Due to the not-overwhelming-but-still-pleasant response from last week’s Bruce Willis montage, I figured I would try this week to both recap the season so far in UM football, plus this past week’s prominent games, with one of America’s most storied thespians.  Please feel free to comment away on the quality in the, um, well, comments section.

The Season So Far, or as I like to call it, the 6+1 Degrees of Kevin Bacon Recap

After two disheartening seasons, the talk at the end of last season was that Rich Rodriguez needed to start winning or else it would be the

for him in Ann Arbor. Reports during the offseason pointed to the offense making strides even while the defense suffered from a lack of depth and a dearth of talent at key positions. All was relatively quiet until

could be felt emanating miles away in a nondescript building in Detroit. This rumbling was caused by the furious digging of one misguided newspaper’s attempt to generate headlines (and relevance) by “exposing” the deep-rooted NCAA violations going on in Schembechler Hall. RR was characterized as a criminal guilty of

for what amounted to a couple of extra hours of stretching and some tangential football personnel watching unofficial practices and weight sessions. Undaunted by reality, pundits and reporters across the various media streams let loose with a flood of chest-thumping and invectives about the “transgressions” going on under RR,

with false accusations and fears of the

being handed down by the NCAA. The Internet’s reaction was, perhaps unsurprisingly, split, with some treating these accusations as gospel while others accused the media of being actors in a conspiracy that would make the

investigations seem like child’s play.

But as we all remember, not much came of it. Despite the accusations and rabid media treatment, the truth ultimately came out, leaving everyone with the impression that the author of the “expose” was just a

, and soon the focus turned to RR

with Denard Robinson as the starting QB.  Perhaps not surprisingly, the message boards and radio stations were a veritable

of individuals questioning the wisdom in this move. But on a

day in the beginning of September, Robinson and the rest of the Wolverines cast aside the tumultuous

and blasted Connecticut. Next came Notre Dame and another epic performance by Robinson, as the sporting world began to wonder if he was UM’s

.

And as the team raced out to a 5-0 start despite games that would leave no fans

there was a sense that this season would not be the like the two previous, that UM was back as a national power. 

Unfortunately, the last two games have tempered these expectations, as it became clear that this team, gutted by injuries, transfers, and other player departures, was lacking in

especially on the defensive side of the ball. The pundits and opposing fans, so quiet during the 5-0 start, are back out in full force, questioning whether RR will ever be able to win at UM.  From their high horses,

apparently so clear that even the smell of hypocrisy cannot reach them, they have already begun the countdown to RR’s demise, even with nearly 1/2 a season to still be played.

And yes,

for this team is probably somewhere between the 5-0 start and the 2-game losing streak.

But in

this season is already a success. With youth dominating both sides of the ball, UM still features one of the most dynamic offenses in the country and a defense that, well, only sometimes drives me to nearly jump into a

.

Every Saturday so far

is filled with an optimism, a sense of possibility that was missing the past two years.  It is the air UM fans used to take for granted, and even though this season probably won’t ever by confused with some of the

seasons of years past, it is hard not to see a bright future for this team no matter how much of a UM-hating

you may be.

This Week’s Games

It was a weekend of upsets,highlighted by the third #1 team in a row to fall to a ranked opponent. This time, the Oklahoma Sooners were knocked off by one of the

in the Big 12, Missouri. With yet another #1 falling, it begs the question how the BCS will shake out at the end of the year, especially with non-AQ teams like Boise St. and TCU

beneath an invisible glass ceiling by the BCS computers and pollsters [Ed-M: Not to mention a schedule that's not...how shall we say...

]

* Coming off a 3-game win streak and winds in South Bend once again filled with a

of a Return to Glory, spirits were high at Notre Dame as they welcomed the Midshipmen of Navy. 367 yards on the ground and a thoroughly dominating 35-17 win by Navy a couple of hours later, the college football world was reminded that anyone trumpeting the reemergence of the Domers as a national power was simply

.

* Other major upsets this weekend included

at two former stops for Greg “touch of GERG” Robinson as Iowa State besting Texas for the first time (!!) in team history, while a Scott Schafer-led Syracuse defense (!!!) held West Virginia to 14 points in a stunning 19-14 win.  As with politics, I will leave the

discussion about the team’s defensive performance to others.

* In other games of note, both Iowa and LSU suffered from

at the coaching position, as questionable coaching decisions by the Mad Hatter and Kirk Ferentz late in their games may have cost them wins against Wisconsin and Auburn, respectively. Senator Tressel went

against Purdue after last week’s demoralizing loss to the Badgers, drubbing the Boilermakers 49-0.  The only disappointment was that the Vest didn’t break out this routine on the sidelines late in the game.  Hey, hey! What's this I see? I thought this was a party. LET'S DANCE!

Media

Mark Dantonio and Michigan State continued their unlikely run toward a Big 10 title and MNC berth (!!!!) as they rallied late against Northwestern, who blew the upset even though the Spartans once down 17 points.  With only Iowa likely standing between MSU and a perfect season, I will now fill my body with

lest I be subjected to even more Sparty gloating.

* To no one’s surprise, the first game in which the Minnesota Golden Gophers were

after the dismissal of Tim Brewster ended rather badly, with Penn State earning its first Big 10 win rather handily despite being outgained by 80 yards. Perhaps a eccentric former Texas Tech coach will be walking the sidelines next year, though in that case I would like to see a name change to the Golden

.