ANOTHER CRAZY WEEK

Thank god my life doesn't depend on how good my picks are. What a week. Does it seem like your favorite team is like your little brother? I mean, you can criticize them all you want but when somebody else does it hits a sore spot and you must defend them? I watched purdue score one TD in the first minute and a half and another one with about thirty seconds to go in the game and I was appauled. In the middle of both those TD's, Michigan pretty much destroyed the opposition. Michigan ran the ball effectively and Denard was efficient with his passing as well. Defensively? They gave up their fair share of yards but seemed to get tougher as the game went on. I have some questions about that OL, are they beat up? Are they thin? It seems that way. Lewan has been limping around and Barnum left without returning to the game again.


With all the gimmick plays and slicing and dicing by all the backs, I am still a bit of a skeptic. Yes, they are 7-1 and are a much better team defensively than last year. They score points in bundles and are dynamic as ever offensively. I guess I am kind of questioning that whole "toughness" attitude. That purdue defense stopped Michigan at the one yard line twice today. Michigans OL will be facing very tough defenses in the next four games, they will have to get a push in short yardage situations. What MSU did to them is what the next four teams are going to try to do to them as well. They need to toughen up in the trenches for the stretch.


BIG TEN POWER POLL

1. Nebraska- They beat MSU bad this week and host Northwestern next week.

2. MSU- it's hard to win three big games in a row, they will bounce back.

3. Wisconsin- lose a heartbreaker on the road to MSU and ohio surprises them this week in the last minute. They are set up to win out.

4. PSU- since Bama they have not lost. THey are tough and can win the close games.

5. Michigan- Looked great offensively without Denard doing all the work.

6. ohio- they have improved tremendously, especially on defense. Will be tough to beat the rest of the season.

7. Iowa- Fell asleep at Minnesota today, when they woke up it was too late. Host Michigan next week.

8. Illinois- They can't get out of that pit they are in, they get a bye next week.

9. Northwestern- Piled on the points against Indiana today. We will see if they are in upset mode when traveling to Nebraska next week.

10. Purdue- they upset Illinois last week but played beat up dummie today and travel to Wisconsin next week.

11. Indiana- Maybe next season they will be a bit relevant.

12. Minnesota- Won their super bowl today. Probably won't win again.

NEXT WEEK FOLKS- the national championship game is played between LSU and BAMA.

WEEK NINE

Just to refresh the memory of all Michigan fans, they are 4-15 combined after being beat by MSU the last three years. Two of those losses were to purdue in 08-09. Now we all know that they are a different team, right? Tomorrow will answer if they are pretenders or not and more importantly if they are ready for this stretch of games to end the season. How do you ask? They must dominate Purdue. C'mon, at home after a bye week, fresh, coached up and ready to go. No excuses for a bad outing here. We all have questions about this team and we probably shouldn't have any.


As far as the game goes, we should expect to watch a domination on both sides of the ball by a refreshed Michigan football team. RB'S should be involved heavily and I am not afraid to see a little Gardner in there either. I don't think we have a choice, they like him and he can throw well. Purdue will come out fighting with that fast offense and that will be expected and hopefully taken care of. After this game, @ Iowa, @ Illinois, and home for Nebraska and ohio. This stretch will answer many questions about this team. More than two losses will be a disaster and a loss to ohio will be an embarassment. Tomorrow I expect to see a lopsided victory.

OTHER GAMES

Wisconsin at ohio

Throw last weeks game out the window. Yes, Wisconsin is upset about last week but this is a different opponent, an inferior opponent. Bielema hates ohio and wants to bury them. ohio is coming off a weird victory with one completed pass, that will not work again.

Wisconsi-44 ohio-16

Illinois at PSU

Illinois has looked less than impressive and PSU has been consistent. They have not dominated teams but enough to win. They run, play D and pass just enough.

PSU 31 Illinois 17

Northwestern at Indiana

These teams are both bad but Indiana has some young talent. Northwestern has talent but can't win. Indiana is at home but Northwestern's offense should do a number on them.

NU 38 IU 27

MSU at Nebraska

Wow, can MSU play inspired football three weeks in a row? Nebraska had a week off with Minnesota last week and have a nice home field advantage. I think Nebraska plays great D but MSU is just better right now.

MSU23 Nebraska 20

Iowa at Minnesota

Unfortunately it looks like a bye week before they host Michigan next week. Iowa's passing game is hot right now and there is nothing Minnesota can do about it.

Iowa 48 Minnesota 10

IN DEPTH WITH TOM STROBEL

This is Tom Strobel. No. 36 SDE for Mentor and a 2012 Michigan commitment. I talked with Tom and done a Q and A with him, this is what he had to say.

ME: As the 2012 class is coming together with only a few more spots left. On paper, this is arguably the best class that Michigan has ever had coming in at once. What does it feel like to be a part of it?

TS: It's special. Michigan is already progressing as a team and I feel blessed to be a part of it in the future. I'm excited to get there and help them get back to the level Michigan has always been used to being at.

ME: Who was the first team to show serious interest in recruiting you?

TS: Cincinnati, they offered me after my freshman season.

ME: How hard did ohio recruit you?

TS: Hard, they hammered down on me after my SO. year.

ME: How close was you to commiting to ohio?

TS: Not at all. I knew I didn't want to go there.

ME: Different recruiting sites have you listed at 6'5", 6'6" and anywhere from 245 to 265 LBS. What is your actual height and weight?

TS: I'm 6'6" 255 LBS.

ME: When you went to Michigan to visit, did you talk to coach Mattison?

TS: Oh yea, he just stop by my school last week. We keep in touch quite a bit.

ME: Did he recruit you for SDE or does he have other plans for you?

TS: SDE, that's where he wants me.

ME: How important were academics when choosing you school?

TS: Incredibly important, they have everything I want academically. My parents are very hard on me with my academics. So yes , it was very important.

ME: Are you planning on enrolling in the spring at Michigan?

TS: NO, I am going to finish up my senior year in high school.

ME: Was there anything coach Hoke said or did that made you feel like Michigan was the place for you?

TS: Not just him, but the whole staff was great. They didn't talk a whole lot about football, they talked about life and what kind of a man Michigan would make me. They were really family oriented, I met coach Hoke's wife, it was all about family.

ME: WAs you influental in recruiting Kyle Kalis?

TS: definately, he was trying to recruit me to ohio at the beginning. All the controversy was going on there and I relayed to him what they had to offer and how great the staff was. He had decommited and was looking around, I pointed him in the right direction.

ME: What do you expect the team to accomplish by the end of your senior season at Michigan?

TS: National Championship, hands down.

Tom is a quality kid that knows what he wants. He seems very confident in himself and his commitment to Michigan. Michigan fans should be excited about Tom becoming a wolverine and a future leader for this team.

WHAT A NIGHT!

College football is a week to week process. How else do you define it? One week, Michigan beats ND, then ND stomps MSU, then MSU beats Michigan and ND drops one to USC who struggled against Minnesota in week one. Currently TT is stomping Oklahoma, and like clock work, LSU and Bama bury their opponents. If I hear another person say "les miles is a liability" I am going to ask them to clarify that for me. He is a recruiting machine and a hell of a football coach. A coach is only as good as his staff and LSU is about as strong at each position than any other team in the country. At the beginning of the season, I said other than Andrew Luck that Matt Barkley was the best NFL ready QB coming out after the season. I like Landry Jones but Barkley is as nasty as they come, he has the arm, presence, poise and decision making of a future NFL star.

How about the Big-Ten? My predictions were way off considering I picked NU to beat PSU and Illinois to beat Purdue, not to mention Wisconsin over MSU. Wisconsin was finally challenged by a tough MSU D without top end Gholston and let it slip away. Just when I thought MSU was running out of gas halfway through the fourth, they won on a hail mary, and I believe the refs made the right call. If MSU can pull one off in Nebraska next week, that would put together a hell of a three game winning streak with only Iowa and a possible NU scare at the end of the season left to worry about.

BIG TEN POWER POLL

1.MSU- you can't argue this beating Wisconsin coming off a emotional win over rival Michigan. Will travel to Nebraska next week.

2.Wisconsin- They no longer are head and shoulders above the rest. They lost a tough one on the road to a good team, on a hail mary. Will travel to ohio next week.

3.Nebraska- destroyed the Big-Tens worst team of all time in Minnesota. Hosting MSU next week.

4.PSU- I thought they would falter this week, but instead they run the ball and play enough defense to take out NU. They will host a downgraded Illinois team next week desperate for a win.

5.Michigan- IDLE and hosting Purdue next Saturday.

6.Iowa- toyed with Indiana this week and shouldn't have a problem with Minnesota in their next game.

7.Illinois- Took one on the chin today against Purdue and didn't look good doing it. If they think Purdue played tough D, wait til PSU welcomes them in next week.

8.ohio- IDLE this week and host a Wisconsin team hoping to prove they are not a fraud against good defenses.

9.Purdue- Yes, over NU. They have actually beat a descent team atleast. They travel to Ann Arbor next week.

10.NU- they have officially joined the cellar dwellars of the conference, they can't win.

11.Indiana- May have a descent team in a couple years with some young talent but currently just a scrimmage game.

12.Minnesota stinks

THIS WEEKS GAMES

With Michigan off this week, I thought I would go over some of the other games. These are some big games heading into the final stretch of the season.


PSU at Northwestern

I pushed PSU up to fourth on my power poll heading into this week. They seem to me to be running the ball well and the defense has been very strong. Northwestern on the other hand has been on a losing streak and are due for a win. A homecoming game against PSU would be a nice start and Indiana next week could be a two game win streak. I think I like them.

NU 24 PSU 17

Indiana at Iowa

This is a crucial game for the hawkeyes. They have IU and Minnesota the next two weeks and then play a tough four game run to end the season. Indiana isn't good and they are on the road at that.


Iowa 37 IU 13


Nebraska at Minnesota

This is ugly early and often

Nebraska 33 Minnesota 10

Illinois at Purdue

Illinois coming off a loss and going on the road to a bad Purdue team. This is a game that explains if this Illinois team is hung over or hungry to get back on track. I will go with the hungry, but not big.

Illinois 23 Purdue20

Wisconsin at MSU

MSU is very strong up front on defense and will be Wisconsins biggest defensive test yet. MSU is not a high scoring team and Wisconsin hasn't been tested much on defense as well. With that said, who will run the ball better? MSU is a very undisciplined team but this game is closer than the score.

Wisconsin 30 MSU 20

BATTERED!

Where do you start? Michigan State had a ton of penalties, turned the ball over twice and Hagerup put them in bad field position more than once. Michigan had plenty of chances to win the game but was abused in the trenches all day. MSU blitzed at will with no problems getting in the backfield on a consistent basis. Wait a second, I think I just seen RT Mark Huyge holding someone again coming off the edge. Sure, you can question play calling, even Michigan looking lethargic on defense many times but just wasn't prepared for the biggest game of the season thus far. Maybe they could have used that bye last week because they looked unfocused and unmotivated. Those are not excuses because MSU played a part in that as well, they took them out of their game.

If I could ask a few questions, here is what they would be? Why was Gardner such a factor today? When did a play action pass on 4th and 1 become a part of Michigans arsenal? Where was the screen passes with all that blitzing? ETC. Whatever the case, Michigan needs a rest and it couldn't have come at a better time. Hopefully Denard is fine and they can prepare for the meat of the schedule that will start up in two weeks. After today, none of those next five are gimmes, even Purdue. Will we witness that losing streak that snowballs after MSU in the past or see a refocused, hungry Michigan team that still has a chance to make it to a title game at the end of the season? Only time will tell.


BIG TEN POWER POLL



1. Wisconsin- No question, play MSU and ohio in the next two. Both on the road.

2. MSU- If that defense can cut penalties and play more disciplined, they are solid. Wisconsin next week will be huge.

3. Nebraska- Idle this week and considering Minnesota is next, that would be two weeks off.

4. Penn State- Yea I know, What the hell. They keep winning and Bama is the only loss. They seem to have worked out the 2 QB rotation. Next week at NU.

5. Michigan- I have been become a bit skeptic myself, but they have weapons and a bye week.

6. Illinois- totally exposed today. Looked like the old Illinois teams of the past.

7. Iowa- WE found out a little more about them today. They are inconsistent but when playing well are dangerous. Indiana and Minnesota next on the schedule.

8. Ohio- If not for the 4-3 record, would have moved up more. Herrons fresh legs and a stingy D manhandles Illinois. Get a bye week before a matchup with the mighty Badgers in two weeks.

9.Northwestern- They are going to surprise someone with that offense. It may be next week against PSU @ home.

10.Purdue- Same as NU. They host Illinois next week for homecoming. Can you say upset? I don't know, but they can score.

11. Indiana- Whatever you think about them is fine.

12. Minnesota- they play NEB, Iowa, MSU, Wisc, NU and Illinois to finish the season. I see a winning streak coming on.

WHAT TO EXPECT?

Stole the picture from MGOBLOG, thought it was sweet. I keep hearing that if MSU can stop Denard then they should win. Do they mean rushing? Or passing? WMU kept him to 81 yards on the ground and 98 passing yards and Michigan was winning by 4 TD's when they stopped it in the 3rd quarter. EMU shut him down for only 51 YDS on the ground and 169 YDs passing and we see how that ended. ND kept him to a modest 122 yds on the ground but he threw for 338 yds. I guess what I am saying is how do you stop Michigan? MSU has been off two weeks, does that help or not? Michigan is rolling, they know they have a bye after this week. "give it everything this game and you can rest next week". That is what Hoke pounds in their head I'm sure.

When looking at MSU's offense, they have a makeshift OL and less than dynamic offense. Cousins is experienced but mistake prone as of late. Who is the stud RB currently? A whole lot of questions offensively but the D is solid, especially in the middle. Michigan should stay away from the middle and work the spread, Borges should have some things saved for this week. Michigans D is solid as well, especially as the game goes on. The secondary will be tested with Cunningham but T. Gordon has been good and they have not given up the long ball all season. These are just questions and matchups I cannot answer but are very interesting. Everything comes into play tomorrow and I expect a dandy in East Lansing. I will not predict this week but Michigan has a great chance.

I will predict these though

Indiana at Wisconsin - Wisconsin rested last week, as if they needed it. Indiana may start another new QB against Wisconsin. This is a joke.

Wisconsin 50 IU 13

Northwestern at Iowa - both teams are struggling a bit but Iowa is the better team. Iowa is at home, Coker, Mcnutt and Vandenberg should all shine.

Iowa 24 NU 23

Purdue at PSU - Purdue can put up points but PSU's D has been stingy lately. Silas Redd has been productive and should be tomorrow. Know way this is a blowout.

PSU 27 Purdue 17

Ohio at Illinois

People have been high on Ohio this week but for what reason? Illinois have not slaughtered opponents but have Scheelhause and Jenkins to count on. I don't believe Ohio wins until I see it.

Illinois 20 ohio 13

FOR GOOD MEASURE!

Just wanted to show a few more studs that are going to MICHIGAN next season.



This is 6'6" 250LB Tom Strobel, a one time ohio lock. Strobel is a inteligent kid and also a prototypical SDE. Brady Hoke got him on campus, showed off the academics available and recieved a commitment. Strobel has a motor and is a disciplined player, rarely biting on play actions, not to mention a vicious hitter. He will be a great addition to Hokes style of smash mouth football.




If you have a problem following James Ross here, he is the guy knocking helmets off of guys and plugging the middle up. Ross is a compact 6'1" and roughly 220 LBS. When he hits kids, they go no further. Ranked the NO.2 LB in the country respectively, Ross is a LB coaches dream and a RB's worst nightmare. Another reason Michigan will be upgraded next season on defense.




At 6'6" 280LBS, Magnuson is an athlete excelling at basketball as well. His balance is great, footwork is nice and his QB never has to worry about his blindside. That sounds like a top national LT, and he is, watch his pass protection and run blocking skills. Michigan will be so loaded on the offensive line that he may not be guarantted a LT position but he will be a gem on either edge.





Chris Wormley has been criticized by some evaluaters for being lazy and taking plays off. Wormley is modest, somewhat quiet, but he is massive and athletic. He is a track standout as you can tell by the way he chases QB's 20 yards into the backfield. Whatever the case, he can play SDE or WDE and in Michigans case, maybe even a 3 tech. When you get a kid of his caliber and let Greg Mattison coach him, that equals trouble for the opposition. Just another beast Hoke has added to his zoo of animals he will unleash next season.

WEEK 6

Denard throws three picks driving towards the end zone and another slow defensive start almost turns disastrous last night in Evanston. Thank god for the second half, right? I, once again was questioning the defense and wondering if they would stop that bubble screen once and for all. As a Michigan fan, and I speak for others as well, we have become skeptics. We think, once they are in a hole, they are not capable of getting out of it. Things have changed but plenty of work to be done. Mattison challenges the defense and they put the clamps down, Denard turns it on and Michigan pulls away by the fourth quarter. It will just get tougher next week. Tougher environment and team. Hopefully they were just looking forward to next weeks game. So it's halfway through and their 6-0, can they get to that Big Ten Championship? We will soon find out.

BIG TEN POWER POLL

1. Wisconsin- Still head and shoulders above everyone else.

2. Michigan- This week will tell everything.

3. Illinois- Ther are the real deal and invite ohio in Saturday.

4. Nebraska- Almost went to the cellar and pulled off a gem.

5. MSU- the jury is still out, but they have a tough D and playmakers.

6. PSU- They shoot up a bit this week. They have a quality D and just enough on offense.

7. Iowa- Who is this team? We will see how they fare against NU Saturday

8. ohio- I was expecting them to shoot up the charts this week. They live and die with the freshman QB.

9. NU- Couldn't handle the second half wrath of Michigan and are less than loaded on offense.

10. Purdue- Took Minnesota to hell in a handbasket, but who doesn't?

11. Indiana- They travel to Camp Randall Sat. Good luck with that.

12. Minnesota- HAHAHA

UPSET ALERT?

Stole that picture from MGOBLOG, couldn't resist it. Look folks, I have seen more than a few NU over Michigan predictions for tomorrows game. It is possible I guess but don't see many scenarios where NU can deal with Michigan. Illinois destroyed their defense in about one half of football. Why would anyone think they can contain Denard Robinson? You know him don't you folks? He is the guy who takes the corect running lane 90% of the time and needs just a couple inches of daylight to slip through. That is just the start, if they find it necessary to throw the ball then who can stop that? All that without the mention of any of the four RB's.

Defensively? Well, Michigan has been good, very good. Giving up 31 points to ND is fine considering they are a high powered offense. NU is a poor mans version of ND. WMU is the only other team to hit the 10 point mark. Persa is not 100% and the NO.1 RB Trumpy is out for the season. So what I am saying is that an upset is possible but I just don't see it happening. A matter a fact, I think Michigan chicken kicks NU because they will be well prepared. There is no shock value when traveling to Evanston and NU is less than intimidating.

Michigan 35 NU 20

Minnesota is glorified garbage and have to travel to Purdue this week. Purdue by no means is a top tier team but will look like it this week.

Purdue 31 Minnesota 10

Indiana is another place teams shrug off playing at their stadium. Indian will put up a bit of a fight but Illinois is will pull it out.

Illinois 27 Indiana 23

Iowa's passing game is rolling currently but PSU's defense will be charged for this one as well. I think this one is really close, Vandenberg cracks in the end.

PSU 26 Iowa 21

Nebraska is upset about last week but at the same time do not look like the team they were hyped up to be at the beginning of the season. Ohio is in the bottom four teams in the Big-ten right now. If Ohio could score, they may keep it close, but they can't.

Nebraska 20 ohio 6

SMOKE AND MIRRORS HUH?

Look folks, I think Herbstreit is as good as anybody when it comes to evaluating teams and his analyst abilities as well, but sometimes he is off. Today he defined Michigans defense by using the old "smoke and mirrors" reference. I'm sorry but I have watched this team the last few years and "smoke and mirrors" just may be the wrong definition. When Michigan was 5-0 last year and giving up a ton of yards to UMASS, not to mention all the other opponents they faced, was "smoke and mirrors". They were at the bottom in every category across the board defensively.

Enter the 2011 Michigan defense. In a press conference following the Minnesota game, DL Ryan Van Bergen talked about how hungry and fresh the defense is this year, they believe in each other. He mentioned that last year he played between 80 and 90 snaps a game, this year, 25-30. That speaks volumes. Defensively, Michigan is fundamentally sound and they fly to the ball. That leads me to this, defensive numbers.

Michigans D has given up 1 rushing TD this season

They are ranked 32nd nationally in total D

Ranked 14th against the pass

24th in passing efficiency D

Ranked second in fumble recoveries with 9

Tied for 5th in turnovers gained with 12

NO.1 ranked red zone D in the country

Tied for 2nd in 4th down conversions against, 1 for 5

Michigans phony defense gives up a measly 10 points a game

That is not smoke and mirrors folks, that is straight out balling. They have gotten better every week and 58-0 against anybody is impressive. I'm not saying things can't go haywire but currently things are good and showing signs of being great.

WOWSERS!

I don't know why I used that picture but it sure is funny. Michigan played perfect today, Denard used his arm more than his legs for a change. Michigan played five different RB's, two QB's and demolished Minnesota defensively. Minnesota is lousy and Michigan did a great job of making them look as bad as what they are. It is apparent that Michigan has done a 180 degree defensively and Minnesota passed midfield only once on the day. When you witness Gardner handing off to freshman T. Rawls, things are going extremely well, compared to last year that same scenario would have been because of a blowout by the opposing team. I am excited about the team currently and next weeks matchup with NU on the road may be the most difficult to this point since it is in their house.

What I see from Michigan is inspired football. No recievers bitching about lack of receptions, instead there is downfield blocking by unselfish team players. The OL is solid and Schofied has impressed me as well, Molk was 30 yards downfield today blowing safeties up. Koger has emerged as a target and is an absolute mismatch, Hoke has noticed that and made him a weapon. How about Hopkins not crying about carries and just being coachable, doing what the team needs him to do. Defensively, I cannot say enough about the whole unit. Will Campbell has morphed into Alan Branch, the whole DL is solid. I can list every defensive players name and have something good to say about all of them, but I won't. It comes down to Greg Mattison is getting everything out of the players to make the D relevant once again.


BIG TEN POWER POLL
1. Wisconsin - dismantled Nebraska and showed they are a national power. Russell Wilson is calm as pond water, upgrades the whole team.
2. Michigan - This is no fluke. Given up one TD in the last three games and offensively dynamic.
3. Illinois - they have struggled but pulled out victories, only one of three undefeated teams left in the conference.
4. Nebraska - Ran into a brick wall named Wisconsin. They are still very talented and will still do well in the Big-Ten.
5. Iowa - Had the week off and the next games against PSU and NU will show if they are pretenders or not.
6. MSU - Their defense is good but Cousins seems as if has taken a step back lately. Off next week and then Michigan at home.
7. PSU - Still having QB questions and not real impressive on both sides.
8. NU - suffered their second loss today and maybe Persa again. They can be explosive at times but cannot stop the other team.
9. ohio - What can I say, they need those suspended players back and will get them next week. Unfortunately, they have to go to a pissed off Lincoln, Nebraska.
10. Purdue - Who FN cares.
11. Indiana - Awesome
12. Minnesota wouldn't win the MAC