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Game Thread THE GAME: #1 Ohio State 42, #2 Michigan 39 (11/18/06)

BB73;648007; said:
If tOSU is BCS #1, the Rose does get first choice, and they would likely take TSUN. .
I think the Rose bowl might think twice about picking tsun given their recent record in that bowl. They might not make their full profit potential since tsun has lost their last two games there.
 
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Best Buckeye;648115; said:
I think the Rose bowl might think twice about picking tsun given their recent record in that bowl. They might not make their full profit potential since tsun has lost their last two games there.

The outcomes of the last two times that Michigan participated in the Rose Bowl have nothing to do with how much profit the game would generate. Profits have to do with fan turnout, tv advertisement revenue, costs associated with setting up the game, and a host of other things.

The Michigan Texas game was actually a very thrilling game with a lot of offense. The Michigan USC game was also packed with a lot of offense. After the SCumers lose to us, I would actually prefer to see a Michigan-Texas rematch or something like that.
 
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I would like to see scUM, Texas and the team that we beat in the NC game to be ranked from 2 to 4. That way, we would've beaten the #2, #3 and #4 teams in final standings. In that regard, I want at least two degrees of separation between scUM and Texas.
 
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Ok, so I've been gone a long time but I'm finally back. I was bored and got an idea for a picture so here I am. It's not perfect but, it'll do. Hope you enjoy. Good to be back!

-Edit: I was thinking about making the road lines scarlet and grey..any ideas?

roadkillcopyye8.jpg
 
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msnbc.com

Michigan-Ohio State start of fantastic finish

A rematch in the BCS Championship Game would be not be a good thing


Ohio State vs. Michigan. For weeks, there has been an ongoing drumbeat for that ultimate game. It?s getting louder. By Nov. 18 in Columbus, Ohio, it may be defeaning. To say nothing of the potential noise on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz., if the Buckeyes and Wolverines stage a rematch at the BCS Championship Game.
Re-re-re-re-re-re-rematch?
Script Ohio vs. Hail to the Victors ? in the desert? Don?t rule it out. As they say, there?s a lot of football remaining between now and the ?BCS Selection Show? on Dec. 3. So many things will happen. The Big East will weed itself out (the West Virginia-Louisville winner will eventually face Rutgers). The SEC will crown a champion (Florida-Auburn rematch? Don?t forget Arkansas. Tennessee might be in better shape to finish 11-1 and miss the league?s title game).
Then there?s the unexpected ? such as last Saturday?s stunner, Oregon State?s 33-31 upset of USC that has swung open all sorts of possibilities.
Seemingly, there?s only one sure thing: Michigan at Ohio State is a play-in game for the BCS big show. Given Ohio State?s remaining schedule (at Illinois, at Northwestern) and Michigan?s remaining slate (Ball State, at Indiana), it seems a slam dunk for there to be 11-0 Buckeyes and 11-0 Wolverines meeting in one of the biggest regular season games in college football history.
Two points:
1. How can an Ohio State-Michigan rematch happen? Almost certainly, each of the Big East schools must lose a game. And if that?s the case, an unbeaten Ohio State-Michigan winner goes to Glendale as No. 1. The Ohio State-Michigan loser could still head the list of one-loss teams at No. 2, particularly if the Buckeyes and Wolverines stage a classic.
Let?s say it?s decided in the final minute or on the final play. Let?s say a controversial call is involved. Then there would be a clamor for a rematch. It probably would come down to perception of the pollsters. If season-long No. 1 Ohio State loses the regular season game in a close one, the odds probably increase for a BCS title game rematch.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel or Michigan coach Lloyd Carr would not be pleased with having to again play his biggest rival for the national championship. (Remember the reaction of Florida State?s Bobby Bowden in 1996, when the Seminoles had to face Steve Spurrier?s Florida Gators again in the Sugar Bowl?)
2. Would an Ohio State-Michigan rematch be a good thing? At this point, I?d say no. There are plenty of things that can happen, but I don't think there will be a shortage of worthy title-game opponents for the winning Buckeyes or Wolverines. Plus, an Ohio State-Michigan rematch would be a replay of something I despise about the BCS system. To play for a national title in this current non-playoff system, I absolutely believe you must win your conference title. How can you place such value on conference titles, then ignore those accomplishments when it comes to staging a national title game?
I didn?t like Nebraska getting selected for the Rose Bowl in 2001 without even playing in the Big 12 Championship Game (and getting blasted by Colorado in the regular-season finale). I didn?t like Oklahoma getting selected for the Sugar Bowl in 2003 after the unbeaten Sooners were routed by Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game.
One-loss Ohio State or one-loss Michigan playing for the national title would be a slap in the face of, let?s say, a 12-1 SEC champion, an unbeaten Big East champion or even an 11-1 USC Pac-10 champion (don?t write off the Trojans just yet).
We?re in for a fascinating finish. And the Nov. 18 Michigan-Ohio State game could be just the start of something big.
 
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DDN

In Big Ten football, nobody can challenge OSU, Michigan

Other conference teams seem to fade into the background.


By Marc Katz
Staff Writer

Tuesday, October 31, 2006


COLUMBUS ? The Big Two and Little Eight, again?
For years, Ohio State and Michigan dominated the 10-team Big Ten. The other eight football teams just didn't match up.
Now, with 11 teams and a recent history of shared titles, it would seem the conference really is big again. Except this year, it isn't. This year, Ohio State is back to dominating, and Michigan appears to be just a tick behind.
"I'll state the obvious," Minnesota coach Glen Mason said after his Golden Gophers were tarnished 44-0 Saturday by the Buckeyes. "We faced an awfully good football team today.
"I think everybody anticipated somewhat of a drop-off because of the caliber of players they (the Buckeyes) lost last year. I don't see any drop-off. They have an explosive offense. They're very tough defensively and they're very good in the kicking game."
Ohio State has allowed more than one touchdown in only one Big Ten game this season, and still beat Iowa 38-17 ? on the road.
The Buckeyes have beaten their last three conference opponents (MSU, Indiana and Minnesota) by a combined 126-10.
They play at 2-7 Illinois next, with Miami University graduate and former OSU assistant Ron Zook coaching the Illini.
Michigan has had some closer games, but even Wisconsin, the next best conference team, lost 27-13 to the Wolverines. That is the Badgers' only loss, and they don't play Ohio State.
Meanwhile, all the other teams seem to have close games against each other.
Illinois had one of those at the same time OSU was beating Minnesota. Wisconsin rallied late to beat the Illini, 30-24.
"What's happened is they've done a great job of recruiting," Zook said of the Buckeyes. "They've done a great job of coaching. That's basically what's happened. Right now, they're kind of the cream of the crop and they're playing that way."
Two weeks ago ? with a month to go before the Nov. 18 OSU-Michigan showdown in Columbus ? a Detroit columnist suggested, "Until then, just go away for a month because there's nothing worth watching."
Before his team played host to Michigan on Oct. 14, Penn State coach Joe Paterno called the Wolverines one of the best teams he's ever seen. And he had already been beaten 28-6 by the Buckeyes.
Michigan beat Penn State, too, if only 17-10.
It's not always the expected leaders who lead championship teams, either.
"A lot of times everybody gets caught up in what they call five-star guys, or whatever," Zook said. "There are a lot of guys that are great college football players that were not five-star. A lot of times guys that may not be the highest-rated in terms of recruiting still turn out to be great college football players.
"I think Ohio State has done a good job of that as well."
Zook's reference was to OSU senior quarterback Troy Smith, the last recruit signed by OSU coach Jim Tressel in 2002. The class of that class was expected to be another quarterback, Justin Zwick, a prep All-American. Zwick is now Smith's backup.
"Traditionally in this league, the best players go to Ohio State and Michigan," Mason said. "In every league, there's certain teams that have built-in advantages. It's just the way it is right now. It seems like all the stars line up for Ohio State and Michigan."

Big Ten champions since 1968



Tuesday, October 31, 2006

1968: Ohio State
1969: Michigan, Ohio State
1970: Ohio State
1971: Michigan
1972: Michigan, Ohio State
1973: Ohio State, Michigan
1974: Ohio State, Michigan
1975: Ohio State
1976: Michigan, Ohio State
1977: Michigan, Ohio State
1978: Michigan, Michigan State
1979: Ohio State
1980: Michigan
1981: Ohio State, Iowa
1982: Michigan
1983: Illinois
1984: Ohio State
1985: Iowa
1986: Michigan, Ohio State
1987: Michigan State
1988: Michigan
1989: Michigan
1990: Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois
1991: Michigan
1992: Michigan
1993: Ohio State, Wisconsin
1994: Penn State
1995: Northwestern
1996: Ohio State, Northwestern
1997: Michigan
1998: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan
1999: Wisconsin
2000: Purdue, Michigan, Northwestern
2001: Illinois
2002: Ohio State, Iowa
2003: Michigan
2004: Michigan, Iowa
2005: Penn State, Ohio State
Championships in the 38 years since '68: Michigan 21, Ohio State 18, Iowa 4, Michigan State 3, Illinois 3, Wisconsin 3, Northwestern 3, Penn State 2, Purdue 1
 
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CPD

COUNTDOWN TO OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN: 18 DAYS

Give us a break: Wolverines have tired excuse

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 Jodie Valade

Plain Dealer Reporter

Ann Arbor, Mich.- Up in the land north of Ohio State Territory, they are tired. The Michigan football team has played nine straight football games, has had no breaks and has no bye week looming in the future.
The Wolverines are banged and bruised. Their offense sputtered in frigid conditions against lowly Northwestern last week. Worst of all, they are still almost three weeks away from the only game left on the schedule that anyone cares about (Ohio State, for anyone not paying attention).
At Michigan, they are searching for a kick-start to a stalled offense, for a way to rejuvenate weary bones, and a motivation that will last them until Nov. 18 when the Wolverines travel to Ohio Stadium and a probable No. 1-No. 2 matchup that is drawing national title attention.
"We know what the goal is at the end of the day," fullback Obi Oluigbo said Monday. "[But] we don't worry about the standings. We're not happy with being No. 2, but it doesn't really matter. Come Nov. 18, the winner of that game is going to the national championship."
There are, however, some things to work on before the Wolverines get there, and two games to fix it all. Namely, the issue is that they scored just 17 points against a Northwestern squad that has yielded an average of 26.3 points in nine games this season.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr hinted that explosive receiver Mario Manningham might return this week against Ball State, which could be a significant boost.
The Warren G. Harding High product has been out since Oct. 10 knee surgery for torn cartilage.
"We'll see," Carr said when asked if Manningham was ready to play in Michigan's final home game. "He ran very well [last week]. I expect him to practice some this week. We just have to see from there, but we're very encouraged."
Manningham would add big-play potential to an offense that has relied heavily on its running game since his departure. In six games before his injury, Manningham had nine touchdown receptions, and his 527 yards receiving still tops the team.
In his absence - and in wet and slippery conditions hosting Northwestern last weekend - the Wolverines have stuck to the ground. Junior running back Mike Hart is second in the Big Ten, averaging 125.2 yards per game, and Carr said a sore back that sidelined Hart for part of the game against the Wildcats won't hamper his top offensive threat this week.
"He's got a pretty tough back," Carr said.
He's also one more battered member of the Michigan squad that, for the first time this season, Carr said, seemed weary after the 17-3 victory over Northwestern.
"After the game, normally there's a great energy and great enthusiasm," Carr said. "It was, relatively speaking, very quiet. To me, that's a sign that they're tired. Anybody that's played nine straight games, I guarantee you they're beat up, they're tired.
"Now, what can you do to change that, and to help them get their legs back and help them to be as fresh as they can be for the stretch run? Those are things that we're trying to address."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4654
 
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LINK

Big Ten faceoff all the talk except for OSU, Michigan

By Rusty Miller

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? No team wants to be accused of looking past an opponent. Yet that doesn?t mean a lot of other people aren?t already talking about Michigan vs. Ohio State on Nov. 18.
?All you hear about is the big showdown,? Minnesota coach Glen Mason said Saturday after a 44-0 loss to No. 1-ranked Ohio State. ?A lot of people in the country think they are the best two teams in the country.?
The Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) have games remaining at Illinois on Saturday and at Northwestern the following week. Each of those opponents is 2-7.
The second-ranked Wolverines (9-0, 6-0) welcome non-conference Ball State (3-6) to the Big House this weekend, then play at Indiana (5-4).
Ohio State and Michigan rank 1-2 in almost every poll, including the Bowl Championship Series rankings. And they certainly have risen to the top of their own conference.
That brings back memories of the days of the ?Big Two and Little Eight? when Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler prowled the sidelines in the great Michigan-Ohio State games of the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s.
Mason believes history has been repeated in today?s Big Ten.
?You mean the Big Two and the Little Eight, or Little Nine, whatever you want to call it?? he said. ?For years there was that dominance, and it looks like that?s where we?re headed again this year in the Big Ten.?
Everybody victimized by both teams is lining up to offer a comparison.
Minnesota fought Michigan on somewhat even terms before falling 28-14 on Sept. 30 in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers weren?t ever in contention against the Buckeyes, who dominated on defense and also piled up 44 points for the second straight game.
?They both have two great backs, great offensive linemen and great wideouts who can beat you on the inside or outside,? Minnesota cornerback Dominic Jones said. ?They?re very similar. (Buckeye quarterback) Troy (Smith) might be a little more mobile and that provides another threat.?
Smith buffed up his Heisman numbers by running for one score and throwing for another, while Antonio Pittman ran for 116 yards and two scores.
?Putting points on the board is cool, but I guess the way you do it, how you do it, is the most important thing,? Smith said after completing 14 of 21 passes for 183 yards including a pinpoint 18-yard touchdown toss to Brian Robiskie. ?We?ve just got to keep rolling.?
Smith also rushed for 43 yards on six carries, including a 21-yard TD run that will make all the highlight shows.
?He?s gone next year, right?? Jones said hopefully.
Yep, he?s a fifth-year senior who already has his degree, but the bad news for opponents ? including Michigan ? is that the defense is still figuring things out.
No one mentioned the Wolverines in Ohio State?s postgame interviews.
And Michigan didn?t do any talking about the Buckeyes after it beat Northwestern 17-3.
That?s OK, both teams? fans and a lot of others are already jabbering about the showdown in Ohio Stadium.
?It looks like all the stars are aligning for Ohio State and Michigan right now,? Mason said.
He even said he was looking forward to a possible second meeting between the two old rivals. If they play a tight game in three weeks, there?s an outside chance they could come right back and meet again on Jan. 8 in the Bowl Championship Series final in Glendale, Ariz.
?Depending on how they play, there could be a rematch for the national championship,? Mason said, trying his best to hide a smile.
 
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Link

Wolverines

Carr used film as motivator

'Cinderella Man' energized U-M
October 31, 2006

  • What: No. 2 Michigan (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. Ball State (3-6, 3-3 Mid-American).

    When: Noon, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.

    TV: ESPNU.

    Tickets: A limited number remain. Call 866-296-6849 or click on mgoblue.com/tickets.

    Line: Michigan by 33 1/2 .

    Notebook: Michigan's Nov. 11 game at Indiana will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be televised on ESPN. ... Carr said Mike Hart broke the sideline marker when he fell on it during the Northwestern game, suffering an injured back. But Carr said he expects Hart's back to be fine. He did not give an update on the marker. ... When asked about a potential U-M/Ohio State rematch in the BCS national championship game, Carr did the expected tap dance. "That's not on my radar screen," he said. "Whatever it is, it is. They've got a system, called the BCS. I'm sure they can take care of all those questions."

    Mark Snyder
For the entire off-season, the Michigan football team heard that it was a disappointment after a 7-5 record in 2005.
Instead of ignoring it and burying the past, coach Lloyd Carr reached into his motivational bag of tricks and pulled out a movie.
He hoped the public chirping would work to build up his team, just as it had for another prominent sports figure decades earlier.
"We watched 'Cinderella Man' during two-a-days and the main fighter, everyone counted him out," fullback Obi Oluigbo said Monday, referring to the 2005 movie about boxer James J. Braddock's rise, fall and rise again to the heavyweight title. "He just came on strong at the end and kept winning."
Multiple Michigan players said the viewing during two-a-days was inspirational, forcing them to see how 2005's disappointment could translate into 2006's success.
The movie fit this Michigan team so well, it has become a regular theme, with clips from it slipped into the coaches' Friday pregame displays throughout the season.
While the overall story resonates with the players, one particular moment fits this Michigan team perfectly.
Defensive lineman Will Johnson said, "There's a scene where they're in the boxing match and the (opponent) is in the corner and he says, 'That's not the same man as last time.' It kind of reminds me of us and last year, because we're not the same team."
Braddock's real-life struggles were more pronounced -- he went from being a decent fighter to hitting bottom during the Depression and then using those desperate times as motivation to win the heavyweight title.
The Wolverines have reached 9-0 entering Saturday's game against Ball State by showing opponents just how different they are.
The teams who knocked them off last year (Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Minnesota) and who played them close (Michigan State, Penn State and Iowa) have seen a more physical group, one that has allowed only the Nittany Lions to finish within two touchdowns this year.
Last year's problems of finishing games with a wilting defense and lackluster running game are fuzzy memories now.
And, though Braddock's story was enhanced for cinema, the players could relate.
"I actually liked the movie before he even used it," Oluigbo said. "Now it may be getting a bit redundant, but it's a great story. We look up to it because that's the same thing we went through last year, and this year we're just trying to maintain the winning streak we have."
Motivational techniques are nothing new for Carr.
During the 1997 national championship season, he centered the theme around Jon Krakauer's book, "Into Thin Air," about the teamwork necessary for a group of mountain climbers scaling Mt. Everest and how important each player was to the larger cause.
All of his ploys have a shelf life, but every kick-start can help.
"From a coaching standpoint, you can motivate a guy occasionally for a short period of time," Carr said. "But real motivation comes from within a guy, within a person.
"What I try to do is recruit guys that are motivated, that want to be the best they can be, that want to win, want to do all the things for this program that the expectations are. So I think this team has been easy to be around because of the leadership we've had. They've been motivated since the first day we started."
 
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Link

Will U-M face Ohio State in title game? Not likely



Could it happen? Yes.
Is it probable? No.
But it's certainly fun to consider.
Ohio State and Michigan, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the national polls, will face each other in their regular-season finale Nov. 18 at Ohio Stadium. Assuming both teams remain unbeaten going into that game, the winner will head to the BCS national championship, while the loser will go to the Rose Bowl.
Unless a lot of things fall into place and somehow, some way, Ohio State and Michigan meet again in the national title game.
"It's unlikely," Jerry Palm, who created CollegeBCS.com and CollegeRPI.com, said in a phone interview. "It's about a 10 percent chance."
Still, it's being discussed on national television shows, on sports-talk radio programs and at the proverbial water cooler. About three weeks ago, Palm started fielding that question about Ohio State and Michigan potentially playing again.
"Now, I'm getting that question every day," Palm said.
For Ohio State and Michigan to play again, several things have to happen, Palm said, and one of them already did. Southern California had to lose, and the Trojans did last Saturday at Oregon State. Florida, the strongest one-loss team in the polls, has to lose again, and the Big East champion can't finish the season unbeaten.
Oh, and the Wolverines would have to barely lose in a competitive game against the Buckeyes.
"It's still kind of a long shot," Palm said. "Losing that late in the year is not conducive to getting into the national title game, but the voters would be more generous to Michigan losing to a higher-ranked team on the road.
"The way it works, the loser of the game doesn't fall too far in the polls, and they get help in the last two weeks from a two-loss SEC champion, or Texas gets beat and there not be an undefeated Big East champion. It helped that Southern Cal got beat early, because it keeps Notre Dame from getting a big jump (in the polls) from beating USC."
Palm said the Big Ten is the one league that could produce a national-title game matchup, because it's the only league that doesn't play a full round-robin or a championship game. That means two unbeaten Big Ten teams could reach the BCS national title game.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is unimpressed by and, seemingly, uninterested in this possibility.
"I can tell you what I think about hypothetical questions," Carr said Monday. "That's for all of you (in the media). I don't have anything to add to that discussion. That's not on my radar screen. Whatever it is, it is. They've got a system called the BCS. I'm sure they can take care of all those questions."
 
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OSUBasketballJunkie;648339; said:

I for one think this whole "Wouldn't a rematch for the title be so cool" nonsense is just that. Ridiculous nonsense. I hate thinking of the fact that there is a remote chance it could happen. The Game is just that - Game. Singular. Not Games. You get one chance. You have to deal with the sting of defeat or the elation of victory for an entire year. The tradition of the rivalry and its impact on the conference and college football as a whole would be marred by a rematch. If you win one game and lose the title, the whining and/or chest thumping would never cease. If you win both games including the title, you question why the game had to be played anyway - so and so was clearly the better team to begin with.

And lets not even talk about how the already shaky reputation of the BCS would be further marred by having two teams from the same conference, who played the same game a month prior, only to do it again on a bigger stage because of what some computer thought was most appropriate.

If we beat Michigan and all that other random shit occurs to make a rematch possible, I hope the voters do the right thing and put someone else at #2. Besides, do you really want Michigan fans in your hotel at Glendale bitching about how they should have beat us the first time around?
 
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Noticed that Hart went out of the NW game with a tweaked back.
scUM fans hate Grady. Say he would make a good LBer! :lol:
They replaced Grady with a true freshman, Brandon Minor, who subsequently fumbled and was removed for Jackson? 4th stringer.
Hart is being run in the ground. He's hurting.
They have no TE threat.
MM is coming off a scoped knee.
They're other WRs are just mediocre.
They could only score 17 on freakin' Northwestern!
"Yea, but it was windy!" :lol:

Their defense continues to win games for them and is terrific.
But, does give up yards in pass defense and doesn't cause a lot of turn overs.
 
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with all the clamor nationally about a possible title game rematch, i really don't think we need to worry about it... somehow, i think the Buckeyes' motto of 'Let there be no doubt' this year will have somewthing to do with it...
 
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I haven't seen SCUM play a lot this year, but they look very similar to us in 2002. I can not wait for 11/18 to get here....Man oh Man oh Man.

Them giving up a lot of passing yards is a direct reflection of them shutting down the run and making teams pass, whic is not a bad thing at all.
 
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