With the release of NCAA Football 2007, receiving my football preview issue of The Wolverine, and getting season tickets to The Big House, I'm already jacked up for college football, so I thought it was time to start the discussion.

Who will win the conference? Will Michigan and Michigan State contend? Who will be the offensive and defensive players of the year? Is Stanton a Heisman contender? Which no name cats will burst onto the scene out of nowhere? Which freshmen will have the biggest impact? Will Lloyd Carr run any cool plays?

Discuss.

I think Illinois will go undeafted.


J/k. But I think Ohio State is highly overrated. They can win the big ten, but I'm not sure about the National title or even get there.

http://www.wisc.edu/foodsci/images/buckycheese.gif

as always, the p's got season tickets to camp randall stadium, with cushy seats to boot. my expectations arent too high for this year, but the defense should be stout and stocco (qb) altho not flashy, is a senior and doesnt make too many mistakes.

edit: how is bush still the poster boy for ncaa07? is there not anyone that will actually be playing this year they could use?

http://www.wisc.edu/foodsci/images/buckycheese.gif
edit: how is bush still the poster boy for ncaa07? is there not anyone that will actually be playing this year they could use?
They always use someone who is gone. Otherwise they would likely have to pay royalites to someone still in school, thus making them ineligible.

They always use someone who is gone. Otherwise they would likely have to pay royalites to someone still in school, thus making them ineligible.

ah good point

Afew things shooting from the hip:

1 - Ohio State has a nice offense but let's be serious, it's not one of the best ever and I'm a little sick of the media premature ejaculation over it. They won't score 50 a game and may struggle to do that in any one game. As for their defense, who knows? Ohio State almost always has a good D, but can they really be that good when they lost 138 starters from the defense last year? Yes, I really said 138. Deal with it.

2 - Penn State isn't getting enough attention. Anthony Morelli could be very good, and all those freshman are back, especially Williams who missed much of the year last year.

3 - Michigan sure as hell better bounce back in a big way. As always, the talent is there. If they stay healthy and the coaches get the crap out of the way and just let them play (that's one of the biggest IF's of all time) they could honestly run the table. They have more talent than anyone team they play with the possible exception of Ohio State, and even that is questionable. Yes, they have more talent than Notre Dame. Notre Dame only has 1.75 or so solid recruiting classes on their roster.

5 - Stanton will get preseason hype for the Heisman but zero postseason hype. First of all, I'm a hater so I obviously don't think he will put up the numbers most fans expect. But more than that, Heisman hype is reserved for players on winning teams, and I won't believe that is happening until I see it. Even a lot of Spartan fans that think Stanton has Heisman potential will admit he would have to win it in spite of his team's likely win-loss record. They likely hope the team will win 8 games so it could potentially be justified.

6 - Too many people are ignoring Javon Ringer. I've seen so many lists ranking the top Big Ten position players where he doesn't crack the top 5. That's just the type of motivation he needs to go off.

7 - Michigan running backs might seem overrated statistically. Why? Because there are at least 4 of them who legitimately deserve 8-10 carries per game. Even Michigan would struggle to consistantly run the ball 32-40 times per game, and how many RB's can really get off on less than 10 touches?

8 - Drew Tate gets a lot of attention and I don't know why. I hope people can find holes in his O-Line and leave him on his back more often than not.

9 - I hope Steve Breaston learns how to play a full season and a full game. If he does, he just might have the season people have been waiting 2 years for.

10 - I hope Northwestern has a good year and dedicates it to Walker. He was the best thing they had and it really was a tragedy for the family and the program. Reality is they will probably take a big step backward.

11 - Wasn't Illinois good just 5 years ago or so? Wow, what happened?

12 - Wasn't Indiana good just, uh, wow, they have never been good have they?

13 - I really don't know what to say about Purdue, Minnesota or Wisconsin. I just hope they don't trip up my Wolverines in a letdown game. I wish Maroney was still playing in Minnesota so we could plant one end of the M Club banner in his ass. I stick by my stance that players with flags on the opponents field are classless.

Good day.

Yes, I apparently skipped #4, deal with it.

I agree with Jethro on 1, 4, 10, and 12.

I'm not quite ready for this yet. End of August, I'll dive in full throttle as always.

Just a couple of thoughts so that you guys know I'm alive, but just too busy shooting pool and playing 360 to be stuck here on the computer.

1) I don't think OSU is overrated because their offense will be sick...IF Tressel can go away from his more conservative style and adjust to his personel. Great qb, amazing running backs, Ginn, and a decent O-line.

2) I don't know what to expect out of Michigan. I could see last year repeating with just different losses. Or I could see Lloyd trying to save his job and shock everybody with a more open offense.

3) I'm sick of hearing about Michigan's running backS. I emphasized the "s" because only Hart deserves the praise so far. Could Grady and Brown be good in the future, definately. But, I heard rediculous hype last year about him before he even stepped onto the field and he was average at best last year. Lets be realistic, unless injured Hart sees 85% of the meaningful carries.

4) Anybody that doubts Stanton is simply hating because of the jersey he wears. His numbers prior to the broken thumb NW game were unreal. Will he win the Heisman trophy? No. Not because of his team. His offense will be one of the best in the nation, just like last year. He won't win because of his defense.

5) I'm sick of MSU's O-line not getting any love. They've finished in the Top 2 in the Big Ten in rushing the last two seasons, yet they get no love in the post season awards and no love preseason. Ringer and the boys will be in the Top 3 in the big ten rushing again this year.

4) Penn St. is going to be very good again. Very good, but beatable. They won't light up the scoreboard.

5) Possible surprise? Minnesota

6) NW will crumble with the loss of their coach.

7) Drew Tate is really good in my opinion and I'm glad State doesn't play against him.

8) Wisconsin is going to suck. They sucked last year, teams like Michigan were just too stupid to plug a double spy on Calhoun. Off tackle Calhoun, Screen Calhoun, repeat UGH!

9) Since we are 99% MSU/UM fans. My surprises? Manningham will be 1st team All Big Ten. Nehemiah Warrick will be the first MSU defensive player in a long long time that every Big Ten team wishes they had.

10) J Scott is 40 receptions away from MSU's All Time Reception Leader and nobody knows him. Guys he's passing or passed: Plaxico Burress, Andre Rison, Gari Scott, Muhsin Muhammed, Charles Rogers, Derrick Mason, wow.

Predictions:
Let's stick with Tradition:
MSU surprises and then has a catostrophic mental collapse
Michigan breaks MSU's heart in the closing minutes
OSU beats Michigan, again.
Some team with not that cool of players (Wisc., Iowa, Minnesota, you fill in the blank) beats our teams and we're really pissed because we lost to a whack school with whack uni's and whack players
Lloyd Carr acts like a jackass and cries about losing a game he could have won with his eyes closed if he just used his talent
OSU, UM, and Penn St. are the best teams in the league as always

I'm more excited about this football season then any other season before, because this is my first year of being a Spartan fan. Next year I'll be a freshman in East Lansing. Any advice from veteran Spartan fans on how to handle the many heartbreaks and dissapointments?

Just shoot yourself now Skelly. That will be the easiest way.

Wait, I take that back. Get high, do a half dozen drunken coeds, puke twice, THEN shoot yourself. You might as well burn a couch in there somewhere too. Gotta get the whole East Lansing experience.

All I want out of the season is Michigan and Ohio State to both stay healthy....then I will have nothing to worry about.

Any advice from veteran Spartan fans on how to handle the many heartbreaks and dissapointments?

Listen to Wolverine's like Jethro when they are actually discussing and contributing to legit athletic topics. Ignore Wolverine's like Jethro when they are making gross generalizations that add nothing to what is an exciting time for everyone that's a fan of Big Ten football.

All I want out of the season is Michigan and Ohio State to both stay healthy....then I will have nothing to worry about.

Given both stay healthy, November 18th should be for the Big Ten Championship. Penn St. is in there too though. I see them losing @ Columbus but I think they beat Michigan in Happy Valley. Some place in their other 6 I think PSU loses a 2nd game, making Michigan / OSU a title game which I think Michigan is due to win.

Predictions:
Let's stick with Tradition:
MSU surprises and then has a catostrophic mental collapse
Michigan breaks MSU's heart in the closing minutes
OSU beats Michigan, again.
Some team with not that cool of players (Wisc., Iowa, Minnesota, you fill in the blank) beats our teams and we're really pissed because we lost to a whack school with whack uni's and whack players
Lloyd Carr acts like a jackass and cries about losing a game he could have won with his eyes closed if he just used his talent
OSU, UM, and Penn St. are the best teams in the league as always

Laugh my fucking ass off.

Awesome post, Tre.

Just shoot yourself now Skelly. That will be the easiest way.

Wait, I take that back. Get high, do a half dozen drunken coeds, puke twice, THEN shoot yourself. You might as well burn a couch in there somewhere too. Gotta get the whole East Lansing experience.
Wouldn't it be easier to transfer than shoot myself? I mean, I'm not assuming anything, just seems a little more fun.

If you were wise enough to truly consider tranferring, you never would have enrolled at State in the first place. (unless you just wanted to do all the steps before the shooting yourself and THEN transfer instead)

If you were wise enough to truly consider tranferring, you never would have enrolled at State in the first place. (unless you just wanted to do all the steps before the shooting yourself and THEN transfer instead)
I would have loved to go to U of M. If only I were an arab girl.

If you were wise enough to truly consider tranferring, you never would have enrolled at State in the first place. (unless you just wanted to do all the steps before the shooting yourself and THEN transfer instead)
I would have loved to go to U of M. If only I were an arab girl.
ummmmm oookkkkkkkk

I'm more excited about this football season then any other season before, because this is my first year of being a Spartan fan. Next year I'll be a freshman in East Lansing. Any advice from veteran Spartan fans on how to handle the many heartbreaks and dissapointments?

First year being a Spartan fan? It the famous words of Ron Burgundy "That was a baaaaad choice".

I really hope you switched because (like everyone else) got easily accepted to MSU and feel like you should root for them, and/or are a big basketball fan. Because if those are not your reasons, you are retarded. Sparty football is one of the biggest jokes in all of NCAA athletics. Every year, they beat some clowns and pull one out of their ass to beat Notre Dame and then the ship sinks like the Titanic. Just brace yourself and expect the inevitable. But I don't think you guys are going to beat ND this year because they are way too talented now, have a great coach, and some jick stuck the State flag on their field last year, and I'm pretty sure they remember that.

In other words, go to Spartanmag.com and read your basketball articles and get hyped about the 2007 basketball recruiting class.

Since most of us are taking the number approach, I'll follow suit.

1. Ohio State is good, but vastly overrated. How can you be a preseason #1 if your team's success was due largely to your defense and you lose 9 starters including A.J. Hawk, Schlaegel, Ashton Youboty, Nate Salley, Donte Whitner, etc. I know there's still talent there, but losing 9 starters is a big deal. You can't replace experience.

2. No cornbread here, but Michigan is going to bounce back in a big way. Their 7-5 record from last year has fueled the off-season workouts and everyone is coming back stronger, leaner, and most importantly, hungry. Kevin Grady has lost 15 pounds, still has his power running ablility, but is more agile and quick. Michigan's runningbacks are by no means overrated. Hart will have a big year again, Grady will be solid spelling Hart and in short yardage situations, and just wait until you see Carlos Brown. I've never heard the Michigan coaches go off about a players speed like they have about him. Look out. Speaking of the coaches, the coaching changes will help out in a big way. Ron English runs a more aggressive defensive scheme, the new LB coach served under Bill Belichick in New England, and Mike DeBord is the OC again and does anyone remember what happened last team he was the OC? 1997 National Champions, 1999 Big Ten Champions, 2000 Orange Bowl champions. He's promised a more aggressive scheme as well, acknowledged the game has changed and is planning on throwing the ball down the field more. Bottom line, I think Michigan will finish at 9-3, possibly 10-2, and will challenge for the Big Ten title. I think we'll lose to ND, Ohio State, and possibly Iowa. I think we'll beat PSU. We own Penn State.

3. That brings me to my next point. PSU will be good, but not as good as last year. They return a lot of talent, but I think Michael Robinson did a lot more for that team than he was given credit for. The offense will change drastically with WB Morelli running the show, but he's very accurate and the Nittany Lions will move the ball, just in a different way.

4. MSU will have their typical season, but won't beat ND this year. They'll finish somewhere around .500 and Stanton will have gaudy numbers, but defense will be a big problem. He will not contend for the Heisman because of the W-L record. Ringer will have a big year, hitting 1000 yards, but the whack D will be too much to overcome.

5. Minnesota will be horrible with the loss of Maroney and last year's Wolverine killer Gary Russell, who's been suspended due to academic issues. "The Big Wheel" is scary good though.

6. Iowa will do a lot of damage. Tate scares me and Albert Young is a great RB. You know their O-Line is stellar every year, but the loss of Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge, two "impact players" will be tough to replace. If their defense steps up, they will contend for the B10 title.

7. I'm with Tre, Wisconsin will be horrible. Calhoun was their team last year. I'm glad he's a Lion.

8. Offensive player of the Year-Troy Smith, OSU, Defensive player of the year-Paul Posluzny, PSU.

9. Players from out of nowhere-Adrian Arrington, LaTerryal Savoy, Michigan, Jamario O'Neal, Anthony Gonzalez, OSU, Anthony Morelli, PSU.

10. Freshman of the Year-Chris Wells, OSU

11. 2006 Big Ten Champion-Ohio State

I really hope you switched because (like everyone else) got easily accepted to MSU and feel like you should root for them, and/or are a big basketball fan. Because if those are not your reasons, you are retarded. Sparty football is one of the biggest jokes in all of NCAA athletics. Every year, they beat some clowns and pull one out of their ass to beat Notre Dame and then the ship sinks like the Titanic. Just brace yourself and expect the inevitable. But I don't think you guys are going to beat ND this year because they are way too talented now, have a great coach, and some jick stuck the State flag on their field last year, and I'm pretty sure they remember that.

In other words, go to Spartanmag.com and read your basketball articles and get hyped about the 2007 basketball recruiting class.

Great idea. As a Spartan fan I'm just going to ignore football because we struggle in it and walk around talking about the 2007 basketball recruiting class.[smilie=rolleyes2.g: Saying the football program struggles is true, saying it's retarded to cheer for MSU football because they struggle isn't.

I'm more excited about this football season then any other season before, because this is my first year of being a Spartan fan. Next year I'll be a freshman in East Lansing. Any advice from veteran Spartan fans on how to handle the many heartbreaks and dissapointments?

First year being a Spartan fan? It the famous words of Ron Burgundy "That was a baaaaad choice".

I really hope you switched because (like everyone else) got easily accepted to MSU and feel like you should root for them, and/or are a big basketball fan. Because if those are not your reasons, you are retarded. Sparty football is one of the biggest jokes in all of NCAA athletics. Every year, they beat some clowns and pull one out of their ass to beat Notre Dame and then the ship sinks like the Titanic. Just brace yourself and expect the inevitable. But I don't think you guys are going to beat ND this year because they are way too talented now, have a great coach, and some jick stuck the State flag on their field last year, and I'm pretty sure they remember that.

In other words, go to Spartanmag.com and read your basketball articles and get hyped about the 2007 basketball recruiting class.
Oh I fully expect my new team to suck this year. I'm just hoping to have a good time at the tailgates and being obnoxious to opposing teams' fans for no apparent reason. That's what being a Spartan is all about, right?

Blue Ribbon Index predictions per ESPN

Big Ten Conference
1. Ohio State
2. Iowa
3. Penn State
4. Michigan
5. Purdue
6. Wisconsin
7. Michigan State
8. Minnesota
9. Northwestern
10. Illinois
11. Indiana

All-Big Ten Team

Offense
WR: Dorien Bryant, Purdue
WR: Ted Ginn Jr., Ohio State
OL: Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
OL: Levi Brown, Penn State
OL: Mike Jones, Iowa
OL: Jordan Grimes, Purdue
OL: Doug Datish, Ohio State
QB: Troy Smith, Ohio State
RB: Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern
RB: Antonio Pittman, Ohio State
TE: Matt Spaeth, Minnesota

Defense
DL: Ken Iwebema, Iowa
DL: Jay Alford, Penn State
DL: Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State
DL: LaMarr Woodley, Michigan
LB: Paul Posluszny, Penn State
LB: Mark Zalewski, Wisconsin
LB: Dave Harris, Michigan
DB: Marquice Cole, Northwestern
DB: Marcus Paschal, Iowa
DB: Leon Hall, Michigan
DB: Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State

Specialists
K: Kyle Schlicher, Iowa
KR: Ted Ginn Jr. , Ohio State
P: Ken DeBauche, Wisconsin
PR: Steve Breaston, Michigan

Offensive Player of the Year
Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State

Defensive Player of the Year
Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State

Newcomer of the Year
Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State


Wow. Michigan picked 4th? No Spartans at all on the All-Big Ten team.
Both of those facts will be a mistake, a big mistake.

Wow. Michigan picked 4th? No Spartans at all on the All-Big Ten team.
Both of those facts will be a mistake, a big mistake.

You know what's funny about that? There was a poll on ESPN.com's frontpage yesterday asking who would win the Big Ten. The choices were Michigan, Iowa, OSU, and Wisconsin. PSU wasn't even listed and now they place them above Michigan pre-season? Ridiculous.

its funny how much you talk down on wisconsin as a whole. yeah they dont have the history of um or osu, but they arent that bad. who has won three rose bowls in the last twelve years compared to no more than one by any other school? wisconsin. and i was there for all three. who has regularly been voted as the best party school in the country mainly because of the football environment? wisconsin. who became the ncaa's all-time leadring rusher? ron dayne. calhoun was the only offense last year? well teams would have stacked against him if it werent for williams, daniels, and before he was injured, bernstein. last year wisconsin had one of the top defenses in the country, and set a school record for points in a season. i agree they will have a down year this year, but you really cant knock em for their tenure under barry alvarez who is also the only coach in history to have won three rose bowls.

Blue Ribbon Index predictions per ESPN

Big Ten Conference
1. Ohio State
2. Iowa
3. Penn State
4. Michigan
5. Purdue
6. Wisconsin
7. Michigan State
8. Minnesota
9. Northwestern
10. Illinois
11. Indiana

All-Big Ten Team

Offense
WR: Dorien Bryant, Purdue
WR: Ted Ginn Jr., Ohio State
OL: Joe Thomas, Wisconsin
OL: Levi Brown, Penn State
OL: Mike Jones, Iowa
OL: Jordan Grimes, Purdue
OL: Doug Datish, Ohio State
QB: Troy Smith, Ohio State
RB: Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern
RB: Antonio Pittman, Ohio State
TE: Matt Spaeth, Minnesota

Defense
DL: Ken Iwebema, Iowa
DL: Jay Alford, Penn State
DL: Quinn Pitcock, Ohio State
DL: LaMarr Woodley, Michigan
LB: Paul Posluszny, Penn State
LB: Mark Zalewski, Wisconsin
LB: Dave Harris, Michigan
DB: Marquice Cole, Northwestern
DB: Marcus Paschal, Iowa
DB: Leon Hall, Michigan
DB: Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State

Specialists
K: Kyle Schlicher, Iowa
KR: Ted Ginn Jr. , Ohio State
P: Ken DeBauche, Wisconsin
PR: Steve Breaston, Michigan

Offensive Player of the Year
Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State

Defensive Player of the Year
Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State

Newcomer of the Year
Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State


Wow. Michigan picked 4th? No Spartans at all on the All-Big Ten team.
Both of those facts will be a mistake, a big mistake.

Who?


And what the hell makes Wisconsin so damn special? They'll probably fall upset at least twice this season.

SKelly, I think you made the right choice.

Jethro rips State's party atmosphere. I think that's funny because anybody that goes to MSU or has been there knows that it is a hype college campus filled with ridiculously hot girls all over. Lets take a look at the alternative in Ann Arbor. 90% of their students just came over from another country and most of them will not stay here. 1/2 of their students spend their time in coffee shops discussing where to put their next rainbow sticker on their car.

Think I'm full of it? I've had currently enrolled UM students state these things to me themselves.

I also think it's funny when UM fans rip people for being State fans because they got accepted there. Newsflash: You wouldn't have gotten accepted into UM either! MSU students are just like us. They are generally 3.0-3.5 gpa hs students from middle to upper class homes. Sure they accept more and they might even accept a 2.8 student here and there. That is because they are one of the 10 biggest universities in the country! They have more room for more students.

Now to athletics, actually I should say Football and Basketball since that's what we talk about.

Moodini, if MSU is one of the biggest jokes in the NCAA when it comes to football. They are far surpassed by UM's clown bball program.

Skelly, MSU and UM are virtually identical in terms of bball/fbball. Both have one amazing program and both have one joke program. So, if I'm making the college choice, I'll watch my sports around hot girls and normal dudes just like me, not foreign dudes that are reaching for my balls.

You make the call.

Good stuff Tre.

You know at first I was a little "icky" about going to MSU. It had always been my plan, and sort of a dream, to go to U of M. But now that I'm about to go to East Lansing at the end of the month, I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Spartan girls are WAY hotter than Michigan's. It's not even close. The few guys from my class going to Michigan admit that. There is this one Indian girl from our class going there with them. They said, "She's the hottest girl in our class."

I'll have a lot more friends in East Lansing too. They are just cooler people to be around. The few guys from my class that I mentioned are going to Michigan, I wouldn't want to hang out with any of them. I've got a lot of friends going to State. And I'll make more too, not every other guy is wearing a turban.

With football, yes, of course, Michigan's program is much better. However, Spartan games are more fun. I've been to a few games in E.L. as a Michigan fan. That place is so loud. The tailgate parties are so much fun. And at the Big House, you can hear a pin drop. The huge expectations almost always lead to dissapointment at Michigan. A loss as a Spartan, "Oh well." When Michigan took a loss it took me a the rest of the weekend to recover.

Lastly, at Michigan, I would have to be graded on a curve with a bunch of brainiacs. I will be one of the smarter people in my classes at State. My grades should be good.

And I'm still hoping to go to grad school at U of M.

If you were wise enough to truly consider tranferring, you never would have enrolled at State in the first place. (unless you just wanted to do all the steps before the shooting yourself and THEN transfer instead)
I would have loved to go to U of M. If only I were an arab girl.
I'm Arab, and my cousin has a friend whos arab, and she is going to MSU too.

That has no relavance to my point kid. I had a good GPA and decent test scores. If I were an arab girl, I would have been accepted to Michigan, no question about it. The standards for a white, in-state male are so high to get into U of M. I'm not saying that's wrong, but it definitely isn't fair.

Oh I see what you are saying.


As for football wise, OSU will win the Big Ten, but I think they will lose at least twice IMO.



ND is my pick for the Ntnl championship. Not sure who they will face though. Maybe OSU if I'm wrong.

Tre, what makes you think I was ripping State's party atmosphere? I was giving State credit that it's one of the few things you should actually take advantage of there.

Dude, it's a freaking agriculture school. That's what it is founded on. Hot chicks, yes. Lots of drunks, absolutely. Since I don't drink and I hate being around fat ass frat dudes in crowds, it wouldn't be my scene. Ann Arbor isn't my scene either though. I appreciate people who speak the language of the country they're in, and my positive view of lesbians is the one you get from porn, not chicks that concentrate on organic foods, wash their hair with oatmeal and talk like a man. So I'm not a fan of Ann Arbor. Fortunately, I live in freaking Saginaw so it doesn't matter.
I was too freaking stupid to get into either school. And yes, I applied to both. As much as I rip State, it looks better on a resume than any of the schools that accepted me. Just being honest and putting it all out there. Turns out I did the right thing though, since a bachelors degree in Communication is worthless anyhow. At least I didn't spend 5 times as much to get it.
But think of this, the only time I've ever heard Tre tell me a story about a State party, it involved a chick rifling anal beads in a dudes ass. You can't overlook that.

well since were talking about party atmosphere now...

last year at a badger game, i was in the smoking area at halftime. a girl came up to me, asked to bum a cig. we were talking, and somehow it came up that i drove a mustang. she proceeded to drop her pants bare ass and show me the stang tatoo on her ass.

when youre walking to the stadium, you pass endless two-story beer bong hookas that are always willing to take on passing people. like myself. we park in a foreign auto restoration shop that rebuilds lambos n shit from the 60s. always worth a good look. its just a good time. hot chicks everywhere that apparantly, will show bare ass. what more can you want?

Wow, this thread got so out of control. I think it might be my fault. haha Back on topic.

ya, theres still no replies about my post looking at barry alvarez's tenure. bring it!!! lol

Barry Alvarez was great, no question. But he's gone and you're still extremely optimistic about the team. The question is, are you giving Barry the credit or not? If it was Barry, and he and Calhoun are gone, how can you expect the Badgers to be very good this year?

Now the question is on you. And by the way, your avatar troubles me.

Dude, it's a freaking agriculture school. That's what it is founded on. Hot chicks, yes. Lots of drunks, absolutely. Since I don't drink and I hate being around fat ass frat dudes in crowds, it wouldn't be my scene. Ann Arbor isn't my scene either though. I appreciate people who speak the language of the country they're in, and my positive view of lesbians is the one you get from porn, not chicks that concentrate on organic foods, wash their hair with oatmeal and talk like a man. So I'm not a fan of Ann Arbor. Fortunately, I live in freaking Saginaw so it doesn't matter.
I was too freaking stupid to get into either school. And yes, I applied to both. As much as I rip State, it looks better on a resume than any of the schools that accepted me. Just being honest and putting it all out there. Turns out I did the right thing though, since a bachelors degree in Communication is worthless anyhow. At least I didn't spend 5 times as much to get it.
But think of this, the only time I've ever heard Tre tell me a story about a State party, it involved a chick rifling anal beads in a dudes ass. You can't overlook that.

This reminds me of the whole Oregon/Oregon State thing.

UO is given a huge party school reputation, while everyone who knows an OSU student claims that OSU is a hardcore party school. My AP Euro teacher (not the one who touched kids) put it best: OSU has a ton of parties, but at UO, the parties are riots.

I'm not much of a raving ag-school drunkard myself, but people tell me I'm more of the OSU type than the UO type. Huh.

I think that this Ag school shit is WAY overplayed.

A lot of good schools were Ag schools, and a lot of shitty ones weren't. Fuck, Cornell was originally an Ag school.

Barry Alvarez was great, no question. But he's gone and you're still extremely optimistic about the team. The question is, are you giving Barry the credit or not? If it was Barry, and he and Calhoun are gone, how can you expect the Badgers to be very good this year?

Now the question is on you. And by the way, your avatar troubles me.


barry is still the AD, and will be helping with the football program in his spare time for the next year or two. i also didnt put all the success on calhouns shoulders, there were a lot of good players on the team last year and if it werent for them he wouldnt have had the season he did. my point was basically, that people were commenting like wisconsin has been full of scrubs and sucked as a whole but the last 10-15 years they have been at the top of the big 10. wisconsin is also kind of like the broncos... they have a good O line every year and always manage to have a 1000 yard rusher. i dont think they will be competing for the conf title this year, i just dont think they will have a losing record either. whats wrong with my av? lol

SKelly, I think you made the right choice.

Jethro rips State's party atmosphere. I think that's funny because anybody that goes to MSU or has been there knows that it is a hype college campus filled with ridiculously hot girls all over. Lets take a look at the alternative in Ann Arbor. 90% of their students just came over from another country and most of them will not stay here. 1/2 of their students spend their time in coffee shops discussing where to put their next rainbow sticker on their car.

Think I'm full of it? I've had currently enrolled UM students state these things to me themselves.

I also think it's funny when UM fans rip people for being State fans because they got accepted there. Newsflash: You wouldn't have gotten accepted into UM either! MSU students are just like us. They are generally 3.0-3.5 gpa hs students from middle to upper class homes. Sure they accept more and they might even accept a 2.8 student here and there. That is because they are one of the 10 biggest universities in the country! They have more room for more students.

Now to athletics, actually I should say Football and Basketball since that's what we talk about.

Moodini, if MSU is one of the biggest jokes in the NCAA when it comes to football. They are far surpassed by UM's clown bball program.

Skelly, MSU and UM are virtually identical in terms of bball/fbball. Both have one amazing program and both have one joke program. So, if I'm making the college choice, I'll watch my sports around hot girls and normal dudes just like me, not foreign dudes that are reaching for my balls.

You make the call.

One of my boys got accepted to State and had a 2.7 GPA and a 16 on his ACT. Sad.

New Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord met with the media today and has promised that the Michigan offense will be vastly different under his control. I was floored when I heard his comments. Check this out.

"I'm not really going to say where we went and who we studied, all that, because I think that as a unit, we're saying we're not going to let what we're doing different out until the first opponent," he said. "After the first opponent, obviously, people will notice the change. But we've made changes. We've brought people in to talk to us about it, we went out and studied other people. I'm looking forward to those changes this fall."

Some of the subtle changes haven't been all that noticeable in the past. DeBord said that shouldn't be the case in 2006.

"Some are dramatic, scheme-wise," he insisted. "We're going to play football the way we know how to win … that's by running the football, play action, putting the ball down the field in the drop back game. We're not going to change that part of it. But the scheme part of it, I think, will be a big change."

WOW. I've heard coaches promise changes before at Michigan, and nothing happened, but this sounds legit. Did DeBord go and meet with Mike Martz? I doubt it, but I really can't wait to see that first game against Vandy.

One of my boys got accepted to State and had a 2.7 GPA and a 16 on his ACT. Sad.

Yeah, really sad that your buddy has a chance to attend a quality institution of higher learning.[smilie=sarcastic.g:

Every University makes exceptions each year on a applicant to applicant basis.

Funny shit. I don't want to lead this thread off-topic again but I have to mention this. I've been joking about the Asian population at U of M for a while now. I get a call from my roommate at MSU today, he's Indian, I could barely understand him. Seemed like a nice guy though.

Moodini wrote: "One of my boys got accepted to State and had a 2.7 GPA and a 16 on his ACT. Sad."

Moodini, are you telling us that you could have went to Michigan? Do you go to Michigan? If you couldn't have went there yourself, why are you ripping MSU academics? Do you think MSU grads have any trouble getting great jobs? I don't get your posts or why you even care about their academics considering you didn't go to either school.

MSU is the 6th largest University in the nation. For every 2.9 there is a 4.0 attending. Just much greater diversity.

For the record, I talked to a current UM student yesterday at the mall. I spoke with her in the past and gave her crap about UM's interesting student body. This was her exact quote, "I'm not gonna lie (laugh). The majority of the people in my classes are not from here and there are a ton of (you fill in the blank) people everywhere. I actually saw two guys holding hands yesterday on my way to class."

What's wrong with having a 2.6-2.9 GPA? And since when does a freaking GPA determine someones intelligence?

WACK

What's wrong with having a 2.6-2.9 GPA? And since when does a freaking GPA determine someones intelligence?
Actually just your aptitude for learning and applying. Which is what they really care about if you're not an athlete or status quo.

Michigan is coming off a disappointing season, has 2 team captains from the state of Michigan (Jake Long, LaMarr Woodley), and is ranked #14 in the pre-season poll.

Does anyone remember the last time that happened? 1997.

http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/1998/jan/01-07-98/photos/front.gif

Good luck with that. haha

Good luck with that. haha

I just watched my recording of College Gameday from Saturday. Corso had Michigan at #2 and Herbstreit had them at #3. Suhweeeet! [smilie=respekt.gif]

I gotta tell everyone this. Earlier, after Michigan named their captains I told Tre and another one of our boys about how the last time Michigan came of an Alamo Bowl loss, had 2 captains from the state of Michigan, and were ranked #14 in the preseason poll we won the National Championship in 1997. I thought that it was pretty tight that it is the exact same scenario this year. After I said that Tre said "If Michigan wins the National Championship this year, I will take a dump on my living room floor and eat it." I'm not saying it's going to happen. But Tre may have some poopin' to do. [smilie=bootyshake.:

haha, you might be right Moodini. I may have been way off about that, but I'm gonna toot my own horn about my late July BT predictions. Check these out, especially my Manningham one. I didn't hit on every single one and some will need some more time, but not bad. Okay, I'll stop gloating now.


I'm not quite ready for this yet. End of August, I'll dive in full throttle as always.

Just a couple of thoughts so that you guys know I'm alive, but just too busy shooting pool and playing 360 to be stuck here on the computer.

1) I don't think OSU is overrated because their offense will be sick...IF Tressel can go away from his more conservative style and adjust to his personel. Great qb, amazing running backs, Ginn, and a decent O-line.

2) I don't know what to expect out of Michigan. I could see last year repeating with just different losses. Or I could see Lloyd trying to save his job and shock everybody with a more open offense.

3) I'm sick of hearing about Michigan's running backS. I emphasized the "s" because only Hart deserves the praise so far. Could Grady and Brown be good in the future, definately. But, I heard rediculous hype last year about him before he even stepped onto the field and he was average at best last year. Lets be realistic, unless injured Hart sees 85% of the meaningful carries.

4) Anybody that doubts Stanton is simply hating because of the jersey he wears. His numbers prior to the broken thumb NW game were unreal. Will he win the Heisman trophy? No. Not because of his team. His offense will be one of the best in the nation, just like last year. He won't win because of his defense.

5) I'm sick of MSU's O-line not getting any love. They've finished in the Top 2 in the Big Ten in rushing the last two seasons, yet they get no love in the post season awards and no love preseason. Ringer and the boys will be in the Top 3 in the big ten rushing again this year.

4) Penn St. is going to be very good again. Very good, but beatable. They won't light up the scoreboard.

5) Possible surprise? Minnesota

6) NW will crumble with the loss of their coach.

7) Drew Tate is really good in my opinion and I'm glad State doesn't play against him.

8) Wisconsin is going to suck. They sucked last year, teams like Michigan were just too stupid to plug a double spy on Calhoun. Off tackle Calhoun, Screen Calhoun, repeat UGH!

9) Since we are 99% MSU/UM fans. My surprises? Manningham will be 1st team All Big Ten. Nehemiah Warrick will be the first MSU defensive player in a long long time that every Big Ten team wishes they had.

10) J Scott is 40 receptions away from MSU's All Time Reception Leader and nobody knows him. Guys he's passing or passed: Plaxico Burress, Andre Rison, Gari Scott, Muhsin Muhammed, Charles Rogers, Derrick Mason, wow.

Predictions:
Let's stick with Tradition:
MSU surprises and then has a catostrophic mental collapse
Michigan breaks MSU's heart in the closing minutes
OSU beats Michigan, again.
Some team with not that cool of players (Wisc., Iowa, Minnesota, you fill in the blank) beats our teams and we're really pissed because we lost to a whack school with whack uni's and whack players
Lloyd Carr acts like a jackass and cries about losing a game he could have won with his eyes closed if he just used his talent
OSU, UM, and Penn St. are the best teams in the league as always

Michigan is up to #4 in the AP poll and #5 in the coaches poll.

Also, check out these numbers.

Michigan is now #1 in the nation in time of possession, number #1 in the nation in rush defense, #5 in the nation in 3rd down conversion defense and #6 in the country in turnover ratio.

That is a deadly combo.

6 games in. 4 very respectable opponents. No one has come close to giving Michigan a run. The Wolverines have beaten all 6 of their opponents by at least 2 touchdowns.

GO BLUE!

Cbssportsline already has a countdown to Michigan vs. Ohio State. Awesome![smilie=headbanger.:
http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball

Check out this article by Pat Forde on ESPN.com, just an awesome read-
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2634508

For those of you too lazy to read click the link and read the whole thing, here are some of the major quotes.


ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan football is one of the great static empires in all of athletics.

The path is now clear for both teams to steamroll into the Horseshoe on Nov. 18 undefeated, with absolutely everything imaginable on the line.

"Everyone's talking about O-State, O-State, O-State," said the puckishly dimpled Hart, pound-for-pound the toughest dude in college football. "We know we have games before O-State. We've got to focus on those."

The main source of that relentlessness has been the spectacularly athletic front seven on defense. The tackles are immovable, the ends are unstoppable and the linebackers seemingly come from all angles.

"They were pretty tough. They were without a doubt the best defense we've played all year. How physical they are, their size, their speed -- we haven't seen anything like that."
-- Iowa quarterback Drew Tate

Herbstreit rips Breaston and U-M on his radio show. Sounds like perfect bulletin board material to me.


"The Game" is still a few weeks away, but former OSU quarterback and current college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has already started the gamesmanship. On his Monday afternoon radio show on WBNS-AM 1460 in Columbus, Ohio, Herbstreit lauded U-M's defense but blasted the offense, particularly Michigan receiver and return man Steve Breaston, whom he called "worthless."

Herbstreit said the way it looks now, nobody can see how Michigan could score enough points to win at Ohio State.

"Their defense continues to be impressive and physical. We've all been talking about what they can do on that side of the ball, but for them to come into the Horsehoe on Nov. 18, they've got two weeks to get things in order on offense," Herbstreit said. "I personally don't think their defense, the way Ohio State will spread them out, can just dominate the game and shut Ohio State down and say, 'Listen, we're going to win this game, 9-6.'

"It will be one of those things where Michigan's defense plays well, they try to contain [OSU quarterback] Troy [Smith] and company as much as they can, maybe they slow them down compared to what Ohio State's offense is used to doing, but I don't think it's going to be a shut-the-door kind of performance by Michigan's defense against Ohio State. So Chad Henne, Michael Hart and Mario Manningham, when he gets back, for their sake, they're going to have to get that ship going, because right now, it is an offense that hopes to wear you down, four yards here, maybe hit a tight end for 12. It's just an offense that has to have some continuity, or it's going to be a tough day for them.

"Mario Manningham coming back - one guy doesn't make a big difference in most cases, but the reason it does in Michigan's case is because it's like a domino effect. If Manningham is able to come back and be the player that he was before the injury, [Adrian] Arrington can go back to doing what he does, instead of being the go-to guy, (senior receiver Steve) Breaston can go back to whatever he's doing these days, if they could ever find a way to actually apply him in the offense."

Herbstreit then added to his criticism of Michigan's fifth-year senior in taking it to another level.

"He's worthless in my mind, outside of returning a few punts," said Herbstreit. " I'll say that, and he'll end up winning the game for them on Nov. 18. But he hasn't done anything since his freshman year, but he can go back to doing whatever he needs to do. And even the tight ends for Michigan, when they're healthy, when they're the go-to guy on third and eight, you've got some issues.

"But when you're concerned about Manningham on one side and Arrington on the other, that's where there tight ends can really start to be effective, and they can take some of the pressure off their running game. Without Manningham, that offense is ... let's just say, it's not very dynamic. It puts a lot of pressure on Chad Henne, because they don't have a lot of big-play threats. They've got to be able to go 80 yards in 12 plays, and that's hard to do, especially on the road against Ohio State, the way Ohio State's defense is improving and getting more and more confident."

If the two teams were to play right now, Herbstreit said, "I don't even think it would be close. Ohio State not only wins that game the way they're playing right now, maybe by a few scores." Still, Herbstreit added, he expects Michigan's best game of the year when the Wolverines travel to Columbus Nov. 18.

"I think of all the games Michigan has played this year, that will be the game where they put their best foot forward," he said. "Because I think if you know Lloyd Carr, and if you follow his career as a coach, typically when he gets bullied and when he gets embarrassed and he has a lot of media scrutiny about a game, his characteristics usually are that he shows up in a bad mood, and his team reflects that, where his defense plays hard and the offense is taking more chances.

"I think they know going in there's no way that they can line up and run the football out of the I-formation and methodically move the ball down the field. They know they've got to play-action on first and 10, find the tight ends, take their shots down the field and try to create some seams on early downs and then go back to running the football, because they're on the road, it's for the national championship, everything is on the line, Jim Tressel is 4-1 against him. All these things put Lloyd Carr in a position to be aggressive, not to sit back. I think he's going to empty the gun on offense. Manningham coming back will help them, because right now, they're a very average offense."

As if they needed any more motivation, hopefully this riles up the Wolverines even more. He's going to eat some major crow on this one.

Breaston is worthless. Well, not worthless but certainly not anything to worry about. I'd say he's competent.

I wouldn't say Breaston is worthless. He's Mel Gray.

Breaston is clearly not worthless. How can one of the biggest special teams threats and the team leader in receptions be worthless?

The best word for Breaston is over-rated. Here's a guy with a ton of potential, who was supposed to have a breakout year as a sophomore, then again as a junior, then again this year and he never has.

His problem is that he's so concerned with yards after the catch that he thinks too far ahead of a play and takes risks. The classic turn-before-you-catch which results in a drop or fielding the punt that should have been a fair catch has cost him over and over again. Yet, if you take that instinct away you potentially remove what makes him special on the plays he DOES make.

But in spite of all of it, he's still a guy that the other team does not want to punt to. They plan for higher and shorter punts to take away the return, which can give Michigan better field position even on a fair catch. Like I said, he leads the team in receptions for an average of 10 yards per, which means he essentially gave Michigan 38 first downs catching the ball. Not worthless, but not a Heisman contender like many thought 3 years ago he would be by now.

To those who said Wisconsin will suck this year... blow me. 10-1.

For those who said Breaston is worthless, blow him. 62 yard TD catch.

And by the way, I love every Wisconsin win because they all make Michigan look better.

Further evidence that Breaston might not be worthless. He just tacked an 82 yard punt return on to the 62 yard catch.
The crappy thing with Breaston is that he either takes over a game or does very little to get your attention. Based on that, I have to give dap for the Mel Gray comparison. Breaston could make a very nice return specialist in the league someday. Maybe a 5th or 6th round pick, but he should make a roster.

That was a nice catch. Right back at ya... every Michigan win makes Wisconsin look better. Ill be wearin something blue next Saturday.