If Hoke is really such a good hire that it was worth all of the poor management of the coaching evaluation/firing/change, then he should be able to produce at least what one would've expected from Rodriguez, right? Thus, 9 regular seasons wins, no excuses.
I always cheer for the military schools when the opponent holds no place in my heart. Also, "ugh" to more Sun Belt refs. Further "ugh" to the general concept of this commentary team, though at least they have not suggested switching to the NFL's ridiculous challenge/replay system.
Any of them open for a scholarship? Being fictitous might hold back their Rivals rating, but having the strength of Asgardian gods would make for good D-linemen.
If this does pull through with Leach being the new coach there, that'd be great. Insightful though his commentary was at times, he's fair more suited to being coach. Slot ninja pirate turtles, anyone?
Verne Lunquist lost his right to have a voice on football matters with "Is it an incomplete pass?" remark during last year's Arkansas @ Florida match (after the Arkansas receiver ran with the ball for quite some distance before fumbling near the end zone), and Gary Danielson is Gary Danielson.
Sean McD has a speach pattern similar to a revving vacuum ("hERe coMES FOrciER!"), and Matt Millen is Matt Millen (plus he went off for like half the Sparty @ Iowa match about how great Dantonio is).
Brent Musberger spends as much time pimping MNF or telling us how college rules are different from NFL rules as he does actually doing play-by-play. Kirk Herbstreit is alright, but the annoyance of Musberger trumps him.
Craig James seems to have a family tradition of helping a Texas school get into trouble once per generation (yes, I know he wasn't technically one of the paid ponies) and just generally sounds like more of a conceited ass than most color commentators, so any crew with him is an instant failure. That's a shame, too, since Jesse Palmer is on par with Herbstreit. Rece Davis is the tofu of play-by-play: completely bland and unworthy of notice, for good or for ill.
Beyond this point, the rest of the commentary crews sort of blend together, but Pam Ward is Craig James with more make-up, Andre Ware is Craig James without the glassy eyes, Bob Davie is Craig James with less hair pigments, and that other woman on ESPN3 (I think) is Pam Ward's clone. Everyone else is so forgettable that I'd prefer the Lunquist/Danielson team, who can at least provide comedy and high blood pressure.
Tebow won the Heisman on a 4 loss (I think) team, pretty much purely for his 20/20 touchdowns accomplishment. If Alabama is able to hold down Newton's production or the NCAA investigation publicly turns up some evidence against him, and if Denard has a big day against OSU, and if the 2000/1500 accomplishment gets some more attention in the media....
I mean, seriously, there's some major Heisman karma due for Gino Torreta.
A year earlier, the Nittany Lions stopped him on a critical fourth-and-1 situation near midfield late in a 13-6 victory over the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium. That remains the only home loss for Pryor as a starter.
Was Pryor not the starter for their home loss to USC last year?
I don't think Rich Rodriguez is saying that real fans of the program will never say anything negative. He's saying that you shouldn't go ranting off the deep end, saying this is the worst team in Michigan history, the season's over already, the coaches all suck and should be fired, etc.
A person can be negative. A person can be critical. Being one does not require being the other. Take, for instance, Brian's views on Vincent Smith getting a lot of the playing time at halfback. He doesn't said that Smith is an awful little twig who plays like Mike Hart and Chris Perry, only slower and smaller and fumblier. He says Smith is a pretty solid player but not a threat to make more out a play than what's there, whereas Shaw and Hopkins and (when he's healthy) Toussaint are capable of turning a typical play into a big gain.
I'm not familiar with how accurate FoxSports' news on college football usually is (though I want to give them some benefit of the doubt since their NFL news is almost always spot on, from what I've seen), so I can't get completely behind an "anonymous source" story, especially since UM just finished washing off the mud from the Freep.
That having been said, though, the fact that this is a completely different issue from the "buy his enrollment" thing does start raising some questions, especially combined with the laptop thing that is an official strike against him. I did not care too much about the first mention of cheating (2nd paragraph) since it doesn't go into any degree of detail, so it could've been something like asking to copy a little busywork problem set that he'd forgotten to do. I'll admit that I got mixed up in something like that once when I was in college, and the department head basically said, "We know this happens, and it doesn't matter much, but we have to make a stink over the obvious cases to discourage it. Just don't do it again, okay?"
However, the second and third instances are much more serious, in my eyes. I don't know if they would have any impact on his eligibility at Auburn (I'm guessing they would not since they happened at another school), but if it does end up being true that he did those, it'll be a pretty ugly mark against him.
Again, I don't know if these charges, being at another school, would have any effect on his student-athlete status at Auburn, but it might make the Heisman voters hesitant to vote for him. They'll certainly invite him to the ceremony if he's eligible, but having just gone through the Reggie Bush scandal, they might prefer to pick a winner that doesn't have any tarnish on his character. You know, that Denard Robinson kid seems to be putting up hefty numbers, is nice as a sleeping kitten, and has been nothing but a sterling ambassador for his school....
I've been a steadyfast supporter of Rich Rodriguez since day 1 (well, actually, since before, because I got into liking him during his WVU time, but whatever *laughs* ). The work that he does in support of the college kids and community beyond (whether that's helping Brock Mealer get set up with Barwis's rehab, keeping his players out if they seem to have a concussion no matter the game situation, etc.) is simply great, and the patience and dedication he's shown despite all of the vitrol from the media and some fans has been beyond what I would think the average person would be capable of. Oh, yeah, and he's generally pretty good about getting wins, too. Hopefully, he'll be roaming the sidelines for Michigan for another 20-40 years (hey, who says JoePa's the only guy allowed to keep coaching past 80, right?).
I got up shouting in front of my TV when I saw the block, and I was salivating for the replay. Teamwork at its finest.
And regarding the helmet-to-helmet-ness: Simmons led with the shoulder into the Illinois player's shoulder/upper chest area. The natural momentum of the players after the initial contact carried the helmet sides/facemasks into contact. This is largely unavoidable and clearly not intentional headhunting. "Bad" helmet-to-helmet is leading with the crown, facing down (see Merriweather hit on Heap from Ravens/Patroits a couple of weeks ago). This was a case similar to the hit on Favre in the Vikings/Patroits match, where the intended hit was clean and the rest was just physics. It might be nice if Simmons aimed a little lower in the future, but there's nothing wrong with what he did there.
Great win for the team. Right now, it doesn't matter that there were 65 points given up. All that matters is that they stopped those 2 at the end. Everyone left their hearts on the field, and I love them for it. Congrats, enjoy it, you guys definitely deserved to get a win.
I should've known right away that trying to read this at work without laughing would be an exercise in futility. In fact, I did know it. Still, that did nothing to stop me from coming back over and over. Thanks for ruining my productivity today *laughs*
Purdue and PSU are pretty good at making opponents look good, but Illinois deserves some credit for stepping up their play as well. They're definitely the toughest of the next 3 opponents.
You don't need any transitive law twisting to say that. The proof's in the damn pudding on the field. Rich Rod's offense accentuates the strengths of dual threat quarterbacks. Bill Stewart tries to make Pat White and Jarret Brown focus on passing, then tells Geno Smith to run zone reads. It'd be hilariously ridiculous if I wasn't a WVU fan in support of my best friend being from WV.
I'm a little disappointed, though. Tuning in at 8:06 EST, and Boise hasn't scored yet. Nevermind that the game just started *laughs*
Side note, the commentary team has already earned a half dozen facepalms from me in about 2 minutes. I know it's just Tuesday night football, ESPN, but can you not do better than "He's a coach's player; not a player's coach, but a coach's player."
Perhaps Kelly's trying to create a golden new rivalry? All I expect is that one team's fans will feel like they just had a golden shower, and regardless of who wins, a loud portion of ND fans will be upset.
I agree that Utah should be a more impressive win for TCU than any of MSU's wins have been. I also think that MSU would lose in a match against any of the current unbeatens. However, I also think a lot of people will say that Utah's success is a product of their schedule (best win is...Pitt in OT?). Now, on the flip side, if Utah beats TCU, they should also go ahead of MSU.
The big thing with all of that, though, is that the voters have to do what's right instead of sticking with the ol' boys' club mentality. Wisconson was ranked behind OSU going into this past weekend despite having the head-to-head win and an identical record (plus a win over OSU with a loss to MSU is probably a better resume than a win over Miami with a loss to Wisconson). Popular perception is that a Big 10 schedule + Notre Dame is a tougher than a MWC schedule + Oregon State or Pitt (for Utah), which in turn is probably about equal (again, in the popular perception) to a WAC schedule + Oregon State and Virginia Tech.
Gah, hopefully Iowa steps up and puts a fork in all this. Go Hawkeyes! *laughs*
Repeating the same storyline ceaselessly throughout a match
Mentioning OSU to make Kirk happy
Complaining about NFL rules
Pointing out the differences in college and NFL rules
Telling the viewers not to go away because it's going to be an exciting match
Anything else?
At least it's better than Verne and GD on CBS showing a complete ignorance of rules and sound strategy (though, what do you expect from a former Lions QB and Mr. "Was it an incomplete pass?"). Somehow, the Matt Millen and Sean McD pairing has probably become my favorite for college football, because Millen's comments are dumb enough to be funny without being stupidly annoying.
Tate moved the ball pretty well during his time against BGSU and Iowa. Yes, the offense isn't at the same level that it has with Denard, but it's still pretty good. On the flip side, Shavodrick Beaver is far and away a cooler name than Kevin Newsome. It's no Wonderful Terrific-Monds or Sid Sixkiller, but definitely a good name to have nonetheless.
Granted, once Denard makes us go "DENAAAAAAAAAAARD~!" again for the next five weeks and two years, Beaver's decommit will definitely be better.
LSU vs Florida in 2007, the Les Miles 4th down extravaganza
LSU vs Florida in 2010, where Les Miles proved that he still doesn't believe in field goals
OSU vs USC in 2009, because that's one of the most delicious bits of schaudenfreude I can recall (OSU vs Penn State when Pryor cried is a close trailer)
So, wait, seriously? He has some struggles in his first season, maybe the team drops a game or two that they could have won, and they want him gone? As if ND is in any position at all to fall backwards into a 12-0 season? And they also think that they can run the guy out of town after his first year and find someone better who'll actually want to take that kind of a job? Are the people who think this way dumb or just stupid?
Not that that's particularly surprising, given some of the genius content that comes out of the internet at times, but seriously? Man alive, I wonder if they can even remember the start of a sentence by the time they finish it.
Good to see the team keep fighting despite being down 21 and losing Denard to an injury. This was a very different feeling after a critical mistake (Smith's fumble) than the Illinois goal line stand last year.
Defense seems to be improving (having the enigmatic one at MLB instead of a nice but indecisive statue is probably a part of why). If nothing else, the defense overall looked better than OSU did today, which isn't something I thought I could say honestly this year.
Punt teams look much better. Hagerup could be past his jitters, and the punt return team never gave me a heart attack.
Hopkins looked pretty damn good. I wouldn't mind seeing him alongside Shaw or Toussaint in two-back sets instead of Smith. Maybe even in more single-back sets, though I didn't pay attention to how Hopkins did on passing plays. Nothing against Smith, but Hopkins's size gives an added dimension to the offense, and Shaw and Toussaint (if he can ever get healthy) both have more speed.
As much as the loss sucks, Michigan did look to be pretty clearly the fourth or fifth best team in the Big 10 (depending on whether Wisconson continues to look like they did against Sparty or against OSU). Pending any major surprises, 8-4 is a very realistic record. That's +3 wins compared to last year, which is a big improvement. I know that 8 wins is a bit disappointing for most Michigan teams, but considering the situation that the team was in just two years ago, that's a pretty solid improvement. I had been saying since January 2008 that it would take Rich Rod a few years to really get things put together on both sides of the ball because of all the talent leaving in addition to the total system overhaul, with either 2010 or 2011 being when he can really start to challenge for conference titles. Things look to be right about on schedule.
Multiple tipped pass completions? Sack-strip in Florida's own end zone turning into a positive run and a face mask penalty? QB run touchdown on a play where whoever was supposed to come out for a play-action pass forgot? Supposed Heisman candidate muffs a punt? Oh, yes, this is definitely a Les Miles gameplan...
Recent Comments
My top 5 current coaches would be Joe Pa, Frank Beamer, Bob Stoops, Pat Fitzgerald, and Chris Petersen.
If Hoke is really such a good hire that it was worth all of the poor management of the coaching evaluation/firing/change, then he should be able to produce at least what one would've expected from Rodriguez, right? Thus, 9 regular seasons wins, no excuses.
I always cheer for the military schools when the opponent holds no place in my heart. Also, "ugh" to more Sun Belt refs. Further "ugh" to the general concept of this commentary team, though at least they have not suggested switching to the NFL's ridiculous challenge/replay system.
Any of them open for a scholarship? Being fictitous might hold back their Rivals rating, but having the strength of Asgardian gods would make for good D-linemen.
If this does pull through with Leach being the new coach there, that'd be great. Insightful though his commentary was at times, he's fair more suited to being coach. Slot ninja pirate turtles, anyone?
Seriously, look at the alternatives:
Verne Lunquist lost his right to have a voice on football matters with "Is it an incomplete pass?" remark during last year's Arkansas @ Florida match (after the Arkansas receiver ran with the ball for quite some distance before fumbling near the end zone), and Gary Danielson is Gary Danielson.
Sean McD has a speach pattern similar to a revving vacuum ("hERe coMES FOrciER!"), and Matt Millen is Matt Millen (plus he went off for like half the Sparty @ Iowa match about how great Dantonio is).
Brent Musberger spends as much time pimping MNF or telling us how college rules are different from NFL rules as he does actually doing play-by-play. Kirk Herbstreit is alright, but the annoyance of Musberger trumps him.
Craig James seems to have a family tradition of helping a Texas school get into trouble once per generation (yes, I know he wasn't technically one of the paid ponies) and just generally sounds like more of a conceited ass than most color commentators, so any crew with him is an instant failure. That's a shame, too, since Jesse Palmer is on par with Herbstreit. Rece Davis is the tofu of play-by-play: completely bland and unworthy of notice, for good or for ill.
Beyond this point, the rest of the commentary crews sort of blend together, but Pam Ward is Craig James with more make-up, Andre Ware is Craig James without the glassy eyes, Bob Davie is Craig James with less hair pigments, and that other woman on ESPN3 (I think) is Pam Ward's clone. Everyone else is so forgettable that I'd prefer the Lunquist/Danielson team, who can at least provide comedy and high blood pressure.
Also, I would've gone with "They may take our GERG, but they'll never take our SHOELACE!"
Tebow won the Heisman on a 4 loss (I think) team, pretty much purely for his 20/20 touchdowns accomplishment. If Alabama is able to hold down Newton's production or the NCAA investigation publicly turns up some evidence against him, and if Denard has a big day against OSU, and if the 2000/1500 accomplishment gets some more attention in the media....
I mean, seriously, there's some major Heisman karma due for Gino Torreta.
Dead or alive, you're gonna get sacked. *laughs*
Great work!
Was Pryor not the starter for their home loss to USC last year?
I don't think Rich Rodriguez is saying that real fans of the program will never say anything negative. He's saying that you shouldn't go ranting off the deep end, saying this is the worst team in Michigan history, the season's over already, the coaches all suck and should be fired, etc.
A person can be negative. A person can be critical. Being one does not require being the other. Take, for instance, Brian's views on Vincent Smith getting a lot of the playing time at halfback. He doesn't said that Smith is an awful little twig who plays like Mike Hart and Chris Perry, only slower and smaller and fumblier. He says Smith is a pretty solid player but not a threat to make more out a play than what's there, whereas Shaw and Hopkins and (when he's healthy) Toussaint are capable of turning a typical play into a big gain.
I'm not familiar with how accurate FoxSports' news on college football usually is (though I want to give them some benefit of the doubt since their NFL news is almost always spot on, from what I've seen), so I can't get completely behind an "anonymous source" story, especially since UM just finished washing off the mud from the Freep.
That having been said, though, the fact that this is a completely different issue from the "buy his enrollment" thing does start raising some questions, especially combined with the laptop thing that is an official strike against him. I did not care too much about the first mention of cheating (2nd paragraph) since it doesn't go into any degree of detail, so it could've been something like asking to copy a little busywork problem set that he'd forgotten to do. I'll admit that I got mixed up in something like that once when I was in college, and the department head basically said, "We know this happens, and it doesn't matter much, but we have to make a stink over the obvious cases to discourage it. Just don't do it again, okay?"
However, the second and third instances are much more serious, in my eyes. I don't know if they would have any impact on his eligibility at Auburn (I'm guessing they would not since they happened at another school), but if it does end up being true that he did those, it'll be a pretty ugly mark against him.
Again, I don't know if these charges, being at another school, would have any effect on his student-athlete status at Auburn, but it might make the Heisman voters hesitant to vote for him. They'll certainly invite him to the ceremony if he's eligible, but having just gone through the Reggie Bush scandal, they might prefer to pick a winner that doesn't have any tarnish on his character. You know, that Denard Robinson kid seems to be putting up hefty numbers, is nice as a sleeping kitten, and has been nothing but a sterling ambassador for his school....
Just because that's his long doesn't mean he was accurate ; )
Seriously, though, great to hear that the team's enjoying the win but without losing focus on how important it is to win again this weekend.
14-0 next year ; )
Just when you thought you couldn't find more entertainment in the annals of Les Miles....
I've been a steadyfast supporter of Rich Rodriguez since day 1 (well, actually, since before, because I got into liking him during his WVU time, but whatever *laughs* ). The work that he does in support of the college kids and community beyond (whether that's helping Brock Mealer get set up with Barwis's rehab, keeping his players out if they seem to have a concussion no matter the game situation, etc.) is simply great, and the patience and dedication he's shown despite all of the vitrol from the media and some fans has been beyond what I would think the average person would be capable of. Oh, yeah, and he's generally pretty good about getting wins, too. Hopefully, he'll be roaming the sidelines for Michigan for another 20-40 years (hey, who says JoePa's the only guy allowed to keep coaching past 80, right?).
I got up shouting in front of my TV when I saw the block, and I was salivating for the replay. Teamwork at its finest.
And regarding the helmet-to-helmet-ness: Simmons led with the shoulder into the Illinois player's shoulder/upper chest area. The natural momentum of the players after the initial contact carried the helmet sides/facemasks into contact. This is largely unavoidable and clearly not intentional headhunting. "Bad" helmet-to-helmet is leading with the crown, facing down (see Merriweather hit on Heap from Ravens/Patroits a couple of weeks ago). This was a case similar to the hit on Favre in the Vikings/Patroits match, where the intended hit was clean and the rest was just physics. It might be nice if Simmons aimed a little lower in the future, but there's nothing wrong with what he did there.
They paid 100s of dollars, so maybe they think that entitles them to a home game experience without any UNACCEPTABLE content?
Great win for the team. Right now, it doesn't matter that there were 65 points given up. All that matters is that they stopped those 2 at the end. Everyone left their hearts on the field, and I love them for it. Congrats, enjoy it, you guys definitely deserved to get a win.
Wooooooooooooooooooooo!
You win. Everything.
What's this about Cam Newton attacking Denard? I must've missed that. Please elaborate.
I should've known right away that trying to read this at work without laughing would be an exercise in futility. In fact, I did know it. Still, that did nothing to stop me from coming back over and over. Thanks for ruining my productivity today *laughs*
Purdue and PSU are pretty good at making opponents look good, but Illinois deserves some credit for stepping up their play as well. They're definitely the toughest of the next 3 opponents.
You don't need any transitive law twisting to say that. The proof's in the damn pudding on the field. Rich Rod's offense accentuates the strengths of dual threat quarterbacks. Bill Stewart tries to make Pat White and Jarret Brown focus on passing, then tells Geno Smith to run zone reads. It'd be hilariously ridiculous if I wasn't a WVU fan in support of my best friend being from WV.
Also, I guess I was the only one thinking this thread was announcing the purchase of a pet rock *laughs*
I'm a little disappointed, though. Tuning in at 8:06 EST, and Boise hasn't scored yet. Nevermind that the game just started *laughs*
Side note, the commentary team has already earned a half dozen facepalms from me in about 2 minutes. I know it's just Tuesday night football, ESPN, but can you not do better than "He's a coach's player; not a player's coach, but a coach's player."
I know I'd put Tolzien on that list over Pryor. Maybe he just didn't catch enough touchdowns against baby seals to impress people, though.
Notre Dame = Golden dome helmets
Tulsa = Golden Hurricane nickname
Perhaps Kelly's trying to create a golden new rivalry? All I expect is that one team's fans will feel like they just had a golden shower, and regardless of who wins, a loud portion of ND fans will be upset.
Undisciplined commenting after articles is UNACCEPTABLE!! Where are the family values?!
/s
I agree that Utah should be a more impressive win for TCU than any of MSU's wins have been. I also think that MSU would lose in a match against any of the current unbeatens. However, I also think a lot of people will say that Utah's success is a product of their schedule (best win is...Pitt in OT?). Now, on the flip side, if Utah beats TCU, they should also go ahead of MSU.
The big thing with all of that, though, is that the voters have to do what's right instead of sticking with the ol' boys' club mentality. Wisconson was ranked behind OSU going into this past weekend despite having the head-to-head win and an identical record (plus a win over OSU with a loss to MSU is probably a better resume than a win over Miami with a loss to Wisconson). Popular perception is that a Big 10 schedule + Notre Dame is a tougher than a MWC schedule + Oregon State or Pitt (for Utah), which in turn is probably about equal (again, in the popular perception) to a WAC schedule + Oregon State and Virginia Tech.
Gah, hopefully Iowa steps up and puts a fork in all this. Go Hawkeyes! *laughs*
Strength of schedule would get MSU into the MNC match if all three are undefeated. Look at their top opponents:
MSU: Wisconson, Iowa, Michigan
BSU: Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Nevada
TCU: Oregon State, Utah, Air Force
TCU would be the one getting left out if all three go unbeaten, especially with their loss to BSU in last year's Fiesta Bowl.
More likely is a reverse-2004 (IIRC) Auburnizing, where unbeaten Auburn plays unbeaten Oregon or BSU and unbeaten MSU is left to cry about it.
Repeating the same storyline ceaselessly throughout a match
Mentioning OSU to make Kirk happy
Complaining about NFL rules
Pointing out the differences in college and NFL rules
Telling the viewers not to go away because it's going to be an exciting match
Anything else?
At least it's better than Verne and GD on CBS showing a complete ignorance of rules and sound strategy (though, what do you expect from a former Lions QB and Mr. "Was it an incomplete pass?"). Somehow, the Matt Millen and Sean McD pairing has probably become my favorite for college football, because Millen's comments are dumb enough to be funny without being stupidly annoying.
Tate moved the ball pretty well during his time against BGSU and Iowa. Yes, the offense isn't at the same level that it has with Denard, but it's still pretty good. On the flip side, Shavodrick Beaver is far and away a cooler name than Kevin Newsome. It's no Wonderful Terrific-Monds or Sid Sixkiller, but definitely a good name to have nonetheless.
Granted, once Denard makes us go "DENAAAAAAAAAAARD~!" again for the next five weeks and two years, Beaver's decommit will definitely be better.
LSU vs Florida in 2007, the Les Miles 4th down extravaganza
LSU vs Florida in 2010, where Les Miles proved that he still doesn't believe in field goals
OSU vs USC in 2009, because that's one of the most delicious bits of schaudenfreude I can recall (OSU vs Penn State when Pryor cried is a close trailer)
So, wait, seriously? He has some struggles in his first season, maybe the team drops a game or two that they could have won, and they want him gone? As if ND is in any position at all to fall backwards into a 12-0 season? And they also think that they can run the guy out of town after his first year and find someone better who'll actually want to take that kind of a job? Are the people who think this way dumb or just stupid?
Not that that's particularly surprising, given some of the genius content that comes out of the internet at times, but seriously? Man alive, I wonder if they can even remember the start of a sentence by the time they finish it.
It would be cool to see him at Minny, though I would like to see Michigan's secondary get a bit more solid first.
Good to see the team keep fighting despite being down 21 and losing Denard to an injury. This was a very different feeling after a critical mistake (Smith's fumble) than the Illinois goal line stand last year.
Defense seems to be improving (having the enigmatic one at MLB instead of a nice but indecisive statue is probably a part of why). If nothing else, the defense overall looked better than OSU did today, which isn't something I thought I could say honestly this year.
Punt teams look much better. Hagerup could be past his jitters, and the punt return team never gave me a heart attack.
Hopkins looked pretty damn good. I wouldn't mind seeing him alongside Shaw or Toussaint in two-back sets instead of Smith. Maybe even in more single-back sets, though I didn't pay attention to how Hopkins did on passing plays. Nothing against Smith, but Hopkins's size gives an added dimension to the offense, and Shaw and Toussaint (if he can ever get healthy) both have more speed.
As much as the loss sucks, Michigan did look to be pretty clearly the fourth or fifth best team in the Big 10 (depending on whether Wisconson continues to look like they did against Sparty or against OSU). Pending any major surprises, 8-4 is a very realistic record. That's +3 wins compared to last year, which is a big improvement. I know that 8 wins is a bit disappointing for most Michigan teams, but considering the situation that the team was in just two years ago, that's a pretty solid improvement. I had been saying since January 2008 that it would take Rich Rod a few years to really get things put together on both sides of the ball because of all the talent leaving in addition to the total system overhaul, with either 2010 or 2011 being when he can really start to challenge for conference titles. Things look to be right about on schedule.
Multiple tipped pass completions? Sack-strip in Florida's own end zone turning into a positive run and a face mask penalty? QB run touchdown on a play where whoever was supposed to come out for a play-action pass forgot? Supposed Heisman candidate muffs a punt? Oh, yes, this is definitely a Les Miles gameplan...