Considering the fact that Notre Dame football is coming off one of its worst seasons in school history, that Charlie Weis would have spent a lot of his offseason eating some humble pie (opposed to the regular kind of pies Charlie undoubtedly loves). For the most part, he has been. He brought in John Tenuta to help turn the defense around, and he's finally going to give up play-calling duties on offense and focus on the entire team and his players instead.
All smart moves. Still, Charlie has been getting the wrong kind of attention lately for things he's been saying on the banquet circuit, including some unfortunate remarks about other schools and the players they recruit.
His latest quote to garner attention has to do with rival Michigan, as can be seen in this video, in which Charlie says "To hell with Michigan."
Considering the Irish have lost to the Wolverines by a combined score of 85-21, I can understand where the frustration comes from. Though I'm not sure it's incredibly wise of Weis to give the Wolverines any locker room chalkboard material. I can guarantee you that Rich Rodriguez has been at a Kinko's in Ann Arbor all morning printing up signs featuring the quote to paste all over the locker room.
At the same time, if you are going to rip into Michigan, now is probably the time to do it. Considering that the Wolverines are probably going to have a down year as they lost their most of their key players from last season, and have to adjust to an entire new coaching staff and playbook, the Irish actually have a solid chance of beating them this season.
Okay, so I'd spent the last few weeks trying to convince myself that the Illini had a realistic shot at beating USC. I was doing a good job of it too, because the closer it got to gametime, the more I actually started to believe it.
Then about 5 minutes into the game, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen.
Let's be honest here, at the moment USC is probably the best team in the country. Before the season started everyone had them as the #1 team in the land, including myself, but thanks to a bunch of injuries the Trojans never fulfilled their expectations. The Trojans team the Illini lost to yesterday was the healthy version, and in case you couldn't tell, they're pretty good.
Also, if yesterday was the first time all season you watched the Illini, I promise you they aren't really that bad. I swear. There was absolutely no question about it, though, the Illini were completely outmanned and outclassed against USC.
As if the talent disparity wasn't enough, Illinois couldn't catch a break either.
Knock the hell out of a Trojan receiver and jar the ball loose? It only floats ten yards down field into the arms of Joe McKnight.
USC snaps the ball over their punter's head? He just picks it up and gets off a 45 yard punt anyway.
John David Booty overthrows Joe McKnight on a bubble screen? The ball just rolls and then bounces up into McKnight's arms and he scampers down the sideline for 65 yards.
Then when the Illini did move the ball down the field they would just shoot themselves in the foot with a turnover.
Still, despite the ass kicking the Illini received on Tuesday, there are still some positives that can be taken from this game. Now that Illinois has faced a great program like USC, they know how they stack up against the country's best. The problem with that though is it's now pretty apparent that Juice Williams may not be a very good quarterback.
Though it's hard to pin the blame all on Juice, as an offensive line that had been spectacular all season looked confused and hopeless against USC's front seven.
Obviously the star of the game for Illinois was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Rashard Mendenhall. Unfortunately, Rashard's huge day (17 carries, 155 yards, 1 touchdown) all but assures he's going to skip out on his senior season and enter the NFL draft where he'll be a first round pick. (Definitely still available at #14 where a certain team who needs help at running back will be.) I'm pretty scared as to what the loss of Mendenhall may do to an Illinois team that took such a huge step forward this season.
It's no secret that Rashard was the key to Illinois' offense all year, but the Rose Bowl only drove the point home emphatically. Mendenhall makes everybody else on that offense better because he's so good, and because he commands so much attention.
Without Rashard around next season, do you think defenses will live in fear of Juice?
But I don't want to dwell on the negative that comes from an embarrassing loss. This was still a very successful season for the Illini, one in which they exceeded everybody's expectations, including their own. They laid the groundwork for what hopefully will be a continuing trend of improvement in Champaign.
Of course, I thought the same thing after Illinois got to the Sugar Bowl in 2002, and the five years between then and yesterday's Rose Bowl weren't exactly much fun to watch. Foul Balls Lloyd Carr Should Have Retired Every Year - After four straight years of Michigan getting it's ass kicked in a bowl game, the Wolverines came out and surprised a lot of people by beating Florida in the Capital One Bowl.
Of course, the motivation came from the fact that it would be Lloyd Carr's last game as head coach in Ann Arbor before Rich Rodriguez takes over the program next week.
"It's extremely meaningful on a personal level," Carr said. "But the reason it's meaningful is because I can be in that locker room with the guys that did it. Our coaches put together a great game plan, our players executed. Of course, we were big so-called underdogs.
"To come up with that kind of effort and to find a way to win means that we have some memories that we're all going to be able to celebrate for years to come."
It's not very often you'll find me rooting for Michigan, or being grateful to Big Blue, but I'd like to thank them for yesterday's performance. With the way Illinois got pasted in the Rose Bowl, Indiana got worked by Oklahoma State, Wisconsin losing to Tennessee, and the fact that Ohio State will probably get killed by LSU, somebody in the Big Ten had to step up this bowl season.
So, thanks. I guess. Brian Urlacher's Back Is Fine - The last few weeks of the season for the Bears were frustrating for me to watch. Over their final two games they looked like the team that went to the Super Bowl last season, and I couldn't help but wonder where the hell they'd been all season.
It held especially true for Brian Urlacher. In December Brian played like the #54 we're all used to seeing, racking up sacks, making interceptions, and just flying all over the field from sideline to sideline. If nothing else, it made me optimistic that his back troubles were finally starting to heal, and that maybe in 2008 Brian will get back to his old form.
Well, I can't predict the future, but Brian wants everyone to know his back will be fine.
"My back got blown way out of proportion," Urlacher said Monday before leaving Halas Hall. "It's fine. I won't need any surgery.
"If you look at the way I played the last few weeks, obviously it got a little bit better as the season went on. Early on, I didn't make as many plays as I should have. It didn't have anything to do with my back. I just didn't play well. That's all there is to it."
Of course, even though his back may be better next season, there's no telling how the absence of Lance Briggs will affect Brian's play.
Monday mornings are usually reserved for Bears recaps, but since they don't play until tonight, I guess I'll have to write a "preview" of tonight's game. Here's my preview.
The Bears offense will struggle all night while the Bears defense gets carved up by Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor again.
Which, to be completely honest, would be 100% fine with me. There are a couple of reasons that tonight I'll be openly rooting against the Bears. I know. It's heresy, but it's true.
Okay, so I worded that a bit wrong. I'm not going to be rooting against the Bears but I won't be all that upset if Minnesota destroys them tonight. The Bears have nothing left to play for. They can't make the playoffs, so they may as well lose their last three games to get themselves a better draft pick. God knows they need it.
The second reason is purely selfish. (WARNING:FANTASY FOOTBALL DISCUSSION AHEAD)
You see, for most of you who play fantasy football this week marked the first round of the playoffs. I'm no different from you. Ever since 2001 my friend Bill and I have owned a team in a league, and though we made the playoffs our first two seasons, we haven't been back again until this season.
This year we finished with the best record in the league thanks to Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning. Well, we're down 22 points right now but there's still hope. Not only do we have Adrian Peterson going tonight, but we also started Chester Taylor and we have Bernard Berrian.
So I need the Vikings running attack to shred the Bears defense again tonight. Do you realize that the prize for first place in this league is $1,800? If we lose tonight, we basically get our money back with a little profit.
So as you can see, I'm going to be pretty emotionally involved in tonight's game.
And aside from all that, there's another reason to watch tonight. Kyle Orton is back, baby! The Neckbeard has returned to lead the Bears to the promised land!
Okay, so I'm not really excited about the fact that Kyle Orton is going to be starting tonight. I'm happy that Kyle is getting a chance instead of going with Brian Griese, but I don't think we're going to see anything in Orton tonight that's going to say "We have our quarterback!"
No, because Kyle is going to have to play behind the same offensive line that couldn't block for Grossman or Griese. He's going to have to hand the ball off to the same running backs that can't find any room to run behind this offensive line, and he's going to be throwing to the same receivers who have been dropping passes from quarterbacks all season.
Nothing is going to change tonight, except we'll all have more chances to compare Orton's neck to a vagina and spit out quotes from Knocked Up.
As far as what we'll see from the defense, I'm excited by the fact that Nathan Vasher is probably going to play tonight. I think his absence since the Cowboys game has been a huge loss for the Bears all season. It's meant more playing time for guys like Adam Archuleta and Danieal Manning, which is never good for anybody.
Granted, I don't think Vasher is going to come out in his first game back and shut down whoever he's covering, but his return will make things easier on the entire secondary and even the linebackers.
Of course, our secondary probably isn't going to have to cover many receivers tonight the way the Vikings run the football, but at least Vasher is a better tackler than our other corners.
That's another problem the Bears will face in tonight's matchup. When the Vikings won in Soldier Field earlier this season, they did it despite their quarterback Tarvares Jackson. The Vikings looked magnificent every time they handed the ball to Peterson, but when they asked Jackson to drop back and pass, it was comical.
He danced around for a few seconds before overthrowing his target by ten feet.
That's not going to be the case tonight as Jackson has started to mold himself into a real quarterback the last month. He's starting to develop a rapport with another youngster in Sidney Rice that makes me think this Vikings team isn't just hot right now, but that they may be legit for years to come.
So with that in mind, I'm calling this one for the Vikings tonight. 31-14.
Foul Balls
Michigan Has It's Man - Michigan has made itself another enemy. They were already hated by the state of Ohio, and now I'm pretty sure they're hated by the state of West Virginia as well. Not only did the school steal away John Beilein to be the head coach of their basketball team from WVU, but now they've decided to take away their football coach as well.
Michigan has hired West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez as its next football coach following a search that featured two other top prospects deciding to stay put.
"I am thrilled to have Rich Rodriguez as Michigan's new coach," athletic director Bill Martin wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Sunday. "Rich brings an exciting brand of football to Michigan Stadium. We welcome the entire Rodriguez family to Ann Arbor."
Rodriguez you may remember was nearly announced as Alabama's new head coach last winter before he changed his mind at the last minute and returned to West Virginia. Apparently this season he didn't love Morgantown nearly as much.
Now I'm not sure how long it's going to take for Rodriguez to implement the spread offense he used at West Virginia, but I do know it's going to take me some time to adjust to seeing Michigan run it.
After being turned down by Les Miles for the job, and interviewing guys like Brady Hoke, I don't think there's a better coach in the country that Michigan could have found to replace Lloyd Carr. A-Rod Isn't Talking To Scott Boras - Alex Rodriguez was interviewed by Katie Couric last night on 60 Minutes, and though they talked about a lot of different things, the comments I found the most interesting were Rodriguez's comments on his agent, Scott Boras.
The Yankees third baseman is extremely upset with the way Boras handled the initial decision to opt out of his contract with the Bombers. (...) When asked by Katie Couric to describe his relationship with Boras, who has advised A-Rod since he was 18, Rodriguez took a long pause, before Couric pressed him for an answer.
"The whole situation saddens me a little bit," Rodriguez said. "There hasn't been much back-and-forth talking."
When asked if he is speaking to Boras, Rodriguez said, "Not right now." He then was asked if that could change and he said, "We'll see."
So let me get this straight. When Boras was doing everything in his power to keep A-Rod's name in the spotlight all postseason, and then got Alex another huge deal, he was totally cool with it. Now that A-Rod has the contract and all the money, he no longer needs sports most hated agent. So he's dumping him and trying to pin all the negative PR on Boras.
Well played, sir. Well played. The Dolphins Won! - Although I'm actually upset by it because I wanted them to go 0-16, I guess I'll take a second here to congratulate the Miami Dolphins. They beat the Ravens in overtime yesterday, 22-16, to get their first win of the season.
They then celebrated like they'd just won the Super Bowl and World War II at the same time.
Some people have taken offense to it, but I mean, c'mon. They're the Dolphins. They're harmless. Let them have their fun.
I was really hoping an athlete would get shot or sent to jail yesterday besides Mike Vick. Not because I'm a bad person, but only because I was hoping for something to write about today.
It didn't happen though, and as a result I'm stuck with what I feared. Kyle Orton.
It's ironic that the announcement that Orton will be starting for the Bears next Monday is symbolically the end of their season, yet I can't escape writing about them. I was thinking of doing an entire post about the war that I hope is soon to be waged between the Cubs and White Sox over Fuck You Dome, but I just don't know enough about the Japanese import to fill enough space.
So here I am talking about a quarterback who won't matter on a team that doesn't matter. I know I lobbied for the Bears to start Orton, but don't confuse that with me thinking he's going to do anything with the job. I only felt it was time because I figured this week is when the Bears should finally start the evaluation process for the 2008 season.
The Bears have gone from having every Sunday be a playoff game to having every Sunday be a scrimmage.
Still, as expected, Orton is looking forward to finally getting another shot after sitting around for two years.
“I’m going to let my play speak for itself,” Orton said, “and I figure if I play well and win football games, it will be my job.”
Winning football games won't be anything new for Orton. He won 10 games as a starter in 2005 as the Bears made the playoffs. It's the playing well part that's going to be his challenge.
Even though the Bears won 10 games under Orton in 05, he didn't exactly have a great season. Kyle completed only 51% of his passes for 1,869 yards in 15 games. That includes his 9 touchdowns and 13 interceptions which led to a rating of 59.7. He was so beloved by Bears fans that the loudest ovation they gave all year was when Rex replaced him in that Sunday night game against Atlanta.
“I’ve changed as a player and as a person,” he said. “I’ve matured. I’ve been in the system now for three years. I feel very comfortable with it. I think everybody around me has been in the system for three years and feels more comfortable with it.”
The hope is that it's two years later now, and Kyle's no longer a rookie. Maybe the time sitting on the sidelines watching the game has helped him figure things out. Maybe he'll have a better understanding of defensive schemes and use it to his advantage.
Maybe the offensive line will all of a sudden turn into a NFL caliber unit.
Maybe.
Most likely, it will be maybe not.
Foul Balls Speaking Of Fuck You Dome - Kosuke Fukudome made it official yesterday, he's coming to America to play in the Majors. Fukudome has been a free agent for the last month, but up until now he had been considering staying in Japan.
Yesterday he informed his former team, the Chunichi Dragons, that that would not be the case.
"I won't be playing for a Japanese club next season, I'll play in the majors," Fukudome said. "I appreciate the fans who supported me for nine years. I hope that the fans continue to root for me when they see me playing in the United States."
There are three teams who have a clear interest in Fukudome right now. The Padres, Cubs, and White Sox. So with the way things have gone this winter, I doubt either one of those three will sign him. Somebody will come out of nowhere just like the Angels did with Torii Hunter and the Tigers did with Miguel Cabrera.
All I do know is that if the Cubs or White Sox do want to sign Fukudome, they're going to have to top San Diego's offer. The Padres are the only team who've made an official offer and according to team sources it's "one of the two or three biggest offers" in team history.
Michigan Can't Quit Les Miles -I linked to it in the High Five yesterday, and what a shocker it is. Brian Cook reported at MGoBlog yesterday that Michigan was still going after Les Miles, even after his latest contract extension at LSU, and now a day later the story is being picked up by the major news outlets.
Michigan's pursuit of LSU coach Les Miles is apparently not over -- despite the fact that Miles signed a contract extension with the Tigers last week.
Miles spoke Friday morning with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and university president Mary Sue Coleman, according to several people with knowledge of the call, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.
Miles new contract has the same buyout his last one did, and he can leave LSU for Michigan as long as he buys his way out of the contract for $1.25 million. Considering that Michigan is probably going to offer him at least $2.5 million a year to come to Ann Arbor, they'd probably be willing to pay his buy out as well.
It's either that or end up with somebody like Brady Hoke. Who? Exactly.
Wonder if they'd want to buy out Charlie Weis.... Arthur Blank Has Advice For Mike Vick - With last night's MNF game having the awesome timing of being in Atlanta the same day Mike Vick received his prison sentence, it gave ESPN something to talk about for four hours while a bad football game was played in the background.
It also gave the guys in the booth a chance to talk with Arthur Blank, who is willing to appear on anybody's television show at any time apparently, about what it would take for Mike Vick to make his way back to the NFL and possibly the Atlanta Falcons.
What the hell can I say about the Chicago Bears I haven't already complained about this season? Did anything happen in last night's 24-16 loss that surprised you?
It wasn't the first time you saw Rex Grossman limp off of a football field.
It wasn't the first time you saw a Bears running back run up his offensive line's ass and fall down.
It wasn't the first time you saw the Bears offensive line kill a drive by repeatedly committing false starts.
It wasn't the first time you saw somebody you never heard of look like a Pro Bowler against this Bears defense. (Collins to Yoder!?)
It wasn't the first time you saw the Bears defense allow a team to march right down field and score when they needed a stop.
The only thing that happened last night that we haven't seen before was Adam Archuleta made a play. He sniffed out a screen pass and made a tackle for negative yardage. Just for that, when I run into Archuleta on the street I'm going to fire a warning shot.
If there was anything good to be taken from the game last night it's that Ron Turner finally figured out that Devin Hester can run a slant as well, and that Garrett Wolfe has a use as a receiver out of the backfield.
Other than that, there isn't much positive to take into the rest of the season.
The Bears are done. They aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but since both Jessica Alba and I are alive, I'm not mathematically eliminated from ever having sex with her. It doesn't mean it's going to happen, though I like my chances better than the Bears right now.
It's also likely that Rex Grossman is done for the year, even if there isn't any ligament damage to his knee. What would be the point of bringing him back this season for the Bears? As of right now they're in a perfect position to sign Rex to a very cheap deal to compete for the quarterback job next season.
So the only logical choice the Bears can really make now is to give Kyle Orton the starting job. There's no point to starting Brian Griese because everybody knows he isn't the future of this team, and they already know what he can do.
Orton wasn't spectacular when he filled in for an injured Rex during his rookie season, but he did win 10 games as a starter. It's only fair that he be given another chance to lead this team. Is it likely that Orton will step in and become the franchise quarterback the Bears have long looked for?
No, but there's no harm in giving him a shot.
Thankfully the Bears have the next 10 days off, and we don't have to watch them until they face the Vikings on the 17th. Ahh, yes. Another game on national television so the entire country can see how horrible this team is yet again.
Foul Balls
Scott Skiles Always Listens To Me - Okay, so I doubt it's what I wrote yesterday that is what has Skiles considering it, but all that matters is he's considering it.
"It's always a possibility," coach Scott Skiles said. "That's the fine line you have to walk, especially when you start to develop a history with players.
"If you've seen players have struggles in the past and seen them work it out and not only work it out but come back and play very, very well, it makes you slow down on any action you want to take.
"But obviously, we're searching for wins right now. We can't ultimately be the team we want to be unless a whole bunch of guys are playing well at the same time."
And even though Hinrich doesn't want to be benched, he wouldn't be all that upset if he was.
"Um, I don't know," he said after the Bulls' short practice at a local college. "I can't tell you that. I don't know if that's going to wake me up. I don't feel like I'm sleepwalking out there. I just feel like I've been struggling. If it does happen, then whatever. I just want to win and play better."
Um, yeah so like, do it, Skiles. If you don't, then whatever, but if you do, then WHATever! Your Ridiculous Kenny Williams Quote of The Day - Okay, so I'm not going to rip on Kenny for the third straight day. Well, at least I wasn't planning on doing it today, but then Kenny had to go and open his mouth.
First Kenny was dealing with all the negative feelings people have about him, then he was mad about snitches, and now he's just lost his mind apparently. As Williams left Nashville and the winter meetings yesterday, he said something that I'm not sure he can actually believe.
Williams was asked about his feelings on the blockbuster deal the Tigers made that brought Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit. His response?
''All this has done is put the Tigers in a better position to contend with us.''
The Tigers needed to be in a better position to compete with us? Haven't they finished higher than us in the division the last two seasons? Shouldn't you be doing something to compete with them, Kenny?
Nobody Wants To Coach Michigan - I thought that as a head coach in college football, there were a few jobs you just can't say no to. If USC, Notre Dame, Texas, and Michigan call, don't you drop whatever you're doing and take the job?
Well first Les Miles scorned Big Blue when LSU came to him at the last minute and gave him a bunch of money to stay in Baton Rouge, and now another coach has used Michigan to get himself a raise.
You thought Greg Schiano was going to leave Rutgers to coach at Michigan? You were wrong!
Two days after flirting with the Michigan job, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has decided he will stay in New Jersey.
"I was contacted earlier this week about the Michigan coaching vacancy, but I have decided to remove my name from consideration," Schiano said in a statement released by the university Friday. "I look forward to our third straight bowl game and to bringing a national championship to Rutgers and the state of New Jersey. "I will have no further comment."
Think about this for a second. I know college football has changed a bit the last few years, but a guy just turned down Michigan so he could stay at Rutgers. That's fucked up.
As my sister is currently on an airplane heading towards Hawaii, I can't call her and tell her personally. Still, Megan, thank you for scheduling your wedding on Saturday so I didn't have to watch Notre Dame.
For the second straight year, I won't be able to watch the Notre Dame/Michigan game. This is incredibly painful for me. Last year it was due to the wedding of my cousin Keith. This year it's because of the wedding of my twin sister, Megan.
I thought there was a special bond between us, being twins and all, that would have kept my sister from scheduling her wedding for this day. I even told her last year at Keith's wedding, "Don't fucking have yours on Notre Dame/Michigan, or I'm not going."
I mean, her husband is a huge Notre Dame fan as well, how could he let this happen!?
The worst part of all this? Notre Dame might actually win on Saturday. That's right, win. A football game. Withthat offensive line.
Injured Michigan quarterback Chad Henne will not play against Notre Dame.
Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr did not provide a timetable for Henne's return, listing him Monday as week-to-week. The senior was knocked out of the second half of Saturday's 39-7 loss to Oregon.
That means freshman Ryan Mallet will be starting for Michigan, the same guy who went 6-for-17 for 49 yards in the second half against Oregon.
"We're going to win next week," Hart said. "There's no question in my mind. I guarantee we will win next week. I'm going to get this team ready. Guaranteed."
Keep in mind though, that Hart felt the exact same way about Appalachian State and Oregon.
Dropped Out: Auburn (#13), Boise State (#20), TCU (#21), Hawaii (#24).
Another week, and another shuffled ballot. Obviously the biggest story around here is Michigan losing again at home. The good news is that at least they faced a Division-I team this week.
Still, it's become apparent that this team is in some real trouble. They basically quit on themselves in the second half, and I'm not sure how they'll rebound next week. Fortunately for them, they'll be playing another bad team.
Yeah, Notre Dame lost again, but were you really expecting anything different? I already expressed my feelings on the Irish's biggest problem at FanHouse, but I am pleased with the play of Jimmy Clausen thus far. Still, I don't want to waste any more time in this post talking about teams that aren't even on my ballot.
So let's get to the teams that matter.
LSU - LSU looked fantastic on Saturday night. I was confident they'd beat Virginia Tech, but I didn't think they'd destroy them. I may have USC at #1 still, but LSU is more a 1a than a 2.
Virginia Tech - Speaking of VT, they also happen to fall the furthest in my ballot this week. I dropped them from #9 to #22 as Sean Glennon went out and confirmed my doubts about his ability to lead the Hokie offense. Granted, it was against what could be the best team in the country on the road, but the Hokies looked bad.
Oklahoma - After seeing the way they dismantled the Hurricanes, there was just no way I could keep them out of my top five this week. I can't wait for the Oklahoma/Texas game.
Penn State - I bumped the Nittany Lions up quite a bit this week. I know they haven't played much in ways of competition, but from what I've seen they're the best team in the Big Ten right now. Anthony Morelli hasn't convinced me of anything yet, but he hasn't made any huge mistakes either.
South Florida - I'm not really convinced they're a top 25 team yet, but anytime you can go into Auburn and beat the Tigers, I have to give you some props.
South Carolina - Spurrier might be on the verge of making the Gamecocks a real threat after all. Going into Georgia and beating the Bulldogs is a huge win for a program that's struggled against the SEC elite the last few years.
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Like many college football fans in the Midwest (well, not actual Michigan fans), I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Wolverines lose to Appalachian State this past weekend. It really helped take the sting out of Notre Dame's embarassing loss and the Illini's struggles with Missouri.
Well, at FanHouse John Radcliff will be doing a weekly feature in which he writes a song about the craziest thing that happened during a week of college football. See, and you thought all we bloggers could do was make sarcastic comments and dick jokes. Ha! You were wrong. We can also make saracastic comments and dick jokes but in song form!!
With the college football season just round the corner, Foul Balls has decided it's about time we busted out ourcollege football previews. Each weekday we will break down a team from the Big Ten Conference and tell you all the important things you need to know about them. After we're done covering the Big Ten, we'll move on to Notre Dame and other Chicago area schools. We'll be going from worst to first, and today we finish up the Big Ten with the Michigan Wolverines.
2006 Record - 11-2, 7-1 2nd Big Ten
2007 Projection - 11-1
Most Important Player - Michigan is easily the home of the Big Ten's best offense, and the man that makes the Wolverines offense go is Mike Hart. The Wolverines may try to disguise what they do, and they may have a good quarterback, but their formula is pretty simple. Run the ball, run the ball, and then run the ball one more time before killing the defense with the play-action. Hart isn't the biggest or fastest running back, but damn if he isn't dependable. He just never fumbles. He can go inside and get the tough yards, and he can bust outside for the big gain. Whatever Michigan needs him to do, he does. Don't be surprised if Hart improves on his 1,562 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He and this team are just that good.
Who to watch on offense - Aside from Hart carrying the ball, the Wolverines have plenty of other options on offense. Chad Henne is the classic dropback Michigan quarterback we're all familiar with, and he'll be entering his fourth year starting. After Hart does all the dirty work, Henne just has to throw the ball downfield into the arms of his waiting receiver and get the Wolverines six points. The guy he'll be throwing to most often is Mario Manningham, who blew up onto the scene with a monster game against Notre Dame last season. Manningham will be an All-American, but after him the Wolverines aren't as steady at receiver. The second spot on the depth chart was reserved for Adrian Arrington, but he's got himself some legal troubles and might not be on the team once the season starts. If he's not, the Wolverines don't have much experience behind him, though sometimes talent trumps experience, and Michigan has that in spades. Greg Mathews is a 6'3 speedster that could emerge as a big time threat to opponents.
Who to watch on defense - The Michigan defense has always been full of talent, but until last season they'd started to become kind of predictable. Then Ron English took over, and they got even meaner. A problem to worry about, though, is that the Wolverines gave up 74 points and 942 yards in their last two games of '06 after being dominant on defense all season. They're hoping Terrance Taylor could be that run-stuffer in the middle, but the other tackle spot is somewhat shaky. Tim Jamison emerged last season at end to get five sacks in limited duty, and now that he's a starter 10 sacks or more isn't out of the question. At linebacker Shawn Crable is the only returning starter, and his job is set in stone. The other two spots are still being decided, and although there isn't much experience, there's a ton of talent. One of the spots may end up going to Austin Panter, who's only the second juco transfer taken at Michigan under Lloyd Carr. The secondary was the unit that took the most heat last season, and with the loss of Leon Hall, it's not going to help things this season. In fact, the only player in the secondary who's job is safe is strong safety Jamar Adams.
Impact Freshmen - One of those open secondary spots may end up being taken by freshman Donovan Warren. Warren shocked So Cal when he chose Michigan over USC, but he probably did so knowing he could earn playing time right away in Ann Arbor. He's probably the best incoming corner to the school since Marlin Jackson, who ended up being a first round pick of the Indianapolis Colts.
Possible Upset - 9/22 vs. Penn State. This is another one of those possible upsets that I don't actually think is going to happen. It's just that the only game I see Michigan losing this season wouldn't be an upset. If Michigan beats Notre Dame the week before though, they'll have to be careful to avoid a let down game against the Nittany Lions.
Coaching - Lloyd Carr is eternally on the hot seat, but that's just the way it is at Michigan. It's a program whose ruling motto is "National Championship or Bust" and Carr hasn't won one of those in a while. Before last season, Carr made some necessary changes in his coaching staff, and they paid immediate dividends. Now if he can finally get past Ohio State, he may end up playing for another title.
Bowl Expectations - The Wolverines aren't going to play in a bowl game. Just kidding. They will, and it will probably be the Rose Bowl. I don't think they're going to go through the season undefeated and play for the National Championship. I have no real analytical reasoning for it, it's just the fact that Michigan always seems to lose an important game somewhere along the road. This season I think that loss will be their only tough road contest of the season. November 10th at Wisconsin.
Remember last Friday when I told you how Notre Dame had scheduled Oklahoma? Well, remember at the end of that when I threatened to do something if they didn't get Michigan back on the schedule?
It pays to complain!
In just the latest instance of empty threats getting me what I want, the Irish and Wolverines are going to be playing forever.
Michigan and Notre Dame, which played each other in football only twice from 1909 to 1977, agreed Monday to continue to play each other annually through 2031.
The schools were scheduled to meet each season through 2011. They agreed Monday to a 20-year contract extension.
Man, I'll be 51 years old when that contract ends. This is great news and everything, but it creates a new problem for me. I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do with this kidnapped leprechaun I've been keeping in my closet.
I sure as hell don't want to pay to send it back to Ireland, but I don't really want to feed it for the next 25 years either. Looks like I'll just have to put the little fella down.
There seriously must be an epidemic going on in Southern California.
It all started with Paris Hilton, then the virus spread to Lindsay Lohan, and just recently, Britney Spears.
When women go to Los Angeles, they leave their underwear at home.
It's a magnificent thing.
The latest to follow the trend appeared during yesterday's Rose Bowl.
The ABC cameras did a shot of the USC Song Girls when suddenly, this happened.
Afterward you could hear Kirk Herbstreit make a "hmmm." noise, as if he was already trying to figure out how to get a hold of her after the game.
This is why God invented TiVo. If it wasn't for TiVo, we would not have been able to rewind the game after seeing what we thought we saw. Then we wouldn't have been able to view the shot frame by delicious frame and take a picture of it with our digital camera.
We do this stuff for you, so you're welcome.
Oh, and USC beat Michigan 32-18 thanks to Dwayne Jarrett's 11 receptions 205 yards, and two touchdowns.
Considering the fact that Notre Dame football is coming off one of its worst seasons in school history, that Charlie Weis would have spent a lot of his offseason eating some humble pie (opposed to the regular kind of pies Charlie undoubtedly loves). For the most part, he has been. He brought in John Tenuta to help turn the defense around, and he's finally going to give up play-calling duties on offense and focus on the entire team and his players instead.
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