Chomp on This, Gator Bitches

Admittedly, I was worried about Florida, too. The ESPN poll had, like, 91% of the online voters picking the Gators in what was essentially a road game for U-M. And, yes, this was a healthy Michigan team that lost their first two games with various degrees of ignominy. Yet, an experienced, (FINALLY!) healthy Wolverine team was able to deliver in the Capital One Bowl when it needed to make a statement for history, one I'm sure they think more accurate and relevant than App State. Take away the two turnovers at the goal line, there could have been an extra 21-point swing to Michigan. Yet, watching today's Wolverine offense makes me wonder what such potent offensive abandon, applied season-long would have yielded for this team. Despite his regularly annoying underachieving, Lloyd Carr's bowl record against the "awesome" SEC? 5-2. Go Blue.

60 Second Prediction: U-M will not hire Les Miles

This morning's Free Press did the historical primer to the supposedly obvious conclusion: that Bill Martin will hire Les Miles as the new football coach. First, remember, all coaches have their downs and ups and downs and downs. So, to quote Mr. Spock, be careful what you wish for. Secondly, I doubt Bill Martin will hire someone from a school that is an approximate peer to U-M, which would rule out a current head coach from the SEC, Big 12, Pac 10 or Big 10; the philosophy is that U-M can find its own guy, we don't need to take someone from someplace else. And really, instead of just wanting a "Michigan man," they more importantly want someone who will become a Michigan man (like Bo and Fritz and Bennie), with no comparable past to measure it against, whether for better or for worse (which would be, ewwww, very Saban-like). Finally, Coach Miles this past week pronounced yesterday's opponent "Ar-kan-zes," instead of "Ar-ken-saw." That has kind of a John L. Smith vibe, which is definitely not the vibe anyone at U-M, in A2 or among the largest living alumni body in the world would ever buy. Remember: style is just as much a part of this job description as wins, if not more. I'm digging on Brian Kelly, myself. Go Blue.

Saint Nick, my ass

Boos rain down on Alabama football team after embarrassing loss to Louisiana-Monroe

I and The Lovely Dawna have friends in Monroe, Louisiana, so I always keep an eye on the Louisiana-Monroe scores. So, in light of their defeat of "Saint Nick" Saban's Crimson Tide, may I say:

Bwaa-ha-ha-ha-ha?!!!!!

How 'bout them Warhawks?!

Non Sequitur of the Day: #8

"Woody is tails."

Lloyd Carr was/is awesome

When the U-M football team started the season 0-2, people who didn't know better were calling for Lloyd Carr's mid-season firing or resignation. For people with no sense of history or perspective (neither was ever going to happen), that was a classic knee-jerk, 24-7 news cycle response -- we have airtime to fill and, lacking facts (or a desire to discuss them), we will fill the airtime with opinion. Of course, paying attention to his assistants' contract extensions was a good indication of what truly was up. But, seriously, my response in mid-September was two-fold: those losses doesn't count more than any other loss (as non-conference games, perhaps less), and who would you get who's better? How many other active coaches have won a National Champtionship? Have as many 10-win seasons? Be in 4 out of 5 BCS bowl games? Has a 4-2 bowl record v. the SEC? So, they ended up one half-way decent offensive showing short of the Rose Bowl. . . and, in an unrelated move, Lloyd Carr retired today. The guy is truly unique as an academic football coach, hanging with Russel Crowe and quoting Pakenham Beatty at the top of his resignation press conference. How cool is that? As for his successor, I'm not the only one not sold on Les Miles, who has been a bit indiscreet in his comments and actions toward his alma mater's football team, even admitting to selling them out in last year's polls for an SEC team. It's easy to pine for the bright, shiny present like Miles; being able to find the overlooked gem with value -- like Bo in '69 -- fits U-M's culture. As for my favorites, if either can get out of their deals, if you want to go insider, I like Jim Harbaugh; if you want to go outsider, I always liked the great job Brian Kelly did at Grand Valley -- he could be very, if you will, Tressel-esque.