Yardbarker: Michigan Wolverines

2009 College Football Recruits with dreads

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:42:56 -0500

Just like are series of Freshman and Sophomores in College Football, here is our post to the recruits. Jacobbi McDaniel DT Florida State Marlon Brown WR Undecided Trent Richardson RB Alabama Jaamal Berry RB Undecided Ray Ray Armstrong ATH Undecided Ryne Giddins DE Undecided Jarvis Giles RB Tennessee Bradley Battles ATH South Florida Luther Robinson DT Miami Jeremy Gallon ATH Michigan Dyron Dye DE Undecided James Green WR South Florida Trabis Ward RB Undecided C.J. Mizell LB Florida State Denard Robinson ATH Undecided Ben Axon RB Clemson Lamar Scruggs WR Undecided Duron Carter WR Ohio State

More lines released for PSU/Big Ten

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:50:54 -0500

In addition to the three lines released earlier this week--Oregon St. (-2.72), Syracuse (-25.74), and Temple (-15.04)--CollegeFootballPoll.com posted today the remaining lines for Penn State and the Big Ten. It really shouldn't be much of a surprise to fans that CFP is predicting Penn State to finish at 10-2. However, with Wisconsin slated to finish second--Ohio State is first--this would relegate the Lions to the Capital One Bowl. Basically, this entire season could come down to the October matchup with the Badgers, in Madison. Talk about must-see TV.

Links for 2008-07-22 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:47:15 -0500

White Sox's flux benefits Richard
former M QB/pitcher gets first MLB start
Where You At?: Kelly Baraka Edition
CIFL
eBay Watch: 1896 Lehigh Program
old, old, *old* school
2008 BSD Big Ten Previews - Michigan Wolverines
Inviting a jinx, they are: "@ Penn State: Probable Loss."
R.I. police say man had 0.491 blood alcohol level
This better not be Kevin Grady: "State police say they arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level was 0.491 percent — the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead."
Class of 2009: New Michigan Verbal DeQuinta Jones
Jim Stefani pulls the information he's got on Jones out of his database

Beaver Stadium getting some new threads

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:31:50 -0500

ANC Sports will be installing two very large LED screens in Beaver Stadium prior to Penn State's Aug. 30 kickoff with Coastal Carolina.

And when, exactly, did the Big Ten ask for your advice?

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:48:30 -0500

Sean Jackson, one of these CFN bloggers, had a coherent (that was about it) write up on how the Big Ten can be better in 2008. Now, I won't get into the fact that he's just one of the many talking about the Big Ten as if it's the MAC or even the Big East circa 2004. Jackson just made some fundamental mistakes in his assessment of the conference going into 2008, mistakes which should have been, at the very least, addressed by CFN before publishing the article.

Fans say PSU going January bowling

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:04:00 -0500

Expectations are soaring for this year's Penn State football team. With more than 100 votes in, Zombie Nation readers pegged Penn State to be 8-1 by the end of October. That one loss is most likely to Ohio State in Columbus, but a majority (66%) of voters pegged the Lions with that one loss (39%), or undefeated (27%). The less optimistic fans still greatly favored a 7-2 (24%) record over 6-3 (9%). With an easier November schedule, this could be the makings of a BCS at-large bid. Be sure to vote in Zombie Nation's next poll, "PSU's Regular Season Record," coming this afternoon!

The List: Top 10 Helmets

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:14:29 -0500

When it comes to college football, we really are just rooting for laundry. Players come and go (unless they're like Riley Skinner, who's seemingly been at Wake Forest since the dawn of time) but it's the uniforms that make college football. In that spirit, The Señior is putting the players to the wayside and ranking the game's top 10 helmets. Without further ado ...

First Look: Michigan Wolverines

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:46:53 -0500

You won't find a more intriguing story line for 2008 outside of Michigan. Last season was considered by many to be a complete disaster, but lost in the mix were some very impressive highlights. The program is going into overhaul mode, with new uniforms, a new stadium, and most noticeably, a brand-spanking-new head coach in Rich Rodriguez. The offense will look vastly different than anything run in Michigan Stadium in the last, well, ever. The fans are preparing themselves for a worst-case scenario in 2008, but they shouldn't worry too much. After all, this is Michigan, and even with all the problems, there are enough players to make this season at least palatable, if not surprising. I hate when people say "I can see this team going anywhere from [insert really bad record here] to [insert really good record here]," but in 2008, Michigan can only be labeled as completely unpredictable.

Michigan Fan Is Hot For Jim Tressel

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:07:04 -0500

Maybe it's the sweater vests that get it done for Michigan fan John McKay. He likes to stalk Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel wherever he goes under the guise of hating Ohio State. ''I have a history of denigrating Coach Tressel,'' McKay said. ''He cheats everywhere he goes, and he's holier than thou. And he's yet to beat an SEC team. I'm not impressed.'' There's no word on whether Tressel is considering a restraining order or showing McKay his version of the Dirty Horseshoe. For the record, McKay was born and raised in Georgia and went to Georgia for college.

Coaching Approval Ratings: Rich Rodriguez

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:37:43 -0500

Do you approve or disapprove of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez? Maybe I can help your decision.

Florida Football: Is Meyer an Urban Legend or Urban Liar?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:09:09 -0500

Whether you believe he's a legend in the making or a liar, Urban Meyer stokes passions on all sides. Legend advocates will cite his second-year National Championship and a sophomore Heisman Trophy winner. Liar advocates are lining up against Meyer as stories continue to build, just as bridges linking Meyer to other coaches continue to burn. Consider these recent stories from other sites and sources on Meyer's recruiting tactics. It's unlikely the following schools have Meyer on their Christmas card list. LSU: Florida was ready to take all-star corner Patrick Johnson with what they thought was a bogus test score, but he committed to LSU. How did Florida respond? "Florida flagged my scores," Johnson said. "They called the compliance office." "I'm not upset," Johnson said. "Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year (on Oct. 11 at Florida)." FSU (posted on noledigest.com): "While Gator fans will sit and give excuses or spin the details of what is going on, there is no denying that it seems like the UF staff flat-out lies to these kids. "Here is a quote from Trent Pupello (a player they initially compared to Jeremy Shockey), who is looking to leave the program this year: 'Coach (Steve) Addazio (UF tight ends coach) told me to work on my speed,' Pupello said. 'He didn't say that my speed was slow or anything. He just said that everything (at this level) is faster. "'I need to work on speed and getting stronger, which is pretty much what we all need to work on. He said that they need me at tight end, that I'll have an early chance to play and that all of the tight ends will play on the special teams.'" Michigan site (on the recruitment of Daryl Stonum): The University of Florida stayed on the four star pass-catcher well all the way through. Things crescendoed recently after a conversation with Urban Meyer. According to Stonum, Meyer had a compelling reason why he should become a Gator. "He told me that he talked to Coach Carr and Coach Soup and that they told him that I would be a much better fit in the Florida offense than I would be in the one at Michigan," Stonum recalled. "I thought, wow, my coaches are selling me out? I confronted them about it. I asked Coach Carr and Coach Soup about it, and they said they never talked to that guy and that there was no way they ever said anything like that and that they think I should be a Wolverine. I believed them. Right then, I knew just how Florida rolled." Just Funny: You can't tell the story about Jevan Snead enough (recounted in the book Meat Market). The funniest thing I read in it concerned what Urban Meyer told Jevan Snead. Snead had watched the Outside the Lines special on Tebow, which showed Meyer and OC Dan Mullen in the stands. Problem was, Meyer had told Snead, committed at the time, that he was the only quarterback they were going after. When Snead asked Meyer about it, Meyer responded, "We are recruiting him for linebacker." I had heard that before, but got a big kick out of reading it in the book straight from Snead. More LSU from Fox 26 in Houston: "Hempstead's Terrance Toliver, one of the nation's top high school football recruits, says negative recruiting tactics by the University of Florida first had him confused and bewildered. But in an unusual move, two Hempstead High School employees went above and beyond the call of duty to help Toliver make the biggest decision of his life. "After a vigorous early recruiting rush, it came down to LSU and Florida for Toliver, considered by many the No. 1 high school recruit in Texas and the best wide receiver in the nation. He ended up signing a letter-of-intent with LSU on National Signing Day Wednesday, but not before Florida coaches took several shots at LSU, leaving Toliver unsure what to do next. "'Every time (Florida recruiters) came, they just said LSU doesn't qualify their players,' Toliver told FOX 26's Mark Berman Wednesday. 'About (how) their academics are not all that. It kind of had me confused.'" "Eventually a bewildered Toliver asked his football coach Rick Sargent and Hempstead instructional coordinator Tina Johnson to go to Baton Rouge to find out the truth about LSU. The two went last weekend. 'They went and checked (LSU's) academics out and their facilities,' Toliver said. 'They just came back and told me whatever Florida was saying about the academics wasn't true.'" Notre Dame Blog: When Meyer recruited Justin Trattou he did so by the cover of night. Not that it's illegal, but he told Trattou not to tell anyone he was talking with Florida. Keep in mind that Trattou was committed to Notre Dame at the time. Amongst other things, Coach Meyer talked to Trattou about how the 3-4 defense was not a good fit for him and his football future (read: NFL, which is garbage—the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers all use the 3-4). Former Gators assistant coach Greg Mattison's favorite topics about Notre Dame (with several recruits), despite his previous love for the school, included how the weather sucked and the social life suffered. Case in point No. 2: Omar Hunter, same deal as before. Omar was snookered into lying to everyone from Notre Dame coaches and players to likely even his parents, especially his father, who wanted him at Notre Dame due to the academics. Hunter said that he was not talking to other schools, when in fact he was—Florida included—while being a Notre Dame commitment. In the end, Hunter was a fraud himself, but he was not the one who was truly taken for a ride. Coach Mattison recruited Hunter. He had an ax to grind with Notre Dame after leaving South Bend on not so good terms, and he definitely took it to another level with Hunter. Mattison, you see, had an assistant coaching job lined up with the Baltimore Ravens long before this past National Signing Day came around. So when Hunter switched his commitment to UF after initially deciding to attend Notre Dame, Mattison and Meyer did what came naturally. They lied to Hunter about the entire situation, telling Hunter that Mattison was not leaving Gainesville. Just by complete and total coincidence, Mattison ended up taking a job with the Ravens right after National Signing Day. Shocking! And oh yes, Notre Dame assistant coach Bill Lewis, who recently retired as a football coach, told Hunter what was about to happen. Hunter did not listen and signed with the Gators. Urban continues to build the best talent base not located in Southern California. Success certainly breeds enemies, but so does recruiting. Urban Legend or Urban Liar?

Big Ten Football Jukebox '08

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:02:19 -0500

Inspired from the clever concept brought to life by The College Football Guys, DTI brings you a fun and somewhat different outlook of each Big Ten team's 2008 football season, using some of the music world's top-hits to build the storyline from Columbus to Madison, Ann Arbor, State College and beyond. Feel free to critique and analyze each of the selections as all 11 squads have dozens of stories and headlines which could very well factor into the 08? campaign. Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All-time list is a good place to start…

IBB Weekly Motivator: Week 16

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:49:18 -0500

Look at these dorks of College Football! Pretty scary if you ask me.

First Look: Wisconsin Badgers

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:04:20 -0500

If you want to find a grossly under-appreciated football team, look no further than Madison, Wisconsin. Since 2004, the Badgers have gone 40-11 and played in FOUR straight New Years Day bowls against SEC opponents (UW went 2-2). What more does this program have to do to prove its national worth? Because of some really dumb BCS rules, Wisconsin was left out of the at-large picture in 2006, even with its 11-1 record and an upset of Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl. Under Coach Bret Bielema, Wisconsin is looking more like the Badgers of the '90s. Hopefully for them, those '90s Rose Bowl wins will come again soon, too.

Big Ten Fantasy Preview

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:53:03 -0500

There is no shortage of fantasy options in the Big Ten. That includes defenses. The Buckeyes will certainly be tested, though, with heavy fire power at schools like Purdue, Northwestern and even Minnesota. How about The Nation's Top Back? However, the most intriguing school might wear Maize and Blue.