There is a truly hilarious SNL sketch starring Ray Romano about Sportscenter. While it never mentions Michigan, when they discuss the Bruins recent game the actual clip being shown appears to be the UM hockey team.
I am slightly more worried about the Mitch McGary comment than others seem to be. If Mitch has really made his decision, doesn't that suggest he is leaving? If he already decided to stay for another year, why wouldn't he have already said that? If he has already decided, but is keeping the decision quiet, that makes me nervous. (Then again, the Horford transfer does, to me, suggest Mitch is returning.)
To clarify, I agree with most of the comments that this is still Gardner's job to lose, but I think it is worth discussing because I think the competition is more open than it was under Borges, simply because Nussmeier is less familiar with the two. I also think tat this could mean Gardner is on a shorter leash if he struggles and we might see Morris go in for a few drives if things aren't going well.
I also agree that Gardner was not really the issue in 2013. Fix the offensive line and Gardner will be great.
A friend and I, while on study abroad, drew a block M and wrote "Go Blue" in black marker on a railing on the top level of the Eiffel Tower. Wherever you go . . .
Right. There is obviously a problem that people are buying tickets and not showing up (on time). I'm saying only that the proposed solution has some significant drawbacks, especially in the longterm.
Lower prices for student tickets are a good idea. The idea that students should already be 100% invested in the football team if they want to buy tickets is flawed. One reason that student tickets are lower, among other reasons, is that it allows people who are not fans to take a chance in buying tickets for a reasonable fee and then, hopefully, those students will become fans for life. This is exactly what happened to me. Unlike some on this board, I never grew up a Michigan fan. In fact, I didn't follow college football at all and only knew Michigan was any good because other people told me when I mentioned I was attending UM for college. Nevertheless, I bought tickets because they were cheap and if I didn't like it, it wasn't a huge waste of money, because I knew I would go once or twice to try it out. After my first game (which, by the way, was Appalachian State), I was hooked. In all my time at Michigan, I missed exactly one half of football, because I was taking the LSAT. I go back at least once a year for a game in person and watch every game on TV. I am an example of student prices doing exactly what they are supposed to do: bring in new fans who will be loyal for life (and willing to pay more down the road).
There is no such team as the "Lady Wolverines." Unlike our Big Ten comrades at Penn State, Michigan does not assign different mascot names based on whether the teams are male or female. All Michigan teams are equally the "Wolverines."
Thanks for the awesome summary! I'm glad I posted this thread if only because I got to read this summary and get caught up. And request granted--I won't hold this against UVA anymore. I hope they reinstate her.
MGoSoftball, for those of us far less in the know than you, can we get a mid-week report on what to expect against Alabama so we know what to pay attention to when we watch and so we know how to intelligently brag. Sadly, my knowledge of this team comes up short after the names Chidester, Evans, and Lane.
3-0 is awesome, MGoSoftball, but we have all gotten a little spoiled. With the close wins, is it time to start getting concerned? With Nebraska in the conference now are we even at risk of not winning the B1G this year? I am hoping we dominate the conference again and can focus on trying to have a strong postseason, but I am getting a little nervous.
Superlatives always invite challenges, so let me try to find a coach who might be more unprofessional than Jim Harbaugh.
This is tough . . .
How about Mark Dantonio, allowing his players to commit six personal fould, including some obviously egregious attacks. Meanwhile, Dantonio argues the penalty calls and refuses to discipline his players.
But you're right, a coach being excited about a win is the most outrageous thing I've ever seen.
MGoSoftball, can you explain how teams get picked to host regionals/superregionals? I'm going to be in Ann Arbor during superregionals and was sort of assuming I'd get to see the softball team play. Is that probably not going to happen?
Carr won a national championship. I understand a lot of people on this board are frustrated with the state of recruiting when he left, but let's not make him out to be Satan's spawn, okay?
I haven't read anyone's thoughts here about Chuck Heater, though I have seen his name brought up elsewhere. I actually think he could be a really good option, given his defensive and recruiting background. He played at Michigan with DB and has a background as an assistant in the midwest (OSU, Wisconsin, and ND). Since he wasn't retained at Florida now that Meyer is gone, I think he could be a great snag.
First of all, all this UGA instead of ND talk seems to be premised on the idea that we can't or shouldn't be playing more than one solid non-conference game a year. We've done it before and we'll do it again and I have no reason to see why this shouldn't be one of those times. The only important factor is that we schedule UGA at home a year when ND is away, so we have a stable number of home games.
Second, I think some of the fans have been far too quick to knock the ND game. In my opinion, it is a wonderful tradition that grabs national attention (even in years such as the Toilet Bowl, ND-UM is a big deal). The history behind the rivalry means a lot to many fans and is even well-known to casual observers. I think we should do our best to keep ND on the schedule.
I wouldn't just concede that Northwestern is "academically superior." Particularly when it is qualified as "world-class," it might be good to expand your research beyond the slop US News and World Report throws in front of you.
Give your pillow AT LEAST one more year. The situation the pillow was put in was tough - no pillow could be comforting on the bad mattress it was brought into. Every pillow needs to be given an opportunity to get the mattress and sheets it needs to be successful.
I can't think of a single coach who stayed at the college level and at one program he cared about for a long time despite numerous NFL offers in this day and age...named Joe Paterno.
I don't know that I've met any OSU fans that I'd call "reasonable," but I will say that once I left Ann Arbor and landed in Boston, I have a real affinity for most fellow Big Ten fans, almost regardless of which school they support, since I think we share a similar experience, that people from a lot of other schools can't or don't understand.
Michigan "traveling well" does not necessarilly refer to the students traveling - it has a lot more to do with our national fanbase. So while we may be less likely to send thousands of students to the Purdue game at Rose Ade Stadium, Michigan has such a large alumni base (and fanbase beyond alumni) that we do represent ourselves very well in big games across the country.
There is almost no chance that Michigan will privatize anytime in the foreseeable future. MSC seems set against it, so it unlikely to even be seriously considered until there is a new President, which hopefully won't be for some time. More importantly, given the difficulty of the process, involving public approval, the chances of the state willingly abandoning its flagship public University and voters giving up the chance for their children to have a significantly decreased tuition is laughable. Barring another economic crisis for the state, UM won't privatize.
This is all unfortunate, however, as the University would be in a far more competitive position if it were to privatize. Right now, the University is held back by its status as a "public" institution and its dedication to accept a certain percentage of in-state students. Michigan would be in a stronger position if it could accept its applicants based on merit, not where they are from. Michigan's acceptance rate is obnoxiously high because it is a public school. If you don't believe this would help Michigan, compare its undergraduate reputation to that of its professional and graduate programs, where in-state status matters much less. Furthermore, Michigan privatizing does not mean we will be losing students to MSU. Michigan is a much better school than MSU - we could still lure the best students from Michigan with the generous financial aid that could be offered if tuition prices were higher across the board.
The argument that UM Undergrad is bad and Grad schools are great doesn't really make much sense in reality - not just because independent of the grad schools, UM undergrad has amazing students and is a high quality institution. You can't treat graduate and undergrad programs as entirely independent because they are not. I studied Political Science at Michigan. In my field, the grad school is ranked #1 in the country. I got to take classes with the same professors the grad students did and because they were there, I was able to seek out really interesting independent study and research opportunities. Michigan grad programs have a much stronger reputations than the undergrad program, but that does not say anything bad about the undergrad program there. Ceteris paribus, if you are trying to determine which of two universities is better, the one with stronger grad programs will be stronger across the board. Sorry, Little Brother, enjoy STAEE.
Beating OSU is more important - we have been losing to them for far too long now. That said, I don't think I'd take your 8-4 with an OSU victory over 11-1 with an OSU loss. 11-1 (7-1) would be an amazing leap for this team and would have us heading to the BCS. If we go 8-4 that means from here we are 3-4. I don't think my little heart can take that.
I don't think that many people like Alabama, and I sure don't, but I am with TheOracle6, here. Rooting for Arkansas means you are rooting for OSU to be #1 tomorrow. No thanks.
These two games will either tell us nothing (if they don't put up a lot of yards) or will have us all heading for the hills (either game is close). Remember, our defense was pretty bad last year and we had near-shut-outs against Del State and WMU. That didn't tell us much when Big Ten season came around. That said, I'm very optimistic about the defense by the time MSU come in, but I don't think we will be able to tell until then,
Recent Comments
There is a truly hilarious SNL sketch starring Ray Romano about Sportscenter. While it never mentions Michigan, when they discuss the Bruins recent game the actual clip being shown appears to be the UM hockey team.
https://screen.yahoo.com/sports-center-ray-romano-000000679.html?query=…
www.isdavebrandonfiredyet.com
I am slightly more worried about the Mitch McGary comment than others seem to be. If Mitch has really made his decision, doesn't that suggest he is leaving? If he already decided to stay for another year, why wouldn't he have already said that? If he has already decided, but is keeping the decision quiet, that makes me nervous. (Then again, the Horford transfer does, to me, suggest Mitch is returning.)
Indiana went 18-0 in the 1975-76 and 1974-75 seasons.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2013…
To clarify, I agree with most of the comments that this is still Gardner's job to lose, but I think it is worth discussing because I think the competition is more open than it was under Borges, simply because Nussmeier is less familiar with the two. I also think tat this could mean Gardner is on a shorter leash if he struggles and we might see Morris go in for a few drives if things aren't going well.
I also agree that Gardner was not really the issue in 2013. Fix the offensive line and Gardner will be great.
A friend and I, while on study abroad, drew a block M and wrote "Go Blue" in black marker on a railing on the top level of the Eiffel Tower. Wherever you go . . .
Right. There is obviously a problem that people are buying tickets and not showing up (on time). I'm saying only that the proposed solution has some significant drawbacks, especially in the longterm.
Lower prices for student tickets are a good idea. The idea that students should already be 100% invested in the football team if they want to buy tickets is flawed. One reason that student tickets are lower, among other reasons, is that it allows people who are not fans to take a chance in buying tickets for a reasonable fee and then, hopefully, those students will become fans for life. This is exactly what happened to me. Unlike some on this board, I never grew up a Michigan fan. In fact, I didn't follow college football at all and only knew Michigan was any good because other people told me when I mentioned I was attending UM for college. Nevertheless, I bought tickets because they were cheap and if I didn't like it, it wasn't a huge waste of money, because I knew I would go once or twice to try it out. After my first game (which, by the way, was Appalachian State), I was hooked. In all my time at Michigan, I missed exactly one half of football, because I was taking the LSAT. I go back at least once a year for a game in person and watch every game on TV. I am an example of student prices doing exactly what they are supposed to do: bring in new fans who will be loyal for life (and willing to pay more down the road).
Next Sunday, October 13th.
There is no such team as the "Lady Wolverines." Unlike our Big Ten comrades at Penn State, Michigan does not assign different mascot names based on whether the teams are male or female. All Michigan teams are equally the "Wolverines."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_sports_teams_in_the_United…
Thanks for the awesome summary! I'm glad I posted this thread if only because I got to read this summary and get caught up. And request granted--I won't hold this against UVA anymore. I hope they reinstate her.
Bottom of the 7th. Let's Go Blue!
MGoSoftball, for those of us far less in the know than you, can we get a mid-week report on what to expect against Alabama so we know what to pay attention to when we watch and so we know how to intelligently brag. Sadly, my knowledge of this team comes up short after the names Chidester, Evans, and Lane.
Can someone explain why there are so many empty seats at an NCAA tournament game (especially with UM playing)? Is this normal?
I clearly jumped the gun with my "could we lose the Big Ten!?" post yesterday. Here is my penance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ
3-0 is awesome, MGoSoftball, but we have all gotten a little spoiled. With the close wins, is it time to start getting concerned? With Nebraska in the conference now are we even at risk of not winning the B1G this year? I am hoping we dominate the conference again and can focus on trying to have a strong postseason, but I am getting a little nervous.
Virginia Tech won the 1995 Sugar Bowl against against Texas 28-10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Sugar_Bowl_(December)
They lost in 2000 to to FSU, 46-29. They also lost to Auburn in 2005, 16-13.
That makes their average margin of defeat less than 2 pts. That should go up a lot when we play them though.
Superlatives always invite challenges, so let me try to find a coach who might be more unprofessional than Jim Harbaugh.
This is tough . . .
How about Mark Dantonio, allowing his players to commit six personal fould, including some obviously egregious attacks. Meanwhile, Dantonio argues the penalty calls and refuses to discipline his players.
But you're right, a coach being excited about a win is the most outrageous thing I've ever seen.
MGoSoftball, can you explain how teams get picked to host regionals/superregionals? I'm going to be in Ann Arbor during superregionals and was sort of assuming I'd get to see the softball team play. Is that probably not going to happen?
Thanks for the updates. Keep em coming!
9-0 now with a 3-0 victory over UMass. Gametracker is messed up, but you can confirm the score on the UMass Athletics website.
In other news, Michigan does not have a "mascot" but thanks.
Carr won a national championship. I understand a lot of people on this board are frustrated with the state of recruiting when he left, but let's not make him out to be Satan's spawn, okay?
I haven't read anyone's thoughts here about Chuck Heater, though I have seen his name brought up elsewhere. I actually think he could be a really good option, given his defensive and recruiting background. He played at Michigan with DB and has a background as an assistant in the midwest (OSU, Wisconsin, and ND). Since he wasn't retained at Florida now that Meyer is gone, I think he could be a great snag.
Not at a place like Alabama, but at schools like HLS, YLS, Stanford, and Michigan you are still getting a very good job when you graduate.
To be fair, the OP was not asking for people to list their coaching preferences, it is just what happened. I still want an answer to the OP.
Well, heck, call me old fashioned, but if UConn beats OU in a BCS game, I'd say that would count as a signature win.
But to answer the OP, almost certainly not.
First of all, all this UGA instead of ND talk seems to be premised on the idea that we can't or shouldn't be playing more than one solid non-conference game a year. We've done it before and we'll do it again and I have no reason to see why this shouldn't be one of those times. The only important factor is that we schedule UGA at home a year when ND is away, so we have a stable number of home games.
Second, I think some of the fans have been far too quick to knock the ND game. In my opinion, it is a wonderful tradition that grabs national attention (even in years such as the Toilet Bowl, ND-UM is a big deal). The history behind the rivalry means a lot to many fans and is even well-known to casual observers. I think we should do our best to keep ND on the schedule.
I wouldn't just concede that Northwestern is "academically superior." Particularly when it is qualified as "world-class," it might be good to expand your research beyond the slop US News and World Report throws in front of you.
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html
#15 Michigan
#25 Northwestern
Go Blue!
You need to CC this, lest everyone lose control.
S.U.N.Y. Ithaca? Why?
Smotrycz trails Clemson 16-15.
Give your pillow AT LEAST one more year. The situation the pillow was put in was tough - no pillow could be comforting on the bad mattress it was brought into. Every pillow needs to be given an opportunity to get the mattress and sheets it needs to be successful.
I can't think of a single coach who stayed at the college level and at one program he cared about for a long time despite numerous NFL offers in this day and age...named Joe Paterno.
I'd tell your neighbor about the situation and keep your phone off.
Phase Five: Profit.
I sure hope they don't put up 83 on us. For those of you following along at home, Wisconsin is 1-0 this season when putting up 83 points or more.
I don't know that I've met any OSU fans that I'd call "reasonable," but I will say that once I left Ann Arbor and landed in Boston, I have a real affinity for most fellow Big Ten fans, almost regardless of which school they support, since I think we share a similar experience, that people from a lot of other schools can't or don't understand.
That said, MSU and OSU fans are stupid, etc. etc.
Michigan "traveling well" does not necessarilly refer to the students traveling - it has a lot more to do with our national fanbase. So while we may be less likely to send thousands of students to the Purdue game at Rose Ade Stadium, Michigan has such a large alumni base (and fanbase beyond alumni) that we do represent ourselves very well in big games across the country.
Regardless of where he is going, you gotta respect a kid ready to make "I'm taking my talents to..." jokes.
There is almost no chance that Michigan will privatize anytime in the foreseeable future. MSC seems set against it, so it unlikely to even be seriously considered until there is a new President, which hopefully won't be for some time. More importantly, given the difficulty of the process, involving public approval, the chances of the state willingly abandoning its flagship public University and voters giving up the chance for their children to have a significantly decreased tuition is laughable. Barring another economic crisis for the state, UM won't privatize.
This is all unfortunate, however, as the University would be in a far more competitive position if it were to privatize. Right now, the University is held back by its status as a "public" institution and its dedication to accept a certain percentage of in-state students. Michigan would be in a stronger position if it could accept its applicants based on merit, not where they are from. Michigan's acceptance rate is obnoxiously high because it is a public school. If you don't believe this would help Michigan, compare its undergraduate reputation to that of its professional and graduate programs, where in-state status matters much less. Furthermore, Michigan privatizing does not mean we will be losing students to MSU. Michigan is a much better school than MSU - we could still lure the best students from Michigan with the generous financial aid that could be offered if tuition prices were higher across the board.
Tios is a real embarassment. I have to believe he went to Zingerman's or Maize and Blue, because that's what I'd be doing.
The argument that UM Undergrad is bad and Grad schools are great doesn't really make much sense in reality - not just because independent of the grad schools, UM undergrad has amazing students and is a high quality institution. You can't treat graduate and undergrad programs as entirely independent because they are not. I studied Political Science at Michigan. In my field, the grad school is ranked #1 in the country. I got to take classes with the same professors the grad students did and because they were there, I was able to seek out really interesting independent study and research opportunities. Michigan grad programs have a much stronger reputations than the undergrad program, but that does not say anything bad about the undergrad program there. Ceteris paribus, if you are trying to determine which of two universities is better, the one with stronger grad programs will be stronger across the board. Sorry, Little Brother, enjoy STAEE.
Beating OSU is more important - we have been losing to them for far too long now. That said, I don't think I'd take your 8-4 with an OSU victory over 11-1 with an OSU loss. 11-1 (7-1) would be an amazing leap for this team and would have us heading to the BCS. If we go 8-4 that means from here we are 3-4. I don't think my little heart can take that.
I don't think that many people like Alabama, and I sure don't, but I am with TheOracle6, here. Rooting for Arkansas means you are rooting for OSU to be #1 tomorrow. No thanks.
Generally a pretty bad weekend for the Big Ten overall.
These two games will either tell us nothing (if they don't put up a lot of yards) or will have us all heading for the hills (either game is close). Remember, our defense was pretty bad last year and we had near-shut-outs against Del State and WMU. That didn't tell us much when Big Ten season came around. That said, I'm very optimistic about the defense by the time MSU come in, but I don't think we will be able to tell until then,
Under. UMass is not App. State, but they also are not Del. State. We are gonna win big, but it shouldn't be by more than 45.
Under. I'd be very worried if he plays much of the 2nd quarter at all.
No. I think Tate goes in for a couple series. DG goes in third, but plays more than Tate.
Yes.
Adam also predicted both UM and MSU will be undefeated in October when they stop for a little revenge. That would be an amazing game.