The Empire Strikes Back

Darth and his cronies destroyed screwed with my computer, so that's why there hasn't been too much activity here the last few days. But no worries, all the problems have been solved and I have returned!

(Sorry about the Star Wars reference.. it's been on TV like all weekend)

The 4-2-5: Part 1

As many of you know, Michigan currently runs something of a "4-3 under" or for some people "THE USC DEFENSE". Now that we're in the off-season and I feel like learning more, we'll take a look at some other defenses that the Wolverines could use (or face) in the future.

This week, it's the 4-2-5. This defense is also known as the "nickle defense", which many teams run on 3rd down by pulling a linebacker off the field in favor of another defensive back. Some teams, however, use it as a primary defensive front, most notably TCU and Boise State, two extremely successful mid-majors over the last decade.

In the 4-2-5 you have four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. In most nickle situations, a 3rd cornerback is brought onto the field. But in the case of Boise and TCU, the third cornerback is actually something of a linebacker/safety combination, often named a "robber" or something of a similar name (UTEP's 3-3-5 safety is named MINER, so you get the idea). In this way the defense doesn't sacrifice too much size for speed, but getting a solid balance of both.

The 4-2-5 is very effective because it presents different challenges for a quarterback who typically has to read 4-3 and 3-4 defenses. This formation allows the defense to not only disguise coverages but also who's blizting and where they'll be coming from. An example - the inside blitz from a 4-2-5 look.

The nose is stepping across the center through A gap while the tackle heads through B, with the backers blitzing both the A and B gaps as well. Many times teams will also blitz the safeties (or Robbers) off of the edge or in combination with other blitzes.

The problem with this situation above is the secondary is left with deep thirds, meaning if the safety is locked down by the TE, then a scrambling quarterback may have access to the flats.

More coming in the next post!

Cullen Christian Goes Blue

The news is a little late, but yesterday CB Cullen Christian (Penn Hills/PA) committed to Michigan.

It was expected after Christian visited the Big House for the Ohio State game, but in truth Christian was actually a silent commit since May. Michigan held off a late push by Ohio State and hometown Pittsburgh to get the services of the nations #6 ranked cornerback, and #88 player overall according to rivals.

Christian, like many past (and future) DB commits, alluded to the great Charles Woodson as many of his reasons for being a Wolverine fan.

""I'm a big fan of Charles Woodson, one of my favorite DBs [who] went there," Christian said.

He'll also have the chance to play early at Michigan, at either cornerback or safety. Though Christian would prefer to play cornerback, he lacks real elite speed, so we'll have to see how the rest of the class fills out. With Talbott, Avery, and Christian committed at this time, and a possible commitment by Tony Grimes (Hollywood Hills, FL) and Rashad Knight (Trinity, FL), then we may see Christian slide to safety in the future.

Still, this is a big boost to a team that needs defensive backs, and overall just defensive talent in the 2010 class. With only a few spots left, we may also see commitments from players who want to commit but are waiting until signing day (Grimes, Murphy).

Coaching Changes

No Greg, we're not firing you.

After watching the defense get it's shit wrecked for much of the season, many Wolverine fans are calling for either the head of A. Greg Robinson, or B. some assistant coaches. And while I agree some changed need to made, I think it's pivotal that GERG sticks around for another year. People may not agree with my choice to keep him around because the defense was so bad (yet again), but those same people need to realize he had nothing to work with and proved apt at least trying to make adjustments to stem the bleeding throughout the season.

Instead of calling for Robinson to be fired, I think Rodriguez needs to take a hard look at the rest of his defensive staff and let Robinson help decide if changes are necessary. Remember, Gibson, Hopson, and Tall were all brought in by Rodriguez, and not Robinson. Greg had no say in bringing in members of his own staff, which I think is a big mistake. I know Rodriguez is very loyal to his coaching friends, but there is a time where these alliances are meant to be broken.

Coach Gibson- An interesting tidbit from Mgoblue.com, that's basically all you need to know about him.

"Sharing a unique relationship with Rodriguez, Gibson has both coached and played under the current Wolverine mentor. Gibson played for Rodriguez at Glenville State College as a defensive back and helped the team win two WVIAC championships. Gibson earned a bachelor of arts degree from Glenville in 1994."

I've seen the term above used as "drinking partners" by more intelligent posters than I, but you get the idea. There's basically no way Gibson will get fired, even if his defensive backs don't perform. Now it's fair to say that Gibson didn't have a real chance to prove his coaching talents with the dearth of talent we had in the defensive backfield, but if that group doesn't improve next year, I think he needs to go. Will it happen? Probably not.

Jay Hopson- A linebackers coach who actually used to coach safeties. Have you seen our linebacker play this year? Aside from Stevie Brown (who was coached by GERG), Mouton and Ezeh basically sucked the big one after showing some minor improvement last year. They hesitated too much, got sucked into gaps, and overall proved totally incompetent in covering the middle of the field.

I'm going to be blunt here - why in the hell is Hopson coaching the linebackers? He was a solid defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, and actually has a respectable pedigree when it comes to coaching defensive backs (more-so than Gibson). If I'm Rodriguez, I either go out and hire a new linebackers coach, or let Robinson coach all of them, and move Hopson to coach the safeties. Maybe Gibson can handle coaching just the cornerbacks. If not, then they can just can him.

It's important that Rodriguez takes these last two seasons as a hint; he needs to review his staff heavily and let Robinson voice his opinion. If not, I'm not sure this defense can get a whole lot better. Bruce Tall actually did a fairly solid job with an undersized defensive line, so I think he deserves to stick around. But as for the mess with Gibson and Hopson, I don't know if it will be solved.

All-Big Ten Teams Named

The Big Ten Network hosted the awards tonight, which unfortunately I wasn't able to catch. Still, victory for the internets, as they posted both the coaches' selections and the media selections afterwards.

Some thoughts.

• Obviously Brandon Graham was a great (and obvious) choice for 1st team in both lists. Somewhat surprised he wasn't a unanimous decision (Danny Hope..).
• Sad to see no offensive linemen on either list this year. Schilling got honorable mention for both so that's a positive. Molk probably would've made the list had he stayed healthy.
• If John Clay is the conference's offensive player of the year.. well. You can see why the Big Ten sucks. Decker probably would have won if had he played the entire year, but I suppose that happens.
• Also, WTF to Borland winning freshman of the year? Tate Forcier meant more to his team (and the league) than a linebacker.
  
• Congrats to both Donovan Warren (1st/2nd team) and Zoltan Mesko (1st team for both) as the only other Wolverine players on the list.

I think the most important reason in posting this poll is to show the clear lack of talent on Michigan's team. Wait, let me rephrase that - the clear lack of experienced talent on Michigan's roster. When most of our freshmen/sophomores are older you'll see more names show up on here.

I wish Brandon Minor could have been healthy, because when he is he belongs on this list. Not surprised no offensive players showed up, because in reality we did spread the ball around well this year. Again, Tate should have been Freshman of the year, but whatever. He can come back and be on the first or second team next year.

The recruiting weekend

Though Michigan lost to Ohio State on Saturday, a side-fact that many people are starting to notice is the immense number of recruits that came to the game on Saturday. Essentially all the 2010 commitments (aside from a few) were able to make it to the game with a number of extremely high-rated players in attendance as well. This included -

• S Tony Jefferson - Chula Vista, CA
• RB Dillon Baxter - San Diego, CA
  
• CB Tony Grimes - Hollywood, FL
  
• DT Jatashun Beachum - Dallas, TX
  
• CB Cullen Christian - Pittsburgh, PA
  
• DE Clarence Murphy - Hollywood, FL
• WR Kenny Shaw - Orlando, FL
• WR Kenny Stills - Carlsbad, CA

All high-caliber players, you'll notice. Cullen Christian (CB) is assumed to be a Michigan lock and will announce in two days. Clarence Murphy (DE) and Tony Grimes (CB), who are teammates from Hollywood, Florida, both were "blown away" by the experience, and though they're not announcing yet there's rumors of silent commits, and both have listed Michigan as their leader's.

DT Jatashun Beachum, who is a beastly Defensive Tackle that also plays quarterback (!) for his high school, seemed to enjoy the visit immensely. He's committed to Arkansas, but everyone close to him thinks he's sold on Michigan. The only person he'll have to convince is his mother, who dearly likes the Razorbacks. Beachum has been offered the chance to play goal-line QB at Michigan.. which, is interesting? If it's a useful recruiting tool to get him here, I'm all for it.

Kenny Shaw supposedly has listed Michigan as his leader now, but with 6 receiver commits we're starting to really pile on here. Kenny Still is basically a similar wide receiver he just has more game-breaking ability, so we'll see. Dillon Baxer and Tony Jefferson have yet to comment but according to all reports the weekend went very well for Michigan. Josh Furman (LB) has announced that he'll decide between Virginia Tech and Michigan at the Crab Bowl next month. Things are looking good for Michigan but nobody is sure where Furman will land.

DT Richard Ash and CB/S Rashad Knight were both scheduled to visit Michigan but missed their flights and will reschedule.

2010 Depth Chart

This is the running 2010 depth chart. You'll notice I've included some fifth-year seniors on here; some walked on senior day (David Cone) but with the status of others fifth-years still in the air I'll keep them on here until they need to be removed.

QB:

• Tate Forcier (Soph.)
• Denard Robinson (Soph.)
• Devin Gardner (Fr.)
• Conelius Jones (Fr.)
• Nick Sheridan (RS Sr.)

RB:

• Michael Shaw (Jr.)
• Vincent Smith (Soph.)
• Mike Cox (RS Soph.)
• Fitz Toussaint (RS Fresh.)
• Austin White (Fr.)
• Stephen Hopkins (Fr.)
• Kelvin Grady (RS Jr.)

X:

• Darryl Stonum (Jr.)
• Je'Ron Stokes (Soph.)
• Jeremy Jackson (Fr.)
• Ricardo Miller (Fr.)
  

Y:

• Martavious Odoms (Jr.)
• Roy Roundtree (RS Soph.)
• Terrance Robinson (RS Soph.)
  
• Jeremy Gallon (RS Fr.)
• Teric Jones (Soph.)
  
• Drew Dileo (Fr.)

Z:

• Junior Hemingway (RS Jr.)
• Cameron Gordon (RS Fr.)
  
• Jerald Robinson (Fr.)
• DJ Williamson (Fr.)

LT:

• Perry Dorrestein (Sr.)
• Taylor Lewan (RS Fr.)
  

LG:

• Stephen Schilling (RS Sr.)
• Elliot Mealer (RS Soph.)
• Ricky Barnum (RS Soph.)
  

C:

• David Molk (RS Jr.)
• Rocko Khoury (RS Soph.)
• Christian Pace (Fr.)

RG:

• Patrick Omameh (RS Soph.)
• John Ferrara (RS Sr.)
  
• Quinton Washington (RS Fr.)
  

RT:

• Mark Huyge (RS Jr.)
• Mike Schofield (RS Fr.)
  

DE:

• Ryan Van Bergen (RS Jr.)
• Will Heininger (RS Jr.)
• Adam Patterson (RS Sr.)
• Jibreel Black (Fr.)
  

NT:

• William Campbell (Soph.)
  
• Renaldo Sagesse (Sr.)
  

DT:

• Mike Martin (Jr.)
• Greg Banks (Sr.)
• Terry Talbott (Fr.)
• Richard Ash (Fr.)
  

Quick:

• Craig Roh (Soph.)
• Brandon Herron (RS Jr.)
• Steve Watson (RS Jr.)
  
• Kenny Wilkins (Fr.)
• Jordan Paskorz (Fr.)
• Davion Rogers (Fr.)

WLB:

• Jonas Mouton (RS Sr.)
• Kevin Leach (RS Jr.)
  
• Antonio Kinnard (Fr.)
• Jake Ryan (Fr.)

MLB:

• Obi Ezeh (RS Sr.)
• J.B. Fitzgerald (Jr.)
• Kenny Demens (RS Soph.)
• Isiah Bell (RS Fr.)
  

Spinner:

• Brandin Hawthorne (Soph.)
• Floyd Simmons (Jr.)
  
• Mike Jones (RS Fr.)
• Josh Furman (Fr.)
  

CB:

• JT Turner (RS Fr.)
• Demar Dorsey (Fr.)
  
• James Rogers (Sr.)
• Terry Talbott (Fr.)

CB:

• Cullen Christian (Fr.) OR
• JT Floyd (RS Soph.)
• Courtney Avery (Fr.)
  

FS:

• Marvin Robinson (Fr.)
• Jordan Kovacs (RS Soph.)
• Mike Williams (RS Jr.)
• Vlad Emilien (Soph.)
• Carvin Johnson (Fr.)
  

SS:

• Troy Woofolk (Sr.)
• Thomas Gordon (RS Fr.)
• Ray Vinopal (Fr.)
  

K:

• Brendan Gibbons (RS Fr.)
  

P:

• Will Hagerup (Fr.)

Some notes:
According to some of his teammates, Ryan Van Bergen will be sliding over from the DT/DE position and taking over Brandon Graham's old DE position. This is a good move in my book, as Van Bergen is more of a defensive end/pass rusher anyways.

Kelvin Grady, who saw spot time in the opener at slot then disappeared because of the dropsies, is now playing running back. He was an excellent running back in high school- 1st team all-state caliber and state champion good. So I think that's a smart move. And he's really wanted to try his hand there, so why not give him a chance?

Also, not happy with the log-jam at the quick position. Roh was already great last year, and Brandon Herron was solid at time. But I expect Jordan Paskorz and Kenny Wilkins to eventually bulk up and play defensive end (If Roh doesn't soon), so that's understandable.

There are a number of players who's redshirts (or lack of) are in question; I know the coaches are trying to get Brandin Hawthorne a redshirt because of his injury, and there are others. The rules never seem to make any sense here, so when the rosters are updated in the spring I should know for sure.

A big note: When designing this depth chart I began to notice how young the team is! So much depth and talent is here now, but it's all so young. I can't wait to see this team in another year or two though.

Enjoy!

Updated with NSD, 2/4/10

Oh boy.

From Mgoblog

A University of Michigan football player was arrested this morning after a female student reported he sexually assaulted her.

The man has been questioned and is scheduled to be released shortly as detectives continue to investigate the 2 a.m incident in the 600 block of South State Street, Ann Arbor police Det. Dave Monroe said.

Police would not release the name of the player today.

This is not what the team needs coming off of a second consecutive losing season, with all the media garbage piling on Rodriguez and the team.

Still, we'll just have to wait and be patient and find out all the details when they're released. Brian at MgoBlog said that it's a player likely to contribute next year, but not Justin Turner. And the numerous Mgostudents said they know who it is.. but nobody has released a name yet. We'll just have to wait - more details will be posted as they are discovered.

It's over

Michigan came into this game with nothing to lose. They had everything on the line - a possible bowl game, some badly-needed extra practice, and some job security for their under-siege coach.

In the end, the best team won. Though Michigan was in position to win, Ohio State was able to capitalize on Tate Forcier's 5 turnovers, which essentially let the Bucks control the game.

I'm not going to go into too much detail on the game, but just a few shout-outs. To Stevie Brown- you've been one of the most maligned players the last few years, but today you truly were a champion. Time after time you shut down receivers in coverage, and continuously stuffed runners with great tackles (including Pryor). If anything, you deserve so much more credit than people have given you. This team will sorely miss you.

Brandon Graham- the best player on the field today, there was no doubt in my mind. Though you'll move onto a (hopefully successful) NFL career, I am glad that Michigan was able to have a player of your caliber. It is regretful that you did not get to see a bowl game your last two years here, but you've proven to be more than an All-American to this team. You will forever be remembered as a player who stuck through the tough times and continued to push yourself and the team.

To the rest of the seniors- though you are so few, you deserve so much praise for what you've done. You may not be the most talented, or the most flashy, but you have all experienced something so difficult that few men in Michigan can boast the same. It is you all that have laid the groundwork for this team to be successful. And I'm sorry you didn't get more bowl games or awards, but someday you will look back and people will remember you as those who rebuilt one of the greatest teams in college football.

It's going to be a long 8-9 month break until football again. I'm not an avid basketball follower, but I suppose I'll need to find something new to watch. This team.. well, it's been a rough year, but I'm proud. The sun will shine another day my friends. And that day is coming soon.

The Game

By now most of you know I am a Michigan fan, and in just two days they'll be playing Ohio State. I'm probably not going to post a breakdown until tomorrow, but just showing you some of the motivational stuff I've been watching this week (in case things get ugly!).

Most sports journalists say the rivalry has lost it's luster the last few years (or since Michigan began to suck), but for these players, and yes, even Rich Rodriguez it's a big deal. So here's to a hopefully great game, and enjoy the badass speech.

Charlie's at the end of the road

News broke recently on a number of blogs and websites that the decision on Charlie Weis had already been made, and that he'd be axed by the end of the season. There's already a number of names in the mix to be his replacement, including Brian Kelly (Cincinnati Head Coach) and Jon Gruden (former Tampa Bay Head Coach/ESPN Analyst).

Though Weis himself doesn't believe a decision on his future has been made, if the Fighting Irish continue so slide as they have in recent weeks, it is probable that he will be let go at the end of the season.

It's kind of sad, when you think about. Weis came to Notre Dame bragging about his NFL pedigree and a "decided schematic advantage", but his teams are often considered soft and fold against superior opponents (1-13 against top 25 opponents in his tenure).

Sure, he's drawn plenty of talent to Notre Dame, but in the end most of his victories came with Brady Quinn and Ty Willingham's recruits. The Golden Domers will return to a bowl game again this year, but unless they turn it around and win one of their last two games, it will likely be a trip to the lowly gator bowl or worse.

As for his possible replacement, I think Urban Meyer is likely not a candidate, though reports say Notre Dame will offer him up to 5$ million a season for ten years. He's currently coaching in one of the most talent-rich areas in the country, has won two national titles, and is likely on his way to winning a third. I think he's content where he is.

Brian Kelly is another candidate who is much more likely to come. He's built a steady record everywhere he's went (turned DII Grand Valley into a national powerhouse), then followed that up by taking a very average Cincinnati team and has turned them into a perennial Big East power in just three years. The allure of a bigger fan base, a larger recruiting net, and superior facilities coupled with a great contract may just be the draw Kelly needs.

As for Jon Gruden, he recently signed a multi-year agreement to stay on at ESPN, so it doesn't look like he'll be heading anywhere to coach. At least not this year. Still, it makes for interesting discussion. Some other names that have been thrown out include TCU's Gary Patterson and also Oklahoma's Bob Stoops. Patterson could be a longshot, and I don't see Stoops leaving what he has at OU.

Stanford makes a move

For the second time in Jim Harbaugh's brief tenure at Stanford, the Cardinals have knocked off mighty USC, only this time the Cardinals suddenly have found themselves at the top of the Pac-10 race. Riding on the back of running back Toby Gerhart (who rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns) the Cardinals managed to keep Matt Barkley and the explosive USC offense contained, thanks to three interceptions by the freshman quarterback.

On the other side of the field redshirt-freshman Andrew Luck threw for 144 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, as Stanford absolutely dominated the game onto a 55-21 victory. This is the first time since Pete Carrol's first season in 2001 that USC will finish with more than 2 losses. Sitting at fifth in the Pac-10 means the Trojans will miss out on a BCS game and likely finish with a very minor bowl berth.

Is a changing of the guard in order? Oregon remains atop the Pac-10 standings at 6-1, though If Oregon was to lose their next two games, and Arizona was to win out, the Wildcats would likely become Pac-10 champions. Stanford will face a tougher finish with games against California and Notre Dame. Though both teams have struggled as of late, both are still equally dangerous to the Cardinals Rose Bowl hopes. Oregon State theoretically has a shot at the title as well, but it would require almost every team above them losing the rest of their games, which probably won't happen.

The pac-10 is the only conference that plays a 9th conference game, something that has been stressed as a strength in recent years. And with 4 teams in top 25 (Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State, USC) they've proven to be one of the stronger conferences this season. Now we'll just have to wait and see how they perform in the Bowl Games.

The stage is set... right?

With a Florida-Alabama themed SEC-Championship showdown imminent, the question now being asked around the nation is, who will be next?

Texas is now 9-0 and in the drivers seat to finish the season undefeated. The Horns will finish with three very winneable games against Baylor, Kansas, and Kansas State. Unless the boys in orange trip up, it is assumed they'll finish second to the winner of the aforementioned SEC championship, thus earning a berth in the national title game.

The next challenger, incidentally, is mighty Mountain West power TCU. The Horned Frogs have soared to #4 in the latest BCS poll. On the wings of an undefeated season TCU's offense is racking up over 458 yards per game to along with a 37.4 point-per game average.

The defense, led by All-American Larry Hughes, is giving up just a measly 240 yards per game, behind, wouldn't you know, Texas and Florida. If Head Coach Gary Patterson isn't considered for more prominent coaching jobs in the coming off-season, then consider me very suspect of many of the AD's out there. The man can coach with the best of them.

Cincinnati is sitting pretty at the top of the Big East right now, and at #5 in the polls. They'll have to get through Pittsburgh, who has turned many heads this year, as well as West Virginia, who is always a dangerous offensive team, to get to a BCS bowl game. The good news is, backup QB Zach Collaros, who has blown-up opponents since taking over for Tony Pike, will get the nod against the Mountaineers. But Head Coach Brian Kelly said Pike will definitely see his way onto the field at some point during the game. Two quarterbacks are better than no quarterbacks, right?

Boise State is the next team on the list at #6, and most likely to gain a berth in the BCS as well. They'll have to take down a potentially dangerous Nevada team (who is 5-0 in conference play, but so far no team in the WAC has proven that they can even hang with the Broncos. A season-opening win against Oregon, (who is ranked 13th in the BCS) is making the Broncos look a little better each week. Still, there are many doubters out there who believe Boise is too weak to compete in the BCS. Only time will tell.

It's shaping up to be an interesting race, as it always has in recent seasons. If a few things go wrong for a certain school from the SEC or Big XII, then we may just see a purple-clad team in the BCS Title game. Dare I even think it...

LeGarrette Blount returns

Word came out today that formerly suspended Oregon RB LeGarette Blount has been reinstated by the Pac-10, and will be eligible to play when the Ducks host Arizona State next weekend.

The former junior college player thundered onto the scene in 2008, rushing for 1,003 yards and 17 touchdowns. His future, both in college and in the NFL, appeared bright coming into the season until his infamous punching of Boise State's Byron Hout after the Ducks 19-8 loss in the first week of the season. Since his initial suspension, Blount has been practicing with the scout team, though Head Coach Chip Kelly hinted that a return might be possible if Blount complied with a number of rules.

Here we are heading down into the last two weeks of the season, and Blount is back. It is not as if the Ducks have really missed his presence though; freshman speedster LaMichael James has carried the rock 149 times for 1,043 yards, at a staggering 7 yards per carry.

The Ducks dominated the mighty USC Trojans 42-20 on national television just two weeks ago, and appeared destined for a possible national title run before falling to Stanford this week, 52-40. Still, sitting atop the Pac-10 standings and with a possible Rose Bowl in very clear sight, Blount should only add more fire to an offense currently churning out 233 yards per game on the ground and over 410 yards per game overall. Coupled with the speedy James, the two will form a very tough duo that few teams will be able to stop.

Still, there is the question of the morality of the decision to allow Blount to play again. While Blount's reinstatement means he's complied with all of the rules set forth by Chip Kelly at the time of his suspension, there are still those who believe he should have been suspended for the duration of the season, instead of being allowed to play again. Regardless of who is right or wrong though, Oregon just got a major weapon back onto the field for this weeks game against Arizona State. If the Ducks hope to close out the season as Pac-10 champs, he'll be a valuable asset as they take on the Sun Devils, and then their hated rivals Oregon State, to finish the year.

Pitt, Cinci en route for Big East Title showdown

With Pittsburgh's 37-10 thumping of Syracuse this week, the Panthers moved to 8-1 on the season, and they sit atop the Big East with Cincinnati at 5-0 in conference play.

The Panthers have finally become the team fans have been hoping for since Wannstedt was first hired, winning with a dominant running game behind Dion Lewis (1,139 yards, 12 td's), a strong passing attack led by Bill Stull (1,879 yards, 17 td's, 4 interceptions), and a solid defense giving up only 310 YPG.

The Panthers will face a tough stretch with their remaining three games against Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati, all of which have been ranked at some point this season (Notre Dame and West Virginia were ranked until last week, respectively). With Notre Dame's defensive ineptitude and West Virginia's struggles the last two weeks, all signs point to a colossal showdown with Cincinnati on the last week of the regular season.

It must be noted that West Virginia still controls their own destiny in the Big East, as they face both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in consecutive weeks. But with the way both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati's offenses have played this year (#1 and #2 in the conference in scoring), it appears that trend will continue until the end of the season.

A Pittsburgh win (and ultimately, conference title) would put the Panthers into a BCS bowl for the first time since 2004. It would provide them with a huge boost on the national recruiting stage, and of course a chance to prove the Big East's strength in regards to the rest of the BCS conferences. Whether or not they're ready to take down the Bearcats, who are averaging 482 yards per game and 40.0 points per game with a backup quarterback playing, remains to be seen.

If anything, Pittsburgh finally has the ability to fight back against vaunted offenses, which have haunted them since their last conference berth five years ago. Much-maligned quarterback Bill Stull has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the entire country, and freshman-phenom Dion Lewis has made people quickly forget about Shady McCoy, who graduated after playing for the Panthers for two seasons. The defense has shown plenty of signs of life, leading the nation in sacks with 39, and are giving up just under 17 points per game.

If both teams escape the next two games with wins and finish 10-1 and 11-0, then the Big East will be the stage for one of the titanic matchups since Pittsburgh knocked off then #2 West Virginia in 2007. Both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati enter the week in the top 10 of the AP Poll, with Cinci sitting strong at #5 and Pittsburgh jumping 6 spots (!) from last week to #8. When it's all said and done, both teams would likely finish near each other, providing the fans with a matchup few will want to miss.

A note

I've really enjoyed writing about Michigan football, but it's time that this blog takes a step in a new direction. From now on you'll be seeing a lot more general college football content. There are so many great Michigan blogs, and though I'd like to think this blog is very well regarded, it's really not.

So hopefully readers will enjoy a more vast array of content that will be coming soon. My skills are much better suited to write about all of college football rather than just one team. If I've driven any readers away I'm sorry, but I think this is the best move for me now.

If you'd like to sign on as a co-writer, or even guest-write once in a while, shoot me an email at fifthqblog@live.com. Thanks, and I'll be posting soon!

Here we go

It might be all we've got at this point.

I didn't post any previews to Purdue this week. Enough people know how good (or bad) they are, what they've done, and how they match up with Michigan.

With that being said, Michigan has to win this game. There is no doubt in my mind at this point in time, Michigan needs this, Rich Rodriguez needs this, hell, we all need it.

At the beginning of the year I had Michigan at 7-5. At this point in time, I don't think that's going to happen. Wisconsin has mysteriously come on very strong and will probably beat the living snot out of us; Ohio State will promptly give us a nice follow-up beating.

Say what you will about the coaching staff, the youth, and all that garbage. Throw the statistics out the window; no more trends, or theories, or analyzing. Michigan needs to out there, and pound the ball down Purdue's throats. I want every player to play like it's their last game. I want to see the passing game tossing 90 yard bombs down the field. I want to see Brandon Minor running down linebackers as Carlos Brown splits to the outside and goes deep. Fuck, I want to see some turnovers by the other team.

Let's go blue, win one and get that bowl game.

Tuesday Linkage

It's Tuesday, and I'm still officially on suicide watch! Just joking. I've actually been fairly busy with work and play so there won't be much quality content. Here are a few good links for you to check out -

Was the cupboard bare for Rodriguez? ($) - It's a rivals article that I most certainly agree with, highlighting what has happened to Michigan's defensive recruiting since 2005. A great read if you want to know why the defense sucks so bad.

Charles Woodson "hurts to see Michigan play bad" - Thanks Charles, it hurts us all too. Erm, yeah.

Denard Robinson's brief receiver appearance not a plan for the future - Even though he'd probably excel as a Percy Harvin-type receiver, Denard Robinson won't be moving to receiver anytime soon. Well damn. His high school coach does believe he has a bright future at Michigan at QB though.

Normally I'd post ESPN/Yahoo articles but lately both our boy Rittenberg and Doc Sat are posting the "doom and gloom" garbage that doesn't hold any power over me... You hear me! I'll be getting a preview of Purdue's offense up by tomorrow, and maybe some other interesting thoughts, including Devin Gardner coming next year.