NCAA Football

[PigSooie]

Practice just started in Fayetteville. 97F with a heat index of 103F.

[IATTBYB]

It is really weird to think that football is starting up in a few weeks. This offseason wasn't really as hard to take as the one before it, but the last few years have definitely been a lesson in humility for us OSU fans. (Well, some of us. There's still plenty of yahoos in this town who act like those BCS fiascos never happened--I can't decide whether I admire them or fear them. )

 

I'm sure that everybody outside the state is sick to death of the sight of sweatervests by now, which is kind of a shame because this might be the team we've been waiting for. Won't take long to find out...just barely over a month now until USC.

November 22!!!

 

I can't wait. Hopefully tUoOS and Michigan will be playing for the Big 11 Championship. GO BLUE!!!!

[quarter23cd]

Dear RichRod: We got your QB. Bwahahahahahaha!!!!! - love, Tress

I'm looking forward to seeing a few new wrinkles in the OSU/UM rivalry in the coming years. Here's hoping the whole league is on the upswing. Wisconsin is reliably solid. Illinois needs to replace a bunch of people but looks talented. Penn St and Sparty appear to be on the cusp of good things, so if they can avoid melting down this could be a much improved year in the ol' Big11.

[Gobias Industries]

Our place in the college football league as the Big 10 really relies on the tough nonconference schedules near the beginning of this year, such as Illinois at Mizzou, Iowa at Pitt, MSU at Cal, OSU at USC, Wisconsin at Fresno State, etc. If we win a good portion of those insane road games, our conference "stock" will improve greatly and maybe people be happy to see OSU win the title game this year.

[mpolak21]

November 22!!!

 

I can't wait. Hopefully tUoOS and Michigan will be playing for the Big 11 Championship. GO BLUE!!!!

 

Setting Michigan up for the inevitable asswhipping by WVU in a bowl game that's coming their way. I could get behind this. Just a word of advice from a long time Rich Rod observer, be prepared to see four plays on offense run over and over and over again, and ponder just how the hell this guy got labeled as an offensive genius. However, when those plays work, they tend to really work. And he's a good recruiter. And as someone who is, himself, bolting from his native West Virginia to nicer pasteurs in the midwest in two weeks, I am not really in position to complain about how "he done us wrong." Still, I hope you understand everytime I see your maize and blue this year I am going to rooting against them passionately, it's nothing personal.

 

--Mike

[mpolak21]

Our place in the college football league as the Big 10 really relies on the tough nonconference schedules near the beginning of this year, such as Illinois at Mizzou, Iowa at Pitt, MSU at Cal, OSU at USC, Wisconsin at Fresno State, etc. If we win a good portion of those insane road games, our conference "stock" will improve greatly and maybe people be happy to see OSU win the title game this year.

 

Basil, on behalf of the state of West Virginia, please welcome us to the TOSU bandwagon this year, under the principle the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We're even willing to forgive you for 87 and 98.

 

--Mike

[IATTBYB]

Setting Michigan up for the inevitable asswhipping by WVU in a bowl game that's coming their way. I could get behind this. Just a word of advice from a long time Rich Rod observer, be prepared to see four plays on offense run over and over and over again, and ponder just how the hell this guy got labeled as an offensive genius. However, when those plays work, they tend to really work. And he's a good recruiter. And as someone who is, himself, bolting from his native West Virginia to nicer pasteurs in the midwest in two weeks, I am not really in position to complain about how "he done us wrong." Still, I hope you understand everytime I see your maize and blue this year I am going to rooting against them passionately, it's nothing personal.

 

--Mike

Rumor has it that Michigan is looking to hire WVU's women's field hockey coach this year*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*not really, but if they were, I'm sure Bill Martin would be looking to WVU as it is now Michigan's go-to source for new coaches.

[cryptique]

1. Michigan might not go to a bowl game this year, and I doubt they'll play WVU even if they do.

 

2. Despite #1 above, I don't think Michigan will be as bad this year as many people seem to think.

 

3. Conversely, I don't think tOSU will be as good this year as many people seem to think (though still better than Michigan). They'll be lucky to win the Big 11, won't play in the BCS title game, and may not even play in a BCS bowl.

 

4. Michigan will beat tOSU by 2010 at the latest, and will start beating them pretty regularly at that point.

 

5. I have absolutely no sympathy for West Virginia. They'll get their four million dollars; hopefully that'll be about a million dollars per win this season.

[quarter23cd]

Basil, on behalf of the state of West Virginia, please welcome us to the TOSU bandwagon this year, under the principle the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We're even willing to forgive you for 87 and 98.

Sure, no problem. And thanks for the "gift" at the end of last football season.(well, sort of thanks, anyways) And thank you for removing Bob Huggins from our fair state.

 

 

and...

 

4. Michigan will beat tOSU by 2010 at the latest, and will start beating them pretty regularly at that point.

Well, the law of averages suggests that it has to happen sometime, I guess.

[IATTBYB]

1. Michigan might not go to a bowl game this year, and I doubt they'll play WVU even if they do.

 

2. Despite #1 above, I don't think Michigan will be as bad this year as many people seem to think.

 

Michigan's schedule and my predictions:

 

Sat, Aug 30 Utah Ann Arbor, Mich. - Michigan Win

Sat, Sep 6 Miami (Ohio) Ann Arbor, Mich. - Michigan Win

Sat, Sep 13 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. - Michigan Win

Sat, Sep 27 Wisconsin Ann Arbor, Mich. - Wisconsin Win

Sat, Oct 4 Illinois Ann Arbor, Mich. - Michigan Win

Sat, Oct 11 Toledo Ann Arbor, Mich. - Michigan Win

Sat, Oct 18 Penn State State College, Pa. - Penn State Win

Sat, Oct 25 Michigan State Ann Arbor, Mich. - Michigan Win

Sat, Nov 1 Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. - Michigan Win

Sat, Nov 8 Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. - Michigan Win

Sat, Nov 15 Northwestern Ann Arbor, Mich. - Michigan Win

Sat, Nov 22 Football Ohio State Columbus, Ohio - tUoOS win

 

I can see a 9-3 season this year. That will get them into a New Year's Day Bowl Game (CapOne or Outback most likely). The fanboy in me is calling for 12-0 season. The offense is going to start out slowly, but the defense is going to rip opponents offenses up something fierce. The offense will start to click against Sparty. Count on it.

[cryptique]

I wish I were as confident as you about the Notre Dame and Illinois games. I'm also not sure they'll beat Sparty this year. If they end up 7-5 or better, it'll be the defense's doing.

[mpolak21]

5. I have absolutely no sympathy for West Virginia. They'll get their four million dollars; hopefully that'll be about a million dollars per win this season.

 

A deal is a deal Cryp, and even if he was pressured by hourly calls by our fine state's governor to sign it, he did agree to pay up if he left. I think we're going to be a lot better than 4-8 this year, probably 10-2. Wvu will lose to Auburn and then drop our token "shit the bed" game, who knows who that'll be against this year maybe Villanova. They'll then sneak up on an unsuspecting BCS opponent that no one gives them a chance to beat and trounce them, while an entire state thinks to itself "why couldn't we play like this when it mattered in the regular season and we had a chance to go the championship game."

 

Sure, no problem. And thanks for the "gift" at the end of last football season.(well, sort of thanks, anyways) And thank you for removing Bob Huggins from our fair state.

 

. I just hope Bob gets us a national championship in the next five years and keeps his winning percentage higher than his blood alcohol level. You're welcome for that "gift" though if we hadn't played like zombies in the Pitt game, we'd have played tOSU in the national championship game, and Rod probably would have stayed put. And I'm sure tOSU would have been able to figure out the vast intricacies of the Rich Rod spread offense "slash run left, slash run right, empty backfield QB Draw, bubble screen, repeat...).

 

I'm not bitter, not at all, just a lot.

 

--Mike

[cryptique]

A deal is a deal Cryp, and even if he was pressured by hourly calls by our fine state's governor to sign it, he did agree to pay up if he left.

I'm not even talking about the buyout. I'm talking about their inability to keep a decent coach. Rodriguez bolted in spite of the $4 million -- how bad is it there, exactly?

[mpolak21]

I'm not even talking about the buyout. I'm talking about their inability to keep a decent coach. Rodriguez bolted in spite of the $4 million -- how bad is it there, exactly?

 

Well the new (and soon to be former) president of the school was essentially a political hire because he's in tight with the governor of West Virginia, who essentially micromanages every aspect of the state (except you know important stuff like our failing economy and dropping population). Morgantown is nice enough, but it's got nothing on Ann Arbor. Michigan has a better football tradition, even though WVU is probably set up for better short term success than Michigan. Things are basically similar to Florida State's situation in the mid-90's in the ACC, the Mountaineers have better talent and coaches than everyone else in the league and really should win the conference every year.

 

Ultimately, I don't blame him for taking the job, but I don't like the way he did it. He did things under the table, including telling Terelle Pryor that he was taking the Michigan job before he told his own players or his bosses. The guy always had a bit of a reputation in Morgantown for being a major douchebag, but he won a lot of games, so people looked the other way. I guess I wanted Rod to be like a Paterno or Bowden (who WVU oddly enough chased away in the 70's) figure at WVU, but that didn't happen. My real problem with this situation is that on one hand I can see it completely rationally "who wouldn't want to leave Morgantown for Ann Arbor?", but because I am diehard WVU fan on the other hand I can't really see it rationally "he done us wrong." I hope this at least sort of makes sense.

 

--Mike

[PigSooie]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/sha...oach_texas.html

 

Texas has officially been called out, and the Longhorns

[quarter23cd]

Somehow I feel like this quote will wind up somewhere in the Texas locker room at some point.

Heh. No kidding. I can't say that I know much about the Florida Atlantic squad and their toughness. For all I know, they may be the baddest bunch of mofos around. And for their sake, I hope they are...because that's the kind of comment that can get your butt kicked.

[watch me fall]

Two weeks!

[bobbob1313]

I

[PigSooie]

CBS accidently leaked their schedule for the upcoming 2008 season. The schedule has now been retracted, but SITS was able to obtain this information. See the schedule below.

 

09/13 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia @ South Carolina (CBS HD)

09/20 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Tennessee (CBS HD)

09/27 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tennessee @ Auburn (CBS HD)

10/04 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Arkansas or Kentucky @ Alabama (CBS HD)

10/11 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Tennessee @ Georgia (CBS HD)

10/11 - 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. LSU @ Florida (CBS HD)

10/18 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. LSU @ South Carolina (CBS HD)

10/25 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia @ LSU (CBS HD)

11/01 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Georgia-Florida (CBS HD)

11/08 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Alabama @ LSU or Georgia @ Kentucky (CBS HD)

11/15 - 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Notre Dame @ Navy (CBS HD)

11/15 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. South Carolina @ Florida or Georgia @ Auburn (CBS HD)

11/22 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Ole Miss @ LSU or Tennessee @ Vanderbilt or Arkansas @ Mississippi St. (CBS HD)

11/28 - 1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. LSU @ Arkansas (CBS HD)

11/29 - 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Georgia Tech @ Georgia (CBS HD)

11/29 - 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Auburn @ Alabama (CBS HD)

12/06 - 11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Army @ Navy (CBS HD)

12/06 - 3:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. SEC Championship

[OOO]

I can't wait for USC vs. Ohio State...

[IATTBYB]

Comcast recently added the Big Ten network to there lineup and I tuned in last night for the first time to watch the 90 minute feature on a Michigan practice. I officially want to revise my prediction of a 9-3 season to a 6-6 season. Motor City Bowl, here we come.

 

Unless of course, RichRod used this televised exposure to hoodwink all of U of M's opponents into thinking that we have no one who can throw or catch the ball. If that is the case, he is an evil genius.

[MrRain422]

Nah, I believe it. Threet was never meant to be a starting quarterback, least of all this year. Greg Mathews will be okay but the rest of the receiving corp will be a disaster, and I don't know if I trust Brandon Minor/Carlos Brown to be good enough to open up the passing game anyway, though maybe McGuffie will make an impact right away. I didn't see that show, but I'm sticking with 7-5 for the time being.

[PigSooie]

[bobbob1313]

8 days til the first game?

[PigSooie]

8 days til the first game?

 

I think so. It's 10 days 2 hours 53 minutes until Arkansas tees it up.