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Will miss your UFR but…

Will miss your UFR but either way good luck and god speed. 

I saw some of the band kids…

I saw some of the band kids posting videos of this, too. Just awesome. Trente is a real hero of the season for coming in how he did and when he did. Also loved seeing his big bear hug with Harbaugh right after the game. IIRC the blog writers have mentioned in passing concern for Trente's mental health--something to do with social media posts maybe? I didn't see what they were talking about personally, but regardless I hope he knows he's an absolute champion. Sending him nothing but love.

Good matchup for us imo…

Good matchup for us imo. They're more like OSU the past two years. Awesome QB, some terrific receivers, and good but not always great defense. Will be a tough game and a fun one to watch but I feel good about our chances. 

Kinda interesting. In their…

Kinda interesting. In their furor to be insulted by the comparison to our backup QB, they end up actually insulting our backup QB.

Seth, I hope you understand…

Seth, I hope you understand. Your breakdowns are truly legendary. While we cannot reasonably ask any more of you, your product is of impeccable quality, so naturally we all want more. I always liked UFR but you have taken it to another level. Respect. Take your vacation, brother.

Yeah, your edit reflects my…

Yeah, your edit reflects my thoughts. I tend to agree probably not fumble, but possession was established when his left arm pins the ball to his shoulder/chest.

In their again admittedly…

In their again admittedly weak defense, Burke got his hand on Wilson's arm and forced the bobble pretty immediately. So that does raise the issue of whether it's a catch. I actually think, looking at it again, it was closer than I thought watching it live, but I also think it's pretty clear that once he pins the ball with his left hand to his shoulder that he has control when he crosses the plane. He also goes to the ground without the ball touching the turf and Burke has to physically yank it from him. If 50/50 goes to the receiver, that was at least 70/30 in favor of Roman.  

Fwiw, I think the "split the baby" approach would have been to call an incompletion rather than an INT on review. I don't think it's the right call, but I have to imagine they would not call that an INT because it just wasn't an INT. 

It's all completely defeated…

It's all completely defeated, though, once you realize Roman was down with possession in the end zone, and it is only a firm tug by the defender which pries the ball out. That's what I mean by a "third" establishment of control. Once he's down, and the ball has to be forcibly stripped from his hands, and the ground did not help with the catch (he got his hands on the outside of the ball, so there's no way), then it's at worst a fumble recovered by Roman in the end zone for a touchdown and at best a figurative "tie" for possession which goes to the receiver. Dead ball, TD. 

I'll be super generous. I…

I'll be super generous. I agree with you. 

I believe the controversy is whether or not it was ever caught. If Roman never had control, and the ball never touched the ground, then OSU intercepted it. (Like a true never, not what the film clearly shows, which is that he established control at least twice and possibly three times.)

Obviously, Roman had control at least twice. First, when he catches the ball, then again when he brings his hand across his body to pin the ball to his body. It was actually incredible ball sense by Roman, and a great live call by the official. They had a perfect video angle to see almost everything that happened. No way that gets overturned except for very bad officiating. It should have been ruled "confirmed," imo. 

Without a doubt, the hardest…

Without a doubt, the hardest part of the game to watch. Glad to hear some positive news--doubt he's coming back this season but hopefully he's able to do the combine.

Sir/Madam, this is a Wendy's…

Sir/Madam, this is a Wendy's. No fossils allowed. 

(1) makes a lot of sense to…

(1) makes a lot of sense to me, personally, because it's hard to explain this move otherwise. The case for the TRO would have been strong *even if* the NCAA/B1G found evidence another coach knew. Part of me thinks the U/Harbaugh should have followed thru simply to avoid the lousy precedent set by Petiti. Their case was very, very strong from my view.

And it fits with Harbaugh's avoidance of spotlight since 2021. He has been trying hard to put players front and center, like in post game interviews, etc. So I see his kind of spontaneous change of perspective--getting worried that the season has become about him rather than the players and coaches--as a major motivator for him. 

Harbaugh was definitely a…

Harbaugh was definitely a named plaintiff in the litigation so he had to sign off on it thru counsel. Doesn't mean the regents didn't try to force his hand. My view of it is one of three things happened:

1) Harbaugh, who always seemed to be driving the metaphorical bus, spontaneously decided this drama was making the team all about him and that was cutting against the changes he made in 2021, so he asked the U to drop the litigstion to return focus to the students

2) The B1G had some dirt come up against some of the coaches (seems unlikely since Auerbach's source said the B1G agreed to drop any additional discipline against Michigan UNLESS the NCAA found another coach knew about the scheme), or

3) the U got something good in exchange for the deal, such as an agreement to forgo additional conference discipline against Michigan/coaches (as reported by Auerbach)

or a combination of the above. I am partial to the idea that 1 and 3 were the bigger factors, but as you said, we don't know what we don't know.

I know you're angry. But you…

I know you're angry. But you can't possibly mean this. No one is worse than consultants.

Expect it to be raised after…

Expect it to be raised after final discipline by NCAA if they do anything beyond what Michigan is willing to accept. Look for vacated wins, scholarship revocations, or onerous suspensions (beyond garbage games) that would trigger Michigan to pursue litigation. There's certainly a cogent argument to be made. 

As far as B1G discipline, I don't think this will matter except to strengthen the argument that B1G jumped the gun on an incomplete record. 

Permit me, but it is my view…

Permit me, but it is my view this fits squarely within "why the Big Ten was wrong." The punishment is a silly maneuver, imo. It leads to an absurd result. Obviously Michigan would never do this--Warde has said Harbaugh *is* the HC. This is the blatant flaw in Big Ten's reasoning, imo. It "invites the question" whether Michigan could creatively circumvent the discipline since it's "not" a personal punishment. 

I'm curious--does the brief…

I'm curious--does the brief address the speculation that Michigan could, in theory, circumvent the discipline by temporarily demoting Harbaugh and promoting a low-level staffer to be HC, then letting the low-level staffer stay home? I've speculated about that and I just think it has to be true if this is in fact an "institutional" punishment. I really want someone to tee that question up for the judge because the Conference's answer will say everything the judge needs to hear to rule in Michigan's favor. If they say, "Yes, they could do that," then you have to next ask why the B1G is pounding the pavement so hard on this discipline, and why they would allow such a silly circumvention of this punishment (not to mention whether it is allowable to let Sherrone Moore act as Head Coach, which creates the same problem), and if they say, "No, they can't do that," then they are admitting it's a personal punishment under the guise of an institutional punishment, not to mention that it ostensibly narrows the scope of the alleged disadvantage by "competing without its head coach." Either way, the answer to that question will make them look less credible.

I believe I am not able to sign, unfortunately. But thank you for putting it together.

Yes, all excellent points,…

Yes, all excellent points, which make clear that the intent of the punishment is not honoring the contracts the B1G has with its member institutions, but singling out one coach for reprimand. It has big "I'm putting you in your place" energy, which frankly may not be the most sympathetic argument (Harbaugh did oversee Stalions after all), but it is not appropriate to the requirements of the by laws (read: the contract between the B1G and Michigan).

The strongest counter to…

The strongest counter to player safety is, in my view, "the rules not only allow but encourage sign stealing writ large," "everyone else was doing it, so this is not out of the ordinary in terms of player safety," "being well defended, or expertly exploiting the defense, do not in and of themselves compromise player safety," and "if they wanted to show their concern for player safety, they'd ban the practice of sign stealing entirely, but they have never done so."

The most important counter…

The most important counter to "they didn't deny it" is "apparently the B1G doesn't even understand that NCAA rules require we not speak about the allegations publicly." It's a good metaphor for the overall case. The B1G is way out of its depth here.

The "financial advantage"…

The "financial advantage" idea is not credible. Yes, it is a financial advantage rule--there are ways to make this the centerpiece of an argument, but they are broader and center more on antitrust law--but the point of financial advantage rules is that the playing field should be level so big money institutions don't have a competitive advantage over smaller ones. So that's not that good.

The reason the procedural argument is strong is precisely because *so* much of this alleged violation is underdetermined. It is not determined whether, for example, the "in person scouting" rule attaches to third parties. It is not determined whether Harbaugh can rebut the presumption he knew of the conduct by showing the three prongs required to rebut it. It is not determined whether anyone other than Stalions knew about the scheme. The full extent of the scheme is not fully determined. It is not determined whether university funds were applied to the scheme, beyond Stalions's personal salary.

And any discipline needs to be appropriate to the specific facts of the case. If Harbaugh is cleared of wrongdoing by NCAA, why is he going to serve a suspension? If someone else on staff knew, then shouldn't they be the one serving a suspension? And if the University's compliance apparatus involved lax instruction on the rules, shouldn't the University be shouldering the majority of the bill, rather than the team personnel?

The procedural argument, in my view, is strong. And, critically, it is not strictly procedural. These procedures are bargained for parts of the contract between the U and the B1G. So it really is a substantial right to which Harbaugh is entitled. He is entitled to fair treatment under the processes set forth by the B1G. Including, and most especially, that the B1G cannot punish a person unless they commit an offensive action, and can otherwise only punish an institution. An institutional punishment designed to circumvent the "offensive action" requirement of a personal punishment is absurd and arriving at that idea requires just mutilated logic. So no, I think the arguments are appropriately strong, appropriately narrow, and precisely tailored to what happened here. 

Obtaining home field…

Obtaining home field advantage, maybe. 

Yep. And by the way, the…

Yep. And by the way, the quick response is that "We're bound by NCAA rules not to discuss the substance of the allegations. We are not permitted to admit or deny them. Only to cooperate fully with the investigation." 

I just started reading the…

I just started reading the decision. I think it's page two where they say "they don't even deny it, they just offer procedural and technical arguments"--and I think it's the stupidest thing I've ever had the displeasure of reading. The B1G is treating this like overly aggressive prosecutors, and like Harbaugh/Michigan are criminals. That's insane, when they themselves admit the evidence doesn't show Michigan/Harbaugh knew. This is an insanely aggressive tack to take and I do not think it plays well in a *contract* case. You *agreed* to those procedures. By not following them, you are *breaching the contract.* I'm beginning to think they'll be laughed out of court. Judges tend not to like parties who quickly exhaust their credibility. 

I take the view that the Big…

I take the view that the Big Ten screwed the pooch here in at least two ways:

(1) they waited until Jim boarded the plane

(2) they failed to wait until after 4:30pm

That does two things in my view. First, it makes the irreparable harm and balance of equities seem even more ridiculous. Now you don't just have an interference with the employment agreement; you have interference with that AND arguable animus behind it. By waiting, they (arguably) intentionally, certainly knowingly, let the entire team sit on pins and needles and embark on travel with their head coach who now can't go to the stadium tomorrow.

Second, it gives Michigan time to get a TRO before the close of business. No doubt Williams and Connolly had all their papers drafted before this suspension was handed down. All they have to do now is check a few boxed, put the penalty in a paragraph, and hit send.

Also, though I'm not versed on B1G rules, I thought they could only max suspend him for 2 games? 3 games would virtually hand Michigan the "likelihood of success on the merits" prong of a TRO if its true the B1G can only suspend for two games.

And if *that* is true, then I might start wondering if Pettiti is intentionally throwing this to the courts because he both wants (1) to be seen as responding, and (2) to lose. Either way, he has metaphorically "fumbled the bag" here.

We love you, Seth! Pulling…

We love you, Seth! Pulling for your family.

Yes.  Still horribly sad. …

Yes.  Still horribly sad.  But I hope mods will at least edit the title.  Much love to Tate's family.

Exactly what I came here to…

Exactly what I came here to say.  Gotta wonder what the deal is with the players coming out of the SEC.  Dominant in college but not necessarily standouts in the NFL.

*Secretariah State. Thank…

*Secretariah State. Thank you very much

Hey now. He's an all star.

Hey now. He's an all star.

There have also always been…

There have also always been very real costs associated with being a player, including and up to life-changing injuries and death. I don't think I'd die for an education alone. Would you?

We can't pretend like players caused the schools to move toward generating more and more revenue based on the sport. Schools, conferences, and TV networks did that. And also, the players aren't declaring themselves anything; NLRB General Counsel last fall ruled that the Supreme Court's NIL ruling meant players should be considered employees for the purpose of labor law.

Since PSU is a public institution, unionization will fall under public employee labor organizing statutes. Curious to see how it all plays out.

I think any person who is…

I think any person who is approached by another person the way Howard approached Gard knows to let them keep walking without touching them and standing in their way.  Yeah, touching is normal in a handshake line, but it's not normal to stand in someone's way when they refuse to shake your hand.

I really do believe that…

I really do believe that this is under-discussed.  I would never do what Howard did, but I would never do what Gard did either.  I'm not a professional athlete but I think Jim Schwartz was also out of line when he went after Harbaugh, even though Harbaugh was a jerk when that happened.  It's just senseless escalation.  And Gard bears some responsibility for that—although I agree with Seth that Howard bears more.

Goddammit Toby

Goddammit Toby

I have a lot of favorite…

I have a lot of favorite parts about Child Beater* up there, but definitely the way he ended his reply with a pejorative is proof positive that he was definitely totally and completely unbothered by what I said.  Definitely disproved my point that he's a big weepy baby

*"Child Beater" of course referring to his username, which I assume is a reference to kid puncher Woody Hayes.

Tell me you're a crybaby…

Tell me you're a crybaby about wearing a mask without telling me you're a crybaby about wearing a mask

Yes, he was being a bit…

Yes, he was being a bit fickle about "Fickell."

Who is this person?

Who is this person?

Look, I'm not saying that…

Look, I'm not saying that the SEC is going to suddenly become the worst conference in CFB, but I think that parity will significantly level out at least with the Big Ten/midwest powers in the next few years.  I think that portends a general decline in quality and that we've already begun to see it with everyone in the SEC looking vulnerable at some point this year; most years, they all look indestructible.  A lot of it has to do with coaching talent, too; the Big Ten around 2012 started gaining a lot more high quality coaches.

I can appreciate that it…

I can appreciate that it will take a few years for the full effect to be felt.  Maybe, more accurately, this is more directly the impact of the transfer portal.

But the "star freshman" stuff that has been common in the SEC for a long time and not much of anywhere else seems to be noticeably muted this year.  Between COVID year, transfer portal, and NIL, the general fall of the SEC is all but assured.  Bama will probably always be an institution under Saban, but (1) he can't coach forever and (2) good players at this point can reasonably expect to make about as much NIL money at a program like OSU, Michigan, or ND.

Does it surprise anyone that…

Does it surprise anyone that, as soon as every conference can play by SEC rules and pay players, the conference begins to crumble?

It's a new era in college football.  Coaches who respect their players and build meaningful environments will ascend.  No longer a wild, wild west where the winner is decided by the highest bidder.

I say this about everything…

I say this about everything I like. I love that old gif.

The people who say "cringe"…

The people who say "cringe" are, indeed, the most "cringe" people

Is this Matt's dad because…

Is this Matt's dad because if so this is very wholesome. Well, it's wholesome either way but more so.

Chills! Watching Aidan sack…

Chills! Watching Aidan sack QB after QB was sweet. Can't wait for Gattis and Macdonald to expose Georgia's weaknesses.

Need Michigan to pull off a…

Need Michigan to pull off a win so that my UGA grad coworker doesn't get bragging rights.

What I don't get is why…

What I don't get is why Jordan Davis is getting mentioned for Heisman. He was nowhere to be found in the SECCG. If he gets an invite, I have very little faith. I think Bryce Young, Aidan Hutchinson, Will Anderson, CJ Stroud, and Kenny Pickett get the invites. Bryce Young wins, but Aidan should come in second.

Bret Bielema was on Hayden…

Bret Bielema was on Hayden Fry's co-champion 1990 Iowa squad and also won the B1G championship before the East/West re-alignment.  1990 was a four-way tie, though.  Gary Moeller was on Woody Hayes' 1961 winning squad and won 3 titles from 1990-92.  I won't go back further than that but you can see it's probably somewhat more common.

Agreed. At this point, the …

Agreed. At this point, the "Did we really need another thread?" complainers are worse than the actual threads.

Haters gonna hate. JH is the…

Haters gonna hate. JH is the first and only person with head coaching appearances in the playoffs of NFL and college football.