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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Once again Michigan won the Charity Bowl, so we'll be getting together with the Fullcastians on JUNE 28, 6PM at the Ann Arbor District Library, then going to Venue for drinks at 8:30. Signup is here so we can plan a good numbers count, or just remember pizzawestern.com.

Things Discussed:

• House: We're in prime recruiting season but schools are starting to tell kids the distribution money isn't coming to recruit against Michigan.
• What's the holdup? In a vacuum liars will come up with B.S. to sell. We're sure Ohio State is pushing for some kind of system where they can go back to exploiting a black market and controlling the enforcement mechanism so that Michigan won't/can't participate in it.
• Best guess at what's holding it up: they're trying to make a clearinghouse that won't the agreement immediately sued out of existence, which is tricky because any regulation of what people can make without Congressional dispensation tends to lose in court.
• Playoff expansion: Why, who, will it? Petitti is a dumb TV suit and put out a dumb TV suit idea so he can make this end-of-year playoff to get into the Playoff. No this is not the Showcase (which is a +1 format to finish the season with the best games that weren't played and determine a conference champion by strength of season). Sankey is predictably honestly dishonest in that he'll keep saying and doing whatever gets more for his schools, and that means he's going to run absolute circles around Petitti the spineless moron.
• Why are things this way? Powers in control are approaching it from how much more TV inventory can they generate, don't think about where the value is coming out of except they're very protective of their own money. Schools imagining themselves #16 and dealing with opt-outs. Who really pays: fans. Fans who buy another expensive last-minute ticket, and travel.
• For years nobody in power has put any thought into what really makes college football valuable, so they're willing to cannibalize the Every Game Matters. Already happened with 12 teams, where Ohio State finished the season with a worse strength of record than Oregon and shouldn't have had a path to redemption.
• With 16 teams you're going to get a 3- or 4-loss champion who gets hot or beneficial matchups in a year with a team that went 14-1. Also guarantee Sankey will know how to get an 8-4 Ole Miss team that played three Sun Belts and an FCS with one ranked win in the SEC ranked above a 10-2 Iowa that beat nobody because they were in the "Not playing Michigan-Ohio State-USC-Oregon" tier when Petitti was making his schedules for inventory.
• Our dream: If Congress were to demand your conference can't have more than 12 members or you can't pay anybody.
• In the break: McKenna
• Yaxeltalk: Watching his film last year there was a lot more Buzz Williams ball where they would Iso then rebound. Hopefully he gets better looks with better creators on the court with him.
• Don't forget defense: Yaxel's length makes him switchable, and you have some major rim protection that won't have to get tired.
• Need to develop 36%+ shooting so opponents don't just collapse, because Yax isn't an off-the-dribble shooter at all. Can Gayle? Can Cason? Freshmen? Nimari is who he is.
• Kobe Assist team: have guys like Gayle, Cason drawing multiple defenders and there will be a lot of opportunities to "pass" the ball to the basket.
• Turnovers again? There are some Danny Wolf howlers from Cadeau but hoping they can coach him to better options.

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Things Discussed:

• On early: Talkin Detroit Tigers.
• How this went down: Yax started with college as a fallback, Michigan visit shifted things.
• NBA side of it stayed—if anything the measurements at the Combine improved his NBA stock.
• But Michigan convinced him. Laid out the red carpet. Coaches went to the Combine to support him.
• Did we out-recruit the NBA? Yes, because the NBA wasn't recruiting him, and we are very good at recruiting.
• Good sign for the future: Dusty May knows how to convince a fringe NBA guy to come back to college. Going to have an advantage when they're the competition because we're always going to want these players more than the NBA for the same money.
• What does this do? Cross between Danny Wolf and Johni Broome. Danny measured 6'10.5, but Yaxel is 6'9", much better about turnovers, much better free throw shooter, better face-up guy, close to that level of defender.
• Team: Cadeau and Yaxel are your creators, need Cason to be a breakdown threat, need Gayle and Nimari to be your finishers, and then center is Johnson's defensive presence.
• Big Ten next year: Purdue is still #1, they are going to have a 7'3" guy from Belgium so they don't die whenever TKR gets in foul trouble. Michigan is in that tier with them.
• Proven shooting on this roster? Uh, Tschetter? Need three or four of Cason/Gayle/McKenney/Burnett/Grady to be that.
• Minutes? Cadeau most of them at the point with Cason taking some. McKenny backup up Gayle and Nimari at the SG spots, Tschetter backing up Lendeborg, Johnson/Mara at center.
• Upside: Team is all about creation: Cadeau, Lendeborg are creators, Gayle and Cason are secondary creators, McKenney has that upside.
• Rotation: 8+2 like Dusty likes. Think they'll work in the freshmen some but Goodman probably redshirts unless there's an injury, Grady gets maybe 10% of minutes as a spacer depending on how the others are shooting, Trey develops into a major part of the rotation by season's end but needs time to adjust.
• Defensively this team will be a nightmare to play against.

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Things Discussed:

• Tigers: They go dormant for years but then they pop, and you gotta get a World Series when they do. Sign Skubal!
• Craig's long story about golf in Alabama.
• House Settlement: NCAA is going to relinquish enforcement to a commission/CEO run by the commissioners.
• Will it work? Without legislation they'll just get sued again.
• What some schools are going for is to have rules that nobody enforces except against programs they don't like. This was ideal for OSU/Bama/Georgia/LSU who could get a competitive advantage on programs that self-police, and occasionally could be used as a weapon against rivals.
• Who's the CEO? They said someone not in sports—so Condi Rice? Who's going to take this job who's not in athletics?
• Can they create a player's union? Why would the players unionize when they are getting everything they want. MLB unionized because their players were employees; NCAA doesn't control player movement because they want to avoid their athletes being employees.
• NCAA is getting out but it falls to conference commissioners, who are not at all equipped to handle this. They're serving needs of ADs who are complaining about different things. Ohio State wants there to be rules they don't have to follow and Michigan does. Michigan wants to be able to spend whatever they can raise. Purdue wants to have some player control so their cornerbacks don't get poached. Michigan State isn't thinking "oh I need to make sure Michigan and Ohio State don't boot me" and not even thinking about what's best for Michigan State; they're thinking how can we screw Michigan. You're expecting this mix to come up with solutions?
• Clearinghouse won't work because they'll get a flood of lawsuits. Player already have the money; they won't let you close the spigot.
• Answer is legislation that gives the NCAA some kind of anti-trust protection.
• Will it get prioritized at the federal level? Probably not this Congress, but the next one or the next one. State laws are only trying to make their own teams better.
• Sam: Can they make a special class? They had it in student athletes but that got blown up by the states, which is how we got here.
• The players have no incentive to change things because they're winning. NCAA is deathly afraid of the players becoming employees, which is why they can't regulate player movement even with NIL deals.
• The NCAA can't create a student-athlete class. The federal government can. The schools have real interest in getting legislation that cuts off the players' spigot, and that means the fans have leverage now that we've not had at any point in this conversation. What I want them to do (not saying it'll happen) is use that leverage to get things we want.
• What do we want? Guaranteed access to football broadcasts. Our old conferences back. A cap on student fees (this doesn't matter to us but it's a big deal to smaller schools). Schools can't balloon ticket prices by participating in the secondary ticket market.
• What do we want as Michigan fans? Our interests are aligned with PSU/Notre Dame/USC who want the buy-in price to be high but also some kind of cap so that the value of the education makes us the best option.
• Prediction: House settlement/clearinghouse will be a patch, it won't work, and they'll let it play out until they can get legislation.
• Could they get legislation now? Maybe but it won't do anything for the fans—it would be the schools buying up whatever votes are for sale and passing something they write, and odds are it won't be Constitutional enough to survive the players bringing it to court.

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Things Discussed:

• Michigan vs Georgia recruitments revisited: things have definitely changed. We had to move heaven and Earth to get Will Johnson and that was a legacy. Sam shares a story that Harbaugh promised he was gonna be here and that got Will to pump the breaks on a USC-Ohio State decision. Remembering DJ Turner's recruitment.
• Yaxel? Is doing well at the combine. Think Michigan visit changed his mindset from "Michigan has to match" to "NBA has to match," but there's a very good chance that happens. Difference between early 2nd round and late 1st round isn't just money but end of the 1st round is where you find the best organizations, whereas early 2nd round could mean going to Phoenix. If a team promises they'll draft him in the late 1st he's gotta take it.
• If Yaxel comes: Big Ten PoY? In the conversation. Wolf-/Tonje-level impact.
• Forest view: plan on this happening every year, because one player can put you over the top and one way to get that one player is to get the best player in the country who's not in the NBA Draft.
• Speaking of best player in the country who's not in his draft…there's a LOT of positivity inside Michigan about Gavin McKenna.
• What does Gavin McKenna mean, non-hockey fans? He's the consensus #1 player in the Draft and in that tier with Connor McDavid, Eric Lindros, Mario Lemieux and Alexander Ovechkin where the franchise that gets him is instantly the team with that guy (Only tier higher than that is Crosby, Gretzky). Why is McKenna going to college? These guys used to play Canadian juniors, but that's a long season in a small town for money that Michigan could match, and for a player who's already guaranteed to be a top-5 pick there's no reason to slog through that when the Big Ten these days has higher competition.
• The example here is John Tavares, who was the CHL rookie of the year in 2005-06 and player of the year in 2006-07, and was the obvious #1 pick in the 2008 Draft then had to go back to the CHL for another year to no purpose. College gives that guy a step up in competition, a year in Ann Arbor instead of Oshawa, and the connections and future you get from association with a university.
• For us, that would make Michigan a focus of the hockey world for a year, and the rest of McKenna's career they'd be like "guy from Michigan."
• Meta discussion on last week's episode and politics based on the (overwhelmingly positive) responses we got from last week: We aren't planning to talk about partisan and identity politics that much going forward—there are certain instances when it's topical and we can't ignore it (e.g. Ono's departure), but mostly we choose to talk about ideas and values, and when they're not politicized nobody notices the politics.
• Penn State > Ohio State this year? We don't believe in Drew Allar. Ohio State's culture is clearly working for them.

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Note: Do you hate it when politics are discussed in places you go for sports? Then skip this episode entirely or skip to 36:19.

Things Discussed after 36:19

• Leak to Thamel says NCAA told Michigan they'll suspend Sherrone for CMU and Nebraska.
• Sam: Leak is overblown—it's part of the back and forth with Michigan, not something that's been accepted.
• Would we take it? Brian thinks it's harsh but if this ends it, fine—you kowtow to the power and move on.
• Thamel aside, let's go over what Sherrone did. Facts we are relatively certain of: Sherrone deleted all of his texts off his phone around the time the Stalions thing came out, knowing he still has a copy of them. He then went and retrieved the texts for the investigators, and there was nothing incriminating on them.
• Seth: The question I have is whether he deleted those texts because he regularly cleans his phone, or was that unusual behavior? If it happens regularly this is just trying to make an innocuous thing sound as bad as they can. If it was unusual, then yeah, considering he's the coach now (he wasn't then), and considering how important we value transparency from people in positions of power, a two-week suspension (week->not an Urban Meyer suspension where you just sit out the game) is appropriate.
• Craig: Is it? If he did nothing wrong, why should he deserve a punishment? It's not a crime to not cover up what's not a crime.

[Hit the JUMP for the rest of the discussion, the player, and video and stuff]

Things Discussed before 36:19:

Santa Ono's departure and academic freedom (from start of the show):

• Turns out he was just another suit. Taking $3 million and taking his name of something he signed 2 weeks ago and go do what Ron DeSantis tells him tells you all you need to know. People are going to try to pretend this was taking a stand against the regents or because The Hammer is coming down or that this is about Warde's stance on NIL—whatever stupid narrative they want to believe in. People try to make everything fit the story they want to tell. You'd have to be a quisling to work at the University of Florida.
• Some empathy because becoming the face of something like that is a life-defining choice, and the nature of the job is you're going to have unreasonable people mad at you because, e.g., they think divesting Michigan from Intel will stop Netanyahu from killing Gazans to placate the far-right members of his coalition that are keeping him out of jail.
• Part of being the president of Michigan is you are going to have to take a stand for liberalism (as defined). Justice, knowledge, freedom of study: these liberal ideals are the foundational principles of our school, and our school is the best public university in the country. When those ideals are challenged, as they are now by an illiberal authoritarian administration in Washington, you have to tell them "No."
• And no, this isn't about their DEI policies either. The DEI Office was already was already the midst of being rearranged. And to be clear (Brian said, and I generally agree) we're in favor of that, because the expense of the university's bureaucracy (1 administrator to 5 students—don't quote us on that) is too much, and that money is better off being spent on housing, on improving the Go Blue Guarantee, and on more and better instructors. The most direct parts of the policy (e.g. student housing assistance) were also better off shifted, along with their funding, to parts of the administration that were already doing the same things, and the layers of forms and oversight were probably not the best way of accomplishing the admirable and necessary goal of taking responsibility for an equity of experience for students of certain minorities.
• Need to be clear: When the White House says "DEI" they aren't talking about Michigan's DEI office nor which books are in the library; they're talking about things like whether I can give a lecture to Dooley's class every semester on the history of integration in college athletics, or whether Women's Studies can be a subject matter.

Next president, next on NIL (17 minutes)

• Next president: what do we want? Brian thinks it'll be another administrator off an expensive search. Seth thinks there are going to be big names calling the school because it's a prestigious job. We need someone who has values, someone who is going to stand up for the university, and (let's not forget) someone who is going to value athletics as an essential engine of the school's value.
• Brian's not concerned about that so much because the donors won't sit around long if we drop to 126th/134 teams in passing. It's not the donors worrying about that; it's the parts of the school that usually get lots of donations making that a concern.
• NIL: House settlement is going to include some sort of auditing process that is going to curtail the amount you can directly spend via NIL on players. Don't know how enforceable that is going to be. Congress is going to step in eventually to provide them an antitrust exemption or they're just going to keep getting sued. They might have done it by classifying the players as labor but that's unlikely if it happens now given the party in power who'd be crafting legislation right now is extremely anti-labor.
• We should say what we want in a president for Athletics: stand up for Michigan when the NCAA goes after them.
• Brian: Probably won't be facing any significant decisions since the big sports all have relatively new coaches (Why do you always say that?)
• What they need is someone who will have a spine. The Michigan community will support you.
• Seth: I'm not just looking for someone who'll rebel; I'm looking for someone who's going to win. Losing funding—which the government gave to the University not as a handout but because the People of the United States want, e.g., a cure for cancer and Michigan can put together the tools and best people to do that. Losing that funding would be devastating. It's not like they just stop doing the research—they already built the labs and financed it, so they'd be under water and lose capability to get it back.
• Brian: It's going to happen anyways. This is an administration of idiots making decisions based on wanting to hurt the people they don't like, and the University of Michigan is a bright blue beacon of every kind of value and kind of person they want to eradicate.
• Seth: So we don't just need a fighter; we need a uniter—someone who is going to get all the other institution's administrators (sorry, the faculty isn't the same thing), so when war comes they can win, or at least make it hurt. The towns that resisted the Danes got slaughtered and the towns that paid a danegeld just got more Danes; Alfred beat them by forming England.
• In the break: MGoBlog's readership, based on Google Analytics on how people voted for national offices, was about 55-45 Democrats to Republicans when I took over advertising in 2012. It's now close to 75-25, without shifting any other metrics about our readership, meaning we're still talking to (a lot more of) the same kind of (educated, hyper-curious) person, but that kind of person, if they ever were a Republican, is leaving the party now.

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Things Discussed:

• Bryce Spring Review: Underwood actually made some JJ throws.
• Players who stood out on film review: Deyvid Palepale, more impressed with Jalen Hoffman, Avery Gach (pronounced "Gatch") had lots of +2s and –2s, Jordan Young is always around the ball, made the 4th & 1 stuff.
• OL thoughts by position:
  • RT & RG: Sprague and Efobi were moving people—impressive when they do it Benny, not so much Bobby Kanka. Efobi is the high ceiling/high floor option, could be Hattar or Link. Gach was getting shoved backwards by Chibi Anwunah, who might be good. Think the battle in fall is Efobi the ceiling, Hattar the floor, Link the wild card.
  • LT: ew. When Sam said Michigan should go in the portal for a tackle in spring that wasn't a hopeful statement, and that's how it worked out. Link is a D+, Babalola needs a redshirt, Brady Norton isn't going to happen, period. Ty Haywood, Blake Frazier might compete. Frazier was supposed to a 2-year build and it's been one year, so not expecting that yet. The way Gentry played out last year might have cost them their best option.
  • C: Crippen has the job. Guarnera looked good but had some –2s in there. Strayhorn looked big and athletic but completely lost—at one point he stops mid-pull.
• WR: McCulley looked good on his one catch, a lot of opportunities to turn around and make a play when they didn't, think Goodwin is a fine 4th or 5th receiver. Semaj has been open, needs QBs to hit him. Haven't seen these guys with good quarterbacking yet so who knows: Bell, Moore, Morgan, Marsh—they could all be good and we wouldn't know yet.
• QB: We want to get Underwood running more—that 3rd read should be running not throwing a contested ball.
• RPOs: We're gonna see a lot more of them this year under Chip Lindsey, which means we'll see more man coverage, which then gets back to the receivers and who can win 1-on-1.
• CB: The flipside is JoJo Edmond was the guy in coverage on a lot of those passes, looks hard to beat, gave up the edge on the big Haynes run. Sug Hill? Sam says without saying that they want to keep him motivated to do things that aren't just his talent.
• DT and LB are STACKED. Will be very deep and strong this year and are set next year with Palepale and maybe Anwunah.
• Yaxel: Don't get your hopes up; pretty much every mock draft has him 35-38 and those are guaranteed contract positions so we think there's going to be an NBA team willing to put them on their roster next year.
• Hockey: Fascinating offseason as Michigan is trying to poach a goalie and most of their new top-six, including the #1 overall pick next year, from Canadian Juniors. Won't know until their playoff ends.

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Special guest: Everybody wave hi to Mira.

Things Discussed:

• Spring game: Craig watched the line, wasn't that impressed.
• Bryce was throwing flat; overthrowing McCulley is a sin. There's a guy across the aisle who's already mad. Seth thinks when the threw that small window past a dropping DE was good; Brian thought he didn't see the drop.
• Jadyn Davis: Didn't look that polished but much improved.
• Mikey Keene? Brian thinks he's not a P4 quarterback.
• Receivers? If you go in the portal you can get a bunch of CJ Charlestons at this point. McCulley had the one contested ball and did the George Costanza.
• Keeps the expectations for Bryce in context, because Trevor Lawrence had NFL wideouts to throw at as a freshman. Want guys to step up: Marsh, Browder: turn around and context that. Seth: comp is what Nebraska got out of Raiola last year. Need the running game to be the engine of the offense. Get to functional.
• Hey Sam, how many targets is Jalen Hoffman getting?
• Are they going to do zone reads for Bryce?
• OL: Sprague up, Link down—if they're not naming him the starter now maybe he needs to move inside. Sam thinks Frazier can get healthy and get back his agility. Seth thinks they're gonna survive until Babalola is ready, ETA midseason.
• Break: Sam talks about his colon (I left this out of the podcast version).
• Defense: Tackles go six deep with big dudes. With them it's more about who they're going against.
• Linebacker: We are RICH. Seth thinks we have two guys who are better than the top six guys in the Draft, AND Rolder made it through spring without getting hurt. Barham has many uses, Sam thinks he's going to be an All-American. Sullivan can do Barham things.
• Big Nickel Mason Curtis: think this is a thing.
• Seth thinks Efobi looked like he was moving them.
• Dom Nichols: not surprised that a guy who played a lot as a true freshman is getting talk as DE#3.
• Who's got bend? Sam says Barham is #1. Seth wants to see it from Edokpayi.

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2 hour and 14 minutes

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1. Spring Game Vibes and OffenseStarts at 1:00

Michigan didn’t televise the spring game so now you have to listen to this one! Shout out to men’s gymnastics on winning a national championship. Blue team won 17-0, yay. Did Michigan have enough offensive players to reasonably fill out two offenses? Both QBs threw deep balls, most of them weren’t particularly close. Bryce had a few Freshman moments as well and everything over 10-15 yards was very flat. There aren’t very many receivers but Donaven McCulley wasn’t even on the same team as Underwood and was benched after the first quarter (along with most starters). Marlin Klein and Hogan Hansen didn’t play. The spring game is delayed on broadcast for a week because of the portal deadline. Haynes and Marshal are it at running back, Micah Ka’apana was slippery like Chris Evans but Michigan hasn’t thrown to a running back since 2016. Bryson Kuzdzal looked pretty good! The receivers aren’t adjusting to the ball much, Semaj also didn’t do much. The 2nd string fullback (Jalen Hoffman) has gotten more targets in a spring game than Max Bredeson has in his whole career and is the highest stock rise of the spring game. Maybe they can stack two wide receivers on top of each other like Vincent Adultman. When Michigan had three tight ends on the field they ran the ball pretty well. According to Sherrone, the three offensive linemen who are locked in are El-Hadi, Crippen, and Sprague. Babalola is big but made freshman mistakes (which is fine).

1. Spring Game DefenseStarts at 50:17

Michigan looks like they'll be very tough once again and has a lot of depth. Defensive end is loaded with Big Ten starters. Rayshaun Benny is established where we want him to be at this point in his development. There's going to be a drop-off from Graham and Grant but it'll be fine. It felt like the lines were two good units going against each other. We like the way Deyvid Palepale is shaped, he might be Brian Mone. We didn't learn much about the linebackers but Cole Sullivan was in the backfield a lot. The defensive backs played really well without Jyaire Hill. Shamari Earls is wearing #2 and is looking like #2. All of these defensive backs seem plausible, McBurrows hitting the portal makes more sense now. The secondary might not have any real stars but they won't have any holes, even without Rod Moore. Safeties don't have a real rock like we're used to.

1. Hot Takes and Michigan Hockey RosterStarts at 1:14:49

Takes hotter than the one guy across the aisle at the Spring Game who is already mad at Bryce Underwood. The hockey roster is in a state of flux, we're all awaiting what will happen with the CHL kids. Michigan gets four defensemen back and brings in some transfers and CHL players. Ben Robertson comes in from Cornell after averaging 21 minutes per game. The defense has nine players on roster currently which is probably too many. They could use a goalie! Right now they have 10 forwards on a team that usually carries 14. They have a roster spot for McKenna (the Bryce Underwood of hockey), can they get him? The Big Ten might be top-to-bottom the best quality hockey in the country that isn't the NHL.

1. PotpourriStarts at 1:52:20

Danny Wolf is officially out and headed for the NBA, Aday Mara commits. They're waiting on Lendeborg but they'll still be a good team without him. One more summer of polishing Will Tschetter could make him a really good 4. In football, Luke Bauer comes in as a punter from Missouri - he's an average punter. They get CJ Hester at running back from UMass to replace Ben Hall. He's a little bowling ball. The concession lines at the Spring Game were long! Michigan Stadium isn't catering to the average fan who wants to bring their kids. There are now kids who have attended the Spring Game and didn't have a good time and now they probably won't want to go next year.

MUSIC:

• "Let's Get Down"—Toni Toni Tone
• "Bendicion Mami"—Fat Joe
• "Check The Technique"—Gang Starr
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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Things Discussed:

• Honoring the life of Mike DeBord. Long list of great players and coaches he created. Really kind man. Whoever you were, whatever you were doing, he wanted to make you better at it, and he leaves quite a legacy here.
• Bryce: What are you looking for? Want to see how he does against all the weird Minter stuff.
• I want to see him trapped against the right sideline, because that's how young Denard and JJ showed when they could do.
• Jadyn Davis: Sam says the confidence has been restored; the lack of confidence last year was a two-way street and they're a lot more committed to him. Seth says it was always a long-term project, but now we know he wasn't viable last year. If they weren't seriously investing him, showing confidence in him, he'd be in the portal. Chip and Sinagoga have invested in him. Perfect guy to have behind Bryce Underwood.
• Good thing for the program long-term that Keene got hurt in spring because they were able to get those two guys reps and put their eggs in the Bryce basket.
• OL: They miscalculated how bad they were going to be last year, can't do that again. Talked about going to the portal to get help at left tackle if they're talking about Brady Norton. Blake Frazier was hurt and that set back his physical development, Babalola has a lot to learn. OL is VERY hard to learn; you have to be able to ID what they're doing in a fraction of a second at this level or you're dead.
• "We're passing more this year." If you're going to do that you need to keep Bryce upright.
• Getting a receiver in the portal is impossible: in recruiting they're getting more traction because Bryce is there and there's time to see it. But they don't have anything to show, e.g. the guy from UConn, that they're going to have a passing game where they can be productive. Productive guys are NFL guys: big, fast, can catch, knows routes. Really hard to learn a new offense in fall.
• Defensively: Believe in the front seven enough that I would rather see the offense doing well against them. Not concerned about the DTs, DEs, LBs. Think they had everything break their way this offseason: kept both senior stars, Rolder is healthy, Sullivan is emerging, one of the freshmen (Owusu-Boateng) is showing out. Get Bowles back in fall.
• Want to see Mason Curtis at the big nickel position—haven't seen it since Michael Barrett in 2021 but it's a big deal in the NFL and addresses a thing that opponents have been hitting us with.
• TJ Metcalf is the leader at regular nickel. Brandyn Hillman has really come forward.
• Cornerback depth is a bit of a concern. Earls has a lot to learn, Sam: I wonder about Jyaire Hill—it's a matter of football maturation. Caleb Anderson might be dinged up. JoJo Edmond has the ability but he moved late from offense so he's got a long way to go. Might want to get depth in the portal.

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I made the cover thinking we were going to talk about spring ball and safety rotation. We just talked hoops.

Things Discussed:

• Craig stopped being a Cleveland fan when they traded Rocky Colavito and says nobody will get that reference, Seth goes: "I like hamburger!" Aside: If you ever see a copy of Baseball Anecdotes by Daniel Okrent and Steve Wulf, I highly recommend you pick it up.
• Dusty May is able to multitask, unlike Tom Izzo. Realities of building a roster in 2024-25.
• Cadeau vs Donaldson: Michigan lost its top two shot creators in their two bigs so they needed creation.
• Concern is you need to put shooting around that PnR game, and Gayle/Cason a bit questionable as knockdown spacers.
• We're in a weird transitional period where House hasn't been approved yet and people are trying to get all their deals done—"Mad dash to hand people cash"—before this clearinghouse is checking NIL deals to make sure they're "fair market value."
• Dusty May listened to Dusty May saying "we need to get tougher."
• Morez Johnson: 100% chance Craig Ross is going to call him a "brute." Love the Pippi Longstocking pigtails.
• Dusty's mindset: I'm going after the best players in the country.
• Aday Mara: could be an awesome pickup. 7'3" finisher who had norovirus and lost some conditioning in the middle of last year, but when UCLA made their run he was playing up to 31 minutes. Would be a great one-two punch with Johnson, in that you've got the big motor guy and the extremely tall/long rim protector, who both serve the same role in the offense so you're keeping your offense the same, but need to be defended differently. Bigs have a slower progression.
• We can beat 2nd round money. Chances of getting NBA fours back: 5% for Wolf since he's projected to the 1st round. 20% for Yax.
• Izzo is not allowed to retire until he's had ten years of Paternoing. Better yet: MSU basketball should be U.Chicago football: ride your legendary coach into total irrelevance. Honestly though: developing players is a very good strategy, so long as they can do it. Izzo's mix of tryhad bigs, athletic guards, and lots of defense and rebounding has a ceiling.
• Trey McKenney scouting report: super strong dribbler, creates his own shot and makes it, can score in the mid-range. Question whether he's got that explosiveness—can he jump, can he move his feet well enough to be a great defender? Won't be a guy who guards quickness but he can help you with the Lu'Cye Patterson bullies, which you're going to see more of in the Big Ten than the super-quick guards. Like Trey in an offense with Cadeau because if you switch on the PnR you're creating bad matchups.
• Projecting development: it doesn't just "happen." It's about what these guys put in their workouts and hours of exercises and shot development that we never see. Hard for us to project what that is.

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1 Hour and 28 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Where is Everyone Going?
* Opener * Alex Loves Pistons * Those Who Left... * Who Do We Get?

Segment 2: Frozen Four, Stick Ball, et al
* Some Teams Are Still Playing * Baseball Catchup * Softball Update * Someone Name the Athletics!

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "I Think We're Alone Now" -- Tiffany
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hour and 14 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Men's Basketball Transfer PortalStarts at 1:00

Yaxel Lendeborg sounds Belgian but isn't, this starts out as a World War I podcast. Cadeau is a former five star who started for UNC, he has a Xavier Simpson assist rate but is not the most productive shooter. He also has an elevated turnover rate. Why this move feels like a wash coming from Tre Donaldson. Morez Johnson Jr. fits in well with Cadaeu, also he can thunder dunk the ball into the center of the universe. Illinois' offense would take a slight hit when Johnson is on the floor, but they get a +10 rebound rate with him. His best basket is a dunk. Unfortunately, the day Yaxel Lendeborg committed to Michigan he gave an interview where he said he wants an NBA contract and Michigan is the backup plan. Theoretically he's Danny Wolf but mean. Michigan needs a backup center but is otherwise in good shape. All signs point towards Nimari Burnett coming back. Brian is mad that Duke went 20 minutes without a turnover. We discuss Michigan's projected seed with the Yaxel situation and without the Yaxel situation.

1. Hot Takes and The State of College AthleticsStarts at 42:40

Takes hotter than the best night club in Yaxel Lendeborg, Belgium. The state of things seem a bit perilous. Tre Donaldson hit the transfer portal with a broken heart emoji, what happened? It sucks that you don't really get to know players for multiple years up until their graduation. Part of the joy of college sports is watching players step up that you didn't expect to step up. The Big Ten needs an angry coach now that Fran is gone and Mick Cronin will step up. They should give schools incentives for keeping/graduating their players. The 1-4 seeds are all getting better and fans might get frustrated that more upsets don't happen. People want the chaos. Even Michael Jordan played three years in college, imagine if all the best players did that. This doesn't effect football quite as much. Fans and coaches all want roster continuity. Dusty May seems relatively well-positioned to maintain a lot of players.

1. Spring Football BitsStarts at 1:19:47

Spring Football is still happening. Updates on the offensive line, Evan Link has turned a corner after the Ohio State game. Crippen will be just fine at center. Andrew Babaloa won't be ready because he's a freshman and that's okay. Donaven McCulley is the real deal at wide receiver and everyone else is competing for the remaining spots. The running backs are good. The defensive line is not replacing Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant but it has depth. Are the redshirt freshman defensive ends turning the corner? It's being said that they are. Safety updates, with and without Rod Moore. They'll probably look for a punter in the portal.

1. Michigan Hockey UpdatesStarts at 1:55:27

Who hit the portal and what impact does that have? Michigan needs to get high-end defensive players. Does Gavin McKenna come to Michigan? He could be the number one overall pick. Why is Cameron Korpi in the portal? Is Michigan trying to get a CHL goalie? Or other CHL players? The CHL isn't happy about NIL.

MUSIC:

• "Consideration"—Rihanna ft. SZA
• "I'm Allowed"—Buffalo Tom
• "When I Get There"—Grady Strange
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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Craig has an eye patch, Sam is ill.

Things Discussed:

• Season Grade: A. Exceeded expectations, put up a banner, Sweet 16 after getting hosed by the committee.
• Dusty May is good at this: Michigan is really good in the last five minutes. They found guys they can use in ways other schools wouldn't have thought about. Knows how to put a roster together, which is critical in an age when you have to remake your roster every year.
• Why you have to rebuild your roster every year: The portal system isn't good for anyone. It's unfair to blame Dusty May (Tom Izzo!) for recruiting over Tre Donaldson because that's the game right now: they needed shot creation and went and got it in the portal. But this sucks for fans who lose the excitement of players getting better, sucks for schools that have to be constantly recruiting their own guys and everyone else's, and sucks for the players who have to transfer all the time.
• NCAA needs a holistic reboot based on contracts, and rewarding schools—perhaps with greater NIL cap space—for retaining and graduating their players.
• Are fans losing interest? They say they are, but it hasn't shown in the metrics yet. Maybe that's what has to happen? Craig: They need a collective bargaining agreement, and there's nobody to bargain with, and that's more than a year or two away.
• Michigan 2025-26: They have guards, need at least one more center and probably want to add another bench shooter (says Brian) or a starting four (Seth) because Johnson has a high foul rate. Depends which center they get and if he and Johnson can be on the court at the same time. Have Goodman to play some four, Grady to be that guy off the bench possibly.
• Nimari: Played very well down the stretch, was creating a bit as well.
• Big Ten Coaching Carousel: Think we won, think it's weird that everybody ended up in not the spot they were going. This time nobody made a bad hire: Nedved is a good fit for Minnesota, DeVries makes sense for Indiana, we like Buzz Williams (kind of a Harbaugh).
• Want to play at Penn next year to say hi to Fran and the Palestra.
• During the break: Craig grades all the NCAA Tournament officials.
• Football: Wide receivers got larger, McCulley sounds like he's going to be WR1 and nobody else is close. Still looking at a 6'5" guy in the portal.
• Need contested ballers and TEs this year to take pressure off Bryce Underwood.
• OL may be dodgy; they moved Link to LT and El-Hadi to LG. Like all the assistant coaches they added, hoping for a big 5th year from Crippen. Babalola? He might be a next-year guy because he's pretty raw.
• Defense: I need to make the Groves thing clear: I'm excited about Falcons on the roster but it's mostly a bit, and I don't want people to think my excitement over these guys is just that. Mangham is getting mention as a starting safety. Rod Moore's injury is holding him out in spring, which makes me nervous, but that could just be a precautionary thing.
• Quietest spring ever? The reporters are focusing on recruiting.

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1 Hour and 59 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: NCAA Tournament Debate
* No Goal...ies for OSU and BU * MSU Conundrum * What Does Minnesota Have to Show? * Allentown and Friends

Segment 2: Let The Grading Begin
* Two Second Lines * Two Fourth Lines * Goalies and Genres * Roster Breakdown

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "I'm So Tired" -- Fugazi
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 46 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Men's Basketball vs Auburn - Sweet SixteenStarts at 1:00

It's times like this that make you think of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Ozymandias which has a passage about "when you're leading by 9 points with 12 minutes left don't give up a 20-2 run". Michigan made Auburn as dumb as Michigan for a half and then Auburn remembered they were the #1 overall seed. Michigan gives up 1.04 ppp overall. Turnovers were tied but Michigan was obliterated on rebounds. The season-long issues with the front court came to light in this game. This ended up being what you would expect in a game of Michigan vs Super Michigan. We'll miss Vlad Goldin, Craig has some nits to pick.

1. Looking Back on the SeasonStarts at 21:51

Dusty May comes into a roster with Will Tschetter and Nimari Burnett, most of his FAU squad doesn't follow him (besides Vlad Goldin). But he assembles this motley crew of a team. The question coming in was "can he assemble a good roster or did he just have one good recruiting class?" Turns out he can assemble a good roster. Brian hoped this could be a 6-seed coming into the season and people thought this was crazy. They probably should've been higher than a 5-seed. This season earns an A for exceeding all expectations, not an A+ but an A. Dusty May was the better choice over Niko Medved.

1. Hot Takes and Looking Forward to Next SeasonStarts at 42:43

Takes hotter than whatever Craig is about to say. Michigan loses Rubin Jones, Jace Howard, Vlad Goldin, Justin Pippen, and probably Danny Wolf, You now have a roster cap of 15, they can be scholarship or not. They'll be looking for centers in the portal. Get ready for an L.J. Cason glow up. Looking ahead to Trey McKenney as a freshman. If Sam Walters was going to hit the portal, wouldn't he have done it by now? There appear to be a lot of high quality centers in the portal. Transfer portal targets, Brian wants Magoon Gwath. What's the ceiling for next year? They'll finally have some continuity on the roster. Just find a guy who's 7 feet tall and put him on the roster.

1. Michigan Football Spring Practice and HockeyStarts at 1:26:08

The only QBs available are Bryce Underwood and Jadyn Davis, Mikey Keene is injured. Otherwise we're not hearing much of anything. Shamari Earls is supposedly turning out and is Charles Woodson sized. There will not be Jeremy Clark slander. Michigan hockey had a disappointing end to the season, how will they bounce back? How much will Michigan pay for hockey after football and basketball? What does the rest of the Big Ten look like?

MUSIC:

• "Cradle The Pain"—Morgan Nagler
• "Back to Earth"—Manplanet
• "I Wish"—Skee-Lo
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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Things Discussed:

• Auburn: They're Michigan if Michigan was everything they wanted them to be. No turnovers, extremely high efficiency.
• Michigan's turnovers are mostly still Michigan's. Lately the first 5 minutes of every game they're on pace for 60 TOs and then they are not a high-turnover team the rest of the game.
• UC San Diego: Michigan was a terrible matchup for them. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is their top scorer and he was useless against Danny Wolf. They had a good shooting day and Michigan had turnovers to make it close.
• Texas A&M: Michigan put their effort into rebounding. A&M saying they couldn't score at the rim in the 2nd half but they've been a bad shooting team all year and the only thing that was working was Payne physically dominating.
• LJ Cason: Go ahead young fella! Dusty admitting he should have played him more during the season, but Cason wasn't very playable until recently. Gives Michigan a different attack because nobody's been able to attack the rim since Gayle's shooting issues began. It's also the way to break A&M, which wants to have one bad defender on the court for scoring purposes and can get away with it if you have an offensive weak spot on the court.
• Gayle: What a game! Not just the shooting; he was making big plays on defense and creating for others as well. But the shooting is the thing; he's been slowly getting his shot back, and that opens up all kinds of offense because letting him sit alone at the perimeter was the way defenses took away Area 50->1.
• Why didn't Nimari play much? Because he's not a rebounder and you're playing Texas A&M. Rubin Jones was a key player on the boards. Cason and Gayle were doing a good job of boxing out. A&M's rebounding isn't just the bigs; they get wings heavily involved and keeping them outside was key.
• Goldin tired? Put all of his breath into rebounding; flopped three times against Payne—as soon as Payne got tired A&M had no way to score points.
• Michigan scored 30 points in the last 10 minutes of that game.
• AUBURN: They're 8 seniors and a 5-star freshman who chased Tre Donaldson out of there. Maybe one of the best basketball teams the Tournament has seen in many years because they have these up-transfers who got a few years to play together and an extra season to improve their skills.
• Do we have a chance? They're an excellent team. They're better Michigan. They let off the gas a little against A&M and gave up 24 ORebs because Auburn had already clinched the SEC; before that their only losses were overtime vs (two-big) Alabama and at Duke.
• Brian says Michigan needs to use A&M's strategy—win a lot of rebounds and get 17 extra shots?—and shoot 40% from three. Seth thinks the key is make them pull Dylan Cardwell because the switching is forcing him to be an offensive nexus, and then have Goldin score on Johni Broome, who's more of a finesse center.

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1 hour and 34 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Sweet Sixteen VibesStarts at 1:00

Oh hey! We didn't expect to be here! Roddy Gayle just made more threes in one game than during Michigan's entire Big Ten schedule. He has risen from the dead and Michigan out-rebounded the best rebounding team in the country so here we are! Michigan got hosed by the selection committee but made it to the 2nd weekend anyways. Brian 'Roddy Gayles' the sponsor read. Going into next year, Dusty May needs a center and a backup center but should otherwise be set.

1. Men's Basketball vs Texas A&MStarts at 15:26

Nobody expected this game to go the way it did. Michigan started 1-7 on threes and then started hitting a lot of great shots against a top 10 defense. Michigan got a lot of un-contested rebounds which was weird considering that's Texas A&M's thing. Goldin was probably getting more tired than usual, he got pulled early. L.J. Cason was a game-changer in this one, he could be special next year. Why did Nimari only have 13 minutes? All of Goldin's energy went towards rebounding, his performance would've been very memorable if it wasn't eclipsed by Gayle. Just don't pass to Patrick.

1. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs UC San DiegoStarts at 37:20

Takes hotter than RODDY GAYLE. UC San Diego is such a weird team. Brian still can't pronounce their star's first name who fouled out in 25 minutes. Michigan should've had the bigs dunk at the rim but UCSD defended them well. Roddy Gaye and L.J. Cason played important roles, not quite as big as in the TAMU game. Michigan's shot parity is only -2 which is good enough. If Wolf played better then maybe Michigan walks away from this one. They hit the Kenpom spread exactly. How well will we remember this game years from now?

1. Previewing Men's Basketball vs AuburnStarts at 1:01:34

Michigan has drawn the #1 overall seed in the tournament. Auburn's greatest strength is shot making and are the 2nd best offense in the country (1st is Florida). They have some super seniors from the Covid year. Auburn has a similar Bigs setup to Michigan so they can handle Goldin+Wolf. One of their biggest weaknesses is that they foul a lot. Personnel wise, these teams are very similar and both coaches will likely match each other. Jahki Howard might be the worst teammate in the country. Auburn will want revenge against Danny Wolf after last year's Yale game. Everyone was watching the Michigan game on Thursday since most of the first round games were uneventful. This Auburn offense is 8 efficiency points better than the 2013 Michigan offense.

MUSIC:

• "Where Do We Go From Here"—Charles Bradley
• "Monstera Escalito"—Ciao Ciao Marigold
• "What do You Like"—Tommy Richman
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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Things Discussed:* Michigan wins Big Ten Tournament, it doesn't matter for seeding, and then the get the strongest 12-seed in the history of Kenpom. * UC San Diego preview: They figured out how to deal with a 7-footer in the third game against UC Irvine, the other good team in their conference of California state schools plus Hawai'i, but they haven't faced two 7-footers. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is their major usage guy who might end up having to play a lot of center because Nordin Kapic, their nominal big, is a 6'8"/245 stretch. * PG Hayden Gray has the #1 steal rate in the country, and this is part from him harassing you from all angles all over the court, and part playing in a league of teams with bad handles. Need a plan for getting upcourt and warning when he's coming. * Seeding: Proof that the Committee just needs to go, because they're trying to talk Kenpom now instead of rewarding seasons. Just use Wins Above Bubble like they do (with Pairwise) in hockey. * Sam thinks they way overvalued nonconference games, which hosed Michigan given the context of Michigan's losses; some two-way thinking went on where close losses in the nonconference are a big deal but close wins in-conference are luck. * The explanations offered up by the UNC AD were not inspiring. He was trying to make math cases but the guy is clearly illiterate in terms of math. Seth thinks they were trying to make a bracket instead of a field, using their own limited understandings of matchup stats to give top seeds easier paths, even though that's explicitly not what their job is. Evidence: they were talking about things like wins against Iowa State when their best player was out not counting as much. That's terrible. * Round 2? Brian thinks Yale can beat A&M who can't shoot. They're the Iowa of basketball: they rely on Cooper DeJean returns. Seth thinks A&M rebounds too well and they always manage to hit stupid shots in the last minute. Nobotdy thinks we're getting past Auburn and Johni Broome, a point forward whose TO rate is 8. * Louisville doing us a favor in Lexington? Chucky Hepburn isn't beating Auburn. * How far is MSU going? "Cakewalk to Final 4" what? Auburn as well, unless ISU beats them, but their injuries are too much to overcome. Rooting for the Young Martellis (that's a 30-point spread). Remembering Giddy Potts. Theory: MSU has too many centers for Izzo. That's a great thing in the Big Ten where * Our brackets? SEC-heavy. Florida, Auburn, Alabama…I mean I want to root for Houston but I hate their draw of upset specials and their slow pace that invites it.

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1 Hour and 19 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: What Happened Last Weekend?
* Opener * Old Friends and Around the League * Pairwise Rankings and Rooting Interests * Who Might Go Where

Segment 2: Stick Ball Sports and the NHL
* He Said/She Said * Hardball Rundown * Softball Catchup * NHL Chit-Chat

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Praying For A Miracle" -- Dan Sartain
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 28 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. The NCAA Tournament and UC San DiegoStarts at 1:00

Michigan is your Big Ten Tournament champions! There was a lot of doom and gloom at the end of the regular season so not many people saw this happening. Michigan might be the most boned team in the tournament draw. Wisconsin is an 18 point favorite against Montana, Michigan is a 3 point favorite over UC San Diego. UCSD is clearly a top 50 team but they can't match up with Michigan's Bigs. Get familiar with the name Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (in pronunciation and basketball production). The Tritons give up a ton of threes. Yale is a popular upset pick over Texas A&M, TAMU's thing is missing shots but rebounding them. Who would you rather play, TAMU or Yale? That's a tougher question than it would seem. Clearly the results of the Big Ten Tournament don't matter because Michigan is seeded like it didn't happen.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs WisconsinStarts at 32:43

The shooting percentages in this game were... ugly. Wisconsin had good looks but just couldn't hit them. Goldin seemed absolutely gassed this game. L.J. Cason really helped bail out Michigan. Michigan only had eight turnovers! But missed on the boards.

1. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs MarylandStarts at 49:43

Takes hotter than your Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverine Football Basketball team. This is one of the worst officiating games we can remember. Roddy Gayle had a great game... and MADE A THREE. He only had nine points but that level of production is what Michigan needs. The final play was a football play in its design.

1. Men's Basketball vs PurdueStarts at 1:14:01

A nice bounce back game that happens from taking care of the ball. Why does everyone want to kick Goldin in the nuts? Purdue gets more goonish when they're tired and they were coming off a tough game against USC. Michigan wasn't turning the ball over and was assisting well for each other, this was the Dusty May team we love to see. Michigan gets the night game on Thursday and will be played at 5,280 feet. Please fly over right now and get acclimated, you're invited to sleep on my couch (IT'S A NICE COUCH, SETH). It may be a 50/50 chance we preview Auburn next week.

MUSIC:

• "Take This Job And Shove It"—Johnny Paycheck
• "F*ck You"—CeeLo Green
• "MUTT"—Leon Thomas
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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SKLARS TONIGHTMark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak. Show's at 7:30, doors at 6:30, VICTORS books for sale and signing after the show. HOT TAKES segment during the show if enough MGoBlog fans are there. Tickets.

Things Discussed:

• Basketball big picture: they're a good team, though they've been more of a 10-seed than a 4-seed since January because they hit their ceiling.
• Strategy has stagnated but tactics are good, wins close games.
• Take Michigan in the 1st round vs a 12 or 13 because they won't have someone who can stop Vlad.
• Tre Donaldson needs to play better—ball is getting stuck in Wolf's hands, also Tre's defense has fallen off.
• Cason? Very high upside: defensive athleticism, #1 on the team at getting himself to the rack, shooting is just bad luck—big difference between his shots that circle the rim and Gayle's shots that barely touch it. But he's not going to be ready this year.
• During break: Craig uses the F-word. Is something wrong with Tre Holloman? Seth: If that guy played for us we'd love him.
• MSU floor-kissing: mostly nothing. Seth believes the rule should be whoever wins gets the midcourt/midfield logo. That game was over.
• Women's basketball: Michigan's playing five guards, the game has gotten much better, incredible what KBA did after her roster was gutted by the portal. They can stick with anyone in the country.
• Hockey: Need help. No bid stealers. Comfortable that one of the many Big Ten and Hockey East at-large teams will win their tournaments, need Arizona State to go out, need Quinnipiac to go out early enough not to pass Michigan or win their bid.
• Naurato: This won't be a problem again. What does he mean? Maybe he's going to raid Canada.

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1 Hour and 33 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Defense? What Defense?
* Opener * Puck Mismanagement * So Many Goals for Everyone * That OT Call

Segment 2: No Bounceback Whatsoever
* What Even Happened? * Did You Expect That? * Old Friends and Around the League * Is There A Chance? Pairwise and Predictions

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Sports" -- Beach Bunny
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1. Sklars performing at Mark Ridley's in Royal Oak this Thursday at 7:30PM (doors open at 6:30) tickets: Supersklars.com
2. We will be there having drinks with copies of VICTORS to sign after the show.
3. If you can't make a weeknight they're performing 2 shows on Friday and Saturday night.

1 hour and 10 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Men's Basketball at Michigan StateStarts at 1:00

We still have to do a podcast. Dave went to go enjoy the weather instead. This game was over in the first half. 3/24 on threes is not good! Last year's team would've given up at halftime, this team at least fought back a little. What has this team improved upon since their trip to California? Michigan doesn't have a guard that can generate offense. We thought a lot of these transfers would've turned a corner by now. This team still exceeded expectations for the season, the way they got there was just not how we expected. There's the potential for Michigan to not win another game this season.

1. Men's Basketball vs MarylandStarts at 21:11

This game was similar to the Michigan State game in that Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin were the only ones scoring. Maryland got to play a Maryland game and Michigan didn't have a plan.

1. Lukewarm Takes and Hockey vs Penn StateStarts at 32:11

Just some lukewarm takes this week. Go see the Sklars in Ann Arbor this Thursday-Saturday! Hockey is now just 42% to make the tournament after getting swept by Penn State. Root for Western Michigan, Denver, and Quinnipiac. Friday's game was pretty fun at least! Despite giving up bad goals. It didn't feel like a super talented roster. Imagine if Michigan got goalie Trey Augustine instead of Michigan State. Goal-tending was unclear going into the season and seems like it will continue to be unclear.

1. Football Spring PracticeStarts at 57:47

Spring practice starts soon! Is Bryce Underwood already the guy? Running backs have a top two, it's a battle for #3. Will the offensive line look similar to last year? There are some lower level transfers coming in but offensive linemen can flourish in the right system. Please hype up a wide receiver. Hopefully the two transfer defensive tackles come through. They'll be fine but it's still a huge downgrade. Cornerback will be an interesting position, we want to hear that Jyaire Hill is rounding the corner. How is Rod Moore's health? Who's the punter??

MUSIC:

• "Lie In The Gutter"—Peel Dream Magazine
• "Dollar Store"—Ben Kellar ft. Waxahatchee
• "Mr. Chill"—Friendship
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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Things Discussed:

• They say I look like Mick Foley? I don't see it.
• Maryland: Vlad has to make >50% from two or you can't lose the shot disparity by ten, but you can't have both. Lots of mental lapses: Vlad on defensive boards, Wolf has 4 turnovers on 5 possessions, then Tre does something similar.
• Teams do things well. Illinois put on a clinic of what they do: spread it out, shoot a lot, and rebound bricks vs your guards. Maryland put on a clinic of what they do: Queen and Reece block a lot of shots and they get you switched onto matchups to dominate you in the paint, with their guards hitting threes off the dribble at critical times.
• What does Michigan do? We had Area 50-1 but when teams adjusted to that we didn't have the next thing. It could be Wolf shooting pullup twos, it could be something else, but Michigan hasn't adjusted to the adjustment to them. Maybe they can't? Maybe they haven't had time because they've played every 3 days since January.
• Sometimes you just aren't good at the thing you have to do to punish the adjustment. Maryland kept Michigan in the game by taking a lot of midrange shots. Vlad isn't a hedge and recover defensive threat. You're limited by your team.
• Can Donaldson be a true PG? His turnovers are kind of lazy perimeter passes; he's got more than he's given. Can be the guy who hits the big shots; Ja'Kobi Gillespie did that to Michigan when they were coming back.
• Can they play a 3-man game in the middle? Think that was the plan if they had Walters.
• Craig: Go look at the workout tape for Tevis Metcalf, the younger brother. He says it's jaw-dropping.
• Is Wolf a 1st round pick? Probably, because he's got a weird skill. Question isn't whether he'll be a better player if he returns; it's whether he'll be a better NBA prospect, and he's probably not.

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1 Hour and 20 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Low Event and OT* Opener * Nothing Happens * Alternating Goals * Finally, a 3x3 loss

Segment 2: Almost Collapse* Dominating Hockey * Five Minute Review * Old Friends and Around the League * Ice Lions Again!

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Plant the Flag" -- Abronia
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

GoFundMes to support victims of the fires in LA who are part of the MGoBlog community:

1. General Fund.
2. Reader's mother-in-law Anne Cohen.
3. Reader Chef Robert.
4. Reader Josh Bishop-Moser.
5. Reader Mike on behalf of Mika Yoshitake & daughter Sora.
6. Readers Liberty and Mark.

1 hour and 21 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Men's Basketball vs IllinoisStarts at 1:00

Michigan was asking for a game like this after the last couple months, you can't give up 19 offensive rebounds in a game and expect to win. Illinois got 9 more shots than Michigan and their young guys went off. Vlad Goldin was the only one who was getting an advantage. Danny Wolf is officially in a funk, this likely doesn't affect his draft stock. Michigan might be a popular pick to get upset in the first round of the tournament. They're fading down the stretch and not getting better in a lot of departments, especially rebounding.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs Michigan StateStarts at 23:06

This was a "make your shots" game, Michigan State hit their shots. Also Michigan had an 11 shot deficit. Michigan now has a worse 3-point shooting percentage than Michigan State. Roddy Gayle has not hit a three-pointer since January, nobody is covering him anymore and that extra player is guarding the paint. Tre Donaldson might've had his worst game.

1. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs Rutgers & NebraskaStarts at 34:06

Takes hotter than yours truly after the 19th Illinois offensive rebound. These two games were polar opposites in what basketball is. Michigan had poor shooting and looked tired after the Michigan State game. The three-point shooting has come down tremendously. Seth thinks the worse three point shooting is mostly random except for Roddy Gayle, opposing defenses can always plan for Roddy not being able to shoot. For one half, Rutgers was the greatest basketball team in the world, then it came crashing back to Earth. Is it time for L.J. Cason to play more? Sometimes he looks great and sometimes he doesn't box out at all. Vlad Goldin is just not a passer in the paint. Who would you take for free throws to win the game, Roddy Gayle or Nimari Burnett?

1. Hockey vs Ohio StateStarts at 1:10:08

Michigan steals four points from Ohio State and has their tournament percentage up to 85%. Michigan hosts Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament but Penn State is playing very hot at the end of this season. The "It gets worse" call is now legendary. Win this upcoming series and you're in, get swept and... you might still be in.

MUSIC:

• "You Don't Know The Shape I'm In"—MJ Lenderman
• "Loser"—Jerry Garcia
• "Whip Appeal"—Babyface
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• MBB's shooting woes: they're at 27% going back to the last Rutgers game, Roddy Gayle is 1/24 in the Big Ten.
• It's a cascade: missed threes are creating runouts and Michigan has a massive difference between their transition defense (324th in the country) and their half-court defense (18th).
• Sam: Roddy's making them in practice.
• Tre Donaldson was their guy to get "bad buckets" but we think that opponents are taking even those away by packing the paint.
• Seth: Rutgers is a get-right opportunity because they'll need to help down low and that should create looks.
• RU preview: Dylan Harper is back, needs to be doubled. Their centers are two freshmen and a JuCo who was ruled out for the season at one point.
• Michigan's defense in the half-court has been really good, but MSU was getting a ton of offensive rebounds. Craig thinks that was mostly Vlad, and that there was an improvement against Nebraska. Also issues with the guards not boxing out MSU athletes. Will be critical against Rutgers.
• Dusty May retained: IU people are like "he didn't do a good job negotiating." Brian: I wouldn't be surprised if May's the Michigan basketball coach ten years from now. He turned down Louisville too; Michigan is his vibe.
• Sam: Where's Dusty in the conference now?
• Seth: the money isn't the matter. What's interesting is they mentioned NIL and program support, and then we heard from TMI's interview with Warde Manuel that 25% of the House settlement's $20.5 M is going to men's and women's basketball (don't worry; football can make money in other ways). That's a lot for a school like Michigan. It tells you what Dusty's priority was: he wants quality of life, and a commitment to being a basketball school.
• Is Michigan tired? Craig says kids don't get tired. Seth says
• Officiating talk part 1: Paul Szelc is the only ref to ever T up both John Beilein and Dusty May. What was the technical for? Sam heard it's for waving him off, but Szelc was 65 feet away on the other end of the court and Dusty was making the sign for a goaltend (he was correct). Incredible that this happens when Izzo is hurling abuse at them all game. Seth: Paul Szelc has conclusively demonstrated he's not going to give Michigan a fair shake, and should not be assigned Michigan games anymore, end of story.
• Officiating talk part 2: The awful replay rule got more awful because they can't call an obvious foul they missed that caused the ball to go out of bounds, so now their only option on review is to make the call worse. How is this not fixed when everyone has hated this rule since 2018. At the very least give the officials an option to wave off the review because they missed a call. It's absurd that we spend this much dead time to make the game worse.
• Baseball: lost some close ones, by 2 runs to potential #1 Arkansas and their 14-to-1 walk ratio at TCU was "suspicious" to Craig.
• Hockey: 11th in the Pairwise, so close to the Bubble. They're 70% to make the Tourney, finish regular season at #10 Ohio State and should get a home series vs PSU if they get points off OSU this weekend. Future: next year unknown because they're being quiet and might make a big splash from the CHL. The big class arrives in 2026-27.

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1 Hour and 41 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Scores, Standings, Pairwise
* Opener * Old Friends and the League * Last Look at Ohio State

Segment 2: Professional Wolverines
* NHL Regulars * Fringe NHLers * Minor Leaguers

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Memories" -- Thutmose
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things Discussed:

• We believe MSU is likely planting diseases in Brian's kid's school.
• Michigan State preview: They can't shoot; they're 354th (I was wrong on the pod) out of 364 teams in 3P%. But caveat: Jase Richardson can shoot and has been playing more, Frankie Fiddler career-wise can shoot, Fears is at 35% and Kohler is at 34%. It's Hollomon and Carr and Akins who give them that profile, but when only one is on the court they're fine.
• They are physical. Purdue is physical too but MSU is that and DIRTY.
• MSU vs Purdue: great coaching job. Strategy was switching, throwing guard after guard on Braden Smith, getting the Purdue backcourt trapped down low and running on rebounds. Also got Breslin calls on Trey Kaufman-Renn.
• Szymon Zapala is the dirtiest player to come through the Big Ten since Brad Davison and whinier than his coach. MSU's process involves getting called (Zapala has 6 fouls/40) but they roll four-deep a the five when you include Kohler.
• Key: Do not turn the ball over against MSU. They're excellent in transition, in the half-court vs zone they have to take pullup 2s and go for rebounds.
• Tschetter's rapid elbow: he knew the head was there.
• By the way: change the wedgie rule. Wedgie should be defense's ball OOB.
• Sam gonna die on the hill that Bill Laimbeer was a "physical" player. He was dirty.
• Seth's quick study on teams that get more home calls (based on the idea that it's normal to get about 1 free throw per missed shot at the rim vs top-100 competition, and teams get about 10% more fouls at home): Purdue gets the worst whistle in the league, Michigan is 2nd, MSU gets the best whistle and at home it's off the charts.
• Does Dusty need to work the refs better? I think he just needs to get to know them better.
• Michigan strategy vs State: Wolf needs to take advantage of Kohler, Goldin needs to give it back to Zapala.
• Illinois? They shoot a lot of threes and go for rebounds.
• Craig's Baseball update: They're very good! 4-0 with an extra innings win vs #2 Virginia and wins vs Rice, Villanova and Stetson in the Puerto Rico Challenge. Jonathan Kim and Mitch Voight are hammering the ball, getting great pitching from Gavin DeVooght, David Lally and Kurt Barr, who've given up zero ER in 17-1/3 innings. Next is TCU, KSU, and Arkansas in Arlington.

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1 Hour and 33 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Overtime Winner
* Opener * More Lack of Scoring * Korpi to Stein and Goals * Overtime Power Play

Segment 2: Shootout Winner
* Early Period Goals * Cocaine OT and Shootout * Old Friends and the League * Four Nations Opinions

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Overtime" -- Cash Cash
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

GoFundMes to support victims of the fires in LA who are part of the MGoBlog community:

1. General Fund.
2. Reader's mother-in-law Anne Cohen.
3. Reader Chef Robert.
4. Reader Josh Bishop-Moser.
5. Reader Mike on behalf of Mika Yoshitake & daughter Sora.
6. Readers Liberty and Mark.

1 hour and 42 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Men's Basketball at Ohio StateStarts at 1:00

Bienvenue! Recorded remotely this week because Seth’s 19 year old ski boots exploded. Michigan wins a defense-optional shootout, they rebounded half their misses which ended up being the difference (Ohio State just couldn’t out-rebound Goldin and Wolf). There’s a big difference between Goldin being the role guy and Tschetter being the role guy, so why did Goldin only get 24 minutes? Officiating in this game and how it relates to the Bo Ryan era. Don’t elbow someone in the head but also don’t put your head into someone’s elbow. Roddy Gayle returns to Columbus and silences the boos out of timeouts. Stop missing dunks. Neither team got a double digit lead, the game was tense the whole time.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs PurdueStarts at 24:50

Michigan avenges a terrible loss to become co-favorites to win the Big Ten. Braden Smith plays an insane 12 minutes to open the game for Purdue, making the first half extra frustrating. His mid-range shots weren’t even bad shots, necessarily. Rubin Jones and Roddy Gayle combined for 20 points and played excellent, annoying defense. They came through in a way that was required to win this game. Michigan shoots below their season 3-point average but only had 11 turnovers. They also got to the line a lot (off of some calls that weren’t great). Caleb Furst should’ve fouled out in the first six minutes! The physicality of the Big Ten is more than Dusty May realized. Purdue had zero bench points.

1. Hot Takes and Hockey vs MinnesotaStarts at 49:12

Takes hotter than Michigan basketball in a three point game. Michigan gets slightly more than a split against Minnesota which decently increases their NCAA tournament chances. A split with Ohio State and a first round win in the Big Ten Tournament should do it. Minnesota was out-shooting Michigan 12-2 to start the game on Saturday, not great! Welcome back, Michael Hage. Tyler Duke played a nice game when everyone else was gassed. Bye week upcoming so we won’t know much about tournament chances for a while.

1. Tournament OutlooksStarts at 1:16:40

Men’s basketball is now projected to win the Big Ten but Wisconsin is looming with the easier schedule. Purdue and Michigan State both finish with a gauntlet. Of Michigan’s last six games, four or five of them will be against tournament teams. Finishing 3-3 could maybe be enough to win a share of the Big Ten and get a banner. It’s been a while since it’s come down to Michigan and Michigan State down the stretch. Torvik has Michigan jumping between 3 and 4 seeds, which takes win margin into account. Hockey is projected to play Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. They’re now 80% to make the NCAA tournament but everyone ahead of them in the Pairwise rankings is pretty much a lock. The worst tournament in sports is suddenly in Michigan’s favor! There’s a regional in Toledo but Michigan probably doesn’t go there. Shout out to Hockey Bear.

MUSIC:

• "Real Life"—The Marias
• "MUTT"—Leon Thomas
• "THE BADDEST"—Joey Valence and Brae
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Ohio State hires Matt Patricia:
  • Brian: He'll have a Wile E. Coyote year with Caleb Downs but he's not a good coach. He does have a weird beard though.
  • Seth if the idea is to capture what Michigan got in Wink Martindale they forgot the part where he invented the defense that Michigan runs.
  • Craig: Nothing in his resume shows he's a good coach.
• Purdue game: Michigan had to try at least four defenses against Braden Smith to wear that guy out, finally got Danny Wolf to work. Seth: the zone was the most effective because it was forcing him into even worse stepbacks.
• But Braden Smith, gotdang is that a good basketball player. Gives them a floor for every shot of 0.9 points per possession.
• Physicality: Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn brought it, Vlad got chewed out but then he gave it back.
• Michigan: Massive effort, especially early from Tre Donaldson who led the first comeback by getting ball-dominant.
• Officiating? Craig takes the side of Szelc. Seth says it was bad; they let them play way too physically early on and then switched it up, which is how you get both of Purdue's forwards fouling out late after getting away with a ton early. Players hate inconsistency the most.
• Recognition for Roddy Gayle and Rubin Jones. Roddy filled the box score, can play the role of a secondary creator much better than the role of a fourth offensive option/spacer. You want him starting possessions not ending them.
• Shooting from either? Roddy's shot is broken—that high arc makes it travel further which means he's effectively shooting at a smaller target. That needs an offseason. Jones's shot looks fine; he's just got to keep taking them and playing as hard as he did.
• Dusty "inspiring" Vlad leads to two hard takes over TKR where he used his size advantage. Need that from Goldin.
• Dusty May's future: Brian thinks the pressure cooker in Bloomington with similar resources as Michigan makes Michigan the better job, but we all agree Michigan has to make an Indiana-level investment to keep him.
• At the outtro: congrats to Kim Barnes-Arico: the winningest basketball coach in the history of the University of Michigan.

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1 Hour and 24 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: BAD...but Lucky!
* Opener * Power Play Goals * Korpi Wins It * Is That Enough?

Segment 2: Friday But More State Goals
* Korpi Hangs On For 30 * The Dam Breaks * Old Friends and the League * Gopher Redux

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Get Ready For This" -- 2 Unlimited
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

GoFundMes to support victims of the fires in LA who are part of the MGoBlog community:

1. General Fund.
2. Reader's mother-in-law Anne Cohen.
3. Reader Chef Robert.
4. Reader Josh Bishop-Moser.
5. Reader Mike on behalf of Mika Yoshitake & daughter Sora.
6. Readers Liberty and Mark.

1 hour and 28 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Dusty May TalkStarts at 1:00

Welcome to the Plodcast. This game had the awkward undertones of Mike Woodson getting "fired" and Indiana wanting to hire Dusty May. What's a better job, Indiana or Michigan? Indiana is home for Dusty but there's also a lot of pressure there. If Michigan needed the money to match, they could get it. He did turn down the Louisville job so maybe the biggest thing that would bring Dusty May back to Indiana is that his mom still lives in Bloomington.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs IndianaStarts at 22:30

Once again it is the story of the season where Michigan gets a big lead and then suddenly looks like they forgot how to play basketball. Kenpom said Michigan would win by four so maybe we're overexaggerating. They've gone from a top 10 team to a top 25 team, so a 5-6 seed in the tournament. The turnover margin between the most turnovers and the fewest in the Big Ten is only four turnovers. Three point shooting was extremely frustrating. Gayle is driving to the basketball when he should be shooting a 3. Screwing up the foul on Goldin really hurt Michigan. Nimari Burnett's shooting percentages have simply fallen back down to earth.

1. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs OregonStarts at 41:22

Takes hotter than the Indiana fanbase when Dusty May spikes a three hundred million dollar offer in their faces and says "I'm a Michigan man forever, babyyyy". Another game where Michigan had a double digit lead that they almost blew! Roddy Gayle got to the line a lot but also traveled enough that John Beilein would've ripped his esophagus out. Will Tschetter had a nice game and led the team in scoring. The bench players aren't quite ready and that's okay. Is Supreme Cook the best version of Brian?

1. Michigan Hockey vs Michigan StateStarts at 1:13:28

Michigan picks up a split against the #2 team in Pairwise, getting one win was the best possible scenario. Both games were about the same but Michigan State actually scored in the second game. Michigan is a team of just guys. Nobody really pops besides Hage. The WWE aspect of these games in the 3rd period against Michigan State has become a bit much. Michigan has a 70% projected chance of making the field, which feels great right now. Is the most boring Michigan hockey team in memory? This isn't a bad team, they're just not the team last year that booted Michigan State out of the tournament. Pre-season expectation was to hopefully make the tournament and that hasn't changed.

MUSIC:

• "Aston Martin Music"—Rick Ross
• "Waiting For The Bells"—Joel Alme
• "Vines"—Cameron Winter
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

Signing Day: Got the most talent on offense since…1998? Down the list:

• OL: Two of the highest-ranked OTs in the history of the program, Gach was a Priority 1 for the program, Strayhorn is a center.
• RB: Jasper Parker the sites just missed; poorer man's Adrian Peterson. M thinks DJ is healthy.
• WR: Marsh was a big pull vs heavy hitters, Year 1 player. Browder needs development but Junior Hemingway upside. Washington is tall and can move well.
• TE: Owens is a Bredeson, really hurts that they missed on Olesh.
• DL: We love the heavy-handed build-a-bears that Esposito recruits. Remember his WMU guys? Moten and Patterson are going to be those guys too. Lou is convinced Benny Patterson is the guy. Kanka is a Godin. Marshall was a Priority and a big win. Can't expect them to get the scouting coup of the century with Graham and Grant every year but they can scout and now they can win the guys they scouted.

Basketball:

• Every guy is good with a tradeoff, and that tradeoff is turnovers, e.g. look at the defense that Roddy Gayle (and Pippen) played on Ace Bailey.
• Rutgers: We got a break by missing Harper, who just shredded Illinois.
• Oregon game: the mental errors are baked in at this point, like they're not going to score at the rim as well as you want them to.
• Also baked in is the fact that they switch everything and play drop coverage, so your Shelstad types who make 50%+ of other twos after attacking a Goldin or Wolf are going to score.
• Sugarplum vision of a top-3 seed and winning the B10 is probably gone. All but one of their remaining games (all but Rutgers at home) are Kenpom A (top-50) tier, IE Q1 opportunities.

View Details

GoFundMes to support victims of the fires in LA who are part of the MGoBlog community:

1. General Fund.
2. Reader's mother-in-law Anne Cohen.
3. Reader Chef Robert.
4. Reader Josh Bishop-Moser.
5. Reader Mike on behalf of Mika Yoshitake & daughter Sora.
6. Readers Liberty and Mark.

1 hour and 9 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Men's Basketball vs RutgersStarts at 1:00

Brian returns after a week (or two) of trying not to die ala ice and norovirus. The Rutgers game was a weird game of two offensive-oriented teams not scoring much. Rutgers has 15 more shots than Michigan and still loses due to poor shooting. Michigan did a great job defending Ace Bailey. Rubin Jones made a two! Rutgers likely won't make the tournament but this was still a solid road win. Tre Donaldson is averaging 1.7 fouls per game, can't just pull him with two fouls. Things feel bad but Michigan has a tournament bid pretty much locked up if they stay the course.

1. Men's Basketball vs Penn State and PurdueStarts at 21:34

Penn State is the most Clingon team in college basketball. Tre Donaldson was the hero with 21 points, also the Vlad Goldin "empty tubes" game. Only nine turnovers was a great improvement against a team that forces a bunch of turnovers. Speaking of poop, the Purdue game! This was not a game from the start. Michigan can't handle Purdue's pace and then the second half is just coasting home for both teams. Every Michigan coach has to get their head caved in by Painter once. It was discombobulating to see Michigan so discombobulated. The final stretch of this schedule is a gauntlet, they're all quad 1 games (besides maybe Rutgers). If Michigan finishes .500 they'll be fine.

1. Football StuffStarts at 41:23

Ross Dellenger got a leak of a portion of Michigan's NCAA response. Michigan is taking the route that the allegations are unsupported and should be level 2 allegations. In the past they've laid down and taken it for allegations. All the released texts about Connor Stalions within the program almost sound like they're annoyed with him. The portal has been pretty quiet recently, this might be it for the incoming wide receivers. All signs point towards Ty Haywood coming to Michigan. The NIL values you see are probably made up.

1. Michigan Hockey vs Penn StateStarts at 56:09

Michigan is down to 14th in Pairwise and on the bubble. The remaining games are the hardest part of the schedule so they need to go at least 3-3 to try and get into the tournament. This is such a frustrating team to watch. In some years, the Michigan defense can do spectacular things while making mistakes, this year they just make mistakes. They're running out of time to figure stuff out.

MUSIC:

• "Alaska"—Maggie Rogers
• "Help Me"—Joni Mitchell
• "Don't Dream It's Over"—Crowded House
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed: Mostly we discussed the Dellinger Leak and Michigan's response to the NCAA re: Signgate. I'll have a UV later today on it.

• Michigan has a very—extremely—strong case that they did very little wrong. Most of the in-person scouting was for teams not on their schedule, all of the evidence for a coverup is flimsy:
  • Sherrone deleted texts: Only off his phone, because he knew they had imaging, those were provided to the NCAA, and they were completely innocuous.
  • Mike Hart was told that Stalions was "extra" which: yeah.
  • That's it! That's all the evidence!
• Most of the report is just a glimpse into how sign operations worked—Stalions was sharing signs with Rutgers and Nebraska, who just used wristbands when they played Michigan. It also showed just how marginal sign-decoding was: Sherrone was told to change his signs before Ohio State and said he'll "think about it," Partridge yelled at Stalions about trying to use a team manager, etc.
• It has a name! Signal organization stupid thing, or S.O.S.T.
• NCAA's position is basically "We know we broke our bylaws and this isn't remotely just, but we need to humiliate you because look how mad all the Bielemas are."
• Michigan has requested a prehearing because the NCAA has at least one in-house source that refused to be identified, which we've just now learned is apparently against NCAA bylaws. No idea if the COI has to grant that prehearing
• The process is meant to be collaborative; it completely breaks down when the two sides have entirely different realities and goals. That's a big problem for Michigan because the NCAA's purpose here isn't to be reasonable or just.
• The fear here is NCAA's main motivation is relevance; they can't do anything about paying players, which has been their raison d'être, so this is the one field where they can demonstrate any kind of power.
• Legal challenge? Seems they'll go that route if things proceed as they seem to be. Guessing that's what the NCAA wants so they can placate the Bielemas by saying "it was the courts, not us."
• Seth: don't underestimate the difficulty of winning this case in court. Like the Tony Petitti thing, when it's not about constitutionality or the law, courts often default to whatever the agreement between parties is, and Michigan's agreed to be under NCAA judgment whether it's fair or not. With Tennessee: 1) It was their attorney general flexing power on behalf of the only thing his state cares about, which isn't who Dana Nessel is or how Michigan politics work, and 2) that was about paying players, which got into a constitutionality issue of denying the free trade of services.
• Guess how it plays out: NCAA goes overboard, Michigan takes them to court, court takes a long time, and when it's settled nobody cares because it's been too long and we all have more important things going on.
• Story Time: Just like 1928!

Non-S.O.S.T. thing:

• Jim Knowles off to PSU for a lot of money! What does it mean? It means anyone who can is getting away from Ohio State fans.

View Details

1 Hour and 23 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Watchalong Collapse
* Opener * Scored Goals! * Blown Lead #1 * PK, Outshot, Goalie-ing

Segment 2: Saturday Collapse
* Gramme's Got Free Stuff * Another 2 Goal Blown Lead, but the Extra Point! * Old Friends and the League * PSU Again

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Somebody's Watching Me" -- Rockwell
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Watch Party: Basketball and Hockey tomorrow night.

Things Discussed:

• Lions: You can't hurt me. Oh they lost—we lost the DPOY and everyone else on the starting defense. They're taking our coordinators—when's the last time a Lions coordinator left for a head coaching job?
• Wink to Lions? Sounds like he's a tertiary candidate, most of the positions looking at him have been filled.
• Why aren't OSU's coaches candidates for better jobs? Brian Hartline only.
• Sam: Pro position coaches don't make more than college anymore (except Jim paid his guys to come with him); you go pro to get away from recruiting. Coordinators don't recruit as much anymore. Sherrone does a lot of the recruiting himself.
• If no Wink: the "internal" candidate is Doug Mallory. Les Miles's old coordinator, has recruited the SEC. Called the coverages vs OSU 2021-2023, called the coverages in the national championship. Waiting as DB coach for Ravens but might be the rare guy (older, played for Bo) who would retire here. Sam adds they'd be able to elevate someone to a "co-." Danger of losing Wink is he might pluck some of his guys. Good news is he's probably not going anywhere right now.
• Staff is pretty intact. Would like to establish some long-term guys. Wanted Elston to stay forever. Want OL recruits to be recruited 2 years by the guy who will coach them 4 years and still be here when they come back to visit in 4 years.
• Pantsless Championship: They want to call a 14-2 season the best ever? They're the worst champions ever. They went 1-1 against Oregon who had a better season. They lost their most important game, at home to Michigan.
• The commemorative ball has all the game scores on it. Sam's buying it.
• Playoff system: Can you imagine designing a system where Michigan and Ohio State are both happy at the end of the year?
• Hoops: Teams are learning to take away the roll. Minnesota game was a bit of a fluke—Goldin went 4/13 at the rim when he's been the best finisher in the B10 for the last month—but Northwestern went all in on it. Need to find ways to punish that, either with Wolf following Goldin into the lane or shooting an open three.
• Goldin: quietly Michigan's best player lately, despite 4/13. His threes open up the offense vs teams like Northwestern and their paint-bound truck driver.
• Purdue: Will be a different challenge because TKR can switch. Need defense to show up.

View Details

1 Hour and 18 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Friday Night Points!
* Opener * That Goal * Fighting Back * TJ Hughes Talk

Segment 2: Saturday Night at Munn
* Down in a Big Hole * Non-Gameplay Discussion * Old Friends and the League * Badger Rematch

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "On Melancholy Hill" -- The Gorillaz
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

GoFundMes to support victims of the fires in LA:

1. https://gofund.me/79ecde48h
2. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ysggb
3. https://gofund.me/79ecde48
4. https://www.gofundme.com/f/liberty-mark-need-our-help?attribution_id=sl:bdeebeeb-00cf-4385-9fae-567d43bae218&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

1 hour and 29 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Football PortalStarts at 1:00

Find out which MGoPodcaster almost ran over Craig. Michigan picks up UMass wide receiver Anthony Simpson from the portal, hopefully he can be Drew Dileo. They also get Louisiana cornerback Caleb Anderson, he played injured last year so his PFF grades weren't terrific. He's a great tackler. OT Ty Haywood has de-committed from Alabama and was set to visit Michigan over the weekend. Apparently he wanted early play time. Cade McNamara has committed to ETSU. Ohio State and Notre Dame is not a meteor game, the choice here is obvious!

1. Men's Basketball vs MinnesotaStarts at 17:47

Lack of toughness was not the issue! Minnesota hit 50% from mid-range which was the difference between OT and a Michigan win, they usually don't make these shots. The Gophers also changed their lineup quite significantly. Nimari Burnett was held in check (and was in foul trouble), Roddy Gayle was having an off game as well. Giving up 71 points in regulation to Minnesota is concerning. Need Will Tschetter to be able to put up 6-8 points per game.

1. Hot Takes and Hockey vs Michigan StateStarts at 37:22

Considering Michigan State is currently #1 in the country, getting some points over the weekend is nice. Michigan is giving up a lot of goals in the five-hole. They were was able to hang with #1 MSU but there is a skill gap, Michigan doesn't have a dynamic skater and is playing a lot of freshmen. There were three penalties in Yost on Friday and 21(!) in Munn on Saturday. TJ Hughes has 10 points in six games, How should Michigan approach player development moving forward? Need to win three of the next four.

1. Men's Basketball vs NorthwesternStarts at 1:05:35

Attending this game in person was torture because you can't even see what they're reviewing. Can't have your foot too close to the jingle jangles. Goldin is 9 of 16 on threes! He needs to wear a cup or something. Is this Michigan's first game this season where they had fewer turnovers than the opposition? The offense needs to diversify because opposing defenses are collapsing on the center and Wolf has been having issues. Is Tre Donaldson or Roddy Gayle the answer? Gotta respect Chris Collins for having a competitive team every year. Purdue is smaller than we're used to seeing but playing them at Mackey is a tall order.

MUSIC:

• "Trouble"—Father John Misty
• "Never Ending Math Equation"—Sun Kil Moon
• "One Of These Days"—Michigander
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Hoops: We are still fascinated by Mick Cronin, even as he turns a top-25 road win into just another bottom-of-the-B1G team.
• Wolf back next year? Musselman clearly trying to talk NBA into existence, but NBA is listening.
• Big Ten MBB looks like a Michigan-Michigan State race with Purdue and Illinois on the 2nd tier, though Illinois can beat anybody—they're weird because they rely on the three.
• Brian: MSU is a better shooting team than they look: Akins is at least, and they hit free throws. Craig: MSU is really good, unbeatable when Izzo can browbeat the refs into letting them be handsy. Counter: they don't take many threes, with three primary players on the court non-shooters: using Jaxon Kohler as a shooter, using Jeremy Fears as a shooter, Xavier Booker as a shooter. Booker is a frustrating guy, more evidence that Izzo doesn't develop guys.
• It's also weird that Frankie Fidler hasn't been that good, and Calipari turned Johnnell Davis into a bench player. Shoutout to Dusty May, and what he's done with Nimari Burnett. Seth: he's not the 5-star Texas Tech thought they were getting; he's the guy Alabama thought they were getting. It's about anticipation; the game is coming to him so slowly. Brian: He's Bobby Hull!
• We eat crow for saying the two big lineup won't work—in our defense…
  https://twitter.com/EvanMiya/status/1879650374128447983
• During break: Effort to bring Brandon Graham to Michigan; now he's going to keep playing. The guys do math.
• Speaking of Eat Crow: Wink Martindale NFL interest? Sam says they'll have to pay him; Seth says someone will because he's too good of an idea for an NFL team: NYG are 28th in DVOA and blitzy/1-high again with out him, meanwhile he's beating OSU with QQH. He's the guy who invented the most popular defense in the league, regardless if people want to claim Mac and Minter's defenses are "Fangio-style." But they're going to have to commit to him: he's not taking a pay cut. Michigan would have to put an extension in front of him as well.

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1 Hour and 19 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Expected Win
* Opener * Another Rough Start * Taking Control * Shutdown Third

Segment 2: Goals in 32 Seconds
* Where's the Defense? * 32 seconds of scoring...twice * Old Friends and the League * First Look at MSU

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Whatever You Say, Say Nothing" -- Makem & Clancy
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 32 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Football Transfer PortalStarts at 1:00

Wwwwwwelcome! To one of the internet's college football podcasts. We can't wait to talk about Mick Cronin. The defensive front seven looks pretty set for next year, now just need a cornerback (which happened after recording). OL Lawrence Hattar transfers in from Ferris State, he will likely move to guard. Still need a tackle but most plug and play guys are off the board. Everyone is nervous about wide receiver, this is problematic because Chip Lindsey wants a balanced attack. They might have to overpay for a receiver at some point. Michigan is good at tight end (unless it's one that looks like a wide receiver). WE HAVE A LONG SNAPPER.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs UCLAStarts at 26:22

The win over UCLA is probably not going to look as good by the end of the year. Michigan had an 18 point lead, then was down by 5, then wins by 19 (something similar may have happened under Juwan Howard?). Tre Donaldson has not had to put the team on his back until now. Which Michigan team was the best shooting team? This team is up there. Nimari Burnett has finally found his place. Vlad Goldin with 36 points, and now he's a shooter! Michigan is currently favored in all but two of their remaining games.

1. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs WashingtonStarts at 54:28

Takes hotter than Mick Cronin when somebody did something wrong that's not him. Michigan's bigs get into foul trouble early but collectively pick up one foul in the 2nd half. It was a parade to the basket. Great Osobor is tough to cover for anyone who isn't Goldin. How worried should we be about free throw shooting? Michigan matched their missed two pointers with their offensive rebounds! Michigan's turnover rating on Kenpom is out of the deep blood red (it's still red, just not the worst red). They're the best offense in the country if they can just stop turning the ball over.

1. Hockey vs Notre DameStarts at 1:19:09

The hope for this team at this point is just to make the tournament. This has been a very good defensive team, giving up three goals in 32 seconds is nearly impossible. Michigan doesn't have top-end talent and especially doesn't have back-end talent. The Big Ten is a tough conference, need to scrap for points where you can. Michigan State got really good really fast.

MUSIC:

• "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"—The Rolling Stones
• "Unforgettable"—French Montana
• "Giving Up"—Michigander
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Hoops: Wolf is having a lot more creation put on him than he did at Yale, turnovers can still go down. Danny Wolf NBA hype.
• Officiating vs UCLA was about the worst we've ever seen: Wolf picks up two awful calls in a row that take him from 2 to 4 fouls.
• Cronin's presser: It's maybe the most program-destructive one we've ever seen. He's the guy who put a power forward against Vlad Goldin. Man is it going to be easy to recruit against that guy. Hopefully this doesn't break them so badly that this win doesn't stand up.
• Tre Donaldson star-making trip. Twenty points is his best output of the year, he wasn't even on the court because he got autobenched in the 1st half, maybe that was a good thing because he played the entire 2nd half.
• Weakness: Michigan needs one more creator: Gayle, Jones, or one of the freshmen, or else they need Tre or Wolf on the court at all times.
• Nimari Burnett: premier shot absorber.
• Michigan set up for a Big Ten title run: already 3-0 in their 6 toughest road games.
• Max Bredeson returns: HUGE. Bigger than Underwood for next year. He's the kind of guy you can build the offense around, need to develop him in the passing game.
• Portal: Michigan needs to figure out a reciprocity system for athletes like every other school does so you can complete a degree. I don't think it makes us a better academic school—the point of reciprocity in these cases is to let you get a better caliber of grad student by having them finish their undergrads.
• Playoffs: Craig does it by vibes. A cute exhibition at the end of the season, but it's hard to take this as a national championship when it's a bunch of 2-loss teams.
• Drew Allar wants to come back and be Hackenberg.

View Details

1 Hour and 15 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Outdoors, Cold, and Sad
* Opener * The Fun 30 Minutes * The Bad 30 Minutes * Korpi and Penalties? Nothing on 5v5?

Segment 2: Points, At Least
* What a Dreadful Start * Clawing Back and OT * Old Friends and the League * A Preview of South Bend

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Wrigley" -- Kid Copter, Cremini Jicket, and Morel Dilemma
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 2 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Retrospective VibesStarts at 1:00

The second funniest game of the season, and our lives. After three first quarter turnovers (plus a turnover on downs) it was about to become frustrating if Michigan lost. What was the low point of the season for you? 19 is a fun number for Bryce Underwood. The defensive performance against Alabama is encouraging for next year, which should be set. Still some work to do on offense. Michigan needs to do a better job at developing relationships with guys hitting the portal.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Offense vs AlabamaStarts at 23:58

All things considered the offensive line performance was encouraging. Check Sarah Jessica off your bingo card for this podcast again. Jordan Marshall - Blake Corum comparisons are made. PFF said everyone had solid pass protection except Sprague, but Sprague had the best run blocking. Where does Frederick Moore fit on the depth chart that would make you comfortable? Ben Hall was okay, he was less patient than Marshall. Davis Warren tore his ACL, if he's back in time for Fall camp would he even be an option? Expect the beginning of next season to have Bryce run packages but not be fully deployed.

1. Hot Takes, Defense, Special Teams, and Game Theory vs AlabamaStarts at 54:36

Takes hotter than your 15-2 Detroit Lions. Michigan sacked Jalen Milroe 11 times in the year 2024 (six in the Rose Bowl, five in this bowl). Michigan's ends got in the tackles' heads and the blitzes prevented Milroe from escaping up the middle. Credit Wink Martindale for understanding how to coach college kids mid-way through the season. Alabama's run game was relatively non-existent. Bring on analyst Don Brown. Aamir Hall had some Will Johnson-esque plays towards the end of the season. Zvada remains very good. Let's talk about the timeout at the end of the first half. Do you kick that field goal to go up 16-0 or try for a touchdown? Any deviation from 1950s football would've lost this game.

1. Basketball vs USCStarts at 1:34:30

This game was frustrating, sometimes they had it together, then lost it, then fixed it, then didn't. Let's play the game of "did they have more offensive rebounds or misses from two?". Danny Wolf had a superlative game (please don't go to the NFL). The fouling was a bit out of control but that went both ways. Can two teams just agree to fire the refs mid-game and play without them? There are too many Big Ten teams now, we don't want to know about USC. How far do we expect Michigan to go into the tournament now? UCLA forces a lot of turnovers which will be interesting against Michigan.

MUSIC:

• "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"—The Rolling Stones
• "Unforgettable"—French Montana
• "Giving Up"—Michigander
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

1 hour and 25 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where usually record this.

1. Alabama "Preview"Starts at 1:00

Welcome to the utterly meaningless bowl game we are less excited for than any Michigan game before. Now that we're paying the players, shouldn't they be expected to complete the season? Contracts would do that. Is Alabama interested in showing up? They have a few players like Milroe who need to show something. Michigan's offense was bad to begin with so what are they now? Jadyn Davis should play at least. Glorified spring game bits: looking forward to seeing Andrew Sprague, the running backs.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Portal: OffenseStarts at 19:59

Mikey Keene is a floor, played with Dillon Gabriel (and Chip Lindsay) at UCF so it's not the first time he's been with a talented dual-threat. Thrown a LOT of passes, can loft one downfield, isn't a run threat, was probably a scramble after Billy Edwards didn't want to compete with Bryce. When do you start Bryce, because Game 2 is in Norman and Game 3 is in Lincoln. They got OL Brady Norton who's an addition to the 2023 class, Donaven McCulley we like as that downfield threat. Wanted to see more WRs and a TE and better luck at OL: Josh Thompson chose LSU.

1. Portal: DefenseStarts at 43:50

Hot takes segment has ideas for retaining the Outback Bowl legacy. Damon Payne is a very good pickup even though he's not flashy because DTs are a premium position and he's a decent SEC player. Troy Bowles was in a stacked LB room, comp is Hausmann. Metcalfs played at Chip Lindsay's high school in Pinson, Alabama, TJ is a high floor for the safety position and Tevis is a developmental cornerback. Don't have any glaring needs. Discussion of Barham's move to edge—think it's a Jaylen Harrell position thing in the 5-2, which is more about holding the edge than rushing it. Always get a 5th year cornerback, but they can get that on the cheap later in the process.

1. Basketball vs WKU/PFW and Big Ten OutlookStarts at 1:04:48

After the Oklahoma loss that we're STILL MAD about, the threes are falling, which makes this team utterly terrifying. WKU chose not to defend the perimeter, had a lot of injuries, and PFW was also super small up front so those are not great tests. Good news: Big Ten doesn't have a lot of NBA guards who can tear them up by driving. USC-UCLA road trip next week will be fascinating—USC is a bunch of power forwards even with T-Will out for the season and UCLA is all defense.

MUSIC:

• "Antarctica"—Divorce
• "Cinderella"—Remi Wolf
• "Everyday Hustle"—Metro Boomin and Rick Ross
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Seth on early to talk about Lions injuries, Ira gives us a short history of Detroit-Buffalo friendship.
• Oklahoma: Yes they got absolutely jobbed by Szelc. Yes, it's the #1 story of the game. Pushoffs, moving screens, 75 percent of Fears's free throws, and then a soft whistle at one end while ignoring a two-handed shove at the other end. Both of those were Szelc calls. Michigan won't get a fair whistle against this guy tbut what are you gonna do about it, have Warde complain to the Big Ten? They don't care.
• Rest of the game: Thruck was thruck. Michigan is a good team that gets the best shots in CBB. They're doing it with the big-on-big, and they're starting to know each other. Seth: pay attention to where Goldin gets his passes, where he likes it. Gonna need a team with extreme athleticism and NBA shot-blockers to contest them.
• Portal: Sam runs us through the QB options. DQ is a good one, Brendan Lewis is the one we like the best, Mikey Keene is a decent floor—he played for Lindsey at UCF—but you don't want a pocket-bound popgun arm before Bryce, do you?
• Lindsey connection got us the Arkansas brothers. Good athleticism and presence, but see TJ Metcalf as a high-floor Walker not a difference-maker. Always want a 5th year guy at nickel from now on.
• Brian: Can Morris come back? Sam: It's possible; he had concerns about the offense so if they have an OC and a QB now things could change. He hasn't set up any visits.
• Offense needs some bodies at OL: the guy they got is a development prospect. They're all in on Josh Thompson, who's checking out Auburn and Tennessee.

View Details

1 Hour and 19 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: The Games
* Opener * No One Score Again * A Lead Through Two Periods * Blown Third Period with an OT Winner

Segment 2: Takes, Everyone Else, Outdoor Preview
* First Half Takeaways * Old Friends and the League * Wrigley Preview

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "You're Not Gonna Score" -- Untamed
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 43 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. Chip Lindsey and Transfer PortalStarts at 1:00

The first half of this podcast is not just talking about how Michigan beat Ohio State 13-10. Imagine your season ending on December 21st in Columbus, Ohio. Mark your calendars for Davis Warren day on October 13th! Chip Lindsey is the new offensive coordinator out of North Carolina. The run game will be the run game, he's going to be the passing game coordinator. We are feeling exactly whelmed about this hire. Donaven McCulley comes in at wide receiver from Indiana, he's a legitimately good Big Ten receiver. Still need at least three more receivers. Billy Edwards comes in from Maryland and the worst offensive line in the country, he's a big guy. On the offensive line they bring in Jordan White from Liberty, need a tackle. It's been frustrating that Michigan hasn't brought in as many new players as we'd like to see. Derrick Moore and TJ Guy are back next year.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Basketball vs ArkansasStarts at 36:36

Arkansas 89, Michigan 87. This basketball game was three different basketball games. Michigan goes from a four point lead to an 18 point deficit once they start turning the ball over in the 2nd half. The boxscore is fun at least. There were some desperation zones. The shot distribution was as good as you could expect. Goldin's usage has finally gone up and Wolf is making the plays he needs to make. Roddy Gayle has been making some bad decisions. Should Michigan slow it down a bit? Are the turnovers mental because they tend to come in bunches? Wolf is the alpha on offense (get it?). The rest of the non-conference should be wins and then they ease back into the Big Ten conference play against USC.

1. Hot Takes and Hockey vs WisconsinStarts at 1:03:45

Takes hotter than the Heisman voters who got it right for once. Hockey finally scored a goal! And they're still 9th in Pairwise. Take a breath into the break and say "it's fine." Michigan probably isn't winning the Big Ten but they're not bad, they're half of a gritty hockey team. Wisconsin is a good team, they've just been unlucky on their shots this season. Right now Michael Hage is really the only guy driving plays. 3-on-3 overtime needs a shot clock! They're good enough to be a tournament team and the shooting will probably get better.

1. Gimmicky Top Five
   Starts at 1:30:24

Gimmicky Top Five worst bowl matchups!
Marshall entered the transfer portal and opted out of their bowl game and now Louisiana Tech has to face a furious Army team.

Seth has real world bowls, Brian has hypotheticals. Don't play BYU in Miami. A bowl game in Middle Earth. PLAY A BOWL IN DUBLIN.

MUSIC:

• "Q4" -- Father John Misty
• "Love Town" -- The Glands
• "What's The Rush?" -- Jesse Woods
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• The Book: It's what we would have wanted. Kickstarter backers: I wrote an update but the gist is tracking numbers might come after the books because USPS.
• Ohio State is Flag-Mad. Brian: 11W and MGoBlog diverged in business models a long time ago: they do clickbait, we make big books.
• Seth: The reason this hits Ohio State so hard is they have nothing else to be proud of anymore. They bet everything on beating Michigan and then got absolutely punked again. Symbology is all that's left.
• Chip Lindsey: Came up through high school so he's got a lot of different ideas. Lots of coordinator experience. He develops somebody else's quarterback. QBs take fewer sacks, run less (more scrambles than called runs).
• Lindsey's philosophy, if there is one, is to run what works best for the players he's got. He doesn't want to have a "blob" on usage distribution—wants you to worry about screens and downfield, outside runs and inside runs.
• Portal? UNC guys of interest (Hampton is probably going pro).
• Michigan's portal strategy: looking for guys they can get value. ZVADA is the epitome of portal success: a guy who's going to be more valuable to you. Part of that value is seeing if you can make more out of a player (Barham, Stewart, etc.) than he is.
• You're in a salary cap world.
• Kentucky guys? Miller Moss? Feeling different because he's getting big portal offers. Brendon Lewis—that would be a dude; he's a Year 6 guy, probably will come down to dollars because it's not certain there's an NFL future. Don't be too worried about Underwood in Year 1 because he's not turning 18 until August. Billy Edwards? Sam nodding. UMD had the worst OL, Edwards is a perfect example of a guy who looks a lot better as a 25x/game thrower.
• Hoops: Danny Wolf is the tallest 5-10 guy we've ever seen. Sucks to lose to Calipari. Craig says hit your free throws. In a dozen years we'll say "I remember getting beat like that by Boogie Fland in college."

View Details

1 Hour and 9 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: WOOOOOOOOOF
* Opener * Lots of goals * More Goals Against * We Have to Talk About Something

Segment 2: Better But No Goals
* Can't Win With No Goals * Weekend Takeaways * Old Friends and the League * Wisconsin Preview

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Gopher Guts" -- Aesop Rock
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 59 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. Michigan Men's Basketball vs IowaStarts at 1:00

The first half of this game was a battle of mid-range jumpers and not turning the ball over (Iowa) vs going to the rim aggressively but turning the ball over a lot (Michigan). Michigan's amplitude of proficiency changes throughout a game are huge. This team is dead set on not taking mid-range jumpers. Addressing Michigan's rebounding woes. Did they play great against Iowa and Wisconsin? Not really. Are they still 2-0 in the Big Ten, though? Yeah. Danny Wolf turns the ball over too much by throwing the ball too hard. The play of the game played off of the big pick and roll. Michigan vs Iowa is an oddly friendly rivalry. Be careful with playing neutral site games when it comes to NET rankings.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Transfer Portal NeedsStarts at 35:24

Michigan needs an offensive coordinator first. Jason Candle (Toledo head coach), Dan Mullen (former Florida head coach), and Joe Craddock (Tulane offensive coordinator) are among the biggest names rumored. Scott Frost mentioned! Michigan needs a quarterback and multiple wide receivers. Running back might be okay? Offensive line is a lot more interesting. Would like to get a defensive tackle since you're not getting either starter back. Linebacker is probably okay.

1. Hot Takes & Transfer Portal NamesStarts at 58:13

Takes hotter than the fact that Georgia should not be in the playoff because they don't have their starting quarterback. Miller Moss would be the ideal scenario at QB. There's a case for Billy Edwards out of Maryland! The list falls off pretty quickly after that. Ideally you want someone to start for the year and then Bryce Underwood gets ~100 snaps. Michigan has some connections with Oklahoma Wide Receiver Nic Anderson. Michigan needs to get as many as they can. A biomechanical engineer out of Rice would be nice. There will be some players from playoff teams that hit the portal later.

1. The 2025 Recruiting Class
   Starts at 1:39:02

Bryce Underwood is not allowed to be the answer to any of these.
Favorite guy in the class?
Most unlikely to be in this class?
Sleeper of the year?
Most Important?

Michigan is 9th in recruiting but recruiting at the same quality as Ohio State. It revolves around one guy.

MUSIC:

• "It Ain't Easy" -- 2Pac
• "Vaping In Vegas" -- Wolves of Glendale
• "Let's Go Back" -- Jungle
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Michigan Hockey watch-along tomorrow night. Be here.
2. Kickstarter backers: look for a shipping update soon. Short version is yes you will have them by Christmas but most haven't shipped yet because of Thanksgiving.
3. MGoStore has shirts, books.

Things Discussed:

• Michigan 13, Ohio State 10: You gotta play the game not the board. OMG and KtG are two guys apiece, so if you're seeing five in the box you're running into a seven-man box; you just don't know it.
• Wink didn't do Wink stuff, OSU's gameplan was to use those opportunities. There were checks on his blitzes and looks all game—he just didn't give them those opportunities. Chip Kelly like Urban Meyer looks where he has numbers and run the ball into light boxes, which is what they did all year (this was their passiest game of the year!). But Urban brought in Ryan Day to not be that.
• It's not like their pass game was that effective either. It comes down to blocking and tackling. It shouldn't have come to that, but fundamentally is Ryan Day going to catch up to Michigan?
• Brian's main concern: Michigan's had Hutchinson, Mason Graham…when they don't have super-elite defensive lines can they continue that going forward or do they have to play Ohio State like other teams do?
• Keep Ryan Day? Would you rather keep beating up on this guy (like one more time) or let Ross Bjork give him a $34 million buyout and hire his definition of a good idea? Brian: It's not like they're going to hire Urban Meyer. Seth: They could literally hire Urban Meyer.
• Michigan got better on defense when they moved Zeke to cornerback and Paige to nickel. Rod Moore could be the most important guy for next year.
• Hoops vs Wisconsin: Did Danny Wolf make himself an NBA guy over the offseason? Not ready to say that, but it worked against a John Tonje.
• Offensive coordinator: Tulane OC Joe Craddock has a good track record of fixing dumpster fires (e.g. at Troy). Toledo HC Jason Candle is in a weird spot where he's too successful in the MAC to move up but not successful enough for more than a Purdue job. Dan Mullen? Pro names also on the list: do they talk to Brian Griese (not an OC) or Byron Leftwich (not currently coaching)? Michigan's priority is finding a guy who will develop Underwood.

View Details

Thank you to 247's Steve Lorenz for joining us, as always, for a Podcast-length edition of Across the Crooked Blue Line.

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Champions Circle, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, Community Pest Solutions, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, and SignalWire where we are recording this.

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: People in yellow puffy jackets.]

1. Things We're Watching and Offensive RecruitsStarts at the top

PEOPLE OF INTEREST: Jayden Sanders will sign tomorrow; that's just when his school does that. Olesh might get caught up in Oregon's big day, since he's their final target. Good that he's held out, Michigan's working the phones. Lean? Who knows. Derek Meadows: sounds like Alabama came in with a bigger NIL offer. Ty Haywood: 5-star, as long as he makes it up to campus we're in good shape.

QB BRYCE UNDERWOOD: The cackling segment. Been a five-year recruitment—there was a Bryce Underwood recruitment paragraph on every QB target since Dante Moore was on their radar; shows M is serious. Steve's comp is Trevor Lawrence, but runs like Vince Young. Ivins thinks the distance between #1 overall the the #2 and #3 guys in the class is massive.

RB JASPER PARKER: So underrated he can't be called underrated anymore. Not fast but is Hart-But-Big.

RB DONOVAN JOHNSON: Freaks list, early 5-star because IMG, big injury drop and other schools dropped out, but made Freaks list after recovery.

WR ANDREW MARSH: Elite WR. How? Bellamy did work. Seth comps to Cornelius Johnson, because elite double-moves and intellectual family.

WR JACOB WASHINGTON: Never wavered even though big Sr season and had Washington come calling. Bellamy's HS, his HC is still the HC. Adrian Arrington/Marquise Walker tall possession type, but needs a redshirt.

WR JAMAR BROWDER: Might be 6'5"—flipped from NC State and big riser, contested baller. NC State thought they had a dude. Common pick for class sleeper. Nico? Nico was a unicorn because of his speed. Bellamy recruiter of the year? West Bloomfield legend, Louisiana legend, and owns North Carolina since brother-in-law Biakabutuka lives out there.

FB ELI OWENS: Wants to be Max Bredeson!!!!

LT ANDREW BABALOLA: Comps to Stanford guys don't work; Jake Long in that he's a bit raw, basketball, length.

OG AVERY GACH: Yay Groves, Yay Seth's Temple. Zinter/Sainristil of the OL who led Groves to the greatest season in school history (along with Barry Sanders's son). Why hasn't been bumped up? Nobody was at his games.

C KADEN STRAYHORN: Funniest commit; dad is the color guy on MSU radio, but MSU was out a long time ago, won over OSU. IMG center, might be a little small.

1. Defensive Line and LinebackerStarts at 43:25

DE/DT NATE MARSHALL: Most surprising commit x2. Big win out of Chicago. Steve sees him growing into a DT but has the athleticism to stay outside.

WDE JULIUS HOLLY: Injury meant nobody got to see him after a killer start to his Sr year but great measurables, guy Michigan sees as next Dom Nichols.

DT BOBBY KANKA: Matt Godin.

SDE BENNY PATTERSON: Might be the Wormley of the class. Build-a-bear rose late, should have been a 4-star. Edge for sure. PSU and USC were also trying to flip off senior tape.

DT TRAVIS MOTEN: Wrestlers have the stamina as well as the leverage. His Hudl looks like Chris Hinton. Might be 280 already. Seth comp: Rayshaun Benny.

MLB NATHANIEL OWUSU-BOATENG: Another early highly ranked IMG kid, injury hid him as a senior, probably much much larger than his listed 6'0"/200. More of a MIKE to Michigan.

WLB CHASE TAYLOR: The Sullivan-esque super long athlete, outside linebacker with crazy athleticism and length, finally rose late.

1. Secondary and Class WrapStarts at 1:00:40

CB JAYDEN SANDERS: Legit 6'3" and long. Ceiling is insane. Amorion Walker but this time he's starting as a CB. Freakish ability to move—if you can play cornerback at that size…

CB SHAMARI EARLS: Will Johnson Memorial Hey Elite Cornerbacks Are Good. Sam Webb all over this recruitment. Expect the 5-star cornerback track.

ATH ELIJAH DOTSON: Pat Narduzzi complains about Michigan throwing around money. Freaky athlete, late riser, CB-WR-S freaky athlete type. Might be best as a CB (think Jeremy Clark).

FS JORDAN YOUNG: Clemson decommit because "their recruiting class wasn't that good." Michigan operating in the real world. Flipped him after we lost Ike Taylor, similar ceiling, similar profile (think Zeke Berry) but he's right that he needs some development.

NK KAINOA WINSTON: Reminds Brian of Quinten Johnson. Reminds Seth of Rod Moore and Mike Sainristil in that Winston is a football savant. Also a sprinter.

THE CLASS AS IT STANDS: Talent parity with Ohio State! What happens when Michigan isn't disadvantaged by rules they follow and their competition doesn't? Look at 1990s: they had a LOT of talent on those teams. Now they just need to get an OC who isn't going to run 80% of the time when he has Tom Brady. Class put together in adverse circumstances: Yes a natty run but also Will Harbaugh Go to the NFL? Their slow walk to taking NIL seriously. Their rough 2024 before winning The Game.

OFFENSEPosPlayerStateStarsIn a nutshellQBBryce UnderwoodMI5.0Drew Henson 2.0, basically.RBDonovan JohnsonGA4.0⬇⬇Elite as a Fr, IMG, injured as Jr.RBJasper ParkerLA3.8⬆Hart-selected, Alford approvedWRAndrew MarshTX4.5⬇Gliding track athlete/deep threatWRJacob WashingtonLA4.0Parker's teammate. Big & TallWRJamar BrowderFL3.6⬆Giant contested baller.TEAndrew OleshPA4.4⬆⬆#1 target, catchy-blocky, Bama wanted.TEEli OwensTN3.7⬇⬇Blocky FB/TE.OTAndrew BabalolaKS4.8Elite 1st rnd type but a bit raw too.OGAvery GachMI4.1⬆Smart and nasty Zinterish G.CKaden StrayhornMI3.8IMG, top C in class, son of MSU radioDEFENSEPosPlayerStateStarsIn a nutshellNTTravis MotenKY3.5⬆Wrestling build-a-bearDTBobby KankaMI4.0⬆⬆Tenacious DTDT/DEBenny PattersonIN3.6⬆Build-a-bear flipped from Cincy.SDENate MarshallIL4.6⬆Elite heavy edge, maybe DTWDEJulius HollyGA3.9⬇Solid high-floor pass rusher.MLBNathaniel Owusu-BoatengMD (IMG)4.3⬇⬇Ravens-type, BJM top target all cycle.WLBChase TaylorGA3.6Lanky/speedy underrated athleteNkKainoa WinstonDC4.4⬆Rod Moore-ish Mike Sainristil.SJordan YoungNC4.3Zeke Berry-ish burstCBShamari EarlsVA4.5Elite tall CB flipped from UGACBJayden SandersTX3.9⬆Tall/skinny super athleteATHElijah DotsonMI4.2⬆⬆⬆Very tall CB/S/WR, Belleville4. Hoops vs WisconsinStarts at 1:21:29

What did we learn? We learned WOLF! He wasn't playing like this at Yale—he was a point center but not a point GUARD. Finding that 14-foot pick-and-roll and Wisconsin has no answer. Defense is also this team's calling card, because Wolf can stay in front of a 6'5" guy. Rebounding? Maybe they didn't focus on it because everyone is still playing icebreakers to get to know each other, maybe they didn't practice it because Wisconsin and Gayle used to guard PGs.

Songs:

• “Hi, Hey There, Hello”—The Mowglis
• "Strawberry Letter23”—The Brothers Johnson
• “Mr. Fear”—SIAMES

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

1 Hour and 9 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Due a Bad Game
* Opener * Poor Start * It Didn't Get Better * Just a Game to Forget

Segment 2: Very Nice Bounceback
* Professional Performance * Weekend Takeaways * Old Friends and the League * Gopher Showdown Incoming

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Wild Horses" -- Bishop Briggs
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

3 hours and 9 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. HahahahahahahahaStarts at 1:00

lol. lmao. An NIL booster in Dayton has no soul because MICHIGAN SUCKED IT OUT OF HIS CHEST. THE PUNTERS MOCKED YOU. There has never been a season like this that we have experienced. This is the most surprising win since we've started watching Michigan football. Ohio State probably wins easily if they just play their game but they played too conservatively. WE IOWA'D THEM. It was a little windy :( Michigan didn't get to knock them out of the playoff but now they have to regroup and win four playoff games instead of three. They should've gotten that QB that went to Syracuse. Ryan Day's insecurities are coming back to haunt him and they snowballed in this game, he's never had to learn how to lose. Ohio State is 10-2 and their fans are miserable.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Ohio StateStarts at 32:56

Let's all apologize to Wink Martindale. Mason Graham does not play defensive end, so thanks for that. Was all the weird stuff all season a rope-a-dope?? Kenneth Grant had the best game he's ever had in a Michigan uniform. Ohio State's offensive line is one of their biggest issues and they played into Michigan's biggest strength, the defensive line. They didn't run their running quarterback. Quinshon Judkins was supposed to be that guy and Makari Paige cancelled that. Who on Ohio State has dat dawg in them? Ohio State probably could've dumbed down their offense and scored more than 10 points. Rod Moore was still the Sainristil of this defense even though he didn't play. They just didn't call holding in this game.

1. Hot Takes, Offense, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 59:36

Takes hotter than anything Ryan Day sits on. Kalel Mullings had the most hoss-like game since Chris Perry. On 3rd and long they still give it to Kalel even when the percentage of success was low. Michigan's last two drives before the kneel down ate up almost a whole quarter of time. Where will Davis Warren be next year? No matter what, he's entered the lore of Michigan football. Was Michigan playing too safe as a 21 point underdog or was their bag of plays just not that deep? Zvada is the #1 FEI kicker by a billion. Tyler Morris caught the punts, woo! College kickers are back and Ryan Day is haunted by them! Ohio State still just doesn't have it in short yardage. Ryan Day doesn't believe he can get that one yard, but he keeps trying. The first incident is a kerfuffle, the post-game was a level 4 melee. With respect to the pepper spray - now the wind is important! Michigan turned Ohio State into Michigan State. Gus Johnson had a horrible game. Three controversial non-PI calls that went against Michigan. Jeremiah Smith is going to be a physical athlete that drives Seth and Craig crazy for the next two years. Need a seppuku touchdown celebration.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 2:16:55

Indiana 66, Purdue 0
This game was one yard away from a total rutger. Ryan Walters was fired immediately after, he was 5-19 at Purdue. If you're Indiana, who do you want to play in the playoffs? Who does Purdue replace as their coach?

Iowa 13, Nebraska 10
Iowa wins with five total first downs and 49 rushing yards. Nebraska dominated this game all the way and still lost by one score. Michigan ended their season by finally being Iowa with upside. Cade seems to have left the program.

Rutgers 41, Michigan State 14
You've gotta really be nervous about Aidan Chiles moving forward if you're a Michigan State fan. After the game Chiles had some spicy quotes about the fans. Michigan State might not be able to just portal fix things. Jonathan Smith might not be mean enough to coach Michigan State.

Illinois 38, Northwestern 28
Northwestern outgains Illinois but turns the ball over four times. AJ Henning has 119 receiving yards.

UCLA 20, Fresno State 14
UCLA gets to 5-7 after looking absolutely terrible at the start of the year. They're a team to watch out for in the portal, though. It'll be a whole new team.

Penn State 44, Maryland 7
Maryland goes up 7-0 and then decides not to do football. They're a dead fish right now but hey they still beat USC. Penn State earns a spot in the Big Ten championship game in a year where they don't beat Michigan or Ohio State. Would they be the #1 overall seed if they win the Big Ten??

Notre Dame 49, USC 35
Notre Dame gets TWO ~100 yard pick sixes. Does USC need to think about moving on from Lincoln Riley?

Oregon 49, Washington 21
Oregon is the team that combines the west coast passing attack with a running attack better than anyone. The ducks crunch the OW game. Oregon gets 10 sacks!

Minnesota 24, Wisconsin 7
A slow motion blowout. How does Wisconsin recover from this season? Fickell is on contract until 2029.

MUSIC:

• Carry Me Ohio"-- Sun Kil Moon
• "Crybaby" -- Cults
• "Bloodbuzz Ohio" -- The National
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Champions Circle, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, Community Pest Solutions, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, and SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: Tree City

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Ohio State Preview: Offensestarts at the top

Is Howard any better than Kyle McCord? Because McCord was actually really good in The Game last year. How Chip Kelly is the running game? How Ryan Day are they on 3rd & 3? Injuries to the offensive line have drawn in a couple of guards who weren't expected to play yet, put Carson Hinzman back at C and kicked Donovan Jackson out to left tackle, but these are first-world problems. Jeremiah Smith's freshman eligibility is a global problem. Emeke Egbuka is a dangerous slot weapon that wasn't fully utilized until he got to play there.

1. Ohio State Preview: Defensestarts at 18:02

They brought back almost everybody and added the #1 transfer in the portal, meaning 5-star Sonny Styles is now at WLB for new Bandit uber 5-star Caleb Downs. Not as relevant that you can block JT Tuimolaoau and Jack Sawyer and survive because Evan Link isn't blocking those guys. Lathan Ransom has been a superstar at Adjuster safety for them. Weakness is the cornerbacks get left in man and are not elite—a weakness that Michigan is in a particularly bad position to exploit.

1. Basketball vs Xavier and Virginia Techstarts at 35:17

They faced a switching team and switched Everything! On-ball defense was brilliant in both games. Coming from guys we expected and from guys we didn't expect. Offensively they can find a guy (Gayle vs VT, Wolf vs Xavier) to keep them going until they get good at their offense, but that's coming too and you can see it in Vlad's usage. Seth wants an NIL program to pay Vlad $1000 per dunk and subtract $100 for every shot missed at the rim that's not a dunk.

1. Recruitingstarts at 54:36

Underwood's arm strength is THERE but he varies his angles and speed, and that's why there's a hitch. His movement is also THERE: breakaway speed to extend plays. Seth runs us through guys to pay attention to down the stretch. See you next time for our live Signing Day show.

About the Featured Artist: Tree CityI call them 7, 3, and 4. [photo: Benjamin Weatherston]

Those of you who've been paying attention know we always have a little surprise for The Game, but this one surprised even me. Nadim got in touch with local legend/Michigan grad Evan Haywood just in time to get us a preview of Tree City's highly anticipated next album "Pure Levels." For those who are tapped into the Ann Arbor music scene, you're going "Holy shit they got a copy of Tree City's new album!???" (it won't be released until December 13).

For the rest (vast majority) of you: Tree City is a hip-hop collective from Ann Arbor that formed in 2005 and quickly became an integral part of the local scene. Three original members remain: Haywood ("Clavius Crates"), Kyle Hunter ("Silas Green"), and Jacoby Simmons ("DJ Cataclysmic") along with Charles Cheek ("Cheeks"), who joined in 2008. It's a big deal because we haven't had a Tree City release since their critically acclaimed "Thus Far" back in 2010, meaning the entirety of the Hoke and Harbaugh eras went by with people wondering when these guys are going to make another. Haywood calls "Pure Levels" the…

magnum opus of homegrown hip-hop, over a decade in the making. It promises to be the definitive statement from several of the finest lyricists ever to emerge from Michigan.

Their sound is intellectual, futuristic, and—IMO—a little bit jazzy in the way they quote and reference. It's fun and danceable stuff, but the lyrics are the thing. If you like grounded philosophy in your hip-hop this is the hip-hop for you.

Songs:

• Love Hotels (produced by Dykehouse)
• Story 2 Story (Dykehouse)
• Raspberry Balm (produced by Vulfpeck)

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

1 Hour and 7 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Blown Leads and a Winner* Opener * Explosive first period * Two Blown three goal leads * Hage beats Grannan

Segment 2: More Goals Than Were Possible* Goal Count * Weekend Takeaways * Old Friends and the League * Checking in With Awkward Cousin

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Ain't No Use in Tryin'" -- Trampled By Turtles
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 56 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. Offense vs NorthwesternStarts at 1:00

We got in a time machine and went back to 2023 and it felt pretty good. Michigan and Northwestern were about even in yardage towards the end of the first half and then Michigan runs the worst two-minute drill to result in a touchdown ever. Can you do anything Michigan did in the 2nd half against Ohio State? No. A rare compliment to Kirk Campbell. Looking ahead to Bryce Underwood. Michigan is also going to portal a quarterback. A few guys who will contribute next year got to play in this game. There's a vibe about upcoming coaching/coordinator changes.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs NorthwesternStarts at 34:01

Michigan was playing one of the worst offenses in America and made them look like it. Who comes back next year? The defensive tackles are gone but some ends are probably back. Will Johnson is gone but Hall is probably back. Zeke Berry is a safety playing corner so he has his limitations.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 48:06

Takes hotter than Tavierre Dunlap. What would be this team's record against last year's schedule? What would this team's record be with last year's coaching staff? Zvada is 6/6 on 50+ field goals this year. The transfer portal opens in one week and is only open for three weeks! Evaluating next year's offensive line. It will be interesting to see how a new offensive coordinator would evaluate the talent. They're probably fine at linebacker next year but the secondary is a concern.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:19:27

Ohio State 38, Indiana 15
Indiana's offensive line got destroyed which doesn't bode well for Michigan! Indiana's coaches are great but they played this game with James Madison's talent.

Michigan State 24, Purdue 17
This one was fun to watch after the Victors signing event. This was being enjoyed by anyone who wasn't a Michigan State or Purdue fan. Michigan State has a "win and you're in" against Rutgers!

Illinois 38, Rutgers 31
A wild ending to this one. Rutgers just stops playing defense on Illinois' game winning touchdown.

Penn State 26, Minnesota 25
Penn State just hanging on by the skin of their teeth all game. There's a blocked extra point for a 2-pt return! This was a very MGoBlog score.

Nebraska 44, Wisconsin 25
Nebraska is bowl eligible for the first time since 2016! Another poor performance for Wisconsin on both sides of the ball. Wisconsin hasn't had a losing season since 2001 (they're 5-6).

Iowa 28, Maryland 13
Iowa runs their running back 35 times, naturally. Is it time for Maryland to move on from Locksley? Iowa Nebraska on Black Friday is now a fun tradition we're excited for.

USC 19, UCLA 13
One of the Big Ten's all time greatest rivalries! There was a kickoff at the 5 yard line. The decision to bench Miller Moss is weird because he didn't appear to have been the problem.

MUSIC:

• "Life Is"-- Jessica Pratt
• "Lou's Tune" -- DARGZ, Moses Boyd
• "The In-Between" -- In This Moment
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

REMINDER: BOOK RELEASE PARTY!
SEE YOU TONIGHT AT VENUE, 6PMThe SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Champions Circle, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, Community Pest Solutions, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, and SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: Magic Toaster

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Bryce Underwood and Recruitingstarts at the top

High-five everybody! Is he the starter next year? What does it do for the class? Guessing this means Michigan gets Derek Meadows, who was a package deal, and keeps Olesh, and can finish strong. What to make of other flip possibilities, including an OT committed to Alabama? What happened to Jaylen Williams?

2 & 3. Northwestern Previewstarts at 24:19 (offense) and 35:38 (defense)

Offense isn't SO bad but still quite bad. Offensive line issues are not just injuries. Mirror Michigan in that they have similar weaknesses and an OC who doesn't really know what he's doing or how to evaluate what he has. Defensively well-coached guys but few dudes. One dude they do have is a cornerback who's playing hurt.

1. Basketball vs Tarleton State and Ft Myers Previewstarts at 46:57

A glitchy shooting night and a lot of fouling in a low-care blowout, but we only care about the turnover rate. Well not ONLY: Vlad Goldin needs to stop and gather when he gets the ball low in transition. Defensively the starters are so much better than other lineups. Seeing good play from Pippen—has he earned a role?

Fort Myers: Virginia Tech is Not Good but also important to beat because South Carolina and Xavier would both be very good resume games we'd like to get to. Xavier is on par with Michigan; South Carolina looks like Wake and TCU.

About the Featured Artist: Magic ToasterAs far as I can tell we're getting in on the ground floor of this local dude—and I have to know is that a sample from Chrono Trigger at the beginning of Blue Night Oberon, which is his latest single? Magic Taster calls his music "igneous rock recorded in my basement" but it's got deep prog and rock roots. The lyrics are accessible, smart, and funny. He came up on a playlist of Indie Ann Arbor music and I wrote the last couple of articles with him on in the background. I don't know any more about him but I'm featuring and finding out and giving you a selection of three different songs that show off his range. FWIW the third one—Saturday Nite—is the one that caught my ears.

Song choices:

• Blue Night Oberon
• Anything's Fine
• Saturday Nite

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Northwestern: Offensively they’re terrible, defensively they’re well-coached.
• QB is Davis Warren except they actually run with him.
• Michigan’s offense: coordinating has been the worst we’ve seen for decades. It’s not a quick fix or even a bye week thing: they don’t evaluate their players, their stuff doesn’t look like their other stuff, and they didn’t have a plan.
• Can they get a new OC installed by December 1st? Because I’d hate to go through a second straight portal season unable to answer “who’s going to be coaching me?”
• Craig: Women’s BB is FUN. They’re blowing teams out, they don’t turn it over, they play fast, and they’re the hardest working team in basketball.
• Men’s basketball: Not going to be top-50 in turnover rate but this will come down. They don’t have a single originator, but a lot of guys who can create a little.
• They also won’t be 350th in TO-rate; they’re still getting to know each other.
• The shots they do get up are super high-efficiency.
• Getting Vlad going:
• Nimari Burnett had to come to Michigan to become the perfect Alabama player

View Details

2 hours and 10 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. Basketball After TCUStarts at 1:00

Gee golly willickers that was a lot of turnovers. Michigan’s team of point guards has none, unless you want to call Danny Wolf the point. Weird game where they turned the ball over 16 times, most of those steals, and still led at the half because when they do get a shot it’s always at the rim or an open look from three. How to get Goldin involved? He’s not really into the game, not just on his teammates not seeing him, but it’s that as well. Walters is the most efficient offensive player in CBB but he’s playing the same position as Wolf. Trying to figure out how the lineup shakes out because we’re not going to have an eleven-man rotation all year.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Big Ten Basketball Preview: The Bottom Nine to KenpomStarts at 29:14

Washington: Great Osobor was a great portal pickup but they can’t keep C Franck Kepnang healthy. Rice transfer Mekhi Mason and NoDak transfer Tyree Ihenacho are uptransfers who had high usage at the 3 and 2, Butler transfer DJ Davis doesn’t really do to for us either. Injuries already. Predicted finish: 18th.

USC: They got Terrance Williams and they’re all Terrance Williamses: 6’7” guys who can shoot save for “PG” Desmond Claude. Already injured. Projected finish: 16th.

Minnesota: Speaking of injuries already; Year 4 for Johnson is another Year Zero after the guy they spent on in the portal got hurt. Seth likes (and pronounces) Lu’Cye Patterson at PG, and we all respect Dawson Garcia, but with their only other returner being carried off the court it could be rough. Predicted finish: 17th.

Nebrasketball: Welcome to The Great Mid: Every basketball team from here on save Purdue is ranked closely together. Close loss to St Mary’s in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Injury to stretch 5 Rienk Mast really hurts them. We like Brice Williams and Juwan Gary, think Rollie Worster from Utah is a decent PG, but lost too much to make the tournament. Predicted finish: 15th.

Rutgers: This is where I’m mad about the Kenpom format. Two top-5 freshmen join a very good backcourt of Williams and Derkack, but the loss of their center looms large. Problem is spacing. Predicted finish: 5th.

Northwestern: Respectable loss at Dayton (71-66) and nonrespectable OT win vs #324 Eastern Illinois. No more Boo, and you can’t make Ty Berry into that guy. Matthew Nicholson is a truck driver, Brooks Barnhizer has a bad stache, Nick Martinelli will have to drive the team. True freshman PG? Ew. Predicted finish: 12th.

Iowa: Payton Sandfort is going to have to shoot, and shoot he shall. Josh Dix is going to have to take on a lot more usage unless Brock Harding can learn to score. Will be bad on defense but mid their way to wins with Owen Freeman the latest yucky C. Predicted finish: 13th.

Michigan State: What are they doing in this section? It’s a very Izzo team, with no idea what they’re doing at C because nobody gets developed, and nobody making threes. But they do have athletes and Izzo will make them play defense. Frankie Fidler from Neb-Omaha was the top transfer in the conference, Jaden Akins and Jeremy Fears have talent. They’ll be…MSU. Predicted finish: 5th, deservedly 8th.

Maryland: I don’t know any of these guys –Brian. Julian Reese at center you know. They’re heavily reliant on a #12 overall Derik Queen, a one-and-done at the wing, but that’s working so far, got a 4-point loss to Marquette out of him. Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Selton Miguel are a decent backcourt. Very mid. Predicted finish: 11th.

1. Big Ten Basketball Preview: The Top Nine to KenpomStarts at 1:01:27

Penn State Way high at #34 due to a win over (very bad, no PG) Virginia Tech. Ace Baldwin is the latest PG who carries them, though there’s some upside in Tennessee transfer Freddie Dilione. Predicted finish: 14th.

Oregon is also rated too highly. Altman gets the kinds of guys who get rated for NBA purposes but makes decent teams out of them. C Nate Bittle and SF TJ Bamba are good enough to carry them, got an efficient PF from Stanford and upgraded PG Jackson Shelstad to a sophomore, so they’re mid. Predicted finish: 10th.

Indiana got some decent portal pickups but let’s say it again: no shooting! We like former 5-star Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle and PG Myles Rice from P12, Oumar Ballo is 5-star from Zona to rim protect. So athletic, so little shooting. Predicted finish: 9th.

Michigan 6th.

Wisconsin: Back to being extremely Wisconsin including a 103-88 win vs Zona that featured a parade of whistles. Steven Crowl is now a point center extraordinaire, Nolan Winter is the next 6’11” shooter and rebounder, John Blackwell, Max Klesmit, and former CSU guard John Tonje can all play but not well enough to go to the NBA. PG Camren Hunter injury could set them back. Predicted finish: 4th.

Ohio State: Led the year off with a win over Texas and a closs loss at A&M. Kept Bruce Thornton out of the draft and got back Meechie Johnson from a two-year lease to South Carolina. Added bigs from UK and Duke so maybe they can defense their way through the season. Predicted finish: 7th.

Illinois: Only returning starter is burlyguard Ty Rodgers but they picked up two internationals who are Working Out: see threeing the hell out of Bama in a surprising road win. Ivisic is a 5-star little bro of the UK/Arkansas one, Kasparas Jakucionis is a lottery pick, Evansville transfer ben Humrichous is a stretch 4 with range, and backup PG from Zona Kylan Boswell and L’vile transfer Tre White have evident talent. Upgraded to predicted finish: 2nd.

UCLA: Have a loss to New Mexico (not too bad and UCLA shot 5/23). Might be a defensive nightmare. Got Eric Dailey who we wanted, also Tyler Bilodeau, an Iggy like PF. Skyy Clark is not a good basketball player but Mick Cronin manages to win in ways Brian hates. Predicted finish: 3rd.

Purdue: Matt Painter is the best coach in CBB. Braden Smith it turns out is much better than “guy who lobs it to Edey.” They found three more huge centers, though none are 7’4”, and the new freshman Gicarri Harris fits right in, looks like a find. Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn round out the most complete roster in the league. Predicted finish: distant 1st.

1. Hot Takes and Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:36:13

Guys I want to get this out: you know the scores. Northwestern shot themselves in the foot, MSU has no pass rush, Purdue is dead as a door nail, Washington-UCLA is how we learned UCLA lost their 4th eligible year of a starting quarterback to being the holder in 2021.

MUSIC:

• "Moving Without Touching”—Rubblebucket
• "Old School"—2Pac
• "Water Underground"—Real Estate
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Wake game: Brian thinks it counts as a road game for NET purposes so this will be a NET Tier 1 as long as Wake's in the top-75.
• A few moments of bad luck but the problem was Michigan's: they're not hitting the role man, way too much usage on Cason way too little on Goldin. Goldin himself has to be assertive. As a team they shied away from the rim when they saw length but the plays were there.
• Things working: Sam Walters looks like a real defender at the wing, which is a big development because you don't have to play Wolf at the four against teams with a lot of good scoring wings. Jones is everything we thought he was. Phat Phat is a defensive dude too.
• Playing games at LCA: Deacon-Wolverine Challenge? EMU game was a good atmosphere but if you're not playing them or Oakland what's the point? Seth: LCA is actually pretty terrible. They have great staff, but the design is 100% modern revenue-maximization and the cheap seats are extremely far away and extremely vertical.
• Hockey v Notre Dame: Not like most Michigan teams because the talent isn't there—Hage and maybe a couple of other guys are Power Play-worthy.
• CHL players now eligible, one CHL coach is mad about stuff, says people are gonna go play for Brandon Naurato.
• Hallum in a race for the puck: yay!
• Goalie plan? Friday/Saturday guys until you have to pick a guy. Stein's got a .934 save% right now so he's got the edge, but saw a couple of fantastic point blank stops from Korpi and you want to develop him.
• They're old (mostly juniors) so we might be pretty good. Craig uses the BGSU example. CHL route might be a way for Michigan to get talented and older.
• Football: Offense doesn't have their answers prepared, haven't figured out who their best players are—the Link thing, the Mullings thing.
• Think it's the end of the road for Kirk Campbell.
• Defensively they might be elite next year: Brandt came on, Benny is great, Guy is great, the linebackers might return? I doubt the NFL will let us keep Barham but Hausmann could use another year of weight training to see what he's going to be. Both had great games.
• Wink's getting a 'B'. No he's not Jesse Minter but Minter is going to be an NFL HC in a minute. Interception was a good gamble, and then Wink was ready when Indiana tried to test that behavior.
• IU was more the kind of offense this defense was designed to stop: Like Stroud teams they want to get 1-on-1 deep matchups. Quick-passing teams beat Wink shit, screen teams exploit our tackling issues.
• Paige's tackling issues are manifest.
• Secondary: They're playing Berry at CB and Paige at nickel but they have some young safeties so it's working as long as Berry can hack it. He had a good game: TD was a perfect throw.

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1 Hour and 12 Minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Domination that Needs OT * Opener * A Tight Start * Domination, But Goal for Each * 5x3 missed chance, but OT Finisher

Segment 2: Early Goals Lead the Way * Goal Count * Weekend Takeaways * Old Friends and the League * Looking Ahead a Couple Weeks

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Nancy Whiskey" -- The Town Pants
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 39 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. Offense vs IndianaStarts at 1:00

When the head coach makes a completely obvious bad decision about something, that's when your patience gets especially broken. Let's talk bout Sherrone's game management. Sorry to Drake Johnson for catching strays in this segment. If he has the best players, would he even realize it? Why is Ben Hall coming in over Kalel Mullings? Davis Warren is just not good enough, he missed too many passes that should've been routine. All problems at some point go back to the offensive line. Kirk Campbell seemed to have a good gameplan for Michigan State but this was bad. How would you compare this to the Threet/Sheridan offense? Kalel Mullings' flea flickers are beautiful.

1. Defense vs IndianaStarts at 26:05

Defense completely dominated the 2nd half at least. They didn't give up 8 yards on the first play of a two-minute drill! Indiana turtled at the end of the first half and it almost cost them the game. Shout out to Zeke Berry for having a great game. Michigan ran blitzes but they weren't six man blitzes. Cam Brandt looked like Taco Charlton for a moment there! Michigan is in a reasonably good spot for next year's defensive line. Hillman came back from the dead on a MISSION. It gets Italian for a second. Indiana's punt return was a Jabrillian return. Special Teams have done worse than regress, they've become disorganized.

1. Hot Takes, Men's Basketball vs Wake ForestStarts at 49:39

Takes hotter than the flu fever that struck CJ Stroud in the 2nd half of the Lions game. Statwise, it was a very even game between Michigan and Wake Forest. Michigan is a team of passers without a total dude and they're still getting used to each other. Goldin was underused in this game and is getting shots that are outside of his game. It's a competitive loss against a good team at the start of the season so no need to panic.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:14:03

UCLA 20, Iowa 17
UCLA ran the ball, Iowa did not! Iowa is down to their 3rd QB since Cade has a concussion. There are six total turnovers in this game. Suddenly UCLA is eyeing down a bowl game!

Rutgers 26, Minnesota 19
Rutgers gets a safety. Greg Schiano has one of the most egregious uses of the word "literally". The Rutgers train horn grinds Seth's gears.

Oregon 39, Maryland 18
Oregon with only 363 total yards of offense. The ducks killed the clock with a 3(!) minute drive.

Penn State 35, Washington 6
This might mean something for Penn State because they completely dominated an offense that has been at least decent all year. Where was this Penn State offensive gameplan against Ohio State?? Washington kicked back-to-back sad field goals in the redzone.

Ohio State 45, Purdue 0
Nothing to see here. The Michigan Indiana game did raise some red flags for the Indiana Ohio State game.

MUSIC:

• "Cruel To Be Kind"-- Nick Lowe
• "Favourite" -- Fountains DC
• "We Gonna Make It" -- Jadakiss
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Champions Circle, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, Community Pest Solutions, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, and SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: Oren Levin

THE VIDEO:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Indiana Preview: Offensestarts at the top

High-flyin' kind of like Oregon in that they have a great backfield, great tackles, great receivers, and are just-okay in the middle of the line. Been sticking it to bad defenses. There's a cascade aspect to them though.

1. Indiana Preview: Defensestarts at 16:40

It starts with the run defense. Cignetti imported an Anchor and two great LBs to be the core of an excellent run defense. They're good at getting off of blocks, dodging OL in space, and tackling. Held the MSU backs to nothing. CJ West at nose is a very good run defender. Pass defense is mostly zone, mostly effective because they can stop the run on early downs.

1. Basketballstarts at 28:54

What negatives can we take away from a 101-53 trouncing of a Cleveland State team that was pretty good last year? Hard to know because Cleveland State was starting three transfers and a freshman, but Wolf vs their switchable center was eye-opening, and the freshmen, especially Cason, look like they can give you minutes. Especially cool they did it without Rubin Jones. Negatives: rebounding and turnovers, the latter which is part of playing fast. We also preview Wake Forest a bit because they play fast and Michigan might do well to adopt a Beilein approach.

1. Gimmicky Top Five Things We're Excited to Talk Aboutstarts at 45:06

Star Trek, film adaptations and fan recuts of The Hobbit, Legos, and of course, The Lions.

About the Featured Artist: Oren LevinAnn Arbor native, Michigan alum, and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and producer Oren Levin's music combines alternative pop with a folk lyricist’s sensibility. Through soft and delicate acoustic guitars, heartbeat-like drums, and dreamy synths, Levin’s music is like drinking hot chocolate on a cold night, something comforting in an otherwise uncomfortable situation—you know, if you're in need of something like that right now. Levin has made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, winning the "Battle of the Instant Songwriters" segment. “Nothing happens as planned.” is Levin’s most recent EP, drawing upon Levin’s experiences with lost love, heartbreak, anxiety, and social pressures. Socials: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. Website: www.orangelemonsw.com

Song choices:

• I Just Want to Love You Now
• Can I Ride It Out Alone?
• Until I Hit the Ground

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Keep Bryce Home tailgate tomorrow at Belleville. Also Keep Avery Home as Groves faces Seaholm in the playoffs tomorrow.
• Oregon: Figured they'd get slaughtered when Jyaire was out but!!!
• Offense: Took awhile to learn not to run outside against the outside team. Mistakes are less important when you're a good team.
• Warren looked plausible in the 2nd half but you can tell they don't expect him to make 5 yards when they need him.
• Defense: Took them a half to realize they have to lean on their front four and spend a guy helping their CBs—they mostly helped Zeke so Hall got exposed. Uncomfortable for Wink to play the way this team was designed, also only works when you have your starters.
• Should they be more of a pass team? Craig: yes. Seth: play-action off what you do. Brian/Seth: They don't have constraints to stop teams from overplaying their runs.
• They have plays but they're one-offs. Used the example of the Orji at WR play where it shows they understand how the Lanning defensive checks work, and it gets them a 3rd & 5 on a screen. But there's nothing else off of that.
• Split zone should be their bread and butter,
• Indiana: They've had an easy schedule, they give up points, kind of built like Oregon in that they have two good tackles, a good QB and RB, may be a little soft on the interior. Defensively they imported Cignetti's JMU roster; CJ West at nose is a big pickup. They cascade. Stay disciplined and focus on your bread and butter, because the game runs away. Worried that IU is the kind of team that will really expose our coordinators' weaknesses.
• Officiating: It should be a guy with a DVR talking into the referee's earpiece.
• Basketball! The best opener you can ask for. Cleveland State was a good program but they had a lot of transfers and were discombobulated: throwing the ball out of bounds, missing threes. Still an awesome performance, especially from Danny Wolf. They were getting after it on D, playing upbeat.
• Used to be frustrated by Izzo teams that run out after you score, and Michigan was doing a lot of that.
• LJ Cason is a find! How was this a 3-star? He gets after it on defense, has length, is impossible to keep out of the lane.
• Roddy Gayle is faster than we realized, maybe smaller than we realized which could scare away the NBA an extra year.
• Tre Donaldson had a great game: zero turnovers as the primary initiator, 7 assists, looked like a real PG.
• Goldin: Not the best game, not reading much into it.
• Wake preview: Mostly road (Greensboro) against some names you'll remember from Michigan recruiting: Hunter Sallis the scoring guard, and center Efton Reid, both who came from Gonzaga last year to key a bubble team. Return 4/6 of their main rotation but struggled to score vs the team that was #360 in Kenpom.

View Details

57 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Finishing Arrives Late * Opener * Domination but no goals * One PPG and not much else * Here Come tthe Goals

Segment 2: Back and Forth and OT! * Goal Count! * Weekend Takeaways * Old Friends and the League * Looking at the Leprechauns

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "The Bomb" -- Pigeon John
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 2 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, The Sklars Brothers, the Autograph: Fandom Rewarded app, Champions Circle, Winewood Organics, Community Pest Solutions, and Venue by 4M where we recorded this.

1. Offense vs OregonStarts at 1:00

This was a Fetty Wapping at the hands of Oregon. Davis Warren didn't really have negative throws but he's missing receivers and not pulling the trigger on open guys. Oregon's linebacker said in the post-game that when Orji is in the game it's pretty simple. Michigan isn't running stuff that looks like the other stuff they run, it's more of a grab bag. When was the last time they threw over the top of a safety? They don't really have packages, they just have plays. Gotta talk about The Razzles.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs OregonStarts at 35:15

Twitter had some harsh comments about Wink! But by the end of the game it was okay in context, especially with only one cornerback. Oregon has an extremely efficient offense that doesn’t have to attack downfield so they didn’t (much). You know it’s a good catch by the away team when they show the replay and the big screen and the home crowd goes “woah!” Linebackers/safeties missed some tackles but it was a much better performance than against Michigan State. You have to take this defense in context with all the injuries and transfers.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:01:08

Takes hotter than Jason’s immune system which is working overtime to make him better. Accidental hockey segment! What is the point of video replay if you’re not going to use it, Big Ten?? Is Dan Lanning scheming some of these miscues that Michigan had? Did the boos from Michigan Stadium convince Sherrone to challenge the Loveland drop? Shout out to Joe Taylor on special teams.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:29:51

Indiana 47, Michigan State 10
9Windiana has finally happened! Kurtis Rourke is back despite the injured thumb. They just played good, solid Indiana(??) football. Michigan State finished with -36 rushing yards.

Ohio State 20, Penn State 13
We’ve seen this game before. A lot of weird things happened, though. There’s always time on the clock for Frames Janklin. What was that goal line decision making?

Minnesota 25, Illinois 17
Luke Altmyer didn’t put the ball into danger but didn’t add much. This was like the Michigan Illinois game but not stupid.

Washington 26, USC 21
USC throws three interceptions, they’re 0-3 when they throw more than 50 times. Are they even going to make a bowl game?

UCLA 27, Nebraska 20
This came out of nowhere. Here comes the annual impending collapse of Nebraska.

Iowa 42, Wisconsin 10
Before the season started, we thought Michigan was good Iowa. Turns out Iowa is good Michigan. Wisconsin had only a 5% havoc rate and their linebacker factory is dismantled.

Northwestern 26, Purdue 20
Purdue gave up 302 passing yards to Northwestern!

MUSIC:

• "I Don't Love Anyone"-- Belle and Sebastian
• "Our Hometown Boy" -- The Hard Quartet
• "Mystified" -- Same Eyes
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Champions Circle, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, Community Pest Solutions, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, and SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: Mark Zhu

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Oregon Preview: Offensestarts at the top

They got a quarterback in the portal, they did. Jordan James was a backup last year, already broke out but now he gets the carries to show it. Two great OTs especially Conerly, and a squirrelly slot. They normally run tempo and pass around but against OSU they went max pro and tested whether the WRs could beat their CBs one-on-one (they could!) Several TEs if they can't get Ferguson back but he's a difference-maker as a blocker. Interior OL might be a little sketch—IU transfer Matt Bedford was supposed to be their RG but has been out all year.

1. Oregon Preview: Defensestarts at xxxx

Dan Lanning knows what he's doing; Michigan does not. They run a 3-4 Georgia system (Lanning was the DC when we faced them) and have a lot of talent. They went to the portal at DT and got a couple of good ones but the old DTs are beatable if you can get to them. Is Jordan Burch going to be available? He's a major pass-rusher, but they've been blitzing successfully to cover for his absence. Excellent in the secondary. LBs rotate through three good ones. Special teams: dangerous returners (Noah Whittington and Tez Johnson) but not great kickers—Ross James 100th in FEI, kicker Atticus Sappington has a career long of 48.

1. Seth's Hockey Segmentstarts at xxxx

Big series with #5 BU starts tonight, and Big Ten on the docket. Better team defensively but looking for chemistry. Last two series Night 1 has been good, Night 2 has been the same game but nothing goes in the net and they blow it. Hage is their one skill guy, next most skilled player is Schifsky. St. Cloud State game was an extreme example of that but shows they really needed Rutger McGroarty. USNTDP game.

1. MSU After Reviewstarts at xxxx

Quarterback wasn't as good as it looked—only a few downfield passes, concerning play given State has no pass rush to speak of. MSU was playing Dantonio Ball against the run and this led to a lot of going nowhere even when things were blocked up well. Defensively they're fine until 3rd & long, when Wink tries to do something. Tackling is an issue because they've moved usage to Paige and it's exposing his issues there.

About the Featured Artist: Mark ZhuDrawing from the pain of love and loss, Mark Zhu (pronounced "Joo") explores relationships, mental health, and identity through his songs rooted in healing and emotional vulnerability. A Chinese American artist from Ann Arbor, he studies data science at the University of Michigan by day and plays shows by night. As an award-winning pianist with three performances at Carnegie Hall, Mark leverages his classical training in his production, creating piano-driven ballads, synth-driven R&B, and fearless pop anthems. Links: Website. Instagram. Spotify.

Song choices:

• Dead or Alive
• Paint the World Red
• Slayin'

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• MSU: Craig is done playing them. Seth says that's crazy talk.
• MSU internet fans are off their rockers again. They've got their AD from RCMB adding up made-up malfeasances. They have beatwriters like Graham Couch and Chris Solari making up a stomp and when they're told it's not true they double down.
• The football: Played conservatively, Warren had three downfield passes. Oregon is going to have hard-triggering quarter safeties with better players. At least they ran Orji+1.
• Wink Talk: He brought back the thing that didn't work against Texas, and it didn't work, and didn't work again, and didn't work again. You know the Fry meme: Not sure if serious? That's his playcalling modus operandi. If you run the thing that looks obvious, you've got him. Mattison had a similar formation in 2012 to beat Northwestern, but it was a trap. Wink's bluffing when he has bad cards and slow-playing good ones, and once you figure that out you can wreck him.
• His results on 3rd and long are so bad that if he ran the same Cover 2/Rush 4 every play he'd be doing better. First of the long runs D-Mo was supposed to be in that gap but it's so wide that he wouldn't have been able to help unless he's slanting hard.
• Oregon? Their weak point is backup DT, but Michigan doesn't have the guys to 2023 Penn State them. Sam: only shot is their front four eat and M gets off the field. If you try to get exotic with these dudes. They went max pro and took shots because they thought they could run by Ohio State, and they could.
• Dan Lanning's a good coach. Reminds me of Michigan last year: You can come up with what-if-we…'s but they have answers for it. What if we're 2022 Illinois?
• Will Bryce Underwood be at the game? Does Michigan have a shot? Sam isn't committal.

View Details

1 hour and 56 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Offense vs Michigan StateStarts at 1:00

Introducing the MGoBlog post-game incident scale:
1 -- Kerfuffle
2 -- Fracas
3 -- Brewhaha
4 -- Melee
5 -- Donnybrook

What happened after the game on Saturday was a kerfuffle. It felt like Michigan State came into the game with a solid plan while Michigan was struggling. Suddenly, Michigan was leading at halftime. Davis Warren's job was to not lose this game and he didn't, the ball wasn't put into danger and it worked. Donovan Edwards is no Tom Brady but he's got a perfect QB rating.

1. Defense vs Michigan StateStarts at 35:15

Defense only gives up 17 points but it doesn't feel super great? But for the most part they did okay. Junior Colson set the bar for consistent tackling and now missed tackles are weird. They put Mason Graham at edge and got weird and then got beat by Michigan State 3rd down frippery. They're preventing their best players from making plays. Michigan State didn't put this game on Aidan Chiles' shoulders so we didn't get the full Chiles experience. Brian finally has a nice thing to say about Cal Haladay. Maybe Jesse Minter was just so good that no matter who was the defensive coordinator this year they would be perceived as bad.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:01:08

We gotta have a brewhaha level of takes at least. Tommy Doman has continued to be inconsistent. Was State's on-side kick a good idea? The weird fair catch rule is something a lot of us didn't know about. Going for it on 4th down, tougher decision than last year!

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:29:51

Indiana 31, Washington 17
Yardage was fairly even but Indiana grinded it out very consistently. They're 8-0 for the first time since 1967. Kurtis Rourke had surgery on his thumb and might be back this weekend.

Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17
Indiana beat Nebraska 56-7, JUST SAYIN'. Ryan Day has a meltdown on the field and then tells fans to be happy about this game in his press conference. Ohio State fans are comparing their tackle situation to Michigan's QB situation.

Penn State 28, Wisconsin 13
Drew Allar went out around halftime. It doesn't look like it's happening for Luke Fickell at Wisconsin. Penn State pretty much dominated down-for-down.

USC 42, Rutgers 20
Pushed back til 11pm EST kickoff to accommodate the World Series?? How many of you sickos (me) watched this?

Iowa 40, Northwestern 14
They benched Cade McNamara! Northwestern only had 163 yards of offense.

Oregon 38, Illinois 9
Eek.

Minnesota 48, Maryland 23
Never competitive.

MUSIC:

• "Rubberneckin'"-- Elvis
• "This Is Why We Fight" -- The Decembrists
• "When They Fight, They Fight" -- The Generationals
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Champions Circle, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this, and introducing Community Pest Solutions.

Featured Musician: Nadim Azzam

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. MSU Preview: Offensestarts at the top

MSU goes as Aidan Chiles, which is in all directions. Some of those interceptions are freshman; some are just really not accurate. They're bringing him along in an interesting way, which is max protection and letting him look downfield. He has a threat in Nick Marsh who's really emerging in the back half of the season. Other targets are just dudes. OL has some big issues on the right side, look cobbled together. Alarming how well they were able to run the ball consistently against Iowa. Michigan needs to keep Chiles in the pocket.

1. MSU Preview: Defensestarts at 19:01

They're weak at defensive tackle but cover it up with their burly LBs playing downhill. Other than play-action pass, what can we do Alex? Probably need to get creative. Consider beefing up if they have Hinton back and can run out multiple OTs, but Evan Link as 7th OL? You don't have the dudes who are going to win those matchups as much anymore. They do give up a big long run per week so many we'll have a Mullings beastquake again. Or maybe just once we'll get an Edwards vs Cal Haladay throw.

1. Illinois After Reviewstarts at 34:30

Brian is NOT as mad at Kirk Campbell as he was before going over the film. There were a lot of good ideas in there that his quarterback just couldn't execute. Offensive line seems to be coming together—Gentry was actually Good. Priebe is rounding into a 2nd team all-B10 kind of player. Crippen eh but not terrible. Persi might just be what he is. Tuttle was BAD. The overturned interception was to a guy covering grass—it's not even at a receiver. Defensively, yeah, don't put them in a terrible situation. Barham had a great game, they covered a lot of the weird stuff that Bielema dumped on them, but were constantly starting drives at midfield or in Michigan territory. Dammit Wink things have largely disappeared save for 2-minute drills, where they're rushing high and playing soft man.

1. Hoops vs Oakland, and Toledo Previewstarts at 59:56

Exhibition showed what we wanted to see, which was not many bad shots against a tricky zone defense. The ball didn't stick: when you can see all of these former PGs together they can all get a little creative. It's not going to be no-turnover but they get very good shots, including free throws.

About the Musical Artist: Nadim AzzamSays my friend Nadim Azzam, "You've got to hurt to heal." Through painfully honest self-reflection, Nadim Azzam addresses depression, addiction, and the dysfunctional realities of our times with his songs rooted in hope and connectivity. A Jewish Egyptian-Palestinian American born in Vermont, raised in Southeast Michigan and sent off to the Arizona desert, Nadim’s life is hard to pin down - as is his music. A singer, rapper, and songwriter who makes his own beats and plays multiple instruments on his tracks, Nadim's new single "$20 Gold Piece" is out now.

Nadim was voted Detroit's finalist in NPR's Tiny Desk Contest by WDET, performing at the Concert of Colors. He has opened for The Kid LAROI at Eastern Michigan University, Robert Glasper, Yebba, Raheem DeVaughn and Bilal at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre. He has previously traveled the United States with Grammy-nominated reggae artist Matisyahu, on a unity tour to promote peace between Pro-Palestine and Pro-Israel students on American college campuses. Nadim's music video “The Come Up” won Best Hip-Hop/Rap Video and Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Michigan Music Video Awards.

Mystery Offer: Ope, there's an Autograph Mystery Offer in this article. Click HERE to open and claim your prize.

Song choices:

• $20 Gold Piece
• Revelations (LANDR gddt)
• Get the Money

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Dusty May's recruiting: A+. Grady should be Wisconsin-level hateable. Oscar Goodman has the most beautiful line in a shooter's scouting report: good not great athlete. These guys will be around 3-4 years
• Craig: Grady has some Roddy Gayle, can shoot a midrange. Have pole position in the recruitment of impact Trey McKenney, fighting UNLV and BYU for a center who does everything they want.
• Oakland Exhibition takes: The ball does not stick on this team. Three guys are point guards, and then Danny Wolf also sees the court. It got a little sloppy as they got to know each other.
• Roddy Gayle's defense stood out. Sam Walters stood out, role this year is going to be a JAS.
• Question: do they wear out their centers? If you want to play fast you're going to wear out your bigs, which is fine if you're going to play Wolf at the five for 15 minutes, but now you need a four. Think that will be matchup-based whether they roll with Walters or Tschetter or Jones in those situations.
• If someone gets in foul trouble they can weather it. Weird to see a guard foul out (Cason) and not be worried. Means they can play more aggressively. Defense was impressive. They did play drop, but being able to flat hedge is important, and having huge guards is going to feel very different. So many arms!
• Another takeaway: Wolf's rebounding is very underrated.
• Toledo preview: they're a five-out team with a 6-7 center so we'll get to see a different configuration against a different challenge than Kempe's big guards.
• Babalola: Good to see Sherrone Moore's recruiting is what we hoped it would be. Way more athletic than most guys we've had, reminds me of when the early internet sent around a video clip of Jake Long dunking.
• Illinois review: Offensive line was better, Gentry had a couple of pressures given up (PFF missed one) but he moved people and it's hard to understand why he wasn't playing over Link. Crippen it's more clear why they were trying Giudice because Crip tends to get bulled back. Wasn't terrible. Tuttle was—some of his mistakes weren't on him but he fumbled, had two HORRIBLE interceptions, can tell he hasn't practiced much this year.
• They found a major: split zone. Then they went away from it. When they play-action they get the reaction they want, but can't complete the pass. Game over.
• Who's QB: doesn't matter.
• Illinois had a good gameplan, but defense was good. Game was lost on offense, which is 94% the quarterback, so it's hard for us to break this down. Everybody can see this.
• Special teams is the other issue: Doman's punts are giving up 30 yards on the exchange. Everybody knew Illinois was going to fake near the 50 except this team.
• Defense: Got a better Wink. Starting to build blitzes around his players, and they're more effective.
• Michigan State: Michigan has better players, MSU has better coaching. They got Chiles to not turn the ball over against Iowa and suddenly they look good. Fancystat numbers are based on horrible interceptions; down to down they're a decent offense. Marsh is a dangerous WR, wish we had a healthy Will Johnson. MSU's OL is not good, especially on the right side.

View Details

1 hour and 3 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Sunshine and Rainbows
* Opener * Struggled in the First * Flipped the script except for Posch * Made Plays!

Segment 2: Overcast and Rainy
* Five for High Sticking? * Even Strength Struggles * Old Friends and the League * Early '25 Preview

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Broken Horse" -- Freelance Whales
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 23minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Offense vs IllinoisStarts at 1:00

It’s a lot worse than we expected. There are Dungeons and Dragons references and they aren’t even coming from Seth (we’re rolling 1s, folks). They’re not doing any of the things we thought they’d be good at in the off-season. They don’t have a plan and they never had a plan. Sherrone Moore isn’t getting fired after one year, so how do they get out of this hole? Kirk Campbell is in trouble. Is there something going on with this team in the background that we just don’t know about? Neither side of the ball is getting better throughout the season. What would YOU do if you were Sherrone Moore?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs IllinoisStarts at 26:59

All things considered, the defense did pretty good. They held Illinois to under 300 yards and Luke Altmyer only had 80 passing yards. Illinois’ draw plays worked really well. The defensive line has been struggling with mobile quarterbacks this season. The refs got Michigan for all their holds and DPIs.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 40:00

Takes hotter than a random post on any message board. Do you think you could punt a ball 33 yards? Welp, let’s talk about the fake punt. Michigan plays too slowly to be down two touchdowns. What is the maximum you’ve ever seen the refs get the spot wrong? Big Noon Indiana is a silver lining!

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 59:38

Indiana 56, Nebraska 7
495 yards to 304, one turnover to five for the Hoosiers. Indiana’s backup quarterback comes in and it doesn’t matter! The Hoosiers have a 51% chance of going 11-1 according to Bill Connelly.

Maryland 29, USC 28
USC was up 28-14 in the 2nd half. They are now 1-4 in the Big Ten and have lost all four games by a combined 14 points (they led all of these games at some point in the 2nd half).

Michigan State 32, Iowa 20
Aidan Chiles is pretty good when he doesn’t turn the ball over and he only turned it over once. Iowa scores a 75 yard rushing touchdown and that’s about it for them.

UCLA 35, Rutgers 32
Congrats to UCLA for their first Big Ten win. The passing stats in this game are upsetting for Michigan fans.

Wisconsin 23, Northwestern 3
Just lean on Northwestern and they’ll fall over.

Oregon 35, Purdue 0
Yeesh

MUSIC:

• "Losing It"--Fisher
• "Heel Highway"--The Hard Quartet
• "Casimir Pulaski"--Sufjan Stevens
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

wsg UM Regent Jordan Acker

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, which is Owen Rosen's new firm, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: King Lynxx

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Interview with Regent Jordan Ackerstarts at the top.

UM Athletics recently put out a survey that fans found pretty offensive. Rather than have this out over Twitter, we invited a regent to come on and discuss what they're seeing as revenue tradeoffs versus what the fans are seeing in terms of asking us to pay more for a cheaper product.

1. Illinois Preview: Offensestarts at 37:46

They've got a quarterback and a receiver, but maybe not so much an offensive line.

1. Illinois Preview: Defensestarts at 49:39

The 5-1 defense is still alive post-Walters, and still has lots of cornerbacks playing man coverage. Can they stop the big run though?

1. Washington After Reviewstarts at 1:03:13

Coverage was wore than we thought. What can Tuttle do for the offense?

About the Music: King LynxxThe latest album from socially conscious Detroit hip-hop artist King Lynxx, featuring Tez the Don, is a lot like Lynxx himself: grown up, witty, earnest, and honest. King has his own studio that rents out to a lot of local Detroit artists across genres, and has helped a lot of bands perfect their sound, so it's a bit of a local celebration whenever he comes out with a new album of his own. We've shared the radio versions.

Song choices:

• "God Body"
• "Walk It Better"
• "Step Daddy"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Basketball talk with Seth: They're a fascinating portal team because they're not just the best players they could get; they're players who fit the kind of team May wants to coach.
• How much do we take preseason rankings seriously? Torvik and Kenpom have good numbers but the more transfers you have the dirtier their data. Projection is a larger component than it was in the past.
• Basketball talk with Brian: The one interesting spot is the four, because they want to play Wolf there, but not sure they can play against a small lineup.
• That's the thing about this roster: they can morph to play any kind of team. Rubin Jones gives them the flexibility; he can be a point in a huge lineup or he can play the four against guard lineups. Use Wolf against Iowa, use a small lineup against IU, etc.
• Basketball talk with Craig: Wolf and Goldin should work very well on the offensive end because Wolf has ball skills. Can Wolf guard a wing though? We'll have to see.
• Tschetter is more important than you think: he's slimmed down, is a skilled offensive player. Seth wants him to be the microwave off the bench, but if he can keep in front of wings a little bit more he's your other 3/4.
• Freshmen? Cason is going to be a starter next year probably so they're going to bring him in. Players might want to redshirt if they're D-I players who aren't NBA players (e.g. Brooks). Different math for Pippen, who could blow up this year or next, and is unlikely to stay in college if he becomes the player we think he'll be. Bigs should redshirt now.
• OSU-Oregon: Glad OSU lost because it fixed a rule hole and both OSU's schedule's a joke. Penn State's schedule's a bigger joke. Seth: they're flat track bullies.
• Football Talk: The coverage is in bad shape. Zeke Berry has me very worried.
• Could have been more about the Washington surface as guys were taking 3rd steps to gather themselves instead of moving like normal. Last time that field was tested for traction they were right on the border of acceptable, especially mattered when Giles Jackson is stopped and Berry is still in motion.
• Craig thinks Evan Link did better, Brian thinks the body of work says he's still the worst FBS right tackle so how much better can he get?
• Iowa-Washington: UW always comes away with 0 points in the redzone, but turnovers were the difference, and that came from Iowa knowing their defense versus Michigan giving away early open outs to Rogers. After watching Rogers vs Michigan I wasn't surprised a defense that knows who they are were able to exploit that.
• Guys coming along? Offensively no. Brian hasn't seen anything from the OL to think they can turn a corner, Orji stuff is tossed out the window, Tuttle's gonna get hurt. Brian is pretty checked out on football. Feels like modern college football has undermined how we invest in our teams, because once you lose a few games you're just looking at the portal instead of wondering who on your team you can develop.
• Defensively: Seth thinks Brandyn Hillman is going to be a really good player.

View Details

1 hour and 2 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Ice Devils Melt * Opener * Goals in all different ways * Finally an Ice Devil Goal * Very Good First Road Game

Segment 2: 59 Minutes and then 1 Minute, plus scores and Preview * Sloppy, but Good Enough * Ugh * Friends and the League * Clouds Preview

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Dumb Ways To Die" -- Tangerine Kitty
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 25 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Dusty May and Basketball VibesStarts at 1:00

It’s bye week which means basketball preview with Craig Ross! Dusty May inherited a roster with ~two players but hit the portal hard. He built Florida Atlantic into a Final Four team from nothing and it wasn’t a fluke. He wants to play tempo because he thinks it works but also because the players and fans will like it. May plays a different game from Beilein but the Beilein vibes are immaculate. He’s analytical in shot selection but also believes in player specialties. And he’s really into basketball podcasts!

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. The Back CourtStarts at 24:59

This will be an interesting arrangement of dudes. Rubin Jones is a fun pick out of North Texas, he’s 6’5” and can switch onto bigs. Dusty May went for the guys he hated to play against. He also wants guys who can play multiple positions. Roddy Gayle has a concerning turnover rate but gets to the line a lot. Tre Donaldson III comes in from Auburn with a very efficient jump shot. Nimari Burnett should play as only a three and may start some games. LJ Cason is the most likely freshman to contribute.

1. Hot Takes, The Front CourtStarts at 1:01:50

Takes hotter than Will Howard’s social media mentions. Vlad Goldin comes in from FAU and is what we want to see from a 7’1” center. He takes hook shots! Danny Wolf comes in from Yale and is the most interesting guy on the team (center sized with the skills of a point guard). He could get 5 minutes per game at the 5 and 10-15 minutes at the 4? Sam Walkers is Just A Shooter. Will Tschetter returns as a mini Danny Wolf.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac Starts at 1:42:28

Oregon 32, Ohio State 31
Ohio State will be fine in the playoff implications race but in the meantime lolol. Oregon faced a tough choice taking the lead by kicking a field goal from the one yard line because Ohio State could easily get into field goal range (until they didn't).

Penn State 33, USC 30
Tyler Warren (a tight end who wears 44(!)) had 17 catches for 224 yards and took the snap for a play where he had the receiving touchdown. Is USC the new Nebraska of the Big Ten?

Wisconsin 42, Rutgers 7
Rutgers kept threatening to score and then turned the ball over. They had a lot of injuries on defense.

Iowa 40, Washington 16
Washington outgains Iowa in this game but just cannot put points on the board.

Minnesota 21, UCLA 17
This was a comeback victory in which Minnesota scored all 21 points in the 2nd half. A third of Minnesota's total yards came off their game winning drive.

Northwestern 37, Maryland 10
Maryland turns the ball over four times. Northwestern didn't look amazing but capitalized on their opportunities.

Illinois 50, Purdue 49
Purdue scored on every drive in the 2nd half. What does this mean for Illinois?

MUSIC:

• "Roundball Rock"--John Tesh
• "Roundball Rock"--SNL
• "Roundball Rock Big Band Live"--John Tesh
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Pre-show Tiger Talk: The trick is blowing out arms and managing your pitching staff. Tigers lost 4/5 starters from their expected rotation so they had to do the Bill James thing and do away with them. The way: counter the top of the order with a reliever, have your "starter" pitch 1.5 times through the lineup, go to your bullpen when you get back to the top of the order so the best hitters are never seeing the same pitcher twice.
• What a year: Tigers, Lions, and Michigan won playoff games in 2024 and the Wings and Pistons did not.
• Washington slip-ups: What can you fix, what can you not? Time to replace Evan Link—Persi is fine. Gonna go with Tuttle; that won't be a panacea but apparently they were preparing for him all along. Get Jyaire Hill some cleats.
• Defensively what's the problem? On standard downs they're elite, on passing downs they get too creative, and they're creating busts. Zeke Berry is not Mike Sainristil. You don't play Jyaire Hill like he's Aamir Hall: have him roll up and play some man. Makari Paige: he's a senior but he's not a Peppers who can line up at the LB level and run with Giles Jackson.
• Mitigating factors: Minter and Mac had long ramp-ups not Texas, USC and @Washington in their first three games. Wink came in thinking he gets to run an NFL defense and he's not used to playing with guys who have major holes in their games.
• Similarity to early Mac defenses: It wasn't until Week 8 that they could adjust to tempo (and even then they got caught in late changes). Macdonald came in running weird stuff and then learned to trust his best players.
• Evan Link: Brian still has him grading out terribly, Craig thought he's been better. Sam thinks Persi deserves a shot to start at RT.
• The "HOT coverage"—coach Twitter can come up with some reason it makes sense, but if you're running something you can't run that's on the coaches. Also it was tempo and Guy didn't know what was happening.
• Wink dialed it back for Arkansas State and Minnesota, but when he's under pressure he reverts to his weird stuff. Gotta know you don't have to be the answer; you can let your guys be the answer.
• Last offseason was a failure. This offseason is going to make or break this staff.
• Tuttle is not going to fix everything. He had a two-man route and a "you gotta throw that" to Amorion Walker in single coverage and didn't pull the trigger, then fumbled. His interception was way behind his target.
• Washington was slipping too. But when they fell over it's just because they suck at this. Did they not water the turf? Was it on purpose to give UW an edge? Let's create a pellets conspiracy!
• THAT WAS A JOKE; READERS I SWEAR TO G-D DO NOT CREATE A WET PELLETS CONSPIRACY.

View Details

1 hour and 9 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Screaming Eagle Series
* Opener * Uh-oh Defense, again? * Okay, Maybe Better Defense. * First Weekend Takeaways

Segment 2: Scores and League Preview. And an Ice Devil Preview!
* Non-Con Scores...kinda * League Scores and Corresponding Previews * What Do We Know About Ice Devils? * Update on CHL/NCAA Agreement

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Upside Down" -- Paloma Faith
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 55 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. General VibesStarts at 1:00

Despite the outcome, all the Michigan fans who went to this game seemed to have a great time. Are the “trophy go brrrr” vibes wearing off? The team seems disorganized at a macro level. Michigan was slipping all over field turf which was weird. They screwed up the off-season and it’s tough to tell who that primarily falls on. Was Tuttle the plan all along but he was injured? Is it worth morphing the offense around Orji at this point? Washington had the same off-season as Michigan but they recruited a quarterback. At this point, Michigan needs a portal off-season because they lose the last of their star power after this season. Can they get enough “Harbaugh guy” type players? It’s concerning that the offensive line is having as many difficulties as it is under Sherrone, he’s had them for years.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Offense vs WashingtonStarts at 29:52

Tuttle brings the offense some life but then he has two 4th quarter turnovers. It looks like he’s the guy moving forward though, he went through progressions! He’s going to be rusty coming off of injury, though. At times it looked like Harbaugh’s offense but it’s just too inconsistent. They’re figuring out the basics so they can’t add new wrinkles to the offense. They did have a nice orbit swing pass, we haven’t seen much “college crap.” Colston Loveland must still be injured.

1. Hot Takes, Defense vs WashingtonStarts at 50:16

Takes hotter than VANDERBILT FOOTBALL (not a joke). The story on the defense seemed to be Jyaire Hill. He was getting exposed throughout the game and also had slipping issues. Every time they try to do something funky on passing downs or two minute drills it doesn’t work. How is Will Johnson out there committing pass interference? Giles Jackson ate Zeke Berry’s lunch. We miss Junior Colson. We’ve never had anything to say about Makari Paige until this season. There’s nothing majorly wrong with this defense, they just make big busts at the worst times.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:22:20

Wisconsin 52, Purdue 6

Wisconsin has 18 straight wins over Purdue with an average margin of victory of over 20 points! This game was the largest margin.

Penn State 27, UCLA 11

The Big Noon game for some reason. A bit of a rock fight all things considered.

Indiana 41, Northwestern 24

Indiana becomes the first team to be bowl eligible. #9Windiana cometh.

Ohio State 35, Iowa 7

Iowa cannot move the ball at all. Iowa held Ohio State to 7 points in the first half, maybe Oregon goes into next weekend with some confidence?

Nebraska 14, Rutgers 7

Nobody can do anything efficiently in this game.

Minnesota 24, USC 17

Controversy in the 4th quarter! Minnesota goes for a game winning touchdown instead of a game winning field goal. USC is getting a taste of Big Ten running.

Oregon 31, Michigan State 10

This is the 3rd game where Aidan Chiles has fumbled in the red zone. The first time in the John Smith era where MSU looked like last year’s team. Oregon looks ready to compete with Ohio State.

MUSIC:

• "Whole World"--Goth Babe
• "Go With Me"--Gene and Debbie
• "Nearly Lost You"--The Screaming Trees
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, which is Owen Rosen's new firm, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musician: Julia Rose Pagac

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Minnesota After Reviewstarts at the top.

Brian feels crazy sometimes because he can't understand the though process of playing Evan Link after we see that Gentry and Persi are…fine? We aren't seeing practice but literally can't be worse. Only one (1!) designed run for Alex Orji. Clear that they haven't practice Orji offense because nobody is ready for the natural reactions. Maybe they're just focused on next year?

1. Washington Preview: Offensestarts at 26:03

Getting 500 yard of offense against live defenses like Northwestern and Rutgers, but offensive line is a trouble spot. Tackles are uptransfers who are struggling at this level, interior is an OSU downtransfer, a Portland State uptransfer, and a guard whose name is Gaard Memmelaar. Keeping it alive by having former air raid QB Will Rogers knowing where to go with the ball, and elite RB Jonah Coleman making yards out of nothing, and a very good tall and fast receiver in Denzel Boston who's broken out this year. Tendency to shoot themselves in the foot though.

1. Washington Preview: Defensestarts at 41:08

The Rutgers offense is unfortunately a good stand-in for Michigan. Interesting rotation at DE where they can play a 290-pound guy, or a 260-pound 4-3 DE, or a 225-pound edge, or a 230-pound tight end eraser. Washington likes to put their "WLB" Alphonzo Tuputala at the "Uche" position—IE off the edge—and bring down SS Kamren Fabiculanan as an extra LB. Stuffed Rutgers on most drives but they give up the badly timed big play, which is often an RB breaking a tackle. Star is MLB Carson Bruener but they ask him to do a lot and he's a modern NFL linebacker who can be clonked if a blocker gets to him. Free safety Cameron Broussard has tackling issues. Making do with an interior DL that we didn't expect much from and which took some injury hits to their depth, but they've held up so far. Corners are pretty good in coverage, which is going to be mostly Cover 1 against Michigan as they stack the box—their only other coverage is Cover 2. Top 25, but barely, and credit to Steve Belichick for putting it together.

1. Hockey Previewstarts at 1:03:44

A summary of Alex's hockey preview series. They're not a collection of 1st rounders anymore, Michigan Hockey Summer took its toll there but they got older and bring back a lot of good pieces. Might be more of a depth team at forward this year. Discussion whether they should load up same types (e.g. speed line, heavy line) or space out their skills. Defensively they have B+ guys five deep and two good additions who should battle with Luka for the 6th/7th spots. In this they seem to have a lot of varied abilities. Goalie is a Ferris State transfer in Stein who needs to be taken in Ferris context, and a 160(?)-pound build-a-Portillo who might take the job this season or might need a year to fill out. In the Big Ten there are two tiers: Minnesota/MSU/Michigan/Wisconsin who expect to make the tournament, and Notre Dame/Penn State/Ohio State who would like to. Michigan has a tough nonconference schedule.

About the Featured Musician: Julia RoseTHE BAND: Julia Rose Pagac is a Metro-Detroit musician with an eclectic list of influences: rock, funk, blues, folk and hints of country that are most in Julia's vocals. I heard of her because her session drummer is Reggie "Banga!" Williams Jr., a local legend in the metro-D music community. They'll be at the Pig on October 12th.

Song choices:

• "Army"
• "Butterfly"
• "Pillow"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• L'shanah Tovah. Sorry this was late to get up; I had to bail to get to 10 o'clock services.
• Seth & Craig on early to talk Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Indians.
• Washington games past: origin of the The Wave when we played them in the '80s, played them a week before September 11th
• Edwards and Mullings on the field together got the defensive reaction they wanted, but they blew the blocks.
• Brian: Having trouble understanding the logic behind offensive decisions. They changed QB when there were constant obvious errors from the starter but not center, not right tackle? We're not seeing practice so something there has to make this make sense.
• Why aren't they calling QB runs? There was one vs Minnesota, preserving hits makes little sense.
• Orji missed some major reads, even when they were easy.
• When they run the plays that fit their personnel it looks like they haven't repped them. They're running 9th grade versions of their wheelhouse things, and aren't running the constraints to them.
• At the very least: called Orji runs, and have Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings on the field all the time.
• Defense: fine. Took few gambles, none of them worked.
• Sam: Only thing that makes sense is they want to keep hits off of Orji by not calling QB runs.
• Washington: How is a team putting up 500 yards of offense not putting points on the board?
• Craig's metrics say they should beat Michigan by 4 TDs.
• UW's offensive line is Not Good. They have a QB and an RB and a WR but they shoot themselves in the foot with penalties and missed field goals and blocked field goals.
• Brian: This is a trap for Michigan. Washington has been playing better than their record, Michigan's been playing worse than their record.
• Husky Stadium: Very loud stadium. Michigan fans WEAR MAIZE to break up their purple-out. Another new challenge for Orji (but he played against Washington last year).
• Matchup of the game: Michigan's defensive line has to do to UW what they did to USC.
• Washington is going to tempo: Michigan wasn't lined up correctly when Minnesota did it.
• Michigan: You have to play 4 quarters, can't fall apart in the 3rd quarter.
• Officiating last game: Bad calls gave Gophers 10 points: hands to the face was one of the worst calls of the decade, can't fault them for missing the non-catch on the Hail Mary. Minnesota tried to make the onside kick a thing but they had two other reviewable penalties on that play so if they don't call offsides Michigan calls for a review and they still rekick it.
• Washington defense: what you see is what you get.

View Details

1 hour and 36 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Forwards...March!

Starts at 0:51
* Opener * Best Returners are Undrafted? * A lot of interesting wings * The Freshmen and Transfers

Segment 2: Defense, Goaltending, and some Schedule Stuff

Starts at 56:23
* Returning Guys are Very Experienced * Complementary Freshman Options * New Tandem in Net * Very Fun, High Quality Non-Con Schedule

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "The Ghost Inside" -- Broken Bells
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 6 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Offense vs MinnesotaStarts at 1:00

This game was like losing the equalizer in British People Football. Alex Orji has 12 rushing yards which is concerning. They're not running QB power which is not even an expensive install. No we do not want Rich Rodriguez back! But they're not running the offense that optimizes this team's strengths. Alex Orji opened it up a bit in the passing game and at the very least kept the ball out of harm's way. The whole philosophy of this offense under Harbaugh was that you have an NFL quarterback and don't have to run a lot of College Crap™- but now they should. Offensive line loses Myles Hinton in this game. Semaj Morgan played very little of a role. Nick Sheridan is killing it at Alabama!

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs MinnesotaStarts at 38:37

Not a whole lot of nits to pick considering they were down their two best players. A bit of a sharp drop-off with a lot of the backups. Not much to say about the starting defensive line - they're awesome. Zeke Berry had the play of the game. Barham always finishes his tackles, Hausmann was out of position at times, Rolder has been improving every game. Wink's defense blitzed less which was nice; had a bad one on a 3rd down conversion, though.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:00:50

Takes hotter than Nick Sheridan in the first half of the Georgia Alabama game. The Minnesota guy touched the ball before ten yards so quit your yappin'. The off-sides was very close. Is there a kicker in Michigan history you would take over Dominic Zvada? Going for it on 4th and 1 makes sense when you have Kalel Mullings. Tommy Doman: fine.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:36:00

Indiana 42, Maryland 28
Indiana is 5-0 for the first time since 1967. Will #9Windiana finally stop being an internet meme??

USC 38, Wisconsin 21
A tale of two halves, USC mostly shot themselves in the foot in the first half.

Nebraska 28, Purdue 10
This game was tied 0-0 at halftime, if you're a computer science major this spells NOOP.

Penn State 21, Illinois 7
Illinois scores six minutes into this game and decides that they're done. Drew Allar descends back into 2023 Allar.

Ohio State 38, Michigan State 7
The Jeremiah Smith coming out party. Sparty can't convert in the redzone.

Oregon 34, UCLA 14
UCLA is very bad!!

Rutgers 21, Washington 18
Washington outgained Rutgers 521 to 299! Washington is not as bad as their record but they may be limping a bit into the Michigan game.

MUSIC:

• "For Beginners"--M.Ward
• "Flowers"--Real Estate
• "Superbad"--James Brown
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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WSG The Sklar Brothers who are PERFORMING TONIGHT at the Michigan Theater!

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, which is Owen Rosen's new firm, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musicians: The Feeling

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: Things said.]

1. Minnesota Preview: Offensestarts at the top.

Weird how they haven't even tried to run the ball. They don't have the OL for 37 pass attempts. Brosmer's stats fall off a cliff when he gets pressure—had a couple of really bad throws and ran himself into sacks vs Iowa. Probably one of those games where the opponent goes not-in-the-face and hopes to grind it out.

1. Minnesota Preview: Defensestarts at 14:03

Can Michigan run more zone reads and diversify from what they've been doing? Minnesota's defensive tackles are not good, their good pass rusher is now a meh starter at strongside end. Alex thinks their RS freshman safety (playing for an injured starter) is a good tackler. Brian thinks M will grind it out but Alex & Seth counter that Minnesota is a team that blitzes interior gaps a lot so this will have be a game where they crack explosives against the secondary on the outside a few times.

1. USC After Reviewstarts at 30:32

Defensively Seth gets some Wink gripes off his chest but tries to put this in context. Gripes: he's doing weird stuff on standard downs, blitzing nickels from Mars, and not covering the spot where pressure comes from. Highs: USC got caught a few times waiting for that nickel blitz that never came, and EVERY SINGLE TIME A DEFENSIVE LINEMAN WAS RELEVANT. Record day, and looked like it. Jyaire Hill is comin, folks. Offensively, looked worse than we hoped, because a lot of the big runs were USC being bad. Seth might have talked Brian into upping a Gio El-Hadi block to +2 when Michigan turned a pull into a double to create the Edwards TD. But on the first Mullings TD it's a safety drifting over when a LB has contain already. Michigan ran Bash one time, it was very well-designed, and they never went back to it. What gives?

1. Sklarsstarts at 49:15

Sklars are in town so we got on the phone with them while they're walking across the Diag. Segment is mostly our general thoughts on the season, which is a slog. Every opponent looks tougher except Washington (which is Michigan going to the West Coast so that's a tossup) and Northwestern, whom Brian forgot we were playing. Meanwhile we're Iowa, and Will Johnson is our Cooper DeJean. We're all finding ways to accept this season for what it is, which is… a Spirit Flight? Maybe if they were given a train and figured they'd get it to fly somehow?

About the Featured Musician: The FeelingTHE BAND: My friends and I have been all about this British pop band since Twelve Stops and Home. We even have a dance routine for "I Love It When You Call." There's no Michigan connection but a friend saw them in Italy last year and learned they were recording a new album, and I said "OOOOH PLEASE SEND WHEN OUT." That album is called San Vito and It's out. And it's really good, even if you, like me, don't really go for pop that much. We'll get back to locals next week but humor me and try this. It might even make you feel happier.

Song choices:

• "I Want You Now"
• "I Love It When You Call"
• "War's Not Won"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

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Things Discussed:

• Love to Sam Webb, who's attending the funeral of his younger brother.
• USC game: They couldn't pass the ball because they couldn't protect him long enough to drop back.
• Craig: A whale came in late for Michigan in the betting markets.
• Brian: Michigan not running zone read offense much with Orji, doesn't feel like they know what to do with a running QB.
• Seth: You can play no-read, and they did some of that, but you need play-action off that and they haven't built any constraints into those plays. Harbaugh always recruited an athlete and a pro-style QB but usually the athlete becomes something else, doesn't seem like this program was prepared for the athlete.
• Brian: the big runs were more USC blowing something, now that teams have scouted Michigan's Orji offense those cracks are going to go away. Time to celebrate the win was Mon-Tues but on Thursday we have to face the grim reality that there isn't much upside because it's not what this staff wants to or knows how to run.
• Passing game? Orji got one dropback when he wasn't under pressure and he didn't see an open Marlin Klein.
• Brian's pretty down on this offense staff's ability to adjust to their personnel.
• Defense: Wink Martindale's presser pushed back against the narrative that he blitzes too much. Not a good look, not because he's wrong but because he's getting defensive—we think he was responding to Klatt not this site by the way.
• Actual Wink complaints from this site: Design of his blitzes are leaving the spot open where the pressure's coming from, which is the thing Mac and Minter were very good at taking away.
• Other issue is Wink doesn't have a feel for when to call things, IE on standard downs. Like, someone busted on the cover zero (minus-one), but why is that blitz coming from Mars, because there's no way for it to be relevant. Play before that they had Iwunnah set an edge. Big run on 3rd & 2 they slanted with Grant stunting, and two LBs taking the interior: it's a Barham-3 play, but why are we playing games? Play football.
• Not saying don't do anything weird; if you want to get weird get weird but make sure it's a passing down.
• Seth: This is all fixable. Macdonald had to make the same adjustment, he already
• Brian: Probably not fixable, since John Harbaugh let him go and New York let him go. Is he self-correcting or this being forced upon him? Because it's not a good sign that he's accusing people of not knowing how many people are crossing the line of scrimmage..
• Wink is right about one thing: If the narrative he's going to blitz it helps them. We saw this vs USC, which ran split flow to the TE in the flat three times hoping to get a nickel blitz and all they got was two zero yard plays in the red zone and the Jyaire Hill upending of a TE when Michigan sim blitzed the nickel.
• Bringing Three: Works when your coverage is great. Josaiah Stewart was great in COVERAGE too: that guy's going in the first round.
• Minnesota: If they can't run anymore they've lost who they are. If they can't tackle a running back I've got bad news for them against Michigan. Stewart has already had a great game against their star LT Aireontae Ersery.

View Details

2 hours and 18 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Offense vs USCStarts at 1:00

Who’s the biggest Kalel Mullings Stan?? Doesn’t matter, we were RIGHT. Where does Kalel’s big run rank among all time Michigan runs in terms of skill? Max Bredeson got his quintessential kick-out block on the touchdown that we will remember him by. It’s great to see Kalel do all of this despite how long he had to wait. The urgency of winning a national title is gone but we still have these stories of the players. Was that run what propels this team into the rest of the season? Orji was under siege pretty much every time he dropped back to pass, the pass blocking PFF grades aren’t pretty. The game plan wasn’t the greatest and they could probably utilize Orji better. The coaching staff might’ve gotten arrogant coming off a national championship season. Donovan Edwards had a lot of snaps but did it keep Kalel fresh for the final drive? He’s still a home run threat. Oh no we’re back in the police car in Fargo.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs USCStarts at 45:22

This team feels like it has six or seven NFL players and those players are why Michigan won this game. Five of those are on defense. The defense played really well and USC's good things that happened were Wink doing dumb stuff. Michigan's ability to weather the second half was encouraging. Will Johnson left the game but apparently could have returned according to Sherrone (then why didn't he?). Linebackers played well for the most part. "Hausmann is Devin Bush but big" is mostly out the door.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:12:43

Takes hotter than the servers hosting the Kalel Mullings fan club. Tommy Doman is back and the punters on every one of Michigan's opponents are awesome. Do you go for the kick return out of the endzone? Where else are the yards coming from? The urgency to score at the end of the game was poor but that's what happens with a QB's first start and when you can only run. 3rd down decision making is tough when you can't throw downfield. Michigan nailed the stripe-out and the atmosphere was electric.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:43:58

Penn State 56, Kent State 0
Penn State set a program record for yards.

Indiana 52, Charlotte 14
Indiana is #1 in EPA per play!

Ohio State 49, Marshall 14
Another non-conference blowout, meh.

Maryland 38, Villanova 20
328 passing yards for Maryland is solid against a good FCS team.

Washington 24, Northwestern 5
Yards were 391 to 112, Northwestern's offense is baaaad. -1 EPA per drop back.

Rutgers 26, Virginia Tech 23
Rutgers outgains Virginia Tech by about 100 yards.

LSU 34, UCLA 17
Not many people are expecting much from UCLA at this point after getting dunked on by Indiana. It was 17-17 at halftime, though.

Iowa 31, Minnesota 14
Cade McNamara gets 62 passing yards and shows that he can lead block.

Michigan State 19, Boston College 23
Aidan Chiles gets 241 passing yards and three interceptions. Sometimes this MSU teams looks like they're ahead of schedule and sometimes they just do something ridiculously bad.

Oregon State 38, Purdue 21
Purdue is Wisconsin lite.

Illinois 31, Nebraska 24 (OT)
Nebraska has gone eight (8!!) straight OTs without scoring points.

MUSIC:

• "With a Little Luck"--Wings
• "Devil's Gate"--Prof
• "Big White Cloud"--JJ Cale
• "Shameful Game"--Pale Jay

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Royal Oath Insurance Group, which is Owen Rosen's new firm, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this.

Featured Musicians: Lanternfly

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things to be said.]

1. USC: Offensestarts at the top

They have TALENT at wide receiver, and the guy who developed four of the NFL's starting quarterbacks has a next guy who seems to be able to play air raid. LSU went man on them and got beat by the receivers making plays. Can Michigan's defense, designed to stop CJ Stroud, do the trick? Will depend on Wink confusing Moss and Moss not confusing Wink's linebackers.

1. USC: Defensestarts at 20:44

A lot of transfers for a new defense. Finally somebody else is running Amoeba and their linebackers are grading out poorly in charting because that job is hard. Haven't faced an Orji offense yet but neither have we run an Orji offense. They have talent in the secondary but front seven are mostly guys. Interesting 6'6" linebacker at WLB who's there to be a DE or a safety or an end or a tight end eraser. SDE was Don Brown's top anchor target once upon a time.

1. Gimmicky Top Five: Halftime Events Sponsored by Our Advertisersstarts at 37:09

Reid McCarthy of Ann Arbor Elder Law felt called out when we mentioned him in the same breath as the Purdue auto dealership that tried to cheat a student kicker out of his 2-year lease, so he came on the show for a segment on our ideas (some of them good!) for sponsored halftime entertainment.

1. Arkansas State After Reviewstarts at 56:17

It doesn't seem Orji and Crippen are a panacea, but if you're struggling at quarterback when you're running simple things you might as well put in the guy who can run. Crippen wasn't meaningfully better than Giudice; Mullings is meaningfully better than Donovan Edwards. But consider: Edwards can turn every play into a TD. Defensively Wink backed off. I crunched RPS numbers and found that new coordinators from the NFL think they have to playcall their way to victory—things are a lot smoother when you just play your defense.

About the Featured Musician: LanternflyTHE BAND: Longtime MGoBlog reader Keith Salowich formed this intellectual pop punk outfit right before the world went and had its global pandemic. They reformed with a new lineup in spring of 2023 and put out their first single "No Vacancy" last February, with their first EP "Until There's Nothing Left Alive" following in June. Oddly for a pop punk outfit the drummer has real chops, while both Keith and Angie Salowich are gifted lyricists. Two shows coming up:

• Wednesday, Oct. 2 at Parts and Labor in Melvindale with the bands I Are Citizen, Scum Queens, and Kids on Fire (they're on tour from Seattle). Music starts at 8 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 18 at Bowlero in Royal Oak (and people had better show up in Halloween costumes) with Social Meteor. Music starts at 9 p.m.

Song choices:

• "No Plans"
• "No Vacancy"
• "Vicious Fishes"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• How would Offensive Coordinator Brian Cook attack USC? Threats to both sides of the field to stretch defense horizontally, use your base runs with the QB.
• Add back the 2006-era spread-n-shred stuff: Inverted Veer/Power Read.
• Craig: Add back the Zone Read/Split Zone/Arc Read/Belly offense. Good idea because that split zone/bluff block is Bredeson. Works well for Michigan because they have a TE on the playside who gets a 2nd level block.
• Seth: Yeah, use their personnel to create matchups. Have Edwards as a receiver (this will raise his draft stock a ton) and have him threatening the outside while Mullings and Orji threaten multiple inside gaps.
• Sam: Don't call Orji a simplistic passer; he's one of the smartest guys on the team. Seth: okay, but we haven't seen more than two dropback passes and both were very simple concepts: Drive and Shallow Cross.
• Re: Drive and Shallow Cross, those are great concepts for a QB who's a vertical run threat, see: Virginia 2021 offense with Olu, where they had the center wait two beats then blast a DT to create a run lane and release downfield.
• Running QB can help your pass pro, because they mush rush, see Denard, how Michigan reacted to Sean Clifford.
• USC defense: D'Anton Lynn replaced Minter on the Ravens for 2 years before going to UCLA so they're in Year 1 of an Amoeba transition. Mel Kiper called for outlawing two-high safeties, so that defense is killing it at all levels.
• They patched it together out of transfers (9/11 starters) after benching two of last year's starters already. Looked good against LSU but that LSU win has lost some shine after they were outplayed by South Carolina, and they did give up 400+ yards.
• Offense: Lincoln Riley is a master at making X look like Y, is a finesse team that will get you at the skill positions. Moss will hit tiny windows and his receivers are monsters who will make him right.
• Predictions? Huge deltas, could be a lot of things but USC has playmakers on offense who will be the difference. Brian wants to limit snowball effect; Seth says don't blitz—let your front

View Details

1 hour and 57 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Offense vs Arkansas StateStarts at 1:00

This game was functionally over [aghhhhh] at halftime. Davis Warren throws three interceptions, two are just horrible (his arm gets hit on the other), now what. Michigan self-sabotaged on wide receiver recruiting with how they run their offense the last few years and we’re seeing the consequences of that now. We still haven’t seen Michigan use Donovan Edwards outside, the staff just isn’t maximizing the strengths of the players. The run game feels different with Mullings in at running back. A full Orji offense would be expensive to install but do they bring him in with last year’s offense now? When will the coaches listen to the blogger offenses?? It’s tough to evaluate the offensive line against Arkansas State but they looked less confused this week.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Arkansas StateStarts at 40:02

Not much to say, Michigan dominated at the line of scrimmage which was expected. Rayshaun Benny played a great game, especially containing the quarterback. Jyaire Hill had an up and down game but broke up a slant really well, a nice bounce back after the Texas game. Martindale backed off from the funky blitzes in this game, there wasn't really anything exotic. Penalties on defense kept drives alive but this ref crew is a bit ticky tacky on penalties.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 57:41

Takes hotter than Michigan Stadium on Saturday. Butch Jones, why are you still signaling games from the sidelines? The football gods punished Arkansas State for kicking on 4th and 1 (you should still get points off doinks). Arkansas State punter, hello. There were zero punt returns and one kick return.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:22:23

Indiana 42, UCLA 13
Congrats, Jamie. This is Indiana's biggest win against a power [4][5] since?? This was not a fluke, this was a complete beatdown. Part of this was that UCLA is not good but still, Indiana is doing a lot of good things. Indiana may never play in the Rose Bowl but they can play at the Rose Bowl!

Nebraska 34, Northern Iowa 3
Nebraska scored touchdowns on their first three drives against an FCS team that has given teams fits.

Northwestern 31, Eastern Illinois 7
This one was close for about a half. Northwestern just doesn't have much offense. Cheers to the weird stadium games.

Michigan State 40, Prairie View A&M 0
Injuries are already starting to pile up for MSU, keep an eye on that.

Minnesota 27, Nevada 0
This looks like a rock bottom version of Nevada.

Illinois 30, Central Michigan 9
The score is bigger than how close this was, it may have been a hangover game for Illinois. There was a 59 yard field goal in this game!

Oregon 49, Oregon State 14
Oregon got healthy in a hurry and they looked fully operational. The odds of Michigan winning a rock fight against the Ducks just went down.

Purdue 7, Notre Dame 66
This was the worst loss in Purdue football history. They did average 47 yards of punting on 10 punts, though!

Alabama 42, Wisconsin 10
Wisconsin loses their starting QB to injury and the backup hurt his hand. They did stick around in this game for a little bit at least.

Maryland 27, Virginia 13
A nice bounce back after losing to Michigan State last week. Total yardage was fairly even but Virginia turned the ball over four times.

Iowa 38, Troy 21
This was close until the very end. Iowa gives up a punt return touchdown. Iowa, if you're not punting to win, what are you doing? Folks aren't thrilled with how Cade is playing.

Washington State 24, Washington 19
Wazzu's coach said they're never giving the Apple Cup trophy back! Michigan may have taken a step back but look at Washington, this does happen.

MUSIC:

• "Kicking Back"--Mika J
• "Back on 74"--Jungle
• "Big White Cloud"--JJ Cale
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this, and introducing Royal Oath Insurance Group, which is Owen Rosen's new firm.

Featured Musicians: The Missing Chums

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things to be said.]

1. Texas After Reviewstarts at the top

The defensive story isn't that bad. Down to down they can hang. Jyaire Hill is a work in progress that Texas picked on and broke a few times. Their problem seems to be Wink, who has NFL ideas for 3rd down that are at fault for them not getting off the field. Busts go back to running too much stuff. They can fix this. Offensively they can't fix this. Their OL is just not good. Priebe's 2023 film was more honest than the 2024 offseason talk: he's just a guy. Link and Giudice are so far from being playable. Don't think we've ever had the program talk guys up so much and this be the result. ALSO the offensive brain trust doesn't know how to use their personnel. We're just guys on the internet but 13 snaps each for Mullings and Bredeson when those are two of your best weapons is inexplicable. It looks like they're just trying to be last year's offense with Donovan Warren.

1. Arkansas State: Offensestarts at 22:11

Return Jaylen Raynor who started as a freshman. He's a runner who will take off when his 2nd read isn't there. Tackles are in rough shape since losing LT Makilan Thomas to injury; he's questionable for this game. Dangerman is wide receiver Corey Rucker, who plays big for a 6'0/214 guy. Butch Jones offense: spread to dink with a few bombs to keep you honest.

1. Arkansas State: Defensestarts at 32:56

Defense has a lot of transfers, one guy that Alex liked was edge Bryan Whitehead, a Liberty transfer, but Seth notes that Tulsa has one of the worst LTs in the country; is Evan Link bad for a P4 player or bad for a football player? Safeties are a real weak spot: not fast and not big, they should be double-moved by Loveland.

1. Unverified Voracity Livestarts at 43:11

RIP to James Earl Jones, who was a tremendous flex and a tremendous Michigan story. RIP also to Greg Harden, our former guest who had a hand in creating the Michigan program culture. Less sad RIPs: the Big Ten being immune from lawsuits, as Denard Robinson and Braylon Edwards show House isn't going to settle this. In other legal news, the ACC seems to be winning against FSU's big threat of having the state of Florida declare sovereign immunity. Pac 2 is now up to Pac 6, but don't expect Cal/Stanford to join any time soon, since they culturally want nothing to do with Wazzu and Oregon State, and they're held by the same Grant of Rights as the other ACC teams. Maybe UNLV if they bring along Reno.

About the Featured Musician: The Missing ChumsLongtime MGoBlog fans—notably drummer Mike K (@outofthegates) of Michigan twitter—The Missing Chums (website) are an upbeat local indie with the name of a Hardy Boys novel that makes them ungoogleable. Their latest album Reveries just came out.

Song choices:

• "No, Not Nancy!"
• "Née Jones"
• "Just Loretta"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Seth on early: Jyaire Hill isn't quite ready to come out of the oven.
• Floor for the offense is vastly lower than we thought was plausible. If Evan Link and Dominic Giudice are your best RT and C then you can't move a mid defensive line. If Link is your right tackle and these are your receivers you can't be a passing team.
• Think they expected their players to be different players. Feel for Davis Warren; it's not his fault when Texas is getting pressure with three guys. He also makes mistakes.
• Defense: it can be fine. Wink put too much on them to NFL an elite college offense and guys made mistakes. That's not RPS, it's too much RPS to the point where your linebackers are not executing fundamentals.
• If you can get Jyaire Hill to not bite at 9 yards, or get the LBs to not bite on play-action, you can get a team like Texas off the field.
• Alarming number of mental breakdowns and Michigan didn't get a free blitzer the entire game. Cost of that seemed to be ability to execute a basic defense.
• Sark had a good plan: put the RBs into patterns to take away the linebackers.
• Example for Wink: he blitzes a safety vs a small RB which is an NFL win; in college it's a loss because it's Quinten Johnson who's 180 pounds, and that creates a conversion. It's one thing if you're rushing Jaishawn Barham. If you're dealing with a 28-year-old NFL safety the gap between him and a linebacker isn't that big.
• Sark's big idea: these are college kids so let's make it easy for them to screw up. Wink's big idea was NFL thinking: let's put more on our guys so Texas is overwhelmed.
• Where were the stunts? They already have the DT at end.
• What do you do with the offense? Ideally they go to Orji and run out their best players. What we think they'll do is Iowa it and punt. Also if you switch directions now you're not going to be good at it; Ohio State…hell Michigan State will have the answers and shut it down.
• Sam: they're gonna scale things back, not major personnel changes.

View Details

2 hours and 5 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. The State of the Football ProgramStarts at 1:00

Oh boy, we haven't done a podcast like this in a while! The weather was nice. A lot of issues from the previous regime are resurfacing right now, especially QB recruiting. Jim Harbaugh ultimately is the one who ran Jim Harbaugh out of Michigan. How was Sherrone Moore going to get a quarterback given all the circumstances? This year is a cost of last year. How is this offense better with Kalel Mullings on the bench? It feels like Sherrone is coaching this team like it's still the 2023 team.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Offense vs TexasStarts at 27:06

Michigan has decided to put one of their best offensive players on the bench on almost every snap. Evan Link got pushed around a lot. The things they were saying about Alex Orji in the off-season feel fabricated. They’re not even giving Alex Orji the chance to throw. Maybe they made an offense for him and it just didn’t work out and they had to switch back. There are a lot of veteran offensive linemen that are getting passed by younger linemen who aren’t quite there. The floor is getting lowered. Sherrone Moore is a young head coach and younger head coaches have hiccups early in their careers. It’s not that any individual player is at fault every time but enough players make enough mistakes that a lot of plays end up not working. This game was the other side of the 2021 Wisconsin game.

1. Hot Takes and Defense vs TexasStarts at 50:50

Takes hotter than Northern Illinois’ coach after beating Notre Dame. Jyaire Hill got picked on a lot in this game and Wink Martindale got his butt handed to him. They moved Mason Graham to defensive end on 3rd down?? Jesse Minter ran the good stuff, Wink is trying to run the “cool stuff”. The amoeba defense is nice in the NFL but just isn’t going to work with younger college players. The blitzes work because they’re weird but if you do them too frequently then they’re not weird anymore. If this game happened either of the last two seasons it would be doom but right now it’s fine, it’s not great, but it’s just whatever! We are kicker U!

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac
   Starts at 1:29:35

Rutgers, Minnesota, Washington, Ohio State, USC, and Indiana all had blowout wins.

Washington did have a zero yard punt, though.

Penn State 34, Bowling Green 27
Total yardage is pretty close in this one. Bowling Green was running all the right plays but just didn’t have the talent to finish the job.

Wisconsin 27, South Dakota 13
Wisconsin just doesn’t have any explosiveness out of the passing game and doesn’t dominate in the run game.

Oregon 37, Boise State 34
Felt like Boise State dominated both lines of scrimmage. Oregon is a mess in pass protection.

Nebraska 28, Colorado 10
Colorado has 16 rushing yards, they’re just fundamentally bad.

Illinois 23, Kansas 17
First ranked win for Illinois in (I’m not looking it up)

Northwestern 20, Duke 26
This was just a beautiful, beautiful, disgusting Friday night game.

Iowa 19, Iowa State 20
Ended on a game winning field goal, how all El Assicos should end. Cade McNamara completed more passes behind the line of scrimmage than in front of it.

Michigan State 27, Maryland 24
Aidan Chiles’ boxscore is everywhere (good and bad). Michigan State could be the chaos team?

MUSIC:

• "The Loop"--Marlon Craft
• "Gorilla"--Little Simz
• "Save it for Later"--Eddie Vedder
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

With Special Guest Ian Boyd from InsideTexas.com and America's War Game

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, SignalWire where we are recording this, and introducing Royal Oath Insurance Group, which is Owen Rosen's new firm.

Featured Musicians: Ki5

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things to be said.]

1. Texas Preview wsg Ian Boyd: Offensestarts at the top

They've added a lot of RPOs. Probably want to bypass the defensive tackles and attack the linebackers in space. Ewers is now pretty good every down but hasn't taken the step to great, has some tooly receivers to throw to but of them Bond is the one who can really do a lot of different things (the others can do one thing really really well). Think Michigan should play their base, keep guys back, don't get too creative. If you blitz them on 3rd down they're going to set up a makeable 4th down.

1. Texas Preview wsg Ian Boyd: Defensestarts at 22:13

They lost the best two DTs in CFB and their backups won the job; they don't really get low so Texas fans are a bit worried about getting bullied by Michigan's run game. Texas was playing light boxes vs CSU's Air Raid but Ian and Alex agree they're rolling safeties down: Ian would play single-high and have Michael Taaffe play off by 8 yards and check Loveland then attack the run. They've been quarters base but run a lot of switch coverages and mixed coverages. Michigan might have to use Marlin Klein. Decisive matchup will be if they have really fixed their DE and CB issues, but can Michigan pass that much? Probably going to be a cat-and-mouse game as Michigan wants to get back to their power run game and do enough to keep Texas from zeroing in on it.

1. Texas, Texas Fans, and Where are the Vibes?starts 47:19

We talk to Ian about how Texas sees themselves, which is the Michigan with an ag school who hates them and a big rival who cares only about football and killing their rival. Also love winning their conference and booing the commissioner. Sark is very high among their list of coaches: move to SEC means the school has gotten more serious about football (and less serious about not being a degree factory). Think this era is a golden one for UT football because the SEC is going to give them Georgia and their rivals but not loading them down. We talk a little about the stickball ramifications for both conferences, and then talk about what factors fans should consider when projecting the future of realignment.

1. Fresno State After Reviewstarts 1:19:19

Let's do the Wink talk because I want to inject some nuance: they technically accomplished what they wanted, which was to get Keene throwing off his back foot. There were nine interceptable passes in this game. Wink could very well have been setting up a sim pressure-filled game after coaxing Texas to build an RPO gameplan. Or he could be the guy who just blitzes. Seeing a lot of awareness from Josaiah Stewart, Will Johnson was setting up his pick six. Offensively the Giudice thing is worrisome, Priebe and Bredeson were off from their usual but veterans should put it back together. We don't talk about Mullings/Edwards much because, well, you all saw, but yes: Mullings is their better running back at the moment and Edwards should be a big part of the passing game. Think Marlin Klein might be a secret weapon, because the receivers are not helping.

About the Featured Musician: Ki5Ki5 is a songwriter and vocalist from Ann Arbor that makes music using only his voice and a looping machine. Kyler is releasing an EP on 9/20 called Lake of Gold, and will be playing at the Ark on Friday night April 26th, and at Venue on 9/27 (hopefully not during the Sklars show—I'll update when I have a time).

Song choices:

• "Sunny Days"
• "Spirit"
• "Don’t Fade Away"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Vance Bedford (watch his breakdown) is a Michigan guy now. Texas fans haven't been good to him; Sam shares they were asking him why he's doing a Michigan show when we were down there for Houston.
• Defense: Bringing five shouldn't be your base. We can talk about the zero blitzes—McBurrows needs to drive not back out—but this team allows 2 yards per snap when they rush four and 8 yards per snap when they rush five. That's what they have, and need to play like it.
• Seth: If you're blitzing Mikey Keene you're just wasting coverage guys. Think it's the difference between Minter (a DBs guy) and Martindale (a DL/LB guy).
• Sam: They need to deal with RPOs because Texas has a lot of them, and the LBs were dead on play-action.
• Answer: do what you did last year: Drop linemen so you're impossible to read.
• D-Tackles? Graham was good, KG had some contain issues.
• Will Johnson: had to calibrate his pick six but it was coming all game. Did they stay away from Hill? No, Michigan put Johnson to the field because Fresno State throws to the side with easy reads.
• The bad calls: They were *really touchy about Michigan. The overturned INT when they bought a flop was one of the worst calls of the decade, kind of thing that deserves a reprimand because he made a call he did not see.
• Seth's answer: Now that the Big Ten has this great replay center, just have a dude with a DVR and a ref on the field with an earbud he can tell "pick that up."
• Offense: Have to calibrate the fans because it's an all new QB and an all new OL, and JJ McCarthy was one of the best QBs in college football, and it's going to be a big downgrade.
• Davis Warren: Was better than we realized. Needs help from his receivers; Tyler Morris stopped on the fly that was perfectly thrown. Sees his pre-snap reads but struggled with some post-snap reads. The interception was mostly on him, but Fred Moore needs to break that up at least—there are ways to get the cornerback wrong.
• Everybody's hearts sank when Orji turfed it, because that recast the battle from fall camp.
• Giudice: the wedge was a little on him, also Bredeson missing a block, also they can have a check to run Down G.

View Details

2 hours and 14 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. Offense vs Fresno StateStarts at 1:00

This is a Fresno State team that could be decent, they’re not FAU. We’re not overreacting right now. Evaluating the quarterbacks: it felt like Davis Warren was pre-determining throws which is young quarterback stuff. He also wasn’t getting a lot of help, this wasn’t the best day for the wide receivers. How would you compare Davis Warren to Cade McNamara? Alex Orji still feels like a gadget player. Kalel Mullings is clearly the best running back right now. We didn’t see an RB3 which was interesting. Donovan Edwards needs targets, not carries. You’ve got to use Orji but how much? Sorry folks, there will be many 1950s games on the horizon. Offensive line had some communication issues that can get cleaned up. Feels like one bad but different thing happened on every drive, there wasn’t any one major issue.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Fresno StateStarts at 47:48

They are who we thought they were. Jaishawn Barham is a monstrous human. The run game was stuffed no matter who was in there. It looks like they want to keep rotating a lot but you probably can’t get away with it as much this year. Will Johnson gets to decide when he risks it for an interception. You don’t need to blitz to get a guy to the quarterback so why are we doing it? Cover zero?? To beat Texas you have to overwhelm the Texas offensive line (with the front four). Giving Aamir Hall #12 is convenient since he’s new Josh Wallace.

1. Hot Takes and Game TheoryStarts at 1:08:39

Are we Iowa now? Well the special teams are excellent! Dominic Zvada hit two 50 yard field goals in his first game! Tommy Doman punts high and non-returnable punts. Kickoffs are just putting it on the 25. Alex Orji for kickoff returns?? They’ve mostly caught the punts which is nice. Why is the music volume so loud?? Every opportunity to have a tv timeout they've had one. Alcohol sale takes: long lines that are tough to walk around. That was the worst personal foul on a quarterback in a minute, but the stadium was very loud.

1. Around the Big Ten with Alex DrainStarts at 1:40:56

Rutgers 44, Howard 7
It took Rutgers a while to get competitive.

Illinois 45, Eastern Illinois 0
Illinois comfortably covered the spread.

Ohio State 52, Akron 6
Ohio State doesn’t really blow Akron out until the 2nd half. Surprise! They have a really good wide receiver.

Iowa 40, Illinois State 0
Iowa scored points! Lots of points!

Northwestern 13, Miami NTM 6
Northwestern’s beachside stadium is amazing.

Nebraska 40, UTEP 7
“The outlook for Nebraska hasn’t looked better since the day they hired Frost.” Dylan Raiola looks exciting at Nebraska for a true freshman.

Wisconsin 28, Western Michigan 14
Wisconsin did not look good against Western Michigan. They have angered the football gods by betraying their roots.

Oregon 24, Idaho 14
What the hell happened in the Oregon game??

Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
If FAU's QB was half decent it could've happened! He also slid all game and got annihilated, getting two guys ejected for targeting.

Minnesota 17, North Carolina 19
The Big Ten's only loss so far. Minnesota remains the middest team of the league.

Penn State 34, West Virginia 12
West Virginia just didn't look ready to start this game. Not sure how much stock to buy in Penn State from this but they looked solid.

MUSIC:

• "I'm Good" — The Mowgli's
• "Saturday Sun" — Vance Joy
• "Fresno, California" — The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, Champion Circle, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast, and SignalWire where we are recorded this.

Featured Musicians: Cut Worms

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things to be said.]

1. 2024 Preview: What was Learned/Offensestarts at the top

Dominic Giudice ascends to start at center. We try to make this story fit bad stories past and it doesn't. What does make sense is they waited until it was fully happening to let people know it was happening. It's may just Giudice is that good. With Link there's a lot more evidence that it wasn't happening with Persi and Gentry—probably in pass pro—and that Link was just a matter of time recruit. Good news for him down the line. Never give up on an OL though. At quarterback, Orji threw three picks in a practice (after 1 all fall) to let Warren close some gap. Is it a ruse for Texas? Probably not, but we think Orji fits what Michigan wants to do better.

1. 2024 Preview: What was Learned/Defensestarts at 30:26

Depth is the question. Zeke Berry won the nickel job. He's more of a Peppers/Dax Hill than a Sainristil. They got a bunch of safeties so they could keep him at nickel. McBurrows is important depth there, also at CB, where Aamir Hall is Josh Wallace 2.0 so they're okay at 3-deep but 4? Linebacker depth is also a bit iffy after they played Rolder over Jaydon Hood, who's been playing well that Seth's seen. Gonna get LaMar Morgan a shirt with quotes from Wesley Walker about how practice is so different at Michigan. Appreciate the DTs when we have them; if Graham gets any better he's Suh.

1. 2024 Preview: What was Learned/Heuristics & Predictionsstarts 53:49

Big Ten isn't sustainable if they're going to have Rutgers-Iowa play nobody and Michigan and USC play all the contenders every year. Takes on scheduling Texas: it gives you another shot because you just have to win 1/3 big games instead of sweeping your few chances. Season predictions.

1. Fresno State Previewstarts 1:02:58

They're pretty small, will have to pass quickly. Starting a Cade-like 5'11" quarterback who was efficient in the Mtn West last year and once backed up Dillon Gabriel at UCF. Also wee mite RBs and slots. Very small OL missing its best player. D is also small, though they have a USC transfer who graded out well to PFF for two years before getting benched last season. Lost an important LB and most of their secondary.

About the Featured Musician: Cut WormsCut Worms is a nova '70s project by Max Clarke, who sounds like Buddy Holly singing over found tracks by George Harrison and Neil Young. Check them out on Spotify.

Song choices:

• "How Can It Be"
• "Baby Come Back"
• "Don’t Fade Away"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

With special guests Randy & Jason Sklar, here to promote their show on 9/27 (Friday before Minnesota).

Things Discussed:

• Seth on early: Jaishawn Barham? He was a great player at Maryland. You don’t have to be your best self to be playing next to Ruben Hippolite, but you do if Michigan needs you to beast up. But remember this is a hard defense to learn at linebacker.
• Is Wink gonna Don Brown it? No. He’ll run MORE man because he’s got the guys, but it’s part of the toolbox, not The Toolbox. They’ll show a lot of blitzes.
• Dom Giudice? We all learn how to say it because he’s apparently the starting center, and Evan Link is the starting right tackle, as of last Sunday. Recruiting story: Harbaugh offered without telling the rest of the staff.
• Link: Makes sense if they didn’t think the other guys were able to do it. If he’s even he’s ahead.
• What kind of offense are they going to be? Alex Orji’s kind. But Warren has earned some snaps too.
• During break: Name every player who was ranked below Giudice. Lowest was Emmanuel Casseus.
• Sklars tell the story of good directing on Better Call Saul.

View Details

2 hours and 19 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. The Big Ten: Bottom SixStarts at 1:00

Illinois: Has Luke Altmeyer back, not ideal. Defense has been de-Waltered. Purdue can't get Waltered because we keep picking off his recruits. Northwestern: going with the QB who can run some. Indiana: Not in the worst place now that they've become JMU. Michigan State: big rebuild, but on the right track. Every few coaches they get a Jon Smith instead of an asshole. UCLA got kicked out of the Rose Bowl, might be able to run, but don't have the OL, WRs or QB to throw at all. Defense got raided—4 returning starters.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. The Big Ten: Middle SixStarts at 33:43

Minnesota traded with Rutgers again—now the QB is Max Brosner from New Hampshire. Kept Darius Taylor. Need to teach guys to tackle still. Rutgers: on the list of dark horse CFP contenders because their schedule is so easy. Maryland: has a QB competition, OL is very concerning. Washington: won't recognize anyone; Jedd's gonna have to come up with some good shit. Wisconsin: Tyler Van Dyke in from Miami, Chez is back, schedule is tough early. Nebraska new QB obviously: Dylan Raiola came to play, no viable backups, no viable line. They have guys to throw to, including two TEs (Fidone and Carter) Michigan loved. Defense has Hutmacher and some new LBs and questions in the secondary. Just don't turn the ball over all the time.

1. The Big Ten: Top SixStarts at 1:05:30

Iowa: Locked in a QB controversy of bad vs awful, but Cade's coming back from a terrible scrimmage. USC: got the UNLV quarterback and are having him sit. Welcome to the Big Ten USC, because Woody Marks is a Big Ten running back name if there ever was one. Will the UCLA DC fix the defense with a bad DL? Penn State: the Drew Allar case is he's tall and was a 5-star. They can light up bad teams though, and they have a schedule full of them. Oregon: sniped Dylan Gabriel, Jordan James is a breakout candidate at RB, added big pieces in the portal, look like this year's Playoff team. Ohio State: All in. Bought back Henderson, bought in Judkins, bought in Caleb Downs: got a whiff of Ole Miss about them now.

1. Hot Takes, Non-Conf, and Lightning RoundStarts at 1:44:57

Might learn something about the OL in week 1 versus Fresno State. Texas is running it back with Quinn Ewars, but they got Isaiah Bond from Bama and two more plug-and-play receivers. Lost their defensive tackles though, and that defense relies on it. Lost all of the RBs so they're putting it on a lightning bolt. But can Michigan take advantage if they stack the box? Lightning Round: breakout players offense/defense, X-factors, records, Your Dude, etc. Kalel Mullings never has a regular play. Enjoy your Harbaugh shirts, Chargers fans.

MUSIC:

• "Misery's Love Song"—Jesse Woods
• "Piece of My Heart"—Delaney and Bonnie
• "Blood Red Sentimental Blues"—Cotton Jones
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

View Details

1 hour and 53 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, Champion Circle, and returning this season Winewood Organics.

1. The Defensive LineStarts at 1:00

Brian says we're not allowed to cackle through this or be hype the whole time, but we spend a lot of time talking about what to expect from Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant before getting into their depth. Benny has a road back to health but should have his breakout year about now. After him it's iffy, since Etta had to move inside. Pierce is Just a Nose for now. After them…not much. Edge should be deep and excellent again. Josaiah Stewart is younger than Derrick Moore and was in the process of turning into a complete Amoeba edge. Moore is on his way to Tacodom and the NFL Draft. TJ Guy has been waiting forever. Think part of the reason Etta moved was because they like Cam Brandt a lot.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Hot Takes and LinebackersStarts at 47:18

We are buying the Barham hype, yes. Because of practice and film and the talk. Hausmann was a nickel in high school and never lost that agility, played along with the starters last year and wasn't a drop. Think Rolder's end of the year isn't fair, that his freshman year was more telling. Seth likes Jaydon Hood, the last of the Don Brown backs. Cole Sullivan will probably be good but don't want to see too much of him this year.

1. SecondaryStarts at 1:12:38

This Will Johnson fellow, maybe you've heard of him. Can't afford an injury so no he can't play receiver and return puts you sickos. Was injured last year so this year could be special, or he could be avoided as Jyaire Hill gets his feet under him. Good news that he's moved up, always needed time to mature. Still younger than most of the freshman, and played safety in high school. Backups are the transfers-Hall has drawn comps to Wallace But Fast so that's your #3 guy—Seth thinks he's Gemon Green. Kechaun Harris could play too. Ricky Johnson might need a year. Safeties took a hit losing Rod Moore but Makari Paige will be nice and forgotten, Quinten Johnson had his light go on and we're glad they fished him out of UDFA'dom. Think the transfers will take time to learn the defense but should be in a regular rotation—Mangham is another Sabb, blow up next year. Zeke Berry won the nickel job over McBurrows, which is impressive. Will be more of a blitzer, won't be Sainristil, but they went portal shopping for safeties because they wanted Berry in the slot that much. Brandyn Hillman has a role as the hybrid if they want to go 4-3 against running QBs again.

1. Special Teams and WinkStarts at 1:34:57

Tommy Doman might never punt again but he's good at it; the consistency is coming with age. Dominic Zvada is another good portal kicker, has two years to play, missed all of his bad ones early last year. Returns will be fun with Semaj. Wink is going to blitz because that fits the personnel.

MUSIC:

• "Waves (Tame Impala remix)"—Miguel
• "Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy)"—Devo
• "Better in the Dark"—Jordana & TV Girl
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

THE USUAL LINKS:* Helpful iTunes subscribe link * General podcast feed link * What's with the theme music?

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Things Discussed:

• NCAA solved tampering: they got Kirk Ferentz for Cade McNamara! Way to go NCAA. You solved the problem!
• Evan Link/right tackle: Makes us nervous. When there's a battle that's good it looks like center; when you're looking in the portal, can't decide on two guys, then have a third guy late it's less likely you have three starter-caliber players and more likely you have none. But what level is this happening at?
• Breakout season: What qualifies as a breakout? Because Tyler Morris?
• Picks: Sam has El-Hadi, says he's another guy that people were coming at with big money to jump into the portal. Seth has him too but Marlin Klein has been generating legends. Brian: Mullings, but Semaj Morgan: Michigan incorporated him more into their gameplans, and screens keep safeties away from a QB run game.
• Mullings: Always something extra. Can be another matchup problem, has INCREDIBLE feet for his size. Ron Dayne.
• TE blocking: Loveland's effectiveness is extra
• Defensive breakout player? Again, what's a breakout? If you say Barham is going to be the best LB in the country? Craig: saying it.
• Derrick Moore? Seth says already broke out, Brian says if you're saying Moore's an All-American.
• Brian's pick: Zeke Berry—seems like he passed a Guy in McBurrows.
• Seth's pick: Also Berry because there's a lot of Peppers in his game. Not Sainristil's level in being a savant, but lets them play more man and blitz more.
• But let's talk about Jyaire Hill. Sam: projecting him to start. Seth: had the furthest to go. Younger than most of the freshmen on the team, has Devon Witherspoon talent, and like Witherspoon, Hill had a long way to go before he could play in Michigan's pro-style defense. The more you hear his name the better the news, because the only question is when he gets the defense down.

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2 hours and 45 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and Champions Circle.

1. The Offensive VibesStarts at 1:00

We've beaten the college football game, now it's just side quests. Let's try to be chill about it now? New conferences: not going to get married to them because they're just going to blow this up too. "Big Ten Championship Game" is unlikely to be a game that solves anything. What is this Michigan team's route to a championship? 2021 Georgia: supreme defense, offense is a ridiculous tight ends.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Quarterback & the Offensive Design?Starts at 21:57

Michigan doesn't go in the portal because there wasn't anybody left worth getting last January when JJ was still here and Michigan was still going to a natty. Means they would have gone. Orji separated himself, Tuttle gets hurt too much so they're looking at Davis Warren as the second quarterback. What's the offense? Seth: Let's look at Cam Newton-era Auburn, with BASH/inverted veer and lots of pin & pull and motion to create matchups with all of our weird guys: the QB is a RB, the RB is a WR, the other RB is a FB, the FB is a TE, the TE is a WR, one WR is an RB. News: there's going to be a Washington UFR from Brian.

1. Running Back, Receiver & Tight EndStarts at 53:20

Donovan Edwards was pressing last year and it cut 300 yards off his totals. When he's in a groove (Purdue 2022) he's a touchdown waiting to happen. When he's not in a groove he gets LBs going insane and becomes also a touchdown waiting to happen. Mullings is That Dude: Every time he's involved in a play something interesting happens. It's a big deal for Jordan Marshall if he's RB3 because that's passing some big dudes. They say he's the Edwards backup and Ben Hall, who we love, is the Mullings backup. What does that mean? Not much because Marshall is Hart. Receiver: Tyler Morris should be a good, knows how to get open and catches it. Semaj Morgan is going to be fun, but ideally they had a Braylon type deep guy. Amorion Walker should redshirt finally. Colston Loveland is the key: they can move him around because he's a mismatch on everyone, has every QB in line at his door. Bredeson is the best FB Brian's ever charted, how many snaps for him? Marlin Klein hype: do you believe? We believe he'll be a fast TE but not a Barner blocker.

1. Hot Takes, Offensive Line and StyleStarts at 1:55:30

This is the most comfortable anybody's ever been after graduating all five OL. Myles Hinton was basically a freshman last year because Stanford coaching is that bad (attn: Babalola). Josh Priebe is a tough sonsabitch. Crippen is probably the center but Raheem Anderson is your next OL if someone inside gets hurt. Gio El-Hadi should ascend and be pretty good—usually you don't get to wait until he's this far along to start him. Right tackle is giving us bad vibes; if Gentry was going to get the job he would have seized it right? Persi makes more sense—Hayes took awhile to grow from a TE as well. Link competing now is good for Link, not for the other two.

MUSIC:

• "Bring Em Out"—T.I.
• “Piece of Me"—Lady Wray
• “Get Up And Go”—The Go-Go's
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

THE USUAL LINKS:* Helpful iTunes subscribe link * General podcast feed link * What's with the theme music?

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Things Discussed:

• Seth: FBS needs to take the season off to celebrate the recent champions and digest all of these changes.
• They're not surrender cobras anymore; that's just relaxing.
• VICTORS: bigger project than we thought, 95% written now. Yes you can still order one (I'm making 10,000, about 8,400 sold).
• QB: Wish we'd seen more of Orji last year; saying he's the ideal leader, how consistent can he be with the throws. Don't count out Davis Warren.
• RB: Jordan Marshall news is good for Jordan Marshall; they don't need him yet so if he's breaking into the lineup we've got a Corum on our hands. Need to see more 2RB with Mullings blocking because he got the Block of the Week three times in 25 attempts, including the one where he lit up Dallas Turner in the Rose.
• WR: Semaj is WR2 we think.
• TE: Loveland is going to split out wide a lot (watch the Rose again).
• OL: Best you can be after replacting five (six!) starters. Do they have eight starters or four? Think Crippen/Anderson is a Barnhart/Trente situation. RT? Might not like what they have from Gentry and Persi, might just be a good sign that Evan Link is coming on. El-Hadi, Crippen, Hinton are Old Wisconsin replacements.
• DL: Benny should be at his takeoff year, haven't talked about him because he was injured. Hearing the right things on Pierce: he can be not moved. Etta can penetrate, but neither can do both. Etta's position is like hearing Mike Morris is moving to DT: he can do it, but he'll be undersized, and it means they don't like any of their options past that. Kirby Smart is complaining about his 4th DT too.
• Cornerback: Jyaire Hill probably rounds into a star over the course of the season, coaches are impatient for it to happen now. Aamir Hall is a find; Ricky Johnson is a loose cannon needs a year.
• Safety: Need four, have four. Mangham will come along, is your new Sabb. Q-Jo will start earlier in the season but expect Walker to come along and rotate with Johnson.
• Berry: Different player from Sainristil, think having him means you go man more often and let Wink blitz more.

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Things Discussed:

• Story time with Craig: When did Pitbull become a thing.
• NCAA's four-year show-cause for Harbaugh: It's the same thing they gave Pruitt for personally giving players cash. 0% chance they levy this if he's still the coach at Michigan; it's performative nonsense and you can tell because everyone, including Thamel, are calling it such.
• Sam confuses Ohio State-hater Paul Finebaum for the similarly looking Michigan-hater Pete Finebaum. Both seem to know when you can make someone mad and you can't make Michigan fans mad right now. If you try to make me mad I just send you this photo.
• Warde playing the long game: Gene Smith was around forever and appointed numerous Ohio State people into positions.
• Who investigates NCAA leaks? NCAA. Don't hold your breath. NCAA is not the law; they're an organization that is set up on the premise of presidents will control their football programs.
• Hockey recruiting: Michigan is Alabama. USA Hockey has done a magnificent job of building up its development program and it has led to better hockey in the NCAA than the OHL, where Michigan and BC and BU and Minnesota are taking the top OHL draft prospects.
• Different? By degree. It's raising all ships too—the lower teams aren't getting NHL draft picks but they have overagers who are at the peak of their hockey. MSU is another program getting great players. Canadian players will come here now.
• NIL? It means something because money under the table from OHL wasn't actually a lot; it was like $15k or $20k before. Development track is expensive, and parents get to the end of it needing to refill their bank accounts.
• We love 5'9" defenders because they're awesome at offense.
• Football: Are they still the #1 school for development? Yeah. Seth: It's Abigail, it was Herbert, it's Tress, but it's mostly they identify guys who can develop and WANT to develop, and the culture where everybody is doing it.

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Things Discussed:

• Storytime with Craig: some of the criticism of Dotman has gotten weird.
• Also weird: people still trying to talk about a bowl ban. Sam asked people in Athletics and they've heard nothing about
• Stalions on the CMU sideline: CMU fired a coach who was most connected to Stalions, which if you put 1 and 1 together means they figured out how Stalions got on the Chips' sideline. It also proves signs don't matter much because CMU couldn't beat a crap MSU team; in fact at no point did you think they knew what was coming.
• Sam: Helps Michigan prove to the NCAA that Stalions was a rogue actor.
• Phonebooks: Enow Etta is a tackle, a lot of young tackles are now big enough to be viable inside, Sam pumps breaks on whether the freshmen can help.
• Barham was 230 as a recruit and 230 at Maryland, now 245. Reading tea leaves that suggests he got serious about weights at Michigan, versus when he was a near 5-star recruit in College Park they just said you go out there and do you.
• Better defense this year? Question isn't up front, it's who's going to give them the play diagnoses that they got from Mike Sainristil and Rod Moore. Sam says Will Johnson and Makari Paige can do it.
• Zeke Berry: players are seeing the athlete we saw as a recruit, but if they want to go with more blitzing they can get away with leaving Jyaire in man like they couldn't as much with Wallace. Berry is a blitzer in ways that Sainristil wasn't. Dax-like? Not pure speed but athleticism yeah.
• Craig's hot take: 13th scholarship for basketball should go to Jamal Crawford.

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Things Discussed:

• Our golf outing interviews. Players are extremely mature.
• Sherrone: Can see why he's the guy. Makes you feel comfortable.
• Big Ten Meetings: Ohio State has to deal with the shit we've been dealing with. They shouldn't be trying to be Michigan; they should be trying to be a better version of themselves. OSU fanbase isn't used to having it be this hard. We know what that's like too.
• What did Michigan change? There Will Be Hugs-style coaching is something we haven't seen for 100 years: It was CEOs (Saban) and before that it was generals (Schembechler) and before that it was godlike professors (Crisler) but Pete Carroll brought back a new style and Sherrone Moore brought that to Michigan.
• New Big Ten CG: Many ways it's not going to work. Going to have a rematch between a 12-0 team and a 10-2 team where the 10-2 team wins. SHOWCASE SHOWCASE SHOWCASE!

• Iowatalk.

• Hockey commitapalooza coming up.

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Most of this podcast was recorded outdoors at Sherrone Moore’s golf outing. We apologize for the sound quality.

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we usually record, The Sklars Brothers, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together and who put all these guys at our table.

1. Max Bredeson, Jack Tuttle, and VibesStarts at 1:00

Bredeson confirms Brian's take about the kickout detente. Tuttle names some Utes. After we discuss vibes for the season.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. The Safeties, Colston and Semaj MorganStarts at 27:29

How long does it take a freshman to learn Michigan's coverages? Learn or get familiar enough with to make one thing look like another? Loveland and Semaj talk to us about how they make decisions mid-routes, handled the pressure of being young players thrust into major roles.

1. Sherrone MooreStarts at 48:32

It turns out there were hugs. We spend a good 17 minutes with Michigan's new head coach, half of it on his gameplan for Alabama, and a lot more of the rest on the culture shift at Michigan, and how they teach it. Also: how he and the team found out that Jim was suspended when they landed in Pennsylvania.

1. Hot TakesStarts at 1:09:23
   No Brian but some of our readers who supported Champions Circle get their hot takes read by the Sklars. Ryan Day catches many strays.5. Alex Orji, Davis WarrenStarts at 1:23:43
   Comparing how certain throws that guys are more comfortable with come up when they're under center. 5. Donovan EdwardsStarts at 1:37:24
   The cover athlete. Was he pressing a bit last year due to limited snaps? What's duo versus inside zone and which were they running when he scored his two TDs in the natty?

MUSIC:

• "Impressions of You"—Kelly Finnegan
• “Piece of Me"—Lady Wray
• “By The Lake”—Pale Jay & OkoNski
• "Right Back Where We Started From"—Maxine Nightingale
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra

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Things Discussed:

• What’s bothering Michigan fans? Nothing. But it’s funny that OSU and MSU people try.
• Will Johnson: how much better can he get? If he’s making the defensive calls that Sainristil and Moore were making.
• Donovan Edwards: not looking for home runs? Sam wants the 85 yards to come from the 5 yards.
• Seth wants them using Orji’s legs to create explosive opportunities for him because he’s their best big play threat.
• Babalola: Sam can’t get Seth to watch the tape, but sounds like M is feeling confidence.
• Hockey: Craig takes us through Michigan Hockey Summer.

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Things Discussed:

• Sam's squirrel problem. He wants a cat. Craig wants him to import mongooses. Seth suggests he put up a Michigan State flag and offer them all scholarships.
• Recruiting: back on track! Lost 2 guys they wanted, got 2 guys they really wanted, actually doing a little better than Harbaugh usual because they used to lose the Isaac Nautas and top-50 safeties to Notre Dame.
• Got themselves a Rod Moore comp in Ike Taylor. Seth: Michigan's free safety is a nickel—they want the SS to be a Paige so he can defend tight ends and when they motion a slot across the FS and Nickel swap jobs so FS needs to cover slots in space.
• Holly: See him as a Jaylen Harrell who's responsible and athletic. Craig thinks he'll be Brandon Graham and we call him insane.
• Babalola: Would be the #1 OT recruit in recorded M history.
• Recruiting strategy: stagger guys? Right now it's free transfers so you want guys who aren't going to leave. In the future when you can sign them to contracts Ohio State's going to be in great shape. You always take best available, but your board isn't the national board, and shouldn't be. Example: I wasn't too high on the Smith twins and they might have missed out on Edokpayi and Devon Baxter whom I like a lot.
• FSU and Clemson not talking to SEC/B10 anymore? Best guess if that's true it's because SEC/B10 don't want to be involved in the lawsuit.
• What's the future of this? There's no rationality to it so there's no stability to it, so I can't care about it. Right now it's just grabbing schools. Eventually there has to be some reckoning, a separation of divisions, dropping some schools. The things USF cares about are not the things that Michigan cares about, and having them competing for the same national championship isn't good for either of them.
• Brian: "Wait I would like to disparage, denigrate, and downgrade certain Big Ten members."
• Seth: You can dream about dropping schools all you want but you'd have to basically dissolve the Big Ten to get rid of Rutgers. The Pacific Conference did this once and reformed as the Pac-8 without Idaho.

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Things Discussed:

• Commitapalooza: Looks like an average Michigan class. Takes on the new guys:
  • Donovan Johnson: Hard to grade from tape when he was 14 years old. High ceiling/low floor. Michigan knows what he looks like post-ACL.
  • Kaden Strayhorn: Jason Strayhorn knows more about the state of Michigan State, which is a story you tell if things are Not Good. Kid was also set on making his own path, wanted to be in football since 8th grade. Like Gach: MSU parentage doesn't change who the kid is or how that aligns with what Michigan does.
  • Chase Taylor: Think he's ranked lower because in-state power wasn't offering, but BJM was all over him. Tell Michigan the guy's part safety/part edge and their eyes light up because that's what they need for their system.
  • Jacob Washington: Toldya in 1998 when they got Ron Bellamy that this will get us into Archbishop Shaw finally. Sam: Washington ran a laser 4.5 forty at a camp. Likes to block.
• Michigan's NIL: fixed? They're not involved in Players for Auction but they've really built up their institutions. Turned the former players tailgate into a support network. Using the recent grads as the ambassadors. Using donors to get donor level to understand what they're doing. Also coming from the top: Dusty May and Sherrone Moore are asking "What can I do?"
• NCAA gets rid of all the rules they hit Michigan for, because nobody was following them and the only thing they ever did was screw Michigan. Let's go get Dylan Roney back!
• Hoops: How's the defense gonna look? Your defense is what your players can do. Think they'll switch 1-3, up to 4 when they have a small 4 on the court.

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Things Discussed:

• Storytime with Craig Ross: Transactional vs Transformational.
• Recruiting: Class of 2025 is like Class of 2023, which was a pair of three-stars and Raylen Wilson out the door at this point in the cycle.
• Brady Hart on Ohio State: "Not everyone's got the same culture as Michigan." Got the JJ to build a class around. Sam points out that's been their best classes (Henson, etc.)
• Sam: Michigan had four QBs they were heavy on, #1 was probably going to Oklahoma no matter what, and they got Hart on campus early in case he wanted to commit before the other two.
• Other guys. RB Jasper Parker has offers from everybody except LSU; do they think they can come back and get him? Has those great feet (like Karan) and is a good receiver.
• Jordon Davison: OSU/Michigan battle despite OSU having 2 backs already.
• Michigan really wants: S JaDon Blair, might be a ND lean (really likes Marcus Freeman, being next Kyle Hamilton but better, has known their staff longer than Morgan). But interesting thing from Blair re: Michigan: "They are lagging behind no-one on NIL."
• Their #1 overall target is probably CB Shamari Earls, who's a Will Johnson-caliber dude. Other schools did a great job negative recruiting against Steve Clinkscale. Gonna be a fight with Georgia though. Seth: If you want to prove to me that Michigan's NIL is lagging behind nobody, win a battle with Georgia. Noted: Will Johnson is probably one of the best-paid players in the country. But UGA is going to pay a lot up-front. At least we'll know before the season it seems. If Michigan wins it's because they need a CB immediately in 2025.
• Pac12 teams in the Big Ten: They're already Big Ten teams. They've got Jestin Jacobs at middle linebacker: that's a Big Ten team. A purple team with Michigan's former kick returner at slot receiver: that's a Big Ten team. USC's the weirdo, but as far as QB situations in the Big Ten go, a guy who played as much as Aidan Chiles did last year after being in Lincoln Riley's system for 4 years is pretty dang good.

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Things Discussed:

• Pre-Show: Seth & Craig are on. Craig says punk rock and opera are the same thing.
• Preview of Texas: they thought they'd get DTs. Respect for Ethan Burke out there. Most concerned about our secondary making some mistakes because they're not Sainristil and Rod Moore anymore.
• Paul Finebaum: Ryan Day is the king of excuses. Talk about his reaction to Erin Dunstan leaving OSU for a better job at Michigan where she has more connections (he cussed her out and had her escorted from the premises). What's up with OSU? They still haven't come to terms with the problem about themselves, so all of those expensive pieces are going to be less than they would be elsewhere.
• Michigan slow recruiting? Had to replace the staff, Sherrone Moore has built an Alabama-level recruiting department but the proceeds of that are long-term, not going to prevent this from being a transition class.
• Craig: Why is pass defense more expensive than rush defense? Seth: Because NFL offenses spend on pass offense.
• Is Wink too aggressive? He talked about how he used more sim pressures on Mahomes, that it's a determination made on personnel and opponent, not philosophy.
• Sam: Aamir Hall looks like Josh Wallace But Fast. Ricky is more of a nickel corner (read: dime).

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Things Discussed:

• Analytics: You have to know how they're made to understand their value. FPI is going to punish Michigan for having a much tougher schedule than Penn State. SP+ is made from scrubbing play-by-play data and roster data, and isolating what different factors mean. PFF is made from pass-fail grading.
• They are predictive up to a point, and then from there it's up to the analyst to understand how it applies to a specific team, e.g. defensive SP+ in the Big Ten West can't handle how bad B10 West offenses are, and measures that say 5-star quarterbacks in their third year of starting are good but not if they've spent that time behind one of James Franklin's OL.
• Craig Ross tells the story of the gangs of his high school, and Joe Blue Tony. Moral of the story: Jim Harbaugh wanted love, it was over when they pulled the plug on the TRO case. Sam: makes some sense.
• Seth: Michigan's mistake with Harbaugh is they decided to stay in the Big Ten and NCAA instead of joining the NFL, which has the Lombardi Trophy.
• Two-loss teams in the Playoff? Depends on who they beat, if they win the B10.
• I share my proposal for three showcase games to replace the Big Ten Championship Game.

BRIEF SEGUE: THE SHOWCASE PROPOSAL

Instead of a 1 vs 2 game for the championship we play the best three games that weren't played during the regular season. #1 plays the best team they haven't played, #2 plays the best they haven't played, etc. Where necessary the conference is allowed to make judgement calls so that there is always a clear champion after the games are played. The games are all played on championship Saturday in three major cities within the Big Ten footprint (New York, Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, etc.). Downside: it's another Big Ten game, not winner-take-all, although in many cases the #1 game will be winner-take-all. Upsides: three big games instead of one, opportunities to enhance resumes for six teams with Playoff hopes, no rematches, no weird Big Ten champions who finished behind better teams, lost to other teams, etc.

• Jaishawn Barham: Like adding a 1st rounder. PFF coverage score last year was bunk. He could be an NFL DE, a lot of his Maryland tape he's not the guy making the sack; he's the guy causing the sack. His versatility is what Michigan's wanted from the LB position all along. Think he's going to be a star this year then go pro.
• Is coverage more important than pass rush? That's what the Ravens were about. It's true in the NFL because the NFL puts most of its money into beating pass rush: QBs who read out everything and know what to do with the ball immediately, tackles to protect them outside, etc.

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Things Discussed:

• PSU loses a lawsuit where Franklin was overruling his doctors. Let's not throw stones; Harbaugh never overruled his doctors but the case did reference a Harbaugh quote and it's not hard to imagine players were often pressured to play while injured. Ben St-Juste's story does exonerate him a bit. Solution: this is something the NCAA should be rigorously enforcing.
• Utah State gets nailed for tampering: COI still doing what they do.
• Seth's solution: formalize the system that used to be under the table: Scholarships (Tuition/Room/Board/Stipend) stay nontaxable if you're an undergrad playing at the school you signed with out of high school, once you're a grad student you get a 2nd school that's nontaxable. Incentivizes schools to invest in players' educations, incentivizes players to stay at one school and get their degrees, emphasizes the value that college sports have over all other professional sports.
• NCAA's solution: get rid of walk-ons in football and basketball. This runs away from what they're best at, but it would help the USFs out there who want to play at being D-I without investing in more sports.
• Torvik's early rankings like B10 teams: let's talk about how useful these stats are.
• Opponent portal pickups. Fresno State got a nifty slot bug from Missouri State that I'm pretty sure we're gonna see. Texas lost a CB but picked up a better one, didn't replace the DTs like they wanted to. Oregon got better, look like the class of the conference this year.
• Vibes: Oregon looks like a title contender, Ohio State looks like less than the sum of their parts. They'll always be good because they are never satisfied, but other than Caleb Downs they mostly just got better where they were already good. Think Michigan's worse than they were last year but they're not 10-point dogs.

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Things Discussed:

• DBs from the portal: went from no depth to great depth. Both pairs complement each other: Johnson can tackle, Hall can cover. Mangham incredible ceiling, Walker extremely high floor.
• Relitigating retaining Harbaugh: can't ignore that he was expected to go to the NFL after winning a national championship a year ago. NCAA/Petitti were hostile, sure, but blaming Warde is overplaying the hand.
• Break: Silly Buckeyes.
• Settling House: Schools acting like getting the confs to sign off matters; what matters is whether the players agree to it. Getting involved with private equity/FSU getting some sort of loan.
• At some point you need collective bargaining or it's not going to end.

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1 hour and 36 minutes

With Alex Drain and Craig Ross

Segment 1: 2024 Softball Season Recap * Season recap, month-by-month * Looking at the big picture * Key performances, top players, and areas for improvement * The incoming softball recruiting class

Segment 2: A Quick 2024 Baseball Overview * Pitching: improved, but still not great * Taking stock of the Tracy Smith era * Brief B1G Tournament preview: hard to know what to expect

MUSIC

• "Not Strong Enough" -- boygenius
• "Right Back To It" -- Waxahatchee
• "Everybody Has A Dream" -- Billy Joel

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Things Discussed:

• Craig tells a story about spelling pronunciation, like how people pronounce the 't' in often for the first time since it disappeared in the 15th century.
• Nobody likes Chip Kelly you say? This isn't news. He's not there to bring the love; he's there to give them a running game because Michigan's been playing then six on eight on the box.
• Meta Game evolution: Kelly is there to give them a QB run game. Wink is going to blitz more because he has different talent now. Brown's problem was not enough difference-makers at DT; Wink has WJ, Graham and Grant and doesn't have Sainristil/Moore to call opponents' plays for them.
• OSU going run QB? They have time to develop Sayin, can afford to go slowly because they have a 2-game cushion with their easier schedule.
• Portal recruiting: Seth wants Sam to stop giving us names—just do every recruitment like Rubin Jones. Lost a CB who got shredded in Texas's defense to Illinois, lost a DT to LSU, what's up Sam?
• Answer is they're probably getting two of their targets at safety so they can leave Zeke Berry at Nickel and Ja'den McBurrows can give them corner depth. Problem is Michigan isn't recruiting starters.
• Corner depth? Time is now for Jyaire. Want a guy from the portal. Sam thinks they have a dude in JoJo Edmonds coming in.
• Why is Michigan not offering the same NIL as LSU/OSU/USC? Donors haven't been conditioned for this. They were all just at Chad Tough, which it's hard to argue that's not a better use of your dollars than a second-string cornerback.
• After the break: Softball. Congrats on B10 championship. Next year looks great, with only Keke Tholl departing and bringing in JJ Putz's daughter. Got a lucky draw in B10 tourney, got a horrible draw in NCAAs.

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Things Discussed:

• LSU is out of NIL money? They got outbid for an MSU DT and Brian Kelly says "We don't buy players." That'll be news to Bryce Underwood; hope his checks clear.
• Spartans getting in their feelings about Jaden Mangham possibly transferring to Michigan (or Ohio State or Minnesota). Want to prevent him from graduating. There's an intrastate program that allows you to finish your MSU degree at Michigan. Why can't this work for other guys? It's a formal in-state program. The reason academic programs like this don't associate with athletic transfers that much is schools other than Michigan are good at making exceptions for athletes. Michigan should have done so for Terrence Shannon; they probably were right to turn down Caleb Love.
• Brian: Good time to be a Michigan fan; long-term prognoses for OSU and MSU not great.
• Dusty May's presser: Best first presser ever? He's a great communicator/teacher who gave us a lot of information, addressed exact questions. He was watching OSU games for fun? Seth: He was probably watching OSU games because he thought he'd be coaching them.
• Dusty's offense: two point guards, wants all of his players to be facilitators so the ball can't get stuck, can't get trapped. All of these guys have an out: good passers or at worst they can shoot it over anybody. Kinda like Beilein's where the PG with a 64-bit decision tree. Dusty May wants lots of guys with 16-bit decision trees. Tough part: lots of teaching to get it down.
• Rubin Jones perfect glue guy. I'm calling this now: I'm the #1 Rubin Jones fan around here. No takesies.
• Competition in the Big Ten? Oregon and UCLA will be decent, MSU standing pat with a bubble team, OSU is new coaching, Purdue graduated everybody. Michigan will probably be…top 4, 6-seed? Expect them to lose some games early as they learn to play with each other.
• Roster May built is ideal but for a star. I call it the Dayenu roster because everybody's one flaw from being in the NBA. Craig: May wants to be fun as well as good. Seth: Sounds like he's one of us.
• Football in the break: Terrance Brooks. Watched him vs Washington last year, when he was getting burned because he was in man all day. He's..Vincent Gray? Technically solid, smart, big, good ball skills, not a burner. Need to give him help; Michigan would be a good fit because they use so much poach coverage to take away the post. Texas was terrible because they were playing so much press quarters with no help on the double post and fade. Michigan takes that away.
• Schools cutting sports because of paying athletes? They'll say that, but they shouldn't. They're paying just 10% of their budget to players; pro leagues pay 55%. Will happen at the mid-major level because their conferences don't make sense and football is already a massive expenditure that they finance with student fees. Brian: that's a marketing fee; they can just cut back on marketing.
• What we want to see from Congress: your cap is based on how many scholarships you give out.

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Things Discussed:

• Draft Takeaways: Nice that Saban kept being like "I love this dude!" Brian: Michigan and Iowa are the best two teams at developing talent; Michigan also recruits in an area where you win a national title if you outperform like that.
• Seth: Harbaugh recruited at the same level as previous Michigan coaches but where they were getting 20% to 33% of their players to the NFL, Harbaugh is putting 60 Percent of his players in the League.
• JJ McCarthy: Threw as many passes in the first three Qs as the other guys. Would I trade Goff for JJ, Neil? Can't break up a team on a Super Bowl run, but JJ is more valuable than Goff by far; he's gonna be under team control for a long time.
• Junior Colson: Sam shares that Minter told him to go pro after the championship because he and Harbaugh were going to the league and they're gonna come get him.
• Amorion Walker: If he'd stayed at receiver he'd be the breakout player of the year, but he burned his redshirts both years and then was at cornerback and Ole Miss—that is a hard position to play, and it's probably gonna need to be next year before he's a breakout player.
• CJ Charleston: He's here to be a veteran presence. Sinagosa brought him over from YSU. Tough sell getting receivers.
• DT? Looks like PT wasn't there for their top prospect CJ West so they're moving on to the GVSU guy (Suggs).
• Jaden Mangham? Seth: YES TAKE ALL THE FALCONS! Brian: I don't want anybody who thought it was a good idea to play for Mel Tucker. He's also against taking anyone from Belleville.
• Break: Basketball recruits.
• Post-break: NCAA has an opportunity with House negotiations to sit across the table from somebody and create a sustainable future. Brian: Pendulum swung too far, single transfer rule was correct. Seth: Best thing would be to create an incentive formula that gets small schools out of a huge tax bill and makes players want to stay put.

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1 hour and 22 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Nametags All Around
* Opener * Forwards: Hopefully a lot more depth * Defense: Many returners. Couple Freshman. One Eye-popping transfer. * Goalies: One Transfer. One Freshman. Still Question Marks.

Segment 2: A Mix, NHL, Stick/Ball Updates, Wrap-Up
* Lines/Pairings? * NHL Series Updates * Stick/Ball Good? * Have a Good Summer!

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Hit The Road Jack" -- Ray Charles
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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• Spring game takes:
  • QB: Wasn't a good format (no zone reads, mostly under-center) for gauging Orji. It was him or Warren, and Warren wasn't a speed-reader upon further review.
  • RB: Edwards is geared up. Tavierre Dunlap had a really good game.
  • TE: Saw Marlin Klein's speed, has a good feel for timing blocks. Saw some Tonielli too.
  • OL: Hard to judge Persi from guard, Gentry moved guys but also had some breakdowns. Big drop from there to Link, who looks like a future player. Like some young Cs, Raheem Anderson stood up to Grant, Guarnera looked plausible at guard.
  • DT: Both Benny and Pierce were out so we saw Ike and some DEs they had to move down. Keep an eye out for Chibi Anwunah next year. Joey Klunder played hard.
  • Edge: Guy is real.
  • LB: Barham is big and can move. Hausmann looked really good. Rolder looked really good.
  • S: Hard to tell, but Oden is a lot bigger than we thought, might be ready to contribute early.
  • CB: Waller and Hill coming on.
• Waller to the portal: Sam says sometimes a guy asks for way more than the pay scale. There's a lot of nodding and talking around without actually saying that Kentucky has a reputation for promising more than they deliver. Schools have got to be sick of this by now. Sam: Gotta live in today, which means you gotta go tamper.
• Dusty May Builds a Dusty May Program Overnight! These guys were all primary creators for their teams; Rubin Jones is also an elite defender. Choosing to pursue Tre Donaldson of the two Auburn guys shows Dusty knew what he was doing, took the path of greater resistance. Roddy Gayle is in the draft if he doesn't shoot 28% from three, and he had a wrist injury to explain it. Sam Walters shot 43% on contested threes, because when you're a 6'10" pogo stick there's no such thing as a contest. Danny Wolf is a very underrated creator, should team with Goldin to be the best pair of Cs in the B10? Nimari Burnett can actually be Nimari now, and Tschetter can Tschetter.
• Concerns: They all have elevated TO rates (should come down as they aren't all forced to be creators), they're a bit weak defensively at the four (Walters has length but he was a beanpole freshman last year), and it's going to take time for everyone to get used to playing together.
• We're gonna LOVE Rubin Jones. Very good rebounder, very smart ballplayer, put Johnell Davis in a hell, which is probably why May wanted to go and get him.
• NFL Draft? Sorry out of time.

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1 hour and 27 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Goaltending and Defense
* Opener * Mighty Mites * Up and Down Seasons * Good, Not Great

Segment 2: Forwards with News and Notes
* Hero Line * New Guy Impacts * Bottom Six Plus * Roster Updates

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "School's Out" -- MEMBA
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 6 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Spring Football Game - The OffenseStarts at 1:00

Brian has survived a science Olympiad and is ready to talk about the spring game. The number of takes we have are minimal, nobody really popped off. The offensive line wasn’t playing as a group and a couple starters didn’t play so it’s hard to project them. Kirk Campbell has said that they’re not looking for a quarterback in the portal. Alex Orji’s game would be to run a lot and he can’t do that in a spring game where you can’t tackle the quarterback. Denegal and Jadyn Davis aren’t ready for this offense, so it’ll be either Orji, Tuttle, or Warren starting. Maybe Michigan is creating a read option offense but isn’t putting it on film? Brian wants Orji to start but thinks it'll be Warren. Marlin Klein showed off a bit of what they were talking about. Gentry was either blowing a guy up or not knowing who to block so right tackle might be a problem spot. The running backs all looked great throughout the depth. All the snaps for Max Bredeson. Craig is banging the drum about Raheem Anderson.

1. Spring Football Game - The DefenseStarts at 36:03
   Didn’t really see a defensive tackle stick out but part of that is because Wink Martendale blitzed a lot. TJ Guy might be a half step behind the starters but is going to be a contributor, the defensive end depth is great. The linebackers looked good, it was nice to see Rolder play well. Jyaire Hill looked fast and will be a star in time. You could begrudgingly be a cover-1 team this year. Zeke Berry was an excellent blitzer, much to Brian’s chagrin. McBurrows looked Mike Sainristil esque. The kicking was… at the point that they could potentially explore the portal.

2. Basketball Roster - Part OneStarts at 59:35
   Takes hotter than Michigan message boards when Kirk Campbell said they don't need a quarterback transfer. The best part about winning a national championship is reading rivals' tweets four months later. We have a semblance of a basketball roster! Tre Donaldson committed mid-recording. Assuming Vlad Goldin and Roddy Gayle transfer, we know pretty much all but one player in Michigan's rotation so let's go through them! Donaldson is your starting point guard, then you have three guards. Brian is very high on Rubin Jones out of North Texas. Guard will be night and day from what we've already had. Unexpected and welcomed center depth.

3. Basketball Roster - Part TwoStarts at 1:35:39
   Namari Burnett hasn't really announced anything so we're assuming he's back on the team. He should be a pretty good 20 minute per game backup. They should pick up Lorenzo Cason, an FAU decommit. Do they get another guard and what do the freshman minutes look like? What is going on at the 4? Will Tschetter is the only power forward. There's a basketball roster now and they're in a better spot than a lot of teams! Just got to fill it out now. This is a tournament team roster, can they gel together? What is their ceiling, maybe a four seed? In hindsight, Dusty May was the best coach available and Michigan hired him away from Louisville.

MUSIC:

• "Riverboat" — Jesse Roads
• “Vacations" — Midwest
• “Sinner”— The Last Dinner Party
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things Discussed:

• Filling the basketball roster. Expect to get C Vlad Goldin (FAU), CG Justin Pippen (HS), PG Trey Donaldson (Auburn), W Roddy Gayle (OSU), and another guy they're going after under the radar.
• Like Gayle if they can get his 3P% up better than Saint Mary's Aidan Mahaney, who took a lot of bad shots. C Justin Abson (App State) is Ben Wallace. Is he an either/or with C Danny Wolf (Yale)?
• What's the holdup? Guys want to go through the draft advisory board process. Sam thinks we'll get a drumbeat of commitments in the coming days and weeks.
• NIL: Dusty May needs a little more. How deep does the donor pool go? Well it's complicated; you're talking a quirky small subset of people who can afford this, and their individual circumstances matter a lot. There's a lot they're supporting: Football (which we're getting it done), Men's Hoops, Women's Hoops, etc. Seth: Don't forget Mott and the University of Michigan.
• Spring Game: What does the OL look like? Are there any guys standing? Sam thinks we won't be able to watch Hinton, Crippen, and El-Hadi, which that's three of your starters. Who's next? Seth doesn't like that Giudice is ahead of Efobi. That battle for RT is more iffy than we realized? Sam thinks they want a guy in the portal for Gentry or Persi to beat. Seth: If you're saying they Anderson we're at eight guys they trust now.
• Ohio State Spring Game: Their DL pushed their OL around so much it colors everything. QBs were throwing the ball into defenders; chests. Craig thinks their secondary is good. Seth says the offense is very Chip Kelly, they might have something with Julian Sayin down the road but he's skinny and mistake-prone right now.

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1 hour and 21 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: The Better Team Won
* Opener * Mistake Capitalization * Upgrades Necessary * Quick, Overall Takes

Segment 2: Additional Mish-Mash
* Title Game Rundown * NHL Award Race * Bat and Ball Sports * Roster Updates

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Mr. Blue" -- Catherine Feeny
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 30 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Basketball BitsStarts at 1:00

We welcome Alex Drain to talk about Indiana football. But before that, filling up the basketball roster (coaches and players). Dusty May’s hires are recruiting focused, do they get an Australian?? Guys in the portal are guys the NBA doesn’t want, hence why they’re in the portal. Mark Pope to Kentucky is interesting but it’s probably a good hire overall. Would you rather play in the G league or get paid by Duke or Kentucky? Most of Michigan’s coaches look like A- hires. Getting a guy like George Washington III is a good get because they’re probably not going to fill all 13 spots, plus he could develop in his second year. They don’t have a recruiting class right now. Vlad Goldin feels like he’s in the bag, he’s on campus this week. Tre Donaldson has multiple crystal ball predictions for Michigan. Connor Essegian would hate Wisconsin which is a good culture fit!

1. Hockey Wrap-UpStarts at 45:31
   Michigan loses to Boston College 4-0, who would then go on to lose to Denver 2-0 after the Denver goalie played the game of a lifetime. Don’t think Michigan played poorly like the Quinnipiac game last year, Boston College was just at another level. Michigan got into trouble in 4-on-4s, especially after Dylan Duke’s bad penalty. Seamus Casey probably wasn’t 100%, this was one of his worst games. Who’s back next year? The bigger question marks are on defense. Still no rumors on goalie and anyone left in the portal doesn’t have a great save percentage. Put up an NIL bat signal.

2. Previewing The Big Ten Part OneStarts at 1:20:32
   Takes hotter than Ohio State fans after losing to Oregon this year. Indiana football time! They essentially imported the whole JMU program plus a coach from Ohio. They landed four running backs from the portal, all of whom played significant snaps last year. Rutgers got a funny quarterback out of the portal. Minnesota and Rutgers like to trade their players a lot, apparently. Taulia Tagovailoa tried to get another year for no reason and didn’t get it. Maryland lost a lot and will have quite the drop off. We try to have Michigan State takes. Their defense has been hideous for years but they do return some of those guys. There are pieces on offense but the offensive line isn’t great., they’re a year zero. Penn State’s spring game had some concerning moments! Their top receiver is transferring and the shaky offensive line loses guys. Ohio State said “we’re never losing a football game again” so we’ll see if it works. Their QBs didn’t look good in the spring game. The defensive line dominated. Wisconsin hit the portal hard. Illinois' good defense is all gone.

3. Previewing The Big Ten Part TwoStarts at 2:02:19
   Northwestern has gotten one (1) guy out of the portal. They're playing on a practice field by the lake this season and that might just sum up their season. Iowa has Not Brian Ferentz as their offensive coordinator, how's that going to look? Spencer Petras is in the portal! "[Team] is playing in the Rose Bowl!" is already an old joke. Nobody got picked apart by the portal as much as Purdue. Dylan Raiola to Nebraska is exciting but it probably won't start well. There's a path to 8 wins there. Minnesota will be okay. USC is finally making an effort to play defense. Their schedule is brutal, though. It will be interesting to see UCLA without Chip Kelly, also their travel schedule is wild. Oregon is a serious football program. Washington's roster and staff has been gutted.

MUSIC:

• "Everyday Hustle" — Future and Metro Boomin
• “What a Difference She Made" — Jaylen Ngonda
• “Ready or Not”— Shakey Graves, featuring Sierra Ferrell
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Frozen Four: Battle of the Blue Bloods. Usually you're counting on single-elimination hockey to off one of the impossibly good teams but NOT THIS YEAR. BC is fully of snipers—their top four forwards are shooting 18% to 21%.
• Michigan's chances rely on controlling the puck, scoring on their cycling, and Barzo stepping up to cancel out the corners.
• Past BC it's the #1 overall pick or a Denver team full of draft picks.
• College hockey right now: draft picks will coalesce at a few bluebloods like BC, BU, Denver, Minnesota, and Michigan, but the mid-majors are filled up with overagers trying to stay in the game. Also the NHL is enamored with college hockey players, and the US development program has succeeded in keeping talent home that five years ago and beyond we were losing to Canadian Juniors. So there's as much talent and skill in college hockey now as there's been in a very long time.
• Naurauto: He's on track for the perfect roster construction, which is two lines of highly skilled early NHL picks and Quinnipiac's top line, bunch of guys who are just on the cusp of NHL ability and are thus behooved to play out their eligibility in college.
• Break: What's going on at tight end? Beetham in the portal—is that about money? Michigan doesn't seem to have an inline guy this year.
• After Break: Women's basketball gone national. You can tell it's come on because sports fans are filling the hate boxes instead of being patronizing.
• Michigan othersports: wrestling is #2 in the Big Ten (better than Iowa) and is full of transfers! We love softball, women's gymnastics has a following, debate won a national championship.
• Is there enough NIL to go around at Michigan? Probably not, because we want to compete in every sport and donors are getting fatigued. The system doesn't work for anyone except the administrators who are getting the fans to pay out the nose for everything and want to shunt NIL on them too.

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1 hour and 49 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Basketball BitsStarts at 1:00

Seth is once again the biggest dork. Will Tschetter is returning, Terrance Williams II hit the portal and declared for the NBA draft (¯\_(ツ)_/¯), and Dusty May has made some assistant coaching hires. Mike Boynton and Akeem Miskdeen have joined the staff. These moves seem like they’re recruiting focused. All three of the big three from FAU are in the portal, Nick Boyd released a big list of schools that did not have Michigan on it. Michigan should get Davis and Goldin. Have you met Louisville’s fanbase? What about the rest of Michigan’s roster? Brian gives his guess on 10-11 roster spots.

1. Football Spring Bits - DefenseStarts at 38:36As it turns out, the defense is better than the offense right now. They’re really high on Jaishawn Barham, the linebacker transfer from Maryland. Rolder is still dinged up and we don’t blame him for what happened against Ohio State. There is speculation on the CB2 chatter and why it’s more encouraging than this time last year. LB2 and CB2 should be fine. On the defensive line, TJ Guy is a guy (ahhh he did it). Etta is also encouraging. It won’t be last team’s defensive line but it should be a two deep we’re comfortable with. The last two questions are “what do we do without Rod Moore” and “who is the nickel back”?

2. Football Spring Bits - OffenseStarts at 50:20

Takes hotter than our Kickstarter. On offense, it feels like Alex Orji is simply the leader at quarterback so far. To be fair, the offensive line is probably having a bad time against this defensive line. Semaj Morgan has been getting talked up which is not surprising. Donovan Edwards has apparently gained 15 pounds (with no mention of him catching passes). Marlin Klein is being called the best athlete of the tight ends. Not really any surprises along the offensive line. Sure, some of the problems at quarterback could be the defensive line dominating the offense line but those talks could also be covering up limitations of the quarterbacks. It could all work out but for that to happen you have to run the Denard offense and win some Iowa games. What would you consider a successful season this year?

1. NCAA Hockey Tournament Starts at 1:19:48Michigan hockey reaches the frozen four for the third consecutive year. Michigan scores three in the 3rd period after North Dakota was arguably the better team in the first two periods. This is the opposite of what the season narrative has been. Of teams that have made the frozen four historically, the numbers one, two, three, and six are in. This is the bluest of blue bloods frozen four. Denver is 100 duck sized horses. Boston College has snipers, can’t get into a shooting match with them.

MUSIC:

• "Miracles" — Alex G
• “Time Waits For No One" — The Rolling Stones
• “Will I See You Again”— Three Sacred Souls
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Dusty May's new staff: got himself a D guy and a recruiter.
• Good sign that he's addressing his first perceived weaknesses, bodes well for gathering the best players from FAU and bringing Khani Rooths back.
• Akeem Miskdeen: Like Dusty May, nobody has a bad word to say.
• Rebuilding a basketball roster: Feels confident they can get Davis and Goldin and others from FAU, adding Miskdeen gets them in the market for the Oklahoma State guys in the portal and Rooths, whom Miskdeen was recruiting to Georgia. Also after Yale's stretch C, Wolf. All of these guys are grad transfers or Yale. Say yes to a proven Big Ten player who's got a chip on his shoulder in Essegian, even if he's not a perfect fit for May's offense. Can add pieces from FAU's class to get some Zak & Stu types.
• Will they come? They all like May enough that they didn't leave FAU after going to the Final Four. Trey Townsend (Oakland) probably goes to MSU, isn't much of a fit because he's not a perimeter guy (35% but on just a handful of attempts from the arc).
• Will the NIL be right? Michigan won't commit the same mistakes again.
• Hockey: Two of the best third periods in program history. Has this been a turnaround in focus or in luck? Kind of both, but also Marshall Warren has come on, and now they're getting good shifts from everyone down the roster.
• The Michigan 2.0: GuloGulo reminded us Nazar did the same in his first game.
• Now we just need the most iconic fight in college hockey history to have the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.
• Ira: Most satisfying playoff win? Seth & Brian: Hell no! [both start naming bangers at Yost].
• Seth: I don't hate MSU hockey fans. Brian: You must have a short memory. But rivalry doesn't feel hateful right now because MSU was so bad.
• Can they win the Frozen Four? They're facing the three best one seeds after knocking off #4 and #5 in the country, have a puncher's chance but the Boston schools are loaded to the gills with NHL prospects and Denver is Denver. Twenty percent? Will take it.

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1 hour and 53 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Epic Showdown

• Opener
• Blitzed and Overpassing
• Puck Luck For All
• Best Period of the Season?

Segment 2: MSU Volume #6

• Power Plays?!
• Rushes and Even Play
• Actual Best Period of the Season
• Tournament Wrap-Up and Notes

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Seven Nation Army - Glitch Mob Remix" -- The White Stripes, The Glitch Mob
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 11 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Whatever That Was

• Opener
• Early Dominance
• Whatever That Call Was
• Goaltending and Other Oddities

Segment 2: NCAA Tournament Preview

• North Dakota Fighting Not Sioux
• MSU again?? Maybe Western.
• The Other Regionals
• Final Thoughts and Takeaways

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "I Don't Wanna Talk" -- Glass Animals
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 58 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. The Hiring of Dusty MayStarts at 1:00

Brian let Seth out of his basement where he works on the UFRs so he’s off exploring the world somewhere (France). Michigan hired Dusty May as the 18th head men’s basketball coach, and the news was dropped in the middle of a hockey championship game. The rumor was that John Beilein played a big part in getting May. Good job, Warde Manuel! This hire was sniped from Louisville, who thought they could hire him this weekend. Whatever happened to Louisville? Dusty May really turned around Florida Atlantic basketball, which was basically a non-existent program before Dusty. He’s had a great track record everywhere he’s been. Dusty May is able to keep his players, even after a Final Four run.

1. Basketball - Looking Forward to Next YearStarts at 29:58
   What makes Dusty May appealing as a coach? He seems to be really well liked. His teams shoot a lot of 3s and they shoot them pretty well. There are a lot of Beilein parallels. Who comes back? Who do you try and get? Johnell Davis is his star and has a year remaining. Bryan Greenlee and Vladislav Goldin are the other two starters who could come over as grad transfers. Does Dusty bring over his coaching staff and do you retain any of the coaching staff from an 8-24 team? Who do you want to keep from last season’s roster? We’re completely happy with the hire but there isn’t a statistic that pops out consistently every year (except defensive assist rate). Expectations for next year are very low, fill a roster with guys you can build a program from. He’s going to have to hit the portal pretty hard.

2. Football BitsStarts at 1:07:05

Wink Martindale’s contract makes him the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football. When’s the last time you saw a long-term NFL coordinator jump back to college? Greg Scruggs has resigned and the guy to keep an eye on now is Terrance Jamison from Illinois. DJ Waller and Jyaire Hill are the two names that popped up during Sherrone Moore’s press conference as looking impressive so far. It might be Jack Tuttle as the spring front runner at QB until someone comes in and takes it. Don’t take too much stock into his Indiana career. Michigan has lost good receivers over the last three recruiting cycles, they need to get some more guys. Will Michigan pass more under Sherrone Moore? Probably not. Cam Goode was not on scholarship, he was on NIL all last season. The era of scholarship limits is over!

1. NCAA Hockey Tournament Starts at 1:31:49

Michigan hockey is a #3 seed and gets to play in an empty stadium in Maryland Heights, Missouri! They get North Dakota in the first game and are in an overall manageable draw. North Dakota's goalie seems like a guy. Michigan loses in OT to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game and Michigan State's game-tying goal might be the worst call we've ever seen. Michigan had a waved off goal that was also questionable. We've seen Michigan State many times, we're ok with drawing them as the #1 seed. When can we see the end of the tournament format of playing in empty neutral sites? The game is Friday at 8:30 on ESPNU.

MUSIC:

• "Mayday" — Home Free
• “Rum And Coca Cola" — The Andrews Sisters
• “Ready to Go”— Republica
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Favorite basketball candidates. Craig has some off-the-wall ideas (Cornell's HC, Eli Brooks) but we have four we're mostly focused on, plus a pipe dream. Lavall Jordan: no, but floated the idea (Sam's) of Beilein doing a year with Lavall as AHC. Seth: don't like that. Let's get a coach in and start building a program, because that's a long-term deal.
• The four gettables (in probable order):
  • May: We may be competing with L'ville? Downside is you'd like to see it go longer.
  • Nedved: Seth & Brian like. Efficient from 2 vs Virginia: that's coaching.
  • Devries: Comes with his best player (his son). Has been doing more with less a long time.
  • Abdur-Rahim. Think he's an interesting idea, but after Devries, which is the "You can get that guy" line.
• McDermott? Sam thinks you kick the tires, make him say no. Seth & Brian: Okay, and then he'll say no. But maybe not says Sam.
• A fifth: Jerome Tang.
• Our brackets: Seth likes Creighton, Brian thinks Purdue breaks through (that's what happens when you lose to a 16 seed right?), Sam hasn't made his picks yet, Craig believes in McNeese State.

View Details

1 hour and 5 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Owning the Gophers

• Opener
• Not CLOSE Enough
• Turning the Game
• Adding Another and Finishing the Game

Segment 2: Scores, Pairwise, Conference Tournaments, and MSU Preview

• Old Friends and Around the League
• Pairwise Talk with Alex
• Conference Tournament Talk
• All for Munn and Munn for All

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "How Far We've Come" -- Matchbox Twenty
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 41 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Looking Back on the Juwan Howard EraStarts at 1:00

It’s coachin’ search time, baby. Time for Warde Manuel to finally make a decision (unless it’s Beilein). One last look back at the Juwan Howard era. He came in with a good Beilein roster and brought in Franz Wagner. It felt like a seamless transition but then after that he just didn’t have a wing on his roster. Juwan was finding guys who were already shaped for the NBA and not having them prove anything. He also couldn’t play the portal well, it feels like he was too used to managing NBA rosters. It’s not a zero tolerance policy if you keep having incidents happen.

1. The Basketball Coaching SearchStarts at 27:30
   Greg McDermott (Creighton), Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s), Nate Oats (Alabama), and Tony Bennett (NTTB, Virginia) are off the table. John Beilein has been brought up but it feels like a pipe dream. He’s older and not familiar with the NIL era. Shaka Smart probably won’t be interested because football is king at Michigan. Is Michigan a better gig than Marquette? Richard Pitino Jr - needs a better resume than what he did at Minnesota. Brian’s guy is Niko Medved out of Colorado State who has improved the Rams tremendously. He can find weird guys from weird places under the radar and he coaches them up. Also, everyone seems to like him. Darian DeVries (Drake) is a candidate who coached under Medved. His teams seem to be really well coached but are short (they can avoid turnovers and can’t offensive rebound at all but can maniacally clean up their own glass). Dusty May at Florida Atlantic reached the Final Four last year and had a Kenpom top 20 team. This is his 6th year as a college coach but only the second where his team has been good. Amir Abdur-Rahim at South Florida built Kennesaw State from a one win team to a tournament team. Mark Pope of BYU has had top 20 Kenpom teams in three of the five years he’s been at BYU.

2. Hockey at Minnesota - BTT SemifinalsStarts at 1:02:25

Michigan beats Minnesota for the third straight year in the Big Ten Tournament at Mariucci. This will lock up an NCAA Tournament bid and now they play Michigan State in East Lansing for their third straight Big Ten Tournament title. This was probably Michigan’s most complete game of the season. The second period was extremely dominant but felt like they should’ve scored more. Michigan is 1-3 against MSU so far this year after winning their first game 7-1. They’ll likely be a 3 seed. Do you or do you not want to draw Denver?

1. Latest Football BitsStarts at 1:27:33
   Hey, did you hear Michigan sniped Tony Alford from Ohio State? What if he hates Ryan Day more than Michigan?? Who knows. This is a good sign that people want to work for Sherrone Moore. Wink Martindale is learning a lot about the defense from Rod Moore, so maybe the Mike Sainristil effect won’t be as big as we thought. Newly hired defensive line coach Greg Scruggs got an OWI, which was not his first. He’s been suspended indefinitely. Spring football starts today!

MUSIC:

• "Fancy" — Drake
• “If You Don't Want My Love" — Jalen Ngonda
• “Gettin' to the Point”— Panda Bear and Sonic Boom
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Tony Alford: What does it say about Ohio State? Ryan Day's program might have a culture problem. If he loses to Michigan [they get to play one or two more times but] he's out, right?
• Seth checks OSU's schedule; somehow they got just @Oregon and vs PSU out of the Big Ten powers, so yeah, he could get to Michigan unscathed.
• You'd think Alford wouldn't be worried about job prospects if Day is fired; he pulled the ripcord early, which means there's something making being the RB coach under Ryan Day/Chip Kelly intolerable. Brian: Could be the offense doesn't let the RBs do their thing.
• Tony Alford: What does it say about Sherrone Moore? Guys wanna come work for him. Sam: They lost Adegoke because it got leaked so they kept this one quiet. Brian: That speaks to Moore's organization that they got the background checks and everything done.
• Seth: Taking a coach 2 practices into spring is bigger than getting their signs because by this point they have a plan, and they've already started talking about what they're doing for The Game.
• Sherrone: Good early signs. Had a competent assistants process, has a plan with recruiting, prevented Martindale from using up a staff spot. Making big baller moves, like how Harbaugh came in with satellite camps, etc.
• Losing Hart: Plenty. He was a great RB coach, a great judge of talent, and a great Michigan player.
• Seth: This exposes OSU culture issues. The Mattison comp: Matty got a title bump and $600k raise, but money can't buy the kind of Jerry Hanlon love he gave up to go to OSU, so there had to be something else. It turned out that something else was Don Brown was a Buddy Ryan, and as much as we love Brown it was a sign that Michigan needed a culture change.
• Quinten Johnson: not a small deal. Good NIL (more valuable to college than pros), great for Michigan, not a replacement for Sabb but does allow them to maybe start Q-Jo and try Moore at nickel, which can ameliorate the loss of Mike Sainristil, who was the QB of the defense at nickel.
• Wink Defense: Need to stop overplaying the differences between him and Minter, because Giants defense had more plays than any other NFL team inside their own 40, also once you have Jyaire Hill ready to go you can play a lot more man.
• Break: Sam mentions more guys who wanted to come work for Sherrone.
• Wink: You guys are doing stuff I wasn't even doing with the Giants. Brian: That's the Mikey Factor.
• Pernell McPhee for support staff: Pahokee guy that Rich Rod wanted, Ravens guy under Mike Macdonald who can step into LB job in the future.
• Lionel Stokes: Defensive analyst who worked with Morgan at Louisiana, been a DC and DB coach at Jackson State, gonna have big shoes to fill from Mallory.

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1 hour and 26 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Close Game #1

• Opener
• Dominance
• Wooooof
• Thank You, Major

Segment 2: Close Game #2

• Even Steven
• Winning the Game and Holding On To It
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Do We Only Play Two Teams?

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Not Dead Yet" -- Lord Huron
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 59 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. The State of College FootballStarts at 1:00

We are uh. We are out of content (still managed to record a two hour podcast). With regards to Ben Franklin's sex life. Craig Ross turns 3,008, wish him a happy birthday (still hasn’t seen a worse Michigan men’s basketball team). The Big Ten and SEC got together for a working group and the thing they were working on was screwing the rest of college football. They already want a 14 team playoff with auto bids. What would be different about college football right now if Dave Brandon was in charge? Nothing. College football is great for reasons that the people who only care about money could never understand. Adding Maryland and Rutgers was the beginning of the end, Brian is going to dance on Jim Delaney’s grave. What can you even do about it besides complain about it on podcasts.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Big Ten Hockey Tournament vs Notre DameStarts at 23:41

They didn’t make it easy but Michigan hockey sweeps Notre Dame in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Nobody played better than Notre Dame’s goalie, despite giving up nine goals. Notre Dame is 10-1 in games where they only score three goals, they can’t score but the goalie keeps them in games. Was it an icing? No. Another week, another discussion of the terrible major calls. The Ohio State vs Wisconsin game determines whether Michigan plays in East Lansing or Minneapolis (Michigan will play in Minneapolis). Michigan is at their ceiling in terms of RPI (#10), but the gap between them and 14 is very small. According to Alex, Michigan is a 99%+ chance to make the NCAA tournament, so they’ve basically punched their ticket. Who stays and who goes after the season? Make Brian an NHL GM, he plays Football Manager and won the championship in the Turkish league.

1. Warde Manuel and JuwanStarts at 1:03:22

Takes hotter than Warde Manuel's seat if he retains Juwan Howard. Warde Manuel has become controversial amongst Michigan fans, and by controversial we mean everyone wants to fire him except Santa Ono. What is Warde doing if he wants to keep Juwan around? Seth has been told that Warde Manuel has repaired Michigan’s relationships with the NCAA and Big Ten, Brian has curled himself into a ball and crawled under Walter White’s floor and is laughing maniacally. R.I.P. paper tickets. If he doesn’t get rid of Juwan Howard, what is actually going on? There are a lot of Fargo references in this podcast. Warde is the head of the college football committee in charge of the worst college football playoff we’ve ever seen.

1. Gimmicky Top Five - Non-Michigan FandomsStarts at 01:29:22
   Five non-Michigan things we are fans of. Oh no, how many of us are just fair weather Detroit fans? The National Parks are good and you should go but not when I go because they’re overcrowded now! Brian does not hate National Parks, why would you think that? Who is the bigger dork, Seth or Brian? Shout out to Lindsay Ellis, the Brian Cook of film theory and why The Hobbit Trilogy is bad. Brian turns down a $1300/month murder basement.

MUSIC:

• "Gen X Cops" — Vampire Weekend
• “Midwest" — Vacations
• “Forget Everything”— BEL
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• NCAA no longer regulating NIL: Brave New World? Ha. Maybe for Michigan. Sam has us make our case, which is the same we've been making forever. Craig worries about a Texas A&M situation, Seth & Brian push back hard.
• How should Michigan do it? Supplement what they're doing now but don't lose THEIR guys because of money. Bryce Underwood is the classic example.
• Schools can't afford to keep paying what they're paying out right now. Michigan included.
• Warde Manuel: Absolutely wrong guy to show leadership. One thing he's doing is he's the leader of the CFP committee that's coming up with a 14-team disaster that's just the B10 and SEC forcing autobids for $$$.
• Brian: Anyone who's an administrator at a college is expendable; teachers are not.
• Sam: Time to get the collectives in on Bryce Underwood.
• Sam: Trust me, Sabb didn't leave Michigan for money; he woulda had a Benz here too.
• Seth: I'm bored by Sabb talk; we lost our 3rd safety to starting at Alabama. That doesn't mean there's a problem it means we had the best three safeties in America and football has two starting safeties.
• Juwan Howard: Probably not getting fired until Warde Manuel is (everyone: so fire Warde!)
• Who you hiring? Brian: McDermott (Creighton)->Shaka->TJ Otzelberger (ISU)->Mark Pope. Craig: Will Wade (all: !!???!!!)->Otzelberger (good defense!)->Anthony Grant (Dayton, fun offense)->Lamont Paris (SCar)->Mark Byington (JMU). Seth: Nate Oats->Fred Hoiberg->Darian DeVries.
• Sam: Talk to me about Nate, but Bama has been supporting him well, and then you have Brandon Miller/Darius Miles in proximity to a murder. The other thing—put a hand on a player on the court—seems like nothing.
• Seth/Brian: Details of the murder are important; the Missouri thing doesn't move the needle.

View Details

1 hour and 20 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Friday Flop

• Opener
• Sloppy Even Period
• Penalty Period
• Pointless Period

Segment 2: Saturday Roller Coaster

• The First Two Periods
• The Rest of the Game
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Oh No, You Again?

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Gopher Mambo - Remastered 2009" -- Billy May, Gozzo, Yma Sumac, The Rico Mamba Orchestra
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 47 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Updated State of the Basketball Program and NFL Draft StuffStarts at 1:00

We’re not going to talk about basketball, but this is mostly a basketball segment. Discussing Sanderson’s departure from the program from Sanderson’s perspective. It’s unbelievable that Juwan didn’t get fired for this. Basketball standings are the Big Ten West’s revenge. There’s no reason to believe that Michigan will be good next year, teams that mainly use the portal have not been that great and Michigan probably won’t even fill the roster. This is year five, that’s on Juwan. If Juwan is retained, add it to the list of Warde Manual bag fumbles. Apparently Warde is good with speaking to people and managing non-revenue sports. Has he even had to make a hire in major sport? Sherrone Moore and Naurato were a given. Warde likes to just sit around and wait for whatever happens to happen. Even Graig Ross says this is one of the worst teams since he was in school. If Juwan gets fired it won’t be until the end of the season.

Do you enjoy watching the Combine? Dave does, Brian does not. The NFL draft will be fun to watch this year because there will be a lot of Michigan players getting drafted and every time they do there will be a lot of highlights of Ohio State getting dunked on. Mike Sainristil knew Washington’s plays because Mike Sainristil is football smart. It was Mikey all along!! According to scouts, all of Michigan’s offensive linemen are two years ahead of everyone else in terms of maturity. Cornelius Johnson tested out amazingly. He didn’t get a ton of targets but he bailed out JJ a lot, and that skill set will translate to the NFL. Blake Corum changed his skill set from speed back to inside guy based on what the team needed.

1. 2024 Defensive Line and 2024 LinebackersStarts at 31:56

The defense only lost Keon Sabb to the portal, they look just as loaded this year as last year but without the ability to roll out nine defensive linemen. This should be Derrick Moore’s blowup year. Josiah Stewart came on in a big way after struggling a bit the first half of the season. Is it time for TJ Guy to get some serious snaps? Will he become “TJ Dude”?? Brian’s head almost explodes trying to talk about the defensive tackles. Mason Graham will be the best defensive tackle in the country and should be a 99 in NCAA 25. And then the other guy is KENNETH GRANT. Trey Pierce looked fine as a true freshman but not much you can tell about him yet. It should be the best defensive line in the country, just need 3rd string depth. Linebackers lose Barrett and Colson and is a little more up inI the air. Hausmann was a good rotational piece, Rolder looked like a player as a true freshman but was rough against Ohio State. Jaishawn Barham comes in from Maryland and is a good run stuffer. These three are the makings of a good linebacker corps.

1. Hot Takes and 2024 SecondaryStarts at 54:48

Takes hotter than JJ McCarthy's draft stock. Will Johnson will be the highest graded player in NCAA 25 (unless you use The Seth Roster, then it will be Mason Graham). He’ll basically be Charles Woodson. The safeties look stacked and apparently Michigan is looking to get Quinten Johnson back. Makari Paige started in 2020, Rod Moore started in 2021, they’ll be fine. Once again, the biggest question mark is the second cornerback. Also for as amazing as Mike Sainristil was, we might still be underrating him because he was the glue. Whoever you insert at the second corner spot is going to be the least experienced corner on the field and they’ll be replacing the most experienced corner in Josh Wallace. Will they go to the post spring roster and pick up another corner again? They’ll still be one of the best defenses in America. Martindale will be a drop off because Minter was running coverages Marvin Harrison had never seen before but it shouldn’t be a major drop off. Seth is Brian’s Mike Hart. It’s an Alex Drain-ass coaching staff (Alex if you’re reading this, Brian’s words. Not mine).

1. Hockey at MinnesotaStarts at 1:29:36

Michigan splits with Minnesota but there's chaos on the college hockey bubble. Michigan moves up from 14th to 13 in Pairwise and Pairwise Predictor has them at 69% in. In game 2, Michigan goes up 3-0 in the first period and ends up winning in OT. Michigan's goalie looked great in the first two periods of this game but gave up 5 goals in the 3rd. When things start to go wrong, everything spirals out of control. Is this team on par for what we expected them to be this year? Kind of.

MUSIC:

• "Higher" cover — Randy and Jason Sklar
• “It Was Agatha All Along" — Kristen-Anderson Lopez
• “Rich Baby Daddy”— Drake, Sexyy Red, SZA
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

We lost a friend yesterday. Craig did a lot for us. They have a GoFundMe set up to help support his wife and son.

Things Discussed:

• Michigan at the Combine: People who watch the games love the Michigan guys; stats people don't.
• JJ looks like a first rounder. If (Will Johnson: "when") Sainristil runs under 4.5 he's going to move up too. Lions love having this program down the road because they draft on personality, and they know they can trust the guys who come out of this program are their kinds of guys. Also they can get in all these extra meetings.
• Everybody's moved up: Wilson blew up at the senior bowl, Keegan's moving up, Zinter's leg is in better shape, Sainristil, McCarthy, Corum…
• JJ vs other QBs: Williams seemed to wilt when his team did; you know JJ isn't built that way. Seth: Bust factor for QBs has as much to do with which franchise drafts you and how they bring you along.
• Portal closed: Sabb was a loss but Michigan is virtually intact from the departure of Jim Harbaugh; well done Sherrone and staff.
• QB competition update, Sam says Orji is the leader—he has to have the passing accuracy—but there's not going to be a lock until the portal closes. Denegal most improved. Seth: Leak/Tebow set up. Plan is redshirt Jadyn Davis (he and coaches both have this plan), Davis Warren was hurt but seems out of the conversation?
• WR: They need to get size in the portal. Don't sleep on Tyler Morris.
• Who's your best lineup? It's Edwards and Mullings and Loveland on the field.
• Hockey: Pythagorean W/L shows they're a good team, but they've struggled to finish weekends. Swept ND put them in 14th, which is minimum to get in the Tournament. Need a good weekend in Minnesota to get in as an at-large; if they win Friday and get more points than Minnesota on Saturday they move past them in B10 standings and get Penn State in the BTT. Bad weekend and they need to get to the championship round of the BTT.
• Reasons? Transition to Naurato damaged recruiting, injuries, lost their goalie to MSU hiring the goalie's dude.
• Officiating has been a big part of the story. Lost Hallum for the year and McGroarty for a long time on non-called penalties. Uncanny calls were the only thing keeping ND in Saturday's game. It is appalling how this team has been officiated, and it's a big reason they're in the place they are.
• Football defensive staff? Michigan is taking their time with background checks. After Stalions, Shemy, Shoop, Weiss…

(RIP) Speaking of RIP, * Craig Roh: Was a big reason we had anything to cheer about in the years between the titles. See GoFundMe above.

View Details

1 hour and 19 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Friday Shutout

• Opener
• Gift from Bischel
• Special Teams Goals
• Jake's Shutout

Segment 2: Saturday Drama

• A More Defensive Affair
• Marshall Warren and the Defense
• Old Friends and Around the League
• A Trip to Gopherland

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Another Irish Drinking Song" -- Da Vinci's Notebook
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things Discussed:

• NCAA as Romanovs? How to talk to your kids about systems of government.
• How to fix the NCAA: Gonna need contracts and collective bargaining, but the NCAA should be at the point now where they realize they'll get more negotiating with the players than getting sued by them.
• Transfers should NOT be open. You're devaluing education, which is still the best thing the schools have to offer.
• Keon Sabb: hurts, but get that Bama was able to sell him a bill of goods on playing time.
• Defense: Find a 2nd corner, McBurrows at nickel, gonna miss Sainristil lining everybody up and running their complex coverages, but Rod Moore knows his stuff.
• Offense: Who's going to be the quarterback? Denegal talk. Seth: You need accuracy with these receivers, because you're taking advantage of the space you get from Tyler Morris or Donovan Edwards—no jump-ballers on the roster.
• Basketball: Juwan will get another year, has to start building like Purdue not Calipari.

View Details

1 hour and 5 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Friday Win

• Opener
• The First Minute/Period
• The Rest of the Game
• The Escape

Segment 2: Saturday Loss

• A Very Different Game
• It's Always Something
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Notre Dame is Coming to Yost...Greaaaaaaaaat

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Rusty Cage" -- Johnny Cash
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 44 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. The Final Coaching StaffStarts at 1:00

Jack Tuttle has been approved for a 7th year, does this incentivize you to switch over your offense since he's so different from Orji? Whoever the quarterback is, they just need to have a Cade McNamara year. Sabb hitting the portal is sad. The coaching staff is final (other than what's up with Mike Hart). The average age of this coaching staff is too close to Alex Drain. The Tennessee message boards are like "RHWRRRGHREWRGRR". Things seem to be moving positively on the NIL front with Sherrone Moore in charge. Michigan is losing assistants at a higher rate because if you succeed at Michigan you go to the NFL.

1. Legal Talk With Bryan MacKenzie! (Part one)Starts at 27:12

We discuss the myriad legal issues facing the NCAA. Tennessee, the university and state, are sticking it to the NCAA asserting that NIL restrictions are anti-trust and cannot be legal. The NCAA has said that you can talk about NIL but you cannot use it as an incentive. What? When was the last time the NCAA even won a lawsuit?? The NCAA is potentially facing a $4 billion lawsuit, how do you calculate that and does it bankrupt the NCAA or do schools have to pay for it?

1. Hot Takes and Legal Talk! (Part Two)Starts at 41:31

Takes hotter than Travis Kelce in the first half of the Super Bowl when he was yelling at Andy Reid. Dartmouth men's basketball (yes it exists) is leading one of the charges. At private schools, we could be approaching athletes being employees with the ability to collectively bargain. There are 11,000 division I football players and 5,000 division I basketball players, how do you account for all of that under the tent? Signing a contract could help solve the transfer portal issues and sitting out bowl games. The NCAA is so paranoid about people being employees that they're hurting their own product. Legally, you may have to show your athletes as minimum-wage employees, can you show that with scholarships? Moving forward, how does the NCAA show a distinction between professional and amateur athletes? What should the final play be? We have no idea.

1. Hockey vs Penn StateStarts at 1:21:32

Hockey splits with Penn State which is not good, Michigan is slipping off of the bubble. The Friday game, Michigan won in the 1st period. The second game was extremely un-inspiring. They're running out of centers. Michigan has to be able to out-score their mistakes and they just don't have that right now. Michigan has a hero-line and it's getting held up and are gassed by the 3rd period. The inconsistency of major penalties in Big Ten hockey is ridiculous.

MUSIC:

• “Sinner”— The Last Dinner Party
• “Bottled in Cork" — Ted Low and the Pharmacists
• “Rock.co.Kane flow”— de la Soul featuring MF Doom
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• The coaching staff is finally all younger than Brian (this happened sometime in the Bronze Age; he was looking around like "I thought stone tools were fine, but okay I guess we're all going into this mining business.")
• Clink: It wasn't about the money; he needed to be the DC, and Sherrone needed experience. If he was only staying for the buyout it wasn't going to be great for either party.
• We're going with guys who watched the Usher performance at the Super Bowl and didn't recognize any of the songs.
• Stephen Adegoke: Rising star. Getting a Mo Linguist a little earlier than we got Mo, but need to worry that an NFL team will come for him in a year or two. Guy is 28. Was a Michigan GA in 2021, NFL position coach in three years. Jesse Minter trajectory. Ryan doesn't want to let him go. When's the last time an OSU coach left for a better job?
• Losses to coaching changes despite NCAA rule that allows your team to get raided in these situations: Amorion Walker (Ole Miss NIL), Jalen Smith (literally every coach he knew is gone), and normal attrition.
• Casula: Great recruiter, needs to answer for his offensive analyst job in 2019, because Gattis was terrible.
• NIL: Sea change. Michigan's new partnerships and hiring GMs for the football program and an NIL GM for Athletics are going to ward off the poaching efforts. Could have done it earlier and maybe kept JJ.
• Saw how Alabama's roster got raided, and they had to hold off on announcing the Seahawks had hired away their OL coach and OC until their portal had closed—Michigan hasn't had that.
• Huge impact. You hear what Bryce Underwood is making ($3M) per year at LSU and think what will someone pay for a one-year rental on a DT who changes the entire shape of your defense?
• Michigan's NIL program can now show recruits they'll have sustainability. ROI for the investors too.
• Why are our donors different? Because they're not money-launderers.
• Basketba—oops we're out of time.

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1 hour and 7 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Great Game, Same 3rd Period

• Opener
• Back and Forth
• The Next Shift
• Third Period Meltdown

Segment 2: Lather, Rinse, Repeat

• Tight Game
• Too Many DZTOs, again
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Are the Lions Asleep in Hockey Valley?

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "When Everything Went Wrong" -- Fantastic Negrito
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 44 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Coaches and VibesStarts at 1:00

Some of us would like to continue basking in the glory of the national championship and some (Brian) acknowledge that we must move on and start looking into the next season. There have already been some coaching changes since the last podcast. Wink Martindale's defense isn't that different from the Ravens defense (and it is not the Don Brown defense). Defensive line will still be elite, the big question is depth. Michigan's got too many safeties and not enough corners, move some? It's looking like Greg Scruggs, the Wisconsin defensive line coach, will be coming over. Linebackers coach positions is fuzzy. A lot of Michigan's offensive philosophy was probably coming from Sherrone Moore and Kirk Campbell so having that continuity is huge. Sherrone is helping tremendously at keep the team and culture together.

1. 2024 Offense Part 1Starts at 28:41

Who is the quarterback and what is the philosophy of this offense? Between Kalel Mullings, Donovan Edwards, Semaj Morgan, Colston Loveland, Max Bredeson, and Tyler Morris, there's a lot coming back to play with. How do you pass the ball with Alex Orji at quarterback and what is the run/pass split? If not Alex Orji at quarterback, then who? Even though they turn over the entire offensive line, the backups are upper classmen so it might be a Wisconsin situation where it's just the next line up.

1. Hot Takes and 2024 Offense Part 2Starts at 47:58

Takes hotter than Keisei Tominaga (and that's the only mention of basketball on this podcast). If you want continuity with the offense, do you make Kalel Mullings RB1? How much should Donovan Edwards motion out as a receiver? What are the alternatives at QB if you go with Alex Orji and it doesn't work out? Jayden Denegal is probably the floor and he's Wilton Speight. Making a case for why the offensive line will be good again, ideally Andrew Gentry is the left tackle. Tyler Morris will be a good WR2 (behind whoever they motion out between Donovan Edwards or Colston Loveland).

1. Hockey vs Michigan StateStarts at 1:29:51

Michigan has a sad hockey weekend and gets swept by Michigan State, losing the Iron D. These teams played fairly evenly but Michigan State has a goalie that can bail them out and Michigan doesn't. Michigan needs to be able to out-score their mistakes but they can't right now. Michigan basketball exists, goodbye!

MUSIC:

• “Olivia”— Wolves of Glendale
• “Flamingos - CARRTOONS"
• “City Slicker”— Ginger Root
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Clink back! Outbid Harbaugh.
• Wink Martindale: If you want a Ravens guy he invented the Amoeba. He's not young and not gonna stick around, but he holds this team together, and when he leaves he might have Clinkscale ready to take over, which he isn't now.
• Matters if he's going to take one or two jobs (IE bring his guy) on staff because they need some recruiting juice if he's going to be a Mike Macdonald-level recruiter.
• Lee Aaliya: This should be the last straw for the NCAA. NCAA strung him along for five then came up with ridiculous demands: wanted an 18-year-old to have all of his grocery receipts and pay $15,000 (was it $1500?). Jamal Crawford, Mitch McGary: The NCAA is preventing kids who want to come to Michigan FOR THE EDUCATION from coming here, and it's hard at this point not to believe it's out of hatred for Michigan. Michigan should have signed him and dared the NCAA to come after them.
• NCAA vs Everybody: Dartmouth ruling will either stick if Dems retain White House, or get overturned by federal NLRB if Reps do, because of the party differences on unions (Craig: and grift!).
• Expect to see some legislation in the near future in Southern states that protect the donors who were paying kids under the table for all these years, because they have some big tax liabilities.

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1 hour and 3 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Ctrl C, Ctrl V: Friday

• Opener
• Tyler's Statement
• See Saw Second Period
• Holding It Down

Segment 2: Brand New Saturday Night

• Setting the Tone
• Bounce back and Extension
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Home and Not Joe

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Soldier, Poet, King" -- The Oh Hellos
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 30 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast, and introducing Champions Circle, the NIL fund keeping our team together.

1. Sherrone Moore and the Coaching StaffStarts at 1:00

Sherrone is rounding out his staff - Kirk Campbell is the offensive coordinator, Grant Newsome is the offensive line coach, and Steve Casula is the tight ends coach. We're projecting that Ron Bellamy and Mike Hart are returning (Mike Hart's absence from certain events were just him going through some personal stuff, per Sam Webb). It looks like Mike Elston and Steve Clinkscale are back so far. There's a linebacker and defensive coordinator spot open (the 3rd Ravens guy is off the board). If they bring in long-tenured NFL guys, can they recruit? Could Michigan start pulling coaches from two NFL franchises moving forward?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Hockey vs Ohio StateStarts at 23:27

Michigan swept Ohio State, just like football as you might recall, but Ohio State is pretty bad at hockey this year. The Friday game felt like one that could fall apart but they came up ahead. The Saturday game felt like Michigan was on the doorstep and just had to finish it. They're looking like they're rounding into a tournament team, especially with their World Juniors guys back. Michigan was finally on the other side of five minute majors!

1. Hot Takes and... State of the Basketball ProgramStarts at 49:34

Takes hotter than Rutgers basketball with five minutes left in a basketball game against Michigan. Rutgers went on a 37-12 run to end the game, and Rutgers has one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten. What is going on in the locker room? What is the culture of this team and who's even in charge of what? It's year five but there are only two guards on the roster and two open roster spots. There's no reason to retain Juwan.

1. Just Naming GuysStarts at 1:16:15

No, really. They're just naming guys. It was this or another basketball segment. Seth's story about a football player with magic powers was critiqued by a Michigan football player. The Commissioner of this segment had to step in to vacate a #2 guy. Leave five guys in the comments (as in Michigan football players, not the food).

MUSIC:

• “Just Like Football”— Brothers Keep
• “My Heart Will Go On - Bad Recorder Cover"
• “GUY.exe”— Superfruit
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Lost Herbert: Recruiting against Jim is tough.
• DC: Zach Orr has a couple of NFL opportunities now so figuring that out will be the most important thing.
• Concerned that this administration is going to Bennie Oosterbaan Sherrone Moore's program. Needs to not just support but lead the transition to a new version of the college football landscape.
• Beefing up recruiting department: can criticize Jim Harbaugh here because he spent recruiting jobs on hires like Stalions and Shemy.
• Sherrone going hard for ND's Chad Bowden. Fended off Harbaugh for Grant Newsome, fighting for Elston.
• Warde: His "transformational not transactional" interview was the end for us; he's not the guy for the future. Transactional means fair; when you say you don't want that you're saying you don't want the players getting a fair deal.
• Michigan's culture doesn't have to be these 1930s ideas. Hunter Dickinson would be here if we had this working right.
• There's more in the tank: Michigan's Athletics department doesn't need to be taking money for naming buildings.
• NCAA dysfunction has to be part of this. We should be leading the way towards fixing the system, not pretending the old system still works. Players don't benefit from everyone being a free agent because it makes them all replaceable. That system sucks for everybody because there's no investment in the players, there's less time to get to know your system, and nobody's getting an education.
• Right now we're hanging onto a system that's already dead, falling into a terrible oligarchic system. System should be one that forces the universities to be stuck with the players they get, because it makes them responsible for the player's education and development. Right now the NCAA is antithetical to the higher ideal the NCAA was set up.
• Seth: communist economies—that's what the NCAA model is—require a black market. The cheating is part of the system.
• What we're seeing is the fall of that system, and what Michigan should be doing is leading the way to a new system.
• How? Pay our players to be in a Super Bowl commercial advocating for a player's union, which we start here.
• Seth & Brian argue whether the history of Oosterbaan/1950s is relevant today.

View Details

1 hour and 4 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Ctrl C, Ctrl V: Friday

• Opener
• An Early Goal
• Building the Lead
• Finishing the Game

Segment 2: Ctrl C, Ctrl V: Saturday

• Cocaine First Period
• Obtaining and Blowing Leads
• Old Friends and Around the League
• A Trip to Columbus

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Welcome to Janesville" -- Smoking Popes
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

4 hours and 26 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast.

1. Weird Jim Harbaugh Era HighlightsStarts at 1:00

There was too much to remember, so we crowd sourced. Sleepovers, satellite camps, the pope, and fun recruiting shenanigans. The Harbaugh era kind of starts and ends with Lou Holtz. There was a lot of diving into pools while fully dressed. People who cover the pope have been watching to see if he ever wears the Jordans that Jim gifted him. Don't drink out of the public fountains in Rome. You ever just grab a handful of meatballs? Character growth arc - Jim Harbaugh and chickens. He told a Peruvian Catholic priest "I'm in the Notre Dame ass-kicking business." Never forget "the white board", what's your favorite quote from it? He's directed traffic for hours. Jim Harbaugh war dad. Alejandro continues to be a real go-getter. Make sure you swipe Freddy P Soft off your shoulder.

1. HOT TAKES and Jim Harbaugh Era Highlight Honorable MentionsStarts at 50:40

Takes hotter than the San Francisco 49ers in the 2nd half of the NFC Championship (SORRY SORRY. Brian's words, not mine). Talking about moments that weren't the top moments but still note-worthy. Ben Mason, Darboh, and good shit from Jedd. The 2015 BYU game had a lot of all-time single player moments. The evolution of Donovan Edwards' career at Michigan and running power on a kickoff return against Northwestern. Jabrill Peppers fielding punts was a safety blanket we miss. Jim Harbaugh evolved the run game and also brought us the TRAIN! Sad field goals, the emergence of JJ, and Mr. Brightside. The 2016 Indiana snowglobe game. Player development into 4th, 5th, and 6th years has been incredible.

1. Jim Harbaugh Era Top 25 Moments 25-11Starts at 2:09:03

Everyone has something different that they love the most about the 2016 Rutgers game. Multiple Michigan State things at the expense of Michigan State, including Defeated With Dignity. There are so many stats in the Jim Harbaugh era that were some sort of "Michigan hasn't done ___ in ___ years" and now all those stats are reset. Remembering a lot of Jourdan Lewis moments, but especially that interception. The whole context of this year's Penn State game was to prove if this team was real. THEY SAID THE KID COULDN'T THROW THE DEEP BALL. They say you need a QB to win a national championship but Michigan won it with an elite run game and pass defense.

1. Jim Harbaugh Era Top 25 Moments 10-1Starts at 3:09:41

Jumping around at Wisconsin was when this program really started to feel special. The 2021 Big Ten Championship Game was just a huge party, Seth threw a cat across the entire room. Ohio State makes this list multiple times. What can man do against such reckless hate. Aidan Hutchinson is coming for you. The top five could really be in any order. Michigan had to figure out how to win against Alabama, but against Washington, Michigan just had better players. The Rose Bowl overtime was like a dream, and it was a real Rose Bowl against Alabama. Mike Sainristil represents what this program was all about, and the pass breakup against Stover is the ultimate highlight of that. In life, hurdle all your fools.

MUSIC:

• “Who's Got It Better Than Us”— Bailey
• “Saturdays”— Broken Bells
• “Jump Around”— House of Pain
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Seth is on early to talk about the Lions, relates it to Harbaugh/Sherrone Moore: Dan Campbell is a culture guy, and that's a hole that the NFL left when it shifted to playcallers as head coaches.
• Harbaugh to NFL: Seems the program is set through 2024, need to figure out their plan for 2025.
• Where were you when you heard? I was about to start the final boss fight of a very long D&D campaign.
• Expected? Yeah, said so in the previews. Michigan tried but Harbaugh was going to take a good NFL deal. When in history has someone gotten a successful NFL coach to come back and coach their college team for 9 years? This was the deal. There is no Super Bowl at Michigan.
• Sherrone? Yes. When? They have to wait 7 days but will probably apply for a waiver so it could happen in a week or tomorrow.
• Leaving: Minter, probably Jay Harbaugh. Brian: Spread your wings, Jay. Seth: He's not that kind of guy, but he may be the kind of guy who loves Michigan enough to want to stay. Herbert? There is nothing in the NFL for him like there is at Michigan, but Seth is worried because Bruce Feldman says Harbaugh plans to take him.
• Staying: Clink (AHC?), Bellamy, Hart, Robinson, Campbell to OC, Newsome to OL coach. Need to find a DC, an LB guy, and new special teams coach. Is there a 3rd Skywalker on the Ravens (Orr?) or another guy that Minter and Macdonald know? Jim Leonard: No. Brian has good dude concerns because he couldn't do better than an analyst for Bert (Note: Leonard has a buyout from Wisconsin that would have been voided if he got a DC job but that shouldn't have mattered; knifing Chryst in the back seems to matter). Need to stay ahead of Ohio State in the metagame.
• OSU: They could have gotten a guy as good as Caleb Downs if they'd just recruited Rod Moore out of their own backyard. This is what they're up against. Ohio State has always been the program that will do anything in the world to beat Michigan, and they're never going to stop that.
• Is it bad for CFB that there's no Harbaugh and Saban anymore? Only if you're the person in charge of getting instant clicks by putting someone's name in the headline. What makes college football special isn't the character head coaches; it's the unique connection the fans have to their players.
• Hockey: Young team that doesn't have the depth to overcome mistakes in a very tough league.

View Details

1 hour and 25 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: You Got Us Believin'

• Opener
• Dream Start
• Solid Second
• True Finish with Fights

Segment 2: A Tale of Two Halves

• Michigan's Half of the Game
• Sparty's Half of the Game
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Talkin' Badgers

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Bad Romance" -- Lady Gaga
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Seth comes on early to talk Lions.
• Jim Harbaugh: If the NFL is willing to give him everything he'll go. If they won't he's got leverage to get what he wants from Michigan.
• Minter: Gonna be hard to keep him. Has the chance to follow MacDonald's career path. Worth keeping? Absolutely. Please offer him whatever you can to stay because he is incredible. But what can we offer other than money that NFL can match when he's already shown he's at that level?
• Life after Harbaugh? Michigan was the 2nd team to win a National Championship with a majority Black coaching staff (2022 Georgia) and the only one with a Black coordinator or co-coordinator. These guys are as/more responsible than Harbaugh for creating the culture at Michigan.
• Moore (to HC), Clink, Hart (to RGC), Newsome (to OL), Elston (title bump?) are all guys with a greater connection to Michigan than Harbaugh. If Jay was smart he'd stick around too (Sam thinks he follows his dad).
• Need to think about the next 10 years of college football. Where teams are going to offer your backups $hundreds of thousands to transfer and your recruits more to sign. Someone here needs to leverage the school to make changes, and push to change the mechanism for player compensation from daddy moneybags to a share of TV revenue and contracts. How does Michigan compete in a world where you have to recruit your team each offseason?
• If Jim stays is he here for good? No. He's a unicorn; unless he's not having success at Michigan the NFL is going to be interested, because there aren't a lot of Bill Walshs or Pete Carrolls who can have success at both levels.

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1 hour and 39 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Six Week Catchup

• World Juniors Talk
• Alex Talks Stonehill
• Games Around the Country
• MSU Preview

Segment 2: Wolverines in the NHL

• Wings and Avs and Others
• A couple guys have The Season
• Some Defensemen Talk
• Portillo and the AHLers

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Stone Free" -- Jimi Hendrix
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

You know what we forgot to do? Splice the Hot Takes segment we recorded into today’s podcast. Sorry for the audio content explosion but we couldn’t have one without the other.

It’s also an opportunity to mention the Sklars are coming to Detroit at the end of February.

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Things Discussed:

• Michigan won a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
• Anyone trying to take away from this is someone whose opinion never has to matter to you again.
• Donovan Edwards: the passing down running back.
• THE DEFENSE!!!! Penix under pressure. NFL defense vs NFL rookie.
• Win in the trenches: Penix's third read was Mason Graham. That RT was under siege. Made Penix uncomfortable.
• Break: Life after Harbaugh?
• Post-break: Sainristil. One of the all-time greats.
• Harbaugh? Sam is talking like he's definitely exploring NFL, that doesn't mean he's 100% leaving. Lots of guys are 100% staying if Harbaugh is, and 100% if Sherrone Moore is the guy. May not be true if Michigan goes outside for a Kalen DeBoer.
• Jesse Minter: do whatever we can to keep the man.

View Details

3 hours and 18 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast.

1. National Championship FeelsStarts at 1:00

"Bring us home, Blake." He did it just like in the Ohio State, Penn State, and Alabama games. And then Mikey got an interception. A perfect moment in a perfect season. JJ's tweet was right, everyone just take a breath and relax after the last 20 years. So many guys came back to make this possible, and that's the culture of this program. Everyone who stepped up did when they needed to. Michigan's diversity of what they do on offense might be unmatched anywhere else in the country, and part of that is because so many people stick around. We call Blake Corum a perfect human being but Mike Sainristil is the same thing. This program has developed so many dudes who are going to the NFL that most people would not have expected. If you re-ranked these recruiting classes, how much higher would Michigan jump? Michigan fans really showed up for all the playoff games and events.

1. Defense vs WashingtonStarts at 45:54

We start with the defense this time because the defense was incredible this game. What more can you even say about Jesse Minter and the players at this point? Everybody eats. Penix was in bad shape by the end of the game, Jaylen Harrell chased him down after the game to congratulate him on a good game. Keon Sabb had a bad missed tackle on Washington's first drive but made up for it later. Michigan seemed to plan this season around playing 15 games with all their substitutions to keep everyone fresh. It also helped that a lot of starters didn't have to play most 4th quarters this year. Washington was not able to just toss up the ball and have their receivers go get it, which is a big part of their game. Penix was uncomfortable all game and it brought his game down. Washington had open guys but it wasn't the guys Penix were expecting to be open. Read 1 --> Read 2 --> Uh oh Mason Graham. Besides a couple misses, this team tackled so well and have all season. How did a wide receiver become the Honey Badger?? Washington does have a great screen game.

The best defense since 1997.

1. Offense vs WashingtonStarts at 1:32:46

A re-run of the Rose Bowl but more explosive. They looked a little nervous about passing the ball. One of these Washington linebackers apparently has never seen duo before. Michigan never really fully incorporated a JJ run game which was frustrating. Donovan Edwards, you've been sandbagging us all year! We don't care when you cut, but please just cut. Seven minutes into this game, Donovan Edwards had won the national championship. According to SP+ this is the best Michigan team since 1902 and the first team to hold every opponent to under 25 points since 1904 Minnesota. How many teams are losing their best offensive lineman and not seeing a drop-off? Michigan's transfer portal scouting was nuts, so many dudes did so well. JJ didn't torch this defense but he didn't need to, he also had a good YPA.

1. Game Theory, Special Teams, and FeelsStarts at 2:10:52WARNING: This segment gets really misty towards the end.

That was the most annoying punter Michigan has ever faced. The care for special teams feels like it really dropped off this year. Decision making was pretty much by the book, though. Onto vibes, nobody has ever felt as good as this because nobody else has ever felt as bad. Reminiscing on some of the bleakest times of the Harbaugh era because they're part of what make this so sweet. Now let us stop wallowing. An impromptu gimmicky top five of "favorite moments of the season."

We talk about how we're feeling right now. There is a very good chance you will cry during it. I did.

MUSIC:

• “Win”— David Bowie
• “Down, Up!”— BabyTron
• “We're a Winner”— The Impressions
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• A Michigan Family reunion. If you've never been to a Rose Bowl, make sure you do the next one.
• Michigan won on the lines. Trente Jones was excellent. Karsen Barnhart made the block of the game. When they had to go for 4th & 1 they moved them; when it was 4th & 2 for the game Alabama had to sell out.
• Michigan used a ton of motion to create lots of openings.
• Coaching: Alabama coaches were good; Michigan coaches were that much better. Two wide open throws to Corum. Saban ran into a buzzsaw.
• Special Teams: Yips.
• Talking about the last play: Did Sainristil get too high? Maybe. But Moore had it dead to rights even if they run it right.
• Trente Jones: How important was it to the team that he came back. That he approached things like he did.
• Harbaugh? Gonna have a fight on their hands. Gotta fight to keep this culture.
• Washington preview.

View Details

2 hour and 30 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to this podcast.

1. Rose Bowl FeelsStarts at 1:00

If Michigan wins the national championship, was the Rose Bowl still a bigger game? It was a real Rose Bowl. There is almost no piped in music so you can actually just hear the ambience of the crowd. It's the most beautiful stadium in America and you couldn't build it today. There are no stadium gimmicks, just the existential dread of playing Alabama in the most important game ever (this is a compliment). Michigan wasn't ready to be at this level two years ago, but now they're The Man going into the national championship game.

1. Offense vs Alabama

Starts at 21:21

Michigan puts up nearly 400 yards of offense and it feels like they left a lot on the field. Aside from TCU, the only game where JJ had to put up a game winning touchdown drive (featuring the dumbest Roman Wilson penalty of his career). AT LAST THEY RUN PLAY ACTION. Roman Wilson makes up for it by not only having a truly heroic catch but landing on his feet and he keeps going. Michigan had a great gameplan and schemed a lot of open receivers. Michigan didn't run dig but Alabama was trying to account for it. Michigan had counters to a lot of the stuff they've been putting on film all season. How did you feel about the trick plays? Overall, hard to criticize the gameplan. Mullings can catch! Blake's OT touchdown run is insane, shout out to Karsen Barnhart and Trente Jones. Semaj Morgan was probably in his own head a bit in this game but still had four catches.

1. Hot Takes & Defense vs AlabamaStarts at 1:03:25

Takes hotter than your blood pressure in overtime. You have to go after Milroe and Michigan did it as a team, that's how you stop Alabama. "Khaleke Hudson vs Minnesota" gameplan paid off. Josh Wallace was such a perfect fit for this defense - a senior with a billion snaps who is disciplined. Keon Sabb didn't get to play most of the day and then gets a huge hit. Josiah Stewart looked great. Michigan did a great job on their stunts.

1. Game Theory, Special Teams, and Washington PreviewStarts at 1:48:48

Jay Harbaugh was suddenly replaced by Parker Fleming. If Michigan lost this game, it would be because of special teams. Jake Thaw should've just let that punt go. Semaj Morgan had the yips, but he's a true freshman playing in the Rose Bowl. Was playing for a long field goal correct after the botched flea flicker? Let's just not talk about the last 40 seconds ever again. We briefly laugh about Ohio State. Brian can't stream a game from his phone in Michigan Stadium but he can stream a game on his phone on a plane. Penix played out of his mind against Texas. Michigan probably matches up better with Washington than Texas. Washington's offensive line won the Joe Moore award via pass blocking, not rushing. Should you blitz Penix or just play coverage?

MUSIC:

• “Dixieland Delight”— Alabama
• “Alabama”— Neil Young
• “Deacon Blues”— Steely Dan
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musicians: Cracked & Hooked

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things to be said.]

1. Alabama Preview: Offensestarts at the top

Milroe is a challenge—baby Vince Young who will destroy you with your legs if you let him. Georgia spied him and held him down; Brian wants to attack him, get got a few times, and keep them off-schedule. WRs are not as threatening as some we've seen; the Gattis generation is gone now. OL has blue chips but the center is wild and the left side is young, especially the left tackle. They use three TEs, one's a fullback, one's a Funchess, one's a Maryland transfer who's meh at both.

1. Alabama Preview: Defensestarts at 25:17

The secondary is the best in CFB; the guy opposite the headliner is even better, and Seth loves their nickel-hybrid. True freshman safety is also excellent, free safety is just out there to be the help. They went back to basics this year with Saban's Pattern-Match hybrid system; Georgia really put it to the test and found the LBs are the most likely to break down. The DTs are not so scary, the pass rushers are: Do not get in long downs against these guys because they'll bring in both 1st rounders. On standard downs they'll play a 290-pound SDE instead. Linebackers are the weakness; they're athletes but mistake-prone. Brian wants this to be the Donovan Edwards game, Seth wants to run down the middle with Corum and Mullings.

1. Iowa After Reviewstarts at 48:15

It was Iowa.

1. Texas/Washington Previewstarts at 57:04

Hard to figure out this game. Texas is probably the better, Washington is the better big game team because Michael Penix is a big game quarterback. We'd rather face Washington because Texas has the two best DTs in the country and that's how to beat Michigan. They'll also have Xavier Worthy back. Quinn Ewers is really more of a true sophomore—think last year JJ—than the guy ready to take them to the pinnacle, but our Texas friend says they're having a This is the Year season and Washington is the last foe to vanquish on the Revenge Tour.

About the Featured Musician: CRACKED & HOOKEDThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

Ypsilanti's David Freund didn't mean to start a band; he was just learning to play guitar during the pandemic. He started posting his songs, which are bluesgrassy with clever lyrics, on social media, gave himself a goofy name, and started picking up a following quickly. People wanted to see him perform the songs live, so he got some mates to play with him, and now they're a band. They recorded their first album, Wonder Out of Your Mind, over at Grove Studios a year ago Christmas, and put out a new song a few weeks ago. They're playing the Pig on January 31st wsg The City Lines and Good Man's Brother if you want to say you heard about them first.

Song choices:

• Kicked by a Mule (the new one)
• Before the Dirt Gets Shoved
• Writer

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Note: No Brian today; we got John U. Bacon to fill in.

Things Discussed:

• Recruiting: Sam: look at the portal too. Seth: Barham is a GREAT pickup.
• Mark my words: in 4 years Michigan's 27 players are going to wind up providing more value to Michigan than Miami's 27 players are going to provide to Miami.
• But I would like to see us get better at the up-front bag game for cornerbacks and wide receivers and quarterbacks who have a lot of value on the open market because the skills you see in high school are more likely to translate.
• You aren't winning a 5-star who takes the bag to go to A&M. You should be winning 5-stars against Ohio State and Georgia and Alabama who know they're going to win and get developed AND get paid. Up-front payments are a line we won't cross, and I wish that wasn't the case, even if it does lead to stress-free signing days.
• Burgergate: Congrats to Ohio State for getting the #1 player in the country without using NIL as an inducement, because if you buy a cheeseburger and try to cover it up the NCAA is on the case. Releasing the NOA on signing day should erase any doubt whether this investigation exists for any reason other than a vendetta.
• Harbaugh NFL Round Whatever This Is: Yes be afraid of the Chargers, be very afraid if by some chance Las Vegas doesn't stick with their guy, don't be so afraid of the Bears.
• Contract: Craig says there's no point unless there's an assumption of reasonableness.
• Seth: It's not Michigan or Harbaugh we're worried about being reasonable, it's the Big Ten and NCAA, who have demonstrated conclusively that they are going to use any means at their disposal to hurt Michigan as long as Harbaugh is around. Is that hate ta Michigan problem or a Harbaugh problem? That's the question they need to resolve, because there's no way to keep Harbaugh unless Michigan has his back.
• Opinion: They'll probably hate any other coach who's as successful at Michigan as Harbaugh. Also this probably has more to do with how much Warde and some of the regents are tired of dealing with it than what's right for Michigan.

View Details

wsg Steve Lorenz.

THINGS WE JUST JUMPED OVER:

• Hello: Lugard Edokpayi
• Maryland LB Jaishawn Barham committed.
• Early Signing Day Primer.

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Fandom Rewarded, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musicians: Champagne Saints

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Defense wsg Steve Lorenzstarts at the top

This used to not be so boring, but Michigan put this class together awhile ago. We launched at the same time Jaishawn Barham and Lugard Edokpayi committed so we're going to do the defense first.

• Edge: Michigan lost a bunch of guys and still ended up with one of the best classes in memory. Baxter and Edokpayi are basketball player/Taco Charlton-David Ojabo like potential 1st rounders once they develop, and they got a Mike Morris in Dominic Nichols as well, and teams like Wisconsin were coming for him late.
• DT: Owen Wafle was a big ND flip, has a Kris Jenkins get-off/body, was a sneaky good pickup, didn't wear a jacket for the OSU game because he doesn't get cold. Manuel Beigel is a freaky German they need to see in pads for awhile. Ted Hammond committed so early we don't remember him but he was supposed to be a 3-4 DE or off-tackle. Deyvid Palepale had a weird recruitment, got booted from his team in Pittsburgh for a tweet, committed to USC over Michigan and PSU who both thought they were getting him, is Penei Sewell's cousin and grew up in Alaska. Story goes he got back in touch with Michigan after Kenneth Grant ran down Kaytron Allen.
• LB: Missed Aaron Chiles, got their Josh Ross in Jeremiah Beasley. Played a ton of football for Belleville, might also be a running back?
• DB: Only three guys after they couldn't pry two dudes out of Ohio, but moved on immediately to Jo'Ziah Edmond who was committed to Ryan Walters at Purdue and shot up to a 4-star after. Also got CB/Nickel Jeremiah Lowe after missing on Boo Carter, think if they bulk him up they have their feisty nickel with outside versatility. Jacob Oden is a safe safety in the mode of Tyree Kinnell.

• ATH: Don't sleep on Cole Sullivan, who's probably ticketed for the Jaylen Harrell position, because he is a crazy athlete, going to be on the punt block team immediately. Mason Curtis maybe was supposed to grown into an edge or stay a safety but isn't a linebacker. Don't forget about Jaden Smith (Brian did), because he's got Uche-level bend and the speed to play linebacker or safety—could be a Micah Parsons Lite.

• Offensive Skill Positionsstarts at 40:57

• QB: Everyone has their take why Jadyn Davis fell from 1st overall when this class started to middle 4-star. Height, time, doesn't make enough big plays, doesn't have THE arm, isn't as high of a pro prospect. Very cerebral player. Brian thinks he's a slightly more athletic Cade McNamara.

• HB: Jordan Marshall is a dude. Not quite Blake Corum twitch but a bigger version of the same Mike Hart-like guy with great vision who churns. Micah Ka'apana is more of a home run hitter, like him in a stretch offense because he puts his foot in the ground and goes. Donovan Edwards as a running back.

• WR: Hard to recruit when you don't use them. Channing Goodwin is a legacy, sort of a Greg Mathews possession receiver who isn't that fast; Michigan wanted his teammate Jordan Shipp. But Goodwin is good enough that people knock Jadyn Davis so which is it? Seth is higher on I'Marion Stewart, who's a Roman Wilson or Ronnie Bell (7v7 star, can jump) fast guy who may figure early as a returner if that's not Semaj Morgan's role.

• Offensive Line and Tight Endstarts at 1:08:08

• TE: Brady Prieskorn and Hogan Hansen are more highly rated Michigan tight ends but still Michigan tight ends so they'll be great. Hansen is the guy Lorenz is stumping for; he plays in a Wing-T offense so he has a lot of blocking experience. Prieskorn is the more Lovelandesque as a 6'6" receiver who wins contested balls on the regular and needs to learn blocking.

• OL: Payoff for back-to-back Joe Moore awards. Headliner is Andrew Sprague, a Jake Long-prototypical left tackle prospect except Michigan suggested having him at RT and Blake Frazier, son of Steve, playing LT. Frazier is athletic and would work well if they want to do more zone. But the interior guys are not that. Ben Roebuck plays at St. Ed's with the Armstrong twins and that tells you the difference between what Michigan (brainy maulers like Trevor Keegan) and Ohio State (light-footed and lengthy pass protectors) are looking for at guard. Luke Hamilton is another pure Ohio mauler who's changed his body shape and helped them win so many battles in Ohio. Jake Guarnera was the #1 center on their board, is taller and stronger than the other guys they were looking at.

• Lightning Round and Transfer Portal Targets, plus Gatlin Bairstarts at 1:31:14

Best player, sleepers, top draft pick, guys who got away. We also discuss Jaishawn Barham who committed today, and Michigan's other portal targets and positions of need. Also discuss Idaho WR Gatlin Bair, a Xavier Worthy-level athlete who's probably deciding in February and then going on a two-year Mormon mission.

About the Featured Musician: THE CHAMPAGNE SAINTSMGoReaders who haven't played a show since 2013, the Champagne Saints don't have a website, have two albums on Spotify, and a handful of mp3s have been in my Winamp rotation for ages. They've got a cool spacey thing going on in the empty spaces between the rock. I'd say check them out but I don't know where you could. Maybe in those wooden racks at Wazoo?

Song choices:

• Starbanger, Bang
• A Different Shade of Darkness
• The Winter Electric

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Howard/Sanderson incident: Now you have to let it play out. Subordination or HR issue?
• Howard other than that: assessment isn't good. Biggest issue has been LSA's admissions policies.
• Iowa: Best game they've played all year.
• Rose Bowl: Get to Milroe early. They're 2021 Ohio State except they'll bring an extra guy into the box every play.

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Al Borges has groupies.
• Iowa takeaways: 26-0 was good. Can't be 26-3, needed to come down after the intensity of OSU.
• Offense missed some opportunities: get a catch from Barner or Loveland and it looks different.
• Love that they gave Semaj Morgan another chance to get on the mic.
• Using Edwards: get him running, not reading.
• Sainristil: He's going to be drafted. Iowa: yes, but there were non-Iowa moments. He's playing cornerback very well.
• Portal talk: Not worried about Trente anymore. Walter Nolen? Sam says they need clarity on whether he's even in the portal. Hard to move on a QB when you don't know what you've got. They're in on the OL from A&M. Can't offer starting spots.
• CFP: Absolutely got it wrong. FSU had a better end to the season than Alabama, their 2nd string QB will be back, all of the arguments for Alabama are ridiculous post-hoc excuses for putting an SEC team in the Playoff. Michigan ends up better off because Texas is a tougher matchup than Bama for Michigan.
• How good you are is what you've done this season. They put Cincy and MSU in the Playoff; they've never chosen the S&P+ teams—always the most deserving.
• Brian: If Michigan wins out Harbaugh should offer to split it with FSU. If Alabama and FSU win out, FSU should be the national champion.
• Hoops: Defense isn't the sum of their parts.

View Details

1 hour and 3 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Really Bad and then A Lot Better

• Who are we?
• A FAST Start
• BAD!
• A Completely Different Game

Segment 2: What Else Happened?

• First Half Takeaway
• Old Friends
• Big Ten Scores
• We Try Not to Talk About Stones

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "She's So Mean" -- Matchbox Twenty
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 34 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. College Football Playoff DiscussionStarts at 1:00

The College Football Playoff committee putting in Alabama over Florida State is just awful. This isn't a Michigan thing, it's a college football thing. They're a 13-0 ACC champion team. Florida State did everything they could. This Alabama team has been erratic all season. Their defensive tackles are just guys but they have an outstanding secondary and two really good edge rushers. Michigan probably has an advantage in both trenches. It feels like Michigan should win this game. There's no clear monster in the playoffs (besides maybe Michigan?).

1. Offense vs Iowa

Starts at 25:15

This wasn't nearly as bad as it felt when you rewatch it. Trente Jones keeps picking up the stupidest holding calls. Colston Loveland dropped some passes he never drops. They played very conservatively because once you go up by 10 points in this game it doesn't matter. JJ only goes 22/30 for 147 yards, if his tight ends don't drop some we're playing the incompletion game again. Michigan did some simple trick stuff but it's not the kind of thing that can fool Iowa, they're a very sound defense. They need to do some soul searching with Donovan Edwards before playing Alabama. Instead of "JJ's incompletions" we play "JJ's sacks".

1. Hot Takes, Defense vs IowaStarts at 52:40

Takes hotter than every single Florida State fan until the end of all time. Brian should've just put "no" as the preview. Was it a fumble or an incomplete pass? Let's talk about how good of a human Mike Sainristil is (he's going to be president one day). Who's on the Mount Rushmore of these past three seasons? Kenneth Grant continues to consume. There's not much else to say about how Michigan's defense did against Iowa's offense.

1. Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:20:45

Michigan normally goes for it on 4th and short but when you can kick a field goal to go up against Iowa, you just go for it. How is Iowa so bad at QB sneak? Semaj Morgan did a thing, the guy who tackled him might be the most athletic person on the field, though. Jake Thaw was the "just field this punt" guy. How does James Turner compare to Jake Moody?

MUSIC:

• “War Pigs”— Black Sabbath
• “Going Down South”— RL Burnside
• “Dyslexic Heart”— Paul Westerberg
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Rewarding Fans, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musicians: 8-Bit Big Band

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Ohio State After Reviewstarts at the top.

Defensively it was an NFL game. Michigan unleashed a dizzying array of coverages to hide McCord's leverage from him, and Ryan Day had all kinds of motions and switches to uncover it. The game turned on Mason Graham, who allowed Michigan to keep the pressure on McCord and play with an extra defender in the secondary because OSU could not run on him. Hutchinson-level? Not yet, but Hutchinson before his injury in 2020, where this guy is an All-American. Rod Moore was back to himself. Sainristil isn't a vet at outside cornerback, McBurrows is a good nickel.

Offensively there was a lot left on the table. Michigan maximized its RPS wins, Corum's run was RPS+1 but also the biggest play in Michigan football history? JJ almost had a TD on the throwback to Johnson, who didn't recognize he had a Daylen Baldwin opportunity. Run game limited because Tyliek Williams played out of his mind. Going to be a negative in the run game charting for the first time in years, Barnhart especially. But he was their best in pass pro. Do. Not. Leave. JTT. Unblocked.

1. Iowa Preview: Offensestarts at 22:44

Abominable, worst in the Power 5. Their receivers are a bad match for their QB, who needs a big target more than a good route. Injured TEs and OL who run a lot of stretch and counter trey: the kind of team Michigan should be best able to defend. Mitigator: Michigan likes to leave their safeties back and subject their DTs to doubles, while teams have been suffocating Iowa specifically because you can bring down your safeties and their RB will break a tackle for 50 yards once every three games.

1. Iowa Preview: Defensestarts at 36:59

Excellent as always, with a lot more talent than we're used to. Five-star safety is playing like one, safety-ish linebacker from Virginia is athletic and their best pass-rusher. Plus the usual array of Iowa types. We wonder if their big-butted WLB is grading out so well (87 to PFF, over 90 in coverage) because he's more than a match for Big Ten West competition, but will get dusted if he has to keep up with Donovan Edwards. Missing Cooper DeJean but CBs have been fine. Again: competition question mark, and their DL isn't great at pass-rushing, so there's an opportunity for explosives except they take that away by playing soft cover 2. If they do that Michigan will have to grind them down like last year, but can they without Zinter?

Their punter is incredible. Their backup kicker had to kick the game-winner against Nebraska.

1. The Other Conference Championships + Playoff Talkstarts at 56:41

We go in order, starting with Washington-Oregon, which is not a 10-point game like Vegas has it. Oregon has been playing fantastic of late and Washington keeps needing to TCU its way through Pac-12 teams. But remember back when they played Washington had that game until Oregon surged back. Texas-Oklahoma State is the biggest spread, want to root for our old friend at QB but also rooting for Texas to get in to keep out the unwanted SEC teams and Ohio State. Georgia could lose to Bama, which is chaos, and we talk more about the committee's choices than the game. FSU beating Louisville would mean FSU goes ahead of any 1-loss team, and if Georgia complains about getting Oregon as the 4-seed they should pound sand. We don't believe in conspiracies; the committee cares about who wins the games, not what ESPN talking heads say to prop up the SEC. A Playoff without any SEC teams would be right, glorious, and absolutely deserved.

About the Featured Musician: 8-BIT BANDWe're back to letting Seth pick out the songs, so I'm going to nerd out and show you what I've been writing to for a lot of the year. It is this 25+ member orchestra of amazing jazz musicians who come together off their various projects to compose and produce big band versions of videogame music from our childhoods. I could describe further but Adam Neely, who's one of my favorite video essayists (one of the people worth getting a Nebula subscription for), has a 30-minute video on it. He also plays bass.

The 8-Bit Band is playing December 15th at Sony Hall in New York, and January 13th at the Ferguson Center in Newport News.

Song choices:

• Chrono Trigger Main Theme
• Bob-Omb Battlefield
• Still Alive

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• The Game post-op: OSU was closer because they didn't play insane. Were conservative and that worked for them.
• Payoff for the light boxes all year.
• Seth's monologue: Ohio State has plenty of hate, Michigan swerved to love, and I'm so happy that they won so we can talk about how the players love each other and love Harbaugh, and how the fans uplifted them.
• Ari Wasserman comes clean: Signsgate was always just about hurting Michigan by changing the narrative.
• McCarthy runs: obviously injured, OSU had some ideas to stop QB run, but M didn't plan the counters for that because they weren't going to run with him.
• Michigan didn't learn the lesson of JTT: If you leave him unblocked for a second he will kill you.
• Play-action is still missing. They are using it wrong.
• Orjicat: OSU doesn't have numbers with a safety high.
• McCarthy's read: He studied film on the robber, knew that guy was turning.
• Last TD: Wasn't a bust, was Ryan Day adjusting to Michigan's Palms coverage.
• Michael Barrett: shoulda been 1st team All-B10. Tommy Eichenberg was the soft spot Michigan attacked to win this game, and all the other coaches picked on him too.
• Next year? Let's see what the portal brings, what the NFL takes. Michigan's D will be very good. Will JJ return? (25%?)
• Sam: Michigan will only be going after guys who are proven commodities (not Tobias Merriweather).
• Iowa: Atrocious offense, respect their defense minus their best player.
• CFP: We want to face FSU not Oregon.

View Details

56 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: The Sunny Part...Then the Cloudy Part

• Stories to Tell
• First Shutout Since
• A Wonderful Start
• And...........Again

Segment 2: What Else Happened?

• Old Friends
• Big Ten Scores
• The Little Green Men

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Electric Love" -- Børns
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

3 hours and 20 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. Thoughts on The GameStarts at 1:00

It comes down to Michigan being the type of team to go for it on 4th and 1 and Ohio State is the type of team to punt on 4th and 1. This game came down to blocking and tackling, not sign stealing. Ohio State is below the Ferentz line over the last three years (and are 74% of the way to Ryan Day's 100 points). Twitter has been so much quieter since Saturday. Is this the end of the line for Ryan Day? Should it be? Also who would you even hire next? Michigan's culture was built to beat Ohio State. This program brings out the mental fortitude of the players required to endure what the last six weeks has been.

1. Offense vs Ohio State

Starts at 36:19

Blake Corum's 22 yard run is what he came back to Michigan for, he ran duo and made Sonny Styles look silly. Trente Jones is blowing people off the line - so happy for him in this game. The Ohio State defense was as advertised, JTT is a monster of a run defender. Feels like they could've just used JJ instead of Alex Orji on the run plays out of the first half. Why didn't JJ run more? It didn't quite feel like the best game plan but it worked, also Ohio State's defense just played really well. Was the Roman Wilson touchdown throw the best throw we've ever seen a Michigan quarterback make? Playcalling on Michigan's last series wasn't great but otherwise it was great throughout the drive for draining seven minutes of clock. Cornelius Johnson didn't have the same explosive plays as last year but the catches he did have were arguably just as monumental. There's no question that Colston Loveland is going to catch the ball when the ball goes his way.

1. Hot Takes, Defense vs Ohio StateStarts at 1:18:31

Takes hotter than Ryan Day's seat. Michigan's defense did exactly what we expected, Marvin Harrison Jr said he's never been doubled like that before. Michigan did a good job containing TreVeyon Henderson, Chip Trayanum was more effective. The secondary got interesting after Will Johnson got hurt. Why was Jimmy Rolder out there? Marvin Harrison Jr made some insane catches, especially the downfield one where he was held. Ryan Day didn't want to run CJ Stroud and he doesn't want to run Kyle McCord. Surprising lack of frippery between both offenses. McCord played surprisingly well under pressure. Quinten Johnson's big hit made the Big House as loud as we've ever heard. Michigan's rotation of players all season paid off in this one.

1. Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 2:08:44

Let's compare Ryan Day to James Franklin! Discussing all of Ohio State's punting situations. What about Michigan's, should they have gone for it on the final 4th and 4? Maybe it's better to let Colston Loveland win it for you than to have to defend Marvin Harrison Jr without Will Johnson. Ryan Day on 4th and 1 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING? A monster game from Tommy Doman. There were far fewer Ohio State fans in the stadium this year. Shout out to the giant Mike Sainristil head in the field rush. Roman Wilson's touchdown was absolutely a touchdown. Stadium replay - DON'T SHOW THE REPLAY IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SHOW THE BALL. WE WERE EMOTIONALLY DISTRAUGHT. Also it was an incompletion, not a fumble.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie Mac

Starts at 2:45:53

Iowa - 13
Nebraska - 10

The most Iowa win ever? They hit the game winning field goal with someone who has not kicked all year. The last ten minutes of this game was incredible. The Big Ten Championship Game should be about the same as two years ago.

Northwestern - 45
Illinois - 43

In regulation! Northwestern amazingly finishes the regular season 7-5. Bert was angry at the end.

Purdue - 35
Indiana - 31

Indiana head coach Tom Allen is fired after this game (and gets a $20 million buyout). Who does Indiana hire?

Maryland - 42
Rutgers - 24

Maryland won this in the first quarter. Tagovailoa threw some dimes and that's all she wrote. Rutgers cannot play from behind. Taulia now leads the Big Ten in all time passing yards.

Wisconsin - 28
Minnesota - 14

Hot seat time for PJ Fleck?

Penn State - 42
Michigan State - 0

Total yards were 586 to 53.

MUSIC:

• “Winning”— Santana
• “I'm Gonna Be Myself”— The Sheepdogs
• “Too Young To Burn”— Sonny and the Sunsets
• "Mr. Brightside" — Cloud Illusions
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Rewarding Fans, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musician: Nadim Azzam

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Ohio State Preview: Offensestarts at the top

Let's talk football! Ohio State's offense has taken a step back from nuclear, but they can explode with a couple of 1st round receivers, including the first WR off the board in April, and Treyveon Henderson, who can turn a missed tackle into a 57-yard touchdown at a moment's notice. Stover has been a much bigger part of their passing game, but Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are the stars there—Julian Fleming is another super blue chip who hasn't met his profile, and Xavier is Their center is Not Good so if Michigan can get them in long downs they should be able to get pressure up the middle and dominate the interior. They want to run Stretch and Counter; Michigan has the players to limit their gap runs but their zone runs are going to be difficult to stop with those light fronts. We'll see some interesting blitzes to try to win more of those back.

1. Ohio State Preview: Defensestarts at 28:18

They've been much improved, and ain't played nobody (just like us). Notre Dame was able to push around their front, which doesn't have a 300-pound DT and might not have their most explosive backfield transgressor available. Their DEs have improved from last year but are not the top-3 overall hellbeasts they were projected to be as recruits—more like heavies who are difficult to dislodge: JTT = Mike Morris. Do not block with Tight Ends. Their LBs haven't been great, Seth thinks they will blitz a lot (like 2018) though they haven't much this year because that's a better use for them than having them sit back and read. Secondary is much improved despite losing Lathan Ransom for the season; Sonny Styles plays the Tight End-locked "Bandit" role in his stead while Jordan Hancock is an excellent "Nickel Safety" (Sainristil role) and Josh Proctor is back as a 6th year guy to be a solid free safety. They are not blitzing those safeties as much, preferring to sit back and prevent big plays, which they are EXCELLENT at. But Michigan might be able to go back to the 2021 approach.

1. Basketball in the Bahamasstarts at 1 hour precisely.

A loss to Memphis and a win vs Stanford set up tonight's battle for 5th place (really tied for 3rd but the order of your losses matters) with Texas Tech. Surprised to find this team can score in buckets but can't play defense. They can't have Reed out there in the last 2 minutes because he can't hit a free throw, and then they get off-balance if Nkamhoua has to take a breather. Tray Jackson has not been good thus far. Can't autobench Dug—he only gets 2 fouls per 40 and the offense can't operate without him. They need another point and they need a wing, and that's on admissions because they had transfers who wanted to come both years.

1. Maryland After Reviewstarts at 1:10:36

Defensively it was the same game we've been playing every week, where the opponent has some stuff prepared (in this case it was the old RPO that Locksley and Gattis ran at Bama) and Michigan is practicing their base defense for Ohio State. The defensive line could be the best in program history, with Mason Graham playing like an All-American and Kenneth Grant turning into a monster, but that takes weird extrapolation because they're only on the field for 50% of the snaps. Secondary played like butt against the first good passing offense they faced, which is not a good sign for this weekend. Johnson got beat twice, Wallace looked like he needed to be pulled, and it's a bit late to be falling back on Sainristil outside and McBurrows in the slot, but that's the answer if Wallace can't stay with Egbuka. Bad day for the safeties—do not like Rod Moore missing tackles given what's coming up. Offensive, it was a terrible game for JJ, who wasn't seeing downfield shots that were drawn up for him. We play whack-a-take with the excuses and some are good: JJ didn't practice as much this week after being injured, he lost Roman Wilson who's the guy he'd normally be going to in those situations, and Maryland surprised him with some shifts after the snap. Can't blame the wind. Really didn't like the gameplan: you run 13 times then put out a passing offense to pass—there's no subterfuge there! Why can't this team run play-action when they are great at play-action? WHY? There's no answer.

About the Featured Musician: NADIM AZZAMThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

And now that we're at Ohio State week I have a reveal for you all: The man choosing the music all this time has been Nadim Azzam, who in addition to helping out the Pig is a rising star in the Detroit-Ann Arbor music scene himself. The Ann Arbor-based singer, rapper, and songwriter is soulful, witty, and technical, kind of like a blog you know. Azzam's new album Dreams For The Future is out now!

Song choices:

• The Come Up
• Get the Money
• Night Walk

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

1 hour and 22 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

egment 1: A Costly Win* What is going on? * WHAT A START * Building the lead * A win, but at a cost

Segment 2: Just Not Quite Enough* Just Not Good Enough * Where Do We Go From Here? * Other Teams Played Hockey * A Look to the Clouds

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "The Lotto" -- Ingrid Michaelson, AJR
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Maryland Game: JJ looked very off, felt like a Lloyd Carr game with the playcalling.
• Pressure: Either Michigan got two guys free or zero.
• Very vanilla. Maryland moved the ball underneath two-deep with well-planned RPOs.
• Frightening thing was Wallace and Johnson getting beat, Wallace even when they had a cushion. Saw them go with McBurrows at nickel and Sainristil at corner because of it.
• Maryland run game is like OSU's: stretch and counter. Michigan mostly shut it down with their light boxes.
• Best defensive line ever? Deepest certainly.
• Barnhart vs Jones? Think Jones acquitted himself well, showed he can play. Might be closer at RT than we think.
• JJ vs Ohio State: is that the game? Brian/Craig think it's a defensive struggle. Seth/Sam thing JJ will go out and win it.
• Missed Harbaugh wrt McCarthy: former QB who normally chats with JJ after every drive. Saw them move away from JJ after his breakdowns at the end of the 1st half, want the ball in his hands.
• Ohio State: Don't give up big plays like last year. Defensive line is improved, starting DTs are good, secondary has improved especially Denzel Burke. JTT is still more tools than production but DO NOT TRY TO BLOCK HIM WITH A TIGHT END.
• Gonna say that again: DO NOT TRY TO BLOCK JTT WITH A TIGHT END.
• Offensively they really miss that superstar QB. Stroud was lethal against Michigan last year. Their Ts and C aren't as good—they give up pressure on stunts and twists. Running game gets explosives with Henderson and 2 extra yards than the blocking with Trayanum, but blocking doesn't give them much.
• McCord: Gonna be under more pressure, Michigan is going to zone him and confuse him. OSU got some bailouts the last 2 years from Stroud.
• Problem: even playing off Michigan's secondary is vulnerable. Marvin Harrison is the best of some great receivers to come through there. Teams that man up on them get burned crispy; Harrison is going to burn a lot of NFL cornerbacks too. Weird zones are going to get McCord struggling to find them.
• Both defenses in this game have an Ain't Played Nobody problem. Notre Dame was able to run the ball on Ohio State.

View Details

2 hour and 13 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. Offense vs MarylandStarts at 1:00

The annual "play like butt before the Ohio State game" game! JJ is banged up, how much did that effect him? Michigan turtled in this game after taking a convincing lead. The sun was brutal, looked like it made things difficult for receivers. Michigan's calls have been a bit predictable and they're not weaponizing play action as well as they could. The guards had a great game, the tackle situation just got more interesting.

1. Defense vs Maryland

Starts at 33:30

This game was the full Taulia Tagovailoa experience - he does a few amazing things and then a couple terrible things. Ohio State's run offense isn't going to be much better than Maryland's. How much will Kyle McCord run against Michigan? Michigan rotated a lot this game but it feels like a lot of these guys deserved playing time. Would you rather go up against Taulia Tagovailoa or Kyle McCord next week?

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:02:15

Takes hotter than a Michigan fan watching a competitive game for the first time this year. It doesn't actually feel like the refs are out to get Michigan. The intentional grounding in the endzone never gets called so it was surprising. The two targeting no-calls felt right, the contact was not intentionally forceable on either. Tommy Doman earned 2 points on his punt that landed on the one. 31 points is too normal in a game where you scored two safeties. The wind must have been a factor on 4th down decision making for them not to kick field goals.

1. Around the Big Ten with NOT Jamie MacStarts at 1:29:03

Iowa - 15
Illinois - 13

Iowa scored a safety to start the game. Iowa has clenched the Big Ten West despite having lost all their offensive weapons. Tory Taylor punts for 413 yards in an emotional senior day. If Michigan plays Iowa in Indy it will probably be like two years ago.

Penn State - 27
Rutgers - 6

This game was about what you would expect. Drew Allar only has 79 passing yards but Rutgers was just never going to move the ball on this Penn State defense.

Michigan State - 24
Indiana - 21

Michigan State's win expectancy in this was 12% with less than three minutes left. This has to be the end of Tom Allen. Who does Indiana get after this (or Michigan State for that matter).

Northwestern - 23
Purdue - 15

Northwestern is bowl eligible! Purdue turns the ball over four times.

Wisconsin - 24
Nebraska - 17

Chubba Purdy and Tanner Mordecai are back. Nebraska needs to beat Iowa to get bowl eligible now.

Ohio State - 37
Minnesota - 3

This was the Michigan games sans that one big throw. Can you name the Ohio State backup QB that threw twice? Michigan could have a lot of new packages for Ohio State becuase we've seen so few all season.

MUSIC:

• “Debris”— Reigning Sound
• “Loving Cup”— The Rolling Stones
• “Unthinkable”— Alicia Keys ft. Drake
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

wsg Richard Hoeg

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Rewarding Fans, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musician: Desmond Jones

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Signs, Stalions, and the Law, wsg Richard Hoegstarts at the top

Partridge is out the door; the rest broke during or after the segment. We scheduled our lawyer friend Hoeg (YouTube Channel) because we thought we'd have a hearing right now instead of things breaking that we were just hearing about last night. Michigan's case was stronger than the Big Ten's but the hole in Michigan's case for a TRO was they had to prove irreparable harm, and considering the Vegas line didn't move for Harbaugh being out they had a tough case to prove there. It's always better to settle than litigate; it's not clear that this was a legal settlement.

1. Maryland Previewstarts at 18:29

Hi Josh Gattis! Taulia Tagovailoa is the same player he's been for years. He doesn't ruin red zone drives by running backwards 30 yards as often but his accuracy still comes and goes because he's short and often throwing off-platform. OL looks like they can stop the pass rush but that's probably because the #1 way to contain Ta-Ta is to contain him. They also have just one really solid starter (LT Delmar Glaze) and a sub-FBS right side. Running game is awful. WRs aren't the dudes they used to be. Defensively they're kind of an MSU where everyone is meh. Some of the NFL prospects haven't matured into such, no real stars. Barham was supposed to break out but is having a Colsonesque sophomore year. Pass-rusher gets a lot of pressures but only on high volume. They will put five up and blitz.

1. Basketballstarts at 36:30

Might want to pump the breaks on the 3-0 start if you're basing it on St. John's because we don't really know what Theseus's Pitino Team really is. Dug's the headliner—MEEP MEEP—and his speed was devastating to a defense that doesn't know each others' names. Shooting is due for a mean regression, probably, but they keep having someone go off every game. Defensively it's night and day from last year, and some of the breakdowns are because they're not yet used to the fact that they don't need to help each other. T-Will has slimmed down, and contextually he's a much better defender when he's not put on a court with a bunch of non-athletes.

1. Penn State After Reviewstarts at 52:46

Blocking had a lot more mishaps than usual, probably because of the crowd noise and their difficulty snapping it. Barnhart's troubles weren't necessarily his fault because those DEs were timing the snaps perfectly. RPS was +10 despite not passing for 36 minutes because PSU was incapable of stopping themselves from flying upfield. Defensively Michigan played their OSU defense on 1st downs which bled 5 yards before they tightened up. Paige had a good day flying down to stop that. Grant broke out. Will Johnson is the prince that was promised. Colson reverted to his Janus ways. Michigan could close the door when they needed to.

About the Featured Musician: DESMOND JONESThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

This is the week we're featuring Desmond Jones, the five-piece Grand Rapids rock band with a sax and a tendency for improv. Yeah, I know, I've been doing a lot of funk lately—that's what I've been listening to, and this group's all over my Spotify recommendations, with a library that goes back to 2015.

who plays the Pig on Friday, December 1st.

Song choices:

• Sweater Weather
• Gone
• Poor Sylvester

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Petitti has to thread a needle because he's tied to Ohio State/Michigan State Twitter's version of events where having in-game scouting, video, and interpretations of a team's signs from coaches sharing it is fine, but having in-game video of a team's signs from a fan with an iPhone is a player-safety issue.
• He wants to say sign-stealing is this evil thing but the language he used in the letter very carefully pulls back right before saying it.
• Unprecedented things: NCAA sharing their investigation with the Big Ten, the Big Ten going after a member institution instead of protecting them from the NCAA, and the Big Ten commissioner allowing the other member schools to railroad him into sabotaging a member institution.
• Screwed up by going after Harbaugh with Malice. They clearly got Michigan's letter and had the lawyers try to get Harbaugh anyways. The midnight punishment and the maliciousness of Petitti's pursuit has turned Michigan into the sympathetic party. This is what scares a dishonest Buckeye bootlicker like Ari Wasserman the most: the haters are exposed, and people start to question where this "scandal" really comes from.
• Seth/Brian disagree on whether OSU wants to punish Michigan's players or get The Game canceled. Seth: Ryan Day still has to recruit at IMG. Brian: They hate Michigan that much, and the worst thing for Day is getting the brakes beat off of him again.
• Leaving the Big Ten? Sam says saber-rattling, Seth says take it seriously because there is no way Michigan can remain a member if Tony Petitti is the commissioner. When this is all over, how do we get a fair hearing?
• Possible future: show USC that they're in danger from this same thing (they are), see what Notre Dame is doing, maybe go after Texas, and then sad to say if this Ultra-conference gets any legs Ohio State will come. This is what the other Big Ten schools should be concerned about: other than OSU and to a much lesser degree Penn State, they all have sweet deals, and the way they lose it is if a Michigan or Ohio State no longer wants to share revenue with them. Rutgers, MSU, Northwestern, Indiana: if you are relegated to mid-majors in a decade, this is what you did.
• PSU game: Did you get the message? Michigan beat a Top 10 opponent by yelling "RUN" every down.
• Michigan had issues with their big OL package but extra gaps nerf Penn State's defensive advantages. They had to cancel their rush package entirely and the 5-star DEs they emphasize and stunts they practice are less valuable when those are happening many gaps away from the one we're attacking. Instead of the play turning on the athleticism of the PSU front seven it turns on whether a 210-pound safety can win a block against a 270-pound AJ Barner.
• After the show: We talk basketball but I didn't get a recording of it. We are very sorry we couldn't fit it in.

View Details

1 hour and 11 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Chattings, Collapse #1

• Schedule Problems
• Taking control of the game
• Giving it all away
• Protect the Slot!

Segment 2: A shootout, Takeaways, Scores, and a Preview

• Deja Vu
• What Have We Learned
• Other Teams Played Hockey
• More Lions Talk

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Skyway" -- The Replacements
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hour and 15 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. Offense vs Penn StateStarts at 1:00

Michigan runs for 36 straight minutes of this game and still Penn State's defensive ends get out of their rushing lanes. Karsen Barnhart gets beat on three of the first four passes and Michigan decides "we're not going to do that anymore". The vibes were immaculate, though. The only way Michigan loses this game is by turning the ball over (fumble luck was on Michigan's side this game). Do you remember what JJ's one incompletion was? The implications of Penn State's pass rush probably doesn't apply that much to the Ohio State game. The noise of Beaver Stadium does play a factor. Would you still recruit Ryan Mallet in today's game? Anyone who can't get out of the pocket is not a modern Quarterback. Michigan should've just held up a giant board that said "run".

1. Defense vs Penn State

Starts at 38:57

Shall we play the Drew Allar completion game? What do Sean Clifford and Drew Allar really have in common? Neither have had a functional offensive line. Drew Allar is 70% in a clean pocket and about 38% when under pressure. There was a lot of Cam Goode in this game. There was never really a point where you thought Michigan should change their defense in order to win this game. KENNETH GRANT RUNNING, MY GOD. Michigan was tipping off what they were doing on defense a lot.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:08:10

Takes hotter than Penn State defensive linemen on 3rd and 11. We have shirts. Thank you, James Franklin, for giving us content for this segment! Penn State going for it on 4th and 6 in the 4th quarter was probably not a good idea. The first two point conversion was definitely not a good idea. Going for two is opening the box and finding out if the cat is dead or alive. Officiating wasn't perfect but also didn't feel biased.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:35:22

Maryland - 13
Nebraska - 10

Three Nebraska quarterbacks threw interceptions in this game, Maryland had 92 penalty yards. This game had eight(!) turnovers. But hey, Maryland is bowl eligible.

Illinois - 48
Indiana - 45

Just a debacle from the Indiana defense. Illinois QB John Paddock had 507(!!) passing yards. An Illinois player got ejected for spitting on an Indiana player.

Iowa - 22
Rutgers - 0

A slow motion blowout. Iowa gets 402 yards of offense! This game had an over/under of 27.5 which is the lowest in collegiate football... and it still hit the under.

Northwestern - 24
Wisconsin - 10

Northwestern is a win away from bowl eligibility. Wisconsin is now so far away from what God wanted Wisconsin football to be that now they're being punished.

Purdue - 49
Minnesota - 30

Purdue somehow pulls off over 600 yards of offense and has two 100 yard rushers.

Ohio State - 38
Michigan State - 3

Michigan State looks like they're just packing in the season now. Many Ohio State fans apparently are more confident after the Michigan Penn State game.

MUSIC:

• “Leave Me Alone”— I Don't Know How But They Found Me
• “Confidence”— Ocean Alley
• “Power Man”— The Kinks
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Rewarding Fans, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musician: Chirp

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Sign-Gate and Penn State Preview: Defensestarts at the top

Nonews unless the Big Ten hands down a suspension to a coach who's already in Happy Valley, which would on its owns be grounds for a judge to issue an immediate injunction. We infer from Michigan's letter that the B10's case right now is as substantial as your average Ohio State twitterer, and that putting this in the realm of courts where facts matter more than what amoral hypocrites want to believe dramatically alters the parameters. Local sports radio probably isn't where you should be going for investigative news—the thing about Michigan having other schools for Stalions operations feels bogus on the surface.

The Penn State defense is very good. The engine is the ends—even if Chop Robinson isn't full-go they have three more very good ones. DTs aren't bad; there's one whom Alex likes but Seth thinks he's exploitable. They blitz a lot, play a lot of man, got beat by Ohio State because Kalen King really isn't the star he's made out to be. Manny Diaz effect. The way Michigan loses this game is turnover.

1. Penn State Preview: Offensestarts at 26:39

They torch bad defenses who can't pressure Drew Allar, who's 39% accurate when off-platform and 78% accurate when his feet are set. We saw the same thing last year. Only have one receiver. RBs are having Donovan Edwards-like years—Allen can do RB things but Singleton is kind of a gadget guy. OL cannot run block; they can pass protect okay. Theo Johnson is having to be their 2nd receiver. Why pick Michigan over the spread on this one: PSU is bult to blow up a UMass but fall off a cliff when you can match up to them athletically. Stunts are a big problem for them. Wild that they can't develop OL; Seth notes he talked to recruit's dad who said his kid's already more developed than Fashanu.

1. Basketballstarts at 45:27

They're scoring! Dug is seeing the court well, though he won't be shooting 60 percent with a 40 percent assist rate. Nkamhua has been a revelation—immediately a captain, exactly what we want for a one-and-done. Imagine Tray Jackson instead of Caleb Houstan or Jett Howard. Quantum leap defensively. Having athletic defenders out there means you can use a T-Will or a Tschetter because they're not so athletically exposed. Need a backup PG—gonna be a nervous few months waiting until Llewellen gets healthy.

1. Purdue After Reviewstarts at 57:36

Our Michigan homerism apparently extends to defending JJ McCarthy's performance as REALLY GOOD YOU GUYS, except this is a defensible position (and PFF agreed). His marginal throws are still very catchable, and when they're caught nobody notices. YMMV on 4 or 5 of them but even if then it was a excellent day from him. Not a good day from the OL; Seth thinks these guys are all guards recruited for a run-first offense and this is kind of what happens against an opponent who makes you pass-first and has two great edge rushers. Defensively it's really hard to beat Michigan because they can put five guys against your five guys and someone will win a block to get your back. It was the Will Johnson Show otherwise—he was doing things away from the ball as well as coming to it.

About the Featured Musician: CHIRPThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

This is the week we're featuring the four-piece Ann Arbor band Chirp, which has a funky rock/jazz fusion thing going on. Their live shows are the main thing; they have a dedicated fanbase who remind me of Deadheads of a generation earlier even if the musical style isn't any more jam band than anything else. The music is bright and catchy and keeps you on your toes; they're at their best when just getting lost in the music because there's some real musicians with proggy ideas under all the good times. They've been touring since 2015 and return to the Pig next week.

Song choices:

• Solo
• By the Book
• Move

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Tony Petitti is an idiot.
• A little basketball.

View Details

1 hour and 23 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: 5-4, Wisconsin

• A roller coaster first period
• Taking control of the game
• Giving it all away
• Is collapsing a thing?

Segment 2: 2-1, Wisconsin and Other Games

• We talk about the game we did not see...again
• Old Friends and Non-Conference
• Big Ten Teams
• A Mediocre Minnesota Matchup?

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Old Wisconsin Jubilee" -- Charlie Berens
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hour and 11 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. Offense vs PurdueStarts at 1:00

EDITOR NOTE: I am also spending a lot of time compressing Brian's voice. The worst night game to have is the crappy night game, especially when USC Washington and Alabama LSU are on! It says something that JJ hit 60% of his passes and threw for over 300 yards and everyone's like "what's wrong with JJ?" When do you want to save a play and when do you want to put it on tape? Donovan Edwards has not been utilized properly, are they saving a package for him against Penn State? Starting tackles gave up some sacks but otherwise played pretty well (Purdue has a pair of NFL defensive ends). Is the way to beat JJ by playing a lot of zone defense?

1. Defense vs Purdue

Starts at 43:20

Michigan wasn't getting sacks against Hudson Card but they were pressuring him on every play. It'll be curious to see who actually rotates against Penn State. Starting to feel like we're getting the 2021 version of Rod Moore, which is encouraging. Junior Colson took a step in the right direction, Josh Wallace also played well. All of the ends are a higher level than we predicted at the beginning of the year.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:02:36

Takes hotter than Santa Ono's letter to Tony Petitti. Why is Purdue football every five years just two NFL defensive ends and nothing else? The 4th and one felt like a good decision, the formation wasn't. Michigan hasn't kicked a field goal in forever so it was good to see it still works. Starters played well into the 4th quarter.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:25:22

Penn State - 51
Maryland - 15

Maryland turns the ball over four times and rushes for -49 yards. Yup, we're at November Maryland, they are no longer a trap game. When Drew Allar can set his feet and have time to throw he looks like the five star he's supposed to be, but when you pressure him he's shaky. They probably won't be able to run against Michigan but they still have one of the best defenses in college football.

Ohio State - 35
Rutgers - 16

Rutgers is leading 9-7 at halftime but throws a pick-six while driving in the 3rd quarter. Rutgers outgains Ohio State 361-328. We experienced for a moment what it was like being a Rutgers fan and it wasn't fun.

Iowa - 10
Northwestern - 7

Neither team gets more than 200 yards and Iowa is alone in first place in the West. He can't keep getting away with it.

Indiana - 20
Wisconsin - 14

How did Indiana win this? Uhh, one good pass play? Wisconsin outgain Indiana 344-261. Indiana took the lead and just waited for the time to run out before Wisconsin came back.

Michigan State - 20
Nebraska - 17

Nebraska gets back to their old self, turning the ball over three times.

Illinois - 27
Minnesota - 26

Illinois wins on an improbable last minute drive with their backup QB. A disappointing game for anyone who didn't want to see Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game.

MUSIC:

• “Make Me Thomas”— supercooper! ft. Jawn Legend
• “The Stones I Throw”— Levon and the Hawks
• “Are You Gonna Run”— Low Cut Connie
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Rewarding Fans, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musician: Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Sign Stealing Scandal-Like Substancestarts at the top

The more facts begin to overtake wishcasting the better off Michigan looks. No news but the bullshit level has gone up considerably as Big Ten coaches take the opportunity afforded by media sensationalism to get the Big Ten to punish Harbaugh before there's an investigation. Why? Probably because Michigan's own investigation determined they're in the clear to give Harbaugh a major contract. So either they're such idiots they actually believe Connor Stalions is the reason Michigan won so many games in 2021-'23, or they're smart enough to realize the results of an investigation won't match their preferred outcome. MSU's AD is one of two people willing to put their names to the pearl-clutching, and he's saying he's worried about the health and safety of his players, which shows you exactly how unserious the people trying to make this serious are.

1. Purdue Preview: Defensestarts at 16:43

Ryan Walters brings his 5-1 "no-name" defense. They have two good pass rushers who are too big to drop into coverage, which they do on 40% of passing snaps. They bring five a lot, vary things by looping and bringing cornerbacks. Main structure is man everything: 5 DL for 5 OL, LBs or safeties for everyone in the backfield, and Cover 1 behind it. Giving up lots of yards because they tried to play this with Ohio State. Two best players in the secondary are true freshmen because it's a Year Zero situation.

1. Purdue Preview: Offensestarts at 31:45

Fourth straight quarterback that Alex cyan'd, but this is on the better end of the cyan quarterbacks and maybe not fair because you took Card out of an offense where he got to pass to the most talented receiver in America to not that. Still have Devin Mockobee who will hurdle fools but also fumble, so they're using Tyrone Tracy, the former Iowa WR, as their guy. Tackles went from bad to worse over injuries, which limits their ability to run the ball unless you let them double your DTs with stretch zone using three good interior OL.

1. MSU After Reviewstarts at 42:47

New level of Seeing It from JJ McCarthy, still not seeing it from the running backs. Good game for Drake Nugent—haven't had a chance to chart him much before now but he did a great job handling MSU's twist blitzes. Defensively Michigan used MSU's unpreparedness against them, getting them to fall into easy traps. Often it was players causing these by seeing something and making calls or shifting where they stand. MSU was having someone run in plays for a bit then gave it up because it was stupid.

About the Featured Musician: JOE HERTLER & THE RAINBOW SEEKERSThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

This is the week we're featuring the grooves of Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, who will be playing two back to back shows at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on November 10th & 11th. I just love the energy of this band—wife and I have been shaking our shoulders from our opposite desks all day as I've had these guys on mix. They've played Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, and Summer Camp, but eluded me until I saw them on the Pig's schedule. Since then I leared Hertler and guitarist Ryan Hoger had a Motown-influenced thing going until they lucked into musical prodigy/plays everything Micah Bracken to find their sound, adding a saxophonist and drummer to complete the set. I haven't seen them live but they're supposedly one of the most entertaining groups that play around here so that'll have to change soon.

Song choices:

• What I Want
• Old Love
• Find Me

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Rundown of the ton of false reporting. NCAA is in town: False. WSJ says offer rescinded: False. Thamel says all the B10 coaches are repeating Ryan Day's talking points: False. It's one thing to sensationalize—ESPN sensationalizes all the time—but they're getting provable facts wrong.
• Getting it right means calling someone who could tell you your reporting is wrong. Craig Ross: Shares the time Sam had it from someone that Carr was against the Harbaugh hire and he checked on it with Carr who said he loves Jack Harbaugh and he'd be the biggest fan of the hiring of Jim Harbaugh.
• How much does it matter? Run-pass is the best you can tell; it matters, not as much as how the right tackle's foot is aligned, because the RT's half step is more important than hiding your intentions from the defense.
• James Franklin: Nobody needed your signs to know you were running a zone read on 4th & 2 vs OSU in 2018. Nobody said we need to start a federal investigation against Northwestern when they had Michigan's signs that day.
• Schiano's the biggest sign-stealer in the league, because nobody changes their signs. Sam: they're mad about Stalions though. That wasn't Schiano's halftime comment.
• Want to shut them up? Everyone turn in your sign-stealers and go to wristbands and microphones.
• Stalions on CMU's sideline? Possible that McElwain didn't know who Stalions was.
• Seth: Is it possible that CMU borrowed Michigan's sign-stealer to try to beat MSU? Would explain how he got a placard, how he knew how the coaches were dressing, etc. It wouldn't implicate Michigan, because they get no benefit from that, but would fit Stalions's profile.
• Brian: If Michigan's moving ahead with their contract for Harbaugh their internal investigation found no evidence that
• Balance of news is positive; now we're just down to coaches complaining. Do you think these guys are interested parties?
• The check? Ryan Day doesn't care about the check; the commissioner of the league is a TV guy, and a TV guy is not going to devalue the TV conference's most valuable property because they will get sued by Fox and NBC, and guarantee that Michigan will leave this conference for the SEC.
• Guy who said it's a three-touchdown advantage $1 it's Franklin. And you still lose. Ryan Day you still lose too.
• Why aren't OSU/PSU clamoring to play Michigan without their sign-stealer? Brian: "If you actually believe what you're saying you would be, but you don't because it's crazy."
• Maybe you guys need to get good; we're a TV product and you guys are unwatchable. This conference is Michigan and Ohio State and the four teams we're importing because the rest of you are unwatchable.

View Details

1 hour and 40 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. The Latest on SigngateStarts at 1:00

The developments that have developed are basically nothing. Feels like we know pretty much what there is to know, it's just a matter of what happens next from the NCAA. Michigan could be the first program hit with the NCAA's new rule of "if a staffer gets in trouble, the head coach also gets in trouble". There's some failure on the part of Warde Manuel. What is the actual competitive advantage of stolen signals? College football coaches are the most paranoid people in America. Based on how the NCAA has handled these issues, it seems extremely unlikely that anything will happen to Michigan this season. Worst case scenario would be Jim Harbaugh gets a show-cause a year or two down the road.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Michigan Men's Basketball Backcourt

Starts at 22:37

Dug McDaniel is the most established guard. Freshmen point guards can be shaky, McDaniel's trajectory for his sophomore year is encouraging. Jaelin Llewellyn is your next most established guard. We didn't see a lot of him last year since he tore his ACL but he should be full go by now. Hard to know how much we're getting back from him after his injury. Nimari Burnett transfers as a rotation player from an Alabama team that was the 3rd best defense in college basketball last year. His offensive upside is unknown, Charles Matthews is a good comparison. George Washington III was described by Dug McDaniels as a good shooter but probably won't see more than 10 minutes per game. Jace Howard is listed as a guard but it's unlikely that he'll be a lot more than he was last year.

1. Michigan Men's Basketball FrontcourtStarts at 45:38

Takes hotter than Edward Norton Jr. after seeing Connor Stalions on the sidelines at CMU and he's like "I GOT THIS ROLE. THIS IS ALL ME, BABY". Tarris Reed is your starter, who is also Not Hunter Dickinson. He was slightly better defensively than Hunter Dickinson but the offensive drop-off was much bigger. Also needs to be better than 40% at free throws! Olivier Nkamhoua was a big contributor for the #1 defense in the country last year. That is already a huge upgrade defensively at the 4. He won't solve all your problems but is a very good, veteran basketball player. Seth thinks the final starting spot is Terrance Williams II, Brian thinks it's Tray Jackson. Will Tschetter: exists. Youssef Khayat could be a guy.

1. 2023-2024 Men's Basketball OverviewStarts at 1:21:19

Making the tournament is a reasonable goal for this team. Where is Michigan going to get their points from? This gets made up by the massive defensive improvements. Michigan loses Jett Howard to the NBA but Michigan was a better team without Jett Howard. Juwan Howard is still recovering from heart surgery and has not been available in the pre-season coaching. There are going to be some hiccups with this team but all the transfers coming in are very experienced players from good teams. The vibes were awful last year but should be much better this year.

MUSIC:

• “U-Love”— J Dilla
• “Crosshairs”— Dangerdoom, MFDoom
• “Smooth Aisles”— Michael Nau
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

1 hour and 3 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: 9-1, Michigan; 10-1, Michigan

• Frozen Frenzy recap?
• Blowout #1
• Blowout #2
• Any takeaways?

Segment 2: What Else Happened/Weekend in Madison

• Old Friends and Non-Conference
• Big Ten Teams
• Uhhhh...First Place Battle with Badgers Ken

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Daylight" -- Matt and Kim
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things Discussed:

• MSU: Credit to the team.
• Signgate: SI article is interesting because it's the only one not part of Ohio State's orchestrated PR campaign.
• How much does it matter? Coaches say very little: give me run or pass.
• How much was Stalions working on his own? Probably all of it. Brian: Not hard to figure out where the money's coming from: Mom & Dad. He's the kind of guy who'd write a manifesto about how he's going to take over the Michigan.
• Problem is because the NCAA holds coaches accountable even if they didn't know. Hopefully Michigan has processes in place that show they were actively discouraging this behavior.
• Real scrutiny: their vetting process for low-level staffers needs to improve.
• Ryan Day: Only way I can get beat is if someone cheats, because I'm that brilliant.
• OSU-PSU: Drew Allar isn't that good and you can't put the game on him.

View Details

1 hour and 3 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: 7-1, Michigan

• Frozen Frenzy!!
• Even Period
• Shooters gonna shoot...and finish
• Piling on

Segment 2: Game 2, Other Scores, Lions Preview

• Another Blown Lead
• Shootouts Should Be Coin Flips
• A Look Around the Country
• Alex Talks Lions

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Grace Kelly" -- MIKA
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 11 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. Offense vs Michigan StateStarts at 1:00

There was an initial reaction to be nervous about this game due to the history of this rivalry but Michigan does not care. Seth got an Epic Double Bird from a Michigan State player. We love this team. The story of Mike Sainristil and Michael Barrett are what this era of Michigan football are all about. They're such dorks (this is not a diss). Michigan fans absolutely drowned out Spartan Stadium in this game. JJ had a Tom Brady throw in his touchdown pass to Colston Loveland. When the pocket breaks down, JJ is like Houdini. If you let JJ sit in the pocket, he hits his dig routs and you die. If you rush him, it's even worse! Alex Drain's pre-season hot take about AJ Barner was accurate! The run game was a bit stagnant, though. MSU was prepared for the RPS. It's funny that JJ is having his Heisman campaign going on but opposing defenses are still saying "grr we gotta stop the run."

1. Defense vs Michigan State

Starts at 45:30

Michigan State was simply not ready for the smoke here. Michigan went back to rotating a lot because this was over by the 4th drive. Why are you not blocking Mason Graham or Braiden McGregor? Derrick Moore had a good game by beating tackles. You rotate out Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham comes back out so... how do you beat that? Rod Moore was in on the final drives of the game. Junior Colson played a great game, is he the only weakness on this defense? And if so, how do you approach this defense if he's playing well?

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:05:19

Takes hotter than the seat of whoever put a seemingly innocuous video quiz up on the Michigan State scoreboards. If Michigan switched their offense and defense against Purdue, who should play what position? Clock management at the end of the first half is a point of discussion. Aside from the results, it was one of Jim Harbaugh's best two-minute drills of his career at Michigan. DENTAL PLAN. LISA NEEDS BRACES. We couldn't even get to Segment 4 without having to talk about James Franklin's game theory.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:25:47

Ohio State - 20
Penn State - 12

Penn State's offense cannot do anything. Ohio State has Marvin Harrison Jr., they win, the end. Penn State only gave up 20 points, was there anything they could have even done differently? Some of Penn State's play calls were incredible stupid, what are you doing, James Franklin? Penn State ran the Tecmo Bowl Flea Flicker but they ran it out of a play they never run. Ohio State backup QB Devin Brown went out of this game so if Kyle McCord gets hurt, who is even the next guy up?

Minnesota - 12
Iowa - 10

The funniest and saddest game of the week. Iowa knew their best chance of winning this game was Cooper DeJean getting a punt return and he had an amazing return get called back because he technically waved his hand. Was it easily to interpret that as a fair catch signal? Could Iowa still win the west?

Nebraska - 17
Northwestern - 9

Another hideous Big Ten West game, 257 yards to 248. Is Nebraska looking at possibly seven wins this season? It'll be interesting to see what happens when they go against Maryland.

Wisconsin - 25
Illinois - 21

Illinois booted this one away. Wisconsin wins off of 18 4th quarter points. Wisconsin might still be the favorite to win the Big Ten West?

Rutgers - 31
Indiana - 14

Rutgers is going bowling!! BryMac, we have tickets for you.

"Penn State is Iowa with a finished basement."

MUSIC:

• “I Saw The Sign”— Ace Of Base
• “Signs”— Kodak Black
• “Signs”— Five Man Acoustical Jam
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, SignalWire where we recorded this, and introducing to the podcast, Autograph: Rewarding Fans, who just launched an app where you earn rewards for things like reading MGoBlog and listening to our podcast.

Featured Musician: May Erlewine

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Sign Stealing Scandal-Like Substancestarts at the top

It's funny but also not funny anymore that they keep empowering this asshat to go on a personal vendetta.

1. MSU Previewstarts at 22:38

Not good. RB Nate Carter can run but Katin Houser is Noah Kim with more forgiving cornerbacks.

1. MSU Previewstarts at 38:39

DT Simeon Barrow is the guy to watch on defense but most of them are just so mid.

1. Indiana After Reviewstarts at 53:35

More of the same. JJ and Graham are All-Americans. Offense is bringing out interesting counters to Duo as they develop that game instead of zone stretch. Defense's thing this week was snags. The TD was a situational awareness issue. Colson talk? No. Barrett talk: yes.

About the Featured Musician: MAY ERLEWINEThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

This is the week we're featuring May Erlewine, who's got a show coming up at the Ten Pound Fiddle Coffee House on Friday, Nov. 3rd at Michigan State University in East Lansing. She's one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of the Midwest and has grouped with countless musicians around here. She's explored a lot of different sounds but she's at her best when just sitting on a chair with a guitar. Her voice on stage encourages connectedness and stresses the importance of environmental advocacy, social justice, creative empowerment and community building as necessary work for all of us.

Song choices:

• Anyway
• Never One Thing
• Like Moses (Malone)

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Reasons to respect MSU?
• Katin Houser vs Noah Kim: When Houser throws back-breaking interceptions Rutgers decides to drop them.
• IU after review: Michigan's running tweaks to their Duo game that makes it really hard to prepare for.
• McCarthy is readying defenses very very well.
• Penn State-Ohio State: rock fight.

View Details

1 hour and 10 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: 7-2, Michigan

• How would Michigan do in the NHL?
• Slow 15 Minutes
• A Bunch of Goals

Segment 2: Game 2, Other Scores, OSU Preview

• Good Two Periods
• One Bad Period
• A Look Around the Country
• OSU Talk...kinda

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "The State of Massachusetts" -- Dropkick Murphys
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 11 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass, and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning.

1. Offense vs IndianaStarts at 1:00

The first quarter was annoying but no one was ever worried, it ended up being a transitive property victory over Ohio State! “JJ’s incompletions” is once again a short segment. “JJ’s sacks” are a more interesting conversation. Credit Indiana’s defense for playing smart in this one. The offense scores on eight straight drives and that was that. JJ is elite when he has to go off script, exactly what you need to be a national championship contender. How Michigan football is like watching a ferret get drowned by a psychopath. Should Blake Corum be selling the flea flicker more? There were some run block errors. Is AJ Barner actually the best tight end on the team? Benjamin Hall looked great and is an encouraging replacement for Mullings right now. Apparently Semaj Morgan's nickname is "Jukebox", which, yeah.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Indiana

Starts at 48:30

This was annoying for a quarter. Linebackers and defensive ends are still not doing great in drop backs. They're practicing their Ohio State defense every week, might as well practice it against Indiana. There was a receiver running wide open on the first interception. Linebacker play wasn't the greatest, Junior Colson doesn't have all the right instincts. Michigan is trying to develop depth by rotating defensive players a lot, this probably goes away against Michigan State. Mike Barrett is a tremendous blitzer. Mason Graham club hand fumble recovery! Can we get a FB Wheel touchdown to Kenneth Grant next year? Sounds like it's ride or die with Josh Wallace at CB2. Rod Moore played good, hopefully he's back to mid-season form.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:11:21

Takes hotter than Marcus Freeman after he defenestrated USC. Is Michigan football listening to this podcast?? Tyler Morris should be the go-to punt returner, Semaj Morgan is the go-to kick returner. KYLE, YOU AGAIN? Going for it on 4th and 2 near the endzone felt like the right thing to do.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:30:11Rutgers - 27
   Michigan State - 24

One of the greatest comebacks in Rutgers football history went mostly unnoticed. Michigan State has Trouble With The Snap. The Situation Trophy is in Piscataway! Michigan State isn't a good team but they always show up for Michigan so Michigan can't have a slow start again.

Iowa - 15
Wisconsin - 6

Iowa gains 237 yards, 82 of them on one run. Deacon Hill goes 6/14 for 37 yards. Wisconsin throws the ball 50 times. Iowa has a clear path to the Big Ten title game despite being down a starting QB and their two top tight ends. Their punting is still top notch. Iowa is 10-1 in games where Tory Taylor punts at least 8 times.

Illinois - 27
Maryland - 24

We're in the transitive business until it makes us feel bad. Given how Ohio State looked against Maryland, this has to look good for Michigan.

Ohio State - 41
Purdue - 7

Purdue, buddy, you can't one-on-one Marvin Harrison. They have Purdue Don Brown as their defensive coordinator. Ohio State might have some concerning depth issues at running back, Trayanum went out with a possible concussion. Cade Stover has stepped up this year.

Penn State - 63
UMass - 0

Apparently Penn State just doesn't throw downfield. UMass also got five sacks. Their game against Ohio State might be a rock fight.

MUSIC:

• “Evicted”— Wilco
• “The Ruminant Band”— Fruit Bats
• “Catch a Glimpse”— Aaron Ross
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, Sharon's Heating & Air Conditioning, and SignalWire where we recorded this.

Featured Musician: Pajamas

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The things said.]

1. Indiana Preview: Offensestarts at noon

Might be the worst we face, despite a few nice pieces. QB situation is awful: Tayven Jackson won the job because Brendan Sorsby is worse and the guy they were hoping to use is probably out for the season. They really miss AJ Barner as they have a group of TEs who are all pretty bad. A couple of longtime starters on the interior. Jaylin Lucas is a jitterbug to be wary of, and the one thing that's really been working. Seth thinks Cam Camper is a star, Alex refuses to Dangerman more than one player on this awful offense.

1. Indiana Preview: Defensestarts at 12:15pm

Tom Allen knows how to coach a defense. Watch out for cornerback blitzes and funky stuff, but they're pretty rough in some places. Don't know how they got Andre Carter from WMU—their other transfers are bad and there are many of them. Aaron Casey at MLB is the guy to watch as a squirrely LB who get his nose into places. How did they give OSU fits?

1. Seth's Hockey Caststarts around 12:30pm

First weekend results are mixed. The 4-on-5 and 5-on-6 units need work. Goalie situation: not great. Defense is three deep—three dudes not lines—even though the top is great. Grittiness is a check but speed lacking from previous talent-overloaded teams.

1. Minnesota After Reviewstarts around 12:45pm

More of the same. JJ and Graham are All-Americans. Offense is bringing out interesting counters to Power as they develop that game instead of zone stretch. Defense's thing this week was stretches, because they will spread out their edges and leave the DTs with no linebacker help. Understandable, but exploitable. Also it only got them a 54-yard FG attempt. The TD was a situational awareness issue. Colson talk?

About the Featured Musician: PAJAMASThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

This is the week I've been saving for personal fave Pajamas, an Ann Arbor jammy quartet that creates a psychedelic improvisational rock and funk music. Since forming in 2015 Pajamas has played hundreds of shows across the Midwest and beyond. They've opened for big touring acts across the Midwest and are coming to the Blind Pig on October 28th (the bye week) for two sets. The second is a bunch of Pink Floyd covers.

Song choices:

• Time & Place
• Where the Story Ends
• Soothe Your Groove

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Brian's serve game. Michigan seems like they can hit another gear.
• Outside zone: Michigan thinks they can get away playing 2 DTs + 1 LB vs 4 blockers and an RB because the DTs are that good. Maybe they're right and #75 for Minnesota is just good at run blocking.
• Sam: You can't play your NT at 2i like that. But Michigan is going to play those games inside because they are going to have their edges outside.
• JJ: So cool. Loved the re-Mike on the Loveland TD. Sam: he got Loveland a touchdown because he almost got him killed earlier.
• Mason OMG Graham. We do the Chris Farley thing for awhile.
• Pick Six: Johnson and Moore sold Cover 3—Sam notes they were in Quarters coverage.
• The one TD: Sam agrees it was –1 for Sainristil and –1 for Sabb. But note the only catch when Minnesota was on offense after that was Sabb's.
• Hoosiers: Have some players on defense, have a terrible quarterback but we like scatback Jaylin Lucas and go-get-it WR Cam Camper.
• Hockey talk: banged up on defense and it's showing in 5-on-4 (and 6-on-5). Goalies are mid. Why can't we fix these schedules so the football games don't undermine fandom. Playing Ohio State at home during the MSU football game is ridiculous. Move it to 4:30.

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1 hour and 36 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Roster Talk

• Top 6 Dudes
• Some 4th Line Battles
• Is Frank Nazar the difference?
• Will the Defense be better at Defense?

Segment 2: Goalies and Opponents

• Is there a definitive starter?
• How many Lindenwoods do we play?
• Minnesota? MSU? Wait...Wisconsin?
• Is this the end of Jeff Jackson?

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "The Lotto" -- Ingrid Michaelson, AJR
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 53 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs MinnesotaStarts at 1:00

Brian hit someone with a tennis ball in the schwangle-dangles. It wasn't a passing rutger because Michigan didn't have more points than Minnesota had passing yards, they tied (but they had an Iowutger?). Another short game of "JJ's incompletions". No flea flickers, what are we doing?? JJ looked extremely calm and collected against zone coverage, which was a direct contrast to Kyle McCord. Myles Hinton came in during garbage time and can't redshirt, also Henderson is the guy. Kallel Mullings is for real and really fun to watch. Michigan is leading the country in penalty yards (in the good way). Jack Tuttle looks awesome during Tuttle Time!

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Minnesota

Starts at 34:26

We start with good things! Mason Graham played out of his mind with one hand. Braiden McGregor had a great game, he adds two more pass break-ups. So many guys had great games that we don't even mention Kris Jenkins for a little while. Goode, Grant, and Benny got moved a bit so maybe Minnesota's run blocking was decent. There were some tactical issues with the linebackers that can be fixed. Discussing Minnesota's touchdown play.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 57:24

Takes hotter than Mario Cristobal's hot seat after the dumbest thing we've ever seen in a football game (TWICE). What was PJ Fleck doing at the end of the first half? James Turner hit a routine field goal, yay. Tommy Doman kicked a kickoff out of bounds, boo. After the personal foul hit on JJ they should've kicked an on-side kick and then brough out Jack Tuttle. Brian talks about the Ohio State game since he has to miss the Jamie segment, brings up that Ohio State can't run the ball. A lot of the bad things that happened to Maryland were caused by Maryland.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:24:21

Ohio State - 37
Maryland - 17

Maryland had this game in hand but then Maryland'd. Ohio State is 81st nationally in yards per carry vs P5 teams. Ohio State's offensive line can't really move people, their go-to run play is stretch and they don't run it well. Lathan Ransom has looked better, though.

Nebraska - 20
Illinois - 7

Nebraska's run defense looked legit in this game, which makes Michigan's performance look better. Illinois is in a bad place right now.

Rutgers - 13
Wisconsin - 24

Rutgers just didn't have enough fire power or downfield passing threats to stay in this game. Wisconsin continues to appear to have a free trip to Indianapolis.

Northwestern - 23
Howard - 20

No notes.

Iowa - 20
Purdue - 14

This is one of the ugliest football games we have ever barely watched. Purdue cannot stop an inside run. Iowa turns everyone they play into Iowa. The Hawkeyes had zero completions to wide receivers.

MUSIC:

• “Young Hearts Spark Fire”— Japandroids
• “Porch Boogie”— Rose City Band
• “Henry in Forever”— Luke Temple
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, SignalWire where we recorded this and INTRODUCING TO THE PODCAST: Sharon's Heating.

Special Guest: Professor Greg Dooley, whose podcast is The Professor & the Pundit.
Featured Musician: Kyle Mack

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: Dooley arrives so we get off-topic.]

1. Minnesota Preview: Offensestarts at the top

Do they have Darius Taylor or not? If so they run the ball. If not, they will try to run the ball. WR Daniel Jackson is a threat. What's up with Brevyn Spann-Ford?

1. Minnesota Preview: Defensestarts at 17:42

They're just guys up front, with some transfers who aren't cutting it at this level to replace better transfers out. Somehow though they held on to Tyler Nubin, who's a dude. Tricky coverages.

1. Jug History and NIL with Professor Greg Dooleystarts at 34:18

We start off with some of our favorite Jug stories but of course we also have the guy who teaches the biggest NIL class in the country so we also talk about the direction things are going with collectives, who are moving away from that term to being more like agents. We also get into the landscape once revenue-sharing comes into play, how realignment is basically all about lining things up for that, and how that might spell doom for a lot of non-revenue sports.

1. Nebraska After Reviewstarts at 56:33

One JJ keep is all it takes. Discussion on the offensive line vs a real opponent and a lot of twists. Defensive line is comprehensive. A little concerned about the secondary.

About the Featured Musician: KYLE MACKThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

Detroit's own Kyle Mack (not to be confused with Detroit's own snowboarder Kyle Mack) will be performing at The Dojo at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on Thurs. Oct. 19th. The beats behind his lyrics are worth listening to on their own, but the vocals are awesome. There's a lot of Detroit style in there, but also a lot (maybe too much?) of Lin-Manuel Miranda, and also some very on-purpose MLK gospel (can't share explicit lyrics on the podcast but listen to "Still I Rise" if you're trying him out. The fusion feels really…I dunno…us.

Song choices:

• Jiu-Jitsu
• About Last Night
• Millions

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

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Things Discussed:

• Urban Meyer: The next coach of Michigan Sta….lol. Maybe he was on the same drugs as the MSU fans?
• Other MSU coaching candidates they're never going to get.
• Michigan offense vs Nebraska: Neb's DT is great, M's performance on the ground was real.
• Read options: reps are helping. It's like a PG in basketball; you have to read the edge's intent not his positioning.
• Seth: They can stretch you so many ways, because you're coming down on Max Bredeson crossing the formation and your FS has to get way high to be over Roman Wilson and they slice you up in the mid-range.
• Ran an RPO!
• Henderson is good at the guard things.
• Edwards: concerted effort to get him right. Think it will happen.
• Guys who wear numbers in the 40s. Max Bredeson!
• MULLINGS! DeVeon Smith?
• Next year's OL, left to right: Gentry, El-Hadi, Crippen, Anderson, Hinton/Persi?
• Jenkins: Got him blocked ONE TIME.
• Defense: A couple of those sacks need a Corcoran's backup discount. One thing that doesn't need a discount: Derrick Moore's size and dip.
• DEs need to practice their coverage—Harrell and McGregor are better at it, Moore and Stewart were rough.
• Secondary concerns: Sainristil was a little hurt. Rod Moore at nickel is fine—he was doing some Peppers things. Will Johnson struggled; need to see him this week vs Minnesota's good WR. Notable that Rod Moore is on the field up 45-0—that says he's the Donovan Edwards, needs snaps.
• Minnesota: One good receiver, one really bad guard spot. Defense are just guys except don't throw it near #27.
• Theory of Iowa: the starter wants to throw short, the backup wants to throw long.

View Details

2 hours and 10 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Roster Talk

• Top 6 Dudes
• Some 4th Line Battles
• Is Frank Nazar the difference?
• Will the Defense be better at Defense?

Segment 2: Goalies and Opponents

• Is there a definitive starter?
• How many Lindenwoods do we play?
• Minnesota? MSU? Wait...Wisconsin?
• Is this the end of Jeff Jackson?

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "San Francisco" -- The Mowgli's
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hour and 12 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs NebraskaStarts at 1:00

There are people saying Michigan runs TOO MANY flea flickers?? It's hard to win 45-7 when you play at the pace that Michigan plays at. This game was domination. Kalel Mullings emerged, De'Veon Smith but fast? Donovan Edwards showed improvement, despite what the stats might show. LaDarius Henderson played most of the game, maybe he just needed some time to get broken in since he played guard last year and wasn't at Michigan in the spring. JJ McCarthy didn't seem phased by the windy conditions. The Nebraska run defense might hold up against Penn State? The passing game bread and butter is a 15 yard dig route. Bredeson and Barner are A+ blockers.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Nebraska

Starts at 46:06

There was a Nebraska highlight reel at halftime that involved three plays. Kris Jenkins was not blocked at all. Nebraska's left tackle scored a zero in PFF two years ago. Will Johnson got beat in man coverage which isn't great! Ernest Hausmann played a great game in his old stadium, was called a traitor by someone in the stands. Zone drops need improvement by defensive ends. Otherwise not much else to complain about.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:08:57

Takes hotter than Lincoln, Nebraska in October (for some reason). Dave attended this game and describes the Nebraska experience. Their fans are as nice as advertised and have great shirts. JJ was also very nice in this game for reasons discussed. Per Blake Corum, this game was buttery and sweet. Dorks! Tommy Doman startled the commentators with a punt. Not much to discuss in terms of game theory (besides Nebraska timeout usage).

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:37:49

Minnesota - 35
Louisiana - 24

Louisiana outgains Minnesota, that can't feel good with Michigan coming up. By the 3rd quarter, Minnesota took control. Based on Minnesota vs Northwestern and Nebraska, this probably won't be a competitive game coming up.

Iowa - 26
Michigan State - 16

Iowa gets 26 points but their offensive net contribution is 10. But hey, they got their goal of >25 points! Michigan State outgains Iowa but throws three interceptions. This was just a hideous game.

Penn State - 41
Northwestern - 13

This game was tied at halftime but Penn State really put it away in the second half. It's hard to think that Penn State's offensive line will do much against Michigan. 31 of 63 of Northwestern's offensive plays went for one yard or less. Penn State sort of ran a fake kneel down to beat the spread. That doesn't seem like a team that seems confident enough to beat Ohio State.

Purdue - 44
Illinois - 19

Lots of penalties for Illinois. One third of Illinois' yards came in the last nine minutes. This is a year zero for Purdue which makes this more impressive.

Maryland - 44
Indiana - 17

This was ugly, feels like Tom Allen's swan song. Maryland is 5-0 and is looking decent, but they probably won't have the lines to compete with Ohio State this weekend.

Rutgers - 52
Wagner - 3

MUSIC:

• “Dead Fox”— Courtney Barnett
• “Eye On The Bat”— Palehound
• “Find Me in the Air”— The Builders and the Butchers
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, and SignalWire where we recorded this.

Featured Musician: MYNA

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The saidening.]

1. Nebraska Preview: Offensestarts at the top

They finally found something that feels Nebraskan: option offense with a walk-on quarterback. Still haven't found an offensive line, a passing game, or success against a real defense.

1. Nebraska Preview: Defensestarts around 12:15

Their 3-3-5 is interesting, their personnel is not so much. Getting much better play out of a couple of DTs from last year, which is a major development. Will Michigan play into their strengths?

1. Seth's Hockey Previewstarts around 12:45

Alex has to stick around this time so we can dive into what the hockey team looks like without any Hughes.

1. Rutgers After Reviewstarts around 12:30

They respected Rutgers. Linebackers are doing well but still haven't seen a major passing team. Stewart isn't passing Harrell. Rod Moore was in a lot more than we realized.

About the Featured Musician: MYNAThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

Ann Arbor's own MYNA (Spotify) is an Indian-American R&B singer songwriter on the Metro Detroit scene, and a previous winner of the Motown Musician Accelerator Program. Her sound changed in 2020 to more of a personal gospel. She will be performing at the Neutral Zone’s 25th Anniversary Concert on Oct. 7th in Ann Arbor.

Song choices:

• "Lemon Tree (Yellow)"
• "Feel"
• "Gemini"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Offense vs Rutgers: Double SZ returns, that's going to work well with Arc. Zone reads add an outside threat to Duo.
• Defense vs Rutgers: Missed Mason Graham: his absence nerfs Grant; Goode and Benny are decent players but opposites and can't play together.
• Rutgers thought they could Iso Barrett and he was was awesome. Harrell's been awesome, Stewart has to stop giving up edges.
• What's so sad about that Rutgers TD is McGregor was dropping back into that slant.
• Nebraska's defense: After seeing Colorado's OL it's an ain't played nobody situation. Colorado had answers for all the things Nebraska was doing. Michigan is going to have to gameplan for them though because they like to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Loveland is the difference in this game: they have nobody who can match up with him.
• Is Nebraska's defense like TCU? Different: Nebraska's LBs are fast and small; TCU's LBs were slow but thicc. They're very "Don Brown" in that they have runts who are going to be flying to the ball.
• You've made it when you've got a haterz name. Nobody ever wrote "$eth" before.
• One bad half. Marcus Freeman: why are you insane?
• Penn State vs Ohio State: Craig thinks it's an OSU blowout. Seth thinks PSU has a QB who's making up for their OL issues and they've got the DBs to hang.
• Iowa: Poor Cade, at Michigan he was sitting on his ass behind one guy he hates, now he's sitting on his ass behind five of them.

View Details

2 hour and 34 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs RutgersStarts at 1:00

Traditionally, this podcast has always started without Lou Holtz, but we challenge him to come here. JJ kept the ball a lot, it felt like Michigan took this game seriously. We’re starting to get worried about Donovan Edwards’ run game, he’s leaving yards on the field. Blake Corum looks like he’s all the way back, though, the offensive line will probably grade out well overall. LaDarius Henderson was playing on and off. It feels like we’re at the floor at tackle as far as preseason expectations go, we’re in game four and don’t know who the starters are. JJ’s first few throws were questionable or inaccurate, but then he leveled out. When’s the last time they threw a tunnel screen? Semaj Morgan looked good but he’s small out there. We think the cyan worked? The flea flicker was from Super Tecmo Bowl. Get Trente Jones the ball! The amount of times JJ ran felt about right also, good that he always got out of bounds. Max Bredeson’s blocking has been great.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Rutgers

Starts at 39:34

Rod Moore lets a 69 yard touchdown get by and then gets benched for a bit, Quentin Johnson came in and looked pretty good again. Rutgers got the edge a couple times. The only other time they were able to move the ball was when Wimsatt was possessed by the ghost of Unstoppable Throw God Trevor Siemian for half a drive. Rutgers couldn't move the ball against the starting defensive line but were able to push the backups around. Linebackers played great, Mike Barrett looked like a fully weaponized middle linebacker. Haussmann had a really good game, Junior Colson is just not making mistakes in the run game. Mike Sainristil absolutely dump trucked Junior Colson during his interception. Everyone thinks the play is dead except Mike Sainristil and Kenneth Grant, who is impossibly fast for his size here. Michigan defeats the number one thing Rutgers had, which was a running back lead block for the quarterback. Rutgers felt like a much more functional football team this year.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:00:38

Brian's Hot Takes voice was actually just a Ryan Day impression this whole time. Aussie punters are annoying, we don’t like it. Thaw needs to get to that ball, someone else should be spotting it. Tommy Doman kicked a punt that still hasn’t landed yet. The officials had a day, good thing it was a Ref Day in a game where it didn’t matter. The Loveland first down was really bad, they marked a clear 3rd and 1 from Donovan Edwards short, they called a pass interference after a receiver gave up on the route. Why do you hate Michigan, KYLE?! They’ve been slow out of the huddle and had to call timeouts twice. Kalel Mullings could very well be the starter next year, and maybe even take some carries away from Edwards this season.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:27:45

Ohio State - 17
Notre Dame - 14

Defensive battle with a lot of drives that end on 4th down. Notre Dame bottles up Ohio State’s passing attack and short yardage runs. Sam Hartman throws every possible 4 yard pass en route to 175 yards. The ending was wild and is discussed. JTT and Sawyer look like they haven’t developed at all but Notre Dame has two great tackles. Notre Dame puts 10 guys on the field for the final two plays. The way Ohio State runs this game is how they lose to Michigan. The bad half Ryan Day was referring to was not even the one we were thinking of. The Lou Holtz thing is even funnier in context.

Nebraska - 28
Louisiana Tech - 14

Nebraska’s QB had more rushing yards than passing yards. They’ve discarded the forward pass, as God intended. Nebraska has a 330 lbs defensive tackle that wears zero. This next game will be a test for Michigan’s rush offense, Nebraska may give Michigan some answers about where they are.

Maryland - 31
Michigan State - 9

George Blaha said what?? Michigan State turned it over FIVE times, even though they outgain Maryland. There were some positive signs that they might be able to hang with some of the middle to lower tier big ten teams but we also saw what happened against Washington. It might be a worse sign for Maryland.

Penn State - 31
Iowa - 0

Cade McNamara, 5-14 for 42 yards. Iowa’s running backs combine for 27 yards. Penn State runs almost 60 more plays. It’s about if Kirk Ferentz is getting fired at this point, not just Brian Ferentz. Four first downs to four turnovers, the stats just keep getting worse. Not sure you can extrapolate much from Penn State’s defense in this. Penn State ground game was bottled up, passing game seemed fine.

Indiana - 29 (4OT)
Akron - 27

Indiana’s safeties are terrible. Akron outgains Indiana 474-282. Indiana has combined for 8 rushing first downs against three FBS teams this season. Akron is a bad MAC team.

Illinois - 23
Florida Atlantic - 17

Illinois outgains FAU 510-353. Still a little skeptical of this Illinois team but they looked a lot better in this game, even got out of a scoring hole. They’re not good but they don’t seem dire.

Northwestern - 37 (OT)
Minnesota - 34

Northwestern comes back from a 21 yard deficit and gains 492 yards. AJ Henning has a game tying touchdown. These are the games Minnesota usually takes care of and helps them eek out 8 wins. Doesn't look like that will be the case this year.

Wisconsin - 38
Purdue - 17

Tanner Mordecai had 13 rushes that weren’t sacks. Wisconsin is probably going to sleepwalk to the division title because nobody else is even trying in the West.

MUSIC:

• “Bug Like An Angel”— Mitski
• “Rock 'n Roll With Me”— David Bowie
• “Let's Go Out On The Town”— Cut Worms
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsWe want to thank Underground Printing for starting this and making it possible—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, Winewood Organics, and SignalWire where we recorded this.

Special Guest: Rutgers Expert Bryan MacKenzie
Featured Musician: Darrin James

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The saidening.]

1. Rutgers Preview: Offensestarts at the top

They've awoken the legs of junior-who-should-be-a-redshirt-freshman quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, but he's still lost as a quarterback. Kyle Monangai is a short-stout guy who can burrow. Johnny Langan is still around somehow.

1. Rutgers Preview: Defensestarts at 18:50

But the defense is the reason they're a bowl team this year. A lot of returners, old friend Aaron Lewis is one of PFF's top defensive ends, though still way more pass rush than rush-stoppage—too bad we lost him. Wesley Bailey is good too, and Mo Toure is doing SAM things. Alex likes MLB Tyreem Powell. Going to be a real test vs this secondary.

1. Bowling Green After Reviewstarts at 32:05

So Seth was right, Brian? At least they needed more spacing on the first interception. The second needed a better route and it still should have gone to Roman Wilson. Brian thinks Henderson's earned a start. Power works, you guys! Defensively the line is so good that nobody will keep the ball there. Run games are getting eaten alive. Hard to know if anyone else is good with that happening. We'll see….uh…eventually?

Gimmicky Top Five with Rutgers Expert Bryan MacKenziestarts at 44:37

Things that might be better than we give them credit for.

About the Featured Musician: Darrin JamesThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

Local singer-songwriter and guitarist Darrin James is the leader of the gritty instrumental funk group Disaster Relief. . He's a University of Michigan alum who returned to Ann Arbor in 2010 and has been actively involved with helping to develop musicians in the Detroit-AA scene. James is going to be in Ann Arbor on Friday, October 20th to celebrate the releases of new singles, "When You're With Me," and "Born for One Love," from his forthcoming solo record, "See Right Through" due out in November.

Song choices:

• "When You're With Me"
• "Born for One Love"
• "Bombs Away"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• BGSU: The interceptions! Brian says he was wrong and Seth/Devin/Butt/Everyone else was right that Barner drifted too far back. Was that on Barner or the design? Barner, also Barnhart getting beat and JJ didn't put it where he wanted to. Second INT: Johnson has to run his route even if Wilson was the right read. Third INT: Shoot your shot! Sam/Craig/Program disagree.
• BGSU: The run game. We love Henderson's reach. He seems to be comfortable. Guess is Barnhart/Zinter is their best combination on the right side and that means they go with the next left tackle, who is Henderson.
• BGSU: The defense. Nobody wants any part of these DTs—third straight opponent throwing most of their offense in the recycling bin because they can't block inside. Graham is the best. Jenkins is a star. Grant is a freak. Don't sleep on Benny. Goode had a good game. We even like Trey Pierce.
• Rutgers: They have a real defense. Michigan is going to take them seriously. Their offense need not be.
• Gene Smith goes to Congress. Real talk: The Congressional Black Caucus was going to craft federal legislation because the states were all going with different rules, but anything other than that is just grandstanding. The reason the NCAA is there is to see if they can grasp something they don't deserve and nobody wants them to have from the fact that half of Washington is for sale, but what they don't realize is they are too toxic for anyone but Ted Cruz to take their money.
• MSU? They should try to get a guy who's not in a job this year and get him to start recruiting because they're headed for a Year Zero. The upshot of being Transfer U is those guys can't transfer again.
• Mel Tucker is getting paid off because if they don't there's going to be Discovery.

View Details

2 hour and 10 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs Bowling GreenStarts at 1:00

At least everyone else in the country played the same game this weekend. Allow us to talk you off the ledge! Let's talk about JJ's interceptions, the first one was probably a bad read into a zone. Take our word that this was a very visual segment. Should not be throwing to Cornelius Johnson on the 2nd interception. The third interception was maybe not a bad idea? It kind of feels like the program didn't take any of these non-conference games seriously. Run game ran a zone stretch for zero yards and then shelved it entirely. There's some concern that a lot of off-season time was wasted because a lot of transfers couldn't practice together and they're learning new material. They ditched outside zone and suddenly things looked better. Tight end blocking was pretty good. One nice thing about this game - it felt like Blake Corum is back!

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Bowling Green

Starts at 44:56

Connor Bazelak doesn't play, Bowling Green's 2nd string QB gets hurt, they play a 3rd-string walk-on for the second half and pretty much just mail it in. Not a whole lot to say otherwise, but they did at least try in the first half. Josh Wallace got beat on a play that should've been a touchdown. Shout out to Kris Jenkins for making the 2nd half far less annoying. We apologize for bringing up the 2005 season.

1. Hot Takes, Game Theory, and Special TeamsStarts at 57:21

Takes hotter than the media maelstrom around Coach Prime. Please stop kicking it to the up-back, thanks. Interesting to see them go back and forth between Jake Thaw and Tyler Morris for punt returns. It feels like they didn't take these game super seriously and they used it as an opportunity to try new things, like outside zone. The discussion of the light show is pretty reflective of the overall fanbase. Stop buying Dr. Pepper to protest the abysmal number of college football commercials! Everyone switch to Phil Klein insurance because they don't advertise during football games!

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:22:57

Rutgers - 35
Virginia Tech - 16

Rutgers has accomplished this with 46 passing yards! Virginia Tech has fallen on hard times, and Rutgers is 3-0.

Michigan State - 7
Washington - 41

It was worse than this sounds. Washington set the record for yards against Michigan State in a game with 713. Michigan State had the opportunity to rally around their program here but they looked like they wanted to go home after the 2nd drive. Their offensive line is god awful again.

Maryland - 42
Virginia - 14

This looked grim early when Virginia took a 14-0 lead but Maryland blew the doors open in the 2nd half. The Terps seem to have a functioning passing game.

Penn State - 30
Illinois - 13

Penn State got most of their first half points due to Illinois throwing horrendous interceptions (Altmyer threw four!). This made it look like Penn State isn't going to be able to move the ball against Michigan much.

Indiana - 14
Louisville - 21

Looks like Indiana has found their quarterback in Tayven Jackson (24/33, 299 yards 1TD 1INT). Indiana had a chance to tie it on the Louisville one yard line and couldn't punch it in. They've averaged 2.9 yards per rush between Louisville and Ohio State.

Minnesota - 13
North Carolina - 31

Not sure if this changes much about what we think about Minnesota. Maybe their identity should be run-first but their offensive line is really struggling. PJ Fleck put in a true freshman at guard. Defense gave up 414 passing yards but did get two interceptions.

Nebraska - 35
Northern Illinois - 11

Nebraska's QB, Heinrch Haarberg, threw 24 times for 158 but also ran 21(!) times. Heinrich wasn't even on the travel roster last year. Nebraska's 3-3-5 will be interesting when they play Michigan because Michigan's answer to that is supposed to be outside zone and Michigan's scrapping it. Nebraska's still trying to get the Scott Frost out (they ran their first offensive play with 10 players) but they've still got some good players.

Purdue - 20
Syracuse - 35

Purdue let Syracuse's QB go Denard on them. Purdue's defense is still a project and the offense is still very Purdue.

Wisconsin - 35
Georgia Southern - 14

Georgia Southern's quarterback turned it over six times! They actually outgained Wisconsin. Tanner Mordecai had a stretch where he completed one pass on ten attempts and then he turned it back on near the end of the 3rd quarter. Not sure what's going to happen in Wisconsin vs Purdue next week.

Iowa - 41
Western Michigan - 10

Cade McNamara was 9/19 for 103 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs, look what they've done to my boy. Iowa offense is in mid-season form. Iowa's starting tight end might be done for the season, so it's time for Erick All to step up.

Northwestern - 14
Duke - 38

Ohio State - 63
Western Kentucky - 10

MUSIC:

• “Quarry”— Wednesday
• “Les Fleurs”— Minnie Riperton
• “When the Morning Comes”— Kalapana
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Special GuestGreg Harden was Michigan football's in-house sports therapist and "secret weapon" for a generation. He put his message down in a book.

The SponsorsWe are broadcasting live before a retail audience at Underground Printing's downtown store on Main Street—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, SignalWire where we recorded this, and Winewood Organics.

Featured Musician: Jesse Clayton

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: The saidening.]

1 and 2. Bowling Green Previewstarts at the top and at 16:27

Alex is not impressed, except we would take Hilaire. Biggest concern is they dink-dink-dink down the field and get a couple of good catches from Hilaire or their Washington transfer. Defensively they're climbing out of a huge hole—Steve Morrison is on hand and has installed something like the 1990s Michigan defense, but they do not have the players yet, especially at boundary safety.

1. UNLV After Reviewstarts at 27:52

Seth likes all the DTs and Derrick Moore. JJ McCarthy is incredible. What's up with the running game? Don't get it unless there's something off-field with Trente Jones, and Henderson is picking up a new offense. Barnhart is whiffing on linebackers. Hinton isn't made for stretch, although he didn't have 7 pass pro minuses this week. You can see why they want him to become Runyan Jr. but he's got a long way to go.

1. Greg Hardenstarts at 12:45

Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive is the collected wisdom of sports therapy's icon, the man who worked with Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, and hundreds more elite athletes. He spent over 30 years at Michigan, and now in his later years he put this book together to make sure his message lives on. Preview:

About the Featured Musician: Jesse ClaytonThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

Jesse Clayton is a Michigan artist, member of legendary Ann Arbor band The Macpodz, and a hometown favorite who's since made it big as a music industry professional, from touring with members of Frank Zappa's band to scoring films. He'll be performing Future Gods on September 26th at the Blind Pig. I've been writing to Iridescence this week.

Song choices:

• "Future Gods"
• "Iridescence" (used two different parts)

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• NOTE: The first 29 minutes are on Mel Tucker/MSU. I get on with Sam early to talk about the leak, and then the panel joins to discuss what we've know and don't know. If you want to skip all that, go to 29:01.
• BGSU Double-Agents Craig Ross and Jack Harbaugh are exposed.
• Next MSU coach? Paul Chryst? He banked his program on Graham Mertz, but it's one mistake. Craig: Chryst would be their Tommy Amaker palette-cleanser.
• Illinois: defense has fallen apart despite having a 1st rounder in Jer'zhan Newton.
• UNLV review: JJ has been incredible.
• Defensive line is coming in over expectations. Gameplan vs UNLV was have them win doubles and they did it flawlessly.
• Run game issues: They've got 3 guys who are hypothetically good at OZ and then they have Hinton and Keegan who are moving away from their best assets.
• Lost their identity: haven't run a pin & pull all year.
• OZ is expensive; if they actually get that good at it they are the best OL of all time. They can make it a 4th pitch but not a 2nd pitch without making that the thing they do.
• Probably not getting the top transfer OL anymore if they're not playing Henderson.
• Feels like they're overreaching with this, trying to find other ways to get outside.

View Details

2 hour and 18 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Winewood Organics, Human Element, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. The Michigan State SituationStarts at 1:00

ESPN and USA Today have released articles detailing Mel Tucker's investigation of sexual harassment involving Brenda Tracy. Mel Tucker is turbo fired but legally they need to follow the process and put him on administrative leave for now. An alarming number of Big Ten programs have tried to hide damning reports from the media. When will universities hold themselves accountable for their actions?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Offense vs UNLV

Starts at 17:04

Once again, the story is JJ playing out of his mind. The evaluating of his incompletions is, once again, short. Some of his throws are just ridiculous. When the linebackers turn their backs, he sees it and throws behind them. His pocket movement is good enough to give him the extra beat to get a throw off. He even had a couple nice runs. The receivers appear to be reading the coverage and JJ is on the same page as them. The only thing we really haven't seen is a deep ball. UNLV covered the deep and intermediate routes, so JJ just hits Blake Corum for 20 yards. JJ is projecting to be the best Michigan quarterback of our lives. Where is Alex Orji? Jack Tuttle's run looked really nice before he got injured. Jayden Denegal had a nice throw. Tyler Morris has emerged and is a good blocker. The ground game wasn't what you'd like. UNLV did load the box at times but the dive plays are too predictable. They're not rotating the tackles like they said they would. It doesn't look like there's any major issue but there are a bunch of little things. Is there reason to just expect this year's run game to not be the same as last year? Even if that's the case, that's fine because JJ.

1. Hot Takes, Defense, and Special TeamsStarts at 1:06:54

Takes hotter than JJ McCarthy, what else is there to say? How upsetting is it that Michigan got the same score as Ohio State? We were all hyped up about the Go-Go offense and then they didn't do anything. The expectations for the defensive line are being met emphatically. Cam Goode is out there making plays. Derrick Moore is moving incredibly for someone that weighs 260 pounds. Who is blocking this defensive line, Purdue? Mike Barrett's ability to locate a swing pass early was fun. No Rod Moore, Will Johnson came in for a series. Keon Sabb played like a promising sophomore. Caden Kolesar shined in this game. Jyaire Hill seems like he's still on track to start by the end of the year. Punt return situation is a bit of a caretaker situation. Tommy Doman is booming his punts.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:49:33

Iowa - 20
Iowa State - 13

Cade McNamara was 12/22 for 123 yards and an interception. Oof. Defensive touchdowns do count for Brian Ferentz's 25 points per game goal.

Colorado - 36
Nebraska - 14

Who has the most career turnovers as a player (fumbles and interceptions). Jeff Sims has to be up there (he's at 37). This game had to be so frustrating for the Nebraska defense. They had eight sacks!

Purdue - 24
Virginia Tech - 17

Purdue has a viable run game and destroyed the Virginia Tech run game. It's a road game win against a power five team for the Big Ten! The rain delay in this game was five and a half hours. Purdue spent its time playing spades.

Washington State - 31
Wisconsin - 22

Who isn't rooting for Washington State this season, all things considered? Oregon State fans cheered really loud when this score was announced at their stadium. It's depressing that both of these teams will lose almost all the traditions their fans grew up to love. It's a sin against college football for Wisconsin to not be Wisconsin and they are being punished.

Ohio State - 35
Youngstown State - 7

Feels like a vintage Ohio State team should score 70 in this game. Notre Dame is looming in two weeks and the Irish are looking pretty good.

Kansas - 34
Illinois - 23

Illinois had a defensive collapse, giving up 277 passing yards and allowing two rushers to get 120 and 98 yards. Kansas only punted once. Illinois has Penn State up next, this could be a long year for the Illini. Their dudes at defensive tackle got wrecked.

The rest of the games were pretty much blowouts, there aren't really any takes. Besides Biff Poggi's arms.

MUSIC:

• “Bloodless”— Andrew Bird
• “Valentine”— Drugdealer
• “Psychos”— Jenny Lewis
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Special GuestsRandy and Jason Sklar are joining us because they have a show at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase tonight, and two more tomorrow. They are also tailgating with us tomorrow at Venue. Tickets to all three shows are available here.

Tailgate Info for TomorrowVenue by 4M (1919 S Industrial Hwy, Ann Arbor—just at the end of the Stadium Blvd bridge. Starts at 12:30 PM. Venue will have food and drinks and parking for purchase. They have parking for $50 until it fills up. Anyone can come to the tailgate, but if you aren't seeing the Sklars live this weekend you have to give us a hot take in the hot take voice.

The SponsorsWe are broadcasting live before a retail audience at Underground Printing's downtown store on Main Street—stop by and pick up some gear, check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com. And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, Matt Demorest - Realtor and Lender, Human Element, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, SignalWire where we usually record this, and Winewood Organics.

Featured Musician: Cut Worms

The Video:

1. UNLV Previewstarts at the top

Go Go offense is the headliner, even though there aren't many good players to run it. Ricky White returns to Michigan Stadium with a lefty mobile QB who can sling it a little. Not a great OL, but tricksome in a this is the next evolution of the spread 'n shred sort of way. Defense gave up a lot of yards to Bryant—probably is going to get boatraced. They play a Buck 425 with a lot of up-transfers, but defense was their HC's specialty.

2 and 3. The Sklarsstarts at 17:17 and 45:13

Jason and Randy join us as we talk Lions, Clemsoning, Dabo’s version of “NIL” and calling out Brian Ferentz. Where were the rushing yards? How complete is JJ's transformation. How easy was it? What do you remember from UNLV 2015? Was it 2015?

1. ECU After Reviewstarts at 1:08:23

Where were the rushing yards? How complete is JJ's transformation. How easy was it? What's going on at RT? Where were the sacks? How good were the linebackers? What's with all the stunts and other frippery up front?

About the Featured Musician: Cut WormsChosen by our guests, who are actually huge indie music fans and have been picking the music on the main podcast. Cut Worms is a nova '70s project by Max Clarke, who sounds like Buddy Holly singing over found tracks by George Harrison and Neil Young. Check out their new (self-titled) album on Spotify.

Song choices:

• "Sold my Soul"
• "I'll Never Make It"
• "Is It Magic"

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken now now, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• WHY U NO RUSHING YARDS? Because ECU was so committed to stopping inside runs that they run blitzed after every time they got nailed by play-action. Michigan, you're allowed to run PA twice in a row guys.
• WHY U NO SACKS? Because ECU was so committed to not getting their QBs hit that they threw dinks and quick fades; when they did run actual pass plays Michigan stunted a DT into their faces and they had to throw it away.
• WHY U NO RUN OUTSIDE? Michigan got the Corum run on stretch but not their identity. Brian: they should make their identity "Pick your poison" because JJ is so good. Also tried Arc without the QB part and planned cutbacks. Michigan should bring back that pitch they used in 2015-'16.
• WHY U NO RPO? Sam: They're in there but they aren't going to use them. Seth: Because they're expensive to install and they're not as repeatable against different defenses. Maybe not a great idea in Week 1 when you don't have the other team scouted, because you need to be able to find the guy to read.
• Hat tips to ECU: that is a well-coached defense.
• Break talk: Bryce Underwood to visit Colorado? 500 yards speaks; let's make sure we see that JJ McCarthy is succeeding financially and on the field.
• Who's QB next year? Jadyn Davis is tearing it up but a true freshman starter? They'll go portal.
• Defense: Ernest Hausmann is a dude. Colson made ZERO mistakes. Michigan switched on a rub route.
• Wallace: Looks very smart, set a good edge, no athletic concerns, great INT even if it was incomplete by rule. Much more comfortable with him. But I saw you Jyaire Hill.
• Keon Sabb: Is a safety, not a LB, not a CB (?!!?? who's saying that?). The second play he showed his athleticism to make up ground and rake that out.
• Sainristil: Boringly good. Beat up on bigger players this game.
• Grant: Oh LAWD.
• Ohio State: Their LT isn't up to their standards, McCord couldn't find Harrison—IU knows how to coordinate a defense, left them a lot of Cade Stover so that's what they used. Interesting that OSU went under center and couldn't get their run game going.
• GOOOOOOOOO LIIIIIIIIONS!

View Details

2 hour and 15 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business atundergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

EVENT NOTE: We're hosting a tailgate with the Sklars at Venue before the UNLV game for anyone who has a ticket to see them perform live at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase that night. Venue will have the noon games on, and provide an a la carte tailgate spread, food truck with four beers on tap, and bar. Tickets will be on sale soon at the Comedy Showcase--stay tuned.

1. Offense vs ECUStarts at 1:00

Michigan football has returned! The red hat guy chased Brian out of the stadium at the end of this game. ECU kicked The Sad Field Goal to keep their scoring streak alive. Train made all the right people upset so bravo for that. Initial results are that JJ McCarthy has made The Leap and has taken the training wheels off (and also has the ability to “extend the neutral zone”). Are teams going to continue to stuff the run and ask JJ to beat them, especially if he says “ok”? Running dive five times in a row just to get Donovan Edwards a touchdown probably wasn’t necessary. The play action approach in this game was much better than last year. Myles Hinton probably isn’t going to be the starting tackle once the starting line is set, Trente Jones came in and immediately started moving people. Barnhart at left tackle seemed a lot more smooth. It was an excellent day for the receivers. Roman Wilson doesn’t block like Ronnie Bell but can get over the top of a safety playing 11 yards off the line. AJ Barner’s blocking wasn’t encouraging, Bredeson is probably the second blocking tight end. Is Colston Loveland so good that he’s just boring now?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs ECU

Starts at 42:32

Michigan rotated five DTs and five DEs and there seemed to be no drop-off. Hausmann looked really good, he’ll be a dude. You could also move him at either middle or weak side linebacker. The secondary was missing Will Johnson and Rod Moore, Josh Wallace looked really good. The Almost Interception was a great play and an encouraging sign for the season. Sabb looked competent out there, ECU isn’t going to stress safeties much though. The way Derrick Moore moves around the field, you have to imagine he’ll break out eventually. Kenneth Grant - OH LAWD HE COMIN. Josiah Stewart is looking like a fairly one-dimensional passing down kind of guy.

1. Hot Takes and Special TeamsStarts at 1:05:57

Tommy Doman has a cannon of a leg, so punting is back in a good place. His kickoffs were also bombs. James Turner had a really weird game at kicking. Missed an extra point and a long field goal but made the best field goal of his career. We did not see Alex Orji returning punts, sadly. Jake Thaw as a punt returner didn’t look comfortable at first. Plenty of opportunities this season to field punts, at least. Nice to see Michigan notice a defense that’s aggressive at stopping the run and airing it out sooner, rather than waiting a couple quarters. Keep an eye on Kalel Mullings as the season goes on. The scoreboards are bigger but the replay part of the scoreboards are not. Do we need to keep cycling what 7:30pm games are on that night? Officiating was… kind. That targeting on JJ was egregious, it was exactly the kind of hit the game is trying to get rid of.

1. Around the Big Ten with Jamie MacStarts at 1:33:48

Ohio State - 23
Indiana - 3

Ohio State really couldn’t do much against the Indiana defense… Egbuka and Harrison combined for 34 yards. This is not going to be the #1 offense in the country in SP+. They’re still getting stuffed on 3rd down. Indiana had a great defensive game plan but couldn’t do a thing on offense. McCord does not look comfortable being aggressive throwing downfield.

Michigan State - 31
Central Michigan - 7

We probably didn’t learn much about the Michigan State defense because Central Michigan has a freshman QB who can’t do much. Noah Kim had an awful first quarter performance. This was too much of a fight against a bottom half MAC team. Alante Brown was knocked out of the game and went back in later - it was a Shane Morris incident again.

Illinois - 30
Toledo - 28

Toledo held a lead for most of this game because Illinois couldn’t get out of their own way. 90 yards of penalties in the first half but they got a pick six in the second half.

Iowa - 24
Utah State - 13

Did not meet the 25 points required to save Brian Ferentz’s career. Cade McNamara resumes his role as a game manager, but they scored on their first two drives. Couldn’t do much more after that.

Penn State - 38
West Virginia - 15

Drew Allar’s first start went very well against a defense that’s not supposed to be very good, but an encouraging sign for Penn State. Penn State running game was okay. West Virginia could possibly be really bad? Penn State missed two field goals.

Minnesota - 13
Nebraska - 10

You can take Scott Frost out of the state but you can’t take the Scott Frost out of the football program. Nebraska had a 94% chance to win this late into the game. Minnesota could not run the ball at all. Nebraska threw three picks, losing in the most Nebraska way possible.

Maryland - 38
Towson - 6

Moving on!

Wisconsin - 38
Buffalo - 17

Wisconsin has moved to an air raid passing offense and put up 300 yards of rushing between their two backs. Air raid not fully installed yet. Tanner Mordecai was 24/31 for 189 yards and two interceptions. Braelon Allen had 7 catches for 25 yards. Mo Linguist is Buffalo’s head coach so they have a good secondary.

Purdue - 35
Fresno State - 39

Purdue is going to take some time to rebuild, it’s year zero. Despite just playing Purdue last year, we don’t recognize any of their receivers. Get Donovan Edwards to this game and let him feast.

Northwestern - 7
Rutgers - 24

Nope!

MUSIC:

• “Love T.K.O.”— Teddy Pendergrass
• “Potions”— Day Wave
• “Chosen to Deserve”— Wednesday
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com! And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, we are recording this on SignalWire, and introducing to the podcast:

Featured Musician: Dad Caps

The Video:

1. ECU Preview: Offensestarts at the top

Last year was The Year. This year is the Mason Garcia, except their coach is being cagey about it. Best lineman got poached by the portal late. Best receiver is a Georgia transfer who actually played some for UGA.

1. ECU Preview: Defensestarts at 15:06

Play a TCU style with five guys on the line, one LB in the middle, two wing safeties and three guys deep. One of the most zone-dependent teams last year and blitzed seldom. They do leave the second level open for you: hooks away. Led the AAC in tackles by safeties. Gonna try to jam the run game with small guys.

1. What We Learned About Minnesota & Nebraskastarts at 41:54

Oh dear, these are not good teams. Minnesota could not have wanted to rely so much on the Greek God rolling away from immediate pressure. We are fans of Daniel Jackson now because he bailed his QB out a few times, including the awesome TD at the end. Nebraska admits they Scott Frosted it; they're all Frost's players except GT transfer QB Jeff Sims, who tanked them with three atrocious INTs at the worst time. Did not know you could review a spot after a false start.

1. Seth & Alex Make Stupid Predictionsstarts at 41:54

Brian makes us answer all the dumb questions he didn't have to, like how incompetently will will PFF rank Trevor Keegan.

About the Featured MusicianThis year we are partnering with The Blind Pig for bumper music, since that's where I've seen most of the bands I've been pushing anyways.

Dad Caps (bandcamp, Spotify) was formed in the D.I.Y scene of Lansing. Apparently "Midwest Emo" is a different thing than "Other Places Emo" but if you're into Far (Seth was very into Far in college) you'll get it. Why do they have other kinds of Emo? Seems like Midwest Emo should just be what Emo is. Anyway Dad Caps consisting of local lip ring enthusiast Gaven on guitar and vocals, Lansing's sad sk8r boi Vic on bass and vocals, the hot guy Ben on guitar, Maverick on drums, and the legendary Lansing bassist Dane on keyboard and trumpet. They're playing tomorrow night at the Blind Pig with Who Is We .

• Knucklehead
• Death Kwon Dump
• Fistfight in the TJ Maxx Parking Lot

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Seth comes on early to talk about Jim Harbaugh's comments: If NCAA starts revenue-sharing now they'll get a better deal than when they're forced to do it.
• He's real about it—he knows the guys who played in the NFL before revenue-sharing—he's also political, and also sticking it back to the NCAA, and also manipulating the media away from suspensions.
• Does he have allies on this? Players, obviously. Coaches will be told to be against it.
• Resume this w/ Brian & Craig: He's earnest about it. If Northwestern unionized maybe Fitz is still coaching.
• ECU Preview: Mason Garcia is a tank, came up through the program. Last year was The Year, got portal-picked. Bend-don't-break.
• Michigan careful with injuries: Think that Cornelius Johnson, Tyler Morris, Rod Moore, Will Johnson, Makari Paige could play but no need to get them hurt. Nobody's got an NHG issue.
• Seth: You can't tiptoe through a football season. Don't agree with taking it too easy because football will punish you cosmically. Sam: They have 2 more noncons to sleep through.
• Freshman receivers: Fred Moore ran a slow 40 in the snow and got underrated—gonna start—very good deep threat. Semaj is super fast, reminds Craig of Speedy Eaglet. Karmello is the most college-ready.
• Michigan needs to play-action more. The stats say JJ was the best play-action QB and Michigan ran it just a few times. Just six PA plays against TCU for 25 yards/per. Deep ball gets better when receivers get an opportunity to build trust. Receivers were used to Cade McNamara?
• Michigan's going to see zone because who can man up a LB against Loveland/Edwards?
• What did Weiss do here? He made great tweaks in the running game. Discussion on redzone offense growth over the season from slow-mesh reads to dives to Belly and QB lead power.
• JJ making more checks, changing routes, getting to sling more.
• Michigan needed to adjust faster to teams loading up the box.
• Run JJ! If you're worried about injury, it's less risk to run him six times in the first half than subject him to three hits in the second half.
• More RPOs? Let's do it!

View Details

2 hour and 27 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business atundergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

EVENT NOTE: We're hosting a tailgate with the Sklars at Venue before the UNLV game for anyone who has a ticket to see them perform live at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase that night. Venue will have the noon games on, and provide an a la carte tailgate spread, food truck with four beers on tap, and bar. Tickets will be on sale soon at the Comedy Showcase--stay tuned.

1. Non-Conference Starts at 1:00

The non-conference is bad. That is all! David is excited for the ECU game! Last year was the Pirates' all-in season but now most of their good players are gone (except for their genuine 4-star quarterback). They're kind of like Mid-Tennessee State from a few years ago. UNLV has a new coach. UNLV discussion dissolves into discussions about Dug (as in like the show 'Dug'). They weren't ranked #12 at anything on The Enemy Ranked! That Ricky White is back. Connor Bazelak returns for Bowling Green (possibly with a better offensive line).

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. B1G East

Starts at 16:44

Indiana is really rough, there's a QB battle between two players nobody's really heard of. They lost a lot of guys to the portal. They did get Wisconsin's offensive line coach so there will be immediate improvement there at least. There could be 7-8 transfers starting on defense.

Rutgers has a path to get to bowl eligibility, but it's a rough one (and involves beating Michigan State). They have a decent defense at least, but the offense won't be doing much.

Michigan State loses Peyton Thorne and Keon Coleman in the spring which is pretty devastating for an offense that already was struggling. It's probably going to be Noah Kim at QB, and he probably won't have many open receivers to choose from. Their offensive line probably can't get worse, though. Maybe they go from 104th in Football Outsider's average line yards to 90th? The defensive line might be okay but their linebackers still can't run. Michigan State has a really tough schedule too, and they sold their home game against Penn State to Ford Field. Last year they had one thing and now that thing is gone.

Maryland is the definition of a 7-on-7 program, they have no offensive or defensive lines. Taulia might be running for his life. Don't forget, Josh Gattis is the new offensive coordinator!

Besides Saquon Barkley, what hyped up Penn State running back has picked apart Michigan? They're talented but will the offensive line carry them this season? They reload a bit at wide receiver. Drew Allar is a pure pocket passer (he's slow but not Navarre slow). Penn State has always had a quarterback that could solve problems with their legs and Allar doesn't bring that. They'll need their offensive line to be what it's supposed to be. The defense could make up the deficiencies on offense. DB Kalen King was such a huge miss for Michigan that Penn State took advantage of. Their depth is really good at linebacker.

Ohio State still has a quarterback competition and a lot of questions about the offensive line. They took a left tackle from San Diego State who wasn't a starter. The defensive ends didn't produce as much as they were supposed to last year and they ate up the offensive line in the spring game. We got to see how Kyle McCord performs under duress at least. There's no data on Devin Brown. Could this be a developmental season for their quarterback? When was the last time Ohio State had that? The wide receivers are still world-enders and the running back room is the second best in the conference. OL Donovan Jackson is in the running to be the best guard with Zak Zinter in the Big Ten, so there's that. What do you know about Jim Knowles' 'Jack' position? Defensive end depth doesn't have someone stepping up. It's not too much to ask that one of your mega five stars lives up to their expectation. Denzel Burke is popping up on first round draft boards because of his metrics but he's not been impressive, he didn't have much improvement in his 2nd year. Lathan Ransom had one of the worst games in The Game in recent memory, welcome back! If Sonny Styles hits, he could be Dax Hill ++. Who in their secondary is getting a star in the diagram? So far nobody. Tommy Eichenberg is the biggest star. Year two of Jim Knowles got better at Oklahoma State, but his year twos anywhere else weren't better. Why does every team have to have their own cute term for a nickel?

1. Hot Takes and B1G West Starts at 1:29:21

Takes hotter than the Michigan football program gosh darn it. Brian goes on a wonderful hot takes rant and had good news for Ohio State fans in Tampa.

Before the Northwestern scandal, you could maybe look at their schedule and see 3-4 wins. They even have a real quarterback now (and A.J. Henning). But now the coaching is a mess so they might be 1-11 again. Alex has a surprising amount of things to say about Northwestern.

Matt Rhule isn't re-building Nebraska, he's just building Nebraska. They retained their offensive line coach, at least. The defensive line is a disgrace. Maybe they can weasel their way into six wins. They recruit talented players but those players just don't develop at all.

Purdue might not be as bad as some people think, but it could also very well be a year zero scenario. First year head coach Ryan Walters has some work to do.

The gang is split on whether Minnesota is good or not. They have a right tackle who can't pass block but is a monster in the ground game. Minnesota likes to fill their holes with transfers from Western Michigan. Tyler Nubin is a projected first round pick at safety. They might beat Michigan once or twice out of ten. There's always a game that's weirdly close and this could be the one.

Alex's biggest thing on Illinois is: NONE OF YOU BELIEVED HIM. Defense brings back a lot and should still be solid. Losing Chase Brown is big and nobody projects to be as good. The offensive line returns three starters and Isaiah Williams returns at receiver so there are still some good pieces. They won the Big Ten West lottery by not getting Michigan or Ohio State.

Iowa - if the offensive line could just be a 2017 Iowa OL then they would be really good. They would always have a tackle who was drafted highly. The wide receivers are questionable but they did get a transfer from Ohio State. Erick All will add some needed depth. If Cade McNamara is behind an offensive line that is 128th in line yardage then the game is over before it starts.

Wisconsin is going to look so weird this year. They have so much talent on this roster but how quickly can they adapt to the new coaching scheme? Tanner Mordecai is the third best QB in the conference? The offensive line is developed for a completely different scheme. The defense was 14th in SP+ and brings seven guys back. If the scheme comes together they're the favorite of the west, if it doesn't then there are a lot of teams that could step up.

1. Predictions, and Final Takes on the Season Starts at 2:09:04

Who wins the Big Ten West? Who wins the Big Ten East? Who makes the playoff? IS TEXAS BACK? How attainable is actually winning the National Championship? Michigan might not be recruiting at Georgia's level but is anyone better than Zak Zinter? Three flee flickers in a row will instill the fear of God.

MUSIC:

• “Mazel Tron”— BLP Kosher and Baby Tron
• “Nothing To You”— Michael Kiwanuka
• “Kindness Will Follow Your Tears”— Lonnie Holley and Bon Iver
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

1 hour and 56 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business atundergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

EVENT NOTE: We're hosting a tailgate with the Sklars at Venue before the UNLV game for anyone who has a ticket to see them perform live at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase that night. Venue will have the noon games on, and provide an a la carte tailgate spread, food truck with four beers on tap, and bar. Tickets will be on sale soon at the Comedy Showcase--stay tuned.

1. Defensive Line Starts at 1:00

This podcast is actually two hours about Coco Gauff- I'm getting word from our sponsors that we must resume football discussion. Kris Jenkins is looking to be a first or second round pick, he's the best pass rusher in the interior. His nickname is "The Mutant" and it shows. Mason Graham is the dude next to him, the best freshman DT since... ever? Freshman DTs just aren't that good but Mason Graham was good. Kenneth Grant, God's gift to football, is in the lineup, but might be a year away from fully realizing his ability. Rayshaun Benny showed some flashes in the Spring Game and is probably behind Kris Jenkins. Rumor is Cam Goode is in better shape coming into this year. The freshmen probably won't contribute much but they're on their way. Edge position is pretty set in stone and will probably be fine, not great. Jaylen Harrell is reliable but a little small and could drop back into a linebacker role. He's had some oddly optimistic draft projections. There's reason to be optimistic about Josiah Stewart. Braiden McGregor feels like he's never fully recovered from his knee injury, despite being physically shaped like Aidan Hutchinson. Derrick Moore has Taco Charlton potential.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Linebackers and Cornerback

Starts at 39:43

Junior Colson has had his ups and downs at Michigan but is coming in with a lot of hype. He's a similar mold to Jonas Mouton. Would have some +2s in UFR, which are amazing, but then would end up grading negatively overall. He could be the proverbial X-Factor - you can see the potential in the All-American talk. Michael Barrett is one of the most 'football guys' on the team and it's so great to see him mold into a good linebacker. He has a lot of versatility which helps Minter call different plays. Ernest Hausmann is a great get from a not great Nebraska defense, he looked great in the Spring Game. Jimmy Rolder saw some decent play time towards the end of last year. Jaydon Hood probably won't crack the two-deep. Will Johnson could possibly be the best cornerback in the country, did not get toasted by Marvin Harrison Jr. Could he be following the Charles Woodson path? Mike Sainristil? Mike Sainristil! Responsible for the best Michigan defensive play since...? We play "Remember Some Dudes" with just one guy. Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil, and Michael Barrett created a culture of "football dudes". Biggest question on the whole team is "who is going to be CB #2"? Josh Wallace is a great pickup from UMass and was probably recommended by Don Brown. In terms of best case scenario going into the Ohio State game, though, it's probably Jyaire Hill. Amorion Walker is on the Freaks List but that finished product is probably a year away. There are issues but not like the Rich Rodriguez era "Never Forget Banner", these issues are simply "put a safety over the CB that needs help and let Will Johnson go 1-on-1." Whoever comes out of this mess is going to be decent, and all you really need is someone to be decent.

1. Hot Takes, Safeties, and Special Teams Starts at 1:15:58

Takes hotter than Coco Gauff at the Southern and Western Open. Is there a conspiracy to hide Ja'den McBurrows from us?? Rod Moore is possibly one of the top available safeties in the NFL draft. He's a three-star out of Ohio (Ohio State recruited Lathan Ransom, oopsie). Makari Paige is a very reliable tackler. Best safety duo since who? Quinten Johnson is a fast guy who hasn't quite put it together yet. We haven't heard much about Sabb. Zeke Berry looked pretty good in the Spring Game. If one of the starters gets hurt then there could be issues. Caden Kolesar would be pretty good as a third safety for most of the year. Tommy Doman is the punter and a six-star! James Turner comes in as a kicker and is 32 for 33 inside the 40. We've heard all about Alex Orji as a punt returner. Mullings as a punt returner? Eamonn Dennis as a kick returner makes sense but we need Alex Orji for the memes. The long snapper is-

1. Defense in Summary Starts at 1:44:06

It's a little shakier than the offense, there are still a few questions, but it won't be a disaster. Need to get pass rushing out of the actual pass rushers. It could still be a top 10 unit and could still be better than last year. Lots of time this season to figure it out. Biggest concern on the defense (besides CB #2)? Breakout player? SP+ final finish? Who's your dude? Alejandro, we need you to publish the mattress story.

MUSIC:

• “Pull Up”— Lil Mosey
• “Rolling”— Michael Kiwanuka
• “Pretend”— Alex_G_offline
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

2 hours and 53 minutes

The Sponsors

Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business atundergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

EVENT NOTE: We're hosting a tailgate with the Sklars at Venue before the UNLV game for anyone who has a ticket to see them perform live at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase that night. Venue will have the noon games on, and provide an a la carte tailgate spread, food truck with four beers on tap, and bar. Tickets will be on sale soon at the Comedy Showcase--stay tuned.

1. Quarterback and Running Back Starts at 1:00

Savor your back-to-back Big Ten Championship winning Michigan Wolverines. Seth guaranteed a win against Ohio State last year and he was right. It's JJ, what level is JJ at? The TCU game obscures it but he's very good at not throwing the ball into bad places. How would you attack JJ McCarthy if you're a defense? The only thing that really de-rails this season is if he gets hurt. Is there any reason to think that JJ won't make a leap, similarly to Shea Patterson (consensus is no, he should make the leap)? Brian thinks Jack Tuttle is the likely backup and would be a viable caretaker, everyone else thinks it'll be Davis Warren. There is a very mature and very professional conversation about Alex Orji. Apparently he's the kick returner, but could he also be an actually useful asset in short yardage? Is this the best running back duo in school history? Is Blake Corum the best running back in Michigan football history? He's fast, hard to tackle, and just rarely makes mistakes. Donovan Edwards played last year with a broken hand and a knee injury (and also destroyed Ohio State in the process). His decision making improved greatly so while healthy, he should be fun to watch. CJ Stokes and Kalel Mullings are up next, CJ Stokes had some unfortunate plays but hopefully improved and gets play time. Does Tavierre Dunlap last the year?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Receiver and Tight Tend

Starts at 1:08:30

Wide receiver has been a "problem" position with some fans but Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson are both probably draftable. If this is the biggest problem, it is a good problem. Seemed like there were a lot of balls that Cornelius Johnson could almost catch from JJ, just need to lock down that connection more. Maybe not a 900 yard guy but still a good option. Roman Wilson will continue to play in the slot as a speedster. He'll be the most open the most often (he was more open than Cornelius on one of the touchdowns against Ohio State). You should check out Roman Wilson's YouTube channel. The other outside receiver is Tyler Morris, who seems to have a telepathic connection with JJ. He might not get a lot of targets but we're comfortable with him as a starter. Peyton O'Leary is definitely going to play and get some receptions this year. Semaj Morgan is a lot like AJ Henning as a recruit. Have Michigan fans ever been so sure about a tight end being an All-American as Colston Loveland? Did you know he was a wide receiver in Idaho two years ago? In Idaho. Does he get the most targets this season? You can line him up as a receiver if you really want to, he can be a matchup nightmare. AJ Barner had to endure Indiana's offense last year, but he should be serviceable at Michigan. Matthew Hibner has shown flashes in the past, but after that the depth gets a little light. There are photos of Marlin Klein playing with the 1s. Max Bredeson is technically a fullback but is also basically a tight end.

1. Hot Takes and Offensive Line Starts at 1:56:18

Takes hotter than Mel Tucker's seat after he loses to DeVry University. This is the deepest offensive line any of us can remember - we would be comfortable with some of the 3rd stringers. Zak Zinter is the top guard on some draft lists and is probably at his ceiling, Trevor Keegan should be recovered from an injury and have some room for improvement this year. Center is a battle between Drake Nugent and Greg Crippen. NFL folks love LaDarius Henderson for his athletic traits. Giovanni El-Hadi looked good last year up until the Illinois game and will probably be a starter next year. Coaches are going to rotate starters in the non-conference. Karsen Barnhart has been getting a lot of camp buzz - plays really well against bad opponents but really struggles against anyone better than him. We would expect Trente Jones to win the right tackle job, but we're hearing other things from camp. Nice to see Myles Hinton since he was heavily coveted as a recruit. He struggled at Stanford, but that may have been a product of Stanford's offense. Hinton moves really smoothly for how big he is. LaDarius Hunderson is probably the starting left tackle.

1. Offense in Summary Starts at 2:38:51

This offense looks to be the best of the Harbaugh era. What offense in Michigan football history would you take over this one? JJ is just Zen Harbaugh. What is the biggest concern of the offense (other than someone getting hurt)? Who is your breakout player? Who's your Dude? Final SP+ rank?

MUSIC:

• “Don't Fade Out”— Cut Worms
• “Gilded Lily”— Cults
• “Handsome”— Drug Cabin
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things Discussed:

• Realignment news: will Big Ten and SEC band together?
• Seth: Whatever—what they’ve created isn’t tenable because it’s 100% money-driven so it’s going to get blown up anyways.
• Also Seth: Where are the elected officials? At least one regent has spoken out but even he isn’t going to stand in the way. Why aren’t we holding people accountable for making decisions that are only about money if we care about things other than money? Or are we part of the same hypocrisy?
• What’s up with the NCAA? They’re a failed org that nobody but Warde Manuel takes seriously.
• Barnhart starting? Probably an early fall thing, and a mental thing, because Jones grades out higher. They do love Barnhart as a 6th guy but he’s also started the most and played the most for Michigan of all their options, and as we saw with Cade last year, that counts in this program.
• May see them use the nonconf games for tryouts again.
• Somebody there has an agenda to get Jim Harbaugh, and Harbaugh has an agenda to not admit to lying, so there’s your impasse.
• Why is PSU’s secondary and RB getting ranked higher than Michigan’s? RB is insane—those guys have speed and they’re good backs, but you need to watch the film to understand why Corum is so much better than every other back in college football. Secondary is defensible—PSU has two very good returners and a higher floor for the other cornerback spot.
• We are down on Drew Allar though.
• Recruiting? The Scotts were Will Johnson recruits for Ohio State—if they can’t get corners and DTs in recruiting they fall back, because they’re not developing them anymore.
• Michigan had too many DEs, Smiths also did this to Notre Dame, but not a great loss. Brian & Seth disagree on whether Miami “did us a favor” because Brian thinks if you flip to Miami you weren’t going to work out here and Seth things Michigan has shown they can develop edges with bend in remarkable circumstances.
• Bryce Underwood: If he goes to LSU it’s because LSU will spend everything they have to get a quarterback and Michigan will spend everything they have to build the best children’s hospital in the world.

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Things Discussed:

• Four-game suspension for Harbaugh? NCAA doesn’t understand that they can’t operate like it’s 1998 with one team the same week they’re letting a friend off for the biggest scandal since Pony Express.
• The commonality is the NCAA has a sweet spot where it has to be harsh enough that it looks like they’re serious while not being serious enough to affect anybody’s bottom line. Michigan and Tennessee stand out because one was too small and one too big to fit the narrative that the NCAA is actually in charge of anything.
• Who’s going to coach? Seth: Four games, four future coaches on staff, so let’s have tryouts! Other suggestions are to leave the defense alone, have Sherrone coach when he can and Mike Hart take the other game.
• Big Ten Media Days: Don’t care what’s said.
• Ohio State Preview: They might not have an A+ quarterback, Seth will believe Ryan Day and that offense have less than A- when it happens but Brian watched the OSU spring game and it didn’t look A-.
• Best opponent in nonconference? Probably ECU, who reminds us of MTSU a few years back. Bowling Green preview.
• Big Ten Media Days Round 2: Ryan Day wants to deemphasize The Game because he’s 31-2 in the Big Ten, duh. Mel Tucker’s answer to how do you tamp things down was very Bobby Williams. We find nothing weird about Minnesota’s thing; of course PJ Fleck is weird, we know this. Everybody knows coaches are weirdos. When they announced aliens are real all of college football Twitter answered “We know.”

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Things Discussed:

• Let's talk 45-23: Klatt says OSU wins 6/10? OSU had to play a gambler's defense with their safeties in the box because they could not play their base defense against Michigan.
• Try that B12 shit against Olu and he's going to spot it.
• Usually don't have one of the all-time stinkers from a safety like they got from Lathan Ransom.
• Flipside: M practiced the right defense to beat OSU as their base defense all year. OSU's offense is predicated on the fact they can beat anyone's athletes, and that was true against even Georgia. Michigan's defense
• Northwestern: Brian Kelly says coach is responsible for everything, good to see a head coach saying this, unfortunately it's the biggest hypocrite in football.
• Hockey: Good hires for Naurato, the Chicago Steel are the best place to get a coach from if you're moving a guy up.
• Hockey facilities: They have a Wrigley Field problem: their house is both one of the most iconic hockey barns in the sport, and literally the first fieldhouse ever built. They already have to go up and down stairs to get to their locker room, and they have the visitors sitting behind a tarp. Probably need to build an extension on the building into the Schembechler lot. That's also what's holding them back from having a women's team.

View Details

1 hour and 36 minutes

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. 2024 Forest View, QB, RB, WR starts at 1:00

How’s the class looking? Michigan has found ways to use NIL to cover tuition for more “walk-ons” and effectively raise their scholarship limit. This is good for Michigan, for players, for the game, for everybody but smaller schools, and solves issues that used to occur when there was more of a crunch (e.g. with St-Juste). Jadyn Davis: has been falling because his Elite 11 showing was middle of the pack, but that’s not his game: winning games is his game. Tate Forcier-like. Jordan Marshall a Charbonnet-esque h2h vs Ohio State. Ka’apana is a glider who can catch. Zach Ludwig is related to Ben Herbert and is a fullback: sold. Goodwin and I’Marion Stewart are okay WRs but not game-changers. Michigan’s offense limits them here.

1. Hot Takes, Tight End and Offensive Line starts at 35:33

Hogan Hansen is the rare high schooler who can block in high school, Brady Prieskorn is ranked even higher, but they are still Michigan Tight Ends™. The OL are a lot of guys OSU might not have recruited except the two tackles, but M loves its maulers. Of them we’re stoked about Sprague, who’s got Jake Long basketball highlights. Hamilton and Roebuck are guards, Frazier is the RT, Guarnera the center.

1. Defensive Line starts at 1:05:09

Unfortunately Wafle isn’t pronounced Waffle. Fortunately Beigel (not bagel) is blowing up. Both have length, which the program loves. So does Hammond who’s a build-a-bear. Edge is a mix between high floors (the Smith bros and Nichols) and ceilings: Baxter (a Taco) and Rudolph (an Uche).

1. Defensive Back Seven starts at 1:22:16

Looking for cornerbacks. Waiting on Aaron Scott, whose head says Michigan and dad says OSU. Might take just two this cycle because 2025 is a load-up year. Linebackers are all do-everythings. We love Jerod Smith’s tape, Curtis and Sullivan are defensive ATHs, Beasley is a Don Brown LB (RB-ish, quick burst). Are Belleville guys a bit sus? Safety is Jacob Oden; Rod Moore minus the extra equals Tyree Kinnel.

MUSIC:

• "Jerry Rice"—BabyTron
• "Groceries"—Carrtoons
• "Nobody Wants me"—Robert Lester Folsom
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things Discussed:

• HTTV: the only 2023 Michigan preview magazine advocating wheel routes to Edwards and Loveland! Digital Edition, Kindle Edition, Print Interest List.
• Pat Fitzgerald & Northwestern: Seth recounts getting hazed at his fraternity, which ended those practices in 1999.
• Who for Northwestern? Brian says they should go retread. Seth thinks they can do better: There are worse lives than being rich in Evanston, Illinois.
• NIL: Why they can't make all of the donations tax-deductible: Some of the schools were sloppier than HAIL! but the fundamental principle is if you're running a charity, the purpose has to be CHARITABLE.
• Seven collectives coming together: Is it a union? Call it what you want; industries always have organizations within them to create leverage to benefit them. The big pie is the TV money, but the collectives right now are just trying to bring some kind of quality and standardization to their products.

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Things Discussed:

• Just me (Seth) today with Ira & Sam and we have Sam answer the HTTV (now available as a PDF) Roundtable questions.
• HTTV: the not a PDF? There's a paper shortage preventing us from printing as many as we need. I have enough to take care of all of the pre-orders. I don't have enough to put print copies on sale right now.
• I may in 3 weeks. I will have a Kindle Edition in a few weeks. In fact it'll be submitted to Kindle in a few days.
• NIL: Where's Michigan at? Sam thinks they're coming in under their hopes. Not going to raise what OSU is raising. Will raise more.
• Charitable? Ira's dad chimes in. Seth: the main issue is you can't pay more than market value, so you can't move enough $NIL through a 501(c)(3).
• Maryland Talk: That's Sam's pick for most underrated Michigan opponent. We also talk PSU and Minnesota.
• Michigan center: I love Drake Nugent, Sam says Raheem Anderson is really coming on, and don't count him out.
• Cade at Iowa: Good fit, he'll do fine, their pass protection has deteriorated lately. If All is healthy they can TE like always.
• How do you get over the CFP hump? QB: You have to play an NFL game because you're playing against NFL defenses.
• Will Harbaugh flirt with the NFL again? Yes. That's just how it's going to be here.
• Jim, if you want to go to the NFL we will support you but the deal is you have to give us your son. Harbaugh has us set up if he leaves: Moore is ready to be HC at this level, and he has a staff: Bellamy, Hart, Clinkscale are Michigan guys more than they're Harbaugh guys.
• Season prediction: Who's got it better than us?

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Things Discussed:

• NIL vs "NIL": Why is the NCAA trying to fight states? Who's writing the laws? Do they have any chance? Nope.
• NCAA is probably trying to scare other ADs away from joining the race to make the most anti-NCAA public policy.
• What should the NCAA be fighting for at this point? They have to go to class, they have to graduate.
• NCAA isn't going to do anything; being careful about following rules they're not taking seriously is useless. They can't even punish schools anymore because they're not going to take away postseasons (they don't want to) and scholarship limits don't matter with NIL.
• What's M Power: The answer to the problem that Michigan has a lot of collectives.
• NIL vs "NIL" pt 2. Michigan is actually doing well at NIL because they had to come at this from a new perspective, whereas cheaters like Ohio State and Notre Dame already had processes developed when it was all illegal. Michigan is way behind on "NIL" but are finally addressing it, writing a new law in Michigan and having Harbaugh drive it with M Power.
• Beer in Michigan Stadium? Games are so slow today that you might as well. Not going to be a big deal.
• Hail to the Roundtable segment: Is beating OSU sustainable? Michigan has a good thing going right now, long term Ohio State will get better talent. The last two years OSU only produced two 1st rounders on defense, and didn't have the horses to beat Michigan at the main thing we wanted to do.
• What does the Sherrone Moore offense look like? Two tight ends and/or two RBs because they can get Loveland and Edwards matched against linebackers. There's no answer to that: if you have a hybrid LB he'll get crushed by Michigan's power running attack.
• Find a weakness on this team other than injuries to JJ or WJ? Can't. Maybe kicking.

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Things Discussed:

• Craig responds to Spath re: his fandom and player movement. Craig tells the Tamakwa "Will Peach Pie Do?" story.
• NBA Draft: Not surprised that Kobe Bufkin is ahead of Jett Howard because he's the better basketball player. Kobe is actually what they call 6'6"—calling him 6'4" is doing him a disservice.
• John Thompson: Start with something you can do elite first. Counterpoint: Every coach thinks they can build a great player.
• Jett has an elite skill, needs the right team, would LOVE to go to Miami, would be another Duncan Robinson.
• Beilein to WVU? Lol no. Seth: He's one of those retired guys that people think can still coach because he still has his hair. Like remember how they kept bringing up Chuck Dailey?
• What happened with Reeves? What does MBB do now? Go full Rutgers?
• Jim Knowles: There are several DCs around this league who would have been better ideas.
• What happened vs Michigan? Not Illinois because they had a high safety and disguised things. Knowles lost the thread of the rivalry. Michigan-Ohio State is about two great teams being the best version of themselves. Ohio State got too used to having the better players. Does he have the better players on defense?
• Cam Martinez: Not supposed to be over Cornelius Johnson in the slot on an all-way go.
• Lathan Ransom had the worst hypothetical UFR game we've ever seen. Involved in most of the big breakdowns. Brian's had a tennis game like that before.
• Hockey's new assistants: Smart and young.

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Things Discussed:

• Talking about how Michigan put their NIL program together the first time: in the 1890s. They were behind for awhile, but they got it done.
• M-Power: Same story. Michigan is going to have the head coach educating donors on their NIL opportunities instead of having all these different collectives fighting each other.
• Why it looks like this: Michigan didn't have a system in place like most schools. Every collective started on their own vision. Now we're at the point where we need to have a vision, and a case manager who can explain it all.
• In the break: Was Michigan's attrition bad? Not really. Gemon Green is the only guy Seth really thought we should be able to hold onto. Erick All? Personal deal, might not be healthy next year, wasn't going to be better than Loveland, but would have been better than AJ Barner.
• Back to NIL: Harbaugh wasn't going to wait around. They have a couple of weeks here when he's not coaching football.
• What does basketball do? Seth: Someone will step up to be the sugar daddy.
• Sam: Four head coaches on this staff.
• Partridge got their asses in gear on this after seeing what they're doing at Ole Miss.

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Things Discussed:

• HAIL TO THE VICTORS 2023!!!!
• Josh Wallace: David Long but normal speed.
• Olivier Nkamhoua: The Perfect pickup for them. Sucks that they couldn't add him to Dickinson but he's exactly what they need to reshape this into a switchable defense, and can score and pass.
• Big Ten scheduling: Will announce today that they're going to a flex model with no divisions. Possibility of playing OSU 3x/year. Craig hates being locked in with MSU but we're stuck with them. Brian hates night games. Seth hates replays and advocates again for the Showcase idea where you play the best games that weren't played. Sam thinks this is just a stopgap because they wanted to get rid of divisions that put Purdue in the championship game, and they're not done adding teams. This system won't last more than a year or two.
• Will USC play Michigan? When you join the Big Ten, you get to play Michigan. When Penn State joined the Big Ten, they got to play Michigan. When Michigan State joined the Big Ten, they got to play Michigan. When they formed the Big Ten, it was so Chicago could play Michigan.
• Lionel Messi. Brian has advice for the women of Miami.

View Details

Things Discussed:

• HAIL TO THE VICTORS 2023: The Michigan preview with the most mentions of 45-23.
• Alex Cook watches Braylonfest.
• Football preview: All the positions are great until we get to 2nd cornerback.
• Kicker: James Turner would be the #2 Michigan kicker since 2003.
• Realignment: What's driving it is TV contracts. Big 12 in best shape to be Conf3 because they have an ESPN contract.
• Streaming: It's not going to stay how it is now. The battle is the same it's always been, where they try to make you pay for as much of what you don't watch as possible and you try to streamline as much as possible.
• Future? There's more money to be made if you're not paying half of it to Fox.
• Basketball: Can they salvage the offseason now? Depends on how they do with a portal G and Big.

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Things Discussed:

• Shemy: They had two months to do a cursory vetting. Harbaugh was trying to do a thing for Bo.
• Problem in coach culture that they feel the need to find everybody a job.
• Problem in Michigan's athletic department that they don't have enough attention to detail.
• The lesson isn't just check what you say in public; check some of these ideas when they're on their way into your head.
• NOTE: I erased a short bit where the panel got the Schembechler boys mixed up; Matt is the one who made dubious claims re: Anderson.
• To be clear, it was hundreds of likes of racist ideas, not just one tweet (though the one tweet was very bad), and once they were public it would have been a major issue for Michigan, which is in the PR business.
• In the break Brian explains how Twitter works to Craig.
• The Big Ten's contract situation: How did Kevin Warren screw this up so badly? Guy sold the rights to a game he didn't own, and promised night games in November—what was his job other than to know these things?
• OSU is going to host a night game vs MSU on November 11 (Michigan had the IU game just as late in the year).
• MSU is going to move their last home game, vs Penn State, to Ford Field on Friday night—MSU season ticket holders must be pissed? Seth: MSU's last home game is usually empty and miserable anyways.
• November night game solution: USC and UCLA can play them at home.
• And they're paying a search firm to understand if they need to pay him a bonus for a contract he didn't complete when his contract didn't say he gets one, why, because Delany got one? Brian: Executive culture is messed up—these guys are all replacement level.
• What's the fallout? Sam/Brian think Michigan didn't have any concessions; Seth thinks MSU horse-traded their Senior Day at Ford Field and a night game at OSU in return for an easier schedule when Michigan is going to get USC. We figured that would happen anyways.

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Things Discussed:

• Seth on early to talk about Michigan's transfer process.
• Caleb Love? Need to get on this because it's not tenable for the program.
• Are the other transfers at risk? TJ is a grad transfer, Nimari it's probably a thing where he's willing to give up credits to get here.
• RayJ Dennis: Was on campus. TAKE! Better than Love! Can we beat Illinois for him? Would you play for Brad Underwood?
• Phat-Phat: Think he's AJ Hoggard.
• Lacrosse: Big upset over Big Red, can they beat Duke? Yeah?
• Tennis: Women lost close, making a run next year. Men still in it.
• ACC Rumbles/Expansion: Washington and Oregon have been vetted, but vetting turned up they don't bring more than the mean. FSU if they can get into the AAU, Clemson, Notre Dame, and then maybe UNC, Virginia, and Duke are options.
• Why all this? Because teams are jockeying for an inevitable future where players are under contract and getting a piece of the TV money.

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TCU After UFR:

• How disjoined was the offense? Lots because they weren't calling their run game on 3rd & 2, and they weren't calling their passing game on 2nd & long.
• Play-action was getting 25 yards per play because TCU was not going to leave their safeties back. They should have run the flea-flicker on the next play, and again after that, until the safety stayed back.
• RUN OUTSIDE! Frustrating that they didn't use the end-arounds and McCarthy's legs in the offense until very late in the game.
• Perspective: They still put up 45 points despite two turnovers inside the 2, a horrible touchdown-overturning review, and two pick-sixes.
• Constant wins against their nose didn't count because they'd throw another LB inside and bring down the safety. First Iso was fool's gold: Edwards beat a safety who came down at 3 yards.
• Michigan took way too long to figure out they could PA and attack on the edges.
• Passing game: haven't developed some of the things you do with a QB like JJ. Remember he was a young QB though. JJ's mechanics caused the first turnover, his lack of input contributed to the 2nd one.
• Guessing teams will use this strategy next year instead of sitting back like Iowa did. Teams are going to interpret Illinois/OSU/TCU as successes, and Kirk Campbell was part of the PSU Bombs Over Baghdad offense.
• QB run game? Michigan used a dumbed down version of the Ravens tricks with Lamar Jackson, but college players are too well trained and become free hitters. Find a medium between that and the way PSU beat the hell out of Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford.

Q&A Portion

• Breakout WR: Tyler Morris, then O'Leary, then Clemons is the order right now via Sam. Morris a chemistry with JJ, see him as a Ronnie Bell type. Seth notes Morris was on the field in high-leverage situations. O'Leary is a type they don't have with anyone else. Clemons is a year away; he's your next CJ.
• Mullings as a runner: They hadn't developed him for that situation. Seth: Fullbacks practice that dive play a million times because it's a high-rate fumble situation with how fast the snap comes. Appreciation for Khalid Hill: need a guy to spend time practicing that, and Mullings was practicing linebacker.
• Helow to Partridge? McNamara to McCarthy. LB is hard to coach, Barrett was a success story, Colson you wanted to see him further along after two years of starting. Helow did some work on the recruiting trail. Ernest Hausmann could be the best of them.

Portal Portal

• Spin from MSU is pathetic but they can't say the truth, which is outside of things every P5 school has (money, playing time) there's nothing to be loyal to.
• Hunter Dickinson: Tried the soft way, now he's speaking truth. Probably underrating what he got at Michigan because he's only talking about the real NIL versus projections—basketball, Dickinson excitement also came in well below projections. That's the NIL from the John Q. fans, which is our business too, and the amount of money you make in that business is correlated to success.
• NIL vs "NIL." The NIL from major donors is what he's getting from Kansas. When you sit down with these schools they tell you want the deal is, because they're used to operating that way. Michigan will get there, but even if the program is on board, their donors also need to be converted from old school thinking, and that's going to take time. Football donors are there; the basketball collective effort isn't there yet.

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Things discussed:

• The boys are back in town: Michigan recruiting Ohio.
• The Draft: A Jim Harbaugh tight end is getting drafted, don't care where he was ranked.
• Michigan's player development: look no further than DJ Turner (didn't mean to rhyme that). Herbert fixed a glute problem that plagued DJ into his 2nd year of college.
• MSU Exodus: It's a bad sign when your starters are transferring after practice. Why? They're seeing how bad they are: Nobody's a better scout than your own team.
• Coach BT (Brandon Jordan) was the reason recruits were coming, because the NFL guys were coming to train here too. Spartan media are going to try to spin it as Kim/Houser but the question they should be asking is if money is the reason somebody's there, you can lose them for money as well. Lotta players married the mistress.
• Keon Coleman is from "OppahLOOsuh" Louisiana. AKA "The Slop."
• Also Deion Sanders looked at the Mel Tucker guys on his roster and got rid of them all.
• Lions Draft: Campbell was the most Lions guy in the draft. Sam likes the picks, not the order.
• Hunter Dickinson: There are more important things, like $3 million of them if you believe lying numbers, than having your name in the rafters. Seth/Brian disagree whether the flowers and candy for Michigan is necessary. Brian: Just go. Seth: Appreciate the gifts, never expect them.
• Losing Muck: He got passed over, so it's understandable. Bacon: if the report says you can't have him here, don't have him here; if it doesn't then that's not a reason not to hire him. Seth: Red did well to set up the hierarchy, but you don't have to follow it.

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Things discussed:

• Recruiting is #1: Should Ohio State fans be freaking out? Well yeah, because Michigan has Ohio State's class.
• Why are centers underrated? High schools can't waste beasts at center, and Wonderlic scores don't come out in college recruiting.
• Jerod Smith: How that all went down. How committable were his Georgia and Alabama and Tennessee offers? Pretty committable.
• I'Marion Stewart is their #1 WR since the July camp. Marquise Lightfoot is turning into an elite, good to have Stewart at his school in his ear but that one's an uphill battle.
• The three transfers: Those are all depth chart things after spring. NHG was still hurt. Henning is a loss but there were other guys doing that and he wasn't going to be getting many targets. Moten really fell off a cliff last year, and if he's behind Quinten Johnson and Zeke Berry, it wasn't happening.
• NFL Draft: Don't like the quarterbacks.
• Seth thinks teams are going to pass on QBs and take the personality gamble on Jalen Carter. Everyone agrees he's the best player in the draft, but even Georgia coaches are saying they won't miss him: Todd McShay has 7 sources.
• Brian: Ignore these quarterbacks, all of them are going to be failures.
• CJ Stroud: Every time he opens his mouth it's like stop talking. Michael Vick and Deshaun Watson are the guys you model yourself after? Losing to Michigan doesn't define me? You're a football player not a test taker? Dude!
• All I'm hearing there is Georgia coaches are going to bad mouth their own players at the draft; seems like something the recruits should know about.
• Can the Lions trade down and get Devon Witherspoon lower? Only if the QBs fall down to 6th and someone wants to trade up five spots to get one.
• Wolverines in the draft? Mazi Smith doesn't have the pass rush to be in the 1st round but solid 2nd rounder. DJ Turner on the other hand could make it. Seth: there's a pretty tight group of CBs and they're all in a pretty solid order so that run could happen in the 1st round or 2nd. He's got a really high floor and some team is going to see the ceiling too, because his one issue is he's too slight.
• Here's the Brett Kollman video I referenced.

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1 hour and 19 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Mostly Returnees at Forward

• Opener: Necessary Discussion
• Guys We've Seen
• The Fantilli Debate
• How Many Freshman Will Michigan Actually Take?

Segment 2: A Whole Lotta Guys At The Back

• So Many Bodies
• Transfer Fits
• Will There Be Any Freshmen?
• Goalie Chatter: New and Old

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "We'll Meet Again" -- Vera Lynn
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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Things discussed:

• Ohio State vs Michigan recruiting: Maybe you guys don't want to be bragging that your scouting at OL and DB sucks. Like, it's not a flex that you didn't recruit Rod Moore, bro.
• Roebuck vs the the Andersons—you can say the twins are good fits for OSU if they develop into pass protectors, but if you ask St. Eds people, Roebuck's been their monster and Michigan's been on him for years…it's not like 3-stars vs two 4-stars is a fair representation.
• Is Ryan Day in trouble if he loses in Ann Arbor? The manner matters.
• Rod Moore says Ja'den McBurrows is one of the best man coverage guys on the team. He can hit. Don't pencil Amorion ahead of Ja'den. He's got to develop as a film junkie but everything else is falling into place.
• "Jyaire Hill is gonna play." I preview the recruiting  profile, because I love this pickup. Think that Minter is looking at playing simpler coverages because it accesses all of these young players' abilities. We saw two busts in the spring game (Sabb and Hill) when their switching broke down. "Denard on defense."
• Linebacker is night and day: they have a full two-deep plus Partridge.
• Up front: seems like edge is a 4-3/3-4 platoon with McGregor/Stewart in the 40 sets and D.Moore/Harrell for 3-4.
• Portal shopping: Kicker, maybe a corner. Sam says receiver but we like what they have there. Tight end maybe? How about a fullback. Find a guy named Mack Stockbaker to be a pure fullback.
• Recruiting: Last guy in the picture: Prieskorn is M-OSU-PSU, with PSU the biggest fear, but none of the guys who developed those TEs are still there. Going for six guys on the OL: figure Guarnera is the center and then a 6th guy is a battle of 4 or 5 guys, like Max Anderson, Brandon Baker coming to visit, Bennett Warren might have M in the lead, Michael Uini almost put out a commitment graphic.
• Getting Sherrone done with OL recruiting by the end of June is great because he can help in other recruitments.
• Cole Cabana as a returner? Sure, but this year it's AJ Henning.
• Basketball: Hunter looks like he's going to sign with Kansas, which is where you sign if it's about the money because Kansas does not get outbid. Why are fans sour on Hunter?
• Ewing Theory potential: Michigan needs to find another guy who can play center but Tarris Reed and their portal pickups are all defensive guys.
• Olivier Nkamhoua? Sentiment from Tennessee is he'd rather be a pro, and college is a fallback option. Primarily a four but could slide to the five better than Tray Jackson.
• Hockey developments: Like the Warren pickup, ideal guy to pair with Edwards on the 2nd pairing so Truscott and Casey can be your top pair. If they get the Hobey Baker winner back they're going to have two of the best lines in hockey.
• Baseball: Tracy Smith has done a good job so far—seems more like Indiana Smith than ASU Smith.

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1 hour and 44 minutes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Not the Highest Grades

• Opener: NHL First Round
• Goaling Grading
• The Offensive Defensemen
• The Not-As-Offensive Defensemen

Segment 2: Higher Grades

• Fantilli's Line Makes Smiles
• The Middle Six Gets Middle Grades
• We Wanted More From the Fourth Line and Alternates
• Team-Wide Talk

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "No Matter What" -- Badfinger
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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Things discussed:

• Seth on early, talks Hank Greenberg and gefilte fish.
• Hockeytalk: Soft goals override everything else you do in a hockey game. Quinnipiac is the best defensive team—you don't give that team three "pick-sixes" in soft goals.
• Step one is don't hit three posts.
• The first bank was inexcusable, the second was brain-exploding, and the weak saucer pass he gave up when Michigan had a chance to tie cemented Portillo's legacy as the next Billy Sauer.
• Who's coming back? Fantilli could get drafted by Chicago, who would be smart to leave him in college to put off his free agent year and tank for a better pick next year. Healthy Nazar, healthy Truscott, Casey breakout, Nick Moldenhauer from the freshman class, and a portal defender (Ryan Siedem from Harvard) and LFG.
• Goalie? West removed his name from the portal, gives you an okay floor. All in on Brown's Mathieu Caron in the portal, but you never know who can be pried loose.
• COVID year guys? Would like to bring back Ciccolini, think Pehrson can move on, Granowicz? Draper & Lapointe's turn to be the 4th liners.
• Hoops: Looking at some big portal additions. Everybody they got can defend. Could they get Olivier Nkamhoua (pronounced Kam-wa)? Could they get Hunter Dickinson back? He's probably assessing his market value, and whether Michigan's additions are going to make them contenders.
• Do the additions make them contenders? It makes them VERY athletic, can be a defensive nightmare with enough spacing and scoring options to be a passable offense.
• Love: Do not have him be your #1 pick and roll guy. Dug changes the math there, because he's going to progress from a 20/20 ATO guy to a 25/18 guy, and that's a massive difference to an offense.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Just Not Good Enough

• Opener
• Goofy Goalie-ness
• Much Better...With a Chance
• Nope

Segment 2: News and Updates

• They Got Minnesota, Too
• Those Who Are Leaving
• Wolverines in the NHL
• Wrap-Up

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "My Way" -- Frank Sinatra
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1 hour and 16 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Men's Basketball Transfersstarts at 1:00

Transferpalooza - Michigan gets Caleb Love, Nimari Burnett, and Tray Jackson. They're looking at a total reboot for the men's basketball program next season, this is both good and bad. The future of the roster looks like they're going defense-heavy. Caleb Love has questionable decision-making when he's the ball-handler making offense, he also can't make shots at the rim. Was this a UNC problem or a Caleb Love problem? He can knock down open-looks and pick-and-rolls, though. Nimari Burnett - has a history of injuries and was a 15-20 minute type guy on the #1 overall seed. We have no idea what we're getting with him. Towards the end of his career he became a bit of a defensive specialist. Tray Jackson - a bench player for a bad team, we're not sure about this one. If he's better than Jace then he'll probably be the starter at the 4, though... Michigan is apparently still looking around the portal.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Frozen Four

starts at 30:19

Well, it happened again. It was painful to watch, Portillo's season-long problems came back to bite Michigan in the worst possible way. He looked like a goalie who wasn't coached. Luke Hughes wasn't great in this game - he's very aggressive and Quinnipiac is good at countering that.

1. Hot Takes and Future of the Hockey Program

starts at 43:54

Takes hotter than like people and they're like "what's this stone rolling away from the thing" and it's this guy playing Free Bird coming out and he's like "IT'S ALL GOOD!" Seth's bread has not risen. Hunter Dickinson just needed to be a villain to one more Big Ten program. No announcement from Rutger McGroarty but there are rumors he's coming back to Michigan. Gavin Brindley hasn't been drafted but is flying up draft boards, there's a decent chance he comes back. A lot of pieces are coming back. Portillo is most likely out the door, Michigan needs to search the transfer portal for a new goalie. Looking at Mathieu Caron from Brown.

1. Signing Off on the 2022-2023 Seasonsstarts at 1:05:17

Pretty fun year. Football won the Big Ten and beat Ohio State for the 2nd consecutive year. There's really only one question mark spot on the football roster next season so things are looking bright. Men's basketball was, ehh. Frustrating! Brian brings up Terrence Shannon at 1:08:05. It kinda felt like everyone hated each other a little bit. The hockey season was satisfying. Could've been better but the offseason leading up to it was chaotic. The future of the hockey program is also bright.

MUSIC:

• "Joiner"--Blondshell
• "IS This It"--Freedom Fry
• "Foxes"--Midnight Sister
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• John U. Bacon (or John F. Bacon to his friends) joins for hockeytalk.
• Hockeytalk: We all make our cases to JUB for why Naurato is a good hire. You know: Duh, duh, duh, and Duh.
• Hockeytalk: Scare me about Quinnipiac: They're a get-ahead and suffocate team.
• Hockeytalk: If they get past Quinnipiac, who do we want? Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota, and B.U., obviously, because Minnesota is a better hockey team.
• Break: More hockeytalk: Quinnipiac's first line and one great defenseman.
• Spring game: O'Leary good or Amorion bad? Saw Zeke Berry, some defensive ends—Jaylen Harrell in particular cleaned up some gaping holes in his game.
• Basketball: They have a defense, but they need to get a real scorer to have any hope of being a Tourney team. Crucible moment for Juwan.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Who Are You?* Opener * Quinnipiac Preview * Boston University Preview * Minnesota Preview and Final Takes

Segment 2: News and Updates* The Tag is Removed * Wisconsin Gets a Dude * Buckeyes Bailing * MSU and Shaping Up the Big Ten

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose" -- T. Powell
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

2 hours and 20 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Michigan Spring Game - Offensestarts at 1:00

The spring game happened and most of the starters sat for most of it. JJ had one bad interception but otherwise looked like JJ. Tuttle looked pretty good, him and Davis Warren look at least ok. Apparently Alex Orji has a downfield passing game?? Seth's takeaway of the backup QBs was - let's not get JJ hurt. Ben Hall shined at running back and looked like he might get some legitimate carries this season, and especially in future seasons. Semaj Morgan might be a good end-around weapon. Frederick Moore was a steal. Former walk-on Peyton O'Leay looked like a guy and he made some plays, he out-muscled Amorion Walker on the two-point conversion. Loveland is the guy at tight end but he only played for a quarter (Jake Butt thinks they're alike). None of the transfer offensive linemen are on campus yet so Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson played center - they both looked good. The guards are young but it's fine because Keegan and Zinter have those spots locked down. Tackle was a little bit concerning, they were letting guys through all day. Sherrone Moore seemed to have a really decent feel for play calling - an improvement over last year's spring game.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Michigan Spring Game - Defense and Special Teams

starts at 45:35

Everyone's number one player that they want to talk about is someone different. Kenneth Grant is one of them, he looked fantastic. Rayshaun Benny ran down a guy from behind. We are reminded that Jake Ryan wasn't thought of extremely highly for a while until he got a scholarship and shined in a spring game. Josiah Stewart looked alright, Derrick Moore looked like not-a-freshman. TJ Guy didn't play, he was injured and on a scooter during the day. We saw a lot of Ernest Hausmann, he was quick. He made a mistake by not dropping back when he was supposed to on a play but that's something that will get fixed. Something you might try this year is move Sainristil to corner and run some 4-3 against less passy teams. Michigan hasn't had a ball hawk safety in a while, maybe Zeke Berry can be that kind of guy, there's some potential there. We saw a lot of Keon Sabb, both good and bad, he's still a work in progress (probably a year away). Amorion Walker is a great athlete that can do everything, just need to teach him what to do. He's not there yet but by the Penn State game he should be matured. Who would you start as the 2nd cornerback right now? McBurrows? Tommy Doman looks pretty good at kicker and punter.

1. Hot Takes and Basketball Bits

starts at 1:28:12

Takes hotter than Seth's face trying to be Brian. How much would you have to pay Caitlin Clark to come to Michigan? There's a lot more parody in basketball this year, why is that? This Purdue team probably isn't a #1 seed in most other seasons. A lot of blue blood type teams are missing key pieces. Enter Nimari Burnett, exit Kobe Bufkin and Hunter Dickinson (this was recorded before the Bufkin news). In theory Michigan could match whatever offer anyone else is offering Hunter Dickinson but based on Juwan Howard's statement and player comments on social media, it feels like there's some closure there... How much do we get out of Papa Kante next season? How does Michigan get top guys out of the portal?

1. Michigan Hockeystarts at 2:05:35

Ok now for some good news. The interim tag officially comes off Brandon Naurato, the timing of this is interesting but here we are. Why did it take so long? We're curious to see how this changes the culture in the long term.

MUSIC:

• "Words and Guitar"--Sleater Kinney
• "3D Country"--Geese
• "Really Really Light"--The New Pornographers
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things discussed:

• Hockey: They stuck to the process. Portillo was magnificent vs Penn State. Also Colgate.
• Get a regional in Toledo? Craig reached out to some people. It could happen.
• Spring ball: Lots of guys out. Watching CB, watching the OL. You’re not going to see what they’ve come up with to use Donovan Edwards. Lots of young guys at different positions have an opportunity to play with so many injuries. Guys out: Nugent, Henderson, Colson, Corum, Hinton.
• Players are saying watch Ernest Haussmann.
• Craig: Partridge is a lot better linebacker coach than Helow.
• Guys poised to get a lot better: McGregor, Colson, Grant. Stewart package, Harrell package. Pass rush last year was terrible.
• Are they going to have a hybrid this year? LB depth last year made it impossible because Barrett was playing LB.
• Jadyn Davis effect? Sam is in Charlotte because every receiver in a 300 mile radius has a crystal ball to Michigan because they heard that’s where Davis wants to play.

View Details

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: A Stomp and a Snipe

• Opener
• Short talk about a lot of goals
• A long talk about not many goals
• The Crescendo

Segment 2: Michigan Takes and The Rest of the Tournament

• Feelingsball and Hawttakes
• Regional Rundown
• What the Tech Coach Said
• The Big Ten and the Future

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC

• NHL on ESPN Theme
• "Good Feeling" -- Flo Rida
• Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 38 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Michigan Hockey vs Penn State and Colgatestarts at 1:00

Michigan's first overtime regional final victory since the 1998 game, turns out Michigan can actually win in OT in the tournament! Mackie Samoskevich scores the game-winner on his emblematic shot - can't believe that stick didn't snap in half. The past month this team has put old demons to rest and continue to do so. Adam Fantilli's game-tying shots was millimeters away from missing, add that to the three posts that haunt Brian's soul. The Penn State game actually sold out in Allentown, the Colgate game attendance was depressing. We've seen Portillo struggle at times but giving up two goals in two games in the playoffs is notable. Colgate - most goals in a tournament game since 1961. The arena was so empty for this game that the ESPN microphones were picking up the banter between teams.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Looking at the Frozen Four

starts at 30:43

Frozen Four features the #1, #2, #3, and #5 overall seeds - the opposite of basketball. Looking at Quinnipiac - Alex has gained respect for them after watching them more. Brian has lost respect for them. Quinnipiac takes a small lead and then turtles the rest of the game, gotta feel good about Michigan's chances if Michigan takes a lead in this one. The Bobcats only averages 6.9 penalty minutes per game, so getting back into the game with power plays will not be reliable. Common opponents: series split with Colgate (W 3-2, L (2OT) 1-2), series sweep of Harvard (4-1, 3-0). Michigan won a weird game where Boston took concurrent major penalties and went up 4-0 in the first period, Boston wins the next night 3-2. All things considered, Boston looked like the better team over that weekend. That was also an October series so these are two different teams by now. They beat Notre Dame 5-2, beat Harvard 2-1 in OT, and beat WMU 5-1 in the first round of the tournament. Michigan lost a series to Minnesota while Michigan's roster was sick. Split the series with them later in the season and then Michigan out-played them in the Big Ten Tournament. Maybe give Michigan a slight edge since this game wouldn't be at Minnesota or on Olympic ice. 5-on-5, we like Michigan's chances against all of these teams.

1. Football Recruiting

starts at 1:07:02

Brian is in Switzerland, Seth is on his way to LA, your podcast editor is in Colorado. Brandyn Hillman was a nice gift from Notre Dame admissions, moving Michigan's class up a spot in the 2023 rankings to #17 on 247. He'll probably project as a box safety. 2024 class added Jordan Marshall, a head-to-head recruiting win over Ohio State for a guy from Ohio (Michigan's first such win since... Dymonte Thomas??). Ohio State figured they would get this guy and they really wanted him. Huge win for Mike Hart as a recruiter, too. Taylor Tatum, a top-50 runnign back, is also getting a Michigan crystal ball. Ben Roebuck is the 3rd offensive lineman, a solid 3.5 star ish guy. Jadyn Davis is committing on March 31st and all signs point to Michigan. Michigan is stealing Ohio State targets but Ohio State will probably be fine. Michigan State has two commits and just fired their recruiting coordinator.

1. Spring Game Previewstarts at 1:30:25

There has been very little chatter coming out of practice. Everyone wants to see what Amorion Walker looks like. Is he really that good or he just the next one ahead of everyone else who aren't that great. Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham will be fun to watch having taken the freshman leap. Should see Colston Loveland shine but he had foot surgery, curious to see what AJ Barner looks like. None of the offensive lineman transfers are available. Keep an eye on Semaj Morgan.

MUSIC:

• "Black Sheep"--Metric (Scott Pilgrim version)
• "Staying Alive"--Cursive
• "Fly in the Ointment"--Faces
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• Just Seth today as Craig's on a plane and Brian's in the Alps.
• Jordan Marshall: Credit to Mike Hart. Also credit to Michigan, since it's hard to find a better fit for a guy who comes from a power offense.
• Ohio recruiting: We walk through the history since the 2000s, has something changed? Yeah, they couldn't show their faces there after 2018.
• The 2024 class: Way ahead of most schools. People being impatient need to look around nationally; NIL and smaller classes because of the portal have suppressed freshman recruiting.
• Jadyn Davis? Sam lays out a gut feeling. Short version is no worries.
• Portillo talk.

View Details

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Hangin' A Banner

• Opener
• Did Anything Happen? Well, one thing.
• Michigan Bounces Back, but Gives It Away
• Closing the Game

Segment 2: NCAA Tournament Verbal Preview

• Toothpaste Talk...is that mint?
• Michigan's Regional
• Michigan's Opposite Regional
• The Remaining Two Regionals

[Player after THE JUMP]

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "Legendary" -- Welshly Arms * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1 hour and 46 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Men's Basketball vs Vanderbiltstarts at 1:00

Three minutes of describing how ludicrous it would have to be to lose a game up 8 with 1:34 left, and Brian just saying "Yeah" for those entire three minutes. Michigan is the 336th luckiest team in D-I basketball! There's no way this all happens again next year... right? Dug was pretty good in this game but he's still a freshman point guard making some freshman mistakes, his decision making will improve next year. Would Joey Baker have been a better in-bounder? Youssef Khayat looked like a positive work in progress.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball Next Year

starts at 21:17

They probably get Hunter Dickinson back for another season, he's probably going to get paid more at Michigan than he would anywhere else. Jett Howard is no longer listed in the lottery. Maybe he sticks around another year to help his dad out. There's a chance Kobe Bufkin comes back, but he has a tough choice to make. Michigan may be able to make it a financially viable enough reason to stay another year. We've seen freshman to sophomore leaps be huge before at point guard, hopefully Dug McDaniel can be the next one to do it. Haven't really heard about any names in the portal yet besides B.J. Mack.

1. Hot Takes and Hockey vs Minnesotastarts at 44:53

Takes hotter than everybody's scalp when Terrance Williams was bringing the ball out at the end of the basketball game. Losing to a 16-seed - bad? We agree it's bad. Michigan looked like the better team in two out of three periods against the #1 team in the country in an away environment on Olympic ice - felt like the final exam. In this same tournament, Michigan played a couple stinkers against Wisconsin, so we've seen them at their best and their worst. Could Michigan win a seven-game series against Minnesota? We don't hate Michigan's chances against any team in the NCAA tournament. The announcers did not understand how offsides work... This was recorded before the selection show but Michigan is the 3rd #1 seed in Allentown, Pennsylvania against Colgate (Penn State and Michigan Tech are also in Allentown). The one thing you want to avoid in the tournament is a really good goalie.

1. Gimmicky Top Fivestarts at 1:26:41

Things that faded late. In honor of... yeah. Seth comes out of the gate swinging hard. Should Tom Bombadil have been included in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy? Click here to learn every theory about Tom Bombadil. FIX YOUR NET, MINNESOTA. Things get a bit heated about English royals.

MUSIC:

• "Winning"--Santana
• "Cowboy Nudes"--Geese
• "Cherry Blossom"--Rubblebucket
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• Did anyone break down the NIT bracket? Go check the Bracket Assist Tool—it's got all the NIT teams in it.
• Michigan offseason: Assume the Big 3 come back, what are they, and do they invite back the bad bench?
• Jett talk: He's not playing winning basketball, team actually plays its best games without him. Well, he looks like a freshman. He shouldn't, because he's a coach's son and an NBA son and an IMG guy, but do the NBA or IMG teach defense?
• NCAA vs NBA: NCAA you're part of a team, NBA you can shoot threes and ignore defense unless your team is one of the few with a chance of winning a title.
• Offense is going to take a leap forward when Dug figures out how to point—go look at KSU's point guard. This is a several year process, but he should go from an 21/16 TO/assist guy to a 28/14 guy, to a 32/12 guy, to a 40/10 guy.
• How to portal: There are SO MANY guys out there. Get a glue guy who can rebound like the guy from Wofford. Get a JT Shumate.
• Llewellyn? Michigan can afford to keep everyone on scholarship using NIL, but they need to have a conversation with TW, Tschetter, and if they get back Kobe, Llewellyn as well, and say "this is the role you've got, because we're hitting the portal for your position."
• Bracket talks: Purdue has a pretty easy run to the Elite 8 and is screwed after. Duke is meh, Tennessee lost Zeigler, KSU and Marquette are the best 2 and 3.
• Craig's advice (via Roundtable alum Ed Feng): UConn over Kansas.
• Penn State? Like Shrewsberry, love Pickett, but they're so three-dependent, their shot volume stuff is terrible, they're 2nd to last in the country at turnovers and offensive rebounding.
• Hockey: go read Alex's article.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Just Like Football

• Opener
• Dominant First Period
• Solid Second Period
• Firewagon Third Period

Segment 2: Looking Around

• Big Ten Hockey Awards Discussion
• Conference Tournament Updates
• Old Friends and Bracketology
• Minnesota Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "Never Let Me Down Again" -- Depeche Mode * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1 hour and 25 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. The State of the Basketball Program (1)starts at 1:00

This segment is usually about the latest basketball game but then Michigan scored one basket against Rutgers in 19 minutes so nope. Some people are calling to fire Juwan Howard and those people should probably tap the brakes. Everyone is disappointed but let's talk about it, there was 10 times less hydrogen at the 4 spot this year. It's tough to build a roster these days and one good player at the 4 probably would have put this team into the tournament, admissions really brought this team down. This team did improve defensively throughout the season, even Jett Howard (but That Rutgers Play did still happen). What does the roster even look like next year?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. The State of the Basketball Program (2)

starts at 35:14

Further roster discussion, this team really needs Kobe Bufkin back next year. What about Jace Howard? This team was extremely unlucky, does that revert to the mean next year? The last two minutes of a game aren't that different from the rest of the game. Is this team just young and nervous at the end of games?

1. Hockey vs Ohio Statestarts at 58:05

Brian predicted Michigan would get cranked by Ohio State, they did not get cranked! David argues that, despite going 1-3 against Ohio State the rest of the season, played them really well in three of those four games. This team has the ability to go and dominate some very good teams but then also play some terrible hockey. Credit to Wisconsin last week for playing hard for their season against Michigan. Michigan didn't take a major!!

1. Hockey vs Ohio State and the NCAA Tournamentstarts at 1:12:20

Ohio State was getting run out of Yost in just the first 11 minutes, they challenged a goal just to take a long timeout. The Minnesota vs Michigan State game, uhh... looked like a Minnesota vs Michigan State game. Michigan looks to be locked into a 1 seed. Let's talk potential matchups.

MUSIC:

• "Still Alive (From Portal)"—The 8-Bit Big Band
• "Hockey Monkey"—The Zambonis, James Kochalka
• "The Pot & Kettle"—The Rumjacks
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things discussed:

• Michigan loses two coinflip games, because if you flip a coin with this team it's going to be tails 100% of the time.
• If they had anything that would make them a bucket better they'd be 22-9.
• They don't have a four, and they don't have glue guys who can give them anything.
• Are they un-crunch? That doesn't really exist. Sometimes you'll get a Hunter three, sometimes a Hunter turnover. They're all just possessions, unless there's just 4 seconds, in which case Shoot It, Kobe!
• If M can get guys back and have some bench they could really turn it around; if they lose Bufkin and Hunter and Jett to the NBA like it looks like they will, it's right back to the treadmill.
• Rutgers preview: Doesn't matter; you'll have watched the game by then. They're kind of like Michigan: two good players, two one-dimensional players, and nobody for the four.
• Chances at the tourney? Low. Even if they beat Purdue they're the easiest team to leave out of the tournament with a boat-anchor loss and no nonconference wins, and three teams on the cut line with them have head-to-head wins. Hope lies in whether they give credit for coming close and for scheduling Virginia, Kentucky, and UNC in the non-conf.
• BTT picks? All over the place. Iowa, Purdue, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State.
• Hockey: Brian thinks OSU is going to crush us. They have such an excellent PK, excellent goalie, and have Michigan's number, totally tilting the ice. OSU has an aggressive forecheck that really messes with Michigan's breakouts.
• Why is Michigan the most penalized team in America? Why isn't Fantilli a B10 PoY finalist? Because they get boned. They're undisciplined and young, yeah, but much of that is they get tagged with majors for things that no other team would get one for, all the time.
• Warde Manuel has lost the hockey fans. He should be bidding on Toledo every year instead of letting them get away with not having a single tournament game in the Midwest for four years. He should be raising absolute hell over the stupid review rules and the way Michigan gets called. College hockey is run by turds—the major schools that want to grow the sport are outvoted in everything by tiny schools that want a random winner every year so they can get a national championship without actually doing anything. But Warde could have done a lot to help his program, the way Minnesota has, and he's instead treated the program the way Ohio State treats theirs.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Overtime Winner

• Opener
• Blazing Start
• More Chances and Goals
• Collapse, Rescue, Winner

Segment 2: Almost Overtime Winner

• Adam Fantilli Hat Trick
• The Game Isn't Over?
• All of the Goals at the End
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Ohio State Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "I Ain't Worried" -- One Republic * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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Things discussed:

• Basketball Watchalong tonight with Brian, David, and Alex.
• Been saying "Nice Help!" involuntarily. Better awareness.
• Defense has gone from awful to meh with more Tarris Reed, Dug is more of a pest.
• Real bad refereeing luck and a banked-in three got Wisconsin back in the game but Michigan outplayed them.
• Kobe Bufkin talk: Is playing his way into the NBA, but can stick around and be a lottery pick. Hey? Hey? He's got a real head on his shoulders, despite being younger than Jett.
• Getting Jett back: less Tschetter.
• Dug has a pullup now. Still not seeing the offense but isn't a hole anymore.
• Illinois: They're hit or miss. Got a couple of guys who might be out this game…PG concussion, SF went on an energy drink bender after OSU. Sometimes Meyer just disappears anyways.
• Now that Hunter's getting some help he's playing like he's got something to play for.
• Amorion Walker: He's probably the 2nd corner, sounds like it's real but also sounds like it's not great news for the rest of the CBs. Can probably streamline their defense and do more pattern-match, because both Walker and Johnson are tall enough to play outside leverage all day.
• Hockey: Turned it on versus Notre Dame and went chaos. Very close to getting everyone back, need to stop being the #1 team at taking majors.

View Details

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Overtime Affair Part 1

• Opener
• ALL OF THE ACTION
• no action
• Crazy endings and overtime

Segment 2: Overtime Affair Part 2

• Even First Period
• Michigan Dominates But Can't Score
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Wisconsin Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "I Got You Babe" -- Sonny & Cher * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

THE USUAL LINKS

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1 hour and 8 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Men's Basketball vs Wisconsinstarts at 1:00

Not firmly in the tournament but firmly on the bubble. Brian talks through the various scenarios that would work to get into the tournament. Who else got flashbacks during the Wisconsin banked 3?? Dug McDaniel hasn't quite turned the corner yet (he has the worst shooting at the rim of anyone in college basketball) but he also had consecutive Kenpom MVP performances. Able to keep winning without Jett, thankfully. Still just feels like they're a player short of being a top 20 Kenpom team.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs Rutgers

starts at 22:08

Brian did not watch this game live because he did not have power (and two children). Shout out to the Ann Arbor District Library. It's a lot more pleasant watching basketball when you know it's going to be ok! Rutgers goes 5 of 16 from the free throw line, 9 of 22 at the rim. The key to beating Rutgers is forcing them to take long twos. Michigan is tied for second in the Big Ten. Looking ahead at Illinois, the Illini have been kinda meh recently. Winning that game would still be a much needed Quad 1 win.

1. Hot Takes and Hockey vs Notre Damestarts at 36:22

Takes hotter than Crisler Arena after they show a clear foul on Tyler Wahl that's, the ball's out of bounds and you're just like "it's gonna be Charles Matthews again" and everybody's really mad and then they bank in a 3 and it's just [inarticulate yelling]. Not enough pressure is put on the zamboni drivers. Michigan only gets 2 points out of Notre Dame in this series. Notre Dame's goalie stole the whole weekend, shots in the 3rd period of the Saturday game were 27-6 in favor of Michigan! Penalties called have not been consistent with keeping players safe, it's more about avoiding bad press. Who's excited about Allentown, Pennsylvania?

1. Football Spring Bitsstarts at 58:43

The least interesting Spring Practice of our lives? Not much chatter since most of the team is decided (selecting the starting five on the offensive line needs to be decided?). Pretty much everything else is set besides cornerback. Amorian Walker is a cornerback now! There's been some hype, how much can we believe it? The rest of the chatter has been along the lines of "yeah! Donovan Edwards is good at football!" Otherwise, just trying to figure out which new guys are going to be good.

MUSIC:

• "Edge of the Edge"—Panda Bear and Sonic Boom
• "Easy On Your Own"—Alvvays
• "Water in Hell"—The Broken Social Scene
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things discussed:

• Michigan vs MSU: The real feelings came out. Ignore the fans who make it about hate: the kid who had the "Love You, Brother" sign got it right.
• Michigan vs MSU: Oh right, the basketball game! Tarris Reed game. Fear of playing him is he'll foul out and you don't have another center, but worth the risk to have him on the floor. Solves athleticism issues because he can play the 4 on defense and Hunter can shoot well enough to stretch on offense. Fixed the rebounding issues.
• Jett: First time all year he was doing other stuff when his shots weren't going. Need to see more of that.
• T-Will back minutes? Take them all from Tschetter. Don't worry about Reed because he should see the court 55% of the time between PF and C, and TW only plays 65% when he's healthy.
• Spring Practice: Amorion Walker to cornerback is the talk. Ceiling: INCREDIBLE. Present: Says they're short on cornerbacks. Jyaire Hill shouldn't be expected to pick up the defense. Really want to see a big spring from Ja'den McBurrows.
• OL shakeout? Craig likes Persi at LT, but there are lots of guys to consider. Zinter says Nugent is a 1-for-1 replacement for Olu.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: The Mess in Columbus

• Opener
• Deja Vu
• Goals but No Shots
• Hanging on...kinda

Segment 2: Should We Keep Doing This?

• The First 35
• The Last 25
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Notre Dame Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "Cleveland Rocks" -- The Presidents of the United States of America * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Men's Basketball vs Michigan Statestarts at 1:00

It felt inevitable that this would be another game where Michigan chokes it away it down the stretch... but that didn't happen! Freshman point guard Dug McDaniel was Kenpom MVP, his best game of the season by far. Jett had an off game. Michigan out-rebounds Michigan State which was probably the biggest difference in this game. Not just one person, but the whole team was getting rebounds - clearly there was a team-wide message sent to everybody. Terrance Reed needs to be a starter on this team. If they go 4-1 down the stretch they'd probably end up on the bubble.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs Wisconsin

starts at 32:39

Wisconsin did not get a basket in the last 10:45 and won, Michigan just didn't have a 3rd scorer in this game. How did Tarris Reed only have 13 minutes? What exactly does this team consistently do well at? Still technically a shot at the tournament but hopes are dim.

1. Hockey vs Ohio Statestarts at 44:29

This year, Ohio State is apparently the team that Michigan just can't figure out. Michigan might've looked like the better team for the first 35 minutes in Cleveland but Ohio State's goalie was a giant Velcro barrier. Michigan doesn't have a goalie coach and it showed a little bit this weekend. They gave up six odd-man rushes to Ohio State's zero. Would probably rather play Minnesota at this point.

1. Gimmicky Top Five Of Why We Will Never Do A Watch Along For A Football Gamestarts at 1:01:34

The hockey watch-along was very well received! Here's why we'd never do it for a football game! David is convinced that someone would end up getting fired.

MUSIC:

• "Nighttime Sky"—Nick 13
• "Hang Me Up To Dry"—Cold War Kids
• "Post Modern Sleaze"—Sneaker Pimps
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things discussed:

• Atrocious basketball: IU was the worst gut punch until Wisconsin. No silver lining. Every close game they've lost.
• Effort? Got crushed on the boards by a team that doesn't offensive rebound. Very hard to watch this team. Guards and wings not boxing out. Some of that's youth.
• Wisconsin ID'd Michigan's weaknesses and exploited them, and a lot of that is effort.
• Also without T-Will who's a top-500 defensive rebounder, and Tschetter is terrible at it. Tarris Reed should have been getting way more minutes at the four. Issue is the athleticism: Tschetter had those two free throws he missed because he couldn't get up for a free dunk.
• Could not match up athletically with Wisconsin when Baker/Dickinson/Tschetter out there together, and that has to be a five-alarm fire.
• Next year? Dickinson talking like he wants to return but don't think he knows yet.
• Officiating: The worst game since the 1970s.
• Will M-MSU be played? Michigan is going to let MSU decide there. It's at least nice to put the rivalry aside and remember Little Brother and Big Sister are truly siblings. We skirt the edge of what we think has to happen to have this stop happening.
• HOCKEY! Got 5/6 points from MSU despite playing without 2/3 of their best defenders and 1.5 games without the best player in hockey. Love what we saw from Nazar's return. Officiating is a major problem for this conference—we think someone came down from the league office after the first game was an embarrassment to the conference because they called a minor (not a matching minor) when the chippiness started. Then they of course screwed it up again by refusing to call an 87%ile major (the way they're called) at the end of Game 2, allowing MSU to tie.
• Given all the things they've gone through this season, they really might be special in the postseason. Unfortunately it's the worst postseason in sports.
• Take off the interim tag? MLive says his current deal has an end-of-season evaluation so that's when it's happening.
• ND won't pay for an OC—that's wild! Utah's Andy Ludwig and Kansas State's Collin Klein are good choices.
• Ohio State cancels their Washington series because USC is gonna be on the schedule. New Playoff structure needs to look at how they structure things to get schools to play good games because right now the incentive is to just play meatballs. Hopefully the middle schools in the Big XII and ACC and Pac 12 want to play Michigan more because we'd love to have a series with Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Wake, etc.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: The Fight at Munn

• The Watchalong
• Game 1: The Domination
• How Control Was Lost
• Game 2: The Survival

Segment 2: Finally, an Even Game at LCA

• What Friday Was Not
• Back and Forth and a Winner
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Ohio State Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "Techno Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)" -- The Immortals * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 31 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Men's Basketball vs Indianastarts at 1:00

Yay, let's talk about basketball (the apathy is settling in). How bad is the Big Ten? If Michigan makes that basket at the buzzer then they would be sitting alone at second place in the Big Ten. It's a disappointing year but you're not going to do anything with Juwan. Keep Jett around one more year by raising his allowance to the largest allowance ever? Hunter Dickinson has gone from borderline All-American to not even All-Big Ten. Not getting much of anything out of Terrance Williams. Pick and roll defense needs a lot of improvement.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs Nebraskastarts at 30:23

Do you remember more about this game or about the Nebraska football game? Brian wants to just have the same point guard for two years in a row... but he'll take Keisei Tominaga. David talks Brian into pulling tractors with Blake Corum. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah Nebraska sports. Jett Howard got 14 3-pointers off - Nebraska is not good at three point defense.

1. Hot Takes & Hockey vs Michigan Statestarts at 44:55

Takes hotter than Jagger Joshua on a hot mic. Seth forgot to mention on his hot take that Mike Hart doesn't lose to Michigan State and that drives them completely insane. Michigan retains The Iron D for the 6th year in a row. It's silly that you could win three of the four games in the series but lose The Battle in the D and lose The Iron D. Michigan gets major penalties and ejections in the first game and then misses out on a major penalty in the second game. Jay Keranen really stepped up this weekend. Michigan nearly has home ice locked down in the Big Ten Tournament.

1. Gimmicky Top Five Things That Are Not Michigan State's Faultstarts at 1:18:27

Michigan State's empty trophy cabinets are not Michigan State's fault, according to Michigan State. Your Editor is thankful for not having to edit in the sponsors this time.

MUSIC:

• "Let's Make a Mistake Tonight"—Tennis
• "U Don't Kno Me"—Yot Klub
• "Medicine"—Mama
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

Things discussed:

• Chris Partridge: He knows how the SEC is doing NIL. Brian & Seth: He also knows how to coach linebackers.
• Oversigning Assistants: You know there's gonna be attrition. Everyone's expecting Helow to have a soft landing somewhere.
• LBs: I've been grading tough on the LBs but it's hard not to watch the TCU game and not think you need an upgrade there. Turning Junior Colson into an elite defender is how you make this into an elite group. They have depth there suddenly.
• Hoops on a run: Didn't play defense vs Nebraska—Spike Albrecht vibes for Keisei Tomanaga. Turning the corner? We'll see against…
• Indiana: TJD has come into his own, uses his athleticism, doesn't get bumped off his game, knows where his teammates are. A lot of respect for their role players who've added to their games. IU is starting to look more like what they were supposed to be preseason.
• Lots of height is going to be tough on Dug, so need Hunter to win his matchup vs TJD.
• Talk bubble if they win this game.
• Dug: Needs to develop his 2-point game badly.
• During the break: LCA? Better design, but they have to do something about the rich people section. They're all getting food and drinks instead of watching the game.
• Hockey: Time to tag the interim tag off Naurato? Seems inevitable now—probably once they make the playoff, which they would have to lose out not to. Michigan's a much better team than their record: toughest schedule in the country, had the illness against Minnesota at home, had the weekend when everyone was at Juniors.
• Billy Muckalt? Only gonna lose him to the NHL or an HC job, but Michigan can outpay most HC jobs.
• Next class isn't that great because it was the class when Mel was in limbo. Probably not going to hurt them much because they still have some dudes and are bringing in a great class after them.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Beatdowns #1 and #2

• An Announcement!
• Michigan scores MANY GOALS
• Michigan gives up some goals
• We May Have Takeaways?

Segment 2: What Other People Are Doing

• Conference Race Rundown
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Michigan State Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "Jump Around" -- House of Pain * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1 hour and 12 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Men's Basketball vs Ohio Statestarts at 1:00

Bruce Thornton tha midrange god went off, but had to because Michigan kept them away from the rim. Okpara vs Dickinson was devastation. Hunter's defense so much better. Getting back in transition. OSU got no turnovers and no assists—also got EVERY loose ball. Jett is starting to understand the offense better, still leaves the corner open when they zone. Szelc T's up Saddi for saying "Bullshit."

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Hot Takes & Men's Basketball vs Northwesternstarts at 23:28

Michigan is taking good shots and missing, Northwestern is taking CHASE AUDIGE shots and missing; Michigan is dominating the boards to pull ahead. Dug vultures Hunter's assists. Jace and Yo-Yo lots of minutes, injury to Tschetter maybe? Not fans of the four rookies lineup. Seriously though: Chase Audige 10 points on 18 eFG, 0/7 from three. What an incredible player!

1. Hockey vs Wisconsinstarts at 44:21

Wisconsin doesn't know how to play defense, which means we get to see how Michigan wants to play offense. Love that they've put Samo on his own line because he gets to be a playmaker, and it allows guys like Brindley to shine. Think M is the 2nd best team in the all-tied Big Ten.

1. Gimmicky Top Five Reasons to Look Forward to the NITstarts at 1:00:49

Let's remember some guys!

MUSIC:

• "Portrait of God"—King Tuff
• "Junior's Farm"—Paul McCartney and the Wings (remastered)
• "When It Comes to You"—Dead Ghosts
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• Cameron Brandt: a Mike Morris guy.
• The upside class? They have some dudes but analysts aren't excited about any of them.
• Is this a blip or is Michigan locked out of 5-stars? Market is still finding its level, but Michigan isn't going to get anywhere if they're not competitive on money.
• Market finding level example: Nyck Harbor, who brings in a "marketing team" that doesn't know what they're doing and try to sell the kid on Oregon and he ends up at South Carolina, where the family admits Michigan was superior on every other point but promised money. Watch these Oregon, A&M, MSU, Miami classes: when money's the only reason you go somewhere somebody else will come along. Process will become less transactional than it is now.
• Can you compete this way? Craig says yes. Seth/Sam say no, you need your JJs and Corums and Edwards and Will Johnsons. You can build an OL, but if you want elite edge rushers, cornerbacks, quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, you have to fight the other teams that pay for evident ability. Michigan can still get elites that the sites miss (Corum, Hutchinson) but you still have to fight OSU about that.
• Igbinosun: Hypothetically if you were making $$ at Ole Miss and Ohio State offers you $$$ that's not a hard decision.
• Jadyn Davis: The guy probably wanted to commit 4 times by now but every time it's like Harbaugh to the NFL, etc. He's just now meeting his new QB coach.
• NIL: Problem with "matching" is schools are straight-up lying to kids about what they're gonna make.
• But also Michigan is still talking about projections when other schools are making promises. Is that against the rules? Of course. Is anyone but Michigan ever going to get investigated for it? Of course not.
• Basketball: Their defense sucks, AND PSU was just making dumb shots. Hard to find motivation now because what are they playing for: If you win a few games you'll make the NIT?

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: All About the Finishing

• An Opener
• Many Shots Against
• Scoring the Chances
• ALL OF THE GOALS AT THE END

Segment 2: An Epic Comeback

• A BAD! Start
• Not Goals, Goals, and Penalties
• Whooping in the Third
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Wisconsin Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" -The Tokens * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1 hour and 16 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Hot Takes and Men's Basketball vs Penn Statestarts at 1:00

Whatever, SEGMENT ONE HOT TAKES. Shout out to Randy's daughter for getting into Michigan. We then talk about the Penn State game (sorry). Penn State starts hitting everything en route to a 33-6 run, offense can't hit anything for nine minutes. Dug McDaniel is not generating shots for everyone else, neither was Hunter Dickinson in this game. Just hold the ball above your head, you're taller than everyone else! They look like a bad SEC team this year.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Men's Basketball vs Purduestarts at 20:39

Michigan looks decent in this game and Hunter Dickinson is able to at least slow down Zach Edey. Needed a third scorer, really missed Jett. This team needs someone to step up. Rough day (and especially five minute stretch) for Isaiah Barnes. Purdue can't keep getting away with getting a center at 6'a million" tall. It's a conference full of 11-seeds besides Purdue. The football-basketball dichotomy: they both can't be good at the same time.

1. Hockey vs Penn Statestarts at 34:06

Michigan is in this weird place where they're 5th in the conference and 4th in the Pairwise. All things considered, this team has weathered a lot but they're in a good spot. Maybe the Saturday game was a turning point for this team? Officiating was terrible on Saturday, Yost may have been the maddest it's ever been - Brian reverted to his college days in terms of words said. What constitutes a five-minute major? Is there an elite team other than Minnesota? Michigan isn't quite elite right now but not many teams are better either. Could you go .500 in the Big Ten this year and still make the tournament? You could probably just go ahead and promote Naurato to full time head coach by now.

1. Football Bitsstarts at 1:07:08

Should Kirk Campbell still be referred to as "Soup"? Which soup do you think he most closely identifies with? Well anyways, Michigan has hired Kirk Campbell as the QBs coach. Apparently JJ really wanted this to happen. We don't know how good of a hire this is but Harbaugh does have a pretty good track record of making coaching hires.

MUSIC:

• "New Body Rhumba"—LCD Soundsystem
• "Joiner"—blondshell
• "Morning in the Sun"—Rubblebucket
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• What are we looking for in a new QB coach? Brian: Harbaugh can be himself, need a recruiter. Seth: Shoot your shot because a superb OC/QB candidate, see if you can steal an arguably #1 person because they get a chance to run this machine. If you can't do that, grab Partridge and move Jay to QBs. Floor is still good, ceiling worth exploring.
• Jay Harbaugh Appreciation Hour: Funny how he's so much more like his uncle than his dad.
• Michigan on the bubble: Teams there are like Pitt, which we beat! Zero Quad 1 victories, lost their shot to make a run when Jett went down.
• Probably lost a chance to bring Jett back last year because he's looking like a lottery pick now.
• How do they get off the treadmill? They've recruited some guys, need to develop their guards.
• Hunter talk: Settling for 2PJs because he gets hacked like crazy, doesn't want to bully his way in, and because our Gs aren't able to get the ball to him down low.
• Purdue? Plausible, more plausible if they had Jett.
• During the break Craig makes an insane case that we should just not talk about ever again.
• Portal talk? Football this year was a bit of an outlier because Stanford collapsed and Michigan was in the perfect position to do something about it.
• Next year? Give Llewellin the option to return, MAAAAAYBE get Jett back? Gotta hit the portal for wings anyways. Might also get development from Khayat, and a big jump from Bufkin. Just not rebuilding your backcourt every year would be a way off the treadmill.
• Long term: Guards matter. Great teams have continuity and then add a difference-maker. If Howard recruited his point guard when he came here, they'd be so much better right now. If they held onto DeJulius they'd be fine too. Who'd they get? Nobody in 2019, Zeb Jackson in 2020.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Couldn't Hang On

• An Opener
• Surviving the First Half
• A burst of goals
• Poor Third Period and OT

Segment 2: Much Better But Not Quite

• A Fast Start
• Goals and Penalties
• Almost Closing the Game
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Penn State Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "Little Sadie" -- Crooked Still * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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​1 hour and 17 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Basketball Post-Minnesotastarts at 1:00

How did we get to a throwaway year? We got fool's gold five-stars who weren't great college players, Frankie bolted for insane reasons, Llewellin got hurt, Michigan own-goaled themselves on Terrance Shannon, Hunter doesn't have the same motivation. Next year? Recruits aren't going to change things but could get everybody back. Year it's like: 2006, except we're not going to have a linebacker covering the slot...unless it's Moten?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Football: What's Coming Backstarts at 32:57

Getting back the OL is a bigger deal than people realize: OL get better. Third cornerback? Odd they haven't hit the portal. They do have options: McBurrows, last year's freshmen, Jyaire Hill...got a long season ramp-up to get him used to playing in the system. One-game season? Or two if Drew Allar is ready. Easy schedules won't last because UCLA and USC will be on the schedule IMMEDIATELY. Coaching staff continuity other than Mr. Computer Crimes.

1. Football: What Happened in the AD's Office?starts at 49:49

What does the way the Harbaugh situation down mean? Might mean Warde is out, or is being told to be out, or just that Ono isn't going to participate in the old song and dance that only Michigan would still dance to. Name one thing Warde's done? Seth: He's extracted at least as much money from the donors as Dave Brandon did without annoying me once.

1. Seth's Hockey Podcaststarts at 1:06:27

A lucky(?) three points at Minnesota since the Gophers clanged four off the pipe, but also a great way to utilize Michigan's speed. Like the lineup change because Samo is going to get his no matter what line you put him on. Getting close to being able to roll out three scoring lines when Nazar is ready. The league is suddenly a gauntlet.

MUSIC:

• "Bandages"—Hot Hot Heat
• "What Ever Happened"—The Strokes
• "Your Dog"—Soccer Mommy
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• Harbaugh returns. At this point they're probably close on an agreement and have recruiting to worry about.
• Broncos were definitely interested, but this is just a return to status quo from last year.
• Contract will matter. Harbaugh clearly has NFL interest still, also has interest in being paid like a top-5 coach for respect purposes. Not about respect though: Saban's contract, Day's contract, Mel's contract: they all say the same things, which is this guy is staying.
• Ono: Very different experience for an athletic director. Did he cut Warde's legs out or is this just how he operates?
• NCAA investigation: Somebody there has a bug up their ass, and is clearly an incompetent idiot who's exposing the depth of his organization's fecklessless.
• Seriously, what they're doing here is the equivalent of trying to get Harbaugh for perjury for telling the officer he doesn't remember if he was going 35 or 30 in a 25 zone. Nobody does that unless they clearly shouldn't be in a position to do so.
• Weiss: Was hacking emails but for what? This could be really nothing but it also could be REALLY bad. Normal people don't do that, and when they do it's often for a very nefarious purpose. They've already ruled out some of the more awful stuff, but he could be harassing, covering something up…there are a lot of very bad reasons to be hacking email accounts and no good ones.
• QB analyst Kirk Campbell, Gattis guy, Michigan might be looking at him as on-field guy.
• How does this affect Jadyn Davis? Sam admits Davis's dad told Weiss he's a bad recruiter, but also they have a very good relationship now.
• Basketball: Praise for the two-bigs lineup, no praise for the tiny Big Ten, which Brian calls an "NIT league."

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: WTF WAS THAT?!?!

• An Opener
• 39-9 at Halftime
• That short-handed goal
• Just rust? Or something else?

Segment 2: Coming Down Off the Ledge

• A BAD Start
• Quality Goals with Adjustments
• Closing the Game
• Old Friends and Around the League
• Minnesota Preview
• NHL Ketchup

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * "I'm Coming Home" -- Diddy ft Dirty Money & Skylar Grey * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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Things discussed:

• Moving the Comerica Park fences: fine, but why do it AFTER Cabrera?!
• Blake Corum's return: Thank NIL that it's possible. Gonna be a Denard/Gardner/Braylon/Hart/Marlin whose name is etched in history.
• Jim Harbaugh's contract negotiation.
• Warde Manuel: Brian goes off. Sam clarifies it's a message board post that USA Today picked up on, and not everything in that contract negotiation timeline is correct.
• Seth: They're probably not arguing about the money but the buyout because Michigan needs a long-term commitment and Harbaugh wants a chance to take an NFL job.
• Solution: MAKE A DAMN DECISION!!!! You're all just losing value the longer this goes on. If Harbaugh's not going to say it's his last job, name a successor so when it does happen the program rolls on.

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1 hour and 51 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. TCU: Offensestarts at 1:00

Michigan overly punished for mistakes, which drowns out the game: there were four events in this game worth more than a TD and they all happened to Michigan. Like 2010 Illinois but with stakes. Most unforgiveable thing was not making JJ's legs part of the offense. TCU's approach was so aggressive Michigan couldn't comprehend it, since they didn't back off after Michigan burned them with it. JJ had a great game except for his two worst throws of his career. TCU DE/DTs held up well, can't be too mad since they surged the 2nd half and should have scored 60 points (in 18 drives). OL got turned around—some of the running game explosives were there but had mistakes. Why would you play into their hands with inside zone?

1. TCU: Defensestarts at 38:38

Probably could have gotten away with the Cover Zero if Turner just doesn't miss that tackle. Shallow screen for two TDs, one is a hat tip, the other a blitz tip. Defending their normal pass game was fine otherwise. Morris was not healthy, Smith had a bad game—devastating that he turned down the 3rd and 2 sack that was there for him because next play is Green blitzes and Quinten Johnson is not covering his guy. Why was Cam Goode in for that drive, which was two huge plays in a row. Defensive end discussion had—Morris barely played, McGregor is a true freshman from the waist down, Harrell had one of his worst games, Upshaw had his worst game, Okie had a bad game. Colson two excellent plays, several terrible plays, next year not so Mouton.

1. Hot Takes, Special Teams, Game Theory, Plus Harbaugh and NCAA "Violations"starts at 1:04:05

The Pax Specialistica has come to an end, but ends with a 59-yard field goal. Thanks to TCU for "freezing" him so he got a practice shot. Harbaugh's late timeouts? You should probably use them early because the most they're going to save is 40 seconds. Smart of TCU to take a PI call there instead of allowing the catch. Refs: Insane to overturn a clear touchdown, refs also put that drive two yards back because they forgot with 49-yard-line it happened on. Seth thinks the targeting call was correct. See:

https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1610457604999741443

Harbaugh contract stuff: Everything is so obviously coming from the agent that you can read his quotes on Twitter. The NCAA stuff is so so weak. MSU fans lol. To OSU fans, nailing Tressel for lying about huge program things that would get him in trouble is not the same as forgetting a burger. More like the difference between nailing Capone for tax fraud versus the IRS finding you were $50 short on your estimated taxes. Seriously, anyone who is taking this seriously never has to be taken seriously ever again.

1. Hoops Takes After MSUstarts at 1:35:23

Make your shots is now a refrain after several seasons in a row of not making them when they visit Breslin. What's the problem? For one Hunter Dickinson isn't as motivated this year—perhaps not having to prove himself to the NBA has taken it out of him, but Michigan needs more from their star. Freshmen a little off-kilter in their first true road game is understandable. Have to ride with what you have, but sick of new PGs every year. At least next year they should get Llewellyn back on a medical redshirt.

MUSIC:

• "Watching Strangers Smile"—Parquet Courts
• "I Don't Wanna Be Famous"—NNAMDÏ
• "Rock Bottom"—Kevin Morby
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• The Fiesta Bowl: Mistakes maximally punished—Michigan's game-swinging oopsies were worth two or three oopsies each, which turns the rest of the game into background noise.
• The rest of the game: Why does it take 3 quarters to get to McCarthy's legs? Why are we making the mistakes that defined the last month of college football? Why don't we keep throwing flea flickers?
• Break: Get back Corum?
• Harbaugh: Don't think it's coming from Harbaugh but from the NFL. Harbaugh obviously has some NFL interest or he'd shut these rumors down. Brian: It's got to be coming from the agent, because nobody else in the world would be saying "I know what Harbaugh's going to do."

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1 hour and 50 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. TCU Preview: Offensestarts at 1:00

Don't buy the "They ain't played nobody" line; TCU's schedule was the same, also Michigan beat Ohio State, a Playoff team, 45-23 on the road. Spread offense with Duggan pulling out magic. Has a deep ball down, has some good deep threats in huge receivers Quentin Johnson, the star, TE Jared Wiley who's 6-7, and Savion Williams who's 6-5. Plus a standard slot and a good running back. The OL doesn't get much push; they're all the same 6-5/300 too-stiff-for-tackle guard, give up pass rush, but don't let Duggan loose. Man up Johnson on Johnston or play lots of zone? Seth thinks man; Brian thinks zone.

1. TCU Preview: Defensestarts at 35:20

It's the 404 Tite, with ISU's three-safety three-high look that temps you into passing. Positionless defense is tough on reads but breakable if you plow through it; Michigan might want to go many-TEs and push the gap out to the edge versus smaller force defenders. DL want to take on doubles, Michigan moves those kinds of DTs. LBs are not the most athletic sorts; would be great if Edwards's hand is healthy enough to make him a passing game threat again.

1. TCU Preview: Special Teams and Heuristicsstarts at 1:02:33

Their slot is also a dangerous returner; just kick it out of the endzone. Meh Aussie punter, very good kicker who rarely misses and has a career long of 54. Michigan hopes Brad Robbins was hurt when their punt efficiency went off a cliff later in the season. Their season was Vikings-esque, pulling out all of the games that could have swung either way, benefiting from things like Texas not hitting any open deep shots. Discussion on the meta of Playoff competition, TCU being at the lower end of teams to make it. 2015 MSU was the outlier; every other Playoff team is at least good. Ryan Day scenarios.

1. Hot Takes and Hoops vs North Carolinastarts at 1:22:46

Hard to beat UNC when your best player is a no-show. The quadruple technical was some weenie-ass officiating, Seth's still mad at Hunter for doing that when fouls on either center are the game. Good to see Bufkin turning into a real star, good to see Jett can shoot over any wing. What to do now? Kinda have to roll with what they got and hope TW and HD can pick up their games.

MUSIC:

• "Surfing in Iceland"—Goth Babe
• "New Beginning"—Automatic
• "Ain't That Enough"—The Teenage Fan Club
• “Across 110th Street”

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Things discussed:

• Craig and Seth came on early to talk about Michigan's shifting portal strategy. Craig: new strategy is to get all high ceilings with freshmen and backfill with transfers. Seth: same portal strategy, just more guys in the portal who fit what Michigan's needs were or for whom Michigan fit their needs.
• The 2023 class: No top-100 guys? Staff shakeup prevented them from capitalizing on last year's playoff run.
• Seth: NIL was the story of the class, unfortunate that they didn't get the playoff payoff in recruiting because this was the year the NIL market was shaping itself out.
• Michigan couldn't play that game well, but everyone else is bad at it, and the top-100 is riddled with families and programs who thought it was about money. I predict this class will have a lot more kids in the portal because their decisions weren't made by best fit/best school/best development, and that hurts a place like Michigan that is objectively the best in college football at those things.
• Craig thinks Michigan's going to continue being behind on NIL. The rest of the panel thinks they won't be, that Michigan will figure out how to make their offering competitive.
• This is a job market, a new job market, and everyone has to figure out where the level is. In the near term that means establishing a collective and pay a salary to all the players. In the long term that means the market itself coming to terms with itself. In the short term this meant Michigan wasn't used to having these conversations, parents didn't know how to have these conversations, intermediaries were trying to get in an direct these conversations.
• Portal: They're mostly not plugging holes, they're adding guys, maximizing this window where they're championship caliber. Gotta care about the future and recruiting over your own guys, but I don't think Michigan's done that. If you're walking into your starting job at Michigan, they're going to fix that. Brian: A lot of the guys they got have 2+ years, e.g. Myles Hinton could redshirt and that makes him more like a recruit.
• Cornerback? They're looking, but options aren't as there. Should try to talk Turner into coming back because his draft stock isn't high right now.
• Corum? Seriously 50-50. Sam thinks he should go shut up Sam!!! but retaining stars like him is more possible with NIL because you can offer them security that the NFL won't.
• Favorite players of the class? We all have them. Jyaire Hill could be really special but probably not in Year 1.
• Hoops? Dickinson had a bad day, the quadruple technical was stupid on the refs and stupid on HD. Rough situation where they have three guys who aren't going to be great every day, and nobody else who can give them a boost.

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The GuestSteve Lorenz covers Michigan athletics and recruiting for 247Sports. They've got a 50% off flash sale if you subscribe today.

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com! And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, TicketIQ, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, and we are recording this on SignalWire.

Featured Musician: Grand Gesture

The Video: For those of you asking, the guy in the upper-left is Alex Drain. You may not know him, but he's probably seen film on you, and has you cold.

[After THE JUMP: What we said]

1. Across the Crooked Blue Line, wsg Steve Lorenz: Offensestarts at the top.

QB Kendrick Bell: Uh, is he a quarterback? Who cares, he's Ronnie's brother.RB Cole Cabana: Put on weight, become Donovan Edwards. Doesn't mind blocking.RB Benjamin Hall: Low-rated, but thick and has some wiggle.WR Karmello English: Late pull out of SEC country, athletic, can play outside.WR Semaj Morgan: Comp was Sainristil before the switch.WR Fredrick Moore: Steve very high on him. Productive, great routes, skinny. Roundtree!TE Deakon Tonielli: 6'6" athlete, needs to gain some pounds before he's Loveland 2.0.TE Zack Marshall: Staff loves the measurements, athleticism.OT Evan Link: Staff thinks he's a 5-star. Important to get a true OT in this class.OG Amir Herring: The high floor. Center possibility?OG Nathan Efobi: The high ceiling. Long way to go.PK Adam Samaha: Steve is on a mission to give kickers some love.

1. Across the Crooked Blue Line, wsg Steve Lorenz: Defensestarts at 34:40

DT Trey Pierce: Late riser, didn't rise high enough. Immediate Kris Jenkins.DT Brooks Bahr: Long (e.g. Godin) DT who can't stay blocked. SDE Enow Etta: Headliner, big for a DE, moves like one anyways. Mike Morris?WDE Aymeric Koumba: No floor, no ceiling. France, FRA.MLB Semaj Bridgeman: Scouting pass/fail for Helow. He+sites high, other schools not.MLB Hayden Moore: Tackling machine from Unscoutable, CO. M wanted bad.ATH Jason Hewlett: What is he? An athlete! A Viper! A receiver?EDGE Breeon Ishmail: What is he? An edge. To grow.S D'Juan Waller Jr.: What is he? Could be Jeremy Clark. Could be a FS.CB Cameron CalhounCB Jyaire Hill: The Illinois battle. The Vibe. All the ability, teach him CB immediately.

1. Portalstarts at 1:06:44

QB Jack Tuttle: We need depth, he increases his rolodex. Locker room guy.TE AJ Barner: Also a locker room guy. Tough to scout TE in a Walt Bell offense, but should Schoon.OG/OT LaDarius Henderson: The new Olu. Could have gone pro. Will be LT or Zinter. LFG!C Drake Nugent: Now we defend PFF: two QB pressures in hundreds and hundreds of pass sets.OT Myles Hinton: Needs a reset, was hurt last year, was not good in 2021. Would he take a redshirt?WDE Josaiah Stewart: More devilish than Danna. Huge deal for M's needs. Proverbial "dip."WLB Ernest Hausmann: Was #1 in the portal. M saw his best game, came around late in the season.

Portal and Michigan: This is going well, probably because of a little luck this year in what was available, also because the market is bigger. This is not how MSU is doing it.

1. Wrapstarts at 1:43:46

What happened? Coaching turnover/Harbaugh's NFL flirtation killed momentum, and then NIL, which is the difference between Michigan and Notre Dame this time. Future is brighter: M is getting their feet under them with NIL, staff is stabilized again. This was the Year of NIL, Michigan didn't play, and a lot of those who did set unreasonable expectations that are going to see these guys portaling.

About the Featured MusicianGrand Gesture (bandcamp, Spotify) is a Brooklyn-based jam/psych band that emphasizes sophisticated song writing, seamlessly crossing genre boundaries, and interweaving a thread of catchiness. Song choices:

• Gift of Sleep
• I Can't Explain
• Computer Love

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Final Scores: 

Friday - (Michigan St. 2, Michigan 1) 

Saturday - (Michigan 2, Michigan St. 1) 

Episode Notes

[NOTE: This recaps the MSU series from the previous weekend. This episode was delayed a week due to travel circumstances. Content is the same since Michigan Hockey has been on break]

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Good, but Not Good Enough

• An Opener
• Well-played, but Rued Chances
• What Happened In Net
• Bounce-Back From Portillo
• A Split

Segment 2: The Same with a Better Result

• Check-in on Old Friends
• Around the League
• First Half Takes

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things discussed:

• TCU preview: Dykes is gonna play some backyard football, defense plays three safeties—don't know how they're going to deal with tight ends.
• OSU-Georgia: Ohio State is soft. What happened vs Michigan: they looked like a good success rate because they "pulled their goalie."
• Can we get Corum back??? No. But maaaaybe???? No.
• Hoops after Llewellin.
• Hockey: Rounding into form, losing guys to RSV sucked.
• Q&A: Checking in on injuries, how Michigan can survive without Corum/Edwards's hand.

View Details

Things discussed:

• Purdue: Very prepared for Michigan, Michigan adjusted well to deliver their RB to the free hitter with space for Edwards to make something happen.
• Think Michigan came in battered, wanted to keep JJ healthy. He was dealing!
• O'Connell had a great game, Chuck Sizzle had a great game, Michigan has some zone issues to clean up with Moten and their LBs.
• College football postseason: Seth wants the NCAA to have different options for the season: When you have 2 teams, have the 2 teams play, when you have 4 worthy have a 4-team playoff, when 6 have six, when it's 1 play the bowl games. Ideally: 12-team playoffs AFTER bowl games. They ruined the bowls.
• Cade and All: Weird that McNamara is burning perfectly good bridges unnecessarily. As for All, what's Michigan supposed to do if he went and got surgery from Dr. Nick against their doctors' advice? They still paid for it, hard to hold them responsible. Seth suggests this might mean All's injury was more career-debilitating than anyone wants to let on. Cade isn't being gracious, but who cares? So we won't root for him at Iowa anymore; we all know what happened: JJ McCarthy happened.
• Breakdown of the trick play: Purdue saw what Michigan was doing but doubled the trick guy and left another TE open.
• Big Ten West: Matt Rhule's recruited Texas which is the way to win at Nebraska, Wisconsin should do well with Fickell, those are the teams that are usually stronger. Purdue losing Brohm is a big deal.
• Basketball: Losing Frankie just sucks and for no good reason, now they have to try Bufkin there and see if they can get Barnes to play the two.
• Hockey: Recruiting is bonkers again, time to give Brandon Naurato the job.

View Details

Final Scores:

Friday - (Wisconsin 6, Michigan 3)

Saturday - (Michigan 4, Wisconsin 2)

Episode Notes

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Segment 1: Spoiled Dairy

• A Good Start Fades Fast
• The Ref Show/Portillo to Blame?
• Close Game, Better Result
• Takeaways?

Segment 2: Around the League, New Sparty

• Check-in on Old Friends
• Around the League
• Michigan State Preview

MUSIC* NHL on ESPN Theme * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

1 hour and 53 minutes

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs Purduestarts at 1:00

Blocking was there—Purdue kept delivering free hitters, but how do you grade it if the free hitter's a cornerback versus Edwards? Surprised that JJ only threw 17 passes—felt like he was slinging it. We can remember each one because they were all remarkable. Also remarkable was true freshman Colston Loveland, because that was so smooth. Don't bulk up—just be you! And then Donovan Edwards: star performance. Set up blocks, ran around guys.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Purduestarts at 47:45

Purdue was moving the ball, part of that was Aidan O'Connell and Chuck Sizzle were balling. Part of it was Moten, who had at least four really bad breakdowns in one drive. Sometimes he was running into Michael Barrett, who also struggled that drive. How come our LBs don't chip? Harrell played well, spin-off sack vs the bad RT. Okie shoved a guy into O'Connell's legs. The DTs were making him uncomfortable. Will Johnson: Dude. This is what happens with the 5-star freshmen.

1. Hot Takes, Special Teams and Game Theorystarts at 1:09:57

The fake punt: Welschof needs to come up on the edge. Sad field goals. Michigan tried a new style punt. Swinging gate 2PC was fun, win percentage doesn't change from 16 (99%) to 17 (99%) or 15 (99%) so whatever. Time management at the end of the half: go for it on 4th and 2? Maybe just don't give them a drive. Officials: If your review takes 4 minutes and 32 seconds you should be shot at midfield. Running into the kicker: wasn't—he touched the ball, should be a carve-out if the punter isn't a punter because he drops it or something. M got a ticky-tack illegal formation, they got away with a facemask horrible, Okie got away with terrible acting.

1. Hoops vs Kentucky & Virginiastarts at 1:40:23

Sucks that they lost both games, also sucks that it looks like we're going to lose Llewellin for the season. Good that they were able to compete with two good teams. Losing Frankie is such a bummer, cold take. Turn Kobe Bufkin into the PG, run the offense out of Hunter, see if Barnes can be your two so you don't have too many limited defenders on the court at once.

MUSIC:

• "New Day Tonight"—Michael Rault
• "The Lost World"—Babytron
• "Heartbreaker"—The Walkmen
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The SponsorsThank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com! And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, and we are recording this on SignalWire.

Featured Musician: Tres Crow

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: What we said]

1. Purdue Previewstarts at the top

Meh. O'Connell isn't talented but he can fill the role of Air Raid QB and get the ball to Charlie Jones, who's been their most effective weapon. Next is the tight end. Defense is a bunch of guys playing Ron English ball. The Cover 2 breaks down, not great at tackling, heavy up front except they're down a DT.

1. The Game After Review: Offense vs OSUstarts at 28:46

This is what they wanted. The advanced stats can't account for this style of play because if you give up 10 touchdown opportunities and the opponent hits seven you get blown out. Michigan missed some of their shots early, blocking was the same it is usually. McCarthy's legs led to explosives. Was it the block of the year?

1. The Game After Review: Defense vs OSUstarts at 50:01

This is what we wanted. Ohio State was expecting more pressure, Michigan sat back and played games with the defensive backs. Sainristil had a DAY. Jenkins stood out, Harrell had a good game for him. Strategy was to get Day to give up the run, which he would do at the first provocation.

1. Hoops vs Virginia, Kentucky Preview, World Cup if we get to itstarts at 1:06:47

That was their shot. Worried about the defensive ceiling Dickinson and Williams because they went small and we couldn't stop them from driving. Need one vs Kentucky or UNC now. USA got out of their group, definitely getting tired after 60 minutes of their heavy press. Pulisic should be okay, probably not going 90. What's a win this year?

About the Featured MusicianTres Crow (Spotify) is my best friend. Originally from Grand Haven, he was in a few bands there, then came to Michigan where we met and jammed around. Junior year he formed the band Oblivion, who became our core lifelong friend group. After college he had a short solo career, punctuated by some success in a group called Greenland and again with a breakaway called Noble Three. That landed him in Nashville and then he got married and that was it for the solo career. But his music's still out there, and it's high time you listen to it. I'm the friend in the 3rd song who "grew wider than tall."

• Shadow Box
• Second Head
• Shipwrecked

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things discussed:

• Ohio State's hyper-aggressiveness on defense led to a high success rate and five easy touchdowns.
• Oh, Michigan just made five plays: those weren't ungodly low-percentage plays, they were plays that Ohio State put out there to be taken.
• OSU offense: throwing the ball on 3rd and 2 all year, M sat back and let them get into 3rd and short, and if they throw to Marvin Harrison Jr. they'll get 12 yards and if they throw to anyone else you can boot them off the field. Tons of their yards this game were hollow when M was letting them run down the clock.
• The 75-yard TD: OSU has a 3-man line and Jack Sawyer because that's what the answer to 2021 was supposed to be: run guys at gaps they're not expected to be in, which is hard to get right. When you get it right though? 75 yards. M had two more opportunities like that where Stokes could have been gone if he saw it.
• Day did leave yards on the field on offense, spreading it around instead of concentrating on matchups like PJ2 vs McGregor where they were winning. Sam: Urban gave them a few run plays.
• Why did OSU go away from the RB switch stuff? It was working.
• Theory: Day's program is about spreading it out to everyone, being super clever (4th and 2). Did he try too hard to prove he wasn't born on 3rd?
• Michigan's defensive gameplan: Just cover Stroud's first read, because there's usually just one concept they're stressing you with. Pass rush: nil. Dropped seven and have guys jumping routes. He's a first read QB.
• Ohio State was surprised: they were very prepared for the Amoeba Defense stuff, maybe spent their practice time prepping for all of those pressures not getting to 3rd and 4th reads.
• Purdue: Don't have the same gamebreakers. Defense is not hard to crack, harder than they were before Ron English took over.

View Details

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: Michigan vs Michigan of the East

• Backup goalie leads to hole
• Then the Turbo Jets
• Michigan Picks Up Where They Left Off
• What a Fun Night All Around

Segment 2: Around the League, Badgers or Mushrooms, NHL Deadline

• Check-in on Old Friends
• Around the League
• Wisconsin Preview
• NHL Revelations

MUSIC * NHL on ESPN Theme * "It Ends Tonight" -- The All-American Rejects * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

3 hours(!!!) and 11 minutes

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. General Vibes starts at 1:00

The story looked like it was going to be "Michigan lost this game because Blake Corum and Mike Morris were out and Michigan didn't have the recruiting depth to make up for it." And then Mike Sainristil completely denies a touchdown with a pass break-up. Ohio State said "make JJ beat us." And then he did. Michigan exposed Ohio State to their 3rd down issues. Ohio State's whole offseason was about saying "last year was a fluke." It wasn't. On 3rd and short, Ohio State is sawft. Michigan has always been behind the meta game vs Ohio State. For the first time in a long time, it feels like Michigan is ahead of Ohio State tactically. Michigan can simulate Ohio State's offense in practice, but can Ohio State simulate Michigan's smash mouth run game? The story of Ohio State last year was they had a bad defensive coordinator and Michigan was able to expose their flaws. This year... they still exposed the Ohio State's defense's flaws.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Offense vs Ohio State starts at 23:30

Ohio State comes in with a very aggressive defensive approach, so Michigan throws deep to Cornelius Johnson. That same play happened in the Penn State vs Ohio State game. Brian's takes are preserved. Michigan wasn't able to run their go-to offense, but once they hit the deep balls to Cornelius Johnson and Colston Loveland Ohio State had to drop their safeties. THEN Michigan could run their offense. What is a "catchable" ball? JJ had some great decision making, especially on some scrambles and on his touchdown run when Ohio State wasn't set. Olu is Brian's favorite Center, even more than senior Molk. Once again, just a little bit of QB run was able to confuse the defense. Cornelius Johnson's route running was frustrating for much of the year, all is forgiven after this game. They did a lot to set up that RB pass play to Loveland. Colston Loveland is ready now.

1. Defense vs Ohio State starts at 1:03:08

Alex's take on the Ohio State offense from a month ago was on point. Once Ohio State gets to 3rd and short, they are horrible. They don't have a consistent run game that can get 3-ish yards. You can't build a run game off of getting either 12 yards or no yards. There were a lot of plays where Michigan couldn't get to Stroud, but CJ Stroud didn't have anything. If CJ Stroud runs at all it might change Michigan's defensive approach but Stroud won't even scramble. The coverage in this game was incredible. Michigan finally gets turnover luck in The Game and it didn't even really matter. There was maybe one bust? Last year Sainristil caught the flea flicker from Cade, this year he went god mode on defense, so next year he'll be the kicker. Will Johnson has grown up. Ohio State had their heads down in the 4th quarter and Michigan knew "we are going to win." The headbutt was probably the end. McGregor had a great TFL to eventually force a punt. God bless Michael Barrett, he didn't have a huge role in this defense but he sticks it out and he had to learn a whole new role. His progress has been outstanding. There is probably some truth to the idea that these players are completely bought into the program. Michigan is now Stanford with more talent. Rod Moore is not boring but in a good way!

1. Hot Takes and Game Theory starts at 1:43:38

Takes hotter than Ryan Day's hot seat. Brian's hot takes voice has transcended. The biggest bummer from this game might be that if Blake Corum puts up Donovan Edwards' numbers he would win the Heisman. Ryan Day is a coward and a turtle. Several of Ohio State's punts were probably a "go for it" situation. He is a super conservative coach on 4th down decision making. Some of these decisions might be from the fact that Ohio State has never really needed to play in dogfights or from playing down. Stroud was begging to go for it on 4th down after the 1st and 35, they still punted. Ohio State had a fake punt that they could've gotten a huge gain from, but they botched it. MSU and OSU's hate for Michigan finally backfired. Ohio State seemed like they weren't expecting Michigan to fight back like they did. Michigan's clock management before halftime was probably the right move. That was a gutsy 4th and 1 call, all things considered. Would a punt have been better than Moody attempting a 57 yard field goal? Ryan Day turtle'd and Michigan gets it right, is he on the hot seat? If you play offensive line at Michigan, people will know your name. Michigan is recruiting heavily in Ohio now, what happens when you beat Ohio State? Do any of Michigan's coaches leave after this season?

1. Around the Big Ten With Jamie Mac starts at 2:43:24

Jamie gives us his personal takes on The Game. Purdue wins the Big Ten West, somehow. Indiana lost their quarterback on the opening drive. Purdue is a much better matchup for Michigan than Illinois. This year is similar to last year where Michigan dodged a hot Wisconsin team (and Illinois is the new Wisconsin). Northwestern goes 0-11 in North America and 1-0 in Europe. Why is Spencer Petras playing football?? Nebraska wins an improbably(?) game against Iowa. The sins of the Iowa offense caught up with them, Nebraska has a bad defense but the Hawkeyes put up less than 300 yards. Michigan State rushes for 25 yards and fails to gain bowl eligibility - they get rushing rutger'd! Michael Penix is... 5th in the Heisman trophy odds??? Michigan State might be in for another long year next year. Minnesota gets their 3rd win over Wisconsin in five years. Wisconsin gets Luke Fickell as their new head coach!

MUSIC:

• "New Day Tonight"--Michael Rault
• "Three Day Loser"--Joy of Cooking
• "Tek It"--Cafune
• "King"--Zayde Wølf
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. THEY HAVE A BLACK FRIDAY 20% OFF SALE GOING ON TODAY. Check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com and use the code BF22, or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com!

And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, and we are recording this on SignalWire.

Featured Musician: Shadow Show

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: What we said]

1. The Game Preview: OSU Offense starts at the top

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

1. The Game Preview: OSU Defense starts at 32:49

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH but not quite as scary.

1. Illinois After Review starts at 1:01:07

Looked past them?

1. World Cup, Briefly starts at 1:16:45

Nil-nil: was that England settling or a sign USA

About the Featured Musician

Shadow Show (Website, Spotify) was recommended to me by the first band I featured this year. They're a three-woman psychedelic garage outfit based in Detroit. Song choices:

• Shadow Box
• Contessa
• What Again is Real (Acoustic version)

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

THE USUAL LINKS: * Helpful iTunes subscribe link * General podcast feed link * What's with the theme music?

View Details

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: The Games: Minnesota Overwhelms the MASH Unit * Outplayed, but still in it until the Gaffes * Penalty Talk * Still Undermanned, but Played Better...kinda? * Expectations

Segment 2: Around the League, Minnesota * Check-in on Old Friends * Around the League * Harvard Preview * Wrap-Up

MUSIC * NHL on ESPN Theme * "Tubthumping" -- Chumbawamba * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

View Details

Things discussed:

• Illinois: Super aggressive defense, got into Cover 2 from weird looks, went 6-2 front and brought down safeties. Plays were there to be made: throws are open, WRs need to catch them and JJ needs to be more accurate.
• Michigan took it two games at a time. Were afraid to pass until they had to. Had non-Morris ends trying to own the edge and the gap inside it so they could play two-deep, which is not an Illinois prep.
• Where are the RPOs? Having JJ run is a similar thing, but getting him in rhythm and getting the defense to keep extra defenders out of the play demands that sort of thing.
• Lots of Cover 1 and Cover 0 and M doesn't like to throw at guys in single coverage. Ohio State was paying attention.
• Injuries? Corum and Edwards will play but Sam's opinion is they won't be 75%.
• Seth: We're in the playoffs now, and you win the playoffs like you win in the NFL: my talent against your talent.
• Michigan went after Witherspoon way too much.
• Brian: The passing game is where it is because of Michigan's extreme run focus. Michigan ran on 2nd and 14 vs Cover Zero, and there's a reasonable explanation, QED. Seth: Like Kobe and Jaelin's threes, you gotta let them shoot through it.
• OHIO STATE: A defense of Junior Colsons, but you can't guess where they'll break down ahead of time. Need a "take what you see" approach. They're going to blitz and man up.
• Seth on hate: we don't want to go to Columbus because it's all about hate to them. Harbaugh's quote—and that's a guy who played in this game—is on. Sam: Hate's great! I love how emasculated they were after last year's game.
• If Michigan does it again, and Ryan Day is 1-2 vs Michigan, is he on the hot seat?

View Details

2 hours and 5 minutes

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs Illinois starts at 1:00

Turns out Bret Bielema and Brian have something in common. Michigan had a close call but so did the rest of the top 5. Michigan was planning to have Blake Corum throughout this game and with him out in the second half nobody seemed to execute very well, especially the QB run game. JJ seems to have regressed since the Penn State game. Feels like Michigan tried to stick to their game plan with the wrong guys. The holding call on Zinter was a terrible call, the CJ catch at the end of the game wasn't a catch. A lot of officiating strangeness. Is this game that applicable for Ohio State? Their run defense wasn't this aggressive against even Northwestern. A lot of starters were warming up but didn't play, so how much of this game was keeping guys healthy for Ohio State?

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Illinois starts at 41:42

This was the first offensive line that was able to do anything all season to Michigan's defensive tackles. There can only be one Wisconsin and now it's Illinois. Mason Graham came to play in this game. This is a true freshman and Brian can't even. Mike Morris was missed in this game, the pre-season prediction about the defensive end depth being not great may have come true. They're going to have to blitz a lot against Ohio State - force CJ Stroud to make mistakes. Discussing the safety rotation and how it translates to Ohio State.

1. Hot Takes and Game Theory starts at 1:10:22

Takes hotter than a tie game in the 'Shoe in the 4th quarter. Let's talk about the decision making before the game winning field goal. Does the Lou Groza award winner really need an extra four yards? Field goal kicking discussions, the holding call, and punting. Iowa may actually win the West, in an affront to God.

1. Around the Big Ten With Jamie Mac starts at 1:34:52

Ohio State has been outgained in three of their last four games. Maryland... Penn State... There are multiple games in which Michigan out-performed Ohio State. SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THERE'S A CHANCE? Getting pressure on Stroud is still going to be the biggest issue for Michigan. 2022 Iowa. This game had the lowest over/under ever for an FBS game... and it was still under. MSU outgains Indiana 540 to 288 in a game where Indiana completes two passes... and Indiana wins? MSU only has one turnover. None of the math adds up. This is a vintage SPARTY, NOOO. The teams exchanged block field goals in the first overtime. Now Michigan State will need to beat Penn State to go to a bowl game which seems unlikely. Wisconsin vs Nebraska yielded an "uh" which sums it up nicely. Casey Thompson came back for Nebraska but their ground game was completely shut down. Northwestern Purdue is an ugly affair. Is Northwestern the best poor weather team? Penn State spanks Rutgers, the end.

MUSIC:

• "I Am The Moon"--Tedeschi Trucks Band
• "Someday"-- Julia Jacklin (a Strokes Cover)
• "Oh Boy"-- Cam'ron
• “Across 110th Street”

View Details

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. UGP makes custom apparel such as t-shirts and sweatshirts and was founded by 2 Michigan alums over 20 years ago. They have 3 retail locations in Ann Arbor and offer thousands of University of Michigan athletic products for sale, ranging from clothing to accessories and memorabilia. Check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com!

And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, and we are recording this on SignalWire.

Featured Musician: Legume

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: What we said]

1. Illinois Preview starts at the top

Chase Brown might be hurt. Their running game runs everything under the Harbaugh sun—good thing we've seen that in practice a few times. Their defense will man up and blitz you, except against Purdue for some reason, which didn't work out for them.

1. Nebraska After Review starts around 2:05PM

Running game execution is a hell of a thing to hang your hat on. Panic about the deep passing game yet? What about getting pressure? Yes, Michigan gets sacks, but mostly against bad competition and late when teams are in comeback mode. DTs are the best part of the defense.

1. Hoops Arizona State starts around 2:35PM

Sometimes shots don't go down/go down and it's very dumb but this team isn't built to have Hunter do this all by himself.

1. Hockey starts around 3:00PM

Jett gets a star. Spacing with Hunter is a hell of an offense.

About the Featured Musician

Legume (Bandcamp, Facebook, Spotify) is a Detroit group fronted by Liam McNitt. It's chill acoustic or plucking-at-a-Fender vibe stuff but there's a hint of funk or jazz that creeps in sometimes. Liam's voice has a Julian Casablancas lilt. The lyrics are clever, though the poetry trips over itself at times.

• Let's Waste Away Together
• In My Room
• Thrill

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

View Details

Things discussed:

• Offense vs Nebraska: Ability to execute the run game is on a ludicrous level. 7 million run plays, only 5 of them went

View Details

With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

Special Guest Nate Wells (@gopherstate on Twitter) joins in the second segment! 

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

Once again, I'm begging you to visit Jonathan Paul's website link and listen to all of the podcast just DO NOT listen to the ad read. It's at 40:51 so you know when to skip it. Honestly if people listened to it then we'd have to convince Seth to sing more on the podcasts. And nobody wants that... or do you? 

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: The Games: Domination and...Collapse

• Slow start, the Domination
• Major Debate
• Another Good Start
• Second Period Collapse, OT Loss

Segment 2: Around the League, Minnesota with Nate Wells

• Special Guest Nate Wells @gopherstate
• Nate Wells Updates
• Around the League
• Minnesota Preview
• Wrap-Up

MUSIC * NHL on ESPN Theme * "Who Are You" -- The Who * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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2 hours and 2 minutes

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs Nebraska starts at 1:00

The Bon Jovi music era is the last time Nebraska football was good. The consequence of Michigan rising to elite status is that most games are boring now. Michigan duo'd Nebraska to death and that's all it took to win this game. Even with injuries on the offensive line and running backs, Tavierre Dunlap and C.J. Stokes still ran all over them. Honigford might get a couple negatives but nobody else might get one. The error rate has fallen considerably since the Rodriguez era. Michigan leads the country on 4th downs (10 of 11). It's boring. It's good. They were still able to RPO an open touchdown to Ronnie Bell. Is it better to put a lot of stuff on film for Ohio State to have to prepare for or is it better to keep a lot of stuff close to home? The passing game was a little concerning but the way this running game is going you don't need a lights out passing game to beat Ohio State. McCarthy needs to give his guys downfield a chance but the receivers also feel like they took a step back. The ball going out the back of the endzone being a touchback is still a terrible rule but it's funny when it doesn't happen to you.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Nebraska starts at 50:33

So... not much to say here. Michigan has seven guys that could start for Nebraska at defensive tackle. They all make plays on the line. Michigan is good at hammer but not as good at anvil. DJ Turner was beat over the top once. Other than that, did anything happen? The failed hurdle looked like a wrestling tag-team finisher. The guy was hit in the dong and RGIII didn't even say anything about it! Apparently clowns explode at birthday parties. They're trying to get Will Johnson as many snaps as they can before Ohio State.

1. Hot Takes and Game Theory starts at 1:11:10

Takes hotter than RGIII after he saw a helmet go into somebody's, you know, and then he's like "oh I'll get fired if I explode." Split Davis Warren and Donovan Edwards on deep throws? The clock management at the end of the first half was a debacle, but has poor clock management ever cost Harbaugh a game? "Just run it on 3rd and 6" seemed like a fine decision in this game. Officiating was fine except for the missed "roughing the punter" call. RGIII was fine but Mark Jones wanted to talk about anything but football.

1. Around the Big Ten With Jamie Mac starts at 1:34:30

Illinois was a 6-point favorite against Purdue and had an opportunity to maintain their grasp on the Big Ten West and then... lose by 7. The West was for Illinois to lose but now four teams are tied at the top at 4-3. If Iowa wins at Minnesota they just need to beat Nebraska to go back to Indy... Disgusting. Northwestern plays four quarterbacks against Minnesota. Iowa beats Wisconsin with 146 yards of offense in the grossest game of the season. Minnesota just needs to kick some field goals to beat Iowa. Rutgers vs Michigan State was a surprisingly offensive game (as in both teams had a lot of offense). Michigan State zeroing in on the Quick Lanes Bowl?? There is a... wild Payton Thorne quote in there. Maryland, it’s said, never ends up ahead when the Terps of November start losing. James Franklin got an unsportmanlike conduct penalty because he was screaming at his players and the ref thought James was screaming at him... so James did 15 pushups. Not much to say about the Ohio State game but worth noting that Miyan Williams was carted off with an ankle injury. They may get Henderson back next week.

Zombocom.

MUSIC:

• "Bad Medicine"--Bon Jovi
• "Stir Fry"--Migos
• "Stay on Your Toes"--The Funky Homosapien
• “Across 110th Street”

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The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. UGP makes custom apparel such as t-shirts and sweatshirts and was founded by 2 Michigan alums over 20 years ago. They have 3 retail locations in Ann Arbor and offer thousands of University of Michigan athletic products for sale, ranging from clothing to accessories and memorabilia. Check them out at ugpmichiganapparel.com or check out our selection of shirts on the MGoBlogStore.com!

And let’s not forget our associate sponsors: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M, and we are recording this on SignalWire.

Featured Musician: On the Line

The Video:

[After THE JUMP: What's to be said]

1. Nebraska Preview starts at the top

How so bad? QB is out, which means they can't throw to their receivers, who are the part of their offense that's good. The OL isn't, especially in pass pro. DTs are moveable, they have a DE who can rush. NOBODY can tackle.

1. Rutgers After Review starts around 5:25PM

Schiano had interesting stuff planned. Brian got REALLY positive on McCarthy's throws, wanted the WRs to make at least a couple of their 13 opportunities to make a play. THe diff

1. Hoops vs IPFW and EMU Preview starts around 5:45PM

Jett's offense WHEEEEEE and definitely not Houstan. Defense: needs to come along like Houstan. High on Bufkin's performance, but he can't play down so it's really up to Jett to fix his closeout issues, effort issues, boxout issues. Did we mention the offense? WHEEEEEE!!!!!

1. Seth's World Cup Segment starts around 6PM

I know nothing about these kids so I ask Brian and he says we are young and hungry and injured at mid-backer and apparently coastline is important? Go go USA!

About the Featured Musician I'm reusing a band we featured years ago, On the Line, because I rediscovered them in my folder and worked to them all week. I don't think they're in operation anymore but I wanted to give Ryan and Frank and Calvin and Zach a shoutout anyways for helping me get through some rough Rutgers charting. These are all off their 2017 album Color Tour.

• The Space Odyssey (Part I)
• Steve the Argonian
• Borough of Churches

Also because Across 110th Street will get our Youtubes taken down, the opener and outro:

• “The Employee is Not Afraid”—Bear vs. Shark
• “Ruska Vodka”—Motorboat

THE USUAL LINKS: * Helpful iTunes subscribe link * General podcast feed link * What's with the theme music?

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Things discussed:

• The Rutgers game: Is the passing game coming along? Defense: just a handful of breakdowns and a grind down. Need more help from the WRs.
• Running games are more consistent than long passing games; low-variance option getting 7 ypa is going to hold up better than 2 long pass plays on 3rd and long.
• Rutgers had a good gameplan.
• Donovan Edwards had a game. He's rounding into a star now. Vision is great, receiving is A+ for a receiver. Needs to get to be 75% of Corum as a pass blocker to be a complete back.
• McCarthy: Great throw, shoulda made an easier throw to another guy.
• Illinois: got unlucky to fall into MSU's strength. Ohio State-Northwestern: there's a certain lack of toughness to them, but they can kill us in a track meet.
• Tom Izzo is sick of being the bad guys.

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With David Nasternak and Alex Drain

This Podcast Has a Sponsor: Michigan Law Grad Jonathan Paul is the guy with the C you want skating next to the ref and pleading your case. He's also a good guy to sit next to at the hockey games.

[Writeup and Player after THE JUMP]

Segment 1: The Games: Bad and Almost Bad

• Noah West starts and plays...well!
• No one else does
• Michigan plays 50 good minutes
• Another blown lead/collapse, but OT rescue

Segment 2: Around the League, Notre Dame, NHL Catchup

• Wisconsin...are you there? Hello?
• Old Friends Do Well
• Here Come The Irish!
• Let's Look at the NHL Divisions

MUSIC * NHL on ESPN Theme * "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" -- Green Day * Ice Hockey (NES) theme

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1 hour and 59 minutes

The Sponsors Thank you to Underground Printing for making this all possible. Rishi and Ryan have been our biggest supporters from the beginning. Check out their wide selection of officially licensed Michigan fan gear at their 3 store locations in Ann Arbor or learn about their custom apparel business at undergroundshirts.com.

Our associate sponsors are: Peak Wealth Management, HomeSure Lending, Ann Arbor Elder Law, Michigan Law Grad, Human Element, The Phil Klein Insurance Group, Venue by 4M where we recorded this, TicketIQ! and The Nose Bleeds, which is the Sklars Bros’ reboot of Cheap Seats on UFC Fight Pass.

1. Offense vs Rutgers starts at 1:00

Was Michigan sick during this game? "The loud Rutgers fans" is an uttered phrase. JJ completed less than half of his passes, some of them were drops but some were bad throws. Why isn't Michigan throwing more fades? Michigan threw contested throws in this game and Michigan completed almost none of them, but we know how good everyone is at this point. It seemed uncharacteristic so maybe it's a non-issue moving forward. Good game for younger guys to get quality play time in the 2nd half. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards had some nice runs but there were some hiccups along the way. Rutgers' defense is on the aggressive side. Was part of Michigan's gameplan to just keep it safe and not take Rutgers too seriously? Khalid Hill approves of the FB dive. Donovan Edwards maximized his blocking opportunities in this game, this may have been his best game so far at Michigan. Jeffrey Persi wasn't noticed, which is good!

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

1. Defense vs Rutgers starts at 38:50

Rutgers did basically what Michigan State did - hit a couple deep passes and otherwise mostly went three and out. According to Seth, SHI Stadium turned off the rushing yard total on the scoreboard. Not a ton to say - Taylor Upshaw had a really nice game. Rutgers only had 49 snaps on offense. Cam Goode had a sack! David brings back the Chonky Talk. Gavin Wimsatt has a good arm but very little accuracy... doesn't seem like he can be the guy moving forward. Michigan's defense is 4th in SP+ which is opponent-adjusted. We have not seen opponents get chunk run plays due to poor linebacker play in a few weeks, Barrett seems to be adapting as a natural linebacker more and more. Jenkins snuffed out a shovel pass, something they got burned on earlier in the year.

1. Hot Takes, Defense, and Game Theory starts at 1:03:13