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Date Title Body
Don’t commit targeting in…

Don’t commit targeting in the second half.

Except, again, the policy…

Except, again, the policy contemplates what evidence can be used:

10.2.1 Exclusive Authority to Determine Whether Offensive Actions have Occurred. The Commissioner shall have the exclusive authority to determine whether an offensive action, as contemplated in Agreement 10.01 above, has been committed by anyone referenced in Agreement 10.1 above. In making this determination, the Commissioner may consider any evidence that he or she deems relevant. The Commissioner may accept any information provided by any source.

Repeatedly, the policy is clear and direct that the Commissioner has the sole discretion on this stuff. While I wouldn't fold either - this should be fully litigated - I insist that getting an injunction is not a slam dunk.

I agree 100%.  And I think…

I agree 100%.  And I think it is idiotic to try to push down this punishment ahead of a full investigation and due process.

Yet counterarguments exist and I'm worried the mgocommunity isn't fully appreciating them.  I don't think an injunction is guaranteed by any stretch. The Sportsmanship rule places the burden of maintaining the ideals of sporstmanship on the institution.  Did something happen that failed the ideals of sportsmanship?  I think that appears likely at this point.  So a punishment will likely eventually come, and it comes at the institutional level.  Suspending the head coach is one avenue to punish the institution.  What else are you going to do, suspend the whole team?  

Isn't there a first for…

Isn't there a first for everything though?  We all laughed about the "biggest scandal in the history of the Big Ten conference" line - but can we feasibly name a bigger situation that related to fair competition that came out in the middle of a season?  The situation is inherently unprecedented.

I mean, precisely this?  The…

I mean, precisely this?  The bylaws are pretty clear in the sportsmanship policy that the commissioner has the authority to determine if an offensive act was committed, and the associated penalty up to a 2 game suspension/$10,000 fine or more if approved by the committee.

In practice, Pettiti has the power to say Harbaugh farting at Big Ten Media days was unsportsmanlike and nail him for 2 games, per the bylaws.

It’s hard to differentiate…

It’s hard to differentiate facts from leaked speculation, but I thought some of the personnel recording sidelines of future opponents were Michigan Student Interns for the football team.

The allegation is ONE GUY…

The allegation is ONE GUY went to all of our opponents games and scouted them in person?

I can’t watch all of our opponents games at the same time from our couch, most are on the same day, at different times, all across the country.

Another benefit- Sparty is…

Another benefit- Sparty is up late tonight changing all of their signals 🤣

Nah, they’ll probably get…

Nah, they’ll probably get him for intent to deceive next.

I’ll see myself out.

Hey now, empty the benches,…

Hey now, empty the benches, and let the third string pummel ‘em too!  No reason to get starters injured in a game with the highest probability of cheap shots.

Spot on that Mel Tucker's…

Spot on that Mel Tucker's contract was the most little brother move of all time.  

Co-sign on the complete…

Co-sign on the complete mismanagement of stadium concessions.  My 5 year old son and I have been to all 5 home games thus far this season.  He has asked me to buy him popcorn during the 2nd quarter during all 5 games.  I have left my seat, and the game, to go get him his popcorn during the 2nd quarter of all 5 games.  

He has successfully gotten popcorn once.

Speaking of the cheerleaders…

Speaking of the cheerleaders, for the older folks… when did the cheerleaders stop lining up in the northwest corner, and having a competition to see who could “walk on their hands” across the north end zone to the northeast corner?

As a younger child I thought that was pretty cool, but I think it’s been a good 15-20 years since they did that.

I wish they would bring back the Victors Waltz at the end of the game after victories.

And ironically they didn’t…

And ironically they didn’t cut the lights at halftime!  The halftime show left me scratching my head… lights on, and the musical selection of Disney music while my young kids were at home, asleep.  Do Disney for a noon start!

In the same way that you can…

In the same way that you can’t talk about anything until Michigan beats Ohio State, I can’t talk about the stadium experience until they learn to use the $14M scoreboards effectively.  

  • letterboxed replays instead of full screen
  • replays are infrequent 
  • replays have awful camera angles
  • wrong stats are shown at the wrong time
  • top 25 scoreboard doesn’t provide the ranking 
  • too much time spent on games completed, not enough on active games
  • why not show a highlight or two on the video boards from other games around the country, particularly during media timeouts?
  • Somebody left a light on inside the jumbotron superstructure, which you could see through the loudspeaker facade. It was annoying.
Everyone complaining about…

Everyone complaining about the clock changes are disregarding that plays per game increased significantly from the 1980s to 2022.  The modern NFL game has less plays per game than the NCAA - are we going to grab the torch and pitchfork about the NFL rules too?

It’s no surprise the saved time is going to commercials, what did we expect, more time watching the marching band?  Or more talking heads?

And how did you feel when…

And how did you feel when the number of plays per game were rapidly increasing from the 1980s until 2022?  Or did you even notice?

If you carry back that…

If you carry back that analysis another 10+ years you’ll see the reason why they made the change.  The number of plays per game is up significantly from the 3 yards and a cloud of dust era.  Meanwhile; the number of games per season for a typical team has grown as well - from the 11 game seasons of the past to 12 today and up to 16 games for a national champion or runner up.

Also; if you compare the number of plays per game to the pro game, you’ll see the rule change will draw us closer to the pro game as well.

The goal is to right size the number of player exposures to potential injury (especially CTE/Concussions.

Passing Yards and Rushing…
  • Passing Yards and Rushing Yards should be displayed on the scoreboards continuously
  • The yellow background and blue font is too much
  • What makes wearing hats a Barbie day thing?  Did Barbie ever wear hats?
  • Sold out of many key concessions at halftime.  I’ve never been much for buying food at Michigan Stadium but took my 5 year old to the game and he was all about the snacks.
  • I think some of the outside the game entertainment is gimmicky.  On the field host, a bunch of competitions for random fans, etc.  I guess the longer TV timeouts start to necessitate this stuff but I miss the Saturdays of yesteryear that was all football, marching band, and celebrating other sports’ successes 
Seth repeatedly saying …

Seth repeatedly saying “Maryland” when he meant “Minnesota” is all I need to not fear the Gophers.  I live in downtown Minneapolis and there has been no buzz.  

I, for one, think MSU is a…

I, for one, think MSU is a fine rival.  There is passion and proximity amongst the fanbases.

However, we can’t ignore history.  The Big Ten should expand to 18 teams, and the “original Big Ten” division should contain the 9 teams that joined the conference prior to 1950.  The “everybody else” division should get all the Big Ten imposters and late comers.

With only 1 crossover game per year, I guess we will play them once a decade.  Too bad so sad.

I find the contraction at GM…

I find the contraction at GM, the tech companies, etc. absolutely fascinating.  The unemployment rate is astronomically low, and the labor participation rate is not recovering to pre-pandemic norms.  Demographical shifts mean we can expect labor shortages to remain.

So where do these firms expect to find their talent when they need them in the next 2-10 years?  They will be paying a big premium to poach people from elsewhere.

This is precisely why Warde…

This is precisely why Warde screwed up last year.  Michigan had Harbaugh over a barrel last year when the Vikings situation blew up and he was under contract to be underpaid by us.  We should have executed an extension and buyout last year when we had the leverage.

So a lot like a job…

So a lot like a job interview?

I also noticed some…

I also noticed some mechanics I didn’t like, as well as on the last DPI on TCU, did you notice the field judge was right there to make the call (but didn’t) and the flag came from across the field from the back judge?  I would love to hear what the FJ was thinking.

Not true in the SEC and not…

Not true in the SEC and not true in a CFP game.  This decision was made by the replay official in the booth in the stadium, in collaboration with the SEC instant replay command center in Birmingham, and in collaboration with national level, experienced officiating leadership. 

Ironically, there is a quote…

Ironically, there is a quote from Fielding Yost in the early 1900s after Michigan won because of a controversial call.  They asked Yost’s thoughts about the call after the game and he essentially said, years from now they’ll look back in the record books and it will say Michigan won.

Unfortunately, this still rings true.

We really can’t definitively…

We really can’t definitively say the wrong calls were made.  Based on the video angles available to us, it feels like the wrong decisions were made.  But we don’t have access to all of the video angles the booth has.  We don’t have the ability to sync multiple cameras like the booth has.  I don’t know if the other angles explain the calls that were made or not, but the potential exists.

Sorry, but this is true in…

Sorry, but this is true in the Big Ten but not for an SEC officiated game and especially not true for a college football playoff game.  The white hat referee on the field has the ability to view the play on the monitor, but it is the booth in the stadium, collaboratively with the SEC instant replay command center in Birmingham, AL, collaboratively with national officiating leaders (given it is a CFP game) making the decision. 
 

In the SEC, the purpose of the monitor on the field is so the white hat referee can more aptly describe the rationale for the replay decision to the head coaches.

The SEC has a published…

The SEC has a published conflict of interest policy.  This is not considered a conflict per the policy.

https://www.secsports.com/article/27493561/sec-conflict-interest-policy

This is true during the…

This is true during the regular season, but typically not true in the bowls.  The top bowls are typically comprised of the highest-graded officials at each position combined to make an “all-star” crew.  The Buckeye must have been evaluated as the best center judge of the SEC this year.

What's BS is the Big Ten is…

What's BS is the Big Ten is the only conference with one guaranteed bowl loss before they even play!  Ohio State should do the only reasonable thing and forfeit their CFP bid so the Big Ten can go undefeated.

I found this post…

I found this post disrespectful to Penn State.

We have the SEC's all star…

We have the SEC's all star officiating crew, I have confidence the officiating will be strong.

I try to refrain from…

I try to refrain from getting upset about the realities of supply and demand.  If you look at the website the day of the flight, it is very likely these flights will be sold out.  If they were flying half-empty planes at triple the cost, it would be more perplexing.

It will be interesting to…

It will be interesting to see how the recent issues at Southwest airlines might impact attendance.  For example, Dallas Love Field has a HEAVY Southwest presence.  I'd anticipate this to impact the TCU fan base a lot more than Michigan's.

After some reflection, I am…

After some reflection, I am at ease with this.  You simply can’t be injured for the two largest games of the teams season and expect to be in the heisman conversation.  It absolutely sucks for Blake, but if you think about Charles, Desmond, and Tom - they earned their heisman trophies (or at least sealed them) in their games against Ohio State.

  • Charles through the punt return, defensive mastery on David Boston, and his offensive performance.
  • Desmond via the punt return and his offensive performance.
  • Tom literally got a standing ovation in Columbus for his offensive performance.

 

With that said, I don’t like how all the finalists are quarterbacks.  I’d propose a rule change where at most two players from one position can travel to New York.  That way, even if 4 quarterbacks are at the top; only the top two go, and the other 2 slots are given to the next highest vote getters at other positions.

Any guesses on where the…

Any guesses on where the tickets will be located?

Perhaps.  Our the protection…

Perhaps.  Our the protection hired failed to adequately do their jobs.

Assume the identity comes…

Assume the identity comes out via FOIA in two years.

I agree, I think it is…

I agree, I think it is fairly clear that the Johnson catch was not a catch.  5 yards wasn't making a difference for Money Moody anyways.  

On the potential 4th down offside, I'd like to get upset with the official, but I can't get past how that wasn't caught for a touchdown.  Sign.

Michigan also could have easily been flagged for offside on a number of our kickoffs.  I was just waiting for it on that last one with 9 seconds left.  

So Iowa has a 50% (2 out of…

So Iowa has a 50% (2 out of 4) chance of winning the division?  

#YesIReallyWasThisBadAtStatisticsAtMichigan

#NoImNotSeriousHere

Worth noting that Michigan…

Worth noting that Michigan State can still reach a bowl at 5-7.  

This was my read as well. …

This was my read as well.  If I'm an Illinois fan, this isn't the hill I'd choose to die on.

Meanwhile, Witherspoon was early on nearly every throw that he defended.  I think some of those plays were much more black-and-white than the 4th down in the OP.

This is where the clear…

This is where the clear conflict of interest, with Commissioner Warren having his son play on the Michigan State team, matters.

Commissioner Warren:  Do what is right.  Including recognizing that the coaching staff at Michigan State do not set a good role model for your son and encourage his transfer to a non-Big Ten school.  

It seems like nobody is…

It seems like nobody is relating this back to the Kampfer/Conboy/Tropp incident, but it is one in the same.  MSU players intentionally trying to injure Michigan players and being total goons.  This has been going on for over a decade.

 

edit:  just as I posted this, Brian brings up Conboy, albeit briefly. I think this is a key point. 

The Scott Bell column in…

The Scott Bell column in 2006 will never be beaten.

Ugh.  On a Delta flight to…

Ugh.  On a Delta flight to India at that time.

Has anybody had success streaming a football game (BTN app or otherwise) on Delta's wifi?

 

The average review takes two…

The average review takes two minutes.

Next time there is a questionable call, grab a stop watch.  See how long it takes you to:

  1. Verbally state the rules relevant to the play under review
  2. Draw a conclusion on the part of the play under review
  3. Reach a consensus with 2-3 other people in the room
  4. Rewatch the play again, and confirm the down, distance, and clock
  5. Communicate the outcome to the fans

Is 120 seconds really that bad?

Prepare for MSU…
  1. Prepare for MSU aggressiveness on 4th down
  2. Prepare for flea flickers.
  3. Don't egregiously lose the turnover or penalty yardage battles