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BlakChamber

2009 College Football Thread

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I think MSU's QB situation will be an upgrade over Hoyer whether it's Cousins or Nichol. They need a RB to rise the top though or else they are in trouble on offense. Ringer left, Ringer right, Ringer up the middle 30+ times a game will be missed, but if Nichol starts that will solve some of it because he can move. That CMU game will be very interesting. CMU can play, and still have LeFevour who is a stud.

Makes me wonder which qb you would want to have on your team. Cousins, Nichol, Forcier, Robinson?

As far as Ringer, yes...they need a running game to at least force the defense to respect the run.

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Makes me wonder which qb you would want to have on your team. Cousins, Nichol, Forcier, Robinson?

As far as Ringer, yes...they need a running game to at least force the defense to respect the run.

You forgot Sheridan :lol:

Nichol without question. I would be really shocked if he didn't start. Maybe Cousins is better as of now and will start the season, because he has more PT/knowledge of the playbook compared to Nichol but Nichol has way more upside if you ask me. I watched Nichol a lot in HS (Couisins as well for that matter), and he is a player. I know HS does not mean anything once you step on campus, but with Nichol I would make an exception. He has his head on straight, can run, has a good arm, and was probably coached very well at Oklahoma.

Edited by mannysBETTER3434

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You forgot Sheridan :lol:

Nichol without question. I would be really shocked if he didn't start. Maybe Cousins is better as of now and will start the season, because he has more PT/knowledge of the playbook compared to Nichol but Nichol has way more upside if you ask me. I watched Nichol a lot in HS (Couisins as well for that matter), and he is a player. I know HS does not mean anything once you step on campus, but with Nichol I would make an exception. He has his head on straight, can run, has a good arm, and was probably coached very well at Oklahoma.

Interesting that you picked Nichol. I know little about Nichol. I know he has tremendous upside and is a very atheltic QB. Whether or not his time is now or in the next few seasons, i guess we will have to wait and see.

Curious to see what Michigan fans are thinking with reports that Rich Rod is on a short leash this year and unless things turn around dramatically, this would be his last season. they are saying that recruits dont like Rich, they dont like his practice style. Boosters dont like him and the school doesnt like the whole lawsuit mess from West Va.

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Interesting that you picked Nichol. I know little about Nichol. I know he has tremendous upside and is a very atheltic QB. Whether or not his time is now or in the next few seasons, i guess we will have to wait and see.

Curious to see what Michigan fans are thinking with reports that Rich Rod is on a short leash this year and unless things turn around dramatically, this would be his last season. they are saying that recruits dont like Rich, they dont like his practice style. Boosters dont like him and the school doesnt like the whole lawsuit mess from West Va.

Rich Rod isn't on a short leash. He will get minimum 4 years. I find all this bad talking about him really ironic for many reasons. First of all I'm not saying he is a saint, but for example when Carr was around he was often criticized because he was the "CEO" of his team. He wasn't in players faces much, didn't recruit much, and usually just monitored practice because he trusted his position coaches. People said they needed a mean SOB like Bo again to get more out of the players. Carr was also criticized because he didn't attack Ohio harder for recruiting, and should try to get random playmakers from FLA like Ohio State does. They also said he needed to build his speed/conditioning program from the ground up again.

Now Rodriguez comes along. He is a very mean SOB when the camera is not around, he recruits the heck out of FLA, and has been attacking Ohio not caring about the fence Tressel built around the state. They probably have the best speed and conditioning program in the country now. Michigan's football team recorded its highest GPA in 20 years last season. He also has an open door policy for any of his players. Not many college coaches do this. Carr didn't even do this, and he was known as a great father figure to players.

The jury is still out on RR, and will be for a while still but I just find it funny how people think this is already a disaster and he has only been here what 18 months? I don't think a young head coach forgets everything that made him successful in that span of time, but then again maybe this is a square peg in a round hole scenario. Time will tell, but I'll give him that time and so will Michigan.

Edited by mannysBETTER3434

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The jury is still out on RR, and will be for a while still but I just find it funny how people think this is already a disaster and he has only been here what 18 months? I don't think a young head coach forgets everything that made him successful in that span of time, but then again maybe this is a square peg in a round hole scenario. Time will tell, but I'll give him that time and so will Michigan.

Michigan will give him as long as it takes for the big money donars to stop sending money.

I realize it's just one season, but I don't see how you can say it's been anything other than a disaster so far. Look at the highlights.

  • First losing season since the 60's
  • Ending the nation's longest streak for bowl games at 33 or 34
  • First loss to MSU since 2001 and first loss in Ann Arbor in 18 years
  • First loss to PSU in 12 years
  • First loss ever to a MAC team. In Ann Arbor to 3-9 Toledo. And beating UM wasn't even enough for the Rockets coach to keep his job.
  • First 9 loss team in school history

And that's just on the field. There's also,

  • Submitting his resignation to WVU via grad assistant
  • Contacting Pryor on a WVU cell phone during a dead period
  • The lawsuit against WVU.
  • Almost getting Martin and the UM president (her name escapes me at the moment) deposed

I don't follow recruiting, I know on Spartantailgate there's a good list of players who have either transferred or decommitted. How about losing Beaver, the 4th best RB in the state of Texas, to Tulsa? That's not losing a player to OSU or Florida, that's losing the 4th best RB from one of the best football states in the country, to a Conference USA team. At least several of the players leaving haven't had good things to say about RR.

While I agree with you that the jury is obviously still out on his long term success in Whoretown, last year was a disaster. Hell, last year would be a disaster even by MSU standards.

Now, I know the argument, just wait until he gets his players here. You know who else used to say that? Spartan fans (myself included) about JLS. And DickRod is a better coach than JLS. As far as using someone else's players, Slappy came in with the spread, took at team of Saban/Bobby players and went to a bowl after Bobby had a losing record. Then Dantonio came in, took a bunch of JLS spread offense recruits and went to a bowl game after switching to more of a pro-style offense. It comes down to coaching. RichRod better hope that Forcier is the second coming of Pat White, and not the second coming of Sam McGuffie.

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#31 Michigan State

Thought they would be a little bit higher, might even in the top 25 but I am ok with the ranking. Defensively they look pretty solid. Greg Jones is the main linebacker so the Spartans need him to be just that. If they can get a pass rush, the secondary has talent and should capitalize on that.

Offensively tho, they have holes to fill. A QB and HB must step up and the WRs have to be the strongest link in the offense. Limit the dropped passes.

The schedule favors MSU to have another great year but everyone will bring out the SOS (same ol' sparties) if they cant even get past CMU in week 2. 2-3 loss team is very reasonable expectations.

This year should show Dantonio's system and if it is working in East Lansing.

I would have thought starting the season between 20-25 would be where MSU will be. But, losing the starting QB and RB will do that.

This is an easy schedule for MSU and they really need to take advantage of it. No OSU along with Penn State at home. I hate the Montana State game, nothing good comes from playing 1AA teams. If you win, BFD. If you lose...you're just F'd. At Wisconsin is probably the toughest road game. South Bend has been Spartan Stadium South for a while now.

MSU should be the clear favorites in all games except for 3 (IMO). Penn State is a clear favorite and Iowa and Illinois will be toss ups. I'd say no better than 7-5 and no worse than 9-3.

While LeFevour will cause some problems, I think MSU's defense will be enough, especially if the Spartans can get some pass rush going.

Coaching wise, I expect to see Dantonio air it out more, similar to his first season. The WR's each have a year under their belt and there doesn't appear to be a Ringer-like workhorse. They key is going to be to STOP ******* DROPPING THE BALL :ranting: Sorry, flashbacks to the last 10 years of MSU football.

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On Spartantailgate there's a list of M players that have transferred/decommitted? It's no wonder we think Spartans fans are obsessed with Michigan.

Anyway, yeah, RR's a real *******, just ask Elliott Mealer and his family:

"I can only speak for myself, but I love coach Rod," Mealer explained. "I think he's awesome the way he's handled everything since the day I met him. He's very dedicated. No matter what, he has a winning attitude and the coaching staff reflects that. Like they say, you don't love to win you hate to lose. I have so much faith in coach Rodriguez and the staff, I'd go to war for him."

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez visited Elliott in the hospital, spending as much time as possible learning about him and his family and how he and his staff could assist the Mealers in dealing with the tragedy.

"After that, I started sleeping a lot better because I knew what kind of men were going to be taking care of my son," Mealer's mother said.

Whoops.

And what's with this about Beaver? Who cares? Good for Tulsa. Did we or did we not replace him with Denard Robinson, who is from Florida and turned down in-state offers from Florida and Miami, as well as Georgia and OSU offers, for Michigan? OSU and MSU fans can focus all they like on the players Michigan doesn't have. It might be worth taking a page out of RR's book and talking about the ones we do.

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Michigan will give him as long as it takes for the big money donars to stop sending money.

I realize it's just one season, but I don't see how you can say it's been anything other than a disaster so far. Look at the highlights.

  • First losing season since the 60's
  • Ending the nation's longest streak for bowl games at 33 or 34
  • First loss to MSU since 2001 and first loss in Ann Arbor in 18 years
  • First loss to PSU in 12 years
  • First loss ever to a MAC team. In Ann Arbor to 3-9 Toledo. And beating UM wasn't even enough for the Rockets coach to keep his job.
  • First 9 loss team in school history

And that's just on the field. There's also,

  • Submitting his resignation to WVU via grad assistant
  • Contacting Pryor on a WVU cell phone during a dead period
  • The lawsuit against WVU.
  • Almost getting Martin and the UM president (her name escapes me at the moment) deposed

I don't follow recruiting, I know on Spartantailgate there's a good list of players who have either transferred or decommitted. How about losing Beaver, the 4th best RB in the state of Texas, to Tulsa? That's not losing a player to OSU or Florida, that's losing the 4th best RB from one of the best football states in the country, to a Conference USA team. At least several of the players leaving haven't had good things to say about RR.

While I agree with you that the jury is obviously still out on his long term success in Whoretown, last year was a disaster. Hell, last year would be a disaster even by MSU standards.

Now, I know the argument, just wait until he gets his players here. You know who else used to say that? Spartan fans (myself included) about JLS. And DickRod is a better coach than JLS. As far as using someone else's players, Slappy came in with the spread, took at team of Saban/Bobby players and went to a bowl after Bobby had a losing record. Then Dantonio came in, took a bunch of JLS spread offense recruits and went to a bowl game after switching to more of a pro-style offense. It comes down to coaching. RichRod better hope that Forcier is the second coming of Pat White, and not the second coming of Sam McGuffie.

I knew I was going to get that disaster response, and you're 100% right, but that is not what I meant. What I meant was people think his whole coaching career at Michigan is a disaster. If you're talking about last season it's more then a disaster...it's a MONSTER disaster!!! It's just ironic if you go to the best college football coaches list 2 years ago RR was in the top 5 with Carrol, Meyer, Tressel, and Brown (or something similar to that). Now those same people say he's a joke. You don't lose that in less then 2 years.

I don't care about transfers or decommits one little bit. Yes, McGuffie was ranked all world, but I know people (you included) questioned if he was B10 caliber, and it was clear he wasn't because he didn't pound for yards, and ran straight up. Beaver or Newsome? Who cares they were replaced with Forcier/Robinson...all 4 were about the same caliber of player. That happens at every school. As for decommits I remember a couple of years ago MSU/U-M both got snake bitten by them. This is just not at Michigan. Not too long ago MSU lost Nichol (OKL), Landingham (Wisky), and Everson (Iowa)...their 3 highest rated players all from the state. Then Michigan lost Johnson (USC), Allen (FSU), and Washington (OSU)...also all instate. It's just a crap shoot because when a player leaves or decommits from U-M it is huge news. Why does no one talk about Foles leaving MSU, or some other player? It also drives me crazy because we all know Dantonio is a hard ass and thats why he is a good coach, but when RR is a hard ass its because "he doesn't care about anyone, or is an ass". That is busch league if you ask me.

Good post BRTD

Edited by mannysBETTER3434

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Am so ready for college football!

The college I went to was one of the big three of the Mountain West last season, we finished 11-2 and ranked #7 last year. Was so down after we lost to Utah in the final minute of our game against, if we didn't we would've likely gone to the Sugar Bowl over them. Happy for their win obviously though. Still was an awesome season, only losses came to them and Oklahoma.

Hopefully my school will be as good this year and can hopefully crack the BCS.

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Am so ready for college football!

The college I went to was one of the big three of the Mountain West last season, we finished 11-2 and ranked #7 last year. Was so down after we lost to Utah in the final minute of our game against, if we didn't we would've likely gone to the Sugar Bowl over them. Happy for their win obviously though. Still was an awesome season, only losses came to them and Oklahoma.

Hopefully my school will be as good this year and can hopefully crack the BCS.

how do you feel jack that 3 of the mountain west teams are ranked in the top 25 with no guarntee of a bcs bowl game yet the big east has no one in the top 25 yet has a bcs bowl game guarntee? Do you think they will change it soon to open the door to the Mountain West conference soon?

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A guy at work offered me a pretty interesting bet last night. He's willing to wager 50 bucks that WMU will beat U-M, and CMU will beat MSU. Initially I gave him a funny look, but after thinking about it the idea isn't really far fetched. I think I'll end up taking my chances with U-M/MSU, but wow I guess I'm not as sure as I want to be!

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A guy at work offered me a pretty interesting bet last night. He's willing to wager 50 bucks that WMU will beat U-M, and CMU will beat MSU. Initially I gave him a funny look, but after thinking about it the idea isn't really far fetched. I think I'll end up taking my chances with U-M/MSU, but wow I guess I'm not as sure as I want to be!

I think Western has a better shot against Michigan than Central does against MSU.

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I think it's the other way round. Honestly, I think MSU is overrated this year.

I want to agree with you, but don't know if I can just yet. I honestly have no clue about U-M or MSU this year. I've read everything I can, and it hasn't helped. I need to see them both for myself. MSU can't replace Ringer this year, but say Nichol starts and they get a solid RB to step up they could match Ringer's rushing numbers because Nichol can run unlike Hoyer. I also don't think replacing Hoyer is that big deal because he wasn't that good to begin with. They have 2 stars on D, and for once decent depth. So yeah I just don't know, because Nichol isn't even the starter. If it's Couisins they lose a way to run, and if no RB steps up the whole story changes.

I can't say anything about U-M, because how am I suppose to know what to expect from 2 freshmen QB's? If they were both completing 70% of their passes this summer I still wouldn't bite it. Playing 7 on 7's, and performing well during 2 a days against a mix of starters, backups, and walk-ons doesn't mean anything until you step up to the plate in front of 110,000 people. The same can be said for the OL pretty much as well. I think the defense could surprise but I'm very, very concerned about playing power teams like Wisconsin/Iowa. I don't know if they have the personal to stop that, and if there is ONE major injury on that side of the ball they are in deep trouble. The depth RR inherited on that side of the ball was and still is horrible.

Edited by mannysBETTER3434

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Interesting that you picked Nichol. I know little about Nichol. I know he has tremendous upside and is a very atheltic QB. Whether or not his time is now or in the next few seasons, i guess we will have to wait and see.

Curious to see what Michigan fans are thinking with reports that Rich Rod is on a short leash this year and unless things turn around dramatically, this would be his last season. they are saying that recruits dont like Rich, they dont like his practice style. Boosters dont like him and the school doesnt like the whole lawsuit mess from West Va.

As a Michigan fan who goes to Michigan State I am going to reply to both parts of this post. First in regard to Nichol, I think he should be MSUs QB. When I was a sophmore in high school my home town of St Johns played against Lowell in the state championship game, (fun fact: our quarterback was Andy Schmitt who is now the QB at Eastern Michigan) and Nichol was playing for Lowell, Lowell won the game and Nichol was flat out awesome. I also went to the spring game at MSU this year (no, not as a spy) and I thought that Nichol was clearly the better of the two quarterbacks. I think his athletic ability would be a huge benefit for MSU especially early in the season since they don't have a clear #1 running back yet. If Nichol plays and a quality running back emerges MSU has a serious chance at atleast a share of the big ten title (due in large part to not playing OSU and getting Penn State and Iowa at home). If they can find a way to win at Illinois it could be a special season.

As far as the Rich Rod thing, I don't think he is on a short lease...yet. Although Michigans AD did jokingly say that if they have another 3-8 season they will both be putting their houses up for sale. It is true that a lot of players have left the program because they don't like the practice style/workouts etc but the same thing happened when Bo took over. I think any true Michigan fans have to realize that the obstacles last years team had to overcome were insane (Hart, Henne, Long etc graduating, Mallett and Boren transferring, several other players leaving the team because they didn't like the new system/style, and lots and lots of injuries) Further, Michigan still managed to land a top 10 recruting class which took a lot of the heat off in my opinion. I think Rich Rod has one more "free pass" season before he has to start worrying about job security, although there will be plenty of upset Michigan fans if there is no bowl game again this year.

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how do you feel jack that 3 of the mountain west teams are ranked in the top 25 with no guarntee of a bcs bowl game yet the big east has no one in the top 25 yet has a bcs bowl game guarntee? Do you think they will change it soon to open the door to the Mountain West conference soon?

I don't know and honestly I really don't care anymore. The bowl selection system is all f'ed up as it is and there is rarely a fair way to choose a National Champion (or at least a matchup). Plenty of examples to choose from...

2008 - Oklahoma doesn't even beat Texas but still plays in their conference championship due to BCS standnings and eventually the National Championship, losing to Florida

2007 - LSU vs. Ohio State - Which I am glad LSU won being a fan but you could've basically picked multiple teams out of a hat that year to play for the Championship (b/c of 2-loss teams etc.)

2004 I think - Oklahoma doesn't even win their conference but plays for the National Championship and loses to USC.

2001 or 2002? - Nebraska doesn't even win their conference but plays for the National Championship and loses to Miami.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see my school get in a BCS game, but there is rarely anything fair about the BCS selection process regardless of if you are in one of the qualifing conferences or not. So getting on a soapbox and campaigning is a waste of time IMO. Just win your games and see what happens from there...

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It such a messed up system. It's really a shame. That's why I don't expect National Championships from Michigan. I expect B10 titles and BCS bowls. Every year you got 2-3 teams usually getting screwed and it's a joke.

They probably deserved a shot in 2006 but nobody wanted a rematch. Florida was the best team anyways -- which UM then inexplicably beat the next year. :wacko:

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They probably deserved a shot in 2006 but nobody wanted a rematch. Florida was the best team anyways -- which UM then inexplicably beat the next year. :wacko:

Michigan had their chance in 2006 on the football field. A lot of these screwed teams dont even get that shot in the BCS.

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I hate the BCS as well like most everyone else has said. However, I think it is here to stay for the forseeable future. My first preference after trashing the BCS for a playoff system would be to eliminate the pre-season rankings altogether. They generate hype and something to talk about in August, but beyond that they have no purpose. Start the rankings in early October when there are actual games to judge performance. It doesn't completely level the playing field, but it does create a more fair opportunity for quality teams that might have been unjustly ranked lower in the pre-season.

I can't wait for next Saturday. Nothing better than college football.

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I hate the BCS as well like most everyone else has said. However, I think it is here to stay for the forseeable future. My first preference after trashing the BCS for a playoff system would be to eliminate the pre-season rankings altogether. They generate hype and something to talk about in August, but beyond that they have no purpose. Start the rankings in early October when there are actual games to judge performance. It doesn't completely level the playing field, but it does create a more fair opportunity for quality teams that might have been unjustly ranked lower in the pre-season.

I can't wait for next Saturday. Nothing better than college football.

I completely agree with you about the preseason rankings they are a terrible idea. I know I am in a very small minority here but I prefer the BCS over a playoff system. With a playoff season you would take all the fun out of the regular season. Last year for instance when Oregon State shocked USC that was a huge deal and super exciting, if there was a playoff system no one would have cared and it wouldn't have mattered anyway because USC still would have made the playoff. It is unfortunate that teams like Utah can go undefeated and get screwed out of playing for the national title but IMO national titles aren't that big of a deal. Yes I actually said that. As a fan of the big ten to me the biggest game of the year is the rose bowl regardless of whether it is the national championship game or not. I would have been pissed if Michigan played in a national title game in 97 instead of the rose bowl. I am probably the only person in the country that feels that way but oh well.

Also with the BCS you can at least see the justification behind the rankings, unlike with coaches/media poll.

Edited by Lidstrom for life

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