Wolverine Wednesday: Nice Job Big Ten

The Big Ten took all the drama out of the Big Ten Championship game, at least for one team.  After announcing yesterday that Oregon has qualified for the game after they did some math.   Fantastic job Big Ten of making a quiet release about the Championship game! 

Biff Poggi is expected to spend the weekend in Ann Arbor visiting his old program and talking with Sherrone.  Yes Please!

• Breaking News: Michigan has flipped 4 star CB Elijah Dotson from Pitt a current teammate of Bryce Underwood.  Yes Please x 2!

• Micah Ka'apana could make his Michigan debut this weekend at RB. 

• Reports are Michigan is trying to flip 5 star Bama commit OT Ty Haywood.

Michigan Tuesday: Come Back Biff!

Sherrone is struggling as Michigan's head coach.  He has gone from top of the mountain to maybe the Music City Bowl.  He does not know how to be the head coach of Michigan Football.  It's a job that can't be your first head coaching role.  Lloyd Carr was in the program for 100 years prior to the getting the job.  We all know how it worked out for Gary Moeller.  RR and Hoke had years of head coaching experience and couldn't handle the job. 

Sherrone doesn't have anybody on staff he can lean on for advice.  If Michigan had hired Jesse Minter he could talk to his dad who was a former longtime head coach and was on staff.  He is now on staff for the Chargers.   Biff was probably Jim's best friend on the team when he was on staff and many give him as much credit for turning around the Wolverines as Jim got.  

Biff was fired as head coach of Charlotte yesterday in a strange/early Black Monday for college coaches.  Don Brown who we all know was fired and so was Tom Herman at FAU.  Of all those coaches, I would take Biff back at Michigan in a minute.  He would be the perfect person to help Sherrone with the day to day head coaching duties.  The problem is, I expect Jim will try to hire him as well. 

I hope Wink's agent is contacting all 11 open head coaching jobs for an interview right now!  My best guess is Don Brown will probably retire.  For anyone thinking Tom Herman as Michigan OC, he is not a good coach and that is a hard pass from me. 

• Michigan Basketball has a ton of talent and everyone can score.  Those two things can lead to a ton of turnovers and Michigan is struggling with that right now.   So many that Miami - Michigan was close at half-time, not so much in the 2nd half when Michigan took care of the ball.  I loved that Dusty took out all 5 starters when they couldn't stop turning the ball over early in the game.  This team needs to improve TO's, rebounding, and free throw shooting.  

• It was expected, on Monday Ivan Taylor a 4 star Safety flipped from Michigan to Bama.

• If you didn't know Belleville lost to CC this weekend, so now Bryce can focus 100% on recruiting between now and signing day in a couple of weeks.

Michigan Monday: Too Early Look At The Wildcats

This season is weighing on me, I haven't felt this way since the 2020 COVID year.  I actually want this season to be over so Michigan can right the wrongs and fix this roster moving forward.   I feel terrible for the great players on this team that has had to go through this season: Loveland, Edwards, Mullins, Grant, Graham, and Johnson.   This season must feel like night and day after coming off a National Championship campaign just months prior.  If Sherrone had done an average job, this team is 9-3 easy. 

Speaking of that, I do like the 12 team playoffs concept because the Bowl Season is just a waste of time.  Sherrone talks about getting to 6 wins to play more football.  Why?  Michigan will be a shell of themselves if they play in Nashville or wherever they end up.  Those names above will not be playing, nor should they be. 

How about the state of football right now?  The #1 team in the nation struggles to beat Wisconsin who Iowa just put 40 on a couple weeks ago.  Is Georgia in the playoffs or out?  Does ND belong in the playoffs after losing to Northern Illinois then not playing anyone?  I will tell you one thing, there is not a team close to Michigan 2023 right now.  Its a Grand Canyon gap between the skill level and coaching of that team vs. any other team in the top 10 right now.   The best person to figure out this mess is the leader of our Michigan Football program, Warde Manuel, the blind leading the blind. 

IU keeps climbing the rankings and now gets a trip to Columbus.   Not sure I ever remember a week before Michigan - OSU there being a better game.   OSU took care of Northwestern at Wrigley on Saturday, so we take a look at the Wildcats today. 

Northwestern 4-6

Best Win: @ Maryland 

Worst Loss: Iowa 40-14

Pass: 178 yards (120)

Rush: 161 (121)

Score: 17 (127)

Give Up: 22 (52)

Northwestern was a great story last season and this year not so much.  Michigan fans can relate.  Remember when everyone wanted to hire Pat Fitzgerald?  What happened?  There are reports he turned down Michigan twice, 1st time after the Carr Retirement and 2nd time after RR. 

This is Michigan's chance to get to 6-6 with a presumed loss in Columbus a week later.  Northwestern is very limited and Michigan needs to win this game. 

• Anyone else wish Jessie Minter was the head coach of Michigan right now? 

• Nice to see DJ Turner and Kris Jenkins starting on SNF last night for the Bengals.  I hope DJ is ok. 

• Wisconsin fired its OC on Sunday.  Sherrone can't fire himself, but should. 

• Cade is back! After a concussion/benching the current QB starter is now out for the year with ankle injury, so it sounds like Cade will get to finish his career on the field for the final 2 games and a Bowl Game. 

• Michigan plays Miami of Ohio tonight at Crisler.  6:00 with Nik Stauskas on the call for BTN. I wonder if Nik ever got a drivers license? 

• Update: Don Brown Fired from UMass - I have a great idea on a replacement!  Wink!

Michigan Friday: Recruiting Should be Renamed to Free Agency

This is starting to get off the rails.  Reports the last few days started to surface that Michigan's offer to Bryce Underwood is in excess of 10M for 3 years.  Ok fine, a kid should be paid what he is worth.   The issue is, when this becomes public it muddy the waters for everyone.   Bryce on IG said he was likely to turn down that offer and then deleted the post.  

When you are talking life changing shoot family changing money there are a ton of voices in this 18 year-old's head.  The issue here is the number is public for some reason.  We don't know how much Arch Manning or Travis Hunter makes.  What about Livvy Dunne? I have no idea what she brings in NIL every year but I'm sure its huge.  How do you think the Underwood's feel about this number being public?  Pretty sure they don't love the narrative, "Bryce went to Michigan for the Money".   How about his future teammates at Michigan or LSU?  When he pulls up in a Lambo SUV.  Or he could just be trolling everyone like a 18 year-old would. 

This isn't the Dallas Cowboys paying $60M to their average QB and not being able to pay any other positions.  Recruiting at this level has become a full negotiation.  Some say it always has been and the SEC and a school in Columbus was just doing it better than Michigan was.   Still, Michigan has to be better at this and know all eyes, all the time are on the Wolverines.   

You can see why Saban ran to ESPN and Jim to the Chargers.   Sherrone is going to be the scapegoat if this doesn't turn out to be a good thing for the Wolverines. 

• Michigan Basketball takes on TCU tonight at Crisler.  6:00 Tip the Horned Frogs are 3-0.

• Anyone else think that watching a live Tyson Fight was never going to happen again?  Think again! Remember we couldn't believe George Foreman was fighting in his 40's?  Mike is 58.

• Big Ten Football tonight PAC 12 Style:  UCLA at UW