Recent Comments

I have my undergrad degree from UM and grad degree from UCLA, so here's the deal. UCLA has weather and their student body some other pleasureable aesthetic advantages over UM. But, I've always wondered how they could recruit when they have to put their recruits in a car/bus and drive an hour+ in traffic to show them their stadium. The Rose Bowl is nowhere near campus, and the students don't have a clue about football. To me, selling UM's history and passion for the game and gameday experience is the biggest advantage. Sitting in the stands during a UCLA game and listening to fans (if they are even paying attention to the game) is a weird experience. They truly don't know anything about the game, nor do they really care.

Hackett seems to be too in tune with the fanbase and tradition to mess with OSU. The only conclusion here is that he is blatantly telling the knowledgeable fanbase that the MSU game will be at night in 2015.

Ready to go...

Maybe I'm out of touch, but doesn't "open thread" suggest an ongoing discussion of an event that is currently in progress? No doubt Beilein is closer to retirement today than he was yesterday, so I guess he is technically in the process of retiring. But if we keep this thread open until that day comes, it's likely to get tedious.

I see. So a new AD replacing an old AD who was just fired for losing a lot won't be motivated to hire a winner. Makes perfect sense.

Just thought I'd save lazy people clicks.

Jabrill got honorable mention

That is a very neggable title.

I have these thoughts all the time when the Brandon bashing is going on. People don't like him because of what he has done the last few years. I'll tell you what else has happened the last few years...our football team hasn't been very good. He's trying to keep the ship afloat while there is a sub-par product on the field. (Full disclosure, I do agree that tix are too expensive this year.) But, we all love the renovations to Crisler and sing praises about the improvements to the bball facilities...winning helps paint things in a prettier light (similar upgrades happened to football facilities too). I promise, DB will look much more appealing when the team is better and students don't give a damn about the cost of tickets because they will pay whatever it costs to see a good team.

NCAA bylaw 12(c)(iii)(A.154): The transferred student athlete may play immediately at a school beyond the 100 mile radius as long as the school does not provide the student athlete cream cheese for his bagels for one year post-transfer.

Losing 34-19 on the boards...not good.

No energy any more on offense. Just standing around. JB's gotta relight that fire.

The other thing to work on is slowing down the UT OREBs. Getting nit picky after a great half, but it seemed a good chunk of their points were second-chance. We may just be out-sized here, but would be nice to see that number lower in the 2nd half.

Worst camera angle ever!!!!

In it's current state, it is worth it to state that the state of this blog is fine. You state there is an implied obsession involving MSU, but let me just state, this does not appear to accurately characterize the state of mgoblog or the state of Michigan as a whole.

You are blind...#98

You will also note that MSU's entry talks about how they've been so plagued by injuries this season, but they still can't justify higher than a 3 seed. It's just amazing how they are the only team to suffer from injuries this year! Good thing we and every other D1 team have been so lucky.

http://www.umhoops.com/recruiting/scholarship-breakdown/

...but there are tabs on the bottom. There is data here from 1990 to 2004! Goodbye productivity.

As scary as this is (and it is!), this is the best argument to divert blame from the coaches. I am no apologist and feel like I'm pretty much on the same page as everyone else with respect to the staff's job status, but Hoke & Co. have zero control over the lack of experience on this depth chart. Seniors next year would have been recruited long before their tenure began. All that being said, we have a line filled with 4-5 star talent that, I would think, should be coachable into a serviceable (at least) line.

I am driving from LA, and I got my tix on stubhub, so I don't know if it would count against the UM allotment. Buying tix through mgoblue.com doesn't let you see where the seats are...just the price level. So, for an extra $15, I got tix on stubhub and picked out my seats. Not saying it's a big game, but there are little things the school could do (like let you pick your seats!!!) to increase that ticket count.

It's clear this is not a good team. Lower expectations...expect the worst and don't stress when it happens. When we do well, it's gravy. For those like me who bleed maize n blue, you can't just turn that off (sadly). Just lower expectations, get really excited when something good happens (which is admittedly rare these days) and hope for better future seasons.

Is it just me, or does it look like that guy is wearing his jock on he outside?

You seem to be forgetting how awesome Trey was on D. That said, I am very excited about this team. Trey's loss will be made up for by two things: Walton will be very good and the rest of the team is a year older. We were in the national championship with 5 key freshman, all of whom now have significant experience at the highest level. The experience of Stauskas, McGary (come back!!!), GRIii and Levert will all help fill the whole Trey left.

Clearly this is a fair comparison since IU played the exact same game against us and them. Recall that IU beat PSU by 20. The transitive property in football just is not a useful too.

I will always predict 34 - 8, Michigan when playing iin Happy Valley.

When their team plays FAMU, WE are thinking about them. This rivalry is the focus if the entire season for both programs.

Check it out.

One blown coverage late spoils the shutout.

You'd think the students who already paid $200+ for their tickets would show up to get their money's worth. If the schedule isn't worth it, don't buy tickets. The problem isn't lack of sales, it's tardy/lack of attendance.

The fact that mgoblog is giving this guy more traction is absurd! If you follow his tracks, he has written an article about a 4 year old matter and is pasting it in every empty comment field he can find on the internet. Maybe I'll go write an "expose" about Barry Bonds using steroids and paste my link on every baseball message board. mgoblog is better than giving this guy more hits...that is all he wants.

Looks more like Syracuse than Tennessee.

Fun to talk about, but seeing the list of voters at the bottom of the poll just made me think...how much time do we really think these coaches have spent in the off-season paying any attention to other teams? The poll is more of a running average of success over the last 3 seasons or so. You'll notice the few "poll-crashers" from last year all dropped out. I have a hard time believing that Coach Hoke analyzed Northern Illinois, Vandy or Tulsa to determine whether or not they will have similar success this season.

http://news.yahoo.com/report-hyde-dismissed-osu-roby-trouble-182605137.html

"According to a published report..."

I am just soooo excited to come out victorious in this prestigious online poll establishing that our football accessory is better than the other teams we play. A win would be right up there with my fondest UM memories including the day I graduated and being at the 1998 Rose Bowl. What a special thing to be a part of.

but someone needs to insert a Gob Bluth chicken dance gif or video here asap.

[EDIT: JCV16 obliged above...nice work]

1. Goes to youtube, puts cursor in search bar

2. Open-hand slaps keyboard

3. Clicks first video that pops up

4. Goes to mgoblog (wtf?) to share.

Congrats Dr. Sheepman!

The alumni association sent out this link for people looking to find their optimal watching spot. Hope this helps, as it's clear where this thread is headed.

http://alumni.umich.edu/connect/gamewatchingparties

I find it hard to believe they would make this announcement today. Not that I think it won't happen, but can't imagine this official.

This argument makes no sense. It would be one thing if the investment were somehow dependent on the person's response, but whether an actor or an athlete, sexual orientation, marital status or other personal details are completely inconsequential when it comes to their performance on the job. This is why it is illegal to ask those questions.

Never applied anywhere else.

Grandfather, great uncles, mother, 2 uncles, aunt, brother, and 2 cousins preceded me. Never even contemplated applying anywhere else. Oh, and I'm from CA.

We have this conversation every year. If this guy really is a commit, just because "I Like Burgers" hasn't heard of him doesn't make him "random." If the coaches offered him, the coaches wanted him. If the coaches wanted him, they likely have their reasons. It's not like we have to pass on Dashawn Hand because we got a 3-star CB.

We have got to challenge shots more and for the love of @#$%, BOX OUT!!!

Michigan wins

I think you should throw in the U.S. News rankings for our Engineering and Business schools too. That would really make us shine.

Doesn't matter...either he is over-rated or, if he does live up to the hype, he's a one and done. The third option is both--over-rated and leaving after freshman year anyway (i.e., Nerlens Noel).

22 commits now

6 potential EE (3 count as part of 2012) = Class effectively currently sits at 19

Miller gone = Class effectively at 18

Lewan possibly gone = class effectively at 17

Major attrition not required. Only barrier is the 85 total scholly limit.

Interesting idea, and definitely a metric worth including in a more comprehensive evaluation, but I think you undervalue Ws. Being that I graduated in 1998 (i.e., with the 1997 NC team), I've always been a defender of teams who just know how to close out games. While dominating a game definitely gives insight into a team's strength, I don't think domination is any more valuable than having the skills, coaching, etc. to come back from a deficit to win a game that most teams would lose (see UM-Iowa, 1997). Clearly these are two opposite approaches to winning, but in the end, it's the W/L record that counts most.

Are you kidding? The guy is averaging 17 pts and 7 dimes per game as the MVP of the #3 team in the country who happens to be undefeated with an average margin of victory somewhere in the 20s. Let's put on our nerd hats for a moment and assume that statistically speaking, the top 5% (or even 1%) of collegiate PGs represent the "Elite." Who is in that group ahead of Trey Burke?

There actually might be some football coaches who do consider quality of life when making life decisions.

Agreed. He seems to pick up his dribble and/or leave his feet a bit to hastily when he's not shooting.

That 1997 highlight looked like it was from 1967. I feel old.

With EEs, Lewan likely gone and a little more attrition, I'd bet we have room for at least 4 more guys somehow.

This ^^^ I can't help but think it's just a matter of time where JB caves and just leaves Stauskas on the floor for 25+ min. The kid is going to light it up. Along with GRIII, THJ and Burke, teams simply can't match up wiith 4 major threats like that. I think JB's hand may be forced in this one as this should be our toughest competition yet. We will win handily because we will be playing our most potent offense for more minutes. 77-60.

"*The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of voting and it is combined with the results from the Selection Committee. Fans can cast their vote for the nation’s most outstanding player who began his career as a Walk-on once per day. Fan Vote totals are cleared after each round."

Not sure what constitutes "each round" but 5% of one round (assuming there are multiple rounds) may not be the dagger it appears to be. Kovacs should win this thing hands down.

Great writeup and good backstory. Clearly you've done a lot more research on KSU than I, but I can't help but think we warrant a prediction with a larger margin of victory. Against Pitt, our 3-point shooting was abysmal. Even if that rebounds just a little bit, which it should, I truly see our team as dominant this year. If it turns out we shoot 15-20% from three against good competition, then I can agree with you, but based on our previous games (~50%!), this will not happen. In the meantime, I'll reserve the two-point margins of victory predictions for our far superior B1G competition. I feel like we should be steamrolling all of our competition (NCST included) until conference play. Our #4 ranking suggests I am not alone.

...you just saved me $2.99.

Last week, Hoke said he would play.

This week, he didn't say one way or the other.

So....I like Brady Hoke.

You are assuming we have a right-handed QB. Just sayin'.

I know it's hugely premature and the feed sucks, but Stauskas is good. So smooth out there in his shot, dribble and body control.

Love seeing Hoke giving him props toward the end if the clip

OMG! You didn't hear?

We're talking about football!!! Herbstreit isn't hurting anybody or even insulting anybody. He is offering up, seemingly, unbiased opinions about a game and getting death threats for it. There simply isn't any justification, rationalization, etc. for any threatening behavior, except, "It's Ohio."

True, but there is also a difference between Week 1 defense and Week 7/8 defense.

Michigan 38 - Purdue 17

This seems like a very lazy "analysis" to put Morgan on the list without considering the return of Horford and the arrival of Biefeldt and McGary. I would actually be pretty concerned if UM's success hinges on Morgan droppiing more than 7 ppg.

McGary looks like a beast. That is one big kid.

Michigan - 28

ND - 27

UM 38 - AF 13

UM 45 - UMass 13

I think the point of the analysis was acknowledging that Hoke believed this game was not going to be a W. Also, a loss here does not affect our chances at a B1G title, which has always been his stated goal. But, a loss and an injured Denard would affect our chances at a B1G title.

Whether this was Hoke's logic or not can be debated, but nobody can deny it is a valid proposition.

The upper tip of the Sparty S can almost reach the bottom corner of our M, but not quite.

And, I agree, they do appear a bit overrated on both axes, though they are probably as strong a program now as ever.

All of the above arguments are valid about both Alabama's D and our offense. However, I think the general take-home message here might be that the disparity between Bama and Michigan might not be as great as everyone thinks. I'm really getting tired of the "David vs. Goliath" theme surrounding this game.

I'm thinking also implying that we should be nervous about a 16-year-old kid who had a good game who we play in two years might have something to do with it too.

A recruit shows up for his visit and gets a tour of fantastic facilities, top notch academics, amazing campus. Then they hear "Are you ready to see the greatest stadium in college football?" Excitement ensues. Then, they get on a bus and sit in traffic for an hour while the recruit is thinking, "My tour of the LA Coliseum would probably be over by now, and it's possible I could win a MNC in the time it takes just to get to this friggin place. I choose USC."

I'm thinking that whoever actually starts in game 1 must have some serious mob connections.

Actually, you are only talking about scenario 3, which I acknowledged is different from the pre-B1GCG days. My point is just that all the other possible scenarios existed before. The OP could have just posted, "sometimes there will be a rematch, and that will lessen the importance of The Game." I agree with this. My point is that other than those years, nothing is different from before.

Since your post was unedited, I'll excuse "publicised peice."

[EDIT] I was scooped.

Agree with DFW...you had a perfectly reasonable post topic, and contrary to what you might think given the slew of recent content, not all posts have to reference PSU.

I agree with you 100%. My point is just that it's hard to criticize someone for choosing to stay in school. In hindsight, it was not the best decision for him. But, I can't really call him a moron either for optng for another year of college. Hindsight...

1

See if Braylon can stop you.

The state of NCAA basketball is such that there is incentive to root against your best players. I, and I presume most UM fans, are quietly glad THJ had an off year so we can get him back again. And, we now all know that if Trey does return, he is as good as gone next year if he repeats his 2011-2012 performance. So, we need to either rely on JB bringing in classes every year like he has lined up for the next two, or we need more guys who don't project well to the NBA but are college stars. Seems like there may be something to the Coach K strategy after all. (NOTE: It pains me to give dook credit for anything)

Hmmm...this makes me think of Jerel Worthy for some reason.

You are not the only one. I agree that it is a great way to get some national exposure a little closer to the tourney. Of course, many of our conference games are televised nationally, but no doubt the audience is more diverse by going out of conference.

There is no better rival than one who competes at a high level and is so clearly the bad guy. I look forward to many years of big Ws for the good guys.

Having gone to both schools (and being born and raised in LA), I have always said that the biggest issue with UCLA is the fact that their stadium is 20 miles away from campus. This has a profound ripple effect in that it takes loads of effort for students to get to games and greatly diminishes the gameday experience compared to a school like UM. The result is an apathetic fan base and virtually zero buzz about the program among the students or otherwise. I have often wondered about recruits visiting and going to campus and then sitting in traffic for an hour plus just to see the stadium--that can't help to lure elite talent. On top of everything else, most of their games are on local Fox Sports channels, usually not even broadcast in HD. Football simply isn't a priority, and it should be. They missed their opportunity to strike while USC should have been down, but they let USC dominate, even with one hand tied behind their back. Very sad.

Interesting...so he advises Arizona to hire RR and then is seen with the AD of UCLA. If I were a conspiracy theorist...

Not sure why Morgan has been on the bench for the last 8 min after a hot start.

An energetic Morgan = win.

Not trying to be a jerk, but what are you talking about?

761

Ann Arbor twice - Michigan vs Colorado and Michigan vs. Ohio St.

As an aside, they were also @ MSU for to see us beat Little Brother and they were at the Rose Bowl. It was practically the Michgan pregame show that year.

If you don't want to kiss ass, you should write about Will Gholston.

43-18 Michigan

The best part about that article (aside from the horrible writing, which makes me smile for some reason) is the comment section--complete overdose of Schadenfreude.

Talk of football games

Will return to mgoblog

No need for haikus

Is the valid excuse that he thought it was so bad that his players were actually felons rather than NCAA violators? You did a nice job defining "excuse" and "reason," but you might want to work on defining "valid" next.

Thank you...much appreciated.

I think I want to be first to submit the resume of "everyonemurders" to my HR department.

"The class of 2013 Michigan commit from Warren (Mich.) De La Salle is a gunslinger that isn’t afraid to make any throw. At times, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Morris was erratic with the football, throwing into coverage, but when he was in rhythm, he was the best signal-caller on the day. The future Wolverine needs to become more consistent, but all the tools are there including the big arm the lefty was showing off on several throws"

http://247sports.com/Article/IMG-Madden-Academy-Top-performers-29756