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I know that Warde…

I know that Warde intentionally didn't go scorched earth in 2016 to defend Harbaugh because he was finally close to winning everyone over and getting things back to "The Big 2" where Michigan had say about some things (understand, at the time it was Gene Smith and everyone else...OSU ran EVERYTHING).  That was a big test to gain trust and he handled everything behind closed doors.  

How did that work out for us this year? It still seems like OSU runs everything. 

I'm thinking about it. I…

I'm thinking about it. I quit Basketball prior to the season -- it was bad enough during the Beilein years, when he would take 3 stars turn them into 5 stars during a deep NCAA run, then they would leave after 2 years. Now, after one half decent performance and a crappy season, they "go pro." Meanwhile the FBI catches teams on tape. THE FBI! And the NCAA does nothing. Kids have every right to do what is best for them, but so do I and not sure I can emotionally invest myself in a team of mercenaries or those who will be gone next year.

I see Football heading in the same direction. The NFL doesn't call for 3 years, but when rival teams can shop right from your roster with no punishment, it will be tough to get invested. I'll watch next season, but I don't anticipate a run like we just had. 

Don't forget Hutchins,…

Don't forget Hutchins, wouldn't surprise me if Plocki retired soon as well. 

Ron English. The NCAA will…

Ron English. The NCAA will drop their investigations immediately. 

 

/s

Good luck Jim, go win a…

Good luck Jim, go win a Super Bowl in 2 years then come back. I have a feeling we are going to need you. 

There's the obvious -- Tom…

There's the obvious -- Tom Osbourne's retirement present after 1997 (though we don't really acknowledge that "National Championship")

Probably because he didn't…

Probably because he didn't toe the line and bash UM on the whole Scoutgate thing. 

There are 12 spots in the…

There are 12 spots in the playoff.

1 goes to the G5 -- they probably aren't going to win.

At least 1 goes to the ACC, but not sure they have enough to win (FSU loses a lot from this year's team).

At least 1 goes to the Big XII -- not sure who is even in that conference anymore, much less who is going to win (Kansas? Okie St?). Probably not going to win it all.

That means as many as 9 teams will come from the SEC and B18

Top tier:

Georgia has the best combination of Talent and Coaching. 

OSU is completely gunning for the NC next year -- definitely reminds me of UM at this point last year. The big question is OL. If it is even average they have an excellent chance to win it all. 

I have no idea what Bama will look like next year, but DeBoer can coach and they obviously have the talent.

Oregon -- Honestly almost forgot them, but they definitely belong here. 

Next Tier:

Texas -- You can argue they belong in the Top Tier, but I personally think they are in for a rude awakening in the SEC. Still they get Ewers back and QB is important

UM -- Could UM have won the NC with their 2nd String Offense? They return a ton on defense, and virtually nothing on offense. Still should be a very strong team overall, but tough schedule and who is coaching?

In the conversation:

PSU -- I don't think they have the toughest schedule, beat USC and they are probably in the playoffs. 

Ole Miss -- They always seem to have only 2-3 losses which should be enough to get them in the playoffs, but I don't think they win.

Could surprise me (but maybe not others)

Oklahoma -- See Texas above SEC might be a tough transition. I think they lose too many games they should win.

Washington -- They lose everything from this year. 

USC -- Maybe they've improved that defense enough to compete in the B18, but probably not

LSU -- Ha Ha, Brian Kelly Sucks. They might be overrated enough to sneak into the playoffs, where they will promptly lose. 

 

TL;DR -- Georgia

How does one call more false…

How does one call more false starts than average? More holding should help us, more pass interference should hurt us and personal fouls, well, let's hope neither. 

I have also forgotten to…

I have also forgotten to wear my The Team The Team The Team shirt twice in the last 3 years. Vs MSU in 2021 and TCU in 2022.

Is it nonsense? Probably, but what if it isn't and I don't do everything in my power to help. Just doing my part. 

In 2016, I was super mad at…

In 2016, I was super mad at the ref show.

2017 was whatever, because I didn't expect to win.

2018, I was mad at the game plan in a game that I thought we should have won -- we were the better team all year until then. Thinking we are never ever beating this team again. 

Honestly don't remember 2019. 

Then in 2021, I just needed to get some perspective and not tie so much of my emotional state on a game that I have no* control over. It worked, I wasn't stressing over the game and then I was still super happy when we won. 

Don't get me wrong, I make it an hour or two before checking my phone and then I start checking it obsessively. I hope whatever I watch on Monday doesn't require too much paying attention. 

 

*Other than not watching = victory. 

I did not watch the 2021 OSU…

I did not watch the 2021 OSU game, expecting it to be like the previous editions. UM won 42-27. I watched the CFP semis vs Georgia (and turned it off after 3 possessions). UM lost.

I did not watch the 2022 OSU game, as 2021 was the most enjoyable in years. UM won. I watched the CFP semis vs TCU (and lost power at halftime). UM lost.

I did not watch the 2023 OSU game, as I clearly have a good thing going. UM won. I did NOT watch the Rose Bowl (at least in part that I was upset with myself for not jumping on the package deal soon enough). UM won.

Monday evening I will be sitting in my recliner watching...whatever my wife wants. 

 

I do record everything so I eventually watch it.

One Coach was "Shocked" that…

One Coach was "Shocked" that UM was favored? Really, UM is favored by nearly every metric, Computers and Humans. UW has been doubted for months and has been an underdog in their last 3 games. Why the heck would UM NOT be favored. I assume that is a B1G coach -- probably PSU, MSU or OSU. 

Was anyone else expecting…

Was anyone else expecting Patrick Swayze in the Like the Wind section? 

Anyway great write up as always. Not sorry that you have to write a 15th. 

I am still watching the game…

I am still watching the game (just scored our second TD), but the coverage has been fine. The lead up however, was obnoxious. The ticker at the bottom was so slanted toward Alabama, it was disgusting. ALA: Averaging 42 ppg over the past 5 games. UM: Lost last 6 Bowl games. ALA: Seeking 7th NC in CFP era. UM: 0-2 in CFP. No mention of UM leading the nation in scoring margin or ranked number 1 by nearly every metric (except their idiotic FPI). 

I was kind of thinking…

I was kind of thinking Alabama is 2022 PSU. Strong secondary, elite defensive ends, DTs that can be moved. On offense a elite running backs, mobile QB, one outstanding WR, OL that is a bit questionable. 

What's sad is that this is…

What's sad is that this is as easy as it gets. 3 undefeated conference Champs, 2 1-loss conference Champs. One of which beat the other. The only argument Alabama has is they are in the SEC. That isn't an argument. If Texas had beaten Washington instead, Washington would be out. Ditto Michigan and Florida State. It's an easy call. 

RPS is going to be tough…

RPS is going to be tough when your OL/OC also has head coaching duties. There is too much on his plate to make adjustments. Plus you have 1 fewer pair of eyes to see things. There is a reason why most HC/play calling double duties goes poorly. I am hopeful that a Harbaugh return to the sidelines will improve the Offense to even greater heights. 

It has never been best team,…

It has never been best team, if it were, Michigan would have made it in 2016. IMO the best 4 teams this year are Georgia, Michigan, Oregon and OSU (I know, but they have a legit defense and Marvin Harrison). 

But the Selection criteria has been and will be again this year, fewest losses by a Power 5 team, with Conference Championships as a tiebreaker. 

OSU could back in, but it is…

OSU could back in, but it is roughly 1-3% chance, depending on whether you think Washington stays ahead of OSU with a loss. 

 

(No subject)

I tried attaching a screenshot. It is for Bitsight.

https://www.youtube.com…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPOsnrUjww

 

Summary: Allar Bad. Offensive Coordinator Bad. 

Net success rate doesn't…

Net success rate doesn't include explosives. I like SP+ post game win expectancy as it captures all the variables. I think the Net Success rate is useful when talking about varying degrees of 100% win expectancy (as Michigan likely was for the first 9 games of the season). I haven't seen the post game win expectancy this year because I am no longer on TwitX. 

Does anyone have that for the UM-PSU game? 

I am not a lawyer, but this…

I am not a lawyer, but this is an excellent argument, one of many we could use.

First, defining Harbaugh as an institution is insane and a direct violation of the Sportmanship clause itself.

Second, as you point out Rule 32 should apply per the Commissioner's own letter.

Third, we don't know if any rules violations occurred BECAUSE THE INVESTIGATION HASN'T FINISHED.  

Fourth, the competitive advantage is easily refuted and the player safety angle is so absurb it defies logic. 

The disparate treatment would be nice too, if only as a backstop for if we lose Day should be suspended too.

Again not a lawyer, but it seems obvious that we should win, but I've seen enough decisions that defy logic to not feel confident. 

Added questions:

If…

Added questions:

If Michigan ultimately wins the PI/the courts rule that the B1G violated its own rules, what legal recourse does Harbaugh/UM have given that the harm has already occurred?

 

He missed the PSU game, he doesn't get to go back in time and coach in a road game against a Top 10 team. At this point, it seems likely he'll missed the Maryland game. 

From an objective point of…

From an objective point of view the B1G scores 1 point from me that they have more evidence than listed in the Michigan response: the NCAA presented it to the B1G and Michigan at the same time. 

 

That said, that "evidence" listed is still underwhelming: a spreadsheet? That is what you got? Everything else was more or less refuted in the first response. 

What struck me is that they can ignore due process -- something needs to be done NOW, they can't wait for an investigation. Why the urgency? [We know why, but I see no legal justification.] 

But the scariest bit is the assertion that Pettiti thinks he can do what ever he wants for whatever reason under the Sportsmanship Clause. That is way too much power for even a good commissioner, much less a spineless POS like him. 

Wetzel's summary didn't…

Wetzel's summary didn't truly capture how epic of a beatdown this was. 

1. What we're accused of isn't against the rules.

2. B1G has provided no evidence of what we're being accused of.

3. Per B1G rule you have to defer to the NCAA

4. Even if 1-3 weren't true, the Sportsmanship clause doesn't apply to rules violations

5. Even if 1-4 weren't true, the Sportsmanship clause can only be levied against an institution not an individual.

6. If you continue down this path we will go scorched earth. 

Not sure I agree with the…

Not sure I agree with the show cause for CS. Based on the Mgolawyer posts, we aren't sure that what CS did was against the rules. Even if he did, prior violations of the in person scouting rule resulted in a whopping half game suspension for the offending party. It seems a long way from half game suspension to a Show Cause. Now no one in their right mind would hire him at this point and he should be fired for working for another university (CMU) during his employ at UM. 

I think it falls under D&O …

I think it falls under D&O (Directors & Officers) Insurance. I don't have a CPCU designation so I could be wrong. 

Feels like this is a…

Feels like this is a communication issue? On the second example, it seems like Harris should give Stewart a quick yell. 

What is our man/zone ratio?

This thing was trash last…

This thing was trash last year. At one point when Texas had 2 losses, they had Texas as a very high percentage to get into the playoffs (it was during the TCU game). Despite the fact that no team has ever gotten in with 2 losses. They would have needed the following to happen:

Alabama to lose 3 games, since Bama had the head-to-head

Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State would have had to lose at least 2 games 

TCU would have had to lose another game besides to Texas. 

USC would have had to lose another game

I think Oregon only had 1 loss at the time, meaning they would have had to lose another game. 

Could those things have happened? Sure, but it was nowhere near the percentage that they were suggesting. I would not put a lot of stock into anything that "predictor" had to say, especially this early in the season. 

It is at this time every…

It is at this time every year that I feel compelled to click on the beveled guilt button. 

And I'll give it a giant X…

And I'll give it a giant X for now being in my neighborhood. I can't wait for the damn burners to leave. 

I swam in High School (and…

I swam in High School (and still swim today). My criteria will be 1) Academics -- I'm a swimmer, I'm not going to make a living off of it. 2) Who can develop my distance freestyle the best (that is my stroke -- let's ignore that distance swimmers are unlikely to be a 5*).

My short list:

Cal -- National Champions. Excellent Academics. Doesn't have a Distance Free tradition

Texas -- Good school. Eddie Reese is a legend. But Eddie is going to retire soon, probably after Paris 2024

Florida -- Finke and Ledecky would be my training partners. I admittedly don't know much about their academics. 

Arizona State -- Bob Bowman has got it cranked up down here. Could definitely get some development here. Definitely the worst Academics of the group. 

I thought about adding NC State, but they wouldn't make the cut. In the end I choose Cal -- I like to win, I am also thinking about my future and I can make my own tradition there. 

List of Candidates from…

List of Candidates from SwimSwam:

https://swimswam.com/wild-speculation-who-will-take-over-for-mike-bottom-at-michigan/

 

Also from SwimSwam a little bio on Bottom:

https://swimswam.com/mike-bottom-the-mad-scientist-constantly-on-the-cutting-edge-of-swimming/

It was definitely time. He…

It was definitely time. He had a large amount of transfers the last couple years and the team's performance the last couple years at NCAA's has gone down every year since he won the National Championship. 

I'm not sure who would be in line to coach next. Though, I think we had an assistant go to LSU recently. Also, do we want a separate Men's and Women's coach? The NCAA just changed the rules about the number of coaches for separate vs. combined, and I don't remember which is more advantageous. 

Good news, has anyone told…

Good news, has anyone told Warde yet?

The way I see it, UM is 4-12…

The way I see it, UM is 4-12 in close games. This will balance out. Michigan will blow out Rutgers, then win close games against Purdue, B1G semis, B1G Finals for the Automatic berth to the NCAA. That moves our record in close games to 7-12. A blow out win in the first round of the NCAA tournament, means 5 close wins brings us to 12-12 and a National Championship. 

My wife and I swim, so we…

My wife and I swim, so we will definitely follow the swimming. My wife loves Gymnastics so I'll follow that as well. [I actually follow everything, but those 2 will be first]

Drink more Ovaltine?

Drink more Ovaltine?

The Heisman has been a joke…

The Heisman has been a joke since Suh was robbed (and probably before that). The best players in football are Corum, Jalen Carter, and Will Anderson. It just highlights how bad it is when only one is in the Top 10 and none of these players are invited to NY. 

I am not a knowledgable…

I am not a knowledgable soccer fan, but I would like to see the offside rule changed, but not eliminated. Right now if a fingertip is past the defender, it is offside. I would change it to be the entire body needs to be beyond (or at least the feet need to be beyond). It would eliminate the cherry-picking, but I would much rather see a goal allowed because his toe was behind the defender rather than the nonsense we see in this world cup with goals disallowed because an elbow was offside.  

OSU played a break-but-don't…

OSU played a break-but-don't-bend defense. They got broken. I think it was repeatable the way OSU played. 

Believe it or not; probably…

Believe it or not; probably none, unless you count the Lions loss.

Friday I'll put up Christmas lights. After the Game, I'll either be so disgusted I won't watch anything else, or I'll be so happy, I'll watch it again.  

They have 2 criteria. Fewest…

They have 2 criteria. Fewest number of losses and conference championship. Everything else is lip service. 3 if you count the Are you Alabama or did you beat Alabama criteria.

The pecking order for the…

The pecking order for the final Playoff standings will be, just like always:

1) SEC Champ

2) Big Ten Champ

3) Undefeated P5 Conference Champ

4) 1-Loss P5 Conference Champ

5) 1-Loss P5 At-Large

6) Undefeated G5 

Initial Thoughts:

1. It…

Initial Thoughts:

1. It doesn't matter -- we win out, we're in. 

2. Our Non-Conference schedule can't be what is holding us back -- Furman and LA Tech? 

3. Maryland is being seriously disrespected versus Wake Forest. IMO Those 2 teams are roughly equivalent. 

4. Clemson would get smoked by at least half of the Top 10. 

5. It still doesn't matter. We win, we're in.  

I think all those 1-loss…

I think all those 1-loss comparisons are to Conference Champions [Oregon/USC, TCU, Clemson]. Michigan would not be a conference champ (unless we lose to Illinois and beat OSU) and would miss the playoff because of that. Really we are only talking about a 1-loss Tennessee or Alabama --which has more to do with "is Alabama" or "beat Alabama" than any SOS argument. 

We had a couple against…

We had a couple against Northwestern and Indiana. We had one where Gardner or Denard flung it up into triple coverage and Roundtree came down with it and kicked the winning field goal vs Northwestern. We had the simultaneous possession vs Indiana when Rich Rod was coach.

 

The last second wins vs Virginia and PSU (Mannigham) weren't really miracles as they were the final play, but we were inside the Red Zone (or close enough) to make scoring a reasonable possibility.

 

One I'm not sure about is the 4th and 1 to Desmond over Notre Dame. I'm not sure that qualifies either, but it should be brought up as often as possible. 

I was at that game. Yes, I…

I was at that game. Yes, I don't think Michigan got a first down in the entire second half, but Wisconsin muffed a punt and we kicked the winning field goal.