Wednesday, January 21, 2015

The MMPG Is BACK!!!!

First – One last little action for the MMQ before we jump into the MMPG: 
Presenting the Hot Seat Mascot Champion for 2014:








Nicky Whelan!!!!!

I had a feeling about Nicky from the get go.  Looking forward to seeing her photo at the top of the page until next season!

And They’re Off!

Actually, College Hoops has been going since November, but only the true junkies find time to squeeze a meaningless game in here and there until CFB and the NFL is over…but now that were in the two week Super Bowl “We’re going to stuff so much useless talk, statistics and other garbage down your throat” lull in lieu of actual sports, I’m going to assume that many of you are going to catch some hoops.

And for those of you that already have, you know it’s been an eventful season!  Michigan has had its share of ups and downs…really more downs (Ohio State in Columbus was the most recent, un-explainable debacle), but somehow, with bubble-gum and bobby-pins, JB has held the group together and they have posted a 5-2 record in the B1G – so far.  I’ll be really impressed if he can match that in the next 7 games and my hopes are not high…but I’m simply not ready to count them out of the NCAA’s just yet….

The reasons why the NCAA is going to be an accomplishment in and of itself:  Flu bug has hit Michigan.  It made it around to most of the team and still, somehow, Michigan found a way to beat a pesky Northwestern Squad that is more dangerous than their record indicates.  And of course Caris LeVert left Crisler on crutches with a season ending foot injury immediately following that game…And last night, starting a myriad of freshmen and a still hobbled Derrick Walton, Michigan pulled off a road victory over a feisty Rutgers team (that somehow – and I’m still trying to figure this one out – beat Wiscy).  So, JB’s still got it and I could easily see the argument for him being the best college hoops coach in the State of Michigan

Yep – I’m ready to go there and willing to take on any Sparty argument from whoever wants to make one…In the immortal words of Al Bundy:


Let’s Rock!

I’m basing it on the last 5 season’s performances (Both B1G and the NCAA Tournament), how many former Wolverines are playing minutes in the NBA and what he’s been able to do this season to date.  Anyone want to challenge?  Anyone?

The current rag-tag group of kids that were mostly playing high-school ball at this time last season just aren’t going to roll over for anyone.  Michigan will continue to be scrappy in every game they play. 

Izzo at least has the luxury of having his entire squad available to him and they’re mostly healthy…but they also seem to be having their own problems.  A season sweep by Maryland is the latest disaster…and it didn’t have to be as Sparty had Maryland on the ropes at Breslin and then couldn’t seal the deal….Izzo needs a leader on the floor and he doesn’t have one this season…at least not yet.  Thrice and Valentine are simply not cutting it…Dawson is a role player.  Somebody has to step up.

Sparty fans are pissed and there are rumblings of “NIT” among the faithful.  My thoughts:  DON’T PANIC YET!  There’s still time and games for both these teams and I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again:  With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers this season, 8 of the 14 B1G teams have a shot with a 0.500 or better B1G record.  Sparty just needs to keep on plugging away…

Michigan’s losses to EMU and NJIT are going to hurt them big time, but there’s still hope….slim….but some hope.

A win (somehow?) over Wiscy on Saturday night would be huge, but again, not holding my breath.  Sitting on a 12-7 record right now doesn’t leave a lot of room for error… So, IT'S GUT CHECK TIME!!!!

The next 7 games on the schedule???

Wiscy  - Home – This one is going to be tough…but at the same time, maybe a true confidence builder?  Still….The bettor in me says….LOSE

Nebraska – Home – Miles and the Cornsuckers have not lived up to expectations this season and have disappointed.  Should be a WIN…

Sparty – Away – Always a coin flip game and Sparty will NOT forget being swept last season by the Wolverines….LOSE…

Iowa – Home.  Swept the buckeyes but then had that inexplicable let down against Wiscy on the road.  Still, Imma’ gonna’ say that Michigan somehow beats the Hawkeyes…WIN

Indiana – Away – A dumpster fire.  But a dumpster fire with a chip on its shoulder.  WIN….maybe…

Illinois – Away.   See Indiana.  Should be able to WIN…..

Sparty – Home – I’m hoping for the split this season….WIN

So, that would put Michigan at either 16-10 or 17-9 and within a couple of victories of the seemingly mandatory 18 wins needed to make the NCAA.  And assuming that they pick up another 4-5 B1G wins,  that would make them 9-4 or 10-3 in the B1G.  It would be hard to ignore that record even with the EMU/NJIT debacles….

Sparty SHOULD dominate in their next 5 games, and could win 6 out of the 7 games that are next on their schedule .  After facing a Nittany Lions team tonight at home (that is winless in the Big Ten), the Spartans travel to Nebraska and Rutgers, are home against Michigan and Illinois and then travel to Northwestern.  All winnable.  That would make Sparty 8-2 in the B1G and certainly in the mix…


But, it’s the B1G and anything can happen.  

Friday, January 16, 2015

That's a Wrap! Let's Go 2015!!!

How do you wrap up football’s inaugural season with the CFP taking center stage?  You simply sit back and enjoy the entertainment of it all!  Thank God we have the CFP and sayonara / c-ya’ / Adios / GOOD BYE! to the “BCS”….I’m still shocked at the fact that the BCS would have pitted the two teams that were absolutely blown out of the semis (FSU and Bama) in the title game and Monday night’s gem would have been the usual Rose Bowl “Ho-Hum”.  Soooo, in no particular order, some random thoughts, questions and answers from everyone’s favorite alter ego The MMQ (okay – maybe not EVERYONE’s Favorite) about the CFP and the season overall:

Congrats OSU. 

There, I’ve said it.  That’s IT!!!! Now the collective known as MICHIGAN can go RIGHT BACK TO HATING YOUR SCARLET AND GREY ASSES!!!!

Whew…that really made me feel better!

Did Oregon Lose or Did They Get Taken To The Shed?  

For everyone that follows the Ducks regularly, you know what I’m about to say:  The Quack Attack did NOT show up last Monday.  But a lot of that had to do with the fact that OSU’s defensive scheme and game plan was executed close to perfectly.  Run Blitzes, and an aggressive, attacking defense is one way to beat the spread.  And the red-zone offense vs. defense (where the spread gets a bad rap for not being as effective – Think Michigan with De-Rob) was superb.  Oregon wasn’t scoring from 30 or more yards out like they usually do.  So, with respect to the question, I’ll say it was a little of both – not showing up and a serious ass-kicking.  I think the better coaching staff was clearly…God, I hate typing thisOn the Scarlet and Grey side of the field.  And OSU clearly, at times anyway, looked just as fast if not faster than Oregon’s “athlete’s”.  

Late in the 4th quarter, just to add a little icing to the Scarlet and Grey cake, the suckeyes punched in a late one while they were already up two scores.  Do I view tha t as unsportsmanlike?  Hard to say.  It wasn’t over, the Ducks are dangerous, and that truly sealed it and let Urban empty the bench for the kick-off and the last couple of plays.  Personally, no issue with the TD late as it’s simply part of the game.

Unfortunately, however, as much as the “B1G” wants to take credit for this win, it was all OSU and Urban Legend’s doing.  He is going to make life in the B1G a living hell unless everyone else steps up their game.  Urban has gone away from in state talent and has 50% or more of his players coming from SEC country…Michigan has more than 50% of it’s players from Michigan…that’s gotta change in order to keep up…..And soon….Dammit…

Of course, ohioans celebrated responsibly along North High Street with fires, rioting, and breaking into and tearing down the South Goal Post at the Shoe



As Always…..
Stay Classy, Columbus!!!

Did TCU get hosed?  

Well, one could argue that soundly defeating an SEC West team (that held the #1 slot for a week or two) in your bowl game should be enough to get you into the discussion that, yeah, the committee made a mistake.  But I’ve got news for you:  OSU was the best team in 2014, is and will be the best team starting out the 2015 season next year.  And yes, TCU, you’ll probably be the pre-season #2.  And until your conference figures out either A.) a way to “define” tie breakers that makes sense or B.) comes up with a conference Championship, you’re gonna’ continue to have a lot of “Leave them OUT!!!” problems

Do we need 6 or 8 teams in the CFP?  

Simple Answer:  Yes and no.  I know that sounds like a weasly cop out.  There’s a big part of me that’s screaming “MOOAAARRR!!!” after what we witnessed over the last 12 days and another part of me that looks back nostalgically on what is going to become a lost era of CFB   IF   …WHEN the CFP expands to include additional teams.  And it will expand.  Too much money involved to say that it won’t.  But there are many, many issues that will hold off making that decision to expand for the foreseeable future.  Those issues, including but not limited to:

-The number of games the teams will play if the play-offs expand (16!)

-That would be for the two Championship Teams….

-Does the regular season get fewer bye weeks to accommodate earlier play-offs?

-Does Army-Navy give up its exclusive week?

-Do Conference Championships still make sense with more teams in the play-off?

-Will the greedy conferences give up the Conference Championship games for the play-off? (DOUBTFUL!!!!)

-How about the Power 5 conferences not playing round robins?

-How will you decide the winner of the conference?  The tie breakers without a conference Championship boggle the mind….

-What about an undefeated domer team and ACC champion with 1-loss (to domers???)

-Do 1st round home play-off games make sense?

            (Fans – YESSSSSSSS!!!!!   Bowls – NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!)

-How do you ask students to play more, stay eligible in school and then still not compensate them in any way?

-This season was perfect – Sugar and Rose Semi’s on New Year’s Day!!!

-New Year’s Day Mattered again!!!

-Next Season’s 2015 Cotton and Orange Bowl Semi’s will be on NEW YEAR’S EVE!!!!!  (Believe me when I say that as soon as the fan collective figures THAT out, there’s going to be bitchin’ and moanin’ everywhere.  The majority of the casual fans’ “Significant Other Half” isn’t going to want to give up her New Year’s Eve night out for Football)  And if you have a significant other that has no problem with Football on New Year’s Eve…..does she have any single sisters at home like her?

-The New Year’s Eve fiasco should and will immediately lead to a discussion about moving the Rose and Sugar to New Year’s Eve (Which, if they’re smart, they’ll agree to – At least the Sugar should consider it) when they are NOT the Semi-final games.  If the Rose and Sugar stay stuck in their ways, well, the expansion discussion probably won’t even consider playing the first round in bowls but at the home sites of the top 4 teams, leaving the semis to 4 major bowls and the merry go round schedule that they’re now working with.  Stay tuned on that front.

-Many, many other issues and concerns….

Therefore, for right now, stay happy that we have a 4 Team play-off and let the TCU’s of the world sit and stew in the “What should have been” conversations.  Of course, that’s all well and good until it happens to your team….



TCU Fans and What Could Have Been…..

My prediction:  Baby steps to 6 teams with a 1 & 2 seed 1st round bye.  That would at least get you the TCU’s of the world involved in the mix and accommodate the Power 5’s in some fashion (Please note I’m still in a quandary regarding the “Conference Champion” requirement)….and that bump to 6 teams will happen within my original prediction window of about 5 years.

IS the SEC Finally Dead?  

Hardly.  But the shit-stain they left  that encompassed New Year’s Eve & Day cannot be over-looked.  The SEC is as vulnerable as any conference that starts to get that heady feeling that just because they are “Conference ‘X’”, they get preferential treatment in post season events.  The historic BEast and the ACC in College Hoops immediately comes to mind when there are an inordinate amount of teams from either of those conferences in the NCAA tournament, for example.

But I will say this:  Without effective QB play, great coaching, and a reasonable attempt to schedule something besides tomato cans in their non-conference games, the SEC is going to struggle against teams with better offenses that can figure all those “Super Defenses” out.  The cream of the crop isn’t floating as high as they used to, but they will still be part of the equation moving forward.

Question:  What does Paul Finebaum (or any Bama Supporter) get their significant other for Valentine’s day?

Answer:  Houndstooth lingerie of course!!!




IS the B1G East-Division the new SEC West?  

Eeeeaaaasssy There, Big Fella’.  

One national title and a myriad of super coaches don’t make you a legendary conference…at least, not yet.  But, given that Urban Legend is bringing back a lot of the tools in his tool box and he’s only 50 something,  and given that Sparty’s Dantonio (who has some years left) will be bringing back Connor Cook in 2015, Franklin at PSU is going to have a top 20 (or better) recruiting class and last but not least, Michigan has brought back the prodigal son, well….I can see where you could make that argument depending on the results over the next couple of seasons  or, dare I say....decades.  But let’s let that play out before we go shooting our arrogant mouths off.  I will say in a bowl season where the B1G was not favored in ANY of their 11 bowl games (OSU was a dog TWICE), the B1G went 6-5, with a couple of games that could have gone either wayNot tooooooo Shabby!!!

And we can’t forget about the B1G West, either.  New coach at Nebraska, Riley, has some folks out there in Lincoln that are… well….They’re not excited, but Nebraska fans are anticipative….   Iowa and Ferentz have to do SOMETHING to become relevant again, and Wiscy will be as formidable as always with coach Barry Chryst at the helm…I mean Paul Alvarez…I mean…Oh Hell, I don’t know what I mean with Wiscy anymore.  (MMPG Comment:  Has anyone determined whether or not Bo Ryan is still alive after losing to Rutgers – the worst shooting basketball team in the B1G?)

Too Early To Think About 2015?

It’s never too early to start dreaming!  And part of me can’t help but wonder exactly how deep the hole is at Michigan.  There’s talent in Ann Arbor, that’s for sure.  Part of me says the hole is…well, how do I put this – DEEEEEEP….and part of me is saying, “Look Out 2015!”  as I stick my head out of the foxhole and look around at the rest of the B1G.  How much can the coaching staff do in the first season is TBD, but quick turnarounds in College Football are not unusual.  There are plenty of historic examples…In fact, here’s a gem!

(This has been forwarded to me from several sources/readers and you all know who you are, so take the credit when you see this):

In 1969, Woody Hayes and "the greatest football team of all time" visited Michigan Stadium on a 22-game win streak. OSU was playing for its second straight national title while Michigan was rebuilding after going to the Rose Bowl only twice in the last 17 years. Under their new coach, Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines upset OSU 24-12 in what would be the start of one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.

Current:  OSU is currently on a 13 game winning streak in 2014/15 and will be on a 24 game winning streak heading into Ann Arbor next season (more than likely with OSU’s schedule).  Michigan has been to the Rose Bowl only 3 times in the LAST 18 YEARS (1997, 2004 and 2006).  And Michigan has a new head coach….Somebody named “Harbaugh”….

Swear to God I have goose bumps as I’m typing this….

Ahem….Here’s to hoping (and PRAYING) that history does indeed repeat itself….or at least rhymes for Maize and Blue’s sake!  Did I mention I love Hackett and he’s a Genius?  Wile E. Coyote kind of Genius?



      Hackett’s Business Card…..

So…..No, it’s never too early to at least start thinking about next season!!!  And I’m becoming an extremely firm believer in the fact that we should simply do away with subjective polls…..but, ya’ gotta’ do what ya’ gotta’ do…..

WAY TOO EARLY PRE-SEASON TOP 10 – THE MMQ Version

1.    OSU – Cause, you know….
2.    TCU – See #1. 
3.    USC – Look out for the Rubbers and Sarkisian…..
4.    Arkansas – Ditto Beliema.  I almost made the Hogs #3….
5.    Sparty – Can’t crack the top 4, no matter how hard they try…
6.    Baylor – Briles is pissed….
7.    Miss State – Dak Prescott is BACK! 
8.    Arizona – Rich Rod coming into his own….
9.    Georgia Tech – Ditto Johnson….
10. Bama – Saban will be on the chopping block at the end of the season…

Some of that’s based on what happened this past bowl season and who’s coming back.  Please note the apparent absence of an ACC school and then recall that The Wrablin’ Wreck is ACC.  But FSU, UNC, Va Tech…sorry.  What will the FINAL 4 Look like next season?

Come on….Let’s leave something for the Pre-Season Spectacular!

The Hot Seat!

You still have time to vote for the Hot Seat Mascot for 2014!!!   Get voting!!!

The FMQ

Damn the Ducks…the first half went as expected (the under 37.5 points held!) and the Suckeyes covered to satisfy two parts of the parlay…but the Ducks didn’t deliver the points in the 2nd half (LIKE THEY USUALLY DO!) I needed to achieve the “over – 74 points” for our 3 way parlay….leaving the Bank at $0 for the first time EVER!!!!

I’m debating about whether or not to continue with the FMQ.  That’s two miserable seasons in a row and either I’m not very good at this or I need to spend more time researching and making better decisions.  Next season we’ll see what I decide.

A Couple of Reasons We’re Glad Its Over

The MMPG will be back!!!  Looking forward to getting into and diagnosing the hoops season.  College hoops either needs to start later (and of course, go later) or we need to figure out a way to get fans more involved early.  There have already been some great college games!

Monday, January 12, 2015

Monday Morning "It's Almost Over" Blues...

Jeez I hate January.  Everyone trying to get a jump on everything.  I’ve been so busy at work that I haven’t had time to post.  Luckily, nothing especially meaningful has happened, but that’s not an excuse.  Auto Show, customer quotes, travel…it all starts to pile up….unfortunately. 

Question:  How long is it appropriate to greet someone with the “Happy New Year!” phrase?  I’ve always wondered that and I now have the

Answer:  Until the credit card and holiday bills come rolling in.  Then it’s right back to “Hey, how’s it going.”

But, nothing is as depressing as knowing that College Football is almost over.  However, it does allow all of us to start watching other sporting events, of which there have been some DOOZIES!!!  Wiscy, Duke and Arizona (3 teams in the top 10 of college hoops) all LOST yesterday!!!  Wiscy losing to Rutgers was probably the biggest surprise, but I cannot let that Duke loss to NC State slide, either!  That was a down-right embarrassment.  Even the suckeyes lost to lowly Indiana!!!   I wonder if it has anything to do with Coach K’s 1,000 win?  Three more “V’s” and he’s at 1,000.  

Before I get ahead of myself, could all of these weird sporting even outcomes be attributed to:

The Harbaugh Affect

I can’t take credit for this.  I think someone either at mgoblog.com or Michigan Insider coined it, but I’ve spoken with many of you and EVERYONE has observed the same phenomena…

Michigan Basketball is playing better and winning games (again)…

Michigan Hockey INEXPLICABLY WINS the GLI….

Ohio State’s Men’s Basketball is on the verge of cratering into oblivion…

Sparty lost to Maryland on it’s home court in a game it should have won and had to go to OT to beat Northwestern yesterday…(And I won’t mention South Florida if you don’t mention NJIT and EMU)

Even in the NFL, Tom Brady of the Patriots passed his team to a victory over Jim’s brother on Saturday night…And the Patriots didn’t rush the ball a single time in the 2nd half….

Andrew Luck (coached by Harbaugh at Stanford) went in as a pretty big underdog to Denver and beat Peyton Manning’s Broncos….

Are these all coincidence or is it all part of the “Harbaugh Affect”.

All I can say is the MMQ/MMPG will continue to monitor and watch for future developments.

Jimmy has rounded out his coaching staff and Drevno is the OC along with Durkin as the DC.  I absolutely love both those hires.  Florida’s defense was one of the best in the SEC and Drevno has proven his mettle at Stanford and in the NFL.  This isn’t going to be a “Run the ball down their throats” offense…I think we’re about to see what everyone has hoped and expected to see from Michigan – Innovation, execution and simple decision making reads.

The de-commits are re-considering in addition to other players de-committing from their commitments to other universities.  I had a feeling this class would sort of take care of itself and I believe when the dust settles, the 16 or 17 kids Michigan gets are going to surprise some people.  Just sayin’.

The biggest question mark still remains QB.  My guess is Shane Morris or Speight are your leaders heading into Spring practice with a possible transfer in the making.  Don’t bet on it…but it’s a hunch.

MMPG  - PSA

TUESDAY:  Michigan @ OSU 7:00 PM!!!!
GO BLUE!!!!

The National Championship – The Battle of the “O’s”

Controversy abounds!  OSU’s classes don’t start until this week and they have been allowed to practice more than the “2 hour a day rule” that is enforced by the NCAA.  Oregon’s classes, on the other hand, have been in session since January 6th or 7th, and they as a team have been limited to how much they can practice.  Leaving a whole lot more time for no studying, less practicing and team members to get baked down in Dallas(See Oregon WR Darren Carrington).  And subsequently bounced from the team.  I still think the marijuana rule has to be one of the dumbest still on the books (Yes – Mitch McGary would be really nice to have RIGHT NOW!!!)  And I get that marijuana is illegal.  But it’s going to be legal everywhere in about 5 years.  And why wouldn’t I want the entire opposing team high the day before a big game?  If they haven’t been able to figure it out on their own…se la vie!

I believe the MMQ had one team correct in this final, the Ducks, but there was no one that had the suckeyes in this game in August or September.  Hell, there was even doubt as late as December that the suckeyes would get into the Final 4, but a throttling of Wiscy and no Conference Championship in the Big XII and the next thing you know, there’s Urban “Legend” sitting on the lip of the cup, again.  The question is:  Will 3rd stringer Cardale Jones actually start playing like a 3rd stringer at some point in this play-off run?

That’s a good question, and the pivotal one, if you ask me.  I’m not sure the suckeyes “D” can overcome Marcus and company, so the question becomes, “Can the suckeyes Offense hang with Oregon?”

And, until he proves to me otherwise, I’m going to say yes.  I’m saying yes because Bama’s strength was supposed to be its Defense and Jones had his way with them.    I’m also saying yes because after his first two games, I’m convinced that Jones doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear.  Or even nervous.  He’s playing like a kid possessed and he understands that he needs to be the leader on the field.  A 3rd string QB….That’s the story of this game and will continue to be the story if OSU pulls the upset. 

Yes, it will be a bitter-sweet outcome for Michigan Fans, to say the least.  Great for the B1G (sort of – better for OSU), lousy feeling as a Michigan fan inside that our arch rival did the right thing 3 years ago and hired the coach that they knew would get them to the promised land.   36-3 in three years?  That’s a pretty high bar.  Michigan has now taken that step in hiring the right coach….but 36-3 in 3 years…Who knows if Jimmy has that in him?  And what’s he starting with?  How big of a hole does he have to climb out of?  I’m not suggesting three years with that kind of record is even close to being possible. For one thing, OSU’s arch rival has literally sucked balls during that 3 year run.  And OSU isn’t going anywhere.

The Hot Seat

Coaches are bouncing the around the NCAA and the NFL faster than a pair of naturals at an all-night orgy.   Sorry…Just putting that in there to see who’s still reading!  Anyway, we are down our final two – just like the Championship!  I’ll keep the voting open for a week so everyone has a shot to get their vote in.  The finalists:

Nicky Whelan





















Samantha Hoopes

 









And may the best Hot Seat Mascot Win!!!

The FMQ

Down to a measly $219 in the bank.  I’m going for broke here and parlaying my way to either oblivion or respectability.

Oregon State vs. Ohio State (+6) O/U 1st half:  37.5   O/U Final:  74
Man, what a tricky spread and over/under.  I said I liked Ohio State, but do I like them enough to cover 6 points?  And will the Ducks score per usual or will OSU tame the quack attack in the first half?  With the Duckies losing one of their star players on offense, the 6 points seems like a manageable number for OSU.  I could take the suckeyes and try to double my money.  But what fun is that?

Instead, Let’s

PARLAY!!!!

For those of you who aren’t gamblers, this may not make a ton of sense, but you can do this kind of stuff….

I’m taking the half time UNDER(37.5) combined with the final game OVER (74) and OSU to cover the 6 spread.  That’s a three way parlay

$219 pays 4 to 1:  $876 

Friday, January 2, 2015

Happy New Year!!!

Wow!  

And I do mean “WOW!!!”  If you’re not a college football fan (and there’s some in my family who aren’t and I had to fight for a TV yesterday, if you can believe that) you really don’t know what you’re missing.  But if you’re reading this, I know you’re a fan and you’re probably as exhausted as I am on this first day back to the real world.  New Year’s day  (and New Year’s Eve) was simply fantastic for football watching and I really don’t think there was a bad game on anywhere…Even the Gophers tried their best to keep it close….

But, before I get too far ahead of myself, it seems like there’s something that happened in Ann Arbor in the last couple of days that I haven’t had a chance to post about yet.  Let’s see, I made a note about it somewhere….Oh yeah…..

MICHIGAN HIRES HARBAUGH!!!!

Let the rejoicing begin!  I have to admit that my doubts were extremely deep on this one ever since Michigan didn’t hire him 4 years ago.  I completely fell for and was sucked in by all the crap that every NFL talking head seemed to be spewing (Do any of those guys have an original thought or do they all just run around repeating what the other guys are saying?  I’m just asking any of the NFL fans out there).  However, at the end of the day, Hackett was the man with the swim lane plan that brought Jimmy Harbaugh home to Ann Arbor.  And it wasn’t for $8M a year (And you can bet that REALLY bums the NFL guys out) but a bargain number of $5M annually with incentives for winning everything from the B1G to a National Title.  So, boo-yah to Mr. Hackett.  My only question: 

Where have you been for the last 7 years?

As I was watching Sparty and ohio yesterday, I really regret the last 4 years, or more specifically, the hiring of Brady Hoke when I now honestly believe that Harbaugh was never really offered the job in the first place or knew enough about BranDictator that he knew he could never coach under a guy like that.   And I think I began to hate BranDictator even more than I already do for running an entire athletic department into the ground – financial “success” not withstanding.  Why Michigan EVER LET A CORPORATE CEO WITHOUT ANY athletic director experience come in and F-things up at 1000 SSS, I will never know.  But, it’s over and hopefully everyone involved can say they learned something from it. 

I digress and I’m not about to let the past get me down when the future is looking so bright.  The press conference was a delight (compared to the Brady Hoke bumbling, fumbling routine) and the Half-time speech was inspiring. 

In case you missed any of it, here’s You Tube clips of all of it:

The Presser


Harbaugh Halftime Speech



Thanks to Yost over at the M-Zone for Translating!!!!



But to all the “HATERZ” out there (and I get it:  Haterz are gonna’ Hate – it’s what I do, also), you really make me laugh.  I received a new electronic device for my birthday that allows me to troll the enemy websites and blogs more effectively and they are all incredibly humorous when you look at them objectively.   First, NO ONE thought we were going to get JH back (and there were all citing the same NFL boobs that I referenced earlier) and it would take a miracle if it did happen.  Everything from not wanting to leave California (BS) and his wife not wanting to leave the Bay Area (DOUBLE BS – Check the Angelique Chengelis interview) were cited as “Facts.” 

Now it’s happened.  I trolled one particular blog/message board that gives Harbaugh no more than 3 seasons before the siren call of the NFL lures him back after abject and humiliating failure at Michigan because, “No recruit wants to go to Michigan and play for a ‘has-been’ program.”   And they are also stating that he “Hasn’t been that successful, really, he’s just been on the right side of the odds equation, being able to land and ride Andrew Luck at Stanford, for example.”  Really?  Are you really believing that or are you just trying to ignore, in your own little noggin’, how this is not only the biggest hire (short of Saban coming back) in college football, but that good coaching DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE at the collegiate level??

I laugh only because there are lots of fans that are enraged with their current coaching situation (mostly domers) and the Sparty and suckeye fans are simply nervous…like they know they’ve poked the sleeping bear…er, WOLVERINE one too many times

And the “Wolverine” is waking up PISSED!


Yep, its already beginning with Harbaugh landing heralded assistants DJ Durkin (DC from Florida) and Tim Drevno (OC from the 49er’s).  I’ll take both those guys over what we had, even though Mattison was effective.  And he’s also staying on board, according to reports from recruits and mgoblog.com.  Rumors are flying that Wheatley may be coming back from the Buffalo Bills to coach running backs and Vince Marrow and Tim Morton will be TE and WR coaches, respectively.  DB coach is still kind of wide open, but you can bet it will be a guy with some DB experience, and not a guy who had never even played the position.

So, yeah, the future is looking way brighter in all Michigan fan’s eyes right now.  Granted, we’re still all realists and we all know there’s going to be bumps on the way.  Getting a functional QB at this point seems to be the biggest challenge and the first step towards getting the offense fixed.  I don’t know if there’s anything that Harbaugh can really coach up with what’s left of Morris’ psyche and Speight may still be too young.   I’m not even going to mention Bellomy except to say that he’s still on the team for now.  I see Jimmy maybe making a transfer grab for someone, but who?  Time will tell but I have a feeling that Jimmy doesn’t want to suffer fools too long at the QB position.

There’ll be way more time to talk about this in the future, so how about getting to

The Rest of the Mess – Karma’s A Bitch

I’ve written about Karma before and I honestly believe there’s a force in the universe that eventually lets every dog have its day and lets everyone who’s been wronged a chance to get even.  And if you’ve been living on the edge…well, there’s a time when Karma comes back around to bite you in the ass…and there’s nothing you can do about it.

There were some great games on yesterday, and let’s start with Wiscy beating a heavy favorite Auburn team in the Citrus Bowl.  I started watching that game in the 2nd half pretty exclusively because it looked like Baylor was going to be handling Sparty for the rest of the afternoon.  So, I watched as Wiscy and the Tigers dueled back and forth in the 4th quarter and then Wiscy tied the game up with single digit seconds left.  When the Badgers could only convert a Figgie in OT, I really thought it was over as Wiscy’s “D” hadn’t stopped the Tigers in the entire 2nd half.  But they rose to the occasion, shut down the Tiger offense and the tying kick was off the upright (Remember last season when Auburn beat Bama on the missed Figgie? – Karma) and Wiscy held on to pull off a stunning SEC West upset and earn a scalp for the B1G.

Then, I flipped Sparty - Baylor back on.  I’m guessing most of you did the same and we watched as Cook did something that was so inexplicably dumb that the calls of “SOS” were coming in so fast on my phone that I couldn’t keep up. 

But I wasn’t completely ready to count Sparty out yet.  This is a team that knows how to come back, especially in Bowl Games.  And sure enough, with a Baylor miscue on what had been a long gain deep into the red zone ended up becoming a win for the defense by forcing a field goal try that was blocked.  And, if you DIDN’T See this, well, the Baylor kicker tweeted yesterday that he was alive and fine.  Just a little woozy….

  

I swear I could watch that on a continuous loop for an hour.  The last little collapse at the end is just classic!!!  It was then that I think we all knew that Sparty had a chance….
And Cook delivered!  He took the disaster and turned it into a TD!  Briles presser was classic and he looked thoroughly pissed.  This was not a coach (or a team) that respected Sparty.  Nope….In fact, Baylor got it’s “Karma” moment and now knows how TCU felt after they did the same thing to them.

The Grandaddy Of Them All came on and the first half certainly had a feel to it that the Ducks were trying to figure out a way to let the Noles back in the game.  Winston’s non-TD on 4th down was a big deal and it felt like FSU was just waking up and getting ready to come out and do what they usually do to teams in the 2nd half.  But then the Noles got a case of the “dropsies” and, well, the Quack Attack took over.  Famous Jameis was a victim of Karma, as there’s really no other way to explain this little fiasco


Any idiot GM in the NFL that thinks about drafting Winston before Mariota should get canned immediately if not sooner.  But believe me, Kiper or someone will say that Winston is the better gamble….go figure.

Then, in the Sugar Bowl, I have to say that Karma ruled the evening again.  While ohio looked like they could roll the Tide, Bama was just abusing the suckeyes every miscue and putting points on the board.  But as coach Holtz says, the most important times in the game are the 5 minutes before half time and the 5 minutes right after half time.  The suckeyes capitalized in both spots scoring a TD on a trick play with a circus catch.  Then, they came out and scored again.

Domination – Karma.  Yes, Saban may have given Urban Legend heart problems and a reason to retire from Florida, but Saban looked none too happy last night in his presser. And oh how the Bama fans will howl for the next 200 and some odd days until the 2015 season begins. 

In fact, the entirety of the SEC (SEC West Bowl Record:  2-5???) should be embarrassed and ashamed!  Your best wins are from a former B1G coach (Arkansas) and a Big 12 cast off (Mizzou). 

That’s now a 5-4 B1G record with many prognosticators (and I will admit, I was not optimistic) that the B1G would have a hard time not going 0-10 in the bowls.  Iowa could make it a 6-4 record over Tennessee today, so here’s hoping!

Why do I care about the B1G?  I don’t, really.  In fact, I will admit here and now that I kind of have a hard time watching Sparty and the suckeyes win.  But, at the same time, I’m sick and tired of the B1G not getting any national respect and the SEC can go to hell….so, yeah, I guess I do care but I want the new Michigan Era to begin so the Wolverines can be in there on New Year’s Day doing some ass-kicking of their own! Yep – I think all this SEC crap can be laid to rest…the sooner the better. Of course, you have ESPN doing this right now:




Here’s another thought to consider:  If nothing changed, we would have had (probably) Bama and FSU in the National Title Game (BCS Rules) and – WAIT FOR IT….A traditional Rose Bowl Match-Up of Ohio State and Oregon….

So, yes, I hope now that EVERYONE CAN SEE that a Play-off is needed, but it kind of sucks for the Rose not to have what it would have had anyway….In a weird Karma-esque way….

Other games of note:

Domers defeat LSU:  unbelievably…Even the domer faithful had written this one off before it was played…

The State of Mississippi:  Was destroyed on New Year’s Eve.  TCU and Gerogia Tech had a field day with these two.  Freeze and Mullen are no longer “Hot Names” in the coaching world….

Florida:  Doesn’t have one happy fan base anywhere.  Florida teams 0-3 in the bowls…ditto Mississippi….and Alabama (0-2)!!!!

The Hot Seat

So many coaching changes…So few predicted by the MMQ!!!  But then again, if you were predicting any of this you talk to the spirits of your ancestors at night in your dreams or something….

Who’s where (I swear I had to look a couple of these up!):

Harbaugh – Michigan:  Without question, a Grand Slam hire.  Let’s hope this works out!

Reilly – Nebraska (You will NEVER BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THIS TO ME AND HAVE IT MAKE SENSE!!!  Bo Pelini won 9 games a year…so he was an ass….)

Chryst – Wisconsin:  Who else was Barry going to get?   He needs someone he can boss around.  Hey, I have an idea:  What about Barry Alvarez as Head Coach?

Narduzzi – Pitt:  Good move for Narduzzi as he will only be there for a couple of seasons as that seems to be the pre-requisite now at Pitt.  You can only stay two seasons or they fire you after two.

Herman – Houston: This one is a little baffling.  I figured Herman was more of an up and comer and would have held out for a slightly better head coaching gig than the hot mess that is Houston.  But what do I know?

Chizik – DC UNC:  Why is he leaving his radio gig and off and on TV gig at ESPN to be a DC???

Muschamp – DC Auburn:  This was quick…figured Will would try that ESPN thing for a awhile before doing a coordinator gig.

Andersen – Oregon State:  I kind of get this…He’s a devout Mormon and apparently the liberal leaning Madison was a difficult environment for his family….But still, leaving Wiscy to go to the tree loving upper northwest city of Corvalis?  Okay…have fun.

Should we do a Pre-Season 2015 Hot Seat Mascot List?  Why not!!!!
1.     Nick Saban – Yep, you lose to ohio and a 3rd string QB, there’s going to be some hell to pay in what is going to become a very, very, VERY long off-season for Saban and company.

2.    Les Miles – Ditto.  The domers were a dumpster fire on defense in their last 5 games and LSU should have hung at least 50 on them.  Instead, the Hatter didn’t capitalize when he should have and now has his fan base really pissed off.

3.    Hugh Freeze – Ole Miss literally got their butts handed to them by TCU.  It was an ugly game start to finish.  He might be feeling some pressure in the off season…

4.    Brian Kelly – Yeah, he won the bowl game, but the domer faithful still can’t stand the guy.  If Kelly interviews for an NFL gig, he better hope he gets an offer.  Otherwise, they might can him.

5.    Dana Holgersen – WVU hasn’t done much since he’s been there.  That was a team that was battling for National Titles under Rich Rod.  Losing the bowl can’t help his situation.

6.    Al Golden – Miami faithful are tired of Al.  But I think he’s had the toughest job in all of college football.  I hope it doesn’t happen, but Golden getting the ax after a dismal 2015 would surprise me.

And I have update the Mascot Voting on the side Bar!!! We have a Final 4 of:

Southwest:  Samantha Hoopes




Midwest:  Anastasia Ashley
















East:  Nicky Whelan






West:  Amber Heard















And the voting will be up until Next Friday.  The final 2 vote will begin at that point in time so remember to get on line and vote!!!


FMQ will report out on Monday.  And whatever is left will be bet on the National Title game in some fashion…..