The Essentials
WHAT
Michigan v. Kansas
WHERE
Lawrence, KS
WHEN
12:00PM EST*Lines brought to you by the best sportsbook on the internet.
MichiganThe Wolverines finally stopped the bleeding on Sunday with a win over Detroit, but the task won't be so simple to duplicate in' [...]
In which I defend Notre Dame. Seriously!
Gregg Easterbrook first came in for a lashing around these parts when he claimed Rich Rodriguez had been in contact with Michigan before West Virginia's game against Pitt [...]
Quick reminder. If you haven't filled out Toby Hopp's survey about social media in the sports blogosphere, you should even if you never comment/diarize around these parts. It'll help me as I direct the future evolution of the site, and reward/punish the progenitor of the naked man banner, [...]
The Michigan basketball team has struggled mightily so far this season, especially given the top-15 expectations that were (probably unfairly) heaped on them in the preseason. With two superstars returning and only two walkons, a backup point guard, and a Canadian leaving the team this was supposed [...]
I give up. All anyone wants to talk about is potential expansion, so more potential expansion bits.
Inside info! Someone close to the Rutgers athletic department says that RU will push hard for Big Ten entrance. Not like that is surprising, but there you go.
No, just no. Sorry, Teddy Greenstein, [...]
According to a text he sent to Tom VanHaaren, FL DT Richard Ash has committed to Michigan. Ash is a Pahokee kid, the fourth to sign on with Michigan in three years, and either a three-tech DT (ie: Ryan Van Bergen) or a strongside defensive end.
Early in the recruiting [...]
Christmas is in nine days and you haven't purchased an MGoShirt for your fish, you terrible person, you. Imagine how cold your fish are going to be on Christmas morning when you gather around the tree to open your presents or flop around in an terrifying, airless, alien environment. As' [...]
Short Update this week, as the recruiting class is getting wrapped up in short order. All updates can be found on the Michigan Football Recruiting Board. Next week's update will probably be of the "class overview" variety. After that, the focus is very likely to shift to the 2011 [...]
The lamentation of your women.
via user chunkums
He loves it. The lamentation.
All American. I'm pleasantly surprised that both recruiting networks named Brandon Graham to their All-America teams after he was snubbed by the first of the infinite lists that came out—FWAA or something.' [...]
The Crimson Quarry has an excellent post running down candidates in detail that sections of this post are derived from.
The FringeSchools that have been brought up at one time or another but are not worth a fuller discussion for various reasons.
Schools that would say noTexas. Blame those Texas [...]
I got a couple requests in the inbox for a take on Big Ten expansion after Barry Alvarez made a comment the other day about the Big Ten adding that elusive twelfth team. On the assumption that Alvarez was just making an idle statement and expansion was a distant possibility [...]
Hey. Remember last April Fool's Day when the banner on this site mysteriously changed to this guy?
Toby Hopp is the guy who sent that banner in. So you owe him. He's a grad student at SDSU studying user-generated content and he's got a survey for [...]
12/11/2009 – Michigan 4, Notre Dame 1 – 9-8, 5-6 CCHA
12/13/2009 – Michigan 0, Notre Dame 2 – 9-9, 5-7 CCHA
It's a sign of the raging apathy I've got going over here that the first I heard about' [...]
Michigan 75, Detroit 64. Michigan 5-4 (0-0 Big Ten)
At halftime, this game was looking like it might be just the latest in a series of disappointments in this young basketball season. Detroit led the Wolverines 36-33, and Michigan couldn't make a defensive stop to save their lives.' [...]
The Essentials*Line provided by online sports betting site Sportsbetting.com.
MichiganWe're all-too-familiar with the Wolverines' deficiencies by now: They can't shoot and can't rebound. That has led to a lot of trouble, mostly against [...]
Well, damn. BREAKING NEWS(!!!): Brian Kelly is indeed the guy at Notre Dame. Notre Dame fans of the insane variety are hilariously opposed to the move on the grounds that Kelly isn't Bob Stoops, Bill Belichick, or one of the ND Nation moderators; everyone' [...]
The is a sports blog version of the Heisman again, which I'm participating in because goddammit Ndamukong Suh needs something.
3. CJ Spiller, Clemson
I followed Spiller's recruitment as Michigan was briefly involved because Spiller's apparently one and only criteria for choosing a school was immediate playing time. This eventually sent' [...]
Michigan 4-4 (0-0 Big Ten)
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the game against Utah is that the team looked, at times, as competent as it's been all year. The rest of the game though, not so much. The shooting woes continued, with the team shooting a collective [...]
It is a grim, cold morning in December of 2009, and Michigan's basketball team has essentially closed the door on its tournament chances by losing to a 4-4 WAC team consisting entirely of guys who got to the game via beanstalk. The hockey team languishes [...]
The Essentials*Line provided by online sports betting site Sportsbetting.com.
MichiganDespite coming away with a victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Michigan's shooting woes continued on Saturday. Coach Beilein joked at [...]
So… yeah: someone in Michigan's compliance department got the idea that there had been a rule change and that Michigan would not be able to cram more than the NCAA-mandated maximum of 25 players into this recruiting class, and from this person the idea spread to Sam Webb and Rivals [...]
All updates can be seen on the 2010 Michigan Recruiting board.
Ray Vinopal Goes BlueFor a defensive back commit, most Michigan fans weren't too excited about it (ironic, since many were complaining about the mental deficiencies of Michigan's DBs this year), but OH S Ray Vinopal has' [...]
Rank
Team
PPB
StdDev
Delta
1
Alabama (77)
25.0
0.1
1
2
Texas (1)
23.3
0.9
1
3
TCU
23.0
0.9
1
4
Cincinnati
22.2
1.0
1
5
Boise State
20.9
1.0
1
6
Florida
20.2
1.4
5
7
Oregon
19.0
0.6
--
8 [...] Annual exercise. This site, like all other sites, has a favored playoff proposal that it spent way too much time justifying a couple years ago and wouldn't like to revisit in depth but would like to remind you how much better it would be than the current broken system.' [...]
Rank
Team
Delta
1
Alabama
2
Texas
1
3
TCU
1
4
Cincinnati
1
5
Boise State
1
6
Georgia Tech
2
7
Florida
5
8
Oregon
1
9
Ohio State
10
Iowa
11
Virginia Tech
12
Penn State
1
13
Oklahoma State
5
14
[...] 
This has been the hot rumor the past couple days and TomVH has confirmed that redshirt freshman safety/LB Brandon Smith has received transfer papers and is looking to move on. Hurray.
Smith was a top-100 "athlete" in the hybrid Rodriguez/Carr class who technically committed [...]
Michigan 67, Arkansas Pine Bluff 53
Michigan 4-3 (0-0 Big Ten)
Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims must be secret identities of each other or something, because it seems impossible for them to show up at the same time. Today, they took turns with Sims dominating [...]
GBW is reporting that OH S Ray Vinopal has committed to Michigan($). Either that or they just like posting stories titled simply "Ray Vinopal!" Informative update coming.
Informative Update:
GURU RATINGS & CHATTER
Scout Rivals ESPN 2*, #144 S 2*, NR 2*, 68, #254 ATHAll right… yeah. So Vinopal is a "sleeper" [...]
The Essentials
WHAT
#36/31 Michigan v. Arkansas Pine Bluff
WHERE
Ann Arbor, MI
WHEN
2:00 PM EST*Line provided by online sports betting site Sportsbetting.com.
MichiganThe Wolverines are officially slumping. They have 3 losses in 3 games, at least one of them to inferior competition. The [...]
On Jared Odrick's odd Big Ten DPOY victory:
Dear Brian,
Conferences, be they high school or college, have stupid political bylaws that determine all-conference teams (i.e. conference champs get to name 3 players to 1st team, 2 players to second team). The head scratchers like "Odrick: B11DPOTY" are usually negotiated settlements [...]
The delightful news keeps coming:
Warren, a third-year junior who led Michigan with 4 interceptions this year, has filed paperwork to ask the NFL's underclass advisory committee for his draft status.
He said Thursday their input will play into his decision, but turning pro is "just something that I believe [...]
Let's take a position-by-position look at recruits in positions that Michigan still has needs. Yes, they're mostly on defense. For reference, Michigan has 21 current commits, and there's still been no resolution as to whether they can accept more than 25 commitments.
Offensive LineFL OL Torrian Wilson made a surprise commit' [...]
Huh. Tom Dienhart's taken his "get anonymous coaches to say bitchy stuff" act on to Rivals, this time breaking down the pending SEC championship game. You probably don't care much about the particulars, but I found this section pretty interesting given that much-loved former Michigan QB coach Scot Loeffler' [...]
Boston College 62, Michigan 58
Michigan 3-3 (0-0 Big Ten)
Buckle down, Michigan hoops fans; it's going to be a long season in Ann Arbor. Not literally, of course, because this doesn't look like a team that will extend its year into the postseason. But long like painful,' [...]
After Michigan's 4-0 start the offense skidded downwards into mediocrity and inconsistency, gradually erasing the early giddiness around these parts. Early in the year, I said "the question is not whether this will be Michigan's best rushing offense of the decade, but by how much," which… well… Alan Greenspan has [...]
The ACC/Big Ten Challenge has been a one-sided affair in its 10 years of existence, with the Atlantic Coast conference emerging victorious in each of the first 10 years. With the Big Ten poised for a great year throughout the conference, there has been talk that this [...]
No, you don't get a pony. This Notre Dame coaching search is going to go exactly like the last three: everyone is going to get all hyped up about a wide variety of downright laughable names and they'll settle for someone not coaching at a [...]
A few days ago, Chris Brown of Smart Football posted an anonymous high school coach's negative opinion on Charlie Weis's recruiting mojo. It's interesting, if slightly preposterous from the Michigan fan's perspective. Weis spent his first three recruiting classes punching Lloyd Carr in the face, beating Michigan for [...]
Rank
Team
Delta
1
Alabama
2
Florida
2
3
Texas
1
4
TCU
1
5
Cincinnati
6
Boise State
7
Oregon
1
8
Virginia Tech
3
9
Georgia Tech
2
10
Ohio State
11
Iowa
1
12
Pittsburgh
3
13
Penn State
1
14
Oklahoma [...] 
Marquette 79, Michigan 65
Alabama 68, Michigan 66
Michigan (3-2, 0-0)
Michigan fans hoping to lean on the success of the basketball team to fill the void left by a subpar football season might have to re-think things. The Wolverines, favored to win the Old Spice Classic, went [...]
I didn't manage to put up a preview, so we'll liveblog instead. For all your previewing needs, check out UMHoops. Game is on ESPN at noon. Read the Chaos Mitigation Post if you're wondering why your post isn't showing up. Inkster is on FSN Detroit at 1, so [...]
Michigan 83, Creighton 76. Michigan 3-0
Bullets only, since it's a holiday. Hell, I'll even make them holiday-themed.
I'm Thankful For:
The win. It seemed like it wasn't going to happen for a while there, as I was tearing my hair out in frustration. It would not have been a' [...]
The Essentials
WHAT
#15 Michigan v. Creighton
WHERE
Orlando, FL
WHEN
12:00PM EST*Line provided by online sports betting site Sportsbetting.com.
MichiganThe Wolverines venture outside the friendly confines of Crisler Arena for the first time this year, as they take on the Creighton Blue Jays in [...]
Cullen Christian Goes Blue
As everyone has been expecting for some time now, PA CB Cullen Christian picked the Wolverines yesterday, adding a much-needed defensive back to the class of 2010. The announcement itself had been planned for weeks, and although it took a little longer [...]
Wednesday Recruitin' is coming right up but there is one major question yet to be answered that will greatly impact the final disposition/rank of the class: how many guys can they fit?
Michigan brought in a ton of kids this weekend there are' [...]
Your super-boring top ten:
Rank
Team
PPB
StdDev
Delta
1
Alabama (32)
24.1
0.9
--
2
Florida (21)
23.7
1.1
1
3
Texas (15)
23.6
1.0
1
4
TCU (6)
22.2
1.1
--
5
Cincinnati
21.0
0.8
--
6
Boise State
20.0
1.0
--
7
Georgia Tech
18.9
2.3
--
8
Pittsburgh
17.2
1.4
--
9
Oregon
17.0
1.2 [...] 
The men's hoops teams heads to Orlando this week to participate in the Old Spice Classic. The bracket looks as such:
Here's a brief look at the teams in the tournament field.
CreightonSo Far: Creighton fell to Dayton in their opening game this season, and came back with a [...]
Michigan has gained a commitment from PA CB/S Cullen Christian, from Pittsburgh's Penn Hills High School. Yay and whatnot. How about we move on to the informative portion?
GURU RATINGS
Scout Rivals ESPN 4*, #3 CB 4*, #6 DB 4*, 79, #18 CBChristian can play either safety or corner, but he's ranked by all [...]
Site note: remember how I said the blog would be off Thursday and Friday? Psyche. Tim will be around posting up basketball content. I'm taking a couple days off, but the Old Spice Classic will get its due around here.
Hey, thanks for the timely assist. The AP follows up' [...]
If you can help out finding articles on any of the commits, e-mail me, and I'll try to include your contribution.
MI QB Devin GardnerLast week: Inkster beats Warren De La Salle 12-3 in the State Semifinals.
"We started 0-2," Gardner said. "It'" [...]
Personnel notes: nothing unusual. Dorrestein was the RT, Omameh the RG. Roundtree played as the slot the whole game.
Video note: some of the cut points are a little odd this week; I was using a different file and was having some issues actually getting it cut.
Ln Dn Ds O Form RB TE WR D Form Type Play Player Yards M40 1 10 Shotgun [...]
FL CB Tony Grimes and his teammate, FL DE Clarence Murphy, were amongst ten official visitors for the Ohio State game. Tom VanHaaren caught up with Grimes after he got back home and caught him for a brief, encouraging interview.
TOM: How was the trip, [...]
A University of Michigan football player was arrested this morning after a female student reported he sexually assaulted her.
The man has been questioned and is scheduled to be released shortly as detectives continue to investigate the 2 a.m incident in the 600 block of South State [...]
A quick tour around heartfelt pre-OSU posts in the Wolverine blogosphere before they all expire:
WLA:
Like many things in life that end broken, this started with good intentions all around.
Rich Rodriguez watched from the sidelines while Michigan avenged Carr and desecrated the Tebow Temple. Chad Henne dropped redemption from the [...]
The Essentials
WHAT
Michigan vs #10 Ohio State
WHERE
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
WHEN
12:00 EST Michigan's faced [...]
At the beginning, I apologized.
I was standing in front of a big group of people in a bar in midtown New York City, and I knew that the year before I had wandered in in a suit and told them that this would be an off [...]
Yes, there's an OSU preview coming.
The Essentials WHAT #15/16 Michigan v. Houston Baptist WHERE Crisler Arena WHEN 7:00 ESTMichigan will probably come out with the same lineup they played last game: Darius Morris at the point, Laval Lucas-Perry at guard, Manny Harris and Zack [...]
Ach: this one is late for no reason other than I forgot to post it yesterday. In keeping with our "you can't have one with the other" theme of late, Jamiemac of Just Cover appears but we forgo an Ohio State blogger on the premise that even if they' [...]
University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Thursday (Nov. 19) following practice the four permanent captains elected for the 130th team in school history. Linebacker Stevie Brown (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East HS), defensive end Brandon Graham (Detroit, Mich./Crockett Technical HS), punter Zoltan Mesko (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg HS) and left tackle Mark [...]
Personnel notes: Smith replaced Williams for the whole game, and the linebackers were always Ezeh and Mouton. On (rare) obvious passing downs Floyd came in for Smith. I think there may have been a few plays where Floyd subbed in for Woolfolk, too.
Formation notes: Michigan spent the whole game in [...]
A silly MGoBlog tradition.
Note: a number of seniors with eligibility remaining are omitted; I included the Coner because he's probably not going to get a fifth year and he must have a haiku.
Brandon Graham
Sisyphus in pads
thunders through endless legions
third and long [...]
Remember, all-time updates can be found on the 2010 and 2011 Michigan football recruiting boards.
Out of Town Guests
Wow, this would be an awesome recruiting weekend if it weren't for a game in which Michigan is likely going to get taken to the woodshed (plz' [...]
Probably, but unconfirmed.
So Rodriguez was asked about the audit stuff that came out yesterday on Columbus radio and was explicit about his inability to go into it much:
"The only thing, because the investigation is still under process, the [...]
Before this turns into a huge Ron Burgundy parody, let's just get everything out of the way now: BAXTER! You ate a whole wheel of cheese? San Diaaagooo. It's German for a whale's va....ok, that's enough.
Dillon Baxter is a four star running back prospect from San Diego, CA. Though [...]
Your top ten with ever-changing #1:
Rank
Team
PPB
StdDev
Delta
1
Alabama (35)
24.1
0.8
1
2
Texas (21)
23.8
0.9
1
3
Florida (26)
23.7
1.1
2
4
TCU (3)
22.0
1.1
--
5
Cincinnati
21.0
0.7
--
6
Boise State
20.0
1.2
--
7
Georgia Tech
19.1
1.0
--
8 [...]
If you can help out finding articles on any of the commits, e-mail me, and I'll try to include your contribution.
MI QB Devin GardnerLast week: Preview fluff. Inkster defeats Southgate Anderson 35-7 in Round 3 of the State Playoffs. We were there, so' [...]
![tate-forcier-terrelle-pryor-punchout_thumb[1]](http://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/tateforcierterrellepryorpunchout_thumb1.jpg)
Via the Shredder.
No worries, but you'll still worry. These days there are many emails I get that fit neatly into categories. One category: "oh noes Devin Gardner!" All I can tell folk concerned that Gardner might decommit is that he is asked about the strength' [...]
Originally intended as a UV bit, but then it got long.
As you've probably heard, Bill Belichick went for a first down on fourth and two from his 29 with about two minutes left and his team leading by six' [...]
Brian, Tim, steve sharik, MCalibur, Misopogon, PaulVB, TomVH
