Saturday Open Thread and the Glass Case of Emotion

Good morning, everyone. Hopefully it's a fabulous day for you. Well, of course it is; it's back to Michigan football today! They're well rested and ready to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers:

Michigan vs. Minnesota

Ann Arbor, MI

3:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN2)

The one game of the year that gives me a terrible ulcer. Growing up in Minnesota as a fan of the Gophers and the Wolverines was hard; things haven't gotten easier as I've gotten older, either. But, although today is going to be tough for me, there shouldn't be any questions as to where my loyalties lie.

Michigan, as we all know, has struggled to their 4-0 record (check out this great article by Hollywood Hokester on Michigan's other 4-0 starts in program history). Minnesota is 4-1 and has some questions that need to be answered on the offensive side of the ball. Is Philip Nelson really "the guy" at QB, or does the team need to be handed over to Mitch Leidner? David Cobb has been doing an admirable job running the ball, and the defense has actually played well.

Kevin has a first look at today's game here. Shash gives us his alcohol recommendations and then insults Minnesotans by saying Badger fans are fun to drink with, too! I do like what he says about the Midwest being like a family, so check it out. Anthony tells us what he wants to see...and it's something we would all like to see.

You want previews? I got your previews right here: MGoBlog does their Fee Fi Foe Film on the Gophers, if film study is your thing, and our very own Zach has a preview, too. If you like history, go over to MVictors and read the cool historical stuff on the Little Brown Jug. If you want to know what the enemy has to say, head over to The Daily Gopher; they do some great stuff over there. For reals.

Want to watch something before the Michigan game? How about those Maryland Terrapins!? They are 4-0, shut out West Virginia, and will go up against Florida State at noon. If Maryland can pull this one out of their shells (save your boos and hisses), they'll make a significant jump in the polls. I'm actually going to DVR the game and watch it when I get home on Sunday. The Maryland QB/WR combo of C.J. Brown and Stefon Diggs has been en fuego, while Florida State's QB, Jameis Winston, has been nothing short of miraculous.

The other early B1G games are Penn State at Indiana, and Illinois at Nebraska. You can read what I think will happen here.

There really aren't any afternoon games that really stick out to me, but things get interesting at night. Arizona State is on quite a roll, and will head into Notre Dame Stadium at 7:30 looking for a third win against a quality opponent. Even though consecutive victories against USC and Notre Dame look impressive on paper, I'm not sure what it actually means this year. USC was a total dumpster fire against the Sun Devils, and Notre Dame hasn't really impressed anyone, either.

The big match-up in prime time is Ohio State at Northwestern at 8:00. I think this is the perfect opportunity for NW to get a major win for their program, proving that they are ready to really play with the big boys.

Since I'll be at the game today, I won't be able to take part in the threads, but please don't let that stop you from commenting...just mind the guidelines...and don't say anything too bad about me while I'm gone. Enjoy the day, drink some good beer (responsibly, of course), and Go Blue!

Today's tune drops some more soul: