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My wife and I frequent an…

My wife and I frequent an auction house in Wake Forrest, NC that sells estate stuff (furniture, jewelry, cars, etc.) and its pretty much like you described, except with a little less poop and pee around.

I was at that game too (as a…

I was at that game too (as a grad student) with my younger brother, who was doing his undergrad at Ohio State.  It was a great game, but even better was the following year when I went down to Columbus.  My brother got tickets for me and our parents to watch Harbaugh's guaranteed win.  That was the best game I've ever been to.

The larger point is that a…

The larger point is that a player used to get 1, and maybe 2 (under extreme circumstances) medical redshirts.  The NCAA is not stupid, and clearly they have been much more lenient in granting extra years of eligibility.  I suspect that is because, if legally challenged, their position has become more and more tenuous.  Particularly the past year or so.

It seems so, if you mean…

It seems so, if you mean roots being late 1800's/very early 1900's.  As a result, powers like the Ivies, the University of Chicago and others ultimately walked away.  In 10-20 years, I suspect we will see another exodus.  Why should a university like Cal/Berkeley with no football tradition and hopes of success continue on?  It would be a huge money pit for them.  

They can't.  The colleges…

They can't.  The colleges and universities are now directly involved in raising and managing the NIL funds.  While not being paid as employees, they are effectively employees.  Why should they have to "play school"???  I don't, and neither does anyone else that is paid to do something.

The Olympic/amateur model is dead, we're now just in the process of transitioning from one system to another.  In my opinion, sadly.  

With no contract like the NFL, the current system is now looking this like free agency on steroids.

Get used to it.  With NIL…

Get used to it.  With NIL/the players are employees, there is no rationale (legally, as far as I can see) to restrict their employment to an arbitrary (4 or 5) number of years at their place of employment.  Guys that can't make the NFL but can still continue to make meaningful contributions to teams will likely be able to earn more staying "in college" than working outside of it.  This will continue to expand.

 

Not only that but one guy…

Not only that but one guy for MSU (safety John Miller?) came down with 4(!) of them. 

He's just visiting because…

He's just visiting because he thinks he'll be able to use Zach Smith's old ball lifter to help get his snaps up.

 

Maybe Zach Smith left his…

Maybe Zach Smith left his ball-lifter there and McLaughlin could use it to get his snaps up.

Apparently, I'm a slow…

Apparently, I'm a slow reader and typer.

 

If you re-read what was…

If you re-read what was typed, I believe the person that behaves in a similar manner, and in charge of a conference is Tony Petitti.  Thus, in your quote, the "him" refers to Petitti and not Warde Manuel.

Since NIL happened, there…

Since NIL happened, there are all kinds of consequences.  Another that I have mentioned before, since it is inevitable that the athletes are going to be seen/treated as employees, the 4/5/6 year limit on their employment at various universities is completely untenable.  Those that can't move on to the NFL can become journeymen in college.  No other occupation has such limits on its employees.  Additionally, requirements that they have so many credit hours per term/make progress towards a degree are also untenable.  No other employees at the university have such requirements.

In only a couple of years the landscape of college football will be vastly different than what it was just a few years ago.   

And "Urbs" or "Urbz."

And "Urbs" or "Urbz."

I love it that in the…

I love it that in the background, a dejected Urban Meyer just turns his back and walks away. 

You know, I actually think…

You know, I actually think the Arnold Schwatzeneger quote from Conan the Barbarian about what is best in life (crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women) should also be included in the Muppet clips.

Yes, it does.  If a…

Yes, it does.  If a defensive tackle is grabbed, and thrown to the ground by an offensive lineman, it is clearly defensive holding.  

Didn't you learn anything from watching the game????

I would think the ACC (it is…

I would think the ACC (it is better in academics than the Big Ten) and in place of Ohio State we'd close the season with Notre Dame.

And I expect another…

And I expect another TruStage ad in another 30 seconds.  And the sun will rise, etc.

 

lol
 

lol

 

I don't think so.  The…

I don't think so.  The fighting RRs play Liberty tonight.

 

Joni Mitchell also wrote and…

Joni Mitchell also wrote and sang (live in late 1969) Woodstock before Crosby Stills Nash and Young released it in March of 1970 on Deja Vu, only one month before Mitchell's album release of it on Ladies of the Canyon.  So its kind of difficult to say which one is the "original" version.

Probably a little bit of a similar situation with Both Sides, Now where Mitchell wrote it and undoubtedly played it, but Judy Collins was first to record and release it.  Collins' version, while very pretty, is a bit light and happy whereas Mitchell's version is much more melancholy, and more fitting to the lyrics.

Another example I've not seen mentioned is The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down first recorded and released in 1969 by The Band, and later by Joan Baez in 1971.  While I don't know if The Band's version ever charted, Baez' did and reached #3 on Billboard.

I think "Profit?" belongs…

I think "Profit?" belongs somewhere in your sequence.

 

She is a marketing professor.

A 5* recruit that's soft? …

A 5* recruit that's soft?  Sounds like a perfect fit for Ohio State.

That's Outlanding!

That's Outlanding!

I don't understand.  How do…

I don't understand.  How do you flush a cooler?

 

"Jeez yes how big has he… "Jeez yes how big has he gotten? Starting to look like Jabba the Hut. What did he eat in, Arkansas?" Fixed it for you.
He seems to be an adherent…

He seems to be an adherent of the old adage "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking 'til you do succeed."

From what I saw of Howard's…

From what I saw of Howard's presser, he did himself no service.

Juwan Howard has every right to coach his team as he sees fit, and to call whatever timeouts he has at his disposal whenever, and however, he wants.  So does the opposing coach.  

If Juwan Howard doesn't like that the fact that Gard called a timeout he had every right to call, then that was Howard's problem, not Gard's.  If it cost his team a full 2 minutes more before getting back into the locker room, the so be it.  They should be able to deal with that terrible injustice. 

But Howard made the timeout, a timeout that was totally within the game's rules and parameters, the initial motivating issue.  And because of that, he instigated a brawl that could have been much, much worse.  

He was the "adult" in the room, and he behaved like a bratty, sore-losing child.

For this he completely failed the very reason athletics are on campus' in the first place, and he should be summarily fired.

A long time ago I was the…

A long time ago I was the graduate student representative for the LS&A Deanship search committee.  All external candidates under consideration had to have a "home" department, and that department had to sign off on that candidate as both tenurable that they would be willing to take him/her. 

I believe this was the case with Mary Sue Coleman and the chemistry department.  So when Schlissel was hired it is highly probable that med school had already signed off on him. 

It's kind of difficult to…

It's kind of difficult to tell.  Do you mean where you grew up?  And at that time; but how long did they have to live in your home to qualify?  Or would it be where you live now? 

I'll guess where and when you grew up.

I lived in Cherry Hill, NJ from the ages of 4-18 (when I started college at a school in Ann Arbor, MI).  During that time, Muhamad Ali lived there for a few years, as did several Stanley Cup Champions of the Philadelphia Flyers (Bernie Parent, Gary Dornhoefer, and Bobby Clarke).  I met Clarke on several occasions (even during the summer before his first season with the Flyers) and once played golf with Dornhoefer.  

Pete Kugler attended my high school (was 2 years ahead of me) all 4 years, got a scholarship to Penn State and got a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers as a DT.  Orel Hershieser also attended my high school (was in my class), but only for a couple of years.  Had gym class with him one year.

Gene Shue (coach of the 76ers for a number of years) lived in my hometown, and my sister played high school B-ball with his older daughter and his younger daughter was in my class (and home room) all 4 years in high school. Both daughters were very pretty and quite nice.

Down here in North Carolina,…

Down here in North Carolina, the Info/Guide says Michigan at Maryland; Minnesota at Indiana (Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota).

So I assume that the rest of the country gets the Michigan - Maryland game.

 

Thanks for all of the heart…

Thanks for all of the heart-felt posts and insights into the university, the town, the athletic department, and college athletics.  Many were the most compelling I've read on the subject.

Godspeed

Glad to see this addition to…

Glad to see this addition to the blog.  Thanks Alex.

I'm pretty sure the OP's…

I'm pretty sure the OP's shift key is broken or is k d lang.

Just terrible news and my…

Just terrible news and my condolences to his family.  I had a number of really good discussions on this blog with him nd he seemed like a great guy.  

This is very wrong.
In…

This is very wrong.

In actuality, Cooper's OSU teams came into the game higher ranked and favored.  And lost.

In every game, Harbaugh's Michigan's teams came into the game lower ranked and as the underdog.  Yes he lost.

The recruiting deficit is real and going to make beating OSU a rarity.  

That's just reality.

And history.

The question has been…

The question has been ongoing, is The University of Michigan and educational institution that has an athletic department, or is it a sports enterprise that has an educational functionality attached?  Most would assign Stanford, UC-Berkeley, and UVa to one, and Auburn, Alabama and SMU to the other.

[Small point - while the athletic department brings in a lot of money, it all stays within the department, and studies show fairly conclusively that athletic department success has little impact on donations not earmarked to the AD.]

While a student, I had a number of professors that testified in front of congress on a number of aspects, including business, economics, and ethics.  [Side note - I don't think this is a "problem" that many, if any, the University of Alabama professors have to confront.]  How do they answer questions regarding their positions vis-a-vie the government when they have massive problems within their own house, the university?

The Ivy league schools and others like MIT, Cal Tech, Stanford, the University of Chicago, etc.., have the massive power, money and prestige for obvious reasons, and isn't due to their athletic programs.  Schools like Clemson and Alabama will never, ever will match that.  

Institutions either have a culture of integrity or they don't.  And people will choose to take seriously the output of those institutions (testimony, periodicals and publications, public polls, etc.) based on they manner of their actions and how they manage their own house.

 

I'll take a shot at this…

I'll take a shot at this even though I'm a novice to RPO's (and pretty much everything else).

First, just prior to the snap, who is the QB optioning?  Usually its a LB (that could be the stand up end at the far end of the line).  He crashes, but just prior to the snap the CB drops back and the safety steps up right into the lane that the pass is to be thrown into. 

Shea's hesitates briefly and the pass is a little late because of the action of the safety; Shea has to wait for the WR to clear past and beyond the safety to give Shea a throwing lane.

I think this was a defense designed to mess with the RPO (and maybe get a pick off for the safety is the QB is not alert) and was an RPS win for Wisconsin.

This series is a great…

This series is a great complement to bronxblue's Best and Worst and are both terrific contributions to the blog - thanks to both of you.  I particularly enjoyed your working in Damascus steel.

By my count you only make 9 picks this weekend, as opposed to 10 last weekend.  Random number of picks each weekend?  

Enjoy the games today and I look forward to the next installment.

Prior to Bo's arrival, the 2…

Prior to Bo's arrival, the 2 best teams in the Big Ten were Ohio State and Michigan State, for a long time and by a pretty wide margin.  Bo's winning percentage and the big win in 1969 did a lot to muffle any criticism of him, particularly his bowl record, which was atrocious throughout his career.

 

The push for an expanded…

The push for an expanded playoffs is much, much more than expanding the regular season.  And expanding the playoffs will ultimately limit the regular season. 

I think we are at 12 games for the foreseeable future. 

Regarding the scheduling…

Regarding the scheduling question:

Michigan's athletic department desires 7 (at least) home games every season.  With a 12 game season, that's 7 home and 5 away.

The problem with Brian's answer is that when OSU and MSU are both home, Michigan only plays 4 of its 9 Big Ten games at home, and 5 away.  That's the entire road allotment given the above, so all 3 non-conference games must be home.  Hence probably why Notre Dame is home this year as well.

Any home and away set-up is also going to come up with the same problem - when both OSU and MSU are home, so is that prime P5 game.  Unless Michigan goes with a "quantity" home slate of 8 games and a "quality" home slate of only 6 games, but with both OSU and MSU.

This is always a highlight…

This is always a highlight in the few days following a game.

With the bye week allowing injuries to heal and the coaches to work on stuff, particularly on offense, I think we see a completely different team in Madison.

A few points that I haven't…

A few points that I haven't seen made:

  • The key sequence of plays in the game was at 9:33 in the 3rd quarter when Army had 1st and goal ball on Michigan's 4 yard line, Army leading 14-7.  Their QB keeps and is barely held out of the end zone by Anthony and Glasgow.  But then on 2nd down, Army had a huge penalty and had a false start called on them.  A no-gain followed by Hill's interception was a bullet that Michigan dodged.
  • It seems to me that Patterson is holding the ball too long and is late on his throws.  He seems indecisive and this allows for both the sacks and fumbles.
  • The last play before the end of the half is another example of weird/bad play calling.  8 seconds left and the ball on Army's 27 yard line and they call a fake read option for Patterson to roll to right, only for it to get blown up by the DE and have intentional grounding called.  PLAY ACTION/FAKE READ OTION ON A CLEAR PASSING DOWN.  WTF.  That idiotic call really hurt the chances of making the FG, moving the ball from the 27 back to the 37.
  • 4th down play calls in the second half were terrible.
That's funny, because I didn…

That's funny, because I didn't think Enos coached well enough to win the football game.

Simply an awesome post.
Yeah…

Simply an awesome post.

Yeah, there are some guys I miss from the past too, and I don't have to look beyond this blog.

They remind me of Jack…

They remind me of Jack Nicholson's mouth when he played the Joker.

Its an incredible mystery…

Its an incredible mystery and I wonder if the 2 other cyphers will ever be solved (or if they even have solutions).   

I like Zodiac myself and…

I like Zodiac myself and love the music in it.

I lived in Ann Arbor from…

I lived in Ann Arbor from fall of 1979 through January 1996, with a few years (1983-4; 1991-1993) absence.  Unfortunately, I haven't been back since.  So the last game I attended was in 1995.

Yikes.