreshing haha

8. How good will Auburn’s offense be with Scott Loeffler as their new OC? I dont want them to be, but I would have to assume they could be very good.

9. How will John L. Smith behave during press conferences after Our Kansas loses? Will he bit his own thumb? No Comment

10. If MSU has a good season, will anyone try to hire Mark Dantonio? How about the king of all douchebags,  Pat Narduzzi? I hope they are arrested and jailed for a huge international drug ring, because I dont see Dan leaving MSU anytime soon... Maybe Unneccesary Roughness will get away though.

Extra: Predictions for the MSU vs Boise State game?

MSU 27 

Boise State 17

1. AZ has a lot of the same defensive problems Michigan had, but they have a true spread senior QB who can run the offense.  5-7 or 6-6 looks possible, won't be as poor as his first year here.

2. Will be fun either way.

3. To get in to Notre Dame you must check the douche box, obviously.

4. Kyle Meineke

5. Never with Saban.  Imagine if RR had taken that job in 2007? Lawd have mercy...

6. SC will lose to Vandy in the season opener.  Book it.  James Franklin, ladies and gentlemen.

7. Mark Richt will still be on the hotseat even if he wins a national championship

8. Improved from last year

9. Who knows but one thing is certain - his piss will be hot.

10. Dantonio is staying put for a while, Narduzzi is most certainly out after this year pending performance.

That was fun.  6.  Days.

However this year is different. IMO this season is more important than last was in regards to building our program back up to the elite level we belong at, and to meet expectations nothing short of a B1G title is acceptable. I realize of course that the impact of an out of conference loss in relation to deciding the legends division champ is far down the line of tiebreaker scenarios(although it may come down to that), but more importantly I think this opening game against BSU will set the tone for a young MSU offense and losing could potentially put them in a tailspin. Maxwell seems to have all the physical tools needed to be a more than serviceable QB for sporty and it's beyond arguing that Cousins' greatest contribution was his poise and leadership. If Maxwell loses in his first start to a team that by all accounts he should beat, I think it could lead to them starting to question themselves. Inversely if they are to win and win convincingly it will likely go a long way towards building those intangibles that they lost when Cousins graduated. I personally will be rooting against sparty, although it's definitely their game to lose.

The State fans wanted Narduzzi's butt on a platter a couple years ago, so let's see him do it a few more years. No one is touching Dantonio after those health issues a couple years ago. Prior to that, someone would have hired him away for sure.

1.  Needs moar D and special teams, stat.  AZ fans probably still dream of Desert Storm defenses past, so If RRs D isn't better there, he won't last.  My guess is within three years he's mid-conference and hovers no better than 3rd after that. 

2. MSU has a new QB, but Boise lost a lot of talent.  MSU will win at home, but I'd LOVE to see Boise go in and win.  I'll take MSU 31-27 because they're at home. 

3.  See my user name, and "to hell with Notre Dame".  They go 8-4 or so in Kelly's 3rd year. 

4.  Sooners are my Big 12 team, have been for 40 years. 

5.  Saban recruits like a mo-fo.  Unless he's dirty (as some think), they'll stay top-10 forever.

6.  Yes, but not in the NC hunt.

7.  You must know something I don't. 

8.  Auburn always has talent.  If the QB play is good, I suspect the offense be as well. 

9.  "...and the coaches are screwing it up!"  LMFAO

10.  They will put up the dough to keep Mork, but I think Narduzzi takes a HC job sooner or later...and with any luck, fails miserably. 

Things I'm curious about...

1.  How bad will Penn State look in their opener (and all year for that matter)?  After everything that's happened this past year, I'm very curious to see their opening game against Ohio U, who returns their QB and the majority of their starters that won 10 games last year.  People say Penn State will now become what Wisconsin and Northwestern were in the 80's, traditional 10 loss seasons every year.  I'm curious to see that for myself. 

2.  How will Wisconsin look this season with Wilson gone but with a new transfer quarterback?  Beilema is such a massive tool but once again, he's got an easy road to the conference title game. 

3.  If Florida State actually lives up to their preseason hype for the first time in a decade.  Have you seen their joke of a schedule?  Murray State, Savannah State, Wake Forest, Clemson, South Florida, NC State, Boston College, Miami, Duke, Virigina Tech, Maryland, Florida.  Just 3 of those 12 teams finished with a winning record last year.  Disgusting. 

4.  How is Charlie Weis going to do at Kansas?  I've never had anything against the Jayhawks but with that jackass as their head coach now, I have to root against them every week.  I want to see Weis fall from his scooter on his face once again. 

5.  I must admit, I am curious about RichRod.  I would watch Arizona's first game against Toledo if it weren't going on the same time as our game with Bama.

1. How will Arizona fare under Rich Rod? i suspect a rough first year, 7-8 wins in years 2 and 3 and challenging for the division title after that if schedules work favorably, like missing oregon and getting usc at home or something.

2. How will MSU do against Boise State? they will win by 2 tds. it will be annoying, like a fat kid celebrating bullying a nerd

3. What sort of season will Notre Dame have? i have taken a liking to ND lately. i hope they do well in all but one game. i predict 8 wins, which against that schedule is pretty good.

4. Who gives a shit about Oklahoma? oklahomans. i would like to see michigan play them in a bowl sometime soon.

5. When will Alabama’s bubble burst? i think that it will start waning as assistants get plucked for HC jobs and i think saban takes another shot at the nfl, a la pete carroll. i say within 5 years they will be where florida is now.

6. Can South Carolina really be good? yes, they have a solid coach and top talent at a few positions. they should be able to beat one of arkansas, lsu or georgia.

7. When will Mark Richt get caught for cruising at highway rest stops? nope, cuz i doubt he does that thing

8. How good will Auburn’s offense be with Scott Loeffler as their new OC? they will rank between 60 and 40 nationally, which is an upgrade from last year's 70th

9. How will John L. Smith behave during press conferences after arKansas loses? normal ramblings, nothing to John L of him

10. If MSU has a good season, will anyone try to hire Mark Dantonio? How about the king of all douchebags,  Pat Narduzzi? no. yes, but he won't take it.

Extra: Predictions for the MSU vs Boise State game? 24-10

extra question: How will Charlie Weis do at Kansas? badly, but well for kansas.

(1) RIch Rodriguez's success at AZ will depend on one thing only. Will Lloyd Carr publicly support him?

(2) MSU will beat Boise with relative ease!

(3) ND will finish the year at 7-5. The schedule is the hardest in the country.

(4) Oklahoma is once again over rated. They have a shitty offensive line and no stand out running back.

(5) Alabama will win at least 10 games. If they don't repeat I guess you could consider that a step back.

(6) South Carolina has the best offensive and defensive player in the SEC. That makes for a good building block on both sides of the ball. They will challenge Georgia for east division title.

(7) hopefully never (;

(8) no opinion

(9) He'll blame himself for the loss and violently bang his head repeatedly against the table.

(10) Pat will be the next coach at Tennessee or D coordinator at Auburn.

MSU 31 BSU 13

1) In all honesty, I think Rodriguez will do pretty well at Arizona, and although it will take them a few seasons perhaps, they will climb up the standings from their current position. Will he unseat USC in the Pac-12 South? Likely not. That would have to be a horrendously down year by USC standards.

2) A Boise State sans Kellen Moore versus a Michigan State sans Kirk Cousins. It may not be a huge offensive game, but I think MSU wins this one on defense.

3) I suspect that ND hovers within a game of their average 8-4-ish regular season performance, maybe siding with 7-5 this year. Nonetheless, the folks that run the Champs Sports Bowl are already preparing for December.

4) Funny that you compared giving a shit about Oklahoma to eating oatmeal. I would sooner eat the oatmeal and give a shit and just leave Oklahoma out it entirely.

5) I want us to take their ego down a notch certainly,  but they will hang around in the top tier of teams until the next coaching change at least. Saban won't live forever - his hair might, but he won't.

6) If by this, you mean can they hang around the 10-11 win mark every year? If they can keep coaching at that level, then maybe, for a short while (key word). The problems they face are Spurrier not being exactly a spring chicken and relentless recruiting competition in the South. In the long run, they might revert back to being the 7-5 team they were when Spurrier arrived.

7) Not terribly familiar with Richt's personal habits, so I wouldn't know. If you're a coach under the pressure that I think Richt is at Georgia, surely you would forgive the man a few cruises.

8) Loeffler has the talent to make it work down there, so potentially quite good.

9) I believe Smith has been hired strictly as an interim replacement, so this does take some pressure away. If he wanted to go completely dadaist in the pressers and stand in a bucket of feta cheese while flinging dead haddocks at reporters, I don't think much would be made of it.

10) Narduzzi is closer to the door than Dantonio. Another good season or two and I see him taking the leap to head coach somewhere. He's already had offers in the past, I believe.

EXTRA: MSU 34, BSU 17. Official record of 0-0-Meteor after one game.

1. Arizona will be terrible this year; in a couple years wil be competing with USC for division championship.  How far it goes will depend on defensive recruiting.  The state and Cali next door suggests there's room for them.  Moreover, you can't believe USC is done getting probation.

2. BSU-MSU could be 0-0.  It's a bad idea to have the turnover the Broncos have on offense and go up against that defense in East Lansing.  On the other hand, I'm more than skeptical about the Spartan offense.  As for the other question: embrace inconsistency.

3.  ND will have a similar season this year as the past couple.  It has a bunch of winnable games on the schedule and several non-winnable.  As for the second question, I'll take being in the same room as a crowd of ND fans over being on the same square block with a Sparty or the same county as an Ohio fan.

4. I don't care about Oklahoma.  Oatmeal is good for you.  My wife's grandmother is looking at hitting 100 b/c she ate it every morning.

5. Alabama is rolling; sorry, but since Genesis there has been evil in the world.

6. South Carolina could be the best team in the SEC East and not win the division.  Georgia's conference schedule is a joke.

7. Mark Richt is at the top end of class for SEC coaches.

8. No opinion.

9. Listening to the ESPN podcast on the SEC preview the blooger is saying Razorback fans are tired of finishing third and could take it out on John L if they do.  That could mean a fun filled dynamic.

10. Sure guys will try, but which program ahead of MSU this year do you think will be looking for a new coach?   Narduzzi will get an offer soon enough.

Expanding on the South Carolina question - why do they always get to be in the first Thursday ESPN game EVERY SINGLE YEAR? They always kill the excitement of a new season by playing an excruciatingly boring game.

I will bet right now that Arizona wins the PAC(insert # here) within 5 years. 

1. I see Rich Rod having some growing pain years like he did here, but he's walking into a much better QB situation than he did while he was here. He's also walking into a school with much lower expectations than UM, so he will be given more time. If he misses a bowl game, I'd bet it will only be for one year. But it all depends on how the defense does, and if he can field a half-way decent one.  

Rich Rod will, in all likelihood, not be able to compete with Chip Kelly for the best spread recruits, but I see Rich Rod having considerable success. Mostly 7-5 to 9-3 years once he gets his guys in, and the occasional over-acheive year, especially if they miss Oregon on the schedule, and maybe squeak one by USC at home. USC always loses at least one game a year that they shouldn't.

2. I want Boise State to absolutely manhandle Michigan State. I want to see Andrew Maxwell cry. But I think Michigan State is just too good, particularly on defense, for that to happen. If this game was last year, I think Kellen Moore would have torn them apart. But this year, I see a low-scoring affair, maybe 17-10 MSU. First game of the year, and both offenses lose a lot. But I can see the MSU defense making life miserable for Boise's new QB all night.

3. I'd be much higher on ND if not for their schedule. And their wravaged secondary. If they hit 8 wins, its a damn good year. But playing at Oklahoma, at USC, at MSU, and then having to play us, Stanford and Miami. USC and Oklahoma are almost guaranteed losses, and then they could easily lose the others as well. They could be as bad as 6-6. and that's against all the shit teams like Wake Forest and BC.

4. Don't care about Oklahoma. Landry Jones doesn't get the credit he deserves, though.

5. As long as Nick Saban and Kirby Smart are at Alabama, and they don't endure major sanctions, Alabama will always be the standard for success for every football team in the country. If Smart leaves, I see a minor dropoff in the defense, but not by much. Saban won't settle for anything less than elite. Recruits are drawn to the name Nick Saban. He gets kids to the NFL, plain and simple.

6. If Lattimore stays healthy, and Clowney builds upon his freshman year, I don't see why they can't be good. I think they are BCS bowl caliber. The problem is that they are in a conference with at least 4 other teams that are as well, and LSU/Alabama are light years ahead of everyone else in the conference.

7. Mark Richt always baffles me. He wins games, recruits well, and seems to always be on the hot seat. I wouldn't be surprised to see Georgia fans who want him gone even if he wins a title.

8. If Auburn can settle its QB issues, their offense can be pretty good. Big if, though.

9. John Smith. Come back to MSU.

10. Narduzzi will be gone within the next season or two. He's too much of a hot commodity, and if the defense gets better this year, I can see a mid-to-high level BCS school look to hire him. Dantonio's not going anywhere, though. He's right where he wants to be. He hates Michigan more than anything, and is in a position to play, and possibly beat them every year. Plus he signed a contract extension last year. I think the only school he might have ever considered leaving for is Ohio State, and with Meyer there now, that's not happening. Unless somehow the NFL comes calling one day, I don't see Dantonio going anywhere. But I don't see Dantonio as an NFL coach.

1.  Probably quite well by Arizona standards.

2. I'll be rooting for Boise, but I have a feeling I'll be turning it off soon. MSU should crush them with the lack of returning players Boise has. 

3. Probably about the same. They'll most likely be better, but the schedule is pretty tough too.

4. I care. 

5. Stop listening. Just stop.

6. Ask Nebraska.

7. Wha?

8. Probably depends on what kind of offense they're going to try and run down there now.

9. Entertainingly.

10. Now that OSU has a coach, he's there. Who else would offer him that would be worth leaving for?  Narduzzi should get some sort of offer in the near future.

No idea, but I'll go with 24-10.

pitting Arizona against Michigan would have the interest of fans of college football from West VIrginia to California.

I wonder what the feelings are between RR and Mike Leach these days.

If Dave Brandon thinks playing App State is a good idea, I'll bet he doesn't think that booking Arizona would be quite as fun.

If no one can match wits with Nick Saban when he has 2 weeks to prepare, as I have heard so often, what if he has 8 months to prepare?