Posse Incitatus

Sympathy for the Fraud Five

The advent of warm weather has kept me far away from the computer – there is simply too much to do at the ranch.

However, I cannot let an article as perfect as this go by without comment:

Jalen Rose not 'bitter' over Michigan president's stance toward basketball era

What makes this article so beautiful is Rose’s utter lack of self-awareness.  He seems blissfully ignorant of the shame his actions and those of his teammates brought upon the University of Michigan, or why the university president may not want to celebrate his dubious “achievements.”

Rose was of course part of the “Fab Five,” a group of corrupt freshman basketball players who made it to the NCAA finals before losing at the last second to Duke.

Thus they failed to win either a conference or national title, but are still venerated in Ann Arbor because they wore baggy shorts.

The comments on the article are full of the usual sturm und drang, but once again I note that no one has fully addressed the real problem of the Fraud Five – that we do not know how far their corruption extended.

U-M “booster” and criminal mastermind Ed Martin died before the investigation was complete and many of his secrets died with him.  Martin was able to lavish money on the athletes thanks to the profits from his gambling operation and it is this element that Skunk Bear faithful never want to address.

You see, since Martin depended on profits from his gambling to pay the players, it would be a simple thing for one of them to shave a point here or there, or even offer a tip that a “sure thing” was not as sure as it looked.  One could even make money on the over-under or fail to make the spread on a blowout.  In short, there are lots of ways to “fix” a game short of throwing it.

I have no specific information, but it seems inconceivable to me that at some point one or more of these players did not try to compensate their benefactor by shaving a few points or otherwise boosting his haul from a bet.

Needless to say, none of the athletes would ever admit to this even now, as the damage to their reputation would be catastrophic.  Pete Rose remains banned from baseball for gambling and were it to emerge that any of the games of that era were even slightly influenced, a similar ban would likely be put in place, barring the Fraud Five not only from their alma mater, but also professional basketball as well.

The problem is that once one bears the taint of wrongdoing, no one is sure where it ends.

Jalen Rose has little credibility – and his teammates wisely are leaving the issue dormant.

Still, there is a case to be made for U-M restoring its squalid banners to the rafters of Crisler Arena.  After all, the Skunk Bears continue to tout themselves as the “winningest football program ever,” despite the fact that several of their early teams consisted entirely of non-student hirelings.

 A win is a win, and one could argue that the Wolverines would at least be consistent.

Reality strikes in Ann Arbor - Plus NCAA gets a clue

It is a rare thing for the Skunk Bear fan base to come to terms with reality before it actually smacks them in the face – even then, it doesn’t always happen. However this article takes a remarkably clear-sighted look at their upcoming season.

In the process – by dwelling on the fact that there are six road games rather than four, and they are against ranked opponents rather than sacrificial lambs – the author reinforces my argument that U-M’s prestige was inflated by an amazingly soft schedule.

It is worth noting that MSU’s schedule was much more difficult – road games at Notre Dame, Ohio State, Nebraska and Iowa last year, and at Ann Arbor, Northwestern, Iowa and Penn State the year before. In addition, MSU has had to face the Wisconsin juggernaut – a fate the Skunk Bears have managed to sidestep.

A key variable for both teams will be the quality of the Fighting Kellys. With the Irish return to form or is Brian Kelly really just an ill-tempered poseur with a resume built on harvesting the fruits of others’ labors? Kelly’s tenure has been controversial, from the death of videographer Declan Sullivan  to sideline theatrics and most recently returning quarterback Tommy Reese’s arrest .

Seems that Kelly has his back to the wall and is now in Ron Zook territory.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SPARTANS? Congratulations to the NCAA for making an obviously correct decision and allowing DeAnthony Arnett to take the field with MSU this fall. Normally, I would regard this as somewhat of a non-issue – he would lose no eligibility and an extra year in the system would be to his benefit and help MSU as well. However, his father is in poor health and the possibility that he might pass away without seeing his son play college football was a compelling reason to let him play right away. 

Memo to the NCAA: Remember when you worried more about students and less about rules and revenue?

Defense Dominates Green and White Game - Plus Fall Predictions

Because we are powerful and influential members of the Spartan Nation, the Posse viewed Saturday's Green and White game from the luxurious comfort of the new press box. 

From our lofty perch, it was clear that the Spartan defense has the upper hand, though without starting quarterback Andrew Maxwell, there was bound to be some weakness on the offensive side of the ball.

Backup QB Connor Cook looked terrible in the first half, with several pics and near-pics, but we are inclined to believe this is because he was forced to run both offensive schemes.

While this gave him extra playing time, it prevented him from developing a rhythm.  Often QBs can huddle on the sideline after a 3-and-out and discuss problems with patterns, coverage, blocking and so forth.  But with Cook having to do double duty, there was no chance for him to adjust.

In the second half, Coach Dantonio changed things up, allowing Cook time to focus on one set of players.  The third and fourth string QBs then took some snaps while he rested and adjusted.  The result was a much more effective offense.

MISSING PERSONS:  In addition to Maxwell and the other injured players, Larry Caper and La'veon Bell were both scarce during the game.  Nick Hill was the only known running back to see much action.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FALL:  In 2009, the Posse - like many observers - thrilled to the epid shootout between Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol.  The high-scoring scrimmage seemed to bode well for the future.  It fact, it was the harbinger of doom.

The Spartans were not the offensive powerhouse we assumed, they were simply weak on defense.  Since then, both Green and White games have been underscoring grinds - and this has resulted in highly successful seasons.

Based on the highly effective secondary, the Posse expects a similar dynamic.  If Maxwell can perform and the offensive line can provide adequate protection, we should do well.  The schedule shows the usual tough stretch in the mid-season, with road games in Madison and Ann Arbor, bracketed with home games against Iowa and Nebraska.  This stretch is tough, but less than those of previous years, leaving the Spartans solid contenders (if not outright favorites) to repeat their division championship.

MEANWHILE, SNOW EXPECTED IN ANN ARBOR:  For the Skunk Bear faithful, the schedule looks a lot worse.  In fact, it looks positively grim.  Starting with what we predict to be a massacre at the hands of Alabama, the Wolverines then must face Air Force and Notre Dame on the road - a far cry from last year's roundup of patsies.

They also play Ohio State and Nebraska on the road, which leads me to predict that they will probably lose at least five, possibly six games (Air Force may get an upset, depending on how badly Alabama mauls them).

DEATH TO THE BCS:  Rumors of some sort of playoff game leave me cold, but anything is better than the current travesty where teams can claim the national title without winning their own conference.

As a traditionalist, I much preferred the old system where rival organizations handed out rival trophies, creating a truly free market for claims to national dominance.  The creation of the BCS was yet another example of how baby boomers ruined everything they inherited.

Still, a system where merit rather than attendence figures and popularity would be an improvement.  One cannot simulateously claim that we are rewarding excellence while denying teams like Boise State a chance for glory because they won't sell enough tickets.

I also hope that Big Ten considers adopting a rule making conference standing a determinant over bowl selection.  Last season's travesty of punishing a division champion for losing the conference title game will be repeated unless something is done.

The agony of defeat

 I did not watch the game.  I was busy Saturday and caught a few minutes on the radio and had to get up early Sunday.  I went to bed with the halftime score in my head and had beautiful dreams of roses.

Talk about a rude awakening.

Because controversy sells, there is a lot of it right now about how the Skunk Bears have “leap-frogged” MSU to get a BCS bowl despite finishing lower in the conference and losing the head-to-head game.

Now is a good time to remind people that college football is about making money, nothing else.  I personally like making money, and I laud the efforts of those that do so by creating something of value.  College football is great entertainment, and I wish the various athletic departments the best (well, not Penn State for obvious reasons).

Why is Michigan going to the Sugar Bowl?  Ratings.  Ticket sales. Money. 

Like Rick Blaine in “Casablanca,” it isn’t that I have no sympathy for the fox, I simply understand the point of view of the hound.

Bowl committees are there to make money.  They don’t much care who plays, they are entirely focused on revenue from ticket sales and television viewers.  Bigger names mean more of both.

This leads to my second point:  The BCS is not about quality.

Let me repeat that:  It is not about quality, it is about money.

The polls are nothing more than a popularity contest and “computer rankings” are a giant electronic thumb that is placed to the scale to ensure the desired result.

I want to be clear:  I have no problem with this.

None.

College football has always been a popularity contest.   Back in the day, there were multiple championships and the team that had the truly most impressive season was dubbed the “consensus national champion.”  Otherwise you’d get several:  UPI, AP, and so on.

Now we have one:  The BCS.  They get a crystal football and lots of attention.

But the fact is that these teams are not necessarily the best, merely the most popular.

So, having made it clear that I have no problem with this setup, what is my problem?

The mendacity.

The pretense that teams are something they are not.

Michigan is not a better team than MSU.  We know this.  It is certain.

But its brand is more popular.  For a variety of historical reasons, Spartan Nation is smaller and less influential than the Cult of Bo.

It is a sad fact, but a fact all the same.

Another fact:  The sports-industrial complex hates change.  The rise of upstart powers upsets too many apple carts and so when Michigan went into eclipse, it was inevitable that the Powers That Be would do everything they could to put them back on the top.

I do not have a problem with this fact either, I just am annoyed by the lies that must accompany it.

The sports pages are already filled with glowing tributes to the “Skunk Bear Revival” and how greatness has returned to Ann Arbor.

Whatever.

The Wolverines had one good game this season:  They beat Nebraska.  That was it.

Otherwise, they ran up the score on crappy teams, played eight games at home, beat a 6-5 OSU squad under a temporary coach, and avoided the Wisconsin juggernaut. 

Congratulations on those accomplishments.

And now they are puffing out their chests with pride that the BCS has proved itself to be corrupt as everyone knew it was.

It would be a simple thing to use computers to create a football RPI and sift through strength of schedule, margin of victory and so forth to create a ranking based on overall team quality.  College basketball does this.

But that would hurt schools like U-M that trade on their reputation and their glorious victories over cross-town rival Eastern Michigan.

In the short term, the Spartans have but one option:  Keep winning.  In the long term, the university should throw its weight and push for some change.  We got hosed last year and took it on the chin again this year.  Until the university is willing to do something serious, the treatment will go on.

 

Championship Saturday

I've been away from the computer for a few days thanks to weather, work and network issues.

This is prevented me to from making several key observations and announcements.

GO STATE!  BEAT WISCONSIN! As my esteemed co-blogger has done, I congratulate the Spartans on a second 10-win season and the inaugural division championship.  Let's hope they pull and upset and re-defeat the Badgers tomorrow night.

SKUNK BEAR SURPRISE:  I must now acknowledge that the Skunk Bears have some bare level of talent.  Beating Nebraska gives them a credible win, their first of the season.  Yes, I know they also beat Ohio State, but that is not a credible win - I don't care who they are, an unranked five-loss team is not a signature victory.  And with Urban Meyer now running the show in Columbus, they may be in for a long dry spell.

BUCKEYE PRESTIGE: Speaking of the Bucks, how about landing one of the hottest coaches in college football without really trying?  Kind of telling given that Michigan spent the last four years thrashing around trying to find someone who wanted to run the Winningest Program in College Football History ^(TM).  Indeed, a few weeks back I noted the Detroit News excerpts of a book telling the sad and sordid tale of RichRod's hiring - and how the staff figured their biggest problem would be choosing among the many, many big-name applicants.

Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.  Yep, truly the cream of the college football crop.

ZOOKERDAMMERUNG II:  THE FINAL CHAPTER?  Well, to the surprise of no one, Illinois fired Ron Zook.  I'm disappointed, chiefly because the guy had a great name.  He also had an amazing ability to recruit top talen and then do nothing with it.  Ask Florida about that.

Where he goes from now, I can't guess, but I hope they put him on the Big Ten Network so that Gerry DiNardo has someone to look down on.

 

Zookerdammerung strikes again, Penn State rehab begins

Well, I was wrong.  Sure, I knew Ron Zook had terrible judgement, awful clock management and basically managed to underperform in every way, but I did not expect the Illini to come out looking that bad.  Not the whole team, mind you.  The defense was solid.  It was the offense that sucked.

In some cultures, a performance like that would be followed with ritual suicides by those responsible.

I want to be clear - when i say the Big Ten is having a "down year," I do not mean that my favorite team is doing poorly and therefore the conference is weaker.  This is what Skunk Bear and Buckeye fans do - especially when they find themselves losing games.  They use it to deny other teams any kind of credit.

But the Big Ten is objectively down this year - the Penn State/Iowa game was horrid to watch.  Same with the Penn State/Illinois game.  Ugly, inept football by badly-coached teams unable to execute even basic fundamentals.  Sad to say it, but if I want to see decent game play, I have to watch the cheaters in the SEC.  It's that bad.

Making it worse is that the Wolverines are rolling along in the fetid wake of this Tsunami of suck, acting like their team has accomplished something.  It hasn't, it has simply showed up to watch other teams self-destruct.

Tomorrow's game against Nebraska will be decisive.  I expect the Huskers will stomp all over the Wolverines, who (as one would expect) are starting to buy into their own hype.

Beating Nebraska would be huge for the Skunk Bears because it would mark their first quality victory of the season.  I think it says something that a team can go 8-2 without beating anyone ranked and still think they have accomplished great things.  Oh well, time will tell.

PENN STATE'S HELPING HAND FROM ESPN:  Well, that was fast.  here I thought Penn State might pay some sort of price for its grotesque pederasty scandal, but the college-football-industrial complex can't let an institution like that go down without a fight.

It was all I could do not to vomit during the ABC/ESPN coverage last week featuring maudlin music and Paterno's sobbing kid saying "We miss you, dad."  Yeah, I bet you do.  And I bet those kids miss their innocence and not feeling violated.  Shame how your football program self-detonated.  Let the record show that this blog feels no sympathy whatsoever.

Indeed, the more I find out about Penn State, the more twisted the whole thing becomes.  Joe Paterno is indeed a tragic hero in the Greek sense - a man with great gifts who is ultimately doomed by his own flaws.  That's pretty much the definition of tragic.

But I do not have a lot of sympathy for a man who basically got to punch his own ticket for 40+ years.  JoePa's supposed to be a Catholic, so he should remember the Seven Deadly Sins.  Pride is the one that got to him.

Seriously, the time to retire is when the put up a statue to you.  Honestly, they should at least wait until you are dead, but since we now live for the moment, having you totter over in your walker upon your well-deserved retirement is fine.

The problem with putting it up while you are still working is that if things go badly, they may want to take it down.  Oh, the university is saying they plan to leave it alone, but it's still early yet.  Wait till the trial starts.

Pride is what did in Paterno.  He wanted to be the winningest coach evah, but what does that even mean in this day and age?  We play 50 percent more games than teams used to, so it's an easy mark to make.  Brady Hoke has an "unprecedented" eight wins already in his first year.  Back when Michigan had nine games on the schedule, that was saying something.  But now?  It's hitting par, nothign more.

Indeed, despite the record, it's been clear for a while that Paterno doesn't really coach much.  he's been sitting in the press box more often than not, and his assistants do all the recruiting.  Things were different when he started, of course, and that's the point.  Paterno's old enough to know that Bear Bryant didn't have platoons of grad assistants to cater to his every need, which is why his "milestone" is even more pathetic.  He's old enough to know better, and that what makes this whole thing so tawdry.

GO STATE, BEAT INDIANA:  Of course I cannot neglect my beloved Spartans and enthusiastically support their efforts against the hapless Hoosiers.  No mercy!  Give them nothing, take from them everything!

And start saving it up for Wisconsin.

Will the Spartans finally bring payback to Iowa?

At a certain point, getting beaten by the same team no longer provides motivation – it provides an inferiority complex.  Iowa is looking spectacularly weak this year and MSU honestly has no reason not to pound the Hurtin’ Hawkeyes into the turf.

Then again…

QB Kirk Cousins has been having a bad couple of weeks.  Nebraska was a debacle of the highest order, almost as bad as Iowa’s rout last year – and that’s saying something.  Coach Dantonio has wisely banned the team from talking to reporters and hopefully the results will be seen on the field.

To be clear:  Cousins has the talent, he just needs to execute.  He can be cool and accurate in the pocket.

Yet he also tends to lock on a single receiver and force throws into coverage.  That is where he gets into trouble.  If he can remain cool, we will win.  If he has problems, so will we.

I also hope Dan Roushar has figured out that with its present offensive line, MSU cannot run to the inside against anyone.  Bell to the outside is the ticket.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN ANN ARBOR:  Well, the bloom’s off of the Hoke-a-mania rose.  Michigan’s defeat in Iowa City was surprising only to the Blue Aid drinkers who think that Denard Robinson is still in Heisman contention.  Of course, everyone else knew this was a joke even in September because his completion percentage was under 50 percent, despite facing the likes of Eastern Michigan and SD State.

He’s since managed to break into positive territory, but his numbers are still ugly: 53 percent completion rate, 13 touchdowns vs 12 interceptions. 

What amuses me is that the Skunk Bear faithful are not only screaming about bad calls (of course) but I am also detecting some dissatisfaction from Hoke’s play calling.  As I noted in my pre-season roundup, I was not sure Hoke was all that the Skunk Bear propaganda said he was, but it was hard to do worse than RichRod, who was objectively terrible.

Still, the Spartan Curse may yet be in force, for reasons I’ve given before:  the Wolverines pushed all the tough games to the back end of their schedule.

Some weeks ago I thought Illinois would destroy Michigan at home, but the Zooks are looking a might tired of late.  Their offense is anemic and their coaching is as awful as one would expect.  Still, despite a three-game skid, there is hope for the Illini:  two of those losses were on the road, and they had a bye week to focus and regroup.

Plus, rumor has it that Robinson is hurt.  Advantage:  Zooks.

After that come Nebraska and Ohio State.  Final answer:  Skunk Bearks go 0-3 and finish 7-5.

 

Inside the Wolverine bunker

The Detroit News has been publishing excerpts of “Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football,” by a fellow with the unlikely (but flavorful) name of John U. Bacon.

Normally I cannot be bothered to venture into the demented world that is Skunk Bear fandom, but I found the excerpts illuminating.

They proved that I was correct in assuming that the chaos in finding Lloyd Carr’s replacement as football head coach was the result of two factors:  Michigan’s inflated self-image and sabotage by Carr himself.

This is one of those telling quotes authors love:

"If I had to put my finger on anything," said longtime faculty representative Percy Bates, "it's this notion that, 'This is Michigan. Once the job is open, they're going to be banging my door down, and I'm going to pick and choose among all these great candidates. The only question is, which of these great coaches will I invite to accept the honor of coaching at Michigan?'

Yep, that pretty much sums up the Wolverine mindset.  They figured that once the position was open, applicants would be knocking down their door.

The problem is that anyone worth having already has a decent coaching job and would therefore be unlikely to jeopardize that by applying for work elsewhere.  Sooner or later the news would get out, and then their own players and assistants would wonder.

Essentially the fools in the Michigan Athletic Department figured that top-shelf candidates would willingly risk their own careers for the mere chance of coaching in the Big House.  It’s clinically deluded behavior.

The cruel truth was that U-M had been in a skid for years.  Even its best year in the last 40 – the hallowed1997 season – only brought half of the national title (point this out the next time a Skunk Bear fan argues that MSU’s Big Ten Title is somehow less of an achievement because it is shared).

By 2007, that high point had faded into obscurity to everyone except those wearing Wolverine-pattern do-rags on their mullet and swigging Bo Wine by the case.

Phil Fulmer won an outright national title for Tennessee – and they fired him when the program went down hill.  Fans were angry with Carr’s unimaginative coaching style, ossified play-calling and consistent failure to beat Ohio State.  He knew his days were numbered and the unprecedented loss to Appalachian State only made things worse.  He had to leave before he was kicked out.

Carr’s problem was that none of his assistants were ready to take over.  That was what he really wanted.  How else to explain his erratic behavior after he retired?

LSU’s Les Miles definitely wanted the job, and Carr wanted anyone but him.  Apparently Carr suggested RichRod, and then immediately undercut him by offering to sign transfer waivers for anyone who wanted to leave.  This latter development was the origin of the “bare cupboard” excuse.

It seems to me that either Carr was setting up RichRod to fail because none of his people had a shot, or he was simply irrational.  Either way, the result was the same: the Skunk Bears, who were already shaky, got to experience their own version of the John L. Smith era.

If anything, the excerpts show how important it is for hiring decisions to be made in a far-sighted and deliberate manner.  Like MSU, the Wolverines were in a panic and utterly unprepared to find a replacement.  The outgoing athletic director, Bill Martin, was utterly clueless.  This successor, Dave Brandon, is better but still made questionable decisions.

For one:  Why not fire RichRod for the NCAA violations and avoid the buyout clause in his contract?  Why wait until after the bowl game – a game everyone knew U-M would lose – to drop the axe?

He may have tried to make it look like he wasn’t trying to railroad RichRod, but it should have been clear that RichRod deserved the sack simply through his own ineptitude.  He was a terrible hire and a lousy coach.  He lied about his previous contract with West Virginia and U-M had to pay for most of his buyout.  Consecutive losing seasons despite a velvety-soft schedule built around a preponderance of home games should have told anyone that the Skunk Bears had an awful coach.

As I noted yesterday, U-M is structurally set up to win a minimum of eight games every year simply by showing up.  It takes extra effort to lose to teams like Toledo, yet RichRod managed to pull it off.

This track record is why I remain skeptical of Brady Hoke.  So far, he hasn’t done anything noteworthy.  The offense is the same and while the defense in improved, it took consistent, tireless effort to make it stink as badly as it did under RichRod.  Short of feeding the students valium in the pre-game meal, I don’t see how it could have gotten worse.

Given Michigan’s fan base, financial resources and recruiting pool - a lot of kids in the Midwest dream of playing there because of its reputation and don’t care who is coaching – the U-M football team was never going to be as hapless as the men’s basketball team.  The alumni would not allow it to happen.

The sportswriters are insisting that Hoke won’t let the team melt down, but I’ll believe it when I see it.  It wasn’t that long ago that the Skunk Bear faithful were wearing “May the Forcier Be With You” T-shirts, hailing him as a Heisman prospect.  Where is Tate Forcier now?  He’s a Spartan – no, not that kind – he’s at San Jose State University.

Forcier’s fate exemplified everything that was wrong about how RichRod ran his team. 

Hoke is doing better, but that’s a pretty low bar.

I’m not about to go buy the book, but the excerpts were illuminating.  As they say, read the whole thing.

 

 

Cornhusker Madness

Okay, now that we’ve basked in the glow of Saturday’s amazing game for a couple of days, it’s time to stop watching the highlights on Youtube and get on task against what is now a pivotal game:  Nebraska.

This is going to be a tough game.  Nebraska is decent and we will be on the road.  Still, the Spartans won in the Horseshoe, so it’s not like we haven’t faced this kind of test before.

The key is for MSU to focus on stopping the run.  Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez is a lot like Denard Robinson:  Inaccurate as a passer, he relies a lot on his feet.  He has a completion percentage of 55 percent, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.  These are not impressive numbers.

Basically, if you make him throw the ball, he will have problems.

Yes, the Cornhuskers whacked Ohio State, but that squad had almost no offense to speak of and still put 27 points on the board.  Nebraska is very beatable.

Also note that William Gholston will be back.  He’s tanned, rested and ready to devour the Husker O-line.  He’s had a full week to build up his rage, stoking that furnace to new heights of hateful energy. 

PURDUE RISING, MICHIGAN FALLING?  Yeah, I wish.  I was amazed to see Purdue beat Illinois, but then I remembered:  Illinois is still coached by Ron Zook.  Oh.

That being said, Purdue could surprise the Skunk Bears.  They are getting stronger as the season has progressed.  Their 45-17 drubbing of Minnesota proved that they also know how to run up the score.  Okay, they did lose to Penn State, but that can happen to anyone.

Let me be clear:  I’m not about to put money on the Boilermakers, only point out that against a one-dimensional team like Michigan, they have a fair chance.

Of course, the Blue Aid drinkers are already running their thumb-sucking pieces about how this time things will be different – they insist there will be no late-season slump following the Skunk Bears’ humiliation in East Lansing.

The Freep’s Michael Rosenberg – no doubt feeling his oats after successfully leading the ""suspend William Gholson" lynch mob – has an idiotic piece making just this argument.

Count me skeptical.  No, I have nothing against Brady Hoke, and as I’ve said before, RichRod was an usually awful coach.  Still, given the baseline of talent U-M gets every year AND it the number of patsies on its schedule AND the fact that it has eight games at home, I would expect a crash test dummy to achieve an 8-4 season with this team.

That RichRod went 3-9 and 5-7 merely showed how awful he was.  Hoke doesn’t need to be incompetent to go 8-4, he just needs to be average.  And he’s likely to do that because – like almost all Big Ten teams – he back-loaded his schedule.

As noted before, the Skunk Bears managed to get into the upper ranks of the AP poll without ever leaving the comfort of their own stadium.  Their first two conference opponents were Northwestern (2-5) and Minnesota (1-6).

So now they have some actual teams to play.  Purdue is mediocre.  But Iowa is probably up to beating them, especially on the road.  Illinois also has a good shot if we can just keep Ron Zook off the sidelines.

Then Nebraska and a revitalized Ohio State journey into the Big House.  Speaking objectively, based on how the Wolverines are built and how they have played, it is possible for them to lose every one of those games.  They just aren’t that good.  Nebraska and Ohio State definitely are going to be tough.  Iowa is dangerous at home, and I honestly see a lot of similarities between Illinois and Michigan.  Illinois even has a better passing QB.

This is what you get when you front-load your schedule with easy victories over patsies and save the tough opponents for later in the season.  Once you start to lose, it’s a lot easier to keep losing.  If your team is mediocre – which Michigan most definitely is – and if your team’s offense relies entirely on the health and well-being of one player – which Michigan definitely does – a series of brutal games is the perfect recipe for late-season collapse.

HOW ABOUT SOME LOVE FOR THE NITTANY LIONS?  Okay, with Wisconsin now down a game, Penn State is now sitting atop its division.  I don’t think there is any question that Penn State is the worst one-loss team in the AP poll.  I watched their game against Iowa and I was embarrassed for the conference.

I know Skunk Bear fans tend to say “the Big Ten is down” whenever their precious Wolverines are sucking wind, but it is definitely true this year.  Iowa had been a pretty tough team.  Now it looks like a community college.  Penn State is featuring this bizarre two-quarterback system that works about as well as two-quarterback systems ever work (which is: not at all).

Still, JoePa keeps winning (except for, ahem, Alabama), so if MSU can win through, the inaugural championship could be the Spartans vs the Nittany Lions with both the Rose Bowl and the Land Grant Trophy on the line. 

In which case, “The Game,” a.k.a. the annual Skunk Bear defeat by the Buckeyes, would matter even less.

I’m not making a prediction, but it would be funny if it happened.

IS TAYLOR MARTINEZ DELUDED OR SUICIDAL?  Just when it looked like the Spartans would be worn out from three emotional victories and lack motivation, Nebraska's QB had to open his mouth:

Asked what he saw MSU do to slow down Robinson, Martinez told reporters Monday: "I really don't think they slowed him down. I think the key factor was the wind kind of slowed him down. The wind with his passing game and stuff. Hopefully we can exploit what Denard Robinson didn't do."

Wow.  Setting aside the fact that MSU faced the same conditions, what does Martinez think he is going to achieve by spouting off like this?  Does he really want the Big Ten's Dirtiest Defense^TM to come after him that badly?  Seriously, if he wants to leave the field under his own power, he ought to think before he speaks.

I TAKE BACK EVERY NICE THING I EVER SAID ABOUT BRADY HOKE:  Two quick questions: 

1.  Why does anyone care whether Hoke thinks the touchdown should have counted?

2.  Is Hoke blind?

This goes to the utter immaturity and total absence of class that has made Skunk Bear fans pariahs in the college sports world.

Hint:  When the team that just beat you convincingly for the fourth straight year then wins a close game against an undefeated opponent, accept the result.

It was bad enough that Wolverine fans had to whine about how roughly their players were handled, but now their coach is joining the football equivalent of the 9/11 Truthers. 

Not a good sign.

 

MSU destroys ESPN's narrative

Just about every sportswriter in the nation has opined on MSU’s amazing victory over Wisconsin, leading to an intense cliché shortage.  By late Sunday afternoon, KC-135s from the Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing were flying them in from California.  If the Spartans defeat Nebraska in a similar fashion, we may be bringing in our wartime stocks from Guam and Okinawa (the Cold War surplus we had in Europe got used up describing the Iraq war). 

While the game certainly was “one for the ages,” it was also not supposed to happen.  The story was supposed to be that transfer mercenary QB Russell Wilson is an amazing athlete and on his way to the Heisman Trophy.  Saturday night was to be his coming out party – the night the Badgers proved they could beat someone besides a MAC team on the road.

Of course, like Michigan the week before, the Badgers built their reputation by running up the score on a bunch of minor-league schools.  They scored a convincing win against Nebraska, but did so at home. 

Without looking this up, see if you can spot the school Wisconsin didn’t play:

UNLV
Oregon State
Northern Illinois
North Dakota
Nebraska
Indiana

Give up?  It was North Dakota.  The Badgers actually played South Dakota.  Like it matters.

The point is that their much-vaunted scoring ability and incredible defense were built on one of the softest schedules in the NCAA.  Even so, because they were undefeated, the sports marketing guys were expecting Great Things and a Special Season as they continued their March to Glory.

Before the kickoff, I considered making a drinking game based on how many times the announcers said “Russell Wilson,” but decided against it because I didn’t want to have alcohol poisoning. 

Even at halftime, after MSU had made a stunning comeback, forcing the “unstoppable” Badger offense into a safety (!), an interception, a blocked field goal and a blocked punt for a touchdown, the only thing the talking heads at ESPN Central had to say was:  “How can Russell Wilson come back?”

I have nothing against the man personally – I don’t know him, probably will never meet him.  He’s a talented athlete who will doubtless go on to make ten times my lifetime salary in a couple of years – and I begrudge him not a dime of it.

That being said, his transfer and glorification exemplify just about everything that is wrong with college football (the SEC covers the rest).

Here is a guy who, having issues with his first school, decides to transfer somewhere else to use up his final year of eligibility.  He picks Wisconsin because Bret Bielema can’t seem to recruit a decent quarterback and they were able to find a loophole in the degree requirements that would let it happen.

This is a purely mercenary decision for both parties:  Bielema needs a mobile, experienced quarterback to balance his run-focused offense.  Wilson needs a standout season at a big school so he can maximize his standing in the NFL draft.

One can argue that this is the way a lot of the NCAA operates, and recruiting is often a pretty sordid affair.  But most of the time we can at least delude ourselves that something else is going on.  Many kids choose their school because they are in-state, admire the traditions, have a family relationship with the program and so on.  Even though I cordially despise the Skunk Bears, I can accept that a certain percentage of the state’s youth want to wear winged helmets – just as a certain number want to wear green and white.

Perhaps I’m a little sensitive given the media-driven whinefest about William Gholston and the “dirty play” by the Spartans against the Skunk Bears.  Wolverine Nation must have felt pretty satisfied with themselves when Gholston was suspended – and then we won without him. 

Time was that the Skunk Bear faithful insisted MSU wasn’t even a rival – it was all in our heads and the Wolverines only had the brain capacity to focus on one hated team: the Buckeyes.

The furor over Gholston gives the lie to that claim – having lost in spectacular fashion for four years in a row, the Meeechigan fan base and their sportswriter allies tried to taint MSU’s win and hobble it against Wisconsin – but it didn’t work.

MSU not only won, but did so without any penalties.  So much for being the NCAA’s dirtiest program.

Oh, and speaking of dirty programs, I find it interesting that LSU is now on top of the polls, basking in the glow of a Number One ranking despite having three suspended players and being under probation for recruiting violations.  Integrity!

MSU’s victory was indeed “one for the ages,” but I think what many of us in the Spartan Nation are really enjoying is how the media – particularly broadcaster ESPN – had to shift their story line at the last minute.

They set up Game Day to crown Russell Wilson and ended up having to highlight Keith Nichol – they guy who gave up playing transfer-roulette and decided to make the best of where he is.  Enjoy the attention, Keith.  You earned it.