The MMQ

Joe Pa – Mourning is Over…Let the Judgment Begin

2012-01-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

I was going to refrain from saying anything about the Joe Pa debacle that has more or less brought a highly regarded state university to its knees in the last 4 months. I was going to let Joe’s death pass and read the wonderful obituaries about the man that was. I was going to read about what he accomplished on the field. And I would ignore the elephant in the room for now.

But, as I read through them, something just didn’t feel right. And I’ve learned when something doesn’t feel right, something isn’t right.

Yeah, Joe Pa accomplished great things. And while NO ONE should ever be measured by their failures alone, there are some failures that simply can’t be overlooked. And even though Joe’s was a sin of omission, he let that omission go on for nearly a decade. That we know about.
A decade of allowing continued evil to transpire when it could have been stopped.
A decade where he could have asked the powers that be what action they were taking.
A decade where he could have made a phone call expressing his concern…
A decade where he could have done something…
A decade…So much time…so much pain and suffering.

Joe won two National Championships in 1983 and 1986 with Sandusky by his side. Joe stood with him then and celebrated in the glory of that accomplishment. If we judged them together then, what choice do we have but to judge them together now? Joe didn’t do anything to mitigate or reduce that, really, even in the end. When he had a chance.

Do we have a choice then, to measure the man without Sandusky by his side now? Due to the simple fact that Joe Pa didn’t do anything to get us to believe that he felt anything for Sandusky’s victims. Even when it became painfully obvious that he needed to. Joe had an opportunity to stand up, do the right thing and not only show remorse over what he had done (or failed to do) but that he understood his actions and the actions of Sandusky and how painful those actions were and how much he felt for the innocents. But Joe did no such thing. And I have to blame Joe and the support group around him for not waking him up to what needed to happen. And if they don’t understand that now, well, maybe PSU is better off without them, too.

I think part of where Joe (and said support group) failed was due to his lack of comprehension of the vulgarity of the issue at hand. And how people react to that vulgarity wasn’t even the issue. If you somehow can justify the lack of moral outrage by anyone that looks at Joe’s entire “body of work” and says that “he was a good guy”, well, than I can’t really help you. Yeah, it was a great 60 year run Joe had. But what does that mean when you overlook or somehow try to balance a terrible wrong against volumes of good?

Yes, Joe did great things. But he also committed the worst sin of all.

Not caring when he should have.
Not being a leader when he needed to be.
And not looking back on that time with an understanding that it was bigger deal than Football, the University, and Penn State in general. And feeling the pain and suffering that the Sandusky victims still feel to this day.

Sorry, Joe Pa. I’ll recognize the accomplishments and nod my head when they’re brought up by PSU loyalists, but I can’t put you in the “Greatest” column any more.

I can only hope in the end that I am not in Joe Pa’s situation. I wouldn’t wish that type of trial on my worst enemies…That would be an impossible conundrum. To have to stand up and renounce someone that you have known and worked with for 30 years. I’m not even sure I could do it, either. And that’s why this is so hard…so difficult for a lot of people that know and respect the coach, the teacher and….the humanitarian.

And maybe in that place, the place where you want to believe in your family, friends and your co-workers, is where I can find Joe’s humanity. For not wanting to destroy a life that destroyed so many others…But at the same time, by taking charge, he could have saved the lives of so many more…

It’s confusing, to say the least. But, as an individual, I just can’t let it go. As a society, we can’t let it go. And maybe, that will be Joe’s lasting lesson. And some good can come out of all this.

I don’t know…But I wish I did.

Still Searching for Answers….

The MMQ

RIP Joe Pa

2012-01-23T05:38:00.000-08:00

You'll be missed....

It's A Wrap!

2012-01-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

I’m always a little sad when I start writing the season wrap….It’s kind of like taking the docks out of the water at the end of the summer…Another season in the books and we have to wait until next fall when it starts all over again. 230 days from last Monday night until the Kick-off Classic….230 days….

Anyway, here we go!!!

First, a question: Are you satisfied? As a Michigan Fan, you have to be a lot happier with the results of the season than you were with most of the over the counter pre-season expectations going in, unless you are a long time reader of this blog and understand that the guy writing it knows a couple of things about the team and can recognize a favorable schedule when he sees one. I predicted 10 wins and a B1G championship. Right on the first count, wrong on the 2nd. But, a BCS game and victory made up for that (Suck on that, Sparty). However, I’m not sure I can go out on that same limb next year, but more on 2012 in a minute.

As far as the overall College Football Season for 2011 goes…are you happy? Satisfied? Do we have our National Champion? The MMQ is NOT that enthralled…And I can tell you why.

Fans are expressing their discontent with the whole BCS thing and stretching games out until January 9th when the real world has already returned to the daily grind. I mean look at the MMQ – this is one of the LATEST season wraps ever by date….Check out the USAToday article for details, but games not on January 1st were not only poorly attended, but they were also some of the lowest rated TV for the bowls. Ever. (Granted, a LOT of that has to do with them being on ESPN, but a rating is a rating). A couple of snippits:

-Even with a capacity crowd in New Orleans' Superdome on Monday, average bowl attendance will hit a 33-season low. It was 49,617 through the first 34 games, down almost 3% from a year earlier.
-The BCS took a succession of TV ratings hits, the biggest to last week's Orange Bowl. West Virginia's 70-33 rout of Clemson drew just 4.5% of U.S. households, making it the lowest-rated game in the BCS' 14-year history.
-All told going into Monday, the BCS' 7.3% average on ESPN was down 10% from the 2010 season and 21% from 2009 — when its games were carried by broadcast network Fox.

That’s pretty sad and hopefully sends a message to everyone involved in this mess: New Year’s Day ONLY or a Play off, or here’s a radical idea: Both. I know it’s not quite that simple, but, JEEZ LOUISE, figure it out! People do NOT want to travel after New Year’s day and burn 3 or 4 days of Vacation on what amounts to a nothing bowl during the first week of the New Year….Sorry, but it’s true. In addition, “BCS” means nothing anymore…But a play-off, well, as long as your team is alive, you might figure out a way to watch and attend the games – In December.

But NOT a neutral play-off site based play-off and NOT using the small bowls as the pre-games to the Big One. I’m talking about a play-off format something akin to the NFL. Home Game Sellouts for the 1st and 2nd rounds would be GUARANTEED! Can you imagine what a school like Michigan, Bama, LSU or any of the big boys, could charge for tickets like that? And the money it would bring in via TV revenue alone? Sheesh! It’s a wonder that David Brandon hasn’t single handedly done it already!

And isn’t that better than playing in the Idaho Potato bowl and having your university PAY a minimum of $750,000 participation fee and another $500,000 to local hotels and restaurants? You can bet that athletic departments around the US are licking their chops at that opportunity!

Will it happen? Not right away of course. But once you go to a 4 team plus 1 format (which is going to happen! Check out Frank The Tank), it will be the opening of Pandora’s Box. Because the Big Boy’s that DON’T make it into the 4 team format will start making noise and as soon as the idea of home field advantage takes hold for first round games, well, it’ll be lights out for some of the bowls.

That’s not to say that if Michigan lost in the first round of the MMQ’s 12-16 team play-off proposal (remember this from 2009?) that they then couldn’t go to the Outback Bowl…But you can bet that if they did lose in the first round and got an Outback Bowl invite, even fewer fans would attend. Hence, the beginning of the end for Bowls will be upon us. Fans would have already blown their wad on home play-off tickets or going to someone else’s place to catch a “Meaningful Game.”

And frankly, that’s not a bad thing. It’s a hell of a lot better than handing Bama a re-match without them even earning it, fer God’s sake….If you don’t make the playoffs, well, you can still go to a bowl and get the extra practices in. But bowls and universities alike will start to hate them (the bowls) and revenue will dry up as the traditions just fade away and home play-off games and the revenue they can bring in take hold. And, if the Power conferences agree to share that home game revenue, well, it’s academic
…At least, that’s the ole MMQ’s view of the world.

Idle Thoughts From the Season

-Upon reflection, after everything was said and done, the MOST SATISFYNIG WIN OF THIS SEASON was and is the last second victory over the Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) in the first ever night game at the Big House!
-Followed very closely by the satisfying thumping we put on the Suckeyes…
-And I’m really glad I was at both games with people that will remember and appreciate what we witnessed…My brother and daughter…
-Of course, my daughter might have learned some new bad words…
-But she’s been learning them anyway.
-I’m glad we discovered a defense that works…
-And I’m even more glad we were able to build an “acceptable” offense around DeRob…
-I would really, really like to have the Iowa game back…
-Sparty, well, I’d like to have it back, but we would need to completely re-do how we snap the ball…Molk’s only downfall.
-Fond memories of the Minnesota romp will live for awhile…
-That and Purdue.
-Speaking of Purdue – last two out of three over OSU? Really?
-Suckeyes must be getting sick of that...
-Meyer to OSU…That’s just bad form, Urban.
-Sorry, but it is.
-Yeah, the SEC is tough.
-I hope we give you ulcers in the B1G next year.
-But it is kind of funny…NDNation is livid over the fact that you went to OSU when they had an (imaginary) shot at you…
-Of course, they’re just going to go hire Satan now.
-Don’t believe me? Here’s the link…
-I guess they don’t know or didn’t hear that $warbuck$ just gave Kelly a 2 year extension.
-I hope Hoke continues to be a good coach and isn’t a flash in the pan…
-We’ll eventually see, but I don’t like the idea of another coaching search in the next 5 years…
-It’s too traumatic for the fans and players alike…
-But I doubt the PTB would ever make a Rodrigues mistake again…And if they did, I’m sure hoping the hire would get more universal support than Rodrigues got.
-I think I like the amplified band…To all the people that are bitching: Turn off your hearing aid.
-I also like the pumped in RAWK music. Makes it feel a little more energized.

Pre-Season Predictions and Outcomes

Well, I hate to pat myself on the back (AGAIN!), but your ole MMQ did nail down this season pretty well – for Michigan. I only screwed up Iowa and Northwestern, and I still believe that had they just shown up at Kinnick and gotten a few favorable calls or reversed TD’s and Michigan beats Iowa.

As far as the rest of the predictions, let’s take a peek (from the Pre-season Spectacular):

1. Stanford - Come on, Luck coming back is huge for that team. – This one was closer than anyone was giving me credit for…but they didn’t win the biggest games…
2. Alabama - Bowl game loss to Luck will be sweet for all other College Football Fans….Oops…heh-heh, well, at least I got one team in the title game right.
3. Boise State - Something has been eating at me and this could be the year of the mid major in the National Title game…Not that they’ll win. – HEE-hee…HAHAHAHAHA! The Boy’s State run should be over now that Kellen Moore has left the building…
4. Oregon – Come back kids have controversy and a lot of time to prepare in order to deal with it. But Luck will be too much.. – Oops…Oh well, you can’t get them all right…
5. Texas A&M – If they can get by Texas – Jeez…This had to be the biggest face plant of the year…
6. Michigan – Surprise Big 10 Champions! – Okay, so they weren’t B1G 10 champs…but they were closer than most people thought!
7. Virginia Tech – Who else can you pick from the ACC? – Clemson?
8. LSU – An extremely disappointing season for Miles… - Wow…LSU has to be considered for a national title about every three years…That’s just the way it is…
9. Wisconsin – Didn’t see Michigan coming – Well, I wish Michigan could have played them…
10. Georgia – Sleeper in the SEC. I’ve read a couple things and I like ole Richy Rich to get it right (finally) – Ooooops…Another big miss by the MMQ.

2011 Biggest Surprises:

1. Michigan – Really. No one else was giving a 1st year head coach with a lousy record any more than 8 wins this year. 9 wins was going to be incredible! 10, you were a slappy…11 with a BCS bowl victory and you would have been laughed right out of the front door of ESPN.
2. This could almost be a tie for number 1: LSU After looking at kicking two members off the team on Labor Day, not to mention all the other crap that was going on, I’m more convinced than ever that the Hatter is one of, if not the best College Coach in the game today. And Michigan let Lloyd Carr decide not to go get him…Sheesh…
3. PSU – I’m glad 2011 is in the books for this great institution and I only hope they bring someone in that can put the whole sordid affair behind him.
4. Okie State – I’ll be honest, I wasn’t buying the hype and I thought that the Laters and Longhorns would put these guys in their place….What does the MMQ know?
5. Miami Scandal…Only it wasn’t that much of a surprise, really, when it comes down to it….
6. RGB III winning the Heisman.

2011 Biggest Disappointments

1. Texas A&M
2. PSU - Yes, you can be the top in two categories with a cataclysmic event like this...
3. NCAA ruling on OSU…Should have been much, much worse….
4. Luck not winning the Heisman, not that RGB didn’t deserve it. But RGB wasn’t on anyone’s radar pre-season. Luck only has himself to blame…if he beats Oregon, he’s right there…
5. Sparty not making a BCS bowl…Oh wait, that should be in the Biggest Laughs of 2011!
6. Tennessee – will this former SEC powerhouse ever figure it out again?

Weirdest and Strangest Conference Re-alignment Developments

1. Texas A&M to the SEC…Along with Missouri. Big 12 will never be the same….
2. Pitt and Syracuse leaving the Beast in the middle of the night…
3. WVU fighting to get out of the Beast early…

Hot Seat Mascot

Just to throw another picture of Jenn in here SOMEWHERE!

Early 2012 Predictions

Well, I hate to make predictions (except when I’m right) and I’m afraid that next season may actually bring more disappointment than many Michigan fans realize. I’m actually amazed at the number of people that believe 10 wins in 2012 is a given (based on what happened this year). Sheesh…What a crappy way to make a prediction. What surprises me is how many casual fans believe that a repeat of this year should be easy now that we have the right coaching in place…To all those fans that either haven’t been paying attention or need an education, here’s some simple questions:

Did you look at the schedule?
Did you see who they’re going to have on the starting roster?
Did you see who Michigan has to play on the road?

Michigan has a plethora of incredibly tough road games….Yes, Denard is back, but they are losing a lot of key people on Defense…Especially in the middle D-Line. That’s a problem and will more than likely be a setback…

Alabama, Domers, Cornsuckers and OSU are ALL ON THE ROAD!!
(If Michigan can win two of those, I’ll be impressed.)

So, without further ado: Here’s an early peek at the season schedule in addition to the predictions associated with each game.

(Home Games in CAPS – I know, the Jerry Dome is in Dallas, but at least we’re wearing the Blue Jersey’s. Scratch that. We’re probably wearing some “one time only!” special uni….sigh…)

ALABAMA
Satan’s Warriors in the Jerry Dome. Not the opening cream puff you’d like to have to knock the rust off, but maybe Alabama will be saying the same thing and still be drunk from winning a Mythical National Title…Question is: Does the MMQ and the faithful figure out a way to get down to Dallas on Labor Day for this one where accommodations may be available or do we just watch what will probably be massive bloodshed on the tube? That’s the question…Ask me in May.
Michigan 24-Satan’s Warriors 42

AIR FORCE
This team is NOT a pushover and could present problems to Michigan’s defense with all it’s senior leadership in the middle gone….
Michigan 41-air force – 35

UMASS – See Air Force
Michigan 35 – Umass – 27

Michigan @ Domers
I don’t like this game. B. Kelly’s back will be against the wall and the pressure will be intense. Kowing the Domers, they will have already dropped a game to either Navy, Sparty or Purdue….They will have this date circled looking not only for triple revenge against the Maize and Blue, but also for the Night Game. This is a REVENGE GAME in all capital letters! Of course, when you’re playing for revenge, you’re playing tight and we own these guys!
Domers 24 - Michigan 23

Michigan @ Purdue
Purdon’t won’t…
Michigan 37 – Purdon’t 17

ILLINOIS
Michigan hands first year head coach Beckman his first loss to Michigan…
Michigan 52 – Illini 21

SPARTY
Quadruple Revenge, anyone? This is one the Wolverines will have circled on THEIR calendar…
Michigan 42 - Sparty 35

@ Cornsuckers
I hate Road Revenge Games….Nebraska is going to want this one almost as bad as they will want to crush Wisconsin…
Michigan 27 – Cornsuckers 30 (OT)

@ Minnesota
If Kill is still the coach, he won’t beat Michigan this year…
Michigan 42-Gophers 24

NORTHWESTERN
Not as much of a threat this year, but still should not be taken lightly…
Michigan 31 – Northwestern 21

IOWA
Michigan owes this team as well and will be looking at a 3 game winning streak if they can pull it off…
Michigan 24-Iowa 21

@ tosu
Michigan will have its hands full in a game that will be much bigger for OSU as it will be the Legend’s first “Big Game” in Columbus.
Michigan 24 – OSU 35

So, for those of you keeping score at home, that’s a potential 4 losses for your Wolverines in 2012 where many people are going to have them winning at least 10 games and going to a BCS bowl…Sorry, but that’s just the way the ole MMQ sees it…

As far as my Way Too Early Top 10 Predictions? Well….I guess I can do that…

1. Alabama – returning too many players and its Satan, after all.
2. USC – Barkley’s back and there’s no bowl ban this year…In fact, I don’t know anyone in the Pac 12 that can put up a challenge at this point…
3. Arkansas – They were close this year with a bunch of guys coming back and the QB will be in his third year…And look at their schedule! Bama and LSU at HOME!!! That’s a big deal…
4. LSU-See Alabama
5. West Virgina – After the Orange Bowl Statement (I know, Bowl victories are NOT momentum), I think WVU is set to make a big run next year as they head to the Big 12…2nd season QB and a lot of offense coming back. Of course they have FSU in a early pre-season matchup.
6. Oklahoma – just ‘cause it wouldn’t be a pre-season without Stoops in the top 10 somewhere….
7. Oregon – Chip Kelly’s system is a good one, even without James…
8. Michigan – This might be a little high based on what I just predicted, but I’m just saying that to expect an undefeated season in 2012 is just kidding yourself…10 wins again would be HUGE…. (DeRob in his third year)…. Maybe a B1G Championship? Not completely out of the realm of possibility…But you gotta use the ‘ole imagination.
9. FSU – they’re pissed off about 2011 and have a bunch of guys coming back. But can they get by the Moutaineers?
10. Tie - tOSU and Texas – Meyer and Mack will have surprisingly good teams next year. Only problem is one of them is playing for nothing and the other is running into two Oklahoma teams that aren’t scared of Texas anymore…

FINAL FMQ

Well, the Championship Game didn’t do us any favors, and the final result for the year is dismal. I guess that just goes to show you that even when you’re trying to leverage house money, it still hurts when you lose. But ending another year in the Green indicates that we must know SOMETHING about what we’re doing! We just need to do the better stuff better and the bad stuff less….Still, $248 for the season is nothing to sneeze at…

Kind of goes without saying, right?

The NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Satan’s Warriors vs. LMU (+1) O/U - 40
Wow…This game might make us very happy or very sad as far as the ole FMQ is concerned….
We have $232 house money that we could parlay here if we wanted…Let’s do it…The current bet is:

Take LMU and the 1 point for $75 - LOSE
Let’s add to it and take the under for $100 – WIN! Bank $190
Let’s parlay LMU winning and the under for $50 (pays 3 to 1) – LOSE…

Starting Bank: $1,058
Total Win: $190
Bank: $1,248

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Sugar Bowl Wrap and Other Trivia

2012-01-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! That’s all I can say…Wow.
Did They deserve to win? Depends
Did They earn the win? Depends
Did They luck out? Depends

Depends on what? Which side of the argument you’re on, of course!

But guess what? None of it matters because THEY DIDN’T LOSE! And WINNERS (not whiners) find a WAY TO WIN!

Based on that fact alone when all the Sparty and Domer haters that come up to you for the next 6 months, you can simply put that big ole shit eatin’ grin on your face and say, “They won. That’s all that matters.”

Favorite things from the Sugar:

-Brendan Gibbons, and I quote, “Thinking about Brunettes during the big kick because that’s what Coach Hoke told me to do.” Another shot of Lucy Pinder, anyone, on behalf of Gibbons? Maybe she derserved being the Hot Seat Mascot afterall!

-Molk finding it somewhere inside of him to walk on that field for the last 60 minutes of football he would ever play. His injury was a scare and definitely could have been game changer…
-RVB playing like a warrior…
-Roundtree coming up HUGE and simply not being denied…
-Beamer's Boys making critical mistakes at critical times...I won't say they handed Michigan the game, but they didn't do themselves any favors, that's for sure.

Things I could do without:

-Internet “second guessers” calling a non-catch a catch. Change the rule if you don’t like it and review Roudtree’s catch in the Iowa game, puh-leeze before you throw stones.
-That Michigan didn’t deserve to win. Really? Did USC “deserve” to win the 1977 game? (Charles White phantom TD) And I can think of other games, too….but I’m just not going there this AM.
-That the win is somehow “tainted” because Va-Tech didn’t deserve to be there…BS....Va Tech was a worthy team and fared better than other ACC teams (see Orange bowl and Clemson, for example)
-That this wasn’t a “Great” Michigan team…I might agree with that, but
-It was a Great Team…And I think that’s the part that’s being overlooked….

Something that surprised me was that this was only the 5th time in recent history that Michigan had posted 11 or more wins. Out of curiosity and with the help of the stellar information over at the Bentley Library, I found the other seasons where Michigan had 11 or more….(I only went back to 1970)

2006 (11-2) Lost to OSU and the Rose Bowl to USC
1997 (12-0) Won the Whole Enchilada
1986 (11-1) Beat OSU and lost the Rose Bowl to ASU
1971 (11-1) Beat OSU and lost to Stanford in the Rose

Those are some pretty impressive teams…But did you notice anything in particular about the accomplishments? With the exception of 1997, all those teams either lost to OSU or the Bowl game, or in one case (2006), both.

And I can tell you this: As good as I felt about all those teams, there’s nothing that feels better than winning the last two. I don’t care what season it is.

So, I guess you can take the 11 wins, put it on the mantel, and say nice job. But for this fan, I really, REALLY appreciate the fact that tosu and the Bowl Game are part of the 11 victories. Yes, there’s one blemish on the record that I would like to erase, but there’s always next year.

Just for giggles, I looked up 10 game winning seasons (when they only played 11 games and a bowl) and this is what I came up with (when you factor in that 10-1 regular season percentage-wise is actually better than 11-2. In my mind, that’s an equivalent stat…Yeah, I know, they play more games allowing for more error, but come on, winning 10 back in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s is still a big deal.):

1972 (10-1) Lost to OSU. Didn’t go to the Rose because of loss to OSU
1973 (10-0-1) tied OSU and didn’t got to the Rose because of THE VOTE!
1974 (10-1-0) Lost to OSU and didn’t go anywhere. Didn’t go anywhere in 73, either.
1976-77-78 (10-2) Orange (Lost), Rose (Lost) and Rose (Lost). Beat OSU in ’76 and ’77.
1980 (10-2) BEAT OSU and WON the Rose
1985 (10-2) BEAT to OSU and BEAT Nebraska in the Fiesta
1989 (10-2) BEAT OSU and lost to USC in the Rose
1991 (10-2) BEAT OSU and Lost to Washington
1998 (10-2) Lost to OSU and BEAT Arkansas in the Citrus
1999 (10-2) BEAT OSU and BEAT Alabama in the Orange
2002 (10-2) Lost to OSU and BEAT Florida in the Citrus
2003 (10-2) BEAT OSU and lost to USC in the Rose….

So, why did I do all that for you? To show you how many times in 40 seasons that Michigan won the last two. And how many times did the Wolverines win the last two? I’ll make it easy for you…Exactly three times. Four when you add in 1997. And they only beat OSU and won the Rose TWICE…

For those of you couting along at home, that's only 4 times in 40 years that Michigan has Beat OSU and won the Bowl...So, in conclusion….winning 10 was a big deal in the day of 11 regular season games. And winning the last two was even a BIGGER DEAL, in the MMQ’s humble opinion, than winning 10 or 11, for that matter.

So, please, PLEASE, I implore you…Enjoy this victory and this season! It doesn’t happen very often that we beat OSU and win the Bowl Game!

As far as the rest of the bowls, my take on all the ones that mattered:

Cotton: Arkansas sort of proved it MIGHT have belonged in a play-off, but I would have thought that a much larger margin of victory against K-state would have sent a stronger message. Of course, K-state had plenty of time to prepare and maybe the Hogs simply didn’t want to be there as bad as the Wildcats….

Orange: Holy Crap! Did Clemson even think about practicing defense? I mean, it’s one thing to not play well…But not play at all? I’m pretty sure that any BCS team would have had a field day against the defense that Clemson put on the field. And WVU did.

Sugar: Enough said, but stop with all the negatives, especially: Michigan Fans! Too many haterz out there already that will be poo-pooing this win as something less than it is. Sour Grapes and bitter biscuits, Sparty and Domer fan!

Fiesta: I don’t want to be the kicker for Stanford. In fact, why was the kicker even put in that position when you have Mr. Lucky taking the snaps from center? A freshmen kicker vs. a 3rd year (about to be a multilmillionaire) starting QB? C’mon…Even the ole MMQ knows how to call THAT one….Probably the best game of New Year’s day followed closely by the

ROSE: Okay. This game had everything, if you like offense. If you’re defense oriented, you didn’t see the 4th quarter because you had already clawed your eyes out. However, I did see it and Wiscy probably didn’t deserve to win, but they didn’t deserve to lose to Sparty and the Suckeyes, either, and based on the freakiness of 2011, I figured that Instant Karma was gonna’ help them…I don’t know why Wilson tried to down the ball with 2 seconds left. Call two plays, line up and play ‘em.

Outback: Cousins was nearly the goat (AGAIN) but Sparty met a bigger failure in critical games than Sparty ….Mark Richt may or may not be the Bulldogs head coach next year, and that season ending bowl loss after being up by 16 at the half is probably all anyone who is making the decision will point at if he’s not on the side line next year…

Gator: Yawn…I’m frankly a little pissed at the Suckeyes, and this is simply another reason to really hate them…They couldn’t even beat a Gatorland team that was easily beatable…with the former Gatorland coach on their sideline, for God’s sake…

Capitol One: Double Yawn…Someone tell the Cornsuckers that you NEED TO SHOW UP IN BOWL GAMES WHEN YOU PLAY THE SEC! 1997 doesn’t count anymore….

Alamo: Best Bowl game not on New Year’s day…I was impressed with RGB III…Really.

CHAMPS: Hahahaha….HAHAHAHAHAHA! Domers LOSE!!!!!

Biggest Bowl Statement

I kind of hate this comment that have become very “in vogue” to say by all the talking heads. It seems like everyone harps on it and tries to make each bowl that isn’t the National Title Game a “Big Deal” by stating this or that team made the biggest statement by winning their bowl. The MMQ’s version:

1. Oregon. Picking this one as the biggest statement was tough. But I think it's justified. Oregon wins it’s first BCS and it’s first Rose Bowl in 90 some years…That’s a pretty big statement and a relief for the fans…
2. Okie State – This was big deal as they won their first BCS game in addition to winning the Big 12 destination bowl against a legit team – Stanford.

Everything and everyone else is just kind of noise….I really don’t think you “build” momentum with a bowl win, but it would be an interesting statistic to analyze…

The Hot Seat

Jenn Brown will adorn the upper right of the blog for the year and I have been challenged with finding a close up photograph of the Jenn Brown Tramp Stamp tattoo. I will do my utmost to seek out this photo and have it on the blog as soon as humanly possible. Actually, any of the readers up to the challenge? Can anyone get a shot of that Tattoo for our blog?

Maybe we should have a contest...that's an idle thought....

Did you think if I sent her a twitter asking for a shot of it she would respond?

We’ll do a final wrap next week with respect to hirings and firings…and how those coaches might do in the coming season.

FMQ

Urban Legend Bowl (OSU vs. Florida -2.5)
Take OSU and the 2.5 for $200
-GAG! This game just sucked…That’s what I get for putting any money on either one of these teams…

ROSE BOWL Oregon vs. Wisconsin (+4.5)
Take Wiscy and the 4.5 for $75
-Jesus Tap Dancin’ Christ…Just RUN THE FINAL PLAY! LOSE…..

The FIESTA Stanford vs. Oklahoma State (-4.5)
Take Mr. Lucky and the 4.5 for $75
Mr. Lucky doesn’t win, but he covers….WIN $142.50

The OUTBACK Sparty vs. Georgia (-2.5)
Take Sparty and the 2.5 for $50
Sparty comes through for the ole FMQ – WIN - $95

The SUGAR Michigan vs. Va Tech (+2.5)
Take Michigan and lay the 2.5 for $125
Hee-hee….3 points is 3 points….WIN - $237.50

The NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Satan’s Warriors vs. LMU (+1) O/U - 40

Wow…This game might make us very happy or very sad as far as the ole FMQ is concerned….We have $232 house money that we could parlay here if we wanted…Let’s do it…The current bet is:

Take LMU and the 1 point for $75
Let’s add to it and take the under for $100
Let’s parlay LMU winning and the under for $50 (pays 3 to 1)

So, we’re either going to have a nice tidy sum or be up a bunch (but not double….Sad Face. )

Starting Bank: $1,307
Total Bet: $250
Bank: $1057

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Bowl Monday and the Last Bets

2012-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Here we are! More than half way through the bowl season and I can honestly say that the only bowl game I’ve watched in its entirety (nearly) was the Alamo Bowl with Baylor and Washington. Fell asleep for part of it, but made it through most of it. And it was worth watching. Also caught part of the Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) losing to FSU.

Whatever will become of the Domers?

I thought they might pull out a bowl win for their loyal fans as FSU had to be way more disappointed and pissed about not being in a BCS game than the Domers…but I was wrong (hee-hee!). Well, either way it goes for Michigan, it was a better than expected season.

But, instead of hearing about what I think might happen in the Bowl Games that Matter, I think I need to report on the last week.

What I Did On My Christmas Vacation:

Got thoroughly pissed off at the NCAA and the ruling for the suckeyes. And if I were USC, I would be leading the charge for penalty reform and trying to figure out who has what pictures of NCAA officials doing what to donkeys. In case you didn’t hear, the Suckeyes lost some additional scholarships and next year’s bowl game, taking all the pressure off Urban Legend to actually perform well. And they released it in a holiday week when the news cycles are short. Yes, Tressel got hit with a show cause which was the minimum he should have received. He LIED to everyone involved for God’s sake! The NCAA are a bunch of Chickenshits…Somebody somewhere at OSU has dirt on the NCAA…And that’s all I have to say on that.

I received and finished John U. Bacon’s book, “Three and Out”, which is more or less the story of the Rich Rod affair in Ann Arbor. First, where ever you may fall on Rich Rod, read the book. It will change your opinion. Second, without coming out and telling you what he thinks, Bacon is masterful in laying out the facts in such a way that you can easily draw several conclusions on the Rich Rod debacle. In summary:

On the Hiring of Rich Rod:
1. It’s still not clear who from the Athletic Department leaked to Kirk Herbstreit that Michigan was hiring Les Miles. That has to be the most wondered about and frustrating fact in the hiring fiasco. I have my suspicions and they haven’t changed much after reading the book from what I originally thought: Someone wanted to get a reaction from Les and have Les go on record publicly as someone that does not react well under pressure.
2. Lloyd Carr DID NOT WANT LES MILES. That much is perfectly clear. Even after Mary Sue Coleman and Sailboat Bill decided to talk to him and Les stated that if Michigan offered him the job, “I wouldn’t say no.” That’s a direct quote from the text. Mary Sue stated she would be the one to tell Lloyd that they were going to go after Les. And then suddenly, Carr swings into action and calls Rich Rod and tells him to think about the job? Then, in an effort of “non-support”, Lloyd lines up the incumbent palyers and tells them all that transfer papers are ready…While it’s not unusual, it’s certainly not a vote of confidence in Rich Rod.
3. Lloyd (and to a certain extent, Sailboat Bill) then went on to let Rich Rod publicly screw up several press conferences and certain traditions without so much as a coaching session on such matters, even though Rich had asked for several meetings with Lloyd.
4. If there is one “singular” person that is responsible for the failure of Rich Rod, it has to be Lloyd Carr. Bacon asked for several interviews (begged, in his own words) and Lloyd would not honor the request.

On Rich Rod’s Own Screw-ups:
1. Rich Rod should have kept English and the defensive staff around based on the fact that the couldn’t get his Defensive Coordinator from WVU to come to Ann Arbor.
2. The divisions in the Michigan camp became clear and the “cockroaches” did everything they could to upset the apple cart. Rich Rod didn’t go far enough with respect to catering to the “Old Guard” and traditionalists (especially the regents) when it came to understanding the politics surrounding the football program.
3. Don’t keep forcing a defense that just isn’t working…
4. Learn to say less dumb things in press conferences….

On Sailboat Bill
1. The Martin legacy as a business man is great – and frankly, echoing Bacon’s own comments, I wish it had ended there. On running an athletic department, it sucks. Not only did he not have a clue on what he was getting into when it came to hiring a coach, he DIDN’T EVEN USE THE COMMITTEE HE ESTABLISHED! Why his name is on the stadium is beyond me. That is the fault of David Brandon.
2. Martin would have more or less been let go if he hadn’t announced his retirement. Mary Sue had pretty much seen enough of Bill and his bungling of the interview process and hiring of Rich Rod, not to mention other “mishandled AD issues”.
3. Great business man, lousy AD.

On The Free Press
1. Bacon really calls out Rosenberg and Snyder. I mean, not only does he call them out, but he more or less supports the Michigan Daily’s claim that someone should be fired for the initial article that did not have supporting facts on the claims that were made with respect to the times associated with “over-practicing”.
2. In fact, Bacon went on to state that the NCAA itself “couldn’t readily answer the question as to what constituted over-practicing” other than the simple fact that coaches or paid assistants cannot be present or it’s official.
3. CARA forms are not only dumb, but THEY ARE NOT THE COACH’S RESPONSIBILTY TO SUBMIT! The Freep has repeatedly made false statements that Rich Rod and his “staff” had not completed the forms and have never corrected the statement, looking only to put additional dirt on Rich Rod’s coffin.
4. In short, he states that Rosenberg and Snyder were not only biased in their reporting, but they were obviously being fed information from someone on the inside that had access to a lot of it. Of the 7 people “indicted” in the NCAA report, 6 are no longer with the program.
5. In my own opinion: If you currently subscribe to the Freep, please stop. They are a complete fraud of news reporting.

On David Brandon and the firing of Rich Rod

1. Bacon more or less does speculate on this one with respect to “When did Dave make his decision to can Rich?” He states that if he had to put a date on it, it would have been right after the Football Bust and the Josh Brogan incident, which was pretty much the same time that the MMQ lost it…
2. Dave was smart to wait as long as possible to make sure that Rich Rod didn’t have immediate options (Maryland was VERY INTERESTED – it’s in the book) and he could have dragged half his guys with him…
3. It didn’t say what happened to Lloyd, but it did state that David needed to bring the “fractured” Michigan program back together.

In all, the tale is a good one and I have a very different opinion of Rich Rod after reading the text. Bacon doesn’t have any reason to spin it and put Rich Rod in a good light, but that’s how the story reads. The guy simply wanted to be given a chance to coach football, work through the issues he had inherited, and build a winning program in a tradition rich environment. But the deck was stacked against him from the get go and he never really had a chance. Lloyd Carr, for whatever personal reasons he had (Loyalty to Ron English and Mike DeBord?) wanted to see to it that Rich Rod would go down as the biggest mistake the Michigan Athletic Department ever made. Unfortunately, that is also a blemish on Lloyd Carr and it is something that this Michigan Man/Fan will never be able to forgive him for.

I’m sure that the collective brain trust in Ann Arbor wishes that “Three and Out” didn’t exist and that it would just go away. However, I have a feeling that the incumbent Powers That Be will be answering questions for a long time with regards to many of the facts that are contained within.

In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Athletic Department didn’t respond in some way to the text. Because it’s not going anywhere…

Idle Thoughts From The Christmas Break

-PSU is in a world of hurt and the Joe Pa legacy will take years to recover from.
-Let this be a lesson to other institutions with “untouchable” head coaches.
-It’s not always in your best interest to keep living legends around…
-Think Bo and Lloyd Carr…When they retire, get them off campus!
-I know, but that’s the way it should be…
-Too many bowls….
-Who’s playing in this one? Anyone that I care about?
-New Year’s Eve isn’t a bad day for bowls when you think about it…
-There’s not much going on during the day
-I hate New Year’s Day on Sunday…It sucks.
-Everyone is ready for COLLEGE Football on New Year’s Day..
-My mother even called asking me if she had missed something…
-And was REALLY ticked when I told her the Rose Bowl was on ESPN.
-Nope, she doesn’t have cable.
-How many days can we stretch the Bowl Season out?
-Too many….Bowls on January 9th are too late…

The Hot Seat

VOTING IS COMPLETE! WE HAVE A WINNER!

Jenn Brown will be the Hot Seat Mascot for the 2011 Football Season! That’s who’s picture we get to stare at, er, look at whenever I post during the off season. In a record vote (over 100 votes were cast!) Jen eked out - literally – a 2 vote victory over Lucy Pinder…Amazing when you think about it!

I will continue to comment on all the coaching hiring and firing, but for today, let’s just enjoy Jenn’s moment!

FMQ

Well, I haven’t bet any bowls up to this point, but now we’re at the do or die time.

So, let’s get right to it:

Urban Legend Bowl (OSU vs. Florida -2.5)
So, let me get this straight: The team that was coached a year ago by the coach that is actually on the opposing sidelines is giving points? And it’s O-coordinator (The Big One) is leaving and going to Kansas? And it hasn’t shown any promise all year long on the offensive side of the ball? I don’t care if it is in Gatorland’s back yard, The Suckeyes are going to DESTROY Gatorland today….That has to be the gimme on the board!
Take OSU and the 2.5 for $200

ROSE BOWL Oregon vs. Wisconsin (+4.5)
The cheeseheads have been to the Grand Daddy of the All several times in the last 5 years…My guess is they are playing for some national respect and want to remind people that they were two last minute plays away from playing LSU in the Title game. I know that Wisconsin looks a lot like Stanford, but I think Wiscy might be a little better. And Russell Wilson wants to improve his draft status. If Wiscy loses, it’ll be closer than most people think…
Take Wiscy and the 4.5 for $75

The FIESTA Stanford vs. Oklahoma State (-4.5)
Wow…Here’s two teams with something to play for. This might actually be the best game going in this bowl season. I want to say take Okie State and lay the points, but Mr. Lucky and company might just be able to surprise this team…Mr. Lucky was good to me all year. I hate to get off that bandwagon…
Take Mr. Lucky and the 4.5 for $75

The OUTBACK Sparty vs. Georgia (-2.5)
Sparty getting points…in a bowl game...after losing by 41 points last year to an SEC team that was playing for pride/revenge. Hmm…Cousins last game along with a lot of other seniors. I hate to take Sparty, but something is telling me that Georgia isn’t respecting what Sparty can do.
Take Sparty and the 2.5 for $50

The SUGAR Michigan vs. Va Tech (+2.5)
These are two really even teams on paper. But they don’t play the games on paper. Va-Tech fans aren’t buying tickets which tells me the fans simply don’t believe in this team. Michigan has something to prove and is laying groundwork for next year.
Take Michigan and lay the 2.5 for $125

The NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Satan’s Warriors vs. LMU
Satan’s Warriors will have their ears pinned back in this one. LMU has already beat them once, but this is the one that counts. Never EVER go against the Hatter with all the marbles on the line as he has bigger balls than any other coach in the collegiate ranks. My heart and head want Les to win this one just to see Satan cry at the press conference…But I also know what Satan can do to make sure that doesn’t happen…
Screw it:
Take LMU and the 1 point for $75

Starting Bank: $1,332.50
Total Win: $600
Bank: $732.50

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Hot Seat Mascot Of The Year Voting is Heating Up!

2011-12-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

Somewhat unbelievably, at least to the ole MMQ, the Hot Seat Mascot voting has turned into a virtual war between Lucy Pinder (which I must say, has a tremendous montage of photos out there that will help keep us warm all year) and Jenn Brown (who also warms the cockels of my heart).
See what I did there?

Anyway, There's only 4 days left to vote and in case you were still having trouble deciding, I've included a couple extra photos of each mascot here. Lucy is a fine finalist....

And Jenn is just Jenn...And I can see here on ESPN every week!

This will more than likely be my last post until after the holiday (Christmas, not New Year's) and there will most certainly be one more FMQ post with respect to the bowls. I have been watching the lines and there's been relatively little movement, meaning the money is not coming in at all (doubtful) or coming in rather even. The line that's really tough for me to figure out is the Alabama - LSU line. I would have handicapped that almost like a home game for LSU. Maybe somebody knows something I don't.......

The Bowl Picks, More on Rudy and an Olio of Christmas Delights!

2011-12-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering, yes, I did get in a Bowl Pool. So far, I'm not winning, but I didn't have a lot of points in play this past weekend. There will be additional wagering on the bigger bowls with some teams that I have a better read on. But, if you're still able to get in a Bowl Pool and are looking for insight, you can reference the MMQ's sheet below. And I highly recommend that after referencing, you forget everything you see and just do your own thing!

Now! On to MUCH MORE IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT MATTERS!

1. With all due respect to the Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!)

It seems that their favorite folk hero, Rudy, is actually nothing more than a cheap charlatan that was charged and paid a hefty fine for pimping his own name, the Notre Dame Mystique, and taking advantage of the gullibility of a bunch of blind fans. It seems that he came up with his own Sports drink company and associated sports drink called "Rudy", and he claimed it was outselling Gatorade "2 to 1" where it was marketed. At the end of the day, Rudy paid over $300K in fines and was charged with presenting false information to investors...

Ha-ha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

I know you ALL love a good laugh on behalf of the Domers on a Monday Morning!

You're all Welcome!

2. Penn State's problems continue....I would hate to be a Penn State fan right about now. The abyss is staring them in the face and it's hard to see past it. Quick Summary: McGloin and a little used wide receiver Drake got in a fracas after practice where Drake laid out McGloin with one punch, resulting in a concussion and a seizure. Sheesh....How much worse can it get for PSU? I remember feeling a lot like that in 2007-2008...Those were dark times and I truly hope that Penn State comes out of this deal better than when they went in...It's sad, really, when you compare it to OSU and see how little pain they've actually felt for a whole lot more wrongdoing with respect to actual football. Again, I'm not trying to compare the two, but it just really pisses me off....

3. If you haven'st seen the M-Zone's take on David Brandon's North Pole Assignment and the new look for Santa, well, you have to visit. That's all I'm gonna say...Again, nobody does it better than Yost and the crew! ( Somehow, the Tie-Dye is my favorite!)

4. M-GoBlog has a great diatribe on the $2,000 student athlete stipend. While I'm not for it (entirely) I get why it needs to happen. Somewhere along the way, things have gotten so out of hand with respect to the revenue generating sports, the product that University's are allowed to market (exploit) and sell for millions of dollars in exhange for a "salary" of a scholarship and the rules the NCAA puts on the student athlete vs. the institutions is mind boggling. I like to think of it simply as this: Michael Dell, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg and others came up with great ideas in college, left and pursued their dreams and fortunes. What, exactly, keeps an athlete from "owning" what he puts out there on the field? In other words, if DeRob is having an awesome season and people want to buy his jersey, why doesn't he see a dime of that money? Is it different than what the entrepreneurs did? I know it is, but it's a fuzzy line and I for one believe it's high time to address it. Of course (And back off, because I have daughters!) you have the whole Title IX thing that keeps non-revenue budget sucking sports alive in order to keep a level playing field, which is simply wrong and falls into the reverse descrimination category, right along with reduced requirements for minorities. My guess is that we will eventually see the reduction of college athletics and the loss of scholarships simply because more of the smaller schools will find that they cannot make ends meet.

5. And finally, and I really thought I would be through with having to write this clown's name once he left the collegiate ranks because I frankly got tired of hearing it then, TEBOW LOST! Even better, if you haven't seen it, SNL did a great spoof that you simply have to watch...Jesus tells Tebow to take it down a notch! I really love the part where Jesus let's Tebow know that he wouldn't be able to help out against Touchdown Tom and the Pats because he had some Christmas shopping to do! Classic...

Enjoying the Ride....

The MMQ

David Brandon - STOP WITH THE UNIFORMS!

2011-12-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

I wrote this initially back in June when the announcement came out about the “Night Game Throwback Uniforms” and I didn’t post because I wasn’t really sure how I felt yet about the whole thing. I mean, a one time jersey that represented something special kind of had a certain appeal to the part of me that isn't "Old Fogey". I mean, Penn States uni's have always been the same and while you know who they are, I guess it can get a little...boring? But really, it's the product that's in the uni's that's important. And again, I was really sure how I felt till I actually saw the uniforms.
Guess What?

NOW I’M SURE!

(Originally written on June 13, 2011)

When Money Makes the Decisions

This is what the Notre Dame – Michigan Ann Arbor Night Game Jerseys are going to look like….Where does the MMQ stand?

1. As a Traditionalist, they suck.
2. Never, EVER at any point in time did the COLLECTIVE team jersey ever have stripes on the sleeves. Yes, some guys had sweaters in some picture from before the turn of the century that sported some “faint” stripes.
3. When have you ever seen them on any old clips?
4. Solid blue on the Jersey would have been fine, with the small number on the helmet that Michigan sported at some point in the 60’s…
5. We will forever have to look at that on ESPN classic, win or lose, and that bothers me.

If you want to call it a retro style, then call it that, but do NOT CALL IT A retro uniform. Admit what it is – a money grab by the athletic department and a chance (NOT) to sell some of the retro jerseys at M-Den and other places. Except that I think whoever invests in these things is going to have a difficult time moving them…Kind of like the Big Chill Hockey jerseys that are still sitting on the shelves from the Big Chill.

So far, I’ve enjoyed the David Brandon athletic directorship. But if he continues to let his “corporate” side make decisions (like this one) then I may have to start a little campaign to get him to wake up and realize that there are just some things you don’t do for the sake of a dime in the grand scheme of things.

Today’s Addition:

That last paragraph really sums it up: It’s a sick money grab by making “special” jerseys for re-sale and to play up to the “bling” generation of let’s eff with tradition.

Now, while I sort of felt like a one time a year or one time every 5 years might not be a bad thing and it would sort of keep the “special” uniforms “special”, when you start doing it THREE TIMES A YEAR it’s no longer special….It’s stupid. Domers, Sparty and now the Sugar Bowl....

I don’t care how much it’s helping the bottom line….Knock it off!

Thanks for letting the ole MMQ vent on this one…And I really hope we get back to traditional uni’s with a simple Sugar Bowl logo on the sleeve and THAT’S IT!

How I Miss Saturday When There’s Nothing On…

2011-12-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

The first Saturday after Championship Saturday is always tough. I make it a point to turn on Army-Navy (except they keep moving the time of that game back!) and I also might turn on an FCS game just to see if the fans are really in attendance to see how their team is doing in the play-offs. BTW – Way to go Wayne State!

(However – think about that for a minute: WSU snuck into the play-offs and is now playing for the Championship…Still want a full playoff at the FBS level? I CERTAINLY don’t want one that let’s a 3 or 4 loss team in and win the whole thing…which is inevitably where a play-off goes. And I’m sorry, but I don’t like the one and done mentality infiltrating college football…It would ruin the experience. Even though it’s more or less a one and done deal now….)

Anyway, back to being a little melancholy that it’s all over, I didn’t even get a chance to watch the Hypesman, er, Heisman live due to another commitment. I haven’t even seen that award show in a couple of years. Something about it being too stattish and not going to the most “exciting” guy in college football. 1997 was the last year they got it right…

Griffin is as deserving as anyone else…I only hope that De-Rob has a great season next year to get some votes…I think he deserves a reservation to wear a coat and tie in New York.

Stuff you should be reading about, however, can all be found in the handy links below:

1. Looking for the latest Plus -1 formats that are being considered by the big boys? As always, Frank the Tank has connections and insider info. Don’t be surprised if the #4 option comes out of the heap with one additional BCS bowl that you’ve never heard of. Something tells me it will be in the South-east (that’s the MMQ’s hunch) for the revenue and proximity to fanbases. But will the result be any more satisfying? Check today's BCS Mess for the analysis....

2. What’s the deal with the re-treads? I was going to go heavy into this but Connelly (a guy without a real job) beat me to it. I get some of the hires and have already called out the brilliance of landing Urban Legend…but the other re-runs? I mean, Gatorland was doing cartwheels upon hearing that Charlie was headed out of town…More on that in a minute.

3. Genuinely Sarcastic writes his prose in a way that I wish I could write…Well thought out, insightful and with feeling. When I read his stuff I know that I’ll never be able to write for a living, and that makes me sad…But I do enjoy reading his stuff when it’s out…It’s a great tribute to the trials and tribulations that we’ve all gone through as fans, not to mention what the seniors who had to live through for the last 5 years of this crazy roller-coaster ride.

The BCS Mess

Based on what Frank the Tank wrote, I’m eagerly (but not too eagerly) waiting for the next phase of the BCS and what form it may take in the future. I see issues with the plus one format, but then I remind myself that all the formats have issues. There isn’t one that will satisfy every quirk a college football season can throw at you. Based on the 5 seeded rank BCS games plus a national title (and assuming the old bowl tie ins), the MMQ has the 2011 season (assuming the teams that are already in BCS bowls) looking like this.

(PLEASE NOTE! I picked based on the first pick going to LSU because they are the #1 seed and used the reverse order of the NCAA Basketball Brackets 1 vs. 16 mentality where there weren’t auto tie-ins. I believe this is in the spirit of how Frank is describing it….If it’s not, I’m willing to listen to arguments.) They are, in order of seeding and rank:

1. SUGAR: LSU vs. last at Large (Michigan or Baylor. I only waiver here in that Baylor is closer to the Sugar and has the Heisman winner on the team, which would put people in seats but Michigan was ranked lower. I didn’t take Laters as their record was worse than Michigan with 3 losses. I don’t think the PTB would let that happen and I don’t think LMU wants to play the Laters)
2. BCS NEW: Alabama vs. At Large (Va-Tech – Kstate – Boys State. I personally think in this format, K-State might have received the nod over VA-Tech. But again, that’s the MMQ talking. Alabama wants to win this game, the BCS bowl wants Asses in Seats)
3. FIESTA: Oklahoma State vs. at Large (Stanford – they have to go here as they are a top 4 rank and therefore must receive an at large bid)
4. ROSE: Wisconsin vs. Oregon (auto tie-ins)
5. ORANGE: WVU vs. Clemson (Auto tie-in for the ACC and probably (future) Beast. This could have easily been where Boy’s State would have ended up thereby knocking WVU out...But this year, they're in)

Championship: 1 and 2 after the bowl games.

Left out (but in the top 14): Arkansas, USC (for obvious reasons), Va Tech (most likely) and Boy's State.
So, after digesting all that (take a minute – it took me 10 minutes just to make sure I got it right per Frank’s information, and I’m still not 100% sure I got it…) Also note that the Rose, Fiesta, and Orange DON’T CHANGE. Only the Sugar that locks in the old SEC champ and the new BCS Game split up the current National Title game of LMU and Satan. But, based on who LMU and Satan would play, does anything change?

I guess where I’m going here is that unless the Fiesta split up Stanford and Okie State (And I did this according to how I would pick given the opportunity), it doesn’t really change much. But at least the fans get something of what they are looking for. And there is always the opportunity for LMU or Satan to cough one up and let someone else in the title game. Which is what it would take to get LMU and Satan out of it, anyway…

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-Joe Pa gets fired and his health is failing him…
-What a sad ending to an otherwise great story.
-I just wish he would have had better advisers around him telling him how to handle issues.
-Which goes to show you – Don’t surround yourself with yes men.
-Michigan Sugar Bowl Packages can be found here.
-If I win the lotto in the next three weeks, everyone reading this is GOING TO NEW ORLEANS!
-Seriously. Put it on your calendar.
-I DON’T CARE IF IT’S SOLD OUT!!!!
-Your MMQ will find a way!
-Little know fact: This was one of the fastest sellouts of a bowl for Michigan.
-Only one that was faster: 2007 Capitol 1 Bowl against Florida and the 1997 Rose….
-Which, like...........Okay!
-I mean, Lloyd's last game against Heismann winner Tebow and the National Title…
-What more do you need?
-Sparty Tours and Tix still available!
-But, you probably already knew that, didn’t you?
-Domer tours packages and tix also available!
-Probably knew that one, too, didn’t ya’?
-I know, I know...Your ole' MMQ likes to stick it to 'em even after they've been stuck....
-Heh-heh….Charlie Weis at Kansas…
-Do you think $warbuck$ made a phone call to get them on the schedule?
-I know Charlie would like to play the Domers…
-Of course, after the USF fiasco, my guess is legacies and former coaches are off the menu for Domer football schedules…
-Some of these coaching hires….
-WHAT ARE PEOPLE THINKING?

The Hot Seat

Voting is running tight amongst the top three weekly winners! As the MMQ could have predicted, Jenn Brown, Katarina VanDerham and Lucy Pinder are literally running neck and neck. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some lead changes in the coming two weeks before we finally get a winner. Remember: The polls close on December 24th so keep voting for your favorite!

Instead of the usual hot seat list, I wanted to look at and rank the latest hires by some of the schools that are out there. I’m basically looking at Connelly’s ranking from SBNation …But I don’t agree with the order in every case…

The GOOD

1. OSU: Already commented on this one…Hire of the year – decade – century. Ohio has to be the only school that can fire a liar and end up with a coach of the year before the NCAA rules on anything…Which, by the way, what’s taking so long for the NCAA to rule on the issues???
2. WSU: Leach is going to do great in the PAC 12. And I guess I’m just still amazed that Craig James has a job at ESPN. I still can’t figure out why ESPN still listens to and lets James on the air after everything that went through and came out during the legal process, but whatever.
3. North Carolina: Larry Fedora. Former Southern Miss coach that beat previously undefeated Houston. But that’s not all he did…I think this is a good move for North Carolina and the ACC in general…
4. Ole Miss: Hugh Beckmann. Here’s a guy that’s done more with a Hollywood movie (he was the high school coach that “discovered” Michael Oher in “The Blind Side” and parlayed it into a collegiate coaching career. I hope he does well, actually. I am actually thinking about putting this one above Larry at North Carolina.
5. Illinois: Tim Beckmann. This one scares me and this might be an even better hire than 4 and 5 above, based on the region and the team. Tim was able to recruit and win at Toledo. He’s basically just moved to a better neighborhood and may create issues for everyone else that’s already there…But until the Illini prove it consistently, it's a wait and see game.
6. Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin. Had this guy not been coaching a 6 year starter, I’m really curious as to how high his stock would have been for open spots. The SEC is no place to cut your teeth in the FBS world…Good luck to him and A&M in their newest endeavor. But this could be a transitional hire at best…

The BAD

1. New Mexico: Bob Davie. Yes, he was the “last” successful coach the Domers had, but was he that much of a success? And while I still think any coach is handed an impossible recipe at Notre Dame, Davie has simply been in the booth too long and I’m not sure this was the best thing for either party involved.
2. FAU: Carl Pelini. I’m not sure this is a match made in heaven, either. I was surprised that FAU considered Carl and even more surprised that Carl took the job. I figured he’d be more of a “Big Name” School kind of guy…So, while this is good for Carl, it might be bad for FAU
3. ASU: Rich Rod. If he could just keep his mouth shut about his divorce from Michigan, I think ASU fans would be a lot happier. As it is, they’re already complaining that all this guy ever does is talk about Michigan…And that isn’t a great way to start a new job. My guess is Rich doesn’t find the success he’s searching for at ASU and he’ll be the next candidate for an open Beast job when it becomes available.
4. UCLA: Jim Mora. Another NFL re-tread and as ANYONE KNOWS THAT FOLLOWS college football, this rarely, if ever, works. The only guys I would even think about taking a chance on doing something like this would be Dick Vermeil and maybe Pete Carroll - again. Otherwise, stay inside the collegiate coaching ranks…

THE UGLY

1. KANSAS: Under the category/heading of, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?” Charlie Weis as a re-treaded collegiate head coach has to be one of the dumbest moves of all time. I mean, the guy is clearly not cut out to be a college coach. He can’t recruit and he certainly can’t motivate the guys he does recruit. I’m sure the Domers and it’s fans are just loving the fact that they are now paying a guy to be head coach of a team that they probably can’t even get on the schedule…But it would sell tickets if they could. I don’t see this lasting long and with Charlie’s health, well, it may be even shorter than Urb’s last year of retirement….

We’ll continue this little summary until all the major positions have been filled.

FMQ Betting Results:

Army (+7) vs. Navy O/U 58
Sheesh…Had I known ole Army would show up to play against the Middies, well, I would have bet it differently….OBVIOUSLY! However, we mde a couple of bucks on the prop bets to offset the loss….

Take Navy and lay the 7 for $100….LOSE
And take the under for $50 – WIN! Bank: $95
Navy Scores First for $50 – WIN! Bank: $95

This week’s betting cost us $10…Let’s see how we can do in the bowls!

Starting Bank: $1,142.50
Total Win: $190
Bank: $1,332.50

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Sugar Bowl Thoughts and Army-Navy Wagers

2011-12-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

As soon as I heard that Michigan was heading back to the Sugar Bowl, I let my mind wander back to my senior year in high school when Michigan played Auburn in 1984 in the 50th Sugar Bowl. It was a pretty big deal and I really didn’t know that much about the SEC as we didn’t have constant 24-7 coverage of collegiate football in the local newspaper - and the internet was still Al Gore's wet dream..... All I knew at the time was they had a running back named “Bo”, which frankly I thought was a cheap rip-off of the greatest coach that ever lived….However, it turns out that kid could play!

I remember the build up to the game was huge and the Rose Bowl was ticked because the Sugar was actually a better game on paper that year. Pat Dye was the head coach at Auburn and they had won 10 games heading into the game. Michigan had won 9 games and had a legitimate loss to Washington and a flukey loss to the Illini that year that sent them to the Rose Bowl where a very good UCLA team led by Eric Ball CRUSHED the Illini 45-9….It was not a good start for the Big 10 on New Year’s Day.

However, the Maize and Blue came out led by Steve Smith, the shortest QB ever to play a down for the Maize and Blue and Michigan kept it close and scored the game’s only TD in the first half when Stevie ran it in on an option keeper. What many people don’t remember about that play was that Triando Markaray had caught a pass right before that for a long gain and set up the TD. I really thought the game was in hand as for years Michigan, Bo, and his assistants adjusted and did most of their damage in the 2nd half….

However, it was not to be as the Auburn Defense tightened up and their wishbone running attack was eating up yards. Michigan never gave up a TD, but the Tigers got close enough to kick it through the uprights three times in the 2nd half.

Then, on the game’s final drive, Steve marched the team down the field. Michigan was inside the 50 yard line with about 10 seconds left on the clock. We had a kicker on the sidelines, Pat Moons, that had the stones to make it, given a chance. I was just praying he got a shot. Then, Steve found a wide open Triando Markaray on the side line and hit him perfectly at about the 23 yard line. Inexplicably, instead of going out of bounds, Triando tried to get a few additional yards, made it to the 17 yard line, but failed to step out with any time left on the clock. Moons never got a shot….I remember being crushed as I had figured Auburn would be an easy team for Michigan to beat and it was a loss that stuck with me for awhile….

I told you that story to tell you this one: Later, at the ‘87 Rose Bowl, I was at a hotel party where there were a bunch of former players hanging out. I was walking around meeting guys and I was introduced to Triando Markaray…Of course, it was New Year’s Eve, the MMQ had been tipping a few, and the first thing out of my mouth was, “WHY DIDN’T YOU STEP OUT OF BOUNDS AT THE END OF THE GAME IN THE SUGAR BOWL!????”

Somehow, I don’t think Triando thought it was very funny.

Anyway, the ole MMQ is looking forward to the Sugar Bowl this year and the opportunity to play what has to be one of the last coaching “legends” left. I mean, after Mack Brown, Beamer has to be the next most tenured coach at a major program. And I believe he might be thinking about hanging up the whistle or at least letting the thoughts creep in there.

Which is why it would be nice to take down the Testicle-less Turkeys (What, you didn’t know? Yes, sports fans: A “Hoakie” is a de-balled Tom-Turkey) while Beamer is still there, just to add one more “Beat ‘Em!” to the list of the defeated.

I wish I could go, but logistics and finances will not allow it this year. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t be there in spirit.

With the only action this weekend being the Army-Navy game (yes, I know, the FCS games are on all over the place…And how many of those teams have you followed all year? Can you say “Junkie?”) we’ll go a little easy on the steam this week. However, even if you don’t watch the game, be sure to tune into the opening ceremonies. Its still one of the best shows you’ll see on TV and if you’ve got a patriotic bone in your body, you’ll get more than a few chills.

Army (+7) vs. Navy O/U 58
Two teams that duke it out every year in a traditional rivalry game. Throw out the records (not really that good anyway 4-7 and 3-8) and let ‘em knock heads. Navy has owned Army the last 10 years and unfortunately, I don’t see anything changing this year.
Take Navy and lay the 7 for $100
And take the UNDER for $50
Navy Scores First (pays 1:1) for $50

Starting Bank: $1,342
BET: $200
Bank: $1,142

Enjoying the Ride…MMQ

Championship Weekend Wrap!

2011-12-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to admit, it was an exciting Saturday and you’re a happy fan if you’re anyone besides a Sparty. Case in Point:

-Michigan in a BCS Bowl (the Sugar) against the HOAKIES! (Who have to be really surprised!)
-Georgia playing on New Year’s Day (sort of) against aforementioned Spartys!
-Wiscy and Oregon in the Rose!
-Stanford and Okie State in the Fiesta!
-Clemson and WVU in the Orange! (I shouldn’t have put an exclamation point there, but whatever….)
-LSU vs. Alabama in the BCS Championship…We’ll get to that in a minute.

So, of everything I saw, and I saw most of the Wiscy – Sparty game, I was hoping and praying that the B1G 10 Championship wasn’t a complete blow out and it would be the game that everyone was talking about and I was also hoping that Sparty would lose….And did they ever in classic Sparty fashion! So both my wishes came true. The B1G was the only game worth a crap after about 10.

Dantonio made some great calls in that game and then, THEN he tries to block the punt with 1:57 and time outs left???? Can SOMEONE (anyone) explain that to me? And then Sparty gets the big return that’s completely nullified and they don’t even get the ball! Stupid, Stupid, and More Stupid….I’m not even sure there’s a qualifier I can put on how stupid this was….But let’s try, shall we?

1. If you’re going to block the punt, why even have a returner back catching the ball?
2. If you’re going to go for the block, you better make DAMN sure at that point in the game that you can get it. Get the ball, take out the kicker, but get in there with a 90% confidence that you can touch ball and block the thing…
3. Otherwise, set up the return and play the 60 yard or so field with the two minutes and timeouts you have left….

Dantonio called a brilliant game right up to that point. Then he came out and said he called for the block attempt. If that’s true, then he truly is an idiot of immense proportions that needs a refresher in basic football….

Wiscy wins, which the ole MMQ can stomach a lot easier than Sparty being the inaugural winner of the B1G 10 Championship…Sorry Sparty! Have fun in Tampa!

The BCS Mess
Championship Saturday in Review:

Okie State vs. MUCH Laters: Okie State just turned the heat up on what was supposed to be a BCS Championship Season for Stoops and company. For the first 5 weeks of the season, all anyone heard was Oklahoma…If that’s true and Oklahoma is still what they were originally said to be, why didn’t Okie State’s SOS numbers in the computers support them a little better? And why didn’t the voters support them a little more? One Iowa State loss after the death of the women’s basketball coach and you’re pretty much done for the season? Well, okay then….

Va Tech – Clemson: Well, the FMQ blew this one…Or maybe Beamer did. It was obvious that A-Little-Dabo-‘ll-do-ya had his kids more than ready to play…Beamer, not so much. So, will that be the team Michigan sees in the Sugar? More on that in a minute.

Oregon – UCLA: Are you kidding me? How in the world does Kelly’s Heroes only score 49 on that defense that gave up over 50 to Utah? Anyone? Another FMQ nightmare scenario….

LSU – Bulldogs: the Dawgs stood firm for the first quarter, but then the LSU slow grind just wore them down…Richt’s job is safe for another year with a 10-3 finish, but so much more was expected.

So, am I happy with the re-match? What’s the difference? Meaning if you’re reading between the lines, I’m not happy but I realize it’s the system we’re stuck with….I understand why the rule was put in where “you don’t have to be the (a) conference champion to compete for the National Title (Thanks Domers.) But I also understand that Okie State’s 1 loss is so much worse than Satan’s. If Okie State would have just taken care of business, we’re not having the discussion. So, it is what it is. Let’s just enjoy what we currently have, but I’m willing to bet something in the system changes sooner rather than later….

BCS Rankings

1. LSU – Shame they have to attempt (and probably will) beat the same team twice.
2. Satan’s Warriors – Of course, Satan is probably already making deals with the Devil for a victory…Can you imagine if he loses to the Hatter twice in one season? Tuscaloosa will scream for a new coach…Miles?
3. OKIE STATE Cowboys: I really like the Fiesta Matchup. I think it’s fitting that two of the better teams this year are playing each other and wouldn’t it be nice if there was a “plus 1” this year for the winner of this one and the LMU - Satan victor? Thought so….
4. Stanford – Mr. Lucky still has a shot at the Heismann….but it’s a long shot.
5. Oregon – Nice Rose Bowl Match-up…Still not sure Wiscy can handle Oregon’s speed….
6. Arkansas – Name the last time an SEC team was in the top 6 of the BCS and didn’t make a BCS bowl….I couldn’t do it, either.
7. Boy’s State – hee-hee…HAHAHAHAHAHA! I especially loved Herbstreit’s “Dis” of the Sugar for overlooking Boise State. That was priceless and should be sent to every recruit that’s thinking about going there. And I’m sure that was a not to subtle nudge to Boise to consider (seriously) a Big 12 or Big East nod. They need all the teams they can get.
8. K-State: No 2nd Big 12 team into the BCS? Could it be that they simply aren’t getting enough support?
9. Southern Cal – Would have been in the Rose Bowl, maybe…
10. Wiscy – See Oregon above. But this game might be closer than anyone thinks…
11. Va Tech: Fifth place and you drop 6 spots after getting blown out in your Championship game…but that keeps you in a BCS spot…
12. Baylor – I can’t believe how far THIS TEAM fell in the pecking order….Alamo Bowl? Really? Against Washington??
13. MICHIGAN: Heh-heh….He who laughs last, laughs well….
14. Laters – New Year’s day….Not Bad….
15. Clemson – BCSing on their own night in the Orange!
16. Dawgs – I like the MSU and Doggy matchup…two underachievers looking to beat each other’s brains out….
17. Sparty: Speaking of Underachievers….Heh-heh….HAHAHAHA! But at least you’re on New Year’s day!
18. TCU: Too bad, so sad…
19. Houston…Wow. Think Sumlin’s distractions hurt the team prep?
20. Nebraska – Capitol 1 bowl bid…Not bad for 1st year in the B1G 10…
21. SMU – Mullen’s last year in Purple? Or whatever color that is…
22. PSU – I’m not surprised how far this team fell…I was actually thinking Motor City…
23. WVU: Best of the Big East in a BCS game!
24. Texas – At least they’re bowling…
25. Auburn – Ditto

The Bowls

Too many, too boring, and in some cases, named so poorly that it makes you wonder if people are just trying to make you laugh...(think I'm kidding? Say them out loud in the office. People will laugh!)

These bowls are bowls that I might watch if the TV is on and there is absolutely nothing else to watch type bowls…

NEW MEXICO (se habla ingles?) – Temple and Wyoming
IDAHO POTATO (Or the “What Did We Do To Deserve This?”) – Ohio vs. Utah State

R+L CARRIERS (‘Cause Truckers Need a Bowl, Too! I mean, besides the one the Suckeyes go to) SDSU vs La Lafayette

BEEF O’BRADY’S (Isn’t Beef O’Brady’s enough of an insult?) Fla. Intl vs. Marshall
POINSETTA (Or the San Diego County Credit Union – Seriously) TCU vs. La Tech
MAACO (Or the “You Wonder why Paint Jobs Cost So Much) Boy’s State vs. ASU
Hawaii Bowl: (Hard to make fun of this one…Hawaii at Christmas AIN’T ALL BAD!) Nevada vs. Southern Miss
INDEPENDENCE BOWL: (Or the “Shreveport La REALLY needs a bowl, Too!) Missouri vs. UNC
Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (Or the We’re the LAST TEAM IN THE B1G that no one else wanted vs. the MAC): Purdue vs. Western
BELK BOWL: (or the “What the Hell is a Belk?) Lousivill vs. NC State
MILITARY BOWL: (so the Armed Forces get a team to the Bowls, too) Toledo vs. Air Force
HOLIDAY BOWL: (‘Cause there’s nothing else to do on December 28th) California vs. Texas (How the mighty have fallen…)
CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL (Because there needs to be a Bowl for Losers Like the DOMERS – JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) Domers vs. FSU
ALAMO BOWL: (‘Cause San Antonio needs to raise the prices on River Walk before New Year’s Eve) Washington vs. Baylor
ARMED FORCES BOWL: (So Army has a place to play, too) BYU vs. Tulsa…Wait a minute, Armed Forces is in the name for God’s Sake!
PINSTRIPE BOWL: (Or the “How Much Longer do you Think They Can Make This one Last?) Rutgers vs. Iowa State
MUSIC CITY: (‘Cause not everyone visits Opryland for the Music and low prices) Mississippi ST. vs Wake Forest
INSIGHT BOWL: (I didn’t think I could actually get tired or run out of ideas for calling these fleabag bowls something funny, but I did.) IOWA vs. Oklahoma
MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL: (‘Cause guys like Pimpin’ their ride) Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
SUN BOWL: (Why not? El Paso should get a bowl, too!) Georgia Tech vs. UTAH
LIBERTY (Nashville’s got a bowl, we’re keeping ours!) Cincinnati vs. VANDY
KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL: (Cause no one had taken the name, “KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL.com yet) Illinois vs. UCLA
COMPASS BOWL: (So we know which way were going) SMU vs. PITT
GO DADDY: (Why the Hell not?) Arkansas State vs. No. Illinois

The rest of these are decent bowls worth tuning in for….

CHIC-FIL-A: Virginia vs. Auburn
TICKET CITY: PSU vs. Houston…PSU fell a LOT further than anyone thought….
OUTBACK: Sparty vs. Georgia
Capitol One: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
GATOR (Taxslayer.com) : Suckeyes vs. Gatorland…(Think Urb will be on the sideline?)
COTTON: K-State vs. Arkansas
ROSE: Wiscy vs. Oregon
FIESTA: Stanford vs. Okie State
SUGAR: MICHIGAN vs. Va Tech
ORANGE: West Virginia vs. Clemson
National Championship: The Hatter vs. Satan…

THE MMQ’s

So, each week I write about something in all the games I either watch or attend. I figured, why not hand out some MMQ awards in the process?

1. Game of the Year: I’m a little biased here, but Michigan – Domers has to be an all timer for one of the Best Evers, Instant Classics, call it what you will…
2. Best Play of the Year: Same Game - DeRob Scooping up the fumble at the end of the 3rd quarter and scooting in for 6….It might not have been the biggest or longest, but it changed the complexion of that game.
3. Best Comeback: I wanted to say Michigan – Domers again, but I saw a few more games than that. NC State coming back from 27 down to beat Maryland has to be the one.
4. Nickname of the Year: Honeybadger…I had to actually look it up when I first heard it.
5. Coach of the Year: Brady Hoke. Nobody saw this coming…Well, one guy.
6. Disappointment of the Year: So many to choose from – Texas A&M, FSU, Laters, Sparty, Nebraska, Texas, Tennessee, Gatorland, Gophers, ASU, Arizona, DOMERS…I can’t pick one. Let’s just give them all the nod, call it “Ragu” (you know, “it’s in there!”) and remember that not all pre-season prognostications are everything they are cracked up to be.
7. Biggest Laugher of the Year: Just happened. The fact that Boy’s State didn’t get a BCS nod and Lowly Va Tech did…That just cracks me up. Boy’s State needs some fans besides Pat Forde….
8. Biggest Cheater of the Year: Satan, who else? Let’s oversign some more!
9. Worst overturned play of the Year: Fitz’s TD against ohio…
10. Best Coaching Hire: (So Far – And I don’t know how you top it) Urban Legend.

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-Houston is LOSING! Big!
-They look like crap, too!
-Maybe this team isn’t so good after all.
-Which is why you can’t have teams like this in Big Bowls.
-Who wants to see that?
-Southern Mississippi just cost Conference USA $7M….
-Or I guess you can say that Houston cost themselves…
-Can Georgia actually pull this off?
-Uh-oh, Honey Badger on the loose!
-Georgia over LSU or even a possibility of covering? Heh-heh…Nope
-Well, we’re seeing which Sparty Team Showed up…
-Okay, maybe not.
-Jeez, does the B1G 10 play defense?
-Clemson came to play.
-Bedlam was kind of anticlaimatic…
-The Laters looked like they really just quit…
-Is that the “Big 12 sticking together?” to possibly get Okie State into the Championship?
-Don’t you love Conspiracy theories?
-Sparty is playing some smart football….pinning them back, set of the return for possible game ending score.
-What’s this!!!????
-Why would you try to block that punt?
-Sparty collapses in classic fashion…Is that too much or will they at least try to add a highlight on the end with an Outback Bowl Win?
-We’ll have to check the ole spread on that one when they come out…
-Haven’t seen anything early yet…..But when I do, the FMQ will be there!

The Hot Seat – Championship WEEK!

Well, here we are! Last week’s nominee, Miss Hough, was just barely edging out Jenn Brown and then all of a sudden over the weekend, a whole slew of votes came in on Lucy Pinder! Now, there may be some tampering going on or someone from overseas is stuffing the ballot box, I dunno. I have the Blog investigators trying to figure out if there’s any hanky panky as this week’s vote will decide who we get to look at for the entire off season in the upper right hand corner of the Blog!

In no particular order, the weekly winners were:

1. Abigail Spencer (by default)
2. Alexa Flutie
3. Analeigh Tipton
4. Katarina Van Derham
5. Ali Larter
6. Jenn Brown
7. Lucy Pinder

That’s it! Here’s a refresher for everyone on the weekly winners (MMQ selections) and hopefully helps brighten your day as we have reached the end of the regular season.

Be sure to vote and vote often! I have left the poll open until December 24th in order to give voters extra time to find any additional computers they might have access to in order to cast additional votes for their favorite!

Abigail

Alexa

Analeigh

Katarina

Jenn Brown

Lucy Pinder

GONE list:

1. LOCKSLEY – New Mexico
2. Mike Stoops – Arizona…Sorry, I didn’t see this one coming….
3. Nutt – Ole Miss
4. Joe Pa. It gives me no pleasure typing that…
5. Zook - Illinois
6. Fickell - OSU
7. Neuheisel - UCLA
8. Turner Gill - Kansas
9. Wulff - Wazoo
10. Sherman – Texas A&M
11. Erickson – ASU
12. Withers – north Carolina
13. Tom Bradley – PSU interim
14. Pat Hill – Fresno State
15. Larry Porter – Memphis
16. Toledo – Tulane
17. Steve Fairchild – Colorado State

You know what I think? I think Brady Hoke got a whole bunch of guys fired this year who might otherwise still have jobs....

Hot Seat Rank for 2012

1. Brian Kelly – Champs Bowl this year…If he’s not at least 10-2 next year, he’ll be number 1 on the list. I keep hearing and seeing the comparisons to Michigan and how Hoke took Michigan’s “Athletes” and turned them around…Making Domer Nation very angry with this coach…Heh-heh…

FMQ Betting Results:
I don't really want to comment on this week except to say that I really, really thought we were going to do a lot better than we did. Hopefully, we can make a big bowl run (think last year) and we'll get a little more on to the positive side of this mess....

Virgina Tech vs. Clemson (+7) – (The ACC Gets 1 Team in a BCS Bowl Game)
Take the Hoakies and lay the 7 for $80
Well, that sucked….What the hell…Beamer’s Boys DESTROY Virginia the week before and can’t get up for the title game? Really?

Bedlam (De-Facto Big 12 minus 3 Championship)

Oklahoma vs. Okie State (-3)
Take Okie State and lay the 3 for $50
One Right: BANK: $95

Wiscy (-9.5) vs Sparty – The REMATCH
Take Wiscy and lay the 9.5 for $60
First, Sparty doesn’t show up, then he shows up! I would have preferred the lay down like early in the game here…..

Ducks (-31) vs. UCLA (The R U Kidding me? Championship)
Take the Ducks and lay 31 for $100
This one simply blows my mind…What, did Kelly grow a conscience over night or something? Why take pity on a team that really, really sucks? Sheesh…

Georgia vs. LSU (-13.5) (The SEC pseudo Championship)
Take LSU and lay the 13.5 for $60
THANK YOU MR. HATTER FOR DOING THINGS RIGHT!
WIN: BANK: $114

Parlays

3 way pays 6 to 1
Hoakies – Ducks – Wiscy for $50
THIS ONE REALLY BURNS MY ASS…If I had taken all of these the other way, WIN!!!!!!

Starting Bank: $1409.50
Total Win: $209
Bank: $1,342.50

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Championship Friday!

2011-12-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are. Everything is building into a huge climax (not!) and we won’t know who’s playing for the National Title until after this weekend.

Oh, how I wish that were somewhat true.

However, you STILL HAVE TO PLAY THE GAMES! And that’s what the FMQ is hoping and praying for as we look at which potential upset and point spread beaters are lurking out there….

I want to comment on the whole re-match thing, but I want to give Georgia their shot at LSU first. If they can pull off the miracle, well, things could get very interesting in the polls….And what if the Laters could also knock off Okie State? Is there still and chance for Mr. Lucky to slide into the Championship Game against Satan?

MAYBE!

Of course, that would destroy Michigan’s chances of going to the Sugar….so I have mixed feelings, to say the least.
The Bets

We need a good Championship Weekend and let’s just say that the FMQ is still a little miffed at the replay official in the booth in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Where the “indisputable video evidence” was that forced an overturn of that call in addition to a 25 yard penalty AFTER the call is overturned is simply still too difficult for me to comprehend. That would have put them up 10 and the spread was covered...Se La vie...

Virgina Tech vs. Clemson (+7) – (The ACC Gets 1 Team in a BCS Bowl Game)
Wow…Talk about your subtle slap in the face. Clemson embarrassed the Hoakies in their own house in October, 20-3. Now, Vegas thinks Clemson has fallen so far (and they have losing 3 out of their last 4) that they are a TD dog in the ACC championship. My gut tells me Vegas is right, Clemson is Clemson, and Beamer’s Boys are going to roll big in this one. Therefore,
Take the Hoakies and lay the 7 for $80

Bedlam (De-Facto Big 12 minus 3 Championship)
Oklahoma vs. Okie State (-3)
Oklahoma is banged up, but Okie State’s leading receiver isn’t much better. Is this a big brother – little brother thing? And is Big Brother up to the task or will they collapse like a house of cards when the going gets tough? I’d like to believe that Stupor has a trick or two up his sleeve, but youth must also be served. This one is tricky, but I’m staying with the favorite.
Take Okie State and lay the 3 for $50

Wiscy (-9.5) vs Sparty – The REMATCH
So much has been made of the fact that Sparty and Wiscy have played three times in the span of about 14 months. Wiscy wasn’t even close (really) in the first meeting last year. This year, Sparty won on what can only be considered a miracle. Common opponent comparison is a joke…There weren’t many and the only one of value was Nebraska. Wisconsin destroyed ‘em and Sparty laid down to ‘em. They question is: Which Sparty team and which Wiscy team shows up? I haven’t believed in Sparty (ever) and this season hasn’t really proven that much to me, either. It’s tough to beat a team three times, too.
Take Wiscy and lay the 9.5 for $60

Ducks (-31) vs. UCLA (The R U Kidding me? Championship)
Not a lot of thought needs to go into this one. UCLA didn’t even show up against their arch rival. I don’t see how ANYTHING improves in 1 week, even with an out the door head coach that was carted off the practice field ala "Rudy". Makes great movies, but lousy football teams. On top of that, I’m sure Kelly is going to do everything he can to impress the voters in case true chaos develops over the weekend…I don’t think the Ducks know how to “let up”…
Take the Ducks and lay 31 for $100

Georgia vs. LSU (-13.5) (The SEC pseudo Championship)
This game seems like it should be an easy pick. However, when you start looking at Georgia, you start to see that they have improved defensively every week. Against weaker competition, mind you, but improvement none the less. LSU has pretty much owned everyone that they’ve played and their record against the number this season (9-3) is a bit misleading as the only games they haven’t covered are lopsided spreads (41, 30, 29) that really could have been part of the 2nd string being in those games. As much as I want to take a value play on the Dogs here (I REALLY, REALY DO!) I can’t bring myself to go against the Hat in this game.
Take LSU and lay the 13.5 for $60

Parlays

3 way pays 6 to 1
Hoakies – Ducks – Wiscy for $50

Starting Bank: $1409.50
Total Bet: $400
Bank: $1,009.50

Enjoying the Ride…MMQ

Thursday Thinking....

2011-12-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Just sitting here on a Thursday wondering about things. Like how so many people "think" that things are controlled and scripted in college football and the bowls. I was listening on the radio last night to a "rabid" Sparty Slappy that was infuriated with the fact that if Sparty loses the B1G 10 Championship game, they don't make it into a BCS bowl as the 2nd place team. He wanted to know what good the B1G 10 conference was if it wasn't going to step in and keep Michigan from going to the Sugar Bowl, ESPECIALLY because Sparty beat Michigan! He seriously believed it was a huge conspiracy to put Michigan in the Sugar...Sad.

It was great listening to an idiot try to rationalize that which cannot be explained when someone doesn't want to listen to facts, which the host was calmly trying to explain.

So many misconceptions about the B1G 10, pecking order and bowls in general.

The BCS's mission is to define the two best teams in the country and put them in a National Championship game. THAT'S IT. Everything else after that, bowl wise, has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the BCS. So many people believe that "where they finish" rank wise is the "pecking order" for the bowls. Couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there is an order, but after the champions of each conference satisfy the needs for the big bowls, what happens after that is pretty much a crap shoot.

Bowls want to make money. The Orange Bowl is getting irritated with having a lousy game and no attendance. You can probably pencil in the Fiesta there, also. Oklahoma fans I'm sure are having "Fiesta Fatigue" and would welcome the opportunity to get some new Big 12 blood in there...

Which is why the Sugar Bowl LOVES Michigan. Big School, travelling fans, and television exposure to new markets. Without the SEC in there, they get first pick. And as long as Michigan is in the top 14 of the BCS (doesn't matter who is in front of them or behind them) they want Michigan. Sparty just doesn't put that many fannies in the seats....Rumor is that both Wiscy and Sparty gave portions of their 15,000 ticket allotment for the B1G 10 Championship BACK to the B1G 10 for distribution. That's bad, Sparty and Wiscy fans...

And you wonder why Bowls love Michigan, OSU, PSU, and Nebraska?

So, yes, Sparty. Enjoy that Outback Bowl, or possibly (and this would be hilarious) that Gator Bowl. It's what you earned!

Beating Ohio..What Does It Mean???

2011-11-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

When I first let the thoughts into my head about what beating ohio would be like and what I would write on Monday Morning, something hit me: I’ve never “posted a blog” on beating Ohio. Ever. There were e-mails back in the day when we defeated the “evil empire” from the south (and by the way, check out “Nard Wars” for a great spoof on that franchise and BC as Chewbacca). But I had never posted an “Ohio Sucks” entry POST The Game.

Ever.

(Sure, I’ve had a lot of “Ohio Sucks” entries that can never be counted…It would take too long…But I’m talking when it really, truly mattered.)

This is what it means: It means you take the time to cherish it. Celebrate! Hang on to this feeling for the next 363 days until it either goes away for another year or you get to re-live it all over again. Call every ohio fan that you know and do a little dance on their head and let them know that you’re still a Michigan Fan, you haven’t given up on the program, and you will forever support the Maize and Blue through thick and thin, regardless of the outcomes.

It also means that our young fans get what it now means to beat these clowns. Even my daughter who had asked me awhile ago if we had ever beaten the Suckeyes, saw what a true Michigan celebration was. It’s something that can’t be described and is unparalleled in the feeling of accomplishment and “ending a season on the right note.”

Everyone at the tailgate on Saturday got this. There was a general feeling of relief that almost over took the feeling of underlying jubilation that was just below the surface. But, the jubilation came through as the fans poured onto the field and we watched the clock that said 2926 days since a victory over OSU click down to 0000 on the giant scoreboards. That instant, that moment in time, for me anyway, was when I knew I could let it out and let the specter of ohio go for at least a year. For those of us that were left in the parking lot at 6:00 PM, kudos. We got it. It was a day for celebration!
HT: MZone
There are so many Suckeyes out there trying to rationalize the loss stating, “Well, at least we got Urban Legend.” I’m really anxious to see how well he does at OSU. And as I stated before, I would love to see Illinois grab the next best guy out there (Mike Leach?) and bring him into the B1G 10 fold….Not to mention who PSU might bring in to replace the interim dead man walking there…but I digress.

This victory means a lot to the fans, but even more to the student athletes that played the game. The Suckeyes got used to winning, just like Michigan did during the Cooper Era. We’ve now each had our “Unusual Run” in what is supposed to be a rivalry. Let’s hope (sort of) that long runs for OSU are officially dead and LONG LIVE THE RIVALRY!

Something just wouldn't be right if we didn't give a little nod to the guy on the right that had a huge hand in making me the fan I am today as well...And while it's a cheap rip-off, I somehow feel like now's a good time to salute the Ufe:

"Seven long years of waiting, seven long years of pain,
Hoke set out with a purpose, to erase this era of shame...
With the seniors that Stayed, Believed and Conquored!
They've won the Year's Last Game!

The OSU game of '11 the fans will long remember,
this win will leave a taste so sweet right through till next November..."

And I look forward to kicking your collective asses again next year in the shoe!

The BCS Mess

Oh, how I love the BCS! It creates chaos out of normalness and makes grown men into crying masses of humanity. I really love the fact that some B-East team is going to truly go down in flames to someone and that the SEC will only get two teams in. Of course, this is putting the cart before the horse, so let’s review the weekend’s carnage.

LSU – Arkansas: I’ll admit that this was one game that I thought would truly give the Hatter and LMU fits. I really believed that the Petrino offense had a shot against that LMU defense. I was wrong and I admit it readily. I am now convinced that there isn’t a team that can beat the Hat at this point, and to want to play him is suicide. So, good luck with that Alabama or Okie State, whichever one makes it to the National Championship.

Wiscy – PSU: So, I’ve heard so many things about the B1G 10 championship, that I’m not quite sure what to believe. I do believe that the best B1G 10 team is in it and the other team is Sparty. Which means that Sparty will lose and end of at 10-3. Which means that they are technically in a tie for second with, uh, well I’ll be – It’s MICHIGAN! What does that mean? It means that the Bowls will probably take whoever they think will be the bigger draw….And you know what that means.

Mr. Lucky - Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!): This game did two absolutely wonderful things: It put Mr. Lucky in the 4th spot in the overall BCS (it doesn’t mean much, I know) and it also eliminated the Domers from BCS contention! That, my friends, is worth celebrating if you’re a Wolverine fan. Good ole 9-3 Kelly will be looking at the Champs Bowl on New Year’s Eve it looks like…Heh-heh…HAHAHAHAHAHA!

1. LSU- Yep, I’m convinced. I predicted that LSU might have a good season, but I didn’t think they’d be this good.
2. Satan’s Warriors – This, I saw coming. But when you over sign by at least 10 recruits and then simply “cut” the chaff, well, what do you expect?
3. Okie State: One blemish, or we might be talking about a different National Championship game. Maybe Danielson will pimp his services out for Okie State and “no one wants to see a rematch?” They have to get through the Laters, of course.
4. Stanford: Outside shot at the game, at best. Too much has to happen for the voters to believe and lift them up to the 1 or 2 spot.
5. Va Tech: I missed this one completely…How on Earth did Va-Tech get so good so quietly? Is that an ACC thing again? Win the ACC and take over #4? Or three? Only loss was to Clemson when they were good…
6. Houston: Keenum might make swiss cheese out of whatever defense he plays in the BCS game he’s going to…So Michigan fans need to be careful what they wish for…
7. Boy’s State…Whatever…
8. Arkansas: Ranked 8th and can’t make a BCS bowl…Too bad, so sad…Have fun beating up on the Spartans in the Capitol One Bowl…
9. Oregon: Rose Bowl Bound?
10. Okie Laters…C you in the Fiesta if you lose to Okie State IF okie state gets title nod?
11. K-State - Screwed….
12. South Carolina: 10-2, another SEC team that can’t make a BCS game..
13. Sparty: After they lose to Wiscy, they drop out of the top 14 in the BCS…
14. Georgia: Ditto for the dogs, unless they can somehow pull off the impossible upset…
15. Wiscy: Look for them to jump at least 4 spots when they win the B1G (right below Oregon)
16. Michigan: They will move up at least two after next week (Laters, Georgia, Wiscy or Sparty losing), setting up a Sugar Bowl game against Houston. (have to be in the top 14 for an at large bid)

So, what needs to happen, specifically for Michigan to make a BCS? My guess is, it doesn’t matter too much as the Sugar already loves the match up between Houston and Michigan on paper. Does it matter if Sparty wins or loses to Wisconsin for us to go to the Sugar? I don’t really think so…But all the talk shows want to make us believe it’s better for Michigan if Sparty wins. Here comes the fun part: Sparty (even though they will have 10 wins and beat Michigan) isn’t the draw that Michigan is when it comes to TV ratings and AIS at the game*. So, therefore, I’m rooting for Wiscy. That way, Sparty is stuck in the Outback Bowl as Wiscy will get the Rose nod, Nebraska gets the Capitol One nod, and that leaves the Jolly Green Giants in the Outback (Or possibly the Gator if PSU gets the Outback bid)…Have fun!

*By the way, this is the curse of the Rose Bowl Vote that Sparty simply can’t shake.

NOTE: The only thing that screws everything up above is if somehow the Laters and Richy Rich both win their conference Championships…

Idle Thoughts from Saturday

-The Big House is Packed and Rockin'!
-Always feels a little more electric for ohio...Maybe it's just me.
-Row behind us had too many T-Day eaters and winter clothes wearers…
-Daughter made the comment that maybe they should have a rule that you can only be so big or you can't go to the games…
-Luckily, she said it quietly to the Old Man…Er, MMQ
-Text I received in bathroom: “DAD! You’re missing the Band!”
-Sorry, kiddo…I know how big a deal that is, too.
-Fly by was again too high for it to be REALLY cool…
-Denard is having a great game. Which is exactly what Michigan needed.
-Having watched ohio a bunch this year, they never ran an offense that looked like that…
-I didn’t see the exact details of the botched punt, but the internet has more or less made Haegerup an overnight sensation…
-Sorry, Will. CATCH THE BALL NEXT TIME!
-Are the refs in this game the sorriest bunch you have ever seen?
-That was my feeling BEFORE The Fitz TD that got “reviewed”.
-I’m going on the official record that Michigan has been screwed more by having the review than it’s helped.
-No WAY that TD should have been over turned.
-Then, THEN the jackasses call holding and a personal foul?
-Neither of which, by the way, I’ve seen evidence of.
-Not that it matters now, but then, you could feel the angst rising in the crowd.
-OSU fans were trying to stay on the down low, but every time something bad happened, they were difficult to ignore.
-Which, by the way Michigan fan, if you’re going to sell the tix, at least get them to a Michigan fan? Is that asking too much?
-114, 431? I think that was the number. 2nd to the Domers. No way Brandon was going to give that record up in the first year.
-And frankly, it seemed more crowded for this game.
-38, 37, 36, 35…..4, 3, 2, 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Is there a greater feeling in the world than beating the suckeyes at home?
-Okay, on the road?
-And the Domers?
-I can’t think of one….
-Who’d a thunk 10 wins for Michigan this year?
-Here’s an idiot that thought Michigan would win 10 way back in August!
-What a moron…Wonder if this guy gambles?
-Probably one of those slappy’s that think’s they will win them all every year…
-Or not.
-Don’t know how he thought Michigan would ever beat Sparty! Maybe next year….
-Mr. Lucky showing the Domers what it takes to win…
-Domers can’t get through their pre-season unscathed and that will forever be their downfall…
-I think Mr. Lucky will be wearing a horse shoe on his helmet next year….
-But will he win 12 this year?
- Next week and it’s over…Time for bowls to start….
-It’s hard to believe it goes so damn fast…
-Of course, it goes faster when you’re winning!

The Hot Seat

Wow! Voter turn out last week was at an unprecedented high! 43 votes? Wow! I didn’t think there were than many readers out there! For the first time in a long time, a mascot from the prior week came from behind to win the week when Lucy Pinder knocked off all previous weekly winners (including Jenn Brown) and newcomer Kaley Cuoco. So, we are rounding out the field for Championship Week and have one more entry that has a shot at being a weekly winner. This nominee is one my daughters alerted me to after the re-make of “Foot Loose”. With no further ado, allow me to introduce the final Hot Seat Mascot nominee for the 2011 season, Julianne Hough!

They’re starting to drop like flies…It was a Black Sunday on the Coaching Carousel and the usual suspects have been rounded up…

GONE list:

1. LOCKSLEY – New Mexico
2. Mike Stoops – Arizona…One Arizona school leads to another…
3. Nutt….SEC is keeping coaches employed….
4. Joe Pa…He’ll be missed….
5. Zook – From the 1 seat to the Gone List….
6. Fickell – All right, so he didn’t get canned, but he’s probably not going to hang around…
7. Gill – Canned as soon as the last loss was on record…
8. Erickson – Still can’t quite figure this one….
9. Porter – Memphis…so long, good luck with a new guy.

Going, Going Gone…

1. Wulff…Has to be on the way out…
2. Nueheisel….Really? Still there? I guess he made the Pac 10 Title game…Supposedly to be canned after title game.

Hot Seat Rank

1. Spaziani
2. Kelly – Can’t believe he isn’t getting more heat for losing to Stanford. That’s supposed to be an “auto win” for the Domer old school fans….
3. Who’s left?

Hot Coach Rumors:

1. Legend – ohio – Looks like a done deal, but isn’t this the guy that retired from Florida, like three times?
2. Leach – Best coach available
3. Fickell – guy took a rag tag bunch to 6 wins…Illini anyone? This of course, assumes ohio cans him or Legen lets him stay…
4. Skip Holtz…Always on this list for a better gig…
5. Kevin Sumlin – This is the guy that has coached Keenum for 16, er, 6 years at Houston.
6. Randy Shannon – See #4…Sometimes you can’t have a list without certain names on it.

Best Jobs Available

1. OSU – not for long…
2. ASU
3. UCLA (soon)
4. PSU
5. Washington State – Well, it’s in the Pac 10
6. Ole Miss – See above…

FMQ Betting Results

This week was abysmal in the betting department, but once again, I blame the refs for Michigan not covering the spread. As for the rest, well, maybe I was a little too eager to take points in big rivalry games where it was obvious that the better teams were having none of that!

Arkansas (+12.5) @ LMU
Arkansas and the 12.5 for $75
Ooops….I thought Arkansas was better..
LOSE

UCLA (+19.5) @ USC
UCLA and the 19.5 for $50
Another one that I figured was a no brainer for a local team getting points…50-0….WRONG!
LOSE

Hoakies @ Virginia (+5)
Virgina and the 5 for $60
Sigh….This is becoming a pattern…Why didn’t I just get happy with points this week?
LOSE

Florida @ FSU (-1.5)
Take the Seminoles and lay the -1.5 for $75
Finally, a win…BANK: $142.50

Alabama @ Auburn (+21)
Take Satan and lay the -21 for $60
And again….WN! Bank: $114

ohio @ THE BIG HOUSE (-7) O/U: 44
Take Michigan and lay the -7 for $120
Lose – Referees taking a call from Vegas screwed me here….
In addition, take the over for $100.
Okay, so I can pick the over under. WIN Bank: $190

Parlay
3 way pays 6 to 1
Michigan - FSU - Mich/OSU OVER for $30
LOSE
Losing again this week…Let’s try to get it back in the Championship Games!

Starting Bank: $963
Total Bet: $446.50
Bank: $1,409.50

Enjoying the Ride…MMQ

FMQ Turkey/Slacker Wednesday!

2011-11-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Slacker Wednesday! In honor of the old "Stony and Wojo" show and Wojo's 50th birthday, we are celebrating the old WDFN mantra of Slacker Wednesday or Slacker Friday and doing it in MMQ style!

By the way, if you oppose the whole slacker thing, my guess is that you have no comprehension of how important slackers are to the whole economy. Think about it: IF it weren't for slackers, productivity would go up and un-employment would be even higher than it already is...So Big Business needs its Slackers!

Before we get to the bets, a couple of notes on yesterday's post:

1. Yes, I'm happy for Rich Rod. I don't think the guy came to Michigan with the intention of leading the Wolverines to the worst three year run in Michigan's History. He just didn't get it and tried to do things kind of ass backwards, use a Big East philosophy, didn't focus on Defense, and lost sight of the importance of tradition. Other than that, I don't think he was a bad guy. So, yes, I'm happy for him and my guess is that in the offense oriented Pac 12, he's going to find some success.

2. I think a few of you missed the point on the AQ status thing: The Big Boy's are NOT going to go strictly to a BCS ranking to the biggest bowls.   On the contrary, they will get contracts signed in gold for all their affiliations which will effectively squeeze out the Boy's States, TCU's, BYU's, and "GASP" Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) out of the Big Bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar). Yes, they might still have an outside shot at a National Title game, but there won't be any more big money distribution to the little guys. It's not about fairness or where the little guys rank. It's about the cash....Follow it and you'll understand why they're suggesting it. Yes, I get that the SEC would like to have three qualifiers this year....But that is an anomally for the most part. And don't be surprised if the indy's have a much more difficult time making arrangements for bowls based on record. Bowls want AIS (Asses in Seats) and hotel rooms booked. Plain and simple. The Fiesta disaster last year with UConn was unacceptable. Expect there to be a lot less BEast teams with contracts.

3. No, Urban Meyer doesn't "Scare" the MMQ.  Bring him on. The Urban Legend is...a legend.  And I would rather have a shot at beating the best at some point and anything that makes the B1G 10 stronger, I'm all for. I would love to have Satan, The Hatter, Petrino, Chip Kelly, Patterson, and all the "Great" coaches in the B1G....Think about it for a minute and you'll see where I'm going with this....If you still can't see it, then I can't help you.

Turkey Day Weekend Picks

After last week's abysmal showing (2 out of 5) we have regressed a little on the ole Bank and we need to figure out a way to get some easy cash before the Championship Week and Bowls come around. I truly had visions of getting to $2,000 before the end of the season, and I think we still have a shot. Let's get to and analyze the picks!

Arkansas (+12.5) @ LMU
I love Arkansas getting points here. That offense is better than Satan's and my guess is they will be able to score on LMU. I'm not saying they will win, but this game may be closer than anyone thinks. Therefore, take
Arkansas and the 12.5 for $75

UCLA (+19.5) @ USC
Here's another one that is tough, but I think I like a lot of points in a rivalry game. And 19.5 is simply too much to ignore, so take
UCLA and the 19.5 for $50

Hoakies @ Virginia (+5)
Home rival getting points? I'll take those, too.
Virgina and the 5 for $60

Florida @ FSU (-1.5)
Has anyone seen Gatorland play against a good team this year? Is FSU good? My guess is the Gators find out what this rivalry was all about when Steve and Bobby used to beat the crap out of each other...
Take the Seminoles and lay the -1.5 fo $75

Alabama @ Auburn (+21)
I'd like to take the points in this one, but Satan has a funny way with revenge games. And he needs style points for the voters. Sorry, Chizik, it's going to be ugly...
Take Satan and lay the -21 for $60

ohio @ THE BIG HOUSE (-7)   O/U: 44
Really? Are you going to ask me which way I'm going here? In fact, I like this one SO MUCH, I might have to go nuts....
Take Michigan and lay the -7 for $120
In addition, take the over for $100.

Parlays
3 way pays 6 to 1
Michigan - FSU - Mich/OSU OVER for $30

Starting Bank: $1,533
Total Bet:     $570
Bank: $963

Let's go out with a Bang or a Whimper...One or the other....

Enjoying the Ride...MMQ

Happy Thanksgiving! Worth Reading This Week

2011-11-22T06:16:00.000-08:00

You know, I used to be able to keep up with all this and comment on my own, but it's just too much anymore with work getting in the way. Therefore, in case you DON'T click on the links to the other blogs at the right, here's a couple of things that are completely worth reading:

1. Rich Rod hired by Arizona. Frankly, I'm happy for the guy. If he learned ANYTHING at Michigan and figures out that he needs a defense first, offense second, he might just be successful in the Pac 12...

2. Frank The Tank Looks at the Elimination of the AQ Status: This is a great article. Frank is a lawyer and takes a look at the latest rumor of completely eliminating the AQ status from the Big 6 leagues. I believe your own MMQ looked at this awhile back when TCU went to the Rose (I would need to search for the entry) and stated that if we were in the old system, such a travesty would have never occurred. I agree with Frank here. Eliminating the AQ status will take us back to the old ways and totally eliminate the possibility that we ever have to look at a Houston in one of the Big 4 Bowls.

3. If you don't read the Forde Yard Dash, or you can't find him on ESPN anymore, it's because they kicked him out and he's over at Rivals. His Pre-Thanksgiving take on the season's final games is well worth the 10 minutes on a coffee break to read.

4. SB Nation Bill Connelly, the Bowl Expert, Projects them all. The MMQ does NOT want to jinx anything by mentioning where I thought we might end up and what the final pecking order of the B1G 10 will be, but Bill has no such alliances...Interesting where he thinks Michigan might end up and against whom (If you DON'T have the time, let's just say its a BCS game (YES! That's what he's claiming - and it makes sense) against another at large in New Orleans.... Yeah, I'll gladly take a shot at Case Keenum vs. whoever comes out of the SEC at number 3-4 this year.

5. Urban Legend Denies rumors a third time. And we ALL know that that means....It might as well be a done deal. If the Legend hasn't agreed, it's only because the Mrs. is telling him in bed, "YOU PROMISED!"

So...There you have it. Just in case you want to start "Slacker Wednesday" early on Tuesday or your just looking for the latest info.

Cornsukers...SUCK!

2011-11-21T13:55:00.000-08:00

First, an apology. I'm writing this from a borrowed computer as I was in Mexico last week and I lost my hard drive when it went through an customs scanner....Yes, it sucks and I don't have anything that I normally use at my disposal to pen this drivel....So, on the fly, here goes!

Cornsuckers Suck....What did you expect?

I wasn't expecting EXACTLY that, but I'll take it!

Wow....I would like to say that this reminded me of the Michigan of old....But to say that, I have to go back to the early days of Lloyd Carr or maybe even the early days of Bo... In the later Carr years, we simply didn't blow teams out like that....Even in 97, we were happy to win by putting 28 points on the board. Hoke has some of that MAC blood left in him and just wants to twist the knife deeper after he sticks it in you....

I LIKE THAT!

This wasn't a throwback win, kiddies....This was a statement game that we will not stop punishing you until you walk away with your head hanging down. Beat us? We'll be back next year. But there are no, "Would've, should've, could've" thoughts on this team or coaching staff anymore!

I honestly thought that the Cornsuckers would be in for kind of a rough game at the Big House Saturday. There's nothing left to hide and everything that's been developed offensively and defensively is there. Everyone is playing to their potential, getting better each week. The M-Zone has been keeping an interesting stat of what it would take in the last games to equal the points allowed last season. We would have to lose to the Suckeyes and the bowl game by a combined 300 points (or some such nonsense) to make it even close...

Different coaches, different scheme.

Winning is always a lot more fun. I just can't help but remember how I felt for the last three years going into OSU and how THIS, THIS FEEEEELS SO MUCH BETTER!

They want the Suckeyes. They want them badly....The Suckeyes should be scared this week....If they aren't, they haven't been paying attention

The BCS Mess

I think we'll call this "Let's Just Crap the Bed Shall We?" Saturday....…..

Okie State - ISU: Looking ahead? Did you see how Michigan did it? Don't lose sight of this week when you're planning to disembowel you're rival the following week....

Oregon - USC: Are you kidding me? Really? And then you can't make a kick at the end to send it to OT????: Hee-hee…HAHAHAHAHA! That's what you get for beating Mr. Lucky...

Much, Much Laters - Baylor: Hee-hee....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!This is so bad that Stupor might just get run out of Oklahoma for this one....This cost the laters a BCS bid...mark my words.

BCS Rankings - there are so many changes this week, I should probably rewrite the script...

1. LSU – Still has to play Arkansas (improved) and Georgia (SEC championship). I would love to see them get knocked off, but in a way, it becomes an SEC de-facto BCS game if they win out and
2. Satan's Warriors: slip into the title game against the Hatter. Damn the SEC!
3. Arkansas – Can do a lot for themselves if they beat LSU
4. Okie State - Not exactly sure how they are still in the 4 spot....
5. Va Tech? Really? There has to be a lot of things that happen for a shot at the title game, but you certainly jumped up this week!
6. Stanford - Mr. Lucky can't do enough to get closer to the game...Sorry about this...
7. Boy’s State – hee-hee…HAHAHAHAHAHA! I love it....they would be sitting in the catbird seat had they not lost...
8. Houston - De-Facto BCS buster now....
9. Oklahoma - I don't see how this team didn't drop further....
10. Oregon....Why are they more attractive then say, Michigan?

14. Michigan....Until next week!

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-I can't believe Okie State LOST to ISU....
-Denard looks good. Fast
-The DEFENSE looks AWESOME!
-I didn't think we'd be able to keep it up like we did against the Illini...
-So, a 4-3 with aggressive blitzing in a league full of weak QB play makes sense?
-Is that what we're saying?
-UN, UNL, NU, UofN, what the hell do you call the cornsuckers?
-Did I really see Denard hit a guy in stride deep in the end zone?
-As the MMQ's brother in law said, "I wish we could save some of this for next week."
-Or was this just a preview?
-Will there be pain?
-Whose?
-And how much?
-Would I LOVE To inflict some pain on the Suckeyes....
-We've truly endured enough from those clowns...
-And they're losing to PSU, which, I guess in a way is fitting.
-Still don't see what PSU did as worse (from a PURELY FOOTBALL RELATED PERSPECTIVE) than OSU..
-They're both bad, but I guess I just want to hate OSU more...
-But PSU has some days of reckoning coming....
-How in the hell is Oregon LOSING to USC?
-I mean, yeah, USC is good, but come on!
-You beat the better team!
-Can anyone say let down?
-So, Oregon has screwed the pooch, too.
-So did Super Stupor....
-I guess it's Satan and the Hatter again in the Title game....
-As much as I hate a re-match...
-And if Alabama wins?
-Are they really number 1?
-I suppose that's what makes College football so much fun!

THE HOT SEAT

Jenn Brown hangs on to week #11 and wins again! Amazing, when you actually consider I didn't have her on the list at the beginning of the year. This week in honor of the humiliated Cornsuckers, I offer you an actress that plays "Penny" in the TV sitcom "The Big Bang Theory". Why her? Well, in the show, she's born and corn fed raised in the husker state and proudly wears it on her sleeve! (And chest!) Any gearheads or eggheads out there reading this all knew a guy exactly like the 4 clowns in this comedy. And I'm sure we all knew week #12 nominee as well, Kailey Cuoco!

Zooky's Nightmare

2011-11-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

I do enjoy Mondays a whole lot more after we win. As I’m sure Sparty and the Cornhuskers are enjoying it as well. Suckeyes…Not so much!
By the way, before I get into the review: Cornhuskers – Class Act. That was a tricky situation you found yourself in by no doing of your own and you all handled it with class. I especially liked the pre-game mid-field prayer huddle. Call me old fashioned, but it is still just a game and there are things that are a whole lot more important in life…

Michigan played well Saturday, even though I didn’t get a chance to see a lot of the first half I heard it on the radio. But I do know this: The Illini’s first 5 drives:

Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Fumble…

That should have equated to a LOT more Michigan points that it did, but Michigan had its own problems on offense after going up 14-0 early. What the coaches need to work on is the Red Zone offense (stating the obvious here – I know) and figure out a way that Michigan can score effectively when in that range. Otherwise, there’s going to be a whole bunch of TV sets all over the state that are going to need repair as frustrated fans watch in disgust as wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity fall to the wayside….Come on, guys!

If we lose that game to the Illini, I’m pointing to those two 2nd quarter series where we couldn’t get the job done.

I would love to heap the praise on the defense, but I want to make sure I’m actually praising those that deserve it. Zooky’s crew seemed to do a lot of defending of themselves when the offense was on the field. So, while it was a great effort, and I loved Floyd’s pick in the 2nd half, I’m still a little nervous with two games against really good teams left…

But you can’t complain about 8-2 after the last three years. And let’s remember that these are still Rich Rod’s guys and offer a little nod to the dismissed coach. His recruits are getting it done, albeit with better defensive minded coaching and the desire to be “Michigan Men”. I’m glad to see they’re doing better than expectations.

And I would love to see them run the table….If it’s possible. With two left at home, I’m liking their situation.

Cornhuskers in Ann Arbor at the HOUSE at 12:00 PM on Saturday!

Tickets still available. Contact the MMQ.

The BCS Mess

Middle Saturday in November takes victims…..

Cornhuskers – PSU: Fans pretty much kept themselves in check in what can only be described as a surreal setting where the former head coach of the Nittany Lions was on the sideline (okay, press box) a week before and in now gone amidst a scandal that is simply getting out of hand as it continues. Cornhuskers did their job to hold their spot in a 3 way Legends tie with Sparty and the Wolverines. The Big House may prove to be a Weeeeeee bit more difficult…(Michigan giving 3 is the early line...)

TCU - Boy’s State: Hee-hee…HAHAHAHAHA! I love it when a “mid-major” that was supposed to make BCS noise loses when they are a double digit favorite. I’m glad the FMQ was on the right side of that one, at least.

Stanford –Ducks: The MMQ’s heart is a little heavy this AM based on this result. Not only did it cost me money, but I was kind of hoping that Stanford could pull it off. Don’t ask me why…I guess it’d be fun to see a bunch of smart kids beat a school from the SEC. Actually, I’d like to see ANYONE beat a school from the SEC in the BCS championship….

Ohio – Spoilermakers: This one has to really hurt t-ohio as it takes them down a notch (I think) depending on how the season plays out with respect to bowls. I would LOVE to see the Suckeyes at Ford Field. I might even go with my Michigan jersey on and root for Eastern…..

BCS Rankings

1. LSU – Still has to play Arkansas (improved) and Georgia (SEC championship). I would love to see them get knocked off, but in a way, it becomes an SEC de-facto BCS game if they win out and
2. OKIE STATE Cowboys: lose to Oklahoma in Bedlam. But either Texas Tech forgot there was some season left after they played Oklahoma or they simply got lucky against Stupor and the Laters…
3. Satan’s Warriors – Hanging tough in the 3 spot. But I really don’t want them to have the shot…
4. Oregon – I hate Chip Kelly…I really do. They can beat everyone everywhere except for LSU. Which we’ve already seen. And I don’t want that re-match in the BCS, either. Speaking of re-matches…
5. Laters – Could win out and make life miserable for BCS folks based on the myriad of schools with one loss that have a gripe. But that loss to Texas Tech just doesn’t make sense at this point, and neither does this rank.
6. Arkansas – Can do a lot for themselves if they beat LSU…BTW, how does the SEC West work in the even of a 3-way tie? Anyone? I’m sure we’ll hear about it in the coming weeks.
7. Clemson – They’re out of it and the Hoakies might put them out of their misery in the ACC title game…
8. Hoakies – Early season hiccups and now in the thick of things….
9. Stanford – Okay, well, there’s still a victory over the Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) out there to be had. Don’t lose sight of what’s important.
10. Boy’s State – hee-hee…HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-PSU – Nebraska had the most viewers on Saturday.
-Game Day handled the situation pretty well.
-How does something like this happen?
-Easy…Lack of leadership.
-Sorry, Joe Pa. That’s just the way I see it.
-And I’m not here to dance on his grave.
-I’m sure he didn’t want to believe it and didn’t want to have to deal with it.
-But, that’s what leaders do. They deal with the problems.
-Purdue is beating OSU? REALLY?
-And we beat Purdue in the Big House by how much?
-I know, you can’t start doing that….
-The Illini lost to PSU 10-7.
-Does that mean anything to Michigan?
-How were Michigan and the Illini both 6-0 in early October?
-Seriously, they both were.
-And ranked in the top 20.
-Illinois is a complete disaster.
-Michigan at least looks respectable, but then again, I’m never entirely sure.
-Oh jeez…De-Rob is hurt again.
-But, we know this, right?
-You just don’t figure the guy to get hurt THROWING…I always figure it’d be a linebacker destroying him when he was RUNNING.
-Illini marching. Throwing…GO FLOYD!
-That was fun. We haven’t had a pick go for a big return since, well, Western?
-But those stats don’t count or something?
-Zooky is moving on up on the ole Hot Seat…
-As he should. They should be playing better than this in November.
-The Domer helmets have to be the UGLIEST things I have ever seen.
-Pimped out paint? GREEN Shamrocks? Jeez…I almost feel too sorry for them to hate them..
-NOT!
-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
-$warbuck$ will definitely be hearing from Alumni on that blunder…if he hasn’t already…
-Mr. Lucky, what are you doing to me? They’re beatable, but you guys need to play your best game.
-Which you’re not.
-It’s not even close….But I don’t want the Ducks in the BCS argument. They can’t win it…
The Hot Seat

Jenn Brown Rocks Week #10! Lucy Pinder hung tough, but she was no match for Jenn who was introduced to you in week #9. So, as we head into the home stretch, we have a pretty good stable of Mascots that will be competing for the 2011 Mascot of the Year award and that’s the gal who will adorn the top of the blog until next season. This week, after taking my daughters to see Captain America at the end of the summer and thinking about what Superheroes they haven’t made a movie about (recently), I got to thinking about Wonder Woman. Apparently this week’s mascot was going to get the part, but the whole deal got canceled. Too bad, I would have enjoyed watching the Hot Seat Mascot for Week #11, Megan Gale, in that Red, Blue and Gold suit!

GONE list:

1. LOCKSLEY – New Mexico
2. Mike Stoops – Arizona…Sorry, I didn’t see this one coming….
3. Nutt….He’s announced his retirement….Losing 12 SEC games in a row will do that to a coach
4. Joe Pa. It gives me no pleasure typing that…

Hot Seat Rank

1. Zook – Another Zook Crash and Burn Season on the brink?
2. Fickell – Losing to Purdue moves you up the list…But all can be saved with that last game in Ann Arbor.
3. Neuheisel - Just don’t see how he survives…but who knows?
4. Wulff – Ditto
5. Turner Gill
6. Spaziani
7. Kelly – He should get canned for okaying those helmets….

FMQ Betting Results

What a lousy week…Should have laid off Mr. Lucky and didn’t realize how pissed off Wiscy would be trying to impress voters with point spreads. Not to mention that Sparty played like they were playing a home game this week…Sheesh…What’s a gambler to do? There’s always next week. It takes a short memory in this business.

Corsnsuckers @ Not So Happy Valley (+3.5)
Take PSU and the 3.5 for the Victims of Sandusky….
Win…I hope the kids win, also….

Michigan @ Illinois (Open: +3 Today: Even or -1 on 5 Dimes.com)
Take Michigan and the -1 for $100
WIN: Bank: $190

MSU @ Iowa (+3)
Take Iowa and the 3 for $70
Wow, did I blow this one….So, is Sparty good or bad? I really can’t tell. I know Michigan should have beat Iowa…whatever…
LOSE

The Ducks @ Mr. Lucky’s House of Pain
Take Mr. Lucky and lay the 3 for $100
Should have quit him, knew I should have quit him…Couldn’t do it.

Gophers (+27.5) @ Wiscy
Take the Gophers and the 27.5 for $70
I actually thought this was a pretty good bet. There I go thinking again…
LOSE

TCU (+15.5) @ Boy’s State
Take TCU and the 15.5 for $80
Good Pick…WIN
BANK: $152

Parlay!

3 Way: 6-1
I really like Michigan – Stanford - Gophers for $40
LOSE

4 Way: 10-1
Add TCU to the mix….for $30
LOSE

Starting Bank: $1,281
Total Win: $342
Bank: $1,623

Monday Morning picks... throw $75 on each of these as this week's FMQ might not happen...Sorry for that in advance to all the loyal readers that watch it close...I'm laying points in all games..That may be a bad thing. Or not!

Michigan (-3) over Cornsuckers...
Okie State (-27) over Iowa State
Wiscy (-14) over Zookyville...
Domers (-24.5) over Boston Catholics
The Mad Hatter (-28) over Ole Miss

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

11-11-11 Friday! ""YO"

2011-11-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

Wow…Who would have ever thought we would be sitting here on a Friday going into a weekend where Joe Pa was (not trying to sound morbid here) still alive and NOT the coach at PSU? Not the MMQ….

However, I have to say that the board of trustees did the absolutely correct thing. And if you read my entry earlier in the week, Joe Pa could have done so much more to helping this cause. It’s getting easier to see now that Joe Pa had no clue, really, about the impact this type of situation has on the general public and how much bigger this was than PSU football. It is getting easier to see the entire enabling environment that was built around Joe Pa and PSU football. Then, when it mattered most, his age, clouded judgment, and bad advice from family and friends all played a role in the final decision to try to “retire” vs. standing up and doing the right thing. It took the board to stand up and do the right thing.

Even though the press is calling for it, I don’t think that PSU should forfeit the game this Saturday. There is a line, and that would be going over it. What PSU SHOULD DO, however, is take all the proceeds from this game (Television revenue, ticket sales, concessions, parking, etc) and donate it to the Victims of this tragedy, or announce and set up a special fund for the victims of child molesters. But my guess is that PSU is going to need to start filling their coffers for the countless lawsuits that are on the way, so fat chance of that happening.

Anyway, on to what we do here best on Friday Morning. And WHAT A FRIDAY IT IS!!!! 11-11-11, for anyone that’s into the number thing. Think the casinos are going to see a whole lot more “Yo Eleven!” bets today at the craps table? Probably!

I got a note the other day asking me why I don’t post my win-loss record. Let me explain:

Here’s my win loss record: Up $771 for the season after starting with a bankroll of $1,000.

To say that I “picked” any number of games correctly out of so many games played doesn’t mean much to me. I guess it would if I always bet the exact same amount on each game, but I don’t so it doesn’t. And I’ve taken a slightly different approach this year as to how I weigh my bets according to the spread. I’ll discuss that in each pick.

Corsnsuckers @ Not So Happy Valley (+3.5)
Okay – let’s think this one through….First, the FMQ shouldn’t be betting this game for financial gain. I guess in some ways, I feel it falls on the side of the line of being morally wrong…But, if I HAD to pick it, I would take PSU getting points at home. Joe Pa has been a figurehead far too long for his absence to truly mean much when it comes to the X’s and O’s. The emotions in that stadium will be on FULL TILT and I have a feeling the Cornsuckers are going to have to score early and often to take the crowd out of it…
Take PSU and the 3.5 for the Victims of Sandusky….

Michigan @ Illinois (Open: +3 Today: Even or -1 on 5 Dimes.com)
Okay, back to what I alluded to earlier. When I looked at this game early, I hadn’t seen the spread and figured that Michigan would be giving either 3.5 or 6.5, just for an opening figure. The spread opened with Michigan giving 3 and has moved 4 points with the Illini giving one. So, originally, my “value” play on the posted handicap was 3 to 3.5 points and has now moved to 7 to 7.5 points. That means I should bet Michigan. But how much? I have been using a ratio of my handicap to the delta handicap to gauge what my bet should be and this is has become a factor of 2. If my units are $50, then
Take Michigan and the 1 for $100

MSU @ Iowa (+3)
Here’s another game that I figured MSU would probably be giving 3 or it might be a “pick em” match up, but I was leaning towards Iowa after they beat Michigan at Home and MSU struggled with a much improved Gopher team last week. Sparty has been so-so against the spread this year (5-4) and they never seem to play well at Kinnick. Ferentz is on his annual “Don’t fire him, he’s not such a bad coach” campaign to end the season in the Outback Bowl.
Take Iowa and the 3 for $70

The Ducks @ Mr. Lucky’s House of Pain
In order to bet Mr. Lucky and handicap Mr. Lucky, you kind of need to go off the chart. I honestly don’t think the Ducks are as good as advertised this year (as long as you can contain them in the 3rd quarter) and I do think Mr. Lucky is destined to do something that’s never been done before at Stanford. I figure the spread would be Mr. Lucky giving 6.5, but he’s only got to cover 3. Therefore, figuring in the “factor” of 2, let’s
Take Mr. Lucky and lay the 3 for $100
(Yes, this should be the week I quit him, but I just can’t….)

Gophers (+27.5) @ Wiscy
I figured the Gophers would get 14 to 20.5 and they are getting 27.5. The factor is a little tougher here with larger spreads, and this is where some of the odd ball numbers I bet comes from. I don’t want to bet only my base unit ($50), but I don’t want to be a full double unit, either. Figuring the ratio of between 36% and 50% of an additional unit, which is the difference of my spread vs. the actual divided by my spread, ($15 to $25)
Take the Gophers and the 27.5 for $70

TCU (+15.5) @ Boy’s State
By the way, did anyone know that Miami and Florida State are playing Saturday? Remember how big that game used to be? Anyway, TCU has played Boy’s State tough over the last 5 seasons and this has become somewhat of a rivalry game. I figured at most a touchdown (6) plus 0.5 in this one (for TCU) or maybe 9.5. I think the 15.5 might be a gift….
Take TCU and the 15.5 for $80

Parlay!

3 Way: 6-1

I really like Michigan – Stanford - Gophers for $40

4 Way: 10-1

Add TCU to the mix….for $30

Starting Bank: $1,771
Total Bet: $490
Bank: $1,281

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Joe Pa is Gone...But the Worst May Be Far From Over

2011-11-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

In what can only be described as a "disturbing rumor" at this point, Zac Wassink has written for Yahoo Sports that there is a reporter/radio personality Mark Madden who more or less foreshadowed the Sandusky Grand Jury probe and it's results and is now stating that there are two reporters that are ready to "blow the lid off" a "child pimping operation" that Sandusky masterminded...Sick yet?

Don't believe the 'ole MMQ? Read it for yourself here....

If this is even remotely true, or happened even one time, there's truly going to be hell to pay. I don't know what to believe any more and wonder at times where the innocence has gone....

I guess Hell can't entirely be politicians and lawyers...

I only hope that this is truly just a rumor as the legacy of Joe Pa will be so far gone you might as well strip the name from the collegiate record books...

Joe Pa, At Least Do The Right Thing NOW…

2011-11-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

The Ole MMQ’s heart is heavy and eyes are misty as the fingers tap the keyboard this AM. After hearing an almost constant stream of rhetoric on the radio and TV, its appropriate to add some insight into what can only be called a total catastrophic collapse of moral integrity at PSU.

The facts (or some of them, anyway):

- The Grand Jury Indictment. I have read the 23 page PDF. (you can link to it by clicking)
-It takes 10-12 minutes. It’s not for everyone. It might make you feel, strike that, if YOU’RE A HUMAN BEING, it WILL make you feel very uncomfortable.
- I’m not exaggerating on the second bullet. It’s a sad, disturbing account of the victims of a predator.
- The incidents were happening since 1994. That’s 15 years.
- It went on at BOWL GAMES, for God’s sake…
- Joe Pa knew of a “single” incident in 1998.
- Then McQueery came to him in 2002 with another incident, but Sandusky wasn’t a PSU employee at that point.
- Joe Pa reported it, “Up the chain of command.”
- Incidents continued while a whole lot of PSU people looked the other way…

I’m not going to trample Joe Pa’s reputation or that of PSU and it's employees any more than it has already been thrown under the bus. That’s been done. Add my “Ditto” to everything that’s been written and said. Too much was known by WAY too many people and nothing was done to stop a predator. Joe Pa had more than a moral obligation to protect those human beings. Everything he has ever stood for, well, it’s been wiped away by overlooking something this grotesque. Sorry, but that’s a fact. Yes, he’s a great coach, humanitarian, etc., but this, this ongoing destruction of lives that he obviously knew about and let continue simply erases all those acts of a great man.

End of Story.

However, how PSU and particularly, Joe Pa, recovers from this is what can either

a.) Hold any semblance of integrity together at PSU and save the institution or
b.) make it a continuing laughingstock of the collegiate world.

Joe Pa needs to resign today. He got win #409. (Which, BTW, isn’t that a coincidence? Why did the Attorney General of Pennsylvania wait until after that win to announce the indictments?? More cover up scandal, anyone?) Joe Pa can do more to save his reputation by quitting and calling out the people above him that failed to act. His testimony and admission that he didn’t do enough would go a long way towards restoring the faith in PSU. In fact, without it, the whole university slides into oblivion.

The Pennsylvania Board of Trustees announced they will launch their own “investigation” and offer swift justice for those that are to blame.

Please.

Did they read the grand jury document? Is there anyone with any sense in that group that can’t see the writing on the wall and realize that there must be a sacrifice at this point? And it needs to happen quickly? An investigation? To figure out what, exactly? What more additional information do you need besides what’s in that document? Again, I’m not trying to sound judgmental here; I’m just playing politics and the media with an understanding that the beast needs to be fed.

If I were to write an open letter to Joe Pa, it would go something like this:

Joe,

You’ve got nothing left to prove on the football field. You need to do what’s right and save the University that you built into the great institution that still stands today. And you are the only person that can save it. It has to be you. You are without a doubt the most powerful person at PSU and probably in all of Pennsylvania, for that matter. Without your sincere actions (resignation), remorse and apology over this incident, I’m afraid PSU doesn’t ever return to a place of honor amongst institutions of higher learning.

Joe, you know what to do.
Do the right thing.

The MMQ

Why, WHY, Do We Try To Re-Invent the Wheel?

2011-11-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the late post....Work gets in the way sometimes, you know?

Monday Morning blogs are always harder when I look at the game that was played and think, “Gee, I think I could have done a better job coaching that game, or at least called a play or two better.” Frankly, I haven’t felt like this in awhile as it was always a feeling I had from the Carr Era and the Rich Rod Era I was still trying to get used to on offense. But, let me say this, I saw stubbornness and maybe arrogance (?) in our coaching staff and I’m here to say that I don’t like it.

Minnesota shows Michigan the Blue Print all wrapped up with a bow on it of how a scrambling quarterback and an aggressive defense can beat Iowa. It was right there. All we had to do was more or less adopt their game plan, use plays that we’ve ran since Rich Rod took over, and you’re more or less going to be able to run on that defense.

Instead, we try to “establish” the run out of the I-formation and feeding F-Toussaint the ball until he breaks. Why?

WHY?

The ground game wasn’t there, at least not for FT. D-Rob as a runner – passing threat might have opened up some lanes….I mean, everyone who has watched D-Rob knows he’s a runner first, he passes better when he’s running, and the most effective tool he has is his feet. Don’t make him into something he’s not.

While a lot of people will point to the last touchdown drive and say, “See! The shotgun works! Why weren’t we using that all game?” Iowa was in a different defense at that point, which correctly pointed out. But, I would have liked to see a little more of the Purdue play calls vs. what we had against the Hawkeyes.

I predicted pre-season that we might lose this one. Kinnick is an incredibly shitty place for Michigan to play. I just never imagined that we would lose a game that was so winnable if the team and, more importantly, the coaches and plays called in previous games, show up and make those calls. With respect to the last series with the ball on the 3 yard line, well, it made me ill to watch it unfold.

Denard dropping back 4 times with 18 seconds left? Really? You mean we can’t afford a 2nd down roll out to the right dragging a wide receiver – tight end combo across with D-Rob threatening to get to the corner or throwing? We don’t have that play SOMEWHERE in the book? It made me sick….

Yes, I will state here that the refereeing was atrocious. Smith says he caught it and not only do I believe him, I was convinced it was a catch and he had control as he hit the ground. The refs didn’t see it that way, which is simply terrible. But it always is when you’re on the road. Frankly, it never should have gotten to the last seconds – I think we can all see that and they still would have needed to figure out a way to get a two point conversion and win in OT. All big issues that we never got a chance to address.

The BCS Mess

Armageddon Saturday takes victims…..

Cornsuckers – Kitty Kats: Cornsuckers – WELCOME TO THE B1G 10! One week, you beat the leader of the pack. The next week, the Little Sisters of the Poor come into your house and kick your collective asses up and down the field. It should be stated here that the B1G 10 AIN’T the Big 12, boys and girls. Northwestern ISN’T Kansas or K-State (Any year but this year) in disguise. Everyone can play and they never let up. My guess is Pelini rips those Blackshirts off the defense today at practice.

LSU vs. Satan’s Warriors: It was a great game if you like Defense. If you like offense, you were asleep with 5 minutes left in the first quarter. MMQ’s brother texted that Bo and Woody we’re back on the sidelines. I mean, yes, these are two elite teams and the best team (MMQ’s opinion) won, but jeez, take a chance or at least pass the ball somewhere along the way? Of course, Bama tired and they stole the interception. As far as a re-match goes? No-thanks. I would rather see Mr. Lucky get a shot at LSU than watch that game on a neutral field again. Bama had their shot at home, lost it, and everything for now is right with the world. In fact, the Michigan argument was a LOT better in 2006 (losing on OSU's home field the day after Bo's death and with some poor officiating) so, there you go.

BCS Rankings

1. LSU – Howeva’, should these clowns lose a game or in the SEC title game, I don’t want to see either Alabama or LSU in the title game. Then I think it should be
2. OKIE STATE Cowboys: If they can survive Bedlam, there is not Big 12 Championship this year to de-rail them and they should not have to play
3. Satan’s Warriors – I don’t get this…You lost at home to a team you were supposed to be better than, right? I mean, LSU WAS GETTING 5 Points! That should drop them below
4. Stanford – Mr. Lucky doesn’t know the meaning of the word lose at this point. Yes, the meat of the schedule is coming, but they have the Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS) and the Ducks at home. I like his chances to be in the title game against Okie State and completely screw the SEC out of the Championship…That would make this fan EXTREMELY HAPPY!
5. Boy’s State – I heard they are simply going to put a “BCS 5” on their jerseys for the next game. They seem to be ranked right there most of the time…
6. Laters – Could actually (maybe?) get back in this thing with some long shot upsets…But it is November and the play-offs have begun.
7. Oregon – Doubt they can get past Mr. Lucky…
8. Arkansas – See Laters…They need a lot of help….
9. Clemson – Awe, look who’s back in the top 10…You can thank Nebraska for choking and the Purple Kitty’s for serving up the hair ball…
10. Va Tech – Hoakies? Really? It’s been so long since you actually mattered!!!

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-I have a bad feeling about this.
-Seriously, what are we doing on offense?
-Okay, we got six.
-The missed extra point of Doom reared it’s ugly head again…
-I wonder if I’ll be alive when someone says, “And the last time Michigan missed an extra point was “X” number of years ago….”
-Should that be the way all extra points are looked at?
-Why can’t we run Denard against these guys like last year?
-We moved the ball on them, we just couldn’t stop them.
-Iowa isn’t that good.
-Meaning: We’re not that good.
-Borges I thought had it figured out.
-Now, I’m not so sure.
-I mean, okay, I get that a pure spread maybe isn’t the best offense.
-But can’t we at least use some of the stuff that worked REALLY GOOD with De-Rob?
-Sigh….2nd half….Way to many missed opportunities.
-What's all this crap about PSU, Joe Pa, and assistant coaches in locker rooms with young men?
-I DON'T WANNA know....
-But it's like watching an accident...I can't avert my eyes.
-Domers struggled (a little) with Wake.
-Domers are NOT a good road team.
-Uh, but I guess the pot cannot call the kettle Sucky…
-Cause neither is Michigan.
-Meaning we could lose to the Illini…
-But we have the Cornsuckers and Ohio at home..
-Which, Dammit, I LIKE!
-Would 10-2 make me happy?
-At the start of the season it was going to…
-Now, I feel like the two losses were winnable, so I’m not so sure.
-Ask me again if we can win out, however, and you’ll get a different answer!
-I don’t want a repeat of the Big House Michigan – Illinois in Champagne this year.
-That game was pure anxiety…
-One road win…is all we need…besides Northwestern, I mean.
-LSU and Bama are going to wear holes in the middle of the field.
-Do they even know that outside the hashes is NOT out of bounds?
-Defense wins, but it is a little boring.
-Who want’s to play Bama in a bowl? That would be the SEC #2 vs. B1G #2? Is that gonna be Penn State?
-Too early to start all THAT nonsense….
-Why isn’t Mr. Lucky on somewhere?
-He’s covering! That’s all that matters, I guess, but I’d like to see the kid play

The Hot Seat

Jenn Brown Rocks Week #9! In what can only be described as a stunning upset of Katarina and Ali, the voters got out in force and voted Jenn Brown the Hot Seat Mascot of the week and that puts her into the finals! We’re slowly nearing the end of the season (sigh) and we only have a few more mascots to go. I had to bump the original Week #10 mascot for a reader submission that was simply to, uh, “Hot” to pass up! Ladies and gentlemen, Hot Seat Mascot for Week #10 Lucy Pinder! She’s a fashion model actress from across the pond and when I saw the photos that the reader submitted, well, I guess I’ll just let them speak for themselves!

GONE list:

1. LOCKSLEY – New Mexico
2. Mike Stoops – Arizona…Sorry, I didn’t see this one coming….
3. Nutt….He’s announced his retirement….Losing 12 SEC games in a row will do that to a coach

Hot Seat Rank

1. Neuheisel - If he wins out, UCLA wins Pac 12 south…Do you believe that?
2. Houston Nutt – I’ll keep him here just to show that he’s still coach…
3. Joe Pa – I don’t like what I’m reading and hearing about PSU at this point…
4. Wulff – Mr. Lucky did NOT help his cause…
5. Zook – Another Zook Crash and Burn Season on the brink?
6. Turner Gill – Who knows….
7. Spaziani – Who would BC get?
8. Fickell – Have to move him down, but I know he’s probably gone so I hate to take him off the radar.
9. Kelly – Destroying Army doesn’t get you any love in South Bend…

FMQ Betting Results:

4 out of 5 and I blow the Michigan Pick…Actually, as noted above, if Michigan plays half the game we played against Purdue and we aren’t road chumps, we beat Iowa and the spread…Sigh….Next week, maybe things will improve on the road as the games are only getting tougher all over the place.

Michigan @ Iowa (+3.5)
Take Michigan and lay the 3.5 for $100
OOPS….But again, I HATE taking responsibility for this one…LOSE

Game of the Ages (or the Over Recruiting Bowl) LSU (+5) @ Satan's Warriors
Take LSU and the 5 for $70
The Mad Hatter Strikes Again! WIN = Bank $133

Mr. Lucky @ OSU (+20.5)
Take Mr. Lucky and lay the 20.5 for $100
Mr. Lucky is on a 9-0 run ATS and it’s going to be hard to quit him…It really is. WIN – Bank $190

Gophers (+28.5) @ Sparty
Take the Gophers and the 28.5 for $70
I really felt like this was the pick on the board last week. WIN = Bank $133

Vandy (+14) @ Gatorland
PASS
But I’m noticing Vandy and their ability to cover the number more and more…

Domers @ Wake Forest (+14)
PASS
Should have followed my instincts with respect the Road Chump Domers

USC @ Colorado (+21)
Take USC and lay the 21 for $60
Lane Kiffin is earning a paycheck…WIN = Bank $124

Parlay!

I really like Michigan-Stanford-LSU for $30 - LOSE

Starting BANK: $1,20
TOTAL WIN: $570
NEW BANK: $1,771

Enjoying the Ride…MMQ

Mitch McGary Friday!

2011-11-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

In case you're living under a rock, don't follow ANYTHING beside Michigan Football, don't watch ESPN, or you only get your sporting news from the 'ole MMQ, here's a link to mgoblog.com and the landing of basketball #1 overall (center) recruit Mitch McGary. By the way, I think we should all start getting used to that name and the M&M nicknames that I'm sure will follow.

So, does that jazz me up for the upcoming basketball season? Well, yeah! But this guy won't even set foot on campus for another 8 months or so. Howeva', the next three years of Michigan Hoops might be the most interesting we've seen since the Fab Five were in town. Why mention this on an FMQ Friday?

Just to piss Sparty off! Because, believe me, even though their football team is quasi-good, all those jolly green giants are secret and not-so-secret Sparty Basketball Slappy's....And it irks the hell out of them that we landed this kid. Not to mention that Sparty isn't in the pre-season top 25 for the first time in I can't remember when...

Anyway, on to this week's analysis and wagering. After last week's less than stellar performance, I'm concerned that the bookies might have a better handle with what's going in these games then I do. That being said, it might be time to try the straegy that says, "Well, my instincts say to go THIS way, therefore, the contrarian in me is going THAT way." I know, makes very little sense, but that's gambling.

Michigan @ Iowa (Open: +4 Today: +3.5)
I didn't really know what to make of this spread. The Hawkeyes have beat us two years running and always play well at home. But then there was this anomally game in Minnesota against a team that we OWNED in Ann Arbor and literally ran off the field. So, what gives? I either expected the Hawkeyes to be getting at least double digits (I honestly wrote down 10 when I handicapped this game) and it's a measely 4, dipping into the 3.5 area on some sites(5dimes). So, while I wanted to take Iowa and the points, I think I have to do the contrarian thing and
Take Michigan and lay the 3.5 for $100

Game of the Ages (or the Over Recruiting Bowl) LSU (+5) @ Satan's Warriors
Okay. I think everything that can be said, written, signed, smoke signalled, channeled, or farted in morse code has be done prior to kick-off. Yet there are still a good 36 hours of BS that we have to suffer through before this one commences. I'm actually in a bit of a situation as the St. Patrick School Auction is Saturday night, HOWEVA', I've been assured that there will be a TV somewhere with this game on it. First instincts: Alabama simply doesn't lose at home. Satan has had two weeks to prepare. But what does all that mean? It means never question the Hat and his Grass Munching abilities so
Take LSU and the 5 for $70

Mr. Lucky @ OSU (+20.5)
This game is tricky in that OSU has perrenially played Stanford pretty close. Turns out they are quiet rivals as each school fancies itself as more of an academic institution than a sports institution. Mr. Lucky made me VERY NERVOUS last week but then came through in the end. This week's tendency was to take the dog and the points and say that Mr. Lucky's ride against the number HAS TO COME TO AN END at some point...I mean, it does, doesn't it? Therefore, the contrarian in me says
Take Mr. Lucky and lay the 20.5 for $100
(BTW - Did anyone actually think I was going to go away from 8-0 ATS Mr. Lucky???)

Gophers (+28.5) @ Sparty
After keeping Floyd the Pig (don't ask me and don't tell me - I really don't want to know), the Gophers seemed to have found something that works against big, physical teams. Which is what Sparty is. However, Sparty will have it's own motivation this week to stay in the B1G race and plaster the Gophers with Cousins throwing the pigskin all over the place. Sparty home has covered all year. Therefore, the contrarian says
Take the Gophers and the 28.5 for $70

Vandy (+14) @ Gatorland
This was one of those spreads that when you saw it, you scratched your head and tried to figure out what Vegas knows that you don't. I mean, Vandy played the Razorbacks to within 3 points and almost got it to OT. Gatorland hung with Georgia and I saw "glimpses" of goodness, but nothing 14 points better than Vandy goo.... Which has me very concerned that I'm missing something here....
PASS

Domers @ Wake Forest (+14)
In the search for a 5th game, I stumbled on this spread and looked at it for a long time. The Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) are great a covering the number AT HOME, but are simply road chumps. I also have no idea what's gotten into Wake and whether or not they can play with the Domers. Yes, they are making people notice in the ACC, but that's the ACC....Again, I have to
PASS

USC @ Colorado (+21)
Here's an interesting game. USC just got spanked at home. Lane Kiffin has them playing well. They want to finish with a flourish for all the recruits they have on the line and show them that USC is still a viable contender when they come off probation in another year. I can't go contrarian here, just play it straight up and
Take USC and lay the 21 for $60

Parlay!
3 Way: 6-1

I really like Michigan-Stanford-LSU for $30

Starting Bank: $1,631
Total Wager: $430
New Bank: $1,201
Will this be a big week? We shall see..

Enjoying the Ride....MMQ

Students Fail

2011-11-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

The M-Zone has a great post and I would be re-miss if I didn't mention it here. The Student Section just plain didn't show up for the game against Purdue on Saturday. I mean, what the hell?

That's WHY or it's a big part of the Why you went to Michigan, isn't it? Yes, you're there to get a great education. But in state, there were plenty of other schools that I could have attended and received a quality education at a reduced tuition. But I wanted to go to Michigan to be part of the experience of Football Saturday. And I stayed loyal to that team, even though my first year they went 6-6 and lost the Holiday Bowl to eventual National Champ BYU.

The only game I can remember not attending was the Minnesota game in 1986 due to a Computer class project that had to get done. But every other game had my participation and attendance.

Students, this is a time in your life that you will look back on and want to relate to. Yes, sometimes the competition doesn't do attending the game justice if there's mid-terms to study for. But believe me, not setting the curve isn't that big of a deal 10, 15, or 20 years later. But remembering the Purdue blow out or something fun that might happen is a big deal and you will have wished you were there.

Now, with kids of my own, I barely make it to 2 or 3 games a year. And I hate myself for that. I allocate a large chunk of my family's entertainment budget towards Michigan Football and I should be able to take advantage more often, but other obligations make it impossible. There will be plenty of time to "not go" to the games later in life.

Go now.

Purdue Doesn’t Spook the Blue

2011-10-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

Michigan – Purdon’t was everything Michigan fans remember classic Purdon’t match-ups being: Boring, predictable, and spread beaters. I will admit that when the Spoilers beat the Illini, I started to sweat. I was thinking about the last 3 years and I was thinking that the beginning of the end usually started with a loss to Sparty and then spread like a Zombie Virus quickly after the fact….

But this isn’t the same team coached by the same mental midgets we had in there before.

This team and these coaches get a lot of things: Control the ball on offense, attack on defense. While I wish we could have done more against Sparty, it all seemed to come together Saturday. Tousaint had a great game and the defense played well without (gulp) Kovacs. I wasn’t even aware that he was injured. However, they continue to find kids that can play and play well. That’s all that counts.

The remarkable stuff from Saturday isn’t anything all that remarkable, except that we won with authority walking away. The garbage minutes at the end were just that and I’m convinced they do that crap to make anyone that has to cover the number sweat…

In a way, The Rod could have been so much better had he simply done exactly what Hoke has done: Surrounded himself with good coordinators. I don’t want to say too much as the “3 And Out” excerpts are out and I will definitely be commenting on those at a later date. But I have been following them…

The BCS Mess

Spooky Saturday takes victims…..

Sparty – Cornsuckers: Well, I could simply type SOS and be done with it, but that wouldn’t be right. It seems that Sparty got beat doing what it does best – jumping snap counts, aggressive play, and instant replay touchdowns. I invested time in this game after Michigan got a huge lead and Sparty is simply a Jekyll and Hyde team at home and on the road. I do believe this team will have difficulty in Iowa and maybe Northwestern.

Fraudgers-Ohio: Well, all I can say is that you CAN’T LEAVE A GUY WIDE FRICKIN’ OPEN IN THE END ZONE WITH 30 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME!! I was shocked and dismayed at the end of this one. But, it was good in a way because Fickell may have kept the job for another year.

Clemson Kitties – The Wramblin’ Wreck: Yeah, the ACC is tough. But come on…If you saw any of that game, Clemson looked like the Clemson of old…Reading too much of their own press and bitching about how they wouldn’t-couldn’t get a BCS Title shot…Which just goes to show you: Win ‘em all first, then bitch…Right Urban?

BCS Rankings

1. LSU – The “OVER RECRUITING BOWL” hype machine’s in full swing…I’ve heard that this is the game of the decade, century, millennia, blah, blah, blah…I only hope that LSU wins because that should drop
2. Satan’s Warriors – down below Stanford and they should stay there for the remainder of the season.
3. OKIE LATERS ..er, Cowboys: Bedlam will take care of this bunch, I think, making way for
4. Stanford – and Mr. Lucky, who just did a WHOLE BUNCH to solidify a seat at the DownTown Athletic Club on Saturday. What’s more, he did a lot to help his team be in great position to get into the BCS Title game. Who da’ thunk that Stanford would play for a National Title in our lifetime?
5. Boy’s State – If you can’t find big boys to play with, NO BCS FOR YOU! These guys are praying for everyone above them to lose at least 1 or 2 games…
6. Laters – Creeping their way back up, but 1 loss is too many this year…
7. Arkansas – There’s a scenario that puts Michigan against this team in the Capital 1 Bowl…I don’t want to play them…
8. Oregon – Ain’t gonna happen….
9. South Carolina – The Ole Ball Coach might get some more love if he can win out…
10. Cornsuckers: How can a team that got SPANKED by the Fraudgers be in the top 10????

OUT:
Clemson – You suck…They did not look good against the Wramblin’ Wreck…
Wiscy – TWO LAST MINUTE LOSSES???? Are you kidding me? I know the recipe for beating the Fraudgers: Let them get the lead with less than a minute to go and throw deep.

Idle Thoughts From Saturday

-WHERE’S KOVACS?
-Seriously, I didn’t know he was injured.
-Weekends go faster when Michigan is playing.
-More to pay attention to.
-If I hear “Do you think Michigan should be playing Devin Gardner more at QB?” one more time, I’m gonna’ punch the TV.
-You want to take out a guy that was 300+ yards per game of offense last year?
-Okay, it was ALL him, but still….He’s valuable to have on the field.
-And he’s more valuable if he’s the QB.
-If Devin somehow earns it in practice, well, okay…
-But I would miss DeRob taking snaps.
-Don’t tell me he’s not the most exciting player in Football today…
-‘Cause he is.
-Sparty can’t find its jock strap.
-The Cornsucker defense is having it’s way with these clowns.
-the Ohio uniforms suck…
-Can we STOP with the alternate uniforms for awhile?
-It’s getting embarrassing…
-Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) lids look like they’ve been “pimped” with the sparkling Gold paint…
-Heh, heh…Pimp my uniform!
-What a great idea for a website.
-Make the most garishly decorated uni’s for your competition!
-Problem is, someone might actually wear them.
-Russell Wilson is the real deal.
-Scores twice in the last 4 minutes.
-Can he play Defense? Because Wiscy certainly can’t when there’s less than a minute left…
-Mr. Lucky, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???????
-Terrible time for a pick.
-I had to give 7.5, so I’m going to lose this stupid bet unless it gets to triple OT with a 2 pointer...
-TRIPLE OT! Here we come!
-Mr. Lucky wins again!

The Hot Seat

Katarina and Ali are really having it out each week. Ali again won by the other cherry, er nose, er, whatever….I see some of you are still pulling hard for Alexa Flutie, but it’s clearly turned into a two horse race at this moment in time. Yes, fine fillies they are, but maybe there’s one or two more mascots out there waiting to turn the tables on our blonde contenders.

In fact, I noticed our next mascot a couple of weeks ago and I had to look her up. She looked good on the sidelines and she looks even better when she’s not wearing her sideline gear! Introducing Week #9’s Hot Seat Mascot, Jenn Brown!

GONE list:

1. LOCKSLEY – New Mexico
2. Mike Stoops – Arizona…Sorry, I didn’t see this one coming….

Hot Seat Rank

1. Neuheisel - Defying the odds….
2. Houston Nutt – I think this is only a matter of time…
3. Wulff – So is this one….
4. Turner Gill – Kansas has to be the worst coached team ever…Seriously.
5. Spaziani – BC – I don’t know if they love him and they are letting him off the hook this season or he’s truly on the seat. There’s no fans to bitch about him…
6. Fickell – Have to move him down, but I know he’s probably gone so I hate to take him off the radar.
7. Zook – Another Zook Crash and Burn Season on the brink?
8. Kelly – Destroying Army doesn’t get you any love in South Bend…

FMQ Betting Results:

Well, that weekend sucked! I had a feeling when I made the Navy over Domer pick on Friday. It just didn’t feel right. In fact, nothing felt right. I think I noted that I could’ve made an argument either way in a lot of the games I bet. I hate having the kind of indecision that can’t be helped by stats or figures. Anyway, no point in dragging out the review…At least we won 2…That does help.

Spoilermakers @ Michigan (-14)
Take Michigan and lay the 14 for $80
At least I’m picking Michigan right this year!
WIN! Bank: $152

Sparty (+4) @ Nebraska
Take Sparty and the 4 for $60
Same Ole’ Sparty….If Michigan beats Nebraska…Well, let’s cross that bridge when we come to it..
LOSE

Stanford @ USC (+7.5)
Take Stanford and lay the 7.5 for $150
I LOVE TRIPLE OVERTIME!!!!!
WIN! Bank: $285

WSU @ Oregon (-34.5)
I’ll take Oregon and lay the 34.5 points for $100
WTF?????? Ducks let me down big time here…
LOSE

Navy (+22) @ Domers
I’ll take Navy and the 22 for $120
Well, I did say I could look like an idiot on this one….And I was right!
LOSE

Parlay:

Three Team: Stan-Ore-Navy for $40

LOSE

Starting BANK: $1,194
TOTAL WIN: $437
NEW BANK: $1,631

Enjoying the Ride…MMQ