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Having a son who could earn…

Having a son who could earn a scholarship whether rich, a coach or just a lowly average parent in the world of college athletics, is what any parent would seek. 

 

He could help coach the…

He could help coach the Hornets in Charlotte. Jumpman  sold the franchise and winning now seems an afterthought in the NBA. Pretending to be successful by getting to the playoffs and trading contracts seems to be the primary interest.

The Hornets keep resigning the losingest head coach in the league to run their losing operation, kind of like the Pistons. 

They weren't just…

They weren't just lollygaggers. They were worse than that. I don't know what's worse in college basketball lollygagging, but it was way worse. 

This team is just horrid to…

This team is just horrid to watch. The coaching staff has fixed nothing since December. As a group, they do nothing well. 

Johnathan James McCarthy,…

Johnathan James McCarthy, not John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt -- an admittedly long handle even considering the children's song reference, becomes simply JJ not his last name, because it's easiest to recall. In the same way, that Denard Robinson isn't referred here by his last name because it's longer than Denard's two slyable first name. And not everyone calls him Shoelace. 

Any Tom, Dick or Harry could have played for Michigan but only Tom Brady did. I like Mike, but Hart is more descriptive of the guy we all remember with another one syllable last name as Michigan's all-time rusher and former RB coach. 

 

Well, this news is only…

Well, this news is only relevant because it sets the stage for a Manuel decision once Michigan is sent packing from the Big Ten tournament today and this forgotten season is properly buried. All that is left will be a flowery Juwan funeral. 

Welp, I guess it's time for…

Welp, I guess it's time for Day to change signals again before Buckeye Scoop claims Stalionesque cheating deal. Nope, too late for that. Karma! 

McNabb beat Michigan a week…

McNabb beat Michigan a week after the Wolverines dropped the 1998 opener to ND in South Bend. Tom Brady inauspiciously returned home with an interception ending his first drive.

Overall, it was a forgettable performance in which Drew Henson was subbed in the first half before Brady's later reentry. Neither played well in a 38-28 loss, a final score that looks better than the rout it actually was with Syracuse ahead at one point, 38-7.

Some 111,000 witnessed this game at the Big House and I was one of them. Syracuse with its fifth year senior qb dazzled and dizzied Michigan's defending national champion defense with an instant attack that McNabb launched with eight straight completions.

As a Heisman Trophy candidate, McNabb was stylistically different than JJ, more elusive, and more willing to run than throw when the opportunity arose but like him willing to take direction or improvise as the game required. Against Michigan, he was unstoppable that day. He ran circles around Michigan's pass rush and defenders who seemed incapable of getting a hand on him. 

On the day, McNabb was 21 for 27 passing for 233 yards and ran 19 times for 60 more including a 17-yard TD scamper with one shoe missing. By contrast, Brady was 13 of 24 for 108 yards. 

I saw Brady and Michigan lose to Illinois in a game that stung more than the Syracuse beatdown but which was more convincing than others I've watched. The outcome was never in doubt after Syracuse opening possession. 

We will appreciate the JJ legacy in a way that will resonate with the lavish praise Jim Harbaugh has heaped upon him as time goes by. He led his team to the most wins in school history in a single year and lost only once as a starter.

Brady was a junior when he opened 1998 in his first year as a starter. Like Brady, JJ was only a two-year starter at Michigan. Brady lost his first two games in the year following the other Michigan national championship in my lifetime. 

So, you're saying we have a…

So, you're saying we have a chance? I haven't felt the confidence our team did the last three years  it played them.

And its confident performance in that game is the only thing that matters. 

 The complaint centers on…

 The complaint centers on the fact that the SEC and ACC teams never play north of the Mason Dixon line -- ever. You can count on your fingers the number of times any Southern based football power has ever played outside its region even during warmer months in the fall.

This obviously includes bowl games which, of course, were launched with the Rose Bowl and with their growth have been mostly staged in Sunbelt states primarily aimed at promoting regional tourism. 

Even with conference realignment and expansion, schools have made it a point not to play games outside their regional footprint. Yet B1G teams have always played in the South. Non power 5 teams have been willing to travel for big game checks but not SEC or ACC teams. 

The guy who wrote them, Ian…

The guy who wrote them, Ian Fleming, was engaged in British Naval intelligence during WWII. Maybe explains POV of the stories. He wrote a dozen books and more short stories starting in 1953. All of the books showcase the era and Jamaican settings where Fleming's fictional James Bond thrived from the fifties to mid-sixties in print and film.

From Goldfinger, Dr. No, Thunderball (personal favorite because of Ursula Andres) Casino Royale (multiple versions), the stories always revealed cool spy gadgets, cars, techniques and narcissistic fascist villains. Not too far removed from today's politics.

Of course, none of the recent Bond films contain the same wit and best original actor who made the series worth repeat watching: Sean Connery.

To me, any play in the…

To me, any play in the regular season that propelled the team to an undefeated record was just as important as closeout and momentum-changing plays in the final four games in the run down of its national championship performance. 

So, for example Sanristil's picks which sealed the 1000th win against Maryland, are as big or bigger than Wilson's deflected catch which set up Corum's tying TD late in the fourth quarter in the Rose Bowl, if only because one leads to the other. They were just as the crucial if not more so runs by Edwards and Corum in the Penn State road victory. 

Every play mattered. And they were all big in terms of victory overall. But when they happened, some seemed more vital at the time than some may seem now in retrospect. 

During the season, as fans because of the way the season unfolded with so much political and legal extracurricular drama surrounding the team, I know I lost sight at times of how capable the players were and never lost faith in themselves or their teammates as they played each week. 

Their greatest achievement in my mind was the ability to check the noise blaring around them and concentrate on their winning mission without an emotional letdown. This was borne from complete trust and belief in each other and their ability to perform under pressure. They were magnificent -- every week. Undefeated. 15 and 0. The best Michigan team in my lifetime. 

He must have filed two weeks…

He must have filed two weeks ago and just waited to announce his intentions. The deadline for draft declaration was 1/15. 

Good luck Quinten. Thank you for all your contributions to the team and NC effort. 

During his press conference…

During his press conference today in LA, Jim didn't confirm the hiring of Minter or his son. Not that I don't expect that they won't be, he just didn't confirm it. 

And he did confirm Herbert's hire.

OK, it's not necessarily in…

OK, it's not necessarily in the pantheon of happy moments, but one of my favorites is when the coach flipped his clip board and papers after a motion penalty call against Michigan in the 2016 Ohio State game.

The calling official would later argue that he treated Harbaugh's outburst as a technical foul and felt justified in flagging Michigan for showing up the officiating crew.  

I just felt coach's frustration was completely justified at the way the game was officiated culminating in that display of emotion. Harbaugh was later fined by the league to the max so that he never repeated that behavior except in 2021 when he ran on the field during the first half of Michigan's victory over OSU  after a Buckeye player ripped the helmet off a Michigan player. That double-bird reaction was a real dirty bird response that helped highlight the first of a three-year revenge binge against the Buckeyes. 

Remarkably, this team tries…

Remarkably, this team tries hard, at least for a half. It can shoot and score, just not consistently enough in the second half to win primarily because it doesn't play defense, allows opponents multiple shots per possession by failing to control loose balls or handle the ball on offense. 

There is no way a team can win when it fails to offensive rebound, turn the ball over nearly 20 times a game and repeats the same mistakes game in and game out. 

Remarkably, there has been individual improvement from Tarris Reed and Terrance Reed this season. Reed has shown the ability to become an effective inside scorer when he catches the ball. Williams has shown himself to be willing to take the ball with the clock winding down and the big shot needs to be taken. Unfortunately, he's just not dynamic enough to carry off this role.

Dug McDaniel, on another team without academic considerations, would be a star even though he is a complete defensive liability and commits way too many silly turnovers. 

Overall, this team lacks floor coordination, has awful hands, cannot rebound, grab loose balls and doesn't play cohesively. It's a mess. And painful to watch. 

Against MSU, I figured Michigan bigs might control the boards with superior size and Sparty's reliance on a three-guard offense. And for a half, shooting 61 percent from the field, Michigan took a halftime lead like it mostly always does. Then reality set in and when Sparty turned up the defense, it was lights out, as usual.

 

The Jim Harbaugh Memorial…

The Jim Harbaugh Memorial Cheeseburger Collective. I will fund.raise for the collective tomorrow, for a cheeseburger today. 

 

Campbell proved last night…

Campbell proved last night what anyone has ever said about him: he is stubborn without remorse. And because he is, he set back the Lions timeline for a Super Bowl opportunity by at least another year but perhaps 50, going beyond his coaching tenure in Detroit. 

Eschewing field goals when they have meaningful consequence in the overall winning effort, doesn't mean that you are negating the opportunity to win. Sometimes a field goal is all you need. Losing by three emphasizes the point in a way that doesn't 

And the Lions could have kicked a tying field goal. And they still had a chance to tie at the end without needing another possession.

But Campbell for all his positive team self-belief, didn't actually believe in his defense to hold up. He didn't want to put it out on the field to stop a long game-winning SF drive, so instead he allowed them grab a 10 point, two possession lead.

He knew his team couldn't stop the 49ers in the second half.

And he was right. They couldn't. But he didn't give them the chance to win a potential tie game. 

San Francisco had simple motivation for its second half play. Score on every  possession. The Lions had to be more calculating. Score in any way to keep the lead. Campbell isn't calculating.

And he also wasted all his team's timeouts in the contest by the manner and context in which he failed to use them more properly. The game ended with Lions having timeouts left. 

Campbell's decision-making near the goal line was questionable. His team wasn't aggressive. It wanted to run the clock out. He had enough time to run the ball three times at the end of the half and still kick a field goal, which he grudgingly wound up agreeing to kick seemingly in spite of himself. 

This Lions loss was almost Shakespearean in prolonging the misery for the most loyal football fan base in the universe. Definitely Lionesque. After the game, Campbell said the obvious: He didn't regret any decisions and thought going for it on 4th down when the team wasn't converting on change-of-possession downs was still the right move. SF players afterward said they "bit him in the butt." The 49ers were lucky to win. 

Sometimes when you're on,…

Sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on! 

Lloyd had a 6-7 record…

Lloyd had a 6-7 record against Ohio State and started fast in winning three of his first four meetings against the Buckeyes just like his predecessor, Gary Moeller who finished with a 3-1-1 record. By contrast, Bo had a 11-9-1 career record against the Buckeyes from 1969-1989. 

Channing Stribling may be…

Channing Stribling may be listed on roster sheets as from Birmingham, Ala. because he played for the Birmingham Stallions.

But he is from Matthews, NC where he went to high school. I should know I live here and there is a shrine of records documenting his Michigan career along with Jamar Adams, another graduate from Butler High School in Matthews. 

Seriously, Ryan Day is going…

Seriously, Ryan Day is going to put someone else in charge of his offense? He couldn't do that last  season when he had supposedly the best wideouts in the country. Also, Jalen Milroe didn't exactly give O'Brien a sterling reference during Rose Bowl preparation. 

And I never heard any coach on the Alabama staff try to temper Milroe's complaint about O'Brien which seemed tinged as more than qb coach criticism of Milroe's quarterbacking skills. Ryan has to win one game next year and is loading up his roster and staff to meet the Michigan challenge. 

 

To me, Harbaugh's NFL future…

To me, Harbaugh's NFL future resides in LA. Pundits there are suggesting he might be offered a contract he couldn't refuse: $15 to $18 million per year over 5 years. Don't think his Michigan contract buyout will be a major hurdle. 

We'll see whether Chargers ownership is willing to pull the trigger. The fan base there is all in on Harbaugh and wants him over a list of others as their next coach and an actual decision appears to rest on completion of Rooney rule minority interviewing requirements and whatever contract stipulations Harbaugh might otherwise be seeking to coach there. 

The other roadblock for the Chargers in hiring Harbaugh is matching a new GM that he could deal with organizationally. 

I think a decision on his hire will be announced in a couple of days. If no deal is reached, I think he returns to Michigan. 

 

One Shining Moment has its…

One Shining Moment has its origin in Haslett, Michigan. Written and composed by David Barrett in 1986, CBS Sports was an unintended beneficiary of this championship anthem. It got the song independently from former Sports Illustrated writer and CBS sports reporter and contributor Armen Keteyian, a friend of Barrett's. It took Barrett less than an hour to compose it. 

Keteyian learned about the song while watching the 1985 NBA Finals with Barrett in New York City and without Barrett's knowledge urged CBS Sports to use it. Out of the blue back home in Michigan, the former high school basketball player who once scored 32 points in a game against Clarkston High thought it was a prank when CBS called expressing interest in his music. 

Originally planned for use during the 1986 Super Bowl between the NY Giants and Denver Broncos, the network opted not to use the song but made it clear it was still highly interested in it. Then adopted it as the crowning anthem for its March Madness coverage. The rest is history. 

I remember learning of the song's origin tale during a dinner in Ann Arbor with church friends who knew the musician and recalled him playing it for them at their home, just a few blocks from the Big House. So, the song is highly appropriate for any sport. Over time, the song has been recorded by three major artists, Jennifer Hudson and the late Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. 

Barrett, an Emmy award winner,  is now a highly accomplished musician and composer who has worked extensively as a folk song artist and a longtime collaborator with Art Garfunkle. He is also credited for musical work on a Woody Hayes PBS documentary. 

 

It is pointless to speak of…

It is pointless to speak of changing what we can't possibly change. WE can't alter what can't be altered. If he goes, he goes.

We've lived with the prospect of Harbaugh leaving for the NFL since his first double digit win season. He's had a bunch. 

The issue for us is stability and expectation of greatness. He's delivered that. If it's not in the cards to return JJ and company, then it's not in the cards to have Jim return. 

My hope is he realizes that returning to Michigan is more than a satisfactory career endeavor and that going to the not for long league always ends less well whenever that end comes. I want him back. If he goes, I'll wish him well. Then, we start over. And all our opponents rejoice. 

 

I think it's hard after you…

I think it's hard after you're engaged in an emotional journey to pull back after its over and feel satisfied about it.

There is desire to want to reclaim it, relive it, to keep wanting that loving feeling to never end. And, of course, life goes on. But there is peace.

And it goes along with a powerful emotional recognition of a memory nobody can deny, Michigan:  National Champions.

 

 

This looks like an end run…

This looks like an end run to make an example out of Harbaugh and Michigan. And Michigan needs to take a hard line and demand complete transparency in whatever penalties they are assessed in the pending case. 

You know the NCAA is going to demand no public response from the university or Harbaugh about their enforcement action. I want full transparency in whatever action is taken.

 

The head coach opening at…

The head coach opening at Alabama only impacts Michigan to the extent that any of its players decide to hit the portal and decide to leave over the next 30 days.

Not counting on that occurring though the Buckeyes appear to believe they are going to be the next logical move for a bunch of Alabama roster moves and that they are building a super team in the process. 

 

 

As always, well written, and…

As always, well written, and a delightfully solid read. 

If the sign-stealing issue is ever raised or pushed by the NCAA or Scarlet and Gray conference agenda promoters (and you can't trust the sunshine super puffers at BTN, especially Jerry DiNardo) I want to learn root and branch the whole story, so we learn the full tale of its origin and media nourishment. This has its roots in Columbus despite claims of Buckeye mouth breathers that it was an organic controversy. 

The Stalions saga will always make this season memorable and that perfect championship performance week in and week out one of the greatest achievements in Michigan and college football history. Never forget! 

I don't think it's a…

I don't think it's a coincidence that all evolutionary threads of the Michigan football program from the Schembechler era have been knotted under Harbaugh.

That was always apparent to me, a human connection of a motivational charge of those who stay will be champions and represented at Schembechler Hall. It's also based on the Harbaugh idea of extended family and a tangible example of  his truth not rhetoric.

So, from Fred Jackson to Denard, from Jansen to John Falk, the championship thread has been connected by the Harbaugh family devotion to the team, the team, the team.  

Michigan will be the toast…

Michigan will be the toast of college football next year depending on what happens this offseason to its roster and coach. Our first road game is a clash of Monday's national championship matchup and that is preceded by two monster eyeball contests with Texas and USC, both at home, before another regular season-ending showdown in Columbus. 

Most of the matchups will feature Michigan as the defending champion in the favorite role. Texas will be the No. 1 team going into the season. So, that game will be the preeminent game of the year depending on the rankings.

Ohio State's roster additions in recent days may put the Buckeyes at an early No. 2 but facing the pressure of beating Michigan or else to ensure Ryan Day's future whose team only has to play one of the new Pac 12 entries but must go to Penn State for a whiteout meeting. 

All of this is window dressing for a team that changed the complexion of college football and put it on an even larger stage as the most-watched team in the game. Talk about Mr. Brightside while having run down a national championship dream. The encore is going to be a doozy of a year. 

Well said. You captured the…

Well said. You captured the emotions of many. I grew up a Michigan fan from afar in New Jersey then got a chance to enjoy my fandom up close living in Ann Arbor for 10 years. I witnessed heartbreak of the Colorado Hail Mary loss in 1994, my first season in town, then experienced the renaissance of program glory in 1997 and a split national championship that always shortchanged the many contributors of that undefeated season.

I'll never forget Lloyd Carr telling his winning lockeroom, "You've just won the National Championship." But it was a split title, shared with Nebraska which we vanquished so thoroughly since Tom Osborne's last team shoehorned a share of our dream season atop the rankings. 

This year, we all looked forward to those who stayed coming back and following through with their pledge to finish their inconclusive postseason work.

WE had no doubts about their commitment to purpose but then the college football hating world sought to derail our glorious season. And they bullied the Big Ten commissioner to officially wreck it and treat our school and program like cow dung, suspending our coach on the flight to the biggest road game on our schedule for a sign-stealing crime it couldn't quantify, calculate or challenge beyond a rogue aide's alleged vast network of camera phone surveillance force of advance Michigan football analysts. 

Except our team didn't care. They heard the noise and blocked it out attacking the challenge like every other obstacle in their path to an unmistakable confirmation of commitment, a title without doubt, vanquishing everything in the process: National Champions - forever. 

 

Sometimes when you're on,…

Sometimes when you're on, you're really fucking on. And your friends sing along and are proud. Tonight is for greatness personified. Michigan conquered Everybody and lived to rejoice in that splendor of joy.

For Michigan fans everywhere from 1997 to now, you know how it feels to be the leaders and best, no doubts, no questions asked, just receipts from Team 144, that promised greatness and delivered it on its own terms in gratitude for team, the team, the team. We are what we thought we are, National Champions, because those who stayed made it happen. 

Sometimes when you're on,…

Sometimes when you're on, you're really FUCKING on! We were really fucking on tonight and it's FOREVER! National Champions. No questions. No doubt. No more bullshit about sign-stealing. 

We made Penix seem ordinary and Washington not even really want to play out the final snaps. Our guys are the very best. 15 and 0. Leaders and Best. Champions of the West and All of College Football!

Josh Wallace and the entire…

Josh Wallace and the entire secondary was great tonight. Mikey got a little handsy in the first half, didn't always trust himself. But Josh was always where he needed to be. That defense was so complementary. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant were outstanding.The whole D-line. 

Did you know that this defense gave up fewer points and yards to Washington than Alabama? True. The Huskies totaled 287 yards, 1 yard less than Alabama produced. 

 In the end, the defense…

 In the end, the defense forced Washington to quit. The Huskies were all done. They had nothing left. Michigan took the fight from them. Too much pressure, to many disguised blitzes and hits on Penix. 

 When is the Parade?

 When is the Parade?

Oh what a night! Glorius!…

Oh what a night! Glorius! Michigan conquered Everybody! Champions of the West and All of College Football! 

And sometimes it doesn't…

And sometimes it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks.

When you're team is on, it's really fucking on. And the people who share this feeling with you sing along and that love is unconditional. That is how I feel about tonight. That's why all the memories of past seasons, players and fans are wrapped up in this team. Our collective Mr. Brightside. This is our night. Go Blue! 

Excellent piece. WE know…

Excellent piece. WE know nobody's got It better than us as a fan base with the Harbaugh family coaching at Michigan. 

Whether this signals that…

Whether this signals that MacDonald will leave the Ravens and impact Minter's future as an NFL coach, I think he goes as part of a package with Harbaugh and Herbert. I think Jim Harbaugh is coaching his last game at Michigan, especially with a win tonight. I am hoping that doesn't happen. 

But I just think Michigan will be looking for new staff and an uncertain roster depending on tonight's   championship outcome. I hate even thinking that because I hate coaching changes whether they come after good times or bad ones. 

All this sounds like a…

All this sounds like a winning formula to me. 

Players were scouted and…

Players were scouted and listed in regional rankings by recruiting services which developed the star system of talent identification and star grading based on athletic ability in the 90's. 

Coaches obviously were recruiting high school players back in the day through a variety of means and methods but word of mouth frequently led the way, especially high school coaching contacts. Tom Brady recruited himself to Michigan by sending a highlight film of his high school play to a variety of schools including Michigan. His first choice of school was USC. And he wasn't considered a five star player out of high school.

Unlike Brady, Charles Woodson was a Parade All-American and a five star talent in an era when star ratings weren't the last word in player recognition. Woodson was also ranked as the best player in the state of Ohio/ 

I have a gameday program from Michigan's Nov. 22, 1997 matchup with Ohio State and yearbooks for most of its seasons from that year to now. The yearbooks I used to get were produced by the Wolverine before I became an Mgoblog subscriber. The Wolverine used Rivals as its recruiting partner in publication and would document players in the Top 100 nationally. 

Curiously, from a 2006 listing of the top 100 seniors in the nation, Jimmy Clausen was listed as the No. 1 ranked player. He, of course, played at Notre Dame and enjoyed a brief pro career. Michigan's top talent senior signing was No. 27 on the list, Ryan Mallett, from Texarkana Texas. Another was Michigan recruit Donovan Warren, No. 52 on the list. Both Mallett and Warren were rated 5-star players. 

Among current active NFL players who were listed as top seniors in 2006 were current Giants backup qb Tyrod Taylor, a Va. Tech recruit, and longtime defensive line stalwart Cameron Heyward of the New Orlean Saints, from Suwanee, Ga. 

 

What complete and utter…

What complete and utter horeshit. Our mantra remains: Michigan vs. Everybody. We only count on Wolverines!

Roman's vlogs rock!

Roman's vlogs rock!

Michigan haters want this…

Michigan haters want this scandal to strip the achievements of our team this season. They could care less whether the college footballl world's response to the sterile Stalions allegations was an extreme overreaction or that it gave Michigan any measurable advantage at all let alone a projected 21-point edge per game while according to Big Ten officials jeopardizing player safety in the process. 

If this issue is going to be investigated and consequences administered beyond what Michigan has already been subjected to based on preliminary review, then let the heavens fall.

Because the only real penalty that will have any meaning is denying Michigan a national championship after the fact. And we get to play for that accomplishment --which, believe me, will never escape anyone's memory regardless of any pending NCAA threat, like some forgotten unpaid college tuition debt.

Michigan just played in the most watched college football game of our lifetime and bullied in the trenches an all-time coach and opponent . Michigan drives college football. Let the rest of them eat cake. 

But if it has to be, I DO want to know who started this. How it became a thing and how our rivals launched a coup to try and ruin an all-time Michigan record season. 

Stalions hiring people to stand up with phone cameras and drawing meaningful intelligence from such an undisciplined amateur operation seems to me to be one of the dumbest ways to gain a competitive edge.

Hiring the former linebacker coach of a team you are about to play and who could give you way more direct understanding of opponent information than any sophisticated sign-stealing scheme seems the way to go.

So that's what Nick Saban did. And nobody thought anything of it, just like reaction to Big Ten coaches allegedly providing TCU with sign-stealing reports gathered a year ago as Michigan was about to play the Horned Frogs in a semi-final matchup.

This isn't over. And Michigan can't forget how it was treated with total disrespect by the conference and its members. Michigan against Everybody is what it is.

 

 

I have been really impressed…

I have been really impressed with Washington this season, a fun team to watch. I've seen them play against any number of Pac 12 opponents and demonstrate exactly why they are undefeated. 

Their receivers are all dynamic pass catchers led by a highly accurate passer in Mike Penix who can make all the throws and put the ball where and when needed absolutely when required. He can also escape pressure and make plays running. Washington will be a tough out. 

The Huakies are used to playing close games and coming out on top every time. The only surprising outcome was their matchup with Arizona State, a trap home game immediately following a huge home win over Oregon, perhaps the most entertaining non-Michigan game of the year for me. 

This was a huge letdown game in which a completely outmanned Sun Devil team hung with the Huskies through much of the second half before finally giving up a go-ahead TD drive after ASU appeared on the verge of cementing an upset win with some unexpected sustained drives led by their running game.  

But every time Washington seemed on the brink this season, Penix would bring his team back. Their backfield is led by a dynamic Oline and Dillon Johnson, an outstanding running back.

He looked to be in severe pain and in need of help coming to the sideline Monday night against Texas late in that contest. And Michigan will catch a huge break if he is unable to go this Monday night. I wouldn't count on it. He'll play if he can walk. And we are unlikely to learn of his condition until gametime.

I have been unimpressed with Washington's defense which plays a deep bend but mostly unbreakable style of defense. Michigan should have success running the ball but will have to thoroughly mix in the passing game to make it able to respond to the Husky offense,  

Washington defense is led by a dynamic edge rusher and is a team loaded with veteran players. The Huskies have more 6-year players than Michigan and average about 4 to 5 year in college game experience among the lion share of their starters. So, what they make up in overall talent, they account for in play experience even if Michigan is more talented on both sides of the ball.  

 

My interest level in this…

My interest level in this transfer is about as high as the likelihood Fleming will impact Michigan's schedule next year.

Hope he balls out against the Buckeyes in Happy Valley next October. Since Michigan will play two of this year's CFP entrants in addition to Oregon, USC and Ohio State next season, not caring too much what Penn State does.

Playoff games and Super…

Playoff games and Super Bowls are typically laxly reffed. Players and teams can get away with obvious calls because the officials are trying to limit their role in the outcome of any game. 

Curiously, the back judge flagged Michigan for a first half Max Bredeson pancake block with the play still in progress for unnecessary roughness when the umpire had a clearer look at the play and let it go. There were other instances of unnecessary roughness in the game after that which were never called. 

The only fouls that Alabama was penalized for were illegal procedure or false starts. 

We are headed for a national…

We are headed for a national championship matchup next Monday with either Washington or Texas but an assured 2024 rematch with both. Talk about playing a difficult schedule.