Good Football in Our Great State

It's been a month since I posted last and because I was posting so much on football, I wanted to do a season wrap-up now that the Spartans, Wolverines and Lions are all done playing.  My plan was to post a few links and make a few comments for each team but as I curated some reading material, it became evident that there was a lot more to be said about the Wolverines.  So just a couple links for the good guys and a bunch of links for the bad guys.  Did you think this would be unbiased?

The Lions

This season, my dad started DVR'ing the Lions games.  For me that says it all.  Before 2011 he watched exactly one half of one NFL game per year, the second and third quarters on Thanksgiving.  Just enough to make a few comments about the long-term patheticness of the team.  I saw many people join the Lion bandwagon in a big way on Facebook too... not to criticize either my FB friends or my dad.  I think it says a LOT that so many people still care, at all.

So now that the season is in the books what's next?  Some guy at ESPN says "the Lions have earned themselves big boy treatment".  Fair enough.

The Spartans

Well, it was a great season for the Spartans and their fans.  I won't go too much into it but as ESPN B1G blogger, Adam Rittenberg, points out: keeping their defensive coordinator, Pat Narduzzi, is a good indication that the program is headed where it wants to go.  Agreed.

The Wolverines

You can't argue that the Wolverines didn't have a successful year.  But as DFP columnist Michael Rosenberg points out, it was just one of those years where everything went their way. Rosenberg: For Michigan, an honorable end to lucky season

Not many people outside of Ann Arbor were too high on the Wolverines (and Hokies) selection to the Sugar Bowl.  Rittenberg says that the game diminishes the league's aspirations of being perceived as equal to the SEC.

Some dude from Fox Sports takes it a step further, calling it a fraudulent bowl game.  Another writer from CBS Sports basically says the same thing. Comparing the game to a puppy falling down the stairs.

This is the one that gets me.  All this talk of "Is Michigan Back?".  Granted, much of it is prompted by the media who think it's a great story line. And when asked if they're back, the players have little choice on how to respond... Coach Hoke finds a way to turn it on its ear a bit by saying that "Michigan never left".  But where is it that Michigan Football is back too (or never left, depending on whom you ask)?  Why not acknowledge the hard work and fortuity that lead to a surprisingly successful season and let the winning speak for itself?  It is this sense of pre-destination or responsibility or entitlement to greatness that people outside of the Michigan fold really detest.  But I guess it's also what draws many people to the program... and gets them into games like the Sugar Bowl.

Our Daily Dose of Hipocrisy

... From UofM athletic director, Dave Brandon.  He thinks OSU is getting special treatment that contradicts the NCAA's goal to create "a level playing field"...

Read the short article from ESPN, HERE.  Too lazy to click over?  Basically, Brandon is mad that Ohio State's new coach, Urban Meyer, is being allowed to recruit thus freeing up time and resources for current interim, Fickell to coach up the Xs and Os in OSU's bowl game.

Yes, Dave Brandon.  It's just another case of the NCAA trying to keep the little guys down.  When will UofM ever get a hand up from the big mean NCAA football machine?

Big Ten Championship Mini-Rant

Ah, the madness of being a Michigan State Spartan fan.  Is this not the opportunity we've been waiting for for so, so long: a chance to play our way into the Granddaddy of them all, The Rose Bowl (presented by some company)?  It's supposed to be.  But it feels like we're getting screwed all over again.  What a hose job.  Last year before the advent of the B1G title game, the Spartans, tied for the league title, lost a popularity contest/ tie-breaker to other co-champs, Ohio State and Wisconsin, and were relegated to a non-BCS bowl... which I cannot recall.  Now in the first year of divisional play, the team has played its way against all the toughest teams (save for Penn State) to become the only seven-win team in the conference.  Now, to move on, the Spartans will need to re-defeat early favorite, Wisconsin.  Win and you're in.  Lose and you're in... The Outback Bowl?  I say win and let's get in.  I'm not going to cry if we lose and I encourage all Spartan fans to shut their yaps if that happens.  Although all Spartan fans will know with a wink and a nod that we're getting screwed, just like usual.

Adding possible insult to potential injury is the rumor that if State loses, UofM would be jettisoned into an at-large BCS berth.  I guess we'll see if that happens but right now, UofM is 16th in the BCS rankings... and apparently you must be at least 15th or 14th to be eligible.  But I ask, how can they move up from there?  If State loses, won't that diminish their computer rankings?  Since a State loss would be the only relevant activity to UofM's BCS ranking, wouldn't it have to go down due to the fact that A)State beat UofM (28 to 14, just sayin') and B)Two of UofM's signature wins were against teams that beat State (Notre Dame and Nebraska).  I don't see it happening but I just want to be on the record as saying that would be a truck-load of crap.