Michigan’s football team will have some new threads this fall (and for many years to come). The new uniforms are courtesy of adidas. Michigan has been in a relationship with Nike for many years, so this is a huge change for the university the traditionally has been a leader in merchandise sales.

Some cool points about the jerseys. They have Bo Schembechler’s historic quote, “Those who stay will be champions” embroidered into the hem of the shirt. There are also silicon inserts in the sleeves commemorating all of Michigan’s 42 Big Ten championships. I think that these 2 things give me a small sense of hope that all tradition is not lost at Michigan. It shows me that Rich Rodriguez is at least aware that tradition is very important at Michigan. Can Michigan retain it’s tradition as a football powerhouse even though the offense that’s on the field will be decidedly un-Michigan? I guess this is an indication that the answer could at least be maybe.

Now comes the question of like. Do I like the new jerseys? I like the plain home blue jerseys but I’m not a huge fan of the maize stripe on the away white unis. There has been a maize stripe on the away uniforms for a while that was fairly unperceptablel, but these are a bit wider. All in all, I like the traditional elements that have been brought in, and at least they don’t look like Cal’s or Rodriguez’s last stop West Virginia. Or even worse, Oregon.

We all remember Maurice Clarett don’t we? Today Terrelle Pryor announced that he’ll be playing football for Ohio State this fall. Pryor claimed that he thought that OSU gave him a better chance to make the NFL.

By that did he mean, “They don’t really care how long I stay here, they just want to use me for a year or two”? Or was is more like, “I see too many Michigan quarterbacks in the NFL already, I want to be the next Troy Smith, or Joe Germaine”?

It’s all really hard to tell. Pryor, by most accounts, is a prima donna, with an entitled attitude. Exactly the kind of guy I don’t want as the capstone to a new program. I much prefer that Coach Rodriguez builds the program from the ground up. Contrary to what Terrelle Pryor thinks, he’s not bigger that the Ohio State football program, and he’s certainly not bigger than the Michigan football program.

I hope the reason that Pryor chose OSU over Michigan is that Rodriguez didn’t coddle the young man and that’s what Pryor wanted or needed. It sure seems like this kid has talent, I hope, for his sake, he doesn’t blow all of that talent, but washing out at Ohio State. Granted, the prospects of Michigan beating Ohio State this fall are pretty slim no matter what. Coach Rodriguez has a lot of work to do to mold the Wolverines into his team. But when he does, I want Ohio State to be in top form. It’s just more fun to beat them when they’re ranked number 1.

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Ryan Mallett has left the building. Shembechler Hall to be more specific. The freshman quarterback is going to transfer to another school, sit out next season and play his remaining 3 years of eligibility at another school.

This sucks.

I predict that Ryan Mallett will win the Heisman trophy. Wherever he goes. He’s that good. As a freshman he stepped in with poise, and was a major part of Michigan’s return from their horrible start to this season.

He’s rumored to be heading to Tennessee. But other options are Texas A&M, Arkansas, and UCLA. UCLA seems like the best fit for him. With new coach Rick Neuheisel wanting to make a splash and open it up. But it looks like Tennessee with hire former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, and quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler. He obviously gained confidence in them as coached in his time at Michigan. If that scenario does happen, look for the Vols to return to the national title hunt when Mallett takes over.

What does this mean for Michigan. Well, I hope that it means that this clears the way for blue chip recruit Terrelle Pryor. National signing day is February 9th. If he really is the next Vince Young, I want him in Maize and Blue.

After about a month of misfires, and hiccups Michigan announced Rich Rodriguez as their new coach on Sunday. They will formally announce it on Monday at a press conference. To take the job at Michigan, Rodriguez is leaving his post as West Virginia’s head coach, a job that he has held since the 2001 season.

During his time with the Mountianeers, Rodriguez revitalized that program and brought it back to National prominence. He is responsible for the largest turnaround in Big East history. The year he took over West Virginia went 3-8, but followed that season up with a 9-4 record, a top 25 ranking and a birth in a bowl game. The Mountianeers have been to a bowl game every year since, with 2 of the last 3 of those being BCS Bowl games.

I definitely have mixed feelings about this hire. It will drastically change the offense that Michigan plays. Michigan is and has always been a run first team. And when I say run first, I don’t mean the quarterback. Rodriguez is widely known as the creator of the spread option offense. The spread option offense is all the rage now in college football. Pundits have mentioned that it will soon be adopted in some way in the pro game. For me, that’s good and bad. I would love to see Michigan as the prototypical offense in college football. The offense that can lead the country, and be an example to all other programs. But I have to admit, I’ll miss the 3 yards and a cloud of dust. It’s what I’ve grown up with.

This also calls into question the future of Ryan Mallett, who I believe will win the Heisman trophy before he heads to the NFL. But will it be in a winged helmet? His father has gone on record that Ryan will “keep and open mind”. Already clouding the Wolverine quarterback position is blue chip recruit Tyrelle Pryor who is tailor-made for Rodriguez’s spread option. He has said that Michigan was just added to his short list of schools because of the arrival of Coach Rodriguez.

So what is my overall feeling on this? I’m a fan of this move. Rich Rodriguez has a long and proven track record of winning. I like that in a coach. I think that the Michigan athletic department could have done a much better job in filling the coaching vacancy. I would have loved to see Les Miles on the sidelines at the Big House. But all things being equal I am happy with Rich Rodriguez too. I need to see how he recruits. That will be the final test.

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So, let me get this straight. Les Miles doesn’t want to coach at Michigan, but he does want to ‘assist’ them in finding a new football coach, ‘as any loyal alumnus would’? Sounds a little fishy to me. Especially if I’m LSU AD Skip Bertman. All of this said while in the middle of a recruiting trip. One would guess he was recruiting for LSU, but who knows Miles might again be ‘helping’ his alma mater.

Of course I’m playing, and making light of it. But it does cause me to wonder. Is Les Miles going to bolt LSU after the National Championship Game on January 7th? Make no mistake, I want him as the head coach at Michigan, but it certainly does call into question the ethics of Les Miles. I would never go so far as to put him in the same category of the snake with ties to the state of Michigan (albeit Michigan State ties), Nick Saban, who left LSU after leading them to a National Championship.

Is it a matter of Les Miles’ heart strings are getting pulled too hard for him to resist? Or is he compromising his ethics?

Well that certainly puts a dent in plans to bring Miles to Ann Arbor. Apparently Miles had no interest in the position. According to Skip Bertman, LSU’s Athletic Director, Miles never held that over their head. He sure could have. I’m glad to see that he didn’t.

One thing that causes me pause… Why? Did he know he could make better money and sit in a hotbed of talent? If that’s the case, what does it say about Michigan? Are they not willing to spend the money? If we ever find out down the line that money was a factor in this at all, I’m gonna be pissed. Michigan has the money.

So, who are the leading candidates for the coaching vacancy in Ann Arbor? Kirk Ferentz? Bobby Petrino? Cam Cameron? Jeff Tedford? Greg Schiano? Bob Stoops?

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I know he emphatically said that he was the coach at LSU, and the he would be the coach at LSU, and that the media was doing him and his team a disservice by reporting that he would take the job coaching the Michigan Wolverines. He also said that he felt bad for Michigan fans because of the rumors. Blah, blah, blah.

LSU won the SEC Championship, and earned a spot in the BCS National Championship game. Good for them. Sunday Michigan AD said that he has not spoken with Miles about the position. I’m not sure that he has to. I’m pretty sure everyone is aware that Miles is the leading candidate. It seems that the job is his for the taking.

Will Miles stand up in front of the media, and his team, and the LSU chancellor and say that he can’t wait to get to Ann Arbor? Hell no. What he will do is go through the back channels, let Bill Martin and all involved at Michigan know that he is very interested. They’ll keep the seat warm. Trust me. Les Miles is the guy they want. He’s a Bo guy. He’s a Michigan guy.

It will take some deep pockets to secure Miles, but Michigan is consistently at the top of the list of NCAA merchandising, and licensing. So money isn’t the issue. They have it. They may need to wait until January 8th to spend it. But they will.

Following Michigan’s loss to Ohio State on Saturday, Lloyd Carr will announce his retirement on Monday. This became increasingly apparent as the season wore on. Carr is 62 years old and has been the head coach at Michigan for 13 years. Michigan is 121-40 under Carr, but he has been lost 4 in a row to arch-rival Ohio State. Something that had to have factored into Carr’s decision.

Lloyd has definitely done a lot to continue the legacy of Michigan fooball, but they have fallen on hard times, and it’s time for a change. Now the talk will turn to who comes in to replace Carr. Most of the talk has been about Les Miles, currently the head coach of the #1 ranked LSU Tigers. Les Miles is a Michigan man who played under Bo, coached under Bo, as well as former coach Gary Moeller. Miles coached at Michigan, Colorado, Oklahoma State, in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, and currently at LSU.

Three things stick out for me about Miles.

1. He’s a Michigan man - Not the most important thing to me, but I know that the athletic department and boosters care about it. So he fits in that way.
2. He’s a winner - Obviously, he’s the coach of the #1 team in the country. He inherited a strong program, and he has kept them at the level that they were at.
3. He can recruit the south - It’s just a fact, the south is home to a huge amount of high school football talent. Miles has shown that he is able to bring that talent in. It remains to be seen if he could transfer that ability if he moves up north to Ann Arbor, but I’m willing to let him try.

These teams are in unfamiliar territory. They both enter this game following a loss. Last week Michigan lost to Wisconsin on the road, and the then number 1 ranked Buckeyes got upset when they visited the Fighting Illini. The last time Michigan came into the OSU game following a loss was 1996 (they lost to Penn State) and the last time Ohio State came into the game after losing was 1987 (when they lost to Iowa). The last time both teams entered the game following a loss was 1959. The Wolverines were led by first year coach Bump Elliott and Woody Hayes was just in his 9th year at the helm for the Buckeyes. Incidentally, Michigan won that game 23-14.

As usual, there is a lot at stake in this years game for both Michigan and Ohio State. Michigan can salvage a tough season by taking care of the Buckeyes at home, and Ohio State can maintain their recent dominance (folks, it’s just hard for me to say) over Michigan. Since Jim Tressel took over for John Cooper, the Wolverines have only been victorious once against their bitter rivals. That fact adds another layer of complexity to this years game.

There has been a lot of speculation about Lloyd Carr’s future. Most believe that if he (and Michigan) lose this game against OSU that he will lose his job. And he probably should. 1-7 is not acceptable against Ohio State. After Michigan started the season with it’s historic loss to IAA Appalachian State, followed by a drubbing by Oregon, they ran off 8 straight wins.

Michigan has definitely seen better days. They are banged up all over the place. Mike Hart, Chad Henne are both questionable for Saturday’s game. Historically, that has not been a good sign. Mike Hart is the leader of this team. Other people have had to step into that role because throughout his career he has consistently struggled to stay on the field (something that will hurt his chances to play on Sunday). While Hart has been out, his replacements Travis Minor and Carlos Brown have filled in admirably. Their biggest downfall is that they’re not Mike Hart. They’ve both played well. They haven’t stepped into the leadership role that Hart has.

Since Chad Henne went down, first with a knee injury and then with a shoulder problem, freshman phenom Ryan Mallett has stepped into the role of starting quarterback and seems to be developing into the teams leader. I love this for next year. This year, I can just remember the 2 picks that he threw at Wisconsin. If Henne and Hart can’t go on Saturday, Mallett needs to win this game. If he does, he’ll be the toast of the town. If he blows it, he’ll be the goat (hopefully that won’t stop him from progressing).

No matter who lines up under center, they need to get the ball to Mario Manningham on the outside. No one has been able to stop the deep out this season. For some reason Lloyd Carr and Mike DeBord have not exploited that. The play is set up with the running game. For the most part Michigan hasn’t had trouble getting that set up. Once the running game has been established, on every series they need to call Mannigham’s number. He’s the top wide out in the country. Let him prove it.

On the defensive side of the ball, Michigan has made marked improvements. Donovan Warren still scares the hell out me at corner. All that I hear about him is comparisons to other Michigan corners who started as a freshman (Ty Law, Charles Woodson and Marlin Jackson). I just want to let everyone know. He’s not that good yet. He might get there… but those guys dominated, even as freshman. Warren has showed some potential, but he’s been exposed as much as he’s dominated. Other than Warren, I think the defense has progressed nicely. Shawn Crable is amazing. The rest of the defense is getting the job done. Nothing too outstanding, but they’re playing well.

Notice I haven’t mentioned Ohio State’s team this year. It’s mostly because I don’t care. But to give them unequal time… James Laurinaitis is the best college linebacker (sorry Shawn Crable). Their defense was really stout heading into last week’s game against Illinois, but the Buckeyes come out of Champaign with a lot of video evidence that they can be beat. I would imagine Lloyd and the boys have watched that a few times.

On offense the Buckeyes feature Beanie Wells, Todd Boeckman and Brian Robiskie. Of the three, Beanie Wells is the best. He’s a powerful downhill runner with a burst. Boeckman and Robiskie have stepped into their roles this year and have been servicable. They haven’t set the world on fire, but the haven’t laid any eggs either. What worries me is the tackling of Michigan against Wells. If he breaks a couple long runs, Shawn Crable is gonna get tired.

Time to get to the nut-cuttin. This is a game that features the two best teams in the Big Ten (no surprise there), both are having off years. Hard to say that with OSU being ranked number 1 for a few weeks this year, but they have lost a ton of guys to the NFL. They were number 1 because no one else has been able to hold onto it.

Keys to the Game

• Turnovers - Whoever has the edge in turnovers wins the game. If Michigan can force Boeckman to give it up, or Mallett gives a repeat performance, their teams will suffer.
• Henne and Hart - With them, Michigan is the better team, without them, Michigan will struggle to move the ball.
• Manningham deep - If Michigan can get the ball to Manningham on the outside, it won’t be close.

My prediction
Ohio State 17
Michigan 24

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A tale of two halves. In the first half, Michigan State repeatedly shot itself in the foot with penalties, and Michigan absolutely shut down the Spartan rushing attack. In the second half, Michigan couldn’t move the ball on offense and got run over by Javon Ringer, and Jehuu Caulcrick. Chad Henne rallied the troops and scored 14 unanswered points to take the lead for good.

With all of my wrong, or just plain bad predictions, I have to say that I was pretty damn close on my prediction for this game. But I won’t break my arm patting myself on the back.

The most remarkable play for me was Javon Ringer’s 72 yard run in the third quarter. Yeah, it was a nice run by Ringer, but the impressive part was the guy that mad first contact with ringer, Shawn Crable, ended up making the tackle, 75 yards later. Of course, Crable should have wrapped him up for the 3 yard loss, but the fact that he got off his ass, and busted it down the field to stop Ringer from scoring really gives a glimpse of this team. I was definitely on the Fire Lloyd bandwagon earlier in the season. But I have to say that Lloyd and his coaching staff have impressed me by coming back and making this season respectable. Hell, we’ve seen what’s happened to Notre Dame, and Nebraska when their seasons went into the tank. Nebraska got 76 point hung on them today. Michigan reeled it back in. A game too late for National title hopes. But they haven’t quit and there is a real chance that they will see Oregon again, in the Rose Bowl. Redemption??