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I know this is a little late, but serious question: How do Michigan fans feel about uniforms that have a basketball player logo on them? I think if MSU did the same thing, even if it was supposed to be some giant deal and a major help with recruits I wouldn't like it.

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Did Michigan fans actually get angry at this statement by Mark Dantonio?

"Hey, we just work at it. Right now, we’re selling results. I’ve said this over and over. We’re selling results. Other people are selling hope."

Seriously?

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How would an EMU alum who roots for Michigan feel about the Eagles upsetting the Wolverines at home last night? Conflicted?

It's not Harbaugh.

With the firing of Brady Hoke I thought my schadenfreude at the misfortunes of Michigan football would be done for the season, but the delusional Michigan fans who think they're going to get Jim Harbaugh to coach the team are really stretching it out. Thank you.

"It'll never be over here."

What were the Wolverines thinking planting a stake in the turf at Spartan Stadium?

So @zimme1me was correct. UM's Bolden with the stake in an ABC montage before the 12:08 mark. pic.twitter.com/VFK5TgNc1f
— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) October 26, 2014

When you're in their position you need to hope the other team isn't as enthusiastic as you are, maybe looking forward to the next game against OSU. Now, that's not likely because because you've got a guy coaching on the other sideline that said this (emphasis mine):

I find a lot of the things they do amusing. They need to check themselves sometimes. Let’s just remember, pride comes before the fall. ... They want to mock us, I’m telling them, it’s not over. They want to print that crap all over their locker room, it’s not over and it’ll never be over here. It’s just starting. ... I’m very proud of our football team, and I’m very proud of the way our football team handled themselves after the game as well. You don’t have to disrespect people. If they want to make a mockery of it, so be it. Their time will come.

Does that sound like a guy who's going to allow his team to be unfocused? I guarantee you if Dantonio coached the Spartans for 50 more years and never lost another game against Michigan it wouldn't be enough for him. So you give that guy and his team another reason to be jacked up for the game? That's madness.

Unsportsmanlike

In case there's any question, I don't support this type of behavior. After all the attempts on Sparty over the years I don't exactly have a lot of sympathy for the folks in Ann Arbor but it's still classless.

Rich Rod

I wish I could remember my thoughts the day Rich Rod was fired from UM. I'm pretty sure I was more happy than disappointed, more glad than upset. I don't remember ever being a Rich Rod "hater." But, I know I HATED his defense. I loved his offense. The guy was a genius how he moved the ball and Denard was awesome to watch.

The guy could flat out coach and recruit. I know for sure I gave him a free pass his first two years because Lloyd Carr absolutely set the program up for failure. I know Mallet was supposed to be the next QB under Carr's system, but other than that, the cupboards were empty. But knowing what he did at West Virginia, you had to give him at least two years because of how different his program was run.

I think the part that bothered me the most was the defense NEVER improved in his 3 year era and his Special Teams apparently didn't practice much. The wins and offense gradually improved, but the defense didn't show signs of progress. Apparently he was never able to get his Defensive Coordinator from West Virginia to come to UM. But, he now has him in Arizona, which certainly helped limit Oregon to 24 points at Oregon, something the MSU DC could NOT do. The problem I had is at a program like Michigan, the name on the jersey should get you all the recruits you need to beat anyone not named OSU, MSU, ND, and Wisconsin. Then, with a last name/track record of Rodriguez, that should get you the rest of the recruits you need to beat those teams. Is that arrogance? I don't intend it that way, that's just how it goes. However, with the Michigan brand and the Rodriguez name, he still couldn't beat the rivals (or cared to beat them?). After 3 years of recruiting, the program and your name should be better than 7 wins. It shouldn't take 3 years at a Michigan, OSU, Florida, Alabama, etc. to get 7 wins. Shoot, you get 3 from all the home games against the MAC!

I believe Rich Rod didn't always do his part to keep people happy, especially since he wasn't a "Michigan Man." He ruffled some feathers and got a lot of heat. But, I also believe there were some behind-the-scenes stuff going on, whether that was orchestrated by Carr or not, to make things miserable for Rich Rod. I wonder though, what if the plug was pulled too soon. What would have a 4th or 5th year looked like?

Would I be having these doubts if Hoke wasn't stinking up the program or if Rodriguez wouldn't have just beat Oregon? You're always glad to break up with your girlfriend until she starts dating one of your enemies or she acts like her life is better without you.

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So based on the way the last coach left and the current coach is being treated now the "Michigan Way" is to viciously turn on whoever is in charge as soon you're tired of him?

Panic?

What's the level of concern among Michigan fans this week? They were a national topic on Tuesday, specifically the idea that Harbaugh could be available if they fired Hoke. You'd expect them to pick up a win against Minnesota, but will that make the fans feel better?

98

If Tom Harmon were still alive do you think he'd ask Devin Gardner to stop "honoring" him by wearing his number?

NFL Quarterbacks by College

Since the Spartans are crushing Eastern I decided to take a look at the question I had the other day about NFL quarterbacks and colleges. I'm not crazy enough to go through and check out wins and losses, but the data at ESPN.com made it pretty easy to determine numbers. Here are the schools with more than alumni at quarterback on an NFL roster:

USC	4
Virginia Tech	3
Michigan State	3
North Carolina State	2
Tennessee	2
Oregon State	2
Florida State	2
Boston College	2
Georgia	2
Oklahoma	2
LSU	2
Purdue	2
Michigan	2
Texas A&M	2
Auburn	2
Eastern Illinois	2
Wisconsin	2
Missouri	2

The two schools that surprised me are Eastern Illinois (Tony Romo, Jimmy Garoppolo) and Virginia Tech (Michael Vick, Tyrod Taylor, Logan Thomas). It also demonstrates just how impressive a run USC had at quarterback (Carson Palmer, Matt Cassel, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley), though it is amazing to me that Cassel is still in the NFL and Matt Leinart isn't on a roster.

Thoughts on the Game

A few thoughts on yesterday's game:

-I don't think I've ever seen a team so thoroughly punish an opponent the way MSU did yesterday. That's a performance that will get them some national talk this week.

-Gardner especially looked ready to be done; he was obviously really beat up.

-Actually, I think he just got sacked again.

-And Fritz Toussaint is probably not his favorite person right now.

-Taylor Lewan doesn't have a leg to stand on complaining about dirty play. You'd think he actually had facemasks attached to his hands.

-I get why he's wearing 98, but Gardner looks stupid wearing that number.

-Speaking of looking stupid, can someone tell Hoke that "soggy fat guy" really isn't a good look on the sideline?

-Though his numbers weren't great, this was the first game where I thought Connor Cook might turn into a good quarterback.

-While MSU did pull out green pants, which I wasn't a big fan of, I'm surprised neither team had a flashy alternate helmet or something else exciting. I think it's a good thing though, because they don't really seem to fit the character of either team.

-How hard do you think the Buckeyes are rooting for the Spartans now?

-So, my prediction about the losing team feeling like they could have won the game? I don't think that's the case here.

RE: World Series - Lions - UM/MSU Game

World Series: I wasn't rooting for the Sox, but it doesn't bother me too much either that they won. They're generally pretty likeable, though Victorino really bugs me for some reason, and they deserved it. I also don't know that the Tigers would have been able to pull it off with the bullpen injuries and Cabrera's injury and seeming them lose the series to the Cardinals might have been worse that the loss to the Sox.

Lions: I heard on the radio that when the Lions got the ball at the end of the game they only had a 1% chance of winning, yet I wasn't surprised at all when they managed it. I said earlier in the season to my Dad that there was no outcome to a Lions game that could shock me. They're so talented and so inconsistent that anything is possible.

The Game: On paper MSU should win this one. The offense has improved from utterly pathetic to just very poor and the defense is legitimately good. However, they have a tendency to give up the big play, and Gardner is good at that, but you'd also think there's a good chance he throws a pick six. Whatever the outcome, I'm pretty sure the loser is going to feel like they should have come out on top.

World Series - Lions - UM/MSU Game

It's gotten a little easier to watch the World Series after the Tigers blew it. But, I'll stick with my personal thought: Watching Boston in the WS is like seeing your ex-girlfriend with the guy you hate the most. By the way, when Boston wins this WS, does it make the Tiger choke job hurt more? Just think, that could have been us winning the title this year!


Lions, what an unbelievable win. The HUGE Show Monday question: Where does Sunday's victory rank in Lions history? That's a great question. Some would say "no where, because it didn't mean anything." And that's just it, the Lions don't play any meaningful games, and if they do, they lose. The only meaningful games they've had are playoff games and Lambeau Field and they lose. So, if you are a franchise that doesn't win many games, let alone a come-from-behind win with 1:02 remaining, no timeouts, and needing a touchdown, then Sunday's win has to be ranked pretty high. And, it DID mean something: the difference between being 5-3 and 4-4. 5-3 is playoff bound. 4-4...forces you to go 5-3 in the second half of the season for a shot at the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

So, the fact they played a meaningful game and won in dramatic fashion has to be one of their all-time greatest wins.


Saturday's game at East Lansing: As a UM fan, I'm nervous. Very nervous. Game is at MSU. Advantage: MSU. MSU has by far the better defense. Advantage: MSU. MSU has gotten better lately. UM has the better overall offense, but MSU appears to have the better running game. Advantage: MSU. MSU is favored by 6.5 points. I'd like to have seen this game played in September and November. It would probably be two different results. All I know is the game will come down to turnovers...and Devin Gardner is a TO machine.

I could watch this all day.

I think I need this on my phone to watch whenever I start to feel down:

Shiny

I should probably write something about the game before kickoff, which has been tough to do all week since my computer died. So here's MSU's shiny gimmick helmet for the game:

Analysis? Both teams suck. The Big Ten sucks. I barely care who wins. The game is on the Big Ten Network, so no one nationally will even see it, and frankly, that's where it ought to be. This might as well be EMU vs. WMU.

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You know how I said UM vs MSU in basketball didn't excite me much? Turns out when I actually watch the game that's not true at all. Victory for MSU!

Upside Down

MSU football has beaten UM football four straight times. UM basketball has beaten MSU basketball three straight.

"Not one bit."

I'm in total agreement with Coach Izzo on Michigan: "Do I like them? Not one bit."

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Did anyone seriously think Denard Robinson wasn't going to return to Michigan? Sure, the guy has some real athletic ability, but he's never even managed to have stranglehold on the position in college. NFL secondaries would eat him alive. He can probably be an NFL player, but not an NFL QB.