Due to the departure of Rutgers Head Coach, Michigan should go after Chis Muller from Boyertown. He is ranked 100 on Rivals top 250, and played with two other Michigan recruits at the US Army All American Bowl game. He visited Michigan and they previously made an offer, but now he may be available. Three top 100 recruits on the offensive line in the same class can have Michigan thinking big things in the future.

hello wolverines fans. i just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to all the regulars on the site. i currently live in TN but never cared for the vols, the color orange is so ugly on a team jersey, especially their shade of orange. i never followed any sports aside from the nfl until here recently. so i never really picked a favorite college team. i have gained an interest in college sports more this past year. and since i was born in michigan i decided last week to become a michigan fan. i decided on michigan over michigan st. mainly cuz of the history. and the spartans just seem like the bad guys to me. anyways enough rambling, i just wanted to say thanks for accepting me to the site.

here were not one, but two different sets of April 2010 “smoking gun” Tressel emails. The media have focused on the Attorney Cicero emails which informed Tressel of the illegal memorabilia sales by players; but the emails which Tressel then almost instantaneously forwarded to Terrelle Pryor’s “advisor”, Ted Sarniak (also “purposely hidden” by Tressel), constituted whopping evidence -- newly discovered after the NCAA decreed in Sept. 2008 that Sarniak was not an OSU “Booster” -- that Sarniak was, all along, in fact a critically necessary OSU booster.

And we have new, unappealed and, therefore, final findings by the NCAA on Dec.20 that Jim Tressel engaged in a long pattern of intentional concealment, and “not credible” statements. Those specific findings create prima facie evidence that Tressel may have similarly lied and concealed as a part of the 2007-08 NCAA investigation into Sarniak’s booster status.

Either of these factors -- the bombshell Tressel-to-Sarniak email on April 2, 2010, or the fair presumption that Tressel also lied and concealed to the NCAA in 2008 -- taken alone should mandate, under the only reasonable interpretation of NCAA bylaws, that OSU file a new Self-Report of possible ByLaw 10.1 ethical violation to the NCAA, which should then trigger re-opening the Sept. 2008 “Sarniak-Not-Booster” NCAA finding. (Remember, the bylaws require a Self Report when a “possibility” of violation is discovered by the school; “certainty” is not the standard.)

Obviously, OSU President Gee and AD Smith didn’t file any such new Self-Report immediately after their discovery on Jan.13, 2011 of the bombshell April 2010 Tressel-Sarniak emails. And there’s no evidence yet that OSU has filed such a new Self-Report based upon the Dec. 20 NCAA findings. Based on a now one-year pattern of concealment and dissembling by both Gee and Smith, it’s difficult to imagine that they will file such a new Self-Report.

Here’s what OSU’s Gee did say, in his first comments about the Dec.20 NCAA decision, to a Columbus Dispatch reporter who wrote (in a column entitled “Gee Accepts OSU’s Spanking by NCAA”):

In his interview, Gee revealed that Provost Joseph A. Alutto advised him to fire Tressel after the discovery of the emails in January. But Gee stuck by the coach until a fuller investigation revealed a total of four instances in which Tressel avoided revealing the truth or lied.

Many major college football programs are “lying machines"; Gee and Smit sit atop one of them. This intentionally vague Gee statement preposterously suggests that, as of the Jan. 13 discovery of the double-bombshell and “purposely hidden” Tressel emails -- which were obvious, open-and-shut, written and incontrovertible evidence of lies by Tressel -- Gee somehow still needed ADDITIONAL evidence that Tressel had fraudulently concealed and lied repeatedly. First of all, Gee and Smith’s actions after Jan.13 initiated their long pattern of covering-up since. Secondly, even six months later, Gee and Smith filed OSU’s July 2011 formal NCAA response, offering the patently absurd - and morally-empty- defense of Tressel’s obvious lies and concealment as just Tressel’s “indecisiveness.”

I’ll assume for a moment here that there might be a few more charitable interpretations of the above-quoted Gee “spin”:

1) that Gee and Smith have decided not to appeal the Dec.20 NCAA findings that Tressel “hid” and was “not credible,” which will now cause Gee to recognize for the first time OSU’s duty to file, any day now, a new Self-Report of “possible” Tressel “hiding” and “not credible” statements to the NCAA (and OSU) in 2008; and/or

2) that Gee and Smith undertook, at some time in 2011, a review of ALL Tressel emails going back to 2007, and found the additional “instances in which Tressel avoided revealing the truth or lied” which Gee alludes to in his statement. Note that these emails -- going back to 2007 -- would logically be very probative on the issue of Tressel’s potential lying to Thurnes on the Sarniak issue -- and that this set of emails going back to 2007 is precisely the set of emails which Gee and Smith are refusing to produce in the ESPN legal action now pending in Ohio court.

These more charitable interpretations both suggest some immediate plan by Gee and Smith to file a new Self-Report leading to a re-opening of the Sarniak Booster determination.

Don’t hold your breath. But take note that, if the second explanation above holds true, then Gee and Smith are using the “educational records” defense in the ESPN lawsuit in an effort to shield from public view more fraud and concealment by Tressel and OSU.

The reason I suggest you not hold your breath is because Gee and Smith actions since one year ago (Jan.13, 2011) have shown an determined intent to cover-up. And it's going to blow up on them. The NCAA will re-open the Sarniak case. Then watch the explosions in Columbus. - Wm Wilson brewonsouthu.wordpress.com

see the video:

http://michigan.scout.com/2/1146189.html#.TwdAH237JyI.twitter

Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue Go Blue

Hey Everyone!

What did you all think about Michigan's three alternative jerseys this year? Personally, I thought the ND jersey was okay, HATED the MSU, and thought the Sugar bowl jersey was pretty good.

In general, always feel that Adidas tries too hard to add stripes to all their jerseys. Also, how do you feel about Brady Hoke including numbers on players' helmets this year?

Overall, I would say that the uniform changes were pretty good but I'm worried about changing our look too much in the future. Are the numbered helmets going to stay? Only time will tell, but god I hope we never wear white pants again!

Poll

How would you rate Michigan's alternative uniforms this year?

20%

Extremely Positive

14 votes

29%

Slightly Positive

20 votes

8%

Neutral

6 votes

17%

Slightly Negative

12 votes

22%

Extremely Negative

15 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

I just wanted to drop by and give a big thank you to the Michigan fans for this past weekends game. Unfortunately the game got a little away from Nebraska! Classy fans and great tailgating venues made for an awesome time. It took my buddies and I about an hour to walk two blocks because everyone wanted to talk and give us beer! Never having been to Ann Arbor, I was a little nervous to make the trip, but after this weekend I am going to do everything in my power to make the next trip in 2 years, and hopefully we'll see you in Lincoln next fall!! Good luck again Ohio St. this weekend, and in the bowl game to come!

 

What Was That All For?
Commentary on Three and Out
Most Michigan fans, myself included, have occasional fits of amnesia and may disavow that the last three years of the football program ever happened. It is a strange thing, then, as a Michigan fan who has never before seen Michigan fall so far -- due to youth -- to finish the book and feel very little, but that’s what happened. The book itself is fantastic, but I am stuck trying to place it in context, and the lingering question is: what were the past three seasons for other than to make me want to pull my hair out?

Continue reading this post »

Since we're all smarting over the loss to Iowa, I'll try to keep this summary of a painful 47-39 win over Wayne State rather brief.

• Yes, the game was as ugly as it sounded. Michigan shot less than 40% from the field, shot just over 20% from the three point line, went 4-for-12 at the free throw line, had more turnovers than assists, saw only four players score, and didn't top fifty points against Wayne State. These things all could -- and should -- be remedied fairly easily, but this game was just absolutely brutal to watch. WSU did a great job of slowing down the pace and preventing Michigan from getting out in transition, but still, the Wolverines should have ran away with an easy win. At least they didn't lose like Arizona and West Virginia did.
• Tim Hardaway Jr and Zack Novak will probably have to carry this team, not that there's anything wrong with that. Tim was the leading scorer with 20 points (on 17 shots, so it wasn't like he was very efficient), but he also rebounded the ball very well (with 9 boards) and seemed much more comfortable running the offense. An inefficient game from Hardaway isn't exactly what Michigan wanted to see, but seeing him in a leadership role on the court was a good thing. Novak was less than stellar from behind the arc, but connected on all four of his two point attempts. He was more aggressive on offense, and while his three point shooting was weak (25%), he still put in 14 points. For the record, his shooting looked great in the open practice I attended, so this was probably an aberration.
• Trey Burke will probably start sooner rather than later. Stu Douglass started the exhibition, but Burke played pretty well with 7 points and 4 assists. He can create shots for himself and others much better than Stu can, and while he only knocked down one three ball, he showed a pretty solid ability to score in other ways as well. Douglass struggled and went 0-4 from the field. I'd be pretty surprised if Trey didn't start -- or see starter-level minutes -- before the Wolverines go to Maui, but I see why Beilein might be hesitant to start a true freshman over a senior who's contributed every year since he's been here.
• Jon Horford did start over Jordan Morgan, and I'm wondering if this will become a permanent thing. Horford was perfect from the field, scored six points, and grabbed six rebounds, but missed all five free throw attempts. He's much better than he was last year, but I'm not sure if he's better than Morgan at this point. Morgan didn't do too well against Wayne State; Evan Smotrycz -- who saw some time at the five as well as the four -- did even worse, going 0-5 from the field. Michigan will need much more production from its big men.
• The rotation appears to be Burke, Douglass, Novak, Hardaway, Matt Vogrich, Smotrycz, Horford, and Morgan. All eight of those players played at least ten minutes against WSU, and the only other player to see the court was Carlton Brundidge (with two minutes). I'd expect to see Brundidge a little bit more over the course of the season, but the coaches seem to be the most comfortable with the eight listed above.

This was only an exhibition game, so there's no reason to panic yet, but hopefully the team will play a bit better in the season opener against Ferris State on Friday.

Ok, I live and breathe maize and blue, but as long as shoelace is our qb, we're not going to go anywhere. He is electrifying at points, but very, very mediocre at other times. Granted, Hemingway dropped a couple passes today, but d-rob flat out missed some Some passes today as well as passes throughout the season. I think we should put Gardner in and have shoelaces as a wideout or use him in a wildcat formation. We can still win the division and big 10 championship, but I just don' t see denard leading us to where we want to go

Nope.  But the eternal optimist in me saw that State lost this weekend and began to wonder if an appearance in the Big10 title game was again a possibility for the Wolverines.  A short glimpse of the Big Ten Conference Football Divisional Tiebreaker page found here reveals the following:

The following procedure will determine the representative from each division in the event of a tie:

 

1. If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative
2. If three or more teams are tied, steps 1 through 7 will be followed until a determination is made. If only two teams remain tied after any step, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative.
   1. The records of the three tied teams will be compared against each other
   2. The records of the three tied teams will be compared within their division
   3. The records of the three teams will be compared against the next highest placed teams in their division in order of finish (4, 5, and 6)
   4. The records of the three teams will be compared against all common conference opponents;
   5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series Poll following the completion of Big Ten regular season conference play shall be the representative in the Big Ten Championship Game, unless the two highest ranked tied teams are ranked within one spot of each other in the BCS poll. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the Big Ten Championship
   6. The team with the best overall winning percentage [excluding exempted games] shall be the representative
   7. The representative will be chosen by random draw.

First, the worst best case: M wins out, as does MSU.  Result: Nebraska is out of the picture with 2 conference losses, and MSU goes to the title game via the two-team tiebreaker.

Second, the best best case: M wins out, Sparty lays an egg against Iowa (because they seem to do this with some regularity).  Result: M heads to the title game as the lone team with only a single conference loss.  

Per the rules above, things play out in a relatively crazy fashion if you go very far beyond either of these two scenarios (i.e. three teams tied with two conference losses).  However, there is an interesting possibility that everyone knew could someday happen when the Big10 moved to 12 teams.  

CRAZY WORLD-ENDING PARADOX CASE: M playing Ohio twice in the same season.  Sorry, but it will take a miracle beyond miracles to make that happen.  What is that miracle, you ask?  Let me tell you:

M wins out so we hand Ohio their 3rd conference loss AND Sparty tanks it AND Ohio beats Penn State AND the Badgers beat Penn State but somehow manage to lose to 2 of the 3 to Purdue  (lol jk), Minnesota (Wisco becomes Iowa for a day), and Illinois (ZOOK FTW) AND Penn State loses to Nebraska.  Now there is a tie for the best conference record in the Southeast division which leads us to declare Ohio the winner of said division and we play them AGAIN, THIS TIME FOR THE CONFERENCE TITLE.  

This plays out because:

(1) - Wisconsin collapses a la Michigan 2010 for a 4-4 Big10 record

(2) - Penn State and Ohio each have 3 conference losses

(3) - Ohio beat Pen State in their head-to-head matchup

This scenario is exceptionally unlikely (duh) but only because Ron Zook punts on 3rd down from his opponent's 15 yard line and Wisconsin is not Michigan from 2010.  But I must say I have seen things that seem just as ridiculous as this come to fruition in the past (UConn in a BCS bowl last year with 4 losses)

CONCLUSION: The only thing you care about is Sparty losing to Iowa so Hokemania can continue.