Team 133 And Senior Day

This Saturday will be my last game in the Big House as a student.  It's shocking to write and even more shocking to think about.  After four years of making the trek to the Big House, my journey as a student will end with a game against Iowa.  It's been an interesting 4 years to say the least.  When I arrived on campus, Michigan was trying to recover from a 3-9 season and accusations of NCAA violations.  I can clearly remember being heckled by many people in the weeks prior to my freshman year about these facts.

Things of course got better.  Michigan limped to a 5-7 record in my freshman year, but they improved to 7-6 in 2010, won the Sugar Bowl in 2011, and still have the slight potential for a Big Ten Championship game this year.  To say I've grown with the football program would be cliche  but to an extent, it's probably true.  With Senior Day this Saturday, one can't help but looking back at how this team has went from offseason disaster to legitimate conference and national contender.

What's been even better have been the incredible moments that have came along the way.  My first game in the Big House was the Western Michigan game in 2009 when everybody got to see the first game of the high profile Tate Forcier and the incredible first play of Denard Robinson.  The next week we got to see an exciting upset of Notre Dame.  Sure, there were some depressing times later in the year, but I had the pleasure to come back for the re-dedication of the Big House for the opening game of 2010 along with the record-breaking performances of Denard in 2010.  Add in the 2010 Illinois game and there was more than enough excitement from most fans.

The Spread Offense Doesn't Work

I mainly cover basketball on Hoke's Mad Magicians, but once in awhile I like to comment on a football related topic.  Earlier this year, I wrote an article called "When Will Michigan Be Michigan Again".  In the piece, I attacked the argument that Michigan isn't as good as Michigan used to be under coaches like Lloyd Carr and the notion that fans should want to go back to the old ways of Michigan football.  Today, I'm looking at another argument frequently made by Michigan fans and others on an almost routine basis.

Before I actually discuss the topic, I want to go through a few reasons why I actually decided to take the time to address it.  I have been in numerous conversations over the past few years that ended in someone telling me about the spread offense and its failures.  Whether it was the classic argument, "the spread doesn't work in the Big Ten", the "spread quarterbacks can't throw" argument, or the "spread offenses don't work against good defenses" argument, it always seemed to revolve around the failures of spread offenses and about how teams that use them will never succeed.

I would hope that most readers would realize the massive logical flaws in these arguments, but there is a strong faction that believes in these theories.  However, I'm not talking about just fans.  We all know there are some lunatic fans and predictions out there, but I'm talking about people who get national coverage.  I actually exchanged a few tweets last weekend with a nationally televised sports personality who told me that the spread offense doesn't work against athletic defenses.  This argument is out there and I really feel the need to address some of its points.

Week 4 Game Notes With Reactions To Rich Rod's Michigan Comments

1. To state that Michigan needs this win over Notre Dame is an understatement, and for multiple reasons. First, Michigan needs to win to put themselves back into the top 15. Currently, there are no Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15 for the first time in 11 years, and OSU along with MSU were the last teams holding onto the distinction. Secondly, and most importantly, it would put Michigan in good position for a BCS bowl. They are obviously out of the national title picture, but the Rose Bowl/Big Ten Championship or another BCS bowl is still within their grasp. By beating Notre Dame, that'll strengthen their quality of opponent factor and push them back into the top 15, and maybe even the 11 or 12 spot. Can they move back into the top 10? Probably not after this week, but give it time and win out from here.

2. We all know by now about Shane Morris and his case of mononucleosis. One thing that wasn't touched on was the fact that if he is out for the whole season, then more than likely he will lose that coveted 5* ranking. When that happens, and it's happened before, then Michigan's recruiting rankings will go down in points as well. Even with the possibility of getting Laquon Treadwell  in Ann Arbor, I don't think Michigan will overtake USC now in terms of the number 1 spot in overall points. In the end, it's all semantics anyway.

Michigan & Big Ten Rankings Review--Week 2--Always About The "W"

The new rankings are out, and there has been quite an upheaval after week 2. Arkansas plummeted out of the Top 25 completely after losing their starting quarterback, and then losing to Louisiana-Monroe. History says it's the second biggest drop next to Appalachian State beating Michigan. Wisconsin is out after losing a tough battle against Oregon St, which then prompted them to fire their offensive coordinator after only 2 games, and Montee Ball probably lost hope of being a Heisman finalist. Nebraska is out after a scorefest with UCLA. And painfully, Oklahoma St is out after losing badly to a RichRod coached Arizona, which after losing Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, is understandable. So here's more tidbits on the new rankings:

AP Top 25
1) Alabama--The "33rd NFL team" holds onto this distinction for the 2nd straight week, and will be there for more 
2) USC--Even with Barkley throwing for 6 TDs, the defense still allowed 21 points from Syracuse. There are some major concerns for the former "best" team in America
3) LSU--Les Miles and Co. should have taken the 2nd spot after dismantling Washington 41-3
4) Oregon--The way Oregon runs the ball is sickeningly good. Won't be surprised if a Heisman finalist appears from this team. 
5) Oklahoma

Hoke's Recruiting Impact...On MSU?

A lot has been made of the turnaround by Brady Hoke.  Michigan's 11-2 season, its Sugar Bowl victory, finally beating Ohio State.  The list seems like it go on for days.  One specific area that has received a lot of coverage is on the recruiting trail, where Hoke saved a class in 2011, built a very good class in 2012, and could potentially have the best class in the country in 2013.  This massive improvement has changed numerous things, but one thing that has largely been effected is the recruiting battle between Michigan and Michigan State.

Typically, I don't like to post too extensively on other teams, even if they are one of Michigan's rivals, but this has been a topic that has intrigued me, starting with the rumors of Rich Rod's recruiting strategy.  I had always thought Rich Rod did a pretty good job recruiting for Michigan, but there seemed to be a large faction that felt he "ignored" the state of Michigan.  In a post earlier this summer, I wasn't able to prove Rich Rod "ignored" the state of Michigan, but I was able to show that MSU drastically increased their success recruiting the state and probably had better hauls in the state than Michigan during Rich Rod's tenure.

Michigan's Most Important Game In 2012

Before writing this article, I took a long look over the schedule and thought about the impact each game could have on both this season and the future.  I say this because there are some pretty big differences between a game’s impact on this season and its impact on the future.  A win that may seem huge at the time may turn out to be much smaller than originally thought and the reverse scenario can be true as well.  To explain what I mean, I will go through a couple examples.

Flash back to 2009.  Two key games of the season were Notre Dame and Illinois.  When Michigan played Notre Dame and upset the Irish, Notre Dame was ranked and the win appeared to be the one that would put Rich Rodriguez’s Michigan on the map.  Without a doubt, Michigan was one of the stories of the nation after the win and actually ended up ranked.  However, the 2009 win over Notre Dame looked pretty unimpressive when Notre Dame flopped the rest of the year and Michigan ended up going 5-7 overall and failed to make a bowl game for the second straight season.  The win was huge for the season and the team, but had little, if any, impact on Michigan’s long-term program.

The Big 10 - Pac 12 Failure

The other day it was announced that the Big Ten/Pac-12 pact was dissolved. After the agreement was reached, Michigan scheduled a home-and-home contest with Utah. Now, Michigan is still holding up to their side of the bargain, and MSU will still play Oregon, but the annual 12 games a season between the two is off. So let's examine some particulars:


1. Sources say 4 teams from the Pac-12 were unwilling to agree to the scheduling. I don't know which 4 teams they were, but from what I've heard, Lane Kiffin and USC were major proponents against it. USC has become the perennial powerhouse of the conference since Pete Carroll took over in the early 2000s. And if Kiffin and USC balk at it, others would have certainly joined in. I know it hasn't been said, but I also wouldn't be surprised if Arizona and RichRod were part of this as well. Rich couldn't beat Big Ten teams when he coached inside the conference and he probably knows he would have a lesser chance now. Not to mention being mocked every time he played against the Big Ten.

Does Winning Your State's Recruiting Really Matter?

Tyler is off this week so I'll be picking up the slack on the recruiting front for now.  I wanted to do something interesting and something that really shows the importance of recruiting on the football field.  I've already seen some posts analyzing Michigan vs Ohio State in terms of recruiting, so I wanted to take a look at how Michigan and MSU have compared.  Along with this, how has their recruiting timed up with performance on the field.

MSU has won the last four games against Michigan and next year is a big game, but how much of that can be linked to recruiting?  Since there are thousands of recruits in the country, I thought the best way to look at this is through a comparison of recruiting performance within the borders of Michigan.  A lot has been made of Lloyd Carr's "empty" closet and Rich Rodriguez's "failure" to recruit locally.  First, did these things actually exist and did they impact Michigan's in-state recruiting?  If they did, there's no doubt that it probably helped Mark Dantonio and MSU in their four game win streak.

Recent Struggles With the Spartans

Is anybody else getting sick and tired of losing to Michigan State? It has now been 4 years since the Wolverines got a win against the Spartans, and, especially after stopping a skid against Ohio State, this is a wound that just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Besides winning the Big Ten, beating Michigan State is the only major accomplishment not under the belt of Brady Hoke. He knocked off Notre Dame, ended a 7-year slump against "Ohio", completely turned around the Michigan defense, and won a BCS bowl. Remember, that was all in his first year. A Big Ten Championship is not looking likely unless Michigan can finally beat their "little brother": the Spartans.

Make Chris Mays a Victor

Chris Mays has one goal for his foreseeable future: play football for the University of Michigan. A sophomore who has always had a deep passion for football, Mays has a truly inspiring story that is still writing itself to this day.


Chris has always loved Michigan football. He remembers being in school in 1997 with maize and blue banners and shirts flying in the halls because of Michigan's perfect season. That's when it really hit him that he wanted to play in that winged helmet. Unfortunately, critics took their tole. Mays never really expressed this dream to anyone in fear of what others would say. After all, he was not as strong as other football players, not as quick as other football players, and not as tall as other football players. But during his sophomore year of high school, he decided that wouldn't be in the way anymore, and he went out for his high school football team as a safety. That is what started this epic journey for one student who is following his dreams.


Mays was first going to attempt to tryout for the team in the final days of Rich Rodriguez. As he tells me, though, they were really only looking for kickers, so it wasn't exactly his fit or best shot to make the team. His real first chance came January 31, 2012. But the try-out did not end well for Mays.

"I felt like I did really well and made some improvement, but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough."

That would have probably sent most packing in the other direction, either thinking they gave it their all and were happy at that, or that they had been cheated. Chris Mays felt neither of those. He wants to play football for the University of Michigan and won't stop until he wass wearing that winged helmet.


 Taking his goals him to his friends, teammates, and coaches in high school was one step, but he has since taken his story to Twitter and Facebook.

"I was really shocked at how many people picked up on the story. My twitter account literally went from having under 300 followers to having 2000. The tweets of encouragement that I get from friends and complete strangers is outstanding! I don't go a day without reading some encouraging tweets and replying back. That's what keeps me going. People sharing stories saying that I am an inspiration and I didn't even know it. I still don't feel it, it's incredible. I've never gotten this much encouragement from family, friends, peers and strangers like this ever!"

Currently, Mays is looking for a second opportunity to tryout. He's been contacting different coaches and players to see what kind of strings can be pulled, and you can't help but wish for the best with this kid. He has such a deep passion for Michigan; he is a Michigan Man.


You can help support Chris Mays and his dream to play in the Big House by using the hashtag on Twitter: make Chris Mays a Victor (#VictorsProject) or following him on Twitter: @imchrismays. Words of encouragement on either Twitter of Facebook is always greatly appreciated by the aspiring athlete, so be sure to help a true Wolverine!

Tate Forcier Becomes A Tiger-Cat

Who knew that I might have a chance to write about Tate Forcier? I mean, really? Wasn't he the kid who wasn't content with being Denard's backup?

In 2009, Tate became the third true freshman to start at quarterback for Michigan. Given the state of the roster back then, in Rich Rod's second season as head coach, and having to live with Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan the previous season; there wasn't much of a choice for the coaching staff and team. Tate started out his career going 4-0, but finished the season with a 5-7 record largely involving shoulder injuries and concussions. Also, remember Tate is the guy who played second string in the 2010 spring game, and sulked after the home opener to Connecticut in the fall.

So why am I writing about him now? Yesterday, it was announced that he was drafted the the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Now, as much as I know about football, college or pro, that's how little I know of the CFL. Henry Burris is currently the starter in Hamilton (Burris used to play in the NFL, for the Packers and Bears before being transferred to NFL Europe before that league dissipated).

After Tate left Michigan, there were widespread rumors as to where he might go. Miami was a primary choice, but others pointed to Hawaii, San Diego State, and Washington as viable options.  However, due to academic concerns, he never got the chance to transfer to any of these schools.  He ended up at San Jose State, but after more troubles, he was forced to leave college football.

So again, Tate is now in the CFL. Not exactly the ideal career path for a a high-profile college athlete. History is littered with the names of great college stars, men and women alike, whose careers took a fast downhill slide. Remember Jeff Smoker? Every State fan thought he was the greatest thing they've ever seen since sliced bread, yet he never won them a title. Along comes Cousins and boom, that's their new greatest of all time (short list, I know). Plenty of athletes have been forced to go down this road, not because of their choices (well, sort of, I guess), but primarily because they don't have any other choice.  That's what happened with once bright star Forcier.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Tate when he played for us. I didn't think he'd be in our history books as a legend, but I was happy at the beginning. Yet when it came time that he was benched, he was a bad sportsman, and that will be forever etched into my memory. Hopefully, Tate has conquered his demons and will be able to be productive in the CFL, but this is certainly a tale that should be used to warn kids entering college.  Make the right choices and this won't happen.  Forcier is a classic cause of wasted potential, but hopefully he'll be able to turn his path around in the CFL.

Hot Topics: Should Michigan Schedule Revenge Games?

Photo Credit: AnnArbor.com

Each week, our writers break down a "Hot Topic" among the Michigan fans and allow them to express their opinions. Topics cover everything from rivalry games to team and fan apparel. Writers have their own opinion and readers are welcome to comment or contact them via Twitter with their thoughts.

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Tyler Desy - Representing Those Against Michigan Scheduling Revenge Games

1) I am a die hard Michigan fan. I remember horrible losses, I was there for the App. State game and you could hear a pin drop in the Big House, it was horrible.  Scheduling a team like them, or UMASS and crushing them would be wonderful, but Michigan is about a tough non-conference schedule. Sure it'd be nice to beat them, but how about this showdown with Alabama on September 1st. It's games like this that pump me up. We need a tough non-conference schedule because lets face it, outside of a few teams like Ohio, Wisconsin, and Sparty, the conference top to bottom is pretty weak. If we were to run the table we need some key non-conference wins to support that strength in the BCS.  The Notre Dame is exciting, but the fact is that they aren't that good anymore. UMASS and App. State are weak teams and they will do nothing towards solidifying our non-conference schedule and helping out with our rankings at the end of the year. The SEC as a conference is loaded, so teams like Alabama can schedule soft non-conference games because the schedule is brutal regardless.

2) A game against a Rich Rod coached team in Arizona to me, would be great. They are PAC-12, which is a power conference, and to smash him would bring some gratitude to all the Michigan fans for the horrible 3 years under his regime.  I firmly believe that the first game, and maybe even the second game of the season, should be against soft teams, but after that you gotta get into it. Michigan needs tough non-conference opponents (i.e. Alabama) because playing teams like them will more than enough get you ready for the season. Even if we were to lose against them, it's not going to hurt us that much in the rankings after all its Alabama. But a loss to a 1-AA opponent or a MAC school is just devastating to a team.  It drops us severely in the rankings and really just makes us look like clowns for losing to a school that shouldn't even hold Michigan's jock. Sure, I love a gold old fashion blow out but let's face it at the end of the day it does nothing. What can you really get out of a game against an opponent that's nowhere near your class. Revenge would be sweet but Michigan would be better off in tougher opponents, put those losses behind us because all it will do is bring up negative attention from the media about playing teams like App. State and UMASS.

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Thomas Beindit - Representing Those For Michigan Scheduling Revenge Games

1)  Every fan remembers a horrible loss.  A good or great win will last for a while, but a horrible loss will sting with a fan forever.  I can remember some of the worst losses I've personally experienced in Michigan Stadium.  The 2009 blowout loss to Ohio State, where almost half the stadium was filled with Buckeye fans.  The 2010 slaughter from Wisconsin, in which they ran the same play over and over again and ended up scoring 48 points against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.  Certainly, Michigan has endured worse losses than these two, The Horror comes to mind, and there will never be any chance of making up for these games.  However, I can tell you that coming back a year or two after and defeating that same time convincingly certainly eases the pain somewhat.  Scheduling a team like Appalachian State or UMass and dominating them wouldn't make up for Michigan's poor performances against them in the past, but it allows the teams and fans to turn a new page.  Some losses will hang over the Michigan program forever, but at least stomping the team will help reduce that legacy somewhat.  Look at the battle for the Brown Jug with Minnesota.  Once in a while Minnesota will win and it's a big deal, but Michigan consistently crushes them, so most fans forget the legacy of those losses.

2)  Let's be honest, most non-conference games are a snooze for the fans.  Getting excited to face teams like Ohio State is one thing, but getting excited for teams like Western Michigan and Bowling Green isn't quite as easy.  I fully admit, I get excited for any football, but I'm not everyone.  It's important that Michigan is able to schedule big-time home games on a consistent basis for the fans.  Look at next season, Michigan will have six home games.  Granted, it's not often that Michigan has only six home games, but it does happen in rare occasions like next season.  Scheduling games against teams like UMass is one of the few ways to make sure those six games are worth it for fans.  Obviously, it's not going to be the biggest game on the schedule, but adding in the revenge factor makes the game a lot more interesting than if it was against a team like Western Michigan.  For example, look at the San Diego State game.  If Brady Hoke hadn't coached there in the past, most wouldn't have cared about the team at all.  Imagine scheduling a game against Arizona and Rich Rodriguez?  Imagine the story lines, it would be very exciting for everyone involved.  Yes, scheduling these types of games brings up a lot of pain from the past, but the reward is completely worth the cost.

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Final Points

Tyler - Risk and reward? Tons of risk playing a 1-AA school. Michigan ranked #5 in the country and then to lose to App. State like that, boom, completely destroys the season right out of the gate. While the reward  for winning that game...well there's not much. Sure its a win but what does that do for the ranks, hell it could even drop us a spot or two and it certainly does nothing for strength of schedule. The preseason ranks are out and while its way early, Michigan is #10. Imagine what beating Alabama could do. Big time jump in the ranks, an insane amount of confidence for the team and the fanbase.  Yes, a loss would hurt, but it wouldn't kill us, and it certainly wouldn't hurt us that much in the rank department.  Michigan by far has the toughest schedule in the Big Ten and I am all for that. At the end of the year, when it's BCS time, I don't want people saying we had a cake schedule and shouldn't be there. I want those so called "professionals" to say you know what, Michigan played the best, beat the best, and they deserve to be right here in the BCS conversation and should be playing for a National title. Look at last year, 2 teams from the same conference playing for the title but at the end of the day they had the toughest roads to get there. I'm tired of the scrutiny for our weak non-conference scheduling and I for one am all for this change and playing the big dogs right out of the gate. I am so pumped for this season and for this Alabama showdown. Go Blue!

Thomas - As much as I love great non-conference games (i.e. Alabama game), at some point we have to step back and be real.  Nobody in a real conference schedules every non-conference game against a legitimate opponent, nobody.  Look at the Big Ten Champions, Pac 12 Champions, Big 12 Champions, and National Champions.  None of these teams had more than one game against a legitimate opponent.  In fact, of these four championship teams, they only played two ranked teams in their combined non-conference schedules.  Michigan already has Notre Dame on a yearly basis.  Sure, they haven't been that great lately, but they are fairly legitimate opponent overall and usually help Michigan's strength of scheduling.  Not only do teams not schedule tough non-conference schedules, but it makes no sense to do so under the current system.  There is no benefit to scheduling teams like Alabama or LSU during non-conference play.  Why?  Because you can schedule a nobody and boost yourself up in the rankings.  Whether fans like this or not, it's the reality and with this reality, scheduling revenge games makes perfect sense.  Michigan is going to have at least a few bad teams on a schedule in a given year and this at least would add some excitement to these games.  As I mentioned earlier, a game against Arizona would be a great game for Michigan to schedule.  However, they're not better than a team like Oregon State or Kansas.  However, it would be an exciting game just because of that revenge factor.  Due to the reality of college football, these are a great options for teams looking to make their non-conference games exciting for fans.

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All writers are entitled to their own opinion and those may or may not represent the held beliefs of Hoke's Mad Magicians as an entity. Readers are welcome to comment below or contact the writers via Twitter with their thoughts