Big Ten Roundtable courtesy of Around the Oval.
1. Call me crazy, but it seems like the refs have been even worse this year than usual. I've noticed what seems like an unusual amount of questionable calls/non-calls go against the Buckeyes this season, but then, I am just a little biased, and the only referee performances I notice are the crappy ones. What have you thought of the Big Ten refs this season? Do any especially bad calls stand out to you?
I think consistency has been a big issue, but I can't point to any one call of set of calls that have cost Michigan a game. At least from the refs. I definitely have issues with one of the "sacks" called against Michigan in the third quarter with the Wolverines down 2 points. If the quarterback is still moving, moving forward and capable of getting a throw off, newsflash, he's not down. Jackasses. Other than that, well, the refereeing, at least in my mind has been decent this year.
2. How is recruiting going for your team? Any incoming players that opponents should be concerned about for 2008, or will the cupboards be left bare? (Note: If you don't follow recruiting, please post an entertaining picture of some sort at this point.)
Recruiting has actually been pretty good. Michigan's managed to plug its biggest defensive gap with 3 four star linebacker recruits and, as usual, offensive recruiting is going well (at least in the skill positions). The player everyone is most excited about is Sam McGuffie, the Cy-Fair, Texas running back who like hurtling people. He's apparently got Hart-like cutting ability mixed with Carlos Brown's speed. The mere mention of his name gets Michigan recruitniks all tingly. Highlight reel here.
The two places that concern me the most are offensive line and safety. Michigan does have 4 OL commits, with the highest ranked commit being MI lineman Dan O'Neil, but everyone else is basically a three star recruit. It's somewhat surprising that a school that turns out as many high caliber offensive linemen as Michigan does hasn't reeled in a big fish for the line yet. After a season of watching the "zone" game go down the tubes, I'm not too optimistic that's going to change.
At safety Michigan's cupboard is dry. That's widely considered to be a bad, bad thing. Though Michigan has a couple of scholarship safeties, none are ready to play yet. At this point two 4 star safeties are rumored to favor UM, but anything past that is speculation. I'm personally holding my breath for Vaughn Telemaque, he's coming in for the OSU game and is a former teammate of Donovan Warren.
Things are good, but there are plenty of areas for improvement.
3. The OSU-Michigan game is taken pretty seriously 'round these parts. For at least this week, the rivalry is all-consuming for just about every OSU fan I know. But let's face it, there's plenty more to hate (or at least dislike) in college football than our rivals. So, other than your team's current rival(s), what team, person, rule, concept, intangible object, etc., would you like to declare a rival, the better to focus your hatred on them/it?
Oh goodie, an "I HATE" list. Let me begin:
- Sweatervests.
- Pete Carroll
- Tacopants
- Freshman starting quarterbacks
- Beer Pong
- Nick Saban
- The Florida State fight song.
- Charlie Weis' play calling (my wife insisted)
- Asshole fans
- Bret Bielema
- Tailgates without beer
- Beer Pong
- Tofu hot dogs
- Patrick Nix (OC - Miami, FL [think Reggie Ball])
- Conference Championships
- Hawaii
- Scheduling your way to 4-0 by playing nursing colleges.
- Beer Pong
- Scheduling a D-1AA team.
- Losing to D-1AA team.
- Whatever the hell is going on at Iowa, 15 arrests so far this season?
- As a result, Kirk Ferentz.
- Kirk Herstreit
- The AP Poll
- The Coaches Poll
- People pushing for a college football playoff.
- Jen Sterger