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Sounds…

[email protected]
 

Sounds fun! I’m in. 

And yes, I know Van Aert isn…

And yes, I know Van Aert isn’t necessarily a GC guy, but is still one of the best in the world. And probably my favorite. 

For those looking to catch…

For those looking to catch up on the state of pro cycling, I recommend the Netflix documentary Tour de France: Unchained

Season 1 released last year before the TDF, and covered the 2022 race. Season 2 should be coming out soon, and cover last years event. 

I really enjoyed the show, as it helped me get to know more teams and cyclists behind the scenes. Lots of drama (the good kind) in cycling at the moment due to the top 4-6 competitors in the sport being quite young and all capable of winning at the highest level. Until this year, 3 of them were on the same team(!), but as the OP stated, that is no longer the case. 

Love the dedication Rob!

I…

Love the dedication Rob!

I pretty much exclusively Zwift on my trainer (Wahoo Kickr) during the winter months. Not as impressive as braving the elements, but allows me to keep up my 50 miles per week goal. I think I’ve only missed it twice going back to last July.

Ride on!

Looks like Biff got out of…

Looks like Biff got out of our yard again! Bennie is a homebody, but Biff loves to roam wild and free. He usually wanders home after a few days since we spoil them with an exclusive diet of duck meat and ribeyes.

Sorry to highjack this…

Sorry to highjack this thread, but if anyone gets the Alumni Association magazine (Michigan Alumnus) and would be willing to part with their copy of the newest edition would you shoot me an email?

[email protected]

A picture of my family made it into the magazine, and I’d like to snag a couple extra copies.

I’m assuming most people end up recycling it once they’ve read it over, but maybe not this time since it’s the first one after the championship game. Worth a shot either way. 
 

Thanks! 

You can order a physical…

You can order a physical commemorative ticket from the title game as well. You enter your seat and section info, pay a little bit, and they’ll ship it to you. That’s how the Rose worked also. 

Just double checked this on…

Just double checked this on the ticket site:

All orders placed on or before Feb 15, 2024 will be shipped by Feb 29, 2024.  Orders placed between Feb 16, 2024 and Feb 29, 2024 will be shipped by March 15, 2024.

https://www.mden.com/product…

https://www.mden.com/product/Blakeway_University_of_Michigan_Football_2024_Rose_Bowl_Game_Champions_Standard_Framed_Panoramic_Picture?PIC2402+SEARCH

I bought this panorama from Blakeaway (company name is a nice coincidence), and then framed it myself. Captures the moment just as the players all stormed the field. When I was losing my mind in Section 1. Not exactly what you want, but it looks beautiful in my office.

On MDen it’s only available pre-framed, but I was able to get the print for $39 directly from the company, and then bought a nice frame from Amazon for around $30.

Edit: My apologies for the text formatting. No idea what happened there. 

They did the same thing for…

They did the same thing for the Rose Bowl. Here is the link in case anyone missed it. Only $12.

https://directfulfillment.wwlinc.com/PasadenaTOR/Orders/New

I’m guessing this was taken…

I’m guessing this was taken from the Goodyear blimp. They take this photo at the Rose Bowl every year, as of late. And it’s always glorious. 
 

You can purchase a framed version from MDen for a cool $350. 

Q's - Old Pasadena (Added…

Q's - Old Pasadena (Added for the Rose Bowl!) 99 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105

This is probably your best bet. Uber down to the area right after the parade clears out, or take the metro into Old Town from a few stops away. 

This Q’s is really close to the rose bowl shuttle pick-up, or a 1.8 mile walk to the stadium.

They added another watch…

They added another watch location in Old Pasadena. Here’s an updated link.

According to UMAA LA’s socials, Baja Sharkeez opens at 9am, Jalapeño Pete’s at 12pm. Q’s (Brentwood) at 11am, and Q’s (Pasadena) at around 10am (once the parade traffic thins out in front). Those events are free to attend, and will be going until the game is over. 

Did you see him running /…

Did you see him running / jumping around on the field after the post game interview last week? Dude is fine. 

He got up slightly hobbled after one carry in the second half. Looked totally fine after that. And after the game. Was he sore? Sure. But I’ll bet you he’s ready to roll today.  

Sorry for the thread semi…

Sorry for the thread semi-hijack, but I’ll be in Phoenix for work the week of the Purdue game. Any suggestions for where to watch there?

The main alumni bar is in Scottsdale I believe? But open to other suggestions. Thanks! 

Not anymore. In the 11 years…

Not anymore. In the 11 years I’ve lived in the PNW, we have had pretty great weather from June-September. It even gets too hot for my liking quite a bit. 

Winters are mid-40s and rain every day. Still beats, winter in A LOT of other places. 

This is the only answer…

This is the only answer. Rent a car, go to game, make it back in time for your flight. 

No chance I’d be in the state of Florida on NYE and not being going to that game. 

There is 0% chance of…

There is 0% chance of Michigan going to number 1, unless they drop Georgia to 4. The committee has a perfect setup to avoid the rematch until the final game, and they’ll take it almost certainly. 

True. He had a 9 yard TD run…

True. He had a 9 yard TD run against Indiana on opening day. It was his longest run of the year. The other 4 TDs are QB sneaks from the one yard line.

Same with Padilla.

If they get inside the one, watch for the sneak (obviously)! 

(No subject)

It’s going to require the…

It’s going to require the team to walk the line between letdown and playing tight. Yes there’s a risk of a letdown, but there’s also a risk of playing tight given the circumstances.

The pressure is on us, just like it was on OSU last week. Iowa can play like they have nothing to lose, because after all, they didn’t even expect to be here.

What gives me a lot confidence is our leadership. Hutch, Haskins, Cade, Vastardis, Hawkins, etc. Those guys feel like they can will this team to victory. I’m counting on it. 

We’re the road team. It…

We’re the road team. It rotates between the East and the West. 

This exactly. There were…

This exactly. There were lots of things about The Game that were pretty shocking (in a good way). At least they were to me. Which just goes to show you that shocking things can and do happen in CFB on a weekly basis.

Iowa beating us would be pretty shocking, but we only have to look back to 2016 to know it’s possible.

We’ve got to be able to run the ball at a decent clip. It seems Michigan made some tweaks to their running game for OSU that really paid off, especially in terms of converting short yardage and red zone trips.

I have to assume they’ll continue to use what worked last weekend, but Iowa will be able to scout it. It will come down to the line executing at a high level again, as well as Gattis calling a solid game. Certainly should be doable.

Thankfully Iowa’s offense is bad enough that we can probably afford a few mistakes, but I also expect them to pull out all the tricks they have available. They’ll be aggressive on 4th down, run some fakes, etc. If Michigan wants to win comfortably they’ll need to score in the 30s. 

I wouldn’t be surprised to…

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 10+ point spread in this game. Iowa looks horrible on paper, and they didn’t play OSU, MSU, or Michigan in the regular season. Their best win is PSU at home, and only because Clifford got knocked out. 

I see Michigan -10 and growing to -12 before kick. Simply too much momentum for the Wolverines in this one. Even if we play down for a half, Iowa doesn’t have the offensive personnel to take advantage. Famous last words I know. 

Yes, this exactly. That’s…

Yes, this exactly. That’s why the Bama miracle comeback is so grating. We really need to pull for Georgia now.

Although who am I kidding, if we beat Iowa I’ll be over the moon no matter the playoff opponent. 

Yes, this exactly. That’s…

Yes, this exactly. That’s why the Bama miracle comeback is so grating. We really need to pull for Georgia now.

Although who am I kidding, if we beat Iowa I’ll be over the moon no matter the playoff opponent. 

Yep, I was at that game in…

Yep, I was at that game in 2003 as a junior in high school. Sat in the student section (thanks to my cousin), rushed the field, made some memories that weekend. Cool story bro, I know. 

This game would be bigger than that because of how the rivalry has changed since then. In 2003, we knew we could hang with OSU. When I started at Michigan two years later in 2005, it still felt like real parity with OSU. Every year that game was close and had national implications. That was just expected.

Hell, I still have a tshirt from that 2003 game, which was the 100th meeting between the teams, with the series record on the back. 56-37-6 at the time. Sigh. 

2007 was for the Big Ten…

2007 was for the Big Ten title as well. But I don’t think we were ranked in the Top 5. Maybe around 10 or 12. 

Brian is not predicting a…

Brian is not predicting a Michigan win next week. My guess is OSU 47 Michigan 33 or something along those lines. 

I’ll be at the Oregon-Wazzu…

I’ll be at the Oregon-Wazzu game tonight! Making the drive down from PDX. My father-in-law is a huge duck fan, so I’m going with him.

As of now, looks like temps in the 50s with no rain, which is a minor miracle for this time of year in the PNW.

Go Blue!

You’re correct, but to have…

You’re correct, but to have equal amounts bet on each team you’d have to set a spread that seems at least somewhat predictive right? 

Even if you adjusted all Michigan’s spreads down by 3 points or so, it wouldn’t change these numbers much. It may make the toss up record look a bit better, but the underdog record even worse. Overall, the narrative (and reality) wouldn’t really change. 

You make a good point that…

You make a good point that consistently being favored reflects well on what Harbaugh has accomplished here.

He’s steadied the ship and gotten us back to Michigan’s historical baseline performance.

Regarding this season, I tend to agree with you. We’re currently 3-1 in toss up games with maybe 3 left to play (@PSU, OSU, Bowl). If we can manage to win 2 of those, it would almost certainly be Michigan’s most successful season under Harbaugh. 

That point about being an…

That point about being an underdog was a bit tongue in cheek. Captain obvious, I know. 

In reality, five games is too small a sample size  to say much about those games.

It would be interesting to know how often teams win as 7pt+ dogs across CFB. If I had to guess it’s maybe 10-15%?

You make some really good…

You make some really good points, especially in regards to point spreads being “self confirming” in a way.

It’s definitely not the perfect method to break it down, but my intent with this analysis was to remove/ignore the “feel” of wins/losses. Rather, I wanted to focus on more of an NFL “just win baby” perspective.

What winning percentage would be considered  successful by the fanbase when Michigan is favored? What about toss ups? And how often should Michigan win when they are a big dog?

I think Harbaugh’s percentage as a favorite is pretty solid. But the fact that 3 of those losses are to MSU makes it feel a lot worse.

Toss ups are another story. 40% isn’t going to cut it. It would probably have to be closer to 60%, and even then, people would still be grumpy if those extra wins weren’t against OSU.

The sample size as an underdog is too small to mean much IMO. 

The website I used for these…

The website I used for these numbers makes it easy to pull ATS data. Only thing I don’t like is that it limits the total output to 30 games for some reason. Here is the link:

https://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/database

Since my son was born a few…

Since my son was born a few years ago, I’ve tried to focus on being a better fan for him and now my daughter as well. When they’re old enough to understand it all, I want to be in a good place with my fandom. It’s a work in progress. 

Watch the games, cheer for the team, but don’t let wins/losses be the entire point. It’s ok to be disappointed with a loss, and also still be proud of what the young men did on the field. And at the end of the day it is just a game, played for our entertainment. Make it fun! Because if it’s not, then there are other ways we should spend our weekends.

That’s the mindset I’ve been trying to establish as a parent. And this season has been a lot of fun so far IMO. Finally beating Wisconsin on the road, taking down a Pac12 team in an incredible Maize Out, watching Haskins/Corum/Hutch do amazing things on a weekly basis. Hopefully there is more to come these next few months! 

If you’ve watched Oregon…

If you’ve watched Oregon play since beating OSU, that spread isn’t a surprise.

Oregon may play better this weekend and beat UCLA. But based on the last 2-3 weeks, I would expect ULCA to win by 7-10 points.

Reminds me of that NoDak fan…

Reminds me of that NoDak fan giving our player the bird after the EN goal in 2010/2011. Makes it that much sweeter!

Free upvotes if someone posts the photo!

If anyone thinks that our…

If anyone thinks that our first 3 games are predictive of success in the big ten, they haven’t been watching Michigan football the past 20 years. 

Sure, we could go 7-2 or 8-1 in conference. We could also go 5-4 and finish 3rd in the east yet again. Neither would be shocking at all, except maybe 8-1.

We’ve looked great so far this year. Just enjoy the ride and stop trying to predict what will happen next. 

6 teams in the Pac12 are 1-2…

6 teams in the Pac12 are 1-2 or worse. I know Oregon looked good last week, but that conference is butt.

By comparison, the 14-team B1G has only 3 such teams. Although Wisconsin could be #4 if they lose to ND next week. 

Thank you for sharing Brian…

Thank you for sharing Brian. We wish you all the best as you navigate this very difficult time in your life. 

Thank you also for your writing and for this blog, which has been the heart and soul of my Michigan connection since graduating in 2009. UofM, and my support of it, is so much more than sports, and I always felt like you understood that and expressed it in your writing.

I hope you are able to make it through this difficult time and find peace on the other side. I have little doubt you will. 

Who is Oregon’s QB? Do we…

Who is Oregon’s QB? Do we really see them as a playoff team, or are people just hoping they go into Columbus and win?

Dont get me wrong, I hope the Ducks beat OSU too, but it’s a long shot at best. Oregon was not a good team last year, and they have to replace a lot. 

I love almost anything FG…

I love almost anything FG does, and I just joined their new membership club this year.

They make excellent IPAs (both WC and hazy), lagers, and stouts. February is stout month for them, capped off by the Festival of Dark Arts on Presidents Day weekend. If you like dark beers, that’s the place to be.

Astoria itself is a great little beer town, located where the Columbia River meets the Pacific. FG, Buoy, Reach Break, etc breweries are all within a few blocks of each other. And don’t forget, it’s the home of the Goonies! 

My current list for Oregon…

My current list for Oregon would look something like this:

Fort George (Astoria) - everything

Great Notion (Portland) - everything

Ruse (Portland) - everything 

Wayfinder (Portland) - lagers

Breakside (Portland) - everything

DeGarde (Tillamook) - sours

Wolves & People (Newberg) - everything

Pfriem (Hood River) - everything

Crux (Bend) - everything 

Others good ones include: Upright, Ecliptic, Von Ebert, Ale Apothecary, Buoy, Double Mountain, and Pelican. There is also a great Modern Times in PDX, but it’s a SD brewery originally.

I guess he’ll be an…

I guess he’ll be an overrated Hall of Famer then. Not a bad way to go out IMO. 

Respectfully disagree with…

Respectfully disagree with much of this. Yes, he left for more money, but in all honesty it was in the Cards’ best interest to let him walk.

Any amount that would have been fair to Pujols would have been a huge drag on the team’s success, and he was on the down slope of his career. The Cardinals have never been that kind of franchise. 

I still think AP gets a statue, as does Molina. Both clear HOFers who won 2 rings.

Hope he signs a 1 year deal…

Hope he signs a 1 year deal with the Cards so he can retire in that jersey. He’s an all-timer and he’s obviously still beloved in St. Louis. 

He’ll have a statue in front of Busch sometime soon. 

I was in grad school in…

I was in grad school in Oregon and watched from my apartment. A few hours after the game, I booked a plane ticket for Minneapolis to catch the final. 

I ended up buying tickets off some disgruntled NoDak fans. We met at the Mall of America for the exchange. I was about 10 rows off the ice. 

The environment for the game was incredibly hostile towards Michigan. Between the NoDak fans who stuck around and the folks supporting the local UMD team, it was intense.

I'm glad I went, but it was certainly a devastating loss.

UCLA is an 11 seed, so them…

UCLA is an 11 seed, so them making the FF would not be all that rare or shocking. I think four or five 11 seeds have made it in the past 30 years, and historically 11s are more likely to make the FF than 10s, 9s, 7s and 6s. Hard to believe but it's true. 

That being said, only 2.9% of 11 seeds make the FF. I'm betting UCLA ends up in the other 93.1% tomorrow night. 

My FF is intact, so I’m…

My FF is intact, so I’m happy about that. Zags, Michigan, Baylor, and Houston. Unfortunately those are the only EE teams I got right. 

That being said, if all the favorites win the next two nights, I’ll be looking good to win my pool!