A State Of Bliss

Marques Stevenson waited in the set position, his eyes darting away from the hole he would soon hit. In an instant the senior tailback launched himself forward, took a handoff from quarterback Cole Schaezer in stride, cut briefly to his left and gave eleven Plymouth High School defenders a glimpse of what twelve other opponents had seen all season long. The fascinating blur of number thirty-one shooting past them, then growing smaller and smaller as it approached the goal line.

On this day, that familar routine had grown exponentially. On this stage, in front of the populations of two cities and a state-wide TV audience, Stevenson's burst downfield led him to a place he and his teammates had never before been. As Stevenson crossed the goal line and turned to wait for his teammates, and as they added their third extra point, the Ford Field scoreboard added another seven points that grew the Lake Orion High School lead to an improbable 21-3. And with three minutes to go before halftime, the Dragons had all the points they needed to make the biggest point of all.

This year, there was no better team in all of Michigan.

Today Lake Orion is home to the Michigan High School Athletic Association District 1 football champions. The Dragons exploded early and held on late to defeat the upstart Plymouth Wildcats, 21-13, bringing home their most cherished wooden hardware of all: their first-ever state title.

And despite another dizzying assortment of big plays and offensive highlights, the defense is what rescued Lake Orion in the second half and carried them to the promised land. Time after time the Dragons' offense stalled. Time after time the weary defenders in white were asked to keep Plymouth out of the end zone. Yet this collection of teenagers battled again and again, stopping a Wildcat offense that had worn down the likes of Rockford, Catholic Central and #1-ranked Canton over the previous month. In the end, Plymouth managed just one touchdown and one field goal the entire second half.

The Dragons' immortal and improbable ride began on a steamy hot August night with a 45-6 drubbing of their neighbors from Oxford, in the schools' first meeting in 27 years. The ride gained momentum as Lake Orion decimated the Oakland Activities Association's Red Division with alarming consistency. Rochester, who would eventually qualify for the MHSAA playoffs, fell 36-7. Then newly consolidated Pontiac High School crumbled, 44-13. Then West Bloomfield (56-14), Royal Oak (42-7), Troy (45-0) and Troy Athens (45-7).

Farmington Harrison, the ultimate Division 2 state champs, put the brakes on things a bit by handing the Dragons a 28-6 defeat. But head coach Chris Bell pulled his team together the following week, and Lake Orion delivered an inspired and emotional 28-7 victory over arch-rival Clarkston at home on Senior Night, locking up their second conference championship in three years and sewing up home field advantage throughout the regional playoffs. And for coach Bell, the regionals have been as familiar a setting for his teams as Dragon Field itself.

Even as junior quarterback sensation Sean Charette twisted and fell under a blitzing Utica Eisenhower defense in the regional final, breaking his right ankle, Lake Orion showed no signs of slowing its trajectory. Even as Charette's backup, platooning senior wideout Cole Schaenzer, guided the team against undefeated PSL champion Cass Tech, somehow the ride seemed destined to pick up steam as it turned and pointed itself toward downtown Detroit.

Now, that one frontier of state championship glory has been conquered. Now the green and while has entered the fraternity of the elite. Now these seventy high-school kids have immortalized their football program, creating an indelible story to share with their kids and their kids' kids whenever, wherever Lake Orion is mentioned.

To a brilliant coach, a fearless team, a loud student body and a proud community: this time the ride didn't just take you up the mountain. It took you right to the top.

Gee... ya think?

The good ol' boy network of NCAA major conference football has decided not to wait for Auburn or Oregon to slip up. The war against the two unbeaten schools from non-BCS qualifying conferences--Boise State University from the Western Athletic Conference and Texas Christian University from the Mountain West--has officially begun. And yesterday Ohio State University president Gordon Gee (see dorky photo) fired the first salvo.

"Well, I don't know enough about the Xs and Os of college football," said the school's leader, shockingly. "I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day. So I think until a university runs through that gauntlet that there's some reason to believe that they may not be the best teams to [be] in the big ballgame."

Sure, Gee has enough background in two fat-cat conferences to merit some attention. But anyone with a sniff of objectivity can see the bias behind his words. He's pandering to the BCS brass on behalf of his conference, and more specifically his beloved Buckeyes.

As far as I'm concerned, he disqualified himself in his first-sentence admission that he doesn't know football. Really, Gordie? We had no idea. There's enough evidence in that place called reality to debunk the old man's nonsensical drivel: first, the "murderer's row every week" comment, Gee's insinuation that the undefeated teams from non-BCS qualifying conferences--Boise State in particular--don't play the high level of competition that the Big 10 and SEC face every week; and second, his "Little Sisters of the Poor" reference, a suggestion that Boise has weaker opponents on its schedule than those teams from the "murderous" Big 10 and SEC.

To test Gee's theories, let's consult the best known source for measuring a team's relative strength, Jeff Sagarin's NCAA Football Ratings. The Sagarin Ratings (also known as the Sagarin Power Ratings) weigh a number of factors and collectively rank all college football teams based not on the biased opinions of writers and coaches with a stake in the poll results, but on the strength of the teams themselves.

According to the most recent Sagarin scale, which covers games played through 11/20/2010, Ohio State is eighth while Boise State is #4 (one spot ahead of Auburn). Against the top 30 teams in the nation, the Broncos are 2-0 and the Buckeyes are 2-1. Should Boise take care of #19 Nevada on Friday night, they'll bump their record to 3-0.

Breaking it down further, if we compare Boise State's top games with that of Gee's Buckeyes we get the following (the opponent's Sagarin rating is in parentheses):

BSU = @ Virginia Tech (18), vs Oregon State (22), vs Hawaii (32)
tOSU = @ Wisconsin (14), @ Iowa (21), vs Miami-Florida (30)

Remember that this doesn't include Boise's upcoming game at Nevada (whose Sagarin rating is 24). Now if we look at the other end of the Sagarin scale we also see that Ohio State and Boise State will have each played four "gimmie" games (against teams with rankings above 100):

BSU = @ Wyoming (107), vs Utah St (115), @ San Jose St (157), @ New Mexico St (164).
OSU = @ Minnesota (104), vs Indiana (105), vs Marshall (109), vs Eastern Mich (167).

So Dr. Gee, would you care to retort? This looks pretty even to me. Based on this objective analysis, how can you conclude that Ohio State plays "fine schools every week" while Boise State plays the "Little Sisters of the Poor"? How is one schedule considered a "gauntlet" and "Murderer's Row" while the other is not? Could it be that you've been stuck in that isolation chamber called Columbus, Ohio for a bit too long?

Three more things need to be considered:

First, a team has to play its conference schedule. If Gee wants to criticize Boise State for playing WAC opponents (as if they have a choice), then he must criticize his own school for not playing two of the strongest teams in the Big Ten: 10-1 Michigan State (Sagarin rating of 20) and 7-4 Northwestern (Sagarin rating: 64). So either Boise padded its league schedule with cupcakes, or Ohio ducked the Sparties and Wildcats. Can't have it both ways, Poindexter.

Second, the teams' choice of out-of-conference (OOC) competition. Free to select any school in the nation, Ohio State boldly chose Eastern Michigan University, at #167 the weakest opponent on either team's schedule. And the Eagles still hung 20 points on the Bucks (see pic). They also added Marshall (Sagarin rating: 109) and Ohio U. (Sagarin rating: 75) along with their only worthy opponent, Miami-Florida (Sagarin rating: 30)--all home games of course. In contrast, Boise State chose to play Oregon State (Sagarin: 22) and gave up a home game to take on Virginia Tech (Sagarin: 18) 2,500 miles away in Landover, Maryland.

And third, given all of the above points, Gee's Buckeyes have lost a game, while BSU's record is spotless.

The bottom line is this: BCS schools like Ohio State pad their OOC schedule for easy wins and added home-game revenue, while schools from non-AQ (automatic qualifying) conferences like Boise State book the best competition they can find to boost their credibility. BSU president Bob Kustra put it this way in his sharply worded response to Gee's comments: "I don't mind somebody stating that they don't think we ought to be in the national championship, but to do it with such erroneous information as Gordon Gee has used, gets under the skin of all of us who thought university presidents were supposed to be standing for fairness, equity and truth in how we portray our universities."

Truth be told, Boise State has tried desperately to schedule top-shelf opponents but keeps getting shut down. "It's easy for the presidents to talk, but ask the ADs when's the last time that they seriously entertained taking requests or inviting Boise State to (play them)," Kustra said. "If you're Boise State or TCU, they're going to want to steer way clear of you." Asked to respond to Gee's assertion that Ohio State doesn't play the "Little Sisters of the Poor" that certain undefeated non-BCS teams face, Kustra glanced at the Buckeye's past two schedules and added, "If they're not playing the Little Sisters of the Poor, they're playing the Little Brothers."

TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte preferred a more succinct rebuttal. "We only worry about our house and what we do at TCU. I'll put our record up against anybody." In the past two seasons combined, TCU and Boise State have each lost just once--to each other. The Horned Frogs downed the Broncos in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl, and BSU returned the favor this past January in the BCS's Tostito's Fiesta Bowl.

After being beaten each of the last two seasons--in Boise and in Eugene--top-ranked Oregon is anything but eager to face the Broncos. But IF Auburn loses, and IF BSU passes TCU in the rankings (as most feel they'll do should they beat Nevada) and IF the old boys network doesn't take over as it has in the past (for example, coaches agreeing to vote 11-0 Boise State as low as fifth to manipulate the system), that's exactly what the Ducks will get.

You think your school might want to schedule the Broncos, Dr. Gee? You know, a home-and-home series, one game at the Horseshoe and one game on the blue turf? Or maybe a two-game series against the Horned Frogs, with a game in Dallas-Fort Worth (they've got big stadiums out there too)? I didn't think so. Kustra said it best in his description of major conference scheduling: "The formula these days for BCS teams is get seven or eight home games, play one non-conference game against a team from another BCS league, schedule three or four patsies and try not to leave the state if you can help it." So it's ironic justice when a conference like the Big Ten goes so far as to drop conference match-ups from their schedules in favor of yet another $50-per-ticket home game against the Mid-American Conference. Had Ohio State and Michigan State actually played each other this year, the winner might still be in contention for a spot in the BCS title game.

Rather than tearing down other schools for winning every game they play, Dr. Gee, why don't you focus on your own school instead? And while you're at it, how bout dropping the procession of fine MAC schools that parade through the 'Shoe each September in favor of a Boise or TCU matchup--you know, something to gear you up for that "Murderer's Row" of Purdue, Indiana and Minnesota.

Till then, we'll go back to assuming you don't know an X from an O. Even though you did a fine job of removing all doubt.

To Ford Field, and beyond!

The man-child quarterback who kept an entire defense catching, grabbing air and wondering which way he'll turn, twist or take off, faked a handoff and turned to pitch the football to his tailback. That's when he hit the wall. The wall by the name of Andrew Shafkalis.

The ball bounced playfully along the Athens High School FieldTurf as Cass Tech's Keith Moore landed and watched helplessly. Ultimately it landed in the arms of Shafkalis's teammate Tyler Misiak at the Dragon 25-yard line. And in a moment, the Lake Orion sideline and the western grandstand exploded in joy. A game that seemed destined for overtime at best or a crushing, season-ending loss at worst, fell instead into the waiting arms of a hungry band of Dragons. The 24-21 defeat of the previously undefeated and favored Cass Tech Technicians officially punched Lake Orion's ticket to Ford Field. And next Saturday afternoon they will seek to travel where no LO team has gone before: the Promised Land.

As Misiak lept over the pile still scrambling for the elusive pigskin and face planted, only to re-emerge with the ball safely in his hands, the Cass Tech players dropped to the ground as if their legs had been taken out by an automatic weapon. They were safely in range for a game-tying field goal, and had enough momentum to carry into overtime. In fact, with the ball at Lake Orion's five-yard line, the kick was little more than an extra-point's distance, a kick [name of CT kicker] had made dozens of times this season.

Nearly as unexpected as the turn of events was the play call itself. The Dragons' defensive line had spent most of the afternoon in Cass Tech's backfield blowing up plays. Yet as vulnerable as Moore was in his own backfield, he was just as lethal once he crossed the line of scrimmage.

What was expected, however, was the resolve of a battered Lake Orion team who once again elevated its level of play to assuage the loss of junior quarterback Sean Charrette, who suffered a severe sprain to his left ankle in the first quarter of last week's win over Utica Eisenhower. Charrette's multi-talented wide-receiver-turned-backup-QB Cole Schaenzer (see pic) has stepped in since then, and while unafraid to drop darts downfield on third down, he's careful not to put his team's success squarely on his shoulders.

"Everyone knows we’ve got one of the area’s best quarterbacks (in Sean Charette)," coach Chris Bell said after the win. "But we weren’t worried when he went down because we know we’re very lucky to have a guy like Cole to keep this thing rolling."

By "this thing" Coach Bell could well be referring to tailback Marques Stevenson (see my pic). The one-man lightning bolt followed up his other-worldly 14-carry, 290-yard detonation of Grand Blanc in the Region 3 final with a merely sensational 190 yards on 25 carries, including a sprint up the middle that resulted in a 42-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 in the first half. Danny Ney added 82 yards on a workmanlike 16 carries. Cristian Burks led the Technicians attack with 142 yards on 18 carries, including touchdown runs of 15 and 46 yards in the first half.

One more challenge awaits this dream team, a dream date with the real Division 1 Cinderella. Plymouth High School, who dropped the state's #1 team, Canton, in the Divisional round, crushed Rockford's title hopes Saturday afternoon 20-17, scoring the winning TD on a 26-yard pass with :11 left on the clock. Pumpkins anyone?

What can you do when you can't do any better?

Imagine your major college football team winning its first game and sitting at #3 in both major polls. Imagine your team winning its next eight games while the two schools ahead of and behind you lose multiple times. Can you imagine your unbeaten team atop both polls and likely the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings as well?

Well, you can't if that major college football team of yours is the Boise State University Broncos. In an act of either coordinated sabotage or collective incompetence, neither the writers nor the coaches have moved Boise State up into the top position at any point during the season. Not even for one week.

While the 9-0 Broncos have managed to maintain the number three ranking, three teams (Auburn, Oregon & TCU) have already passed them in each poll--despite the fact that the Broncos have done nothing to justify being passed by anyone. Nine games under their belt, and not a single underwhelming performance on their resume. Yet they've actually lost their position twice in the AP (writer's) poll and three times in the USA Top 25 (coaches) poll. They even dropped in the rankings after a 63-0 victory on the road.

BSU is currently one of four BCS unbeatens, along with the three aforementioned leap-froggers. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Boise is at most two upsets away from playing for a BCS Championship. As we have seen time and time again, however, conventional wisdom--or wisdom at all for that matter--has no place in the BCS, much less major college football. Just as Oklahoma and Oregon and Auburn appeared out of nowhere to jump over the Broncos, you can bet that some one-loss flavor of the month would do so as well, if our hand-wringing media friends have anything to do with it.

No other varsity collegiate sport allows one of its teams to win every game on its schedule and not even compete for a national championship. So how do you explain the blue-horse hatred? Is it simply a fear of bad TV ratings come bowl time? Is it a money thing? Is Boise seen as the major college equivalent of a ladder-climbing female executive in an old-boys-network corporation? I wish I knew.

In rationalizing their discrimination, NCAA power brokers and media "experts" contradict themselves with the effortless frequency of an election-year politician. Here's a sample of what's been said and why it's either untrue or mysteriously not the case with other schools:

1. Boise State hasn't played anyone. WRONG. First off, they gave up a home game to travel 2,500 miles to Washington, D.C. and beat Virginia Tech, who was #10 at the time (and have since climbed back to #16 in the BCS Standings). They defeated #24 Oregon State by double digits, and while the Beavers have hovered around .500 this season, they do happen to host #1 Oregon in their annual Civil War in a few weeks. I have a feeling Oregon won't have as easy a time as the Broncos did.

2. Yeah, but Boise State could never beat the top teams from the major conferences. You mean teams like top-ranked Oregon from the Pac-10, which they've defeated the past two seasons--including 2008's 37-32 victory at Autzen Stadium in Eugene (see pic), where the Ducks owned a 23-game home win streak from 1997-2001 and where they haven't lost since)? Or unbeaten TCU, whom the Broncos buried this past January in the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl? Or VaTech, currently the highest-ranked team in the ACC, who has already locked up a berth in its conference championship? Teams like that?

3. Yeah, but those wins over Oregon and TCU all happened last year, and have nothing to do with this year's team.Until Alabama fell last week at LSU, the Crimson Tide were poised to jump both Boise and TCU despite having one loss on their record. Why? Because they were the defending national champs. But wait, that happened last season right? See what I mean? Similar rationale has also been used to elevate perennial powers Ohio State and Oklahoma virtually overnight, and it may be used again soon to build Nebraska into the sexy, one-loss alternative. Like Boise coach Chris Peterson would stand a prayer against the likes of Tom Osborne or Bob Devaney. I mean come on!

4. Yeah, but since Boise State plays in a weak conference they'd better destroy the rest of their competition to be considered for the BCS Championship. Done, so far at least. In the five league games they've played this season, the average score is Boise 50, Western Athletic Conference 8. And one of those teams (Hawaii) had the second most votes of all teams not ranked in the polls at the time they played. Not to mention the nation's top passing offense. The Rainbows averaged 394 yards through the air entering the game but were held to 196 yards of total offense, nearly 300 yards less than their average. Boise State QB Kellen Moore, on the other hand, set a career mark with 507 passing yards while the rest of the offense rolled up 737 yards, shattering the school record. So should they beat their last three conference foes decisively as the haters have insisted (including #19 Nevada on the road), then strength of schedule is officially a non-factor, right? After all, you can't do more than beat everyone you play right? RIGHT?

5. Yeah, but Boise State has to play at a consistently high level for a number of years to be considered worthy of playing for the BCS Championship. This is what people said last season to support their lack of even considering the Broncos as national title contenders. Umm okay. While the hand-wringers keep inventing reasons, Boise keeps rolling. A win this Friday at home against Fresno State will give the winningest school of the past decade their fifth straight 10-win season.

6. Yeah, but until Boise State plays more quality teams they won't get my vote. Ironically, the people saying this are the coaches. Not only do they vote in the USA Today poll, a major contributor of the BCS formula. But they can schedule their teams to play any non-conference opponent they want... including Boise! So why won't they? Most likely because they know they'll lose. Truth be told, the Broncos just can't find schools willing to play them. It's gotten to the point that they're giving away home games for the chance to schedule and beat worthy opponents. Like Virginia Tech.

7. Yeah, but... Give them a minute, they'll come up with something.

Exactly. Should the Ducks or Tigers or Horned Frogs fall, expect the media to start beating the drums for a procession of one-loss schools like Nebraska, or Stanford, or Ohio State, or Wisconsin, or Oklahoma State, or someotherschoolI'mmissing, or one of the very teams who just lost. Doesn't matter, so long as it's not that dadgum college from Idaho with the funny blue field.

That's how the BCS works. It's not about putting the best two teams on the field. It's about crafting a matchup of two fat-and-happy teams from two of the six behemoth conferences so they can laugh, gorge themselves and split their Brinks-truck-sized BCS bankrolls. The only time "the system has worked" is when there have been exactly two unbeaten teams at the end of the regular season. Well their days are numbered. Soon we'll look back at the fraud that was college football's Bowl Championship Series and wonder what the heck we were smoking.

If you've read this blog before, you know how I feel about the concerted effort to drop Michigan out of the 2006 BCS Championship. Despite finishing the season ranked second in the BCS rankings, and despite their only threat (USC) being upset in their final game, the maize and blue were passed by Florida with the help of the Gators' intense lobbying efforts which persuaded the coaches to drop the idle Wolverines to third in the USA Today poll.

Even Auburn hasn't been immune, as they were snubbed by the BCS in 2004 despite the Tigers' flawless 11-0 record in that oh-so-tough SEC. It seems like one of the berths in the title game is automatically reserved for the winner of the SEC championship. Meaning Auburn could lose to Alabama (not entirely unlikely), then beat South Carolina to win the SEC, and even with a loss they're in.

The idea that Auburn and Oregon could each lose a regular-season game thereby setting up a third straight post-season meeting between unbeatens Boise State and TCU (see pic), this time for the BCS Championship, actually makes people angry. Does it make the coaches angry enough to vote the nation's only two undefeated teams third and fourth in the nation? Does it make those in the media angry enough to actively lobby the coaches to do this? Yes and yes, if history is any indication.

I'm pulling for Boise State because I like Coach Peterson and the juggernaught he's built up there in Idaho. I'm pulling for them because I still remember the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, where the Broncos tied yet another team they supposedly couldn't keep up with (Oklahoma) on a last-second hook-and-ladder touchdown and beat them with a statue of liberty play in overtime, after which their tailback heaved the football into the jubilant crowd before dropping to a knee for a marriage proposal (see pic). Most of all, I'm pulling for Boise because I feel they're the best team in the nation this year and they deserve a shot.

But even if I didn't, I'd pull for them for the sheer enjoyment of watching that old boy network known as the BCS implode. Get your popcorn, kids.

Denied Robinson

It seems immovable objects can stop unstoppable foes after all.

The human element of the University of Michigan's 2010 football success, quarterback Denard Robinson, proved to be merely human, mortalized by--of all opponents--their green-and-white rivals to the northwest. In handing the Wolverines their first defeat of the season, Michigan State kept their unblemished record pimple-free for another week. And put the Heisman hopes of their fleet signal-caller on dry ice.

From the moment the dread-locked torpedo launched an ill-advised first-quarter pass into the arms of Spartan DB Trenton Robinson, something wasn't right. The 18-year-old phenom who single-handedly beat two Indiana schools on the road was hounded relentlessly by endless white-jerseyed attackers, and the results were unusually unspectacular: 86 rushing yards on 21 attempts, 219 passing yards, and three costly interceptions.

No experience could have been more peaceful to the rehabilitating heart of MSU coach Mark Dantonio, who watched his team's masterful performance from the comfort of one of the Big House's brand new executive suites. The win keeps the Spartans unbeaten and on a course for double-digit wins, a Big Ten championship, their first Rose Bowl berth since the Reagan Administration--it's all up to them.

As for the 5-1 Wolverines, they must quickly lick their wounds and gear up for a battle with the ever-powerful Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday. They're still a win away from the postseason, and their coach has still won just one D-1 game in the month of October in his three years as the Wolverines coach.

Wolverines ready themselves for Operation Payback

On the first day of 2008, the Michigan Wolverines football team gathered in front of their jubilant fans to sing a rousing chorus of "The Victors". Despite the turmoil caused by their recent coaching search, fortunes for the Michigan program seemed rock-steady after their 41-36 defeat of Urban Meyer's Florida Gators and Heisman-winner Tim Tebow.

It's 2010 now, and that moment in the late afternoon sun of the Capital One Bowl seems about as far away as a bike ride to Orlando. The Wolverine football program bid farewell to a 32-year Bowl streak and its string of 41 straight non-losing seasons, and last year's 1-7, 10th place finish in the Big Ten has pushed the most faithful of maize-and-blue backers to the brink of depression/madness/despondency (cross out one).

Hardest of all to stomach are the streaks that have emerged since 2008. Put aside the obvious ownership of Wolverine pride by the Ohio State University, who have won eight of their last nine meetings. Michigan is in the midst of a two-season-long tailspin against several conference foes they once dominated:

o two straight losses to Purdue, including the first home loss to the Boilermakers in over 40 years;

o two straight drubbings at the hands of Illinois and its petroleum-slick quarterback, Juice Williams;

o two woodshed-style beatings by JoePa's Nitany Lions--who had not defeated Michigan since 1996--in which they've been outscored 58-0 after halftime.

Humiliating as these streaks have been to college football's winningest program, none compare to the one administered by the school 90 minutes to their northwest.

Michigan State has its first football winning streak of any kind over the Wolverines in nearly a half century. And a rivalry that had grown dormant with whippings like the one in 2002 (see my illustrious scoreboard pic) has come to life. Since 2004 there have been three overtime contests, the most Michigan has played against any opponent. All but one game since 2003 has been decided by a touchdown or less, and that happened to be the Spartans' 45-20 torture of the Wolverines in their last Big House visit two years ago.

Sitting at 5-0, Michigan is just a win away from returning to bowl-eligible status and poised to commence Operation Payback. First this Saturday against an equally perfect Michigan State team whose coach may be watching the game from a room at the nearby University of Michigan Heart Center (see Schembechler, Glenn E.). Then, October 30 at Happy Valley opposite a good yet very beatable Penn State squad. Then a week later at the Big(ger) House when Illinois pays a visit. Then the following week as the team travels to Purdue for a healthy dose of revenge. And finally, phase five: the final week of the season at Ohio State.

If they get to Columbus having accomplished the previous four missions, they'd be arriving at the 'Shoe with no less than a 9-2 record. The next 40-year string of winning seasons has to start somewhere, right?

A hot-knife team in a stick-o-butter league

They're not flashy. They don't attempt double-reverses or hook-and-ladder pass plays or Boise State statue of liberty plays. They go for it on fourth down, but it's more of a conservative move than you would think. A preference for field position and, more likely than not, the odds of a successful conversion, to a risky center snap, hold and field goal attempt.

This year's Lake Orion Dragons football team has the makings of being among the best in school history. Each Friday they've taken out their opponent with a lethal dose of venom and the oxygen-depriving squeeze of a python. The teams are lulled into the second quarter feeling like they're actually providing competition. Then a Dragon dive play bursts wide open and becomes a 40-yard touchdown run. A mishandled snap here, a misguided pass there, and turnover turns into points, a broken tackle turns into another score. And it's over by halftime.

Here's how the Dragons' season has gone so far. Their first game renewed a rivalry with neighboring Oxford after a 27 year hiatus. I've never seen so many fans gathered around the Lake Orion field; there was not one empty seat to be found anywhere. The "Battle Of Lapeer Road" reached 31-0 by halftime and didn't stop till the score hit 45-6. Lake Orion traveled to Rochester the following week and showed little mercy in drubbing the Falcons, 36-7. Lake Orion visited Pontiac the following week and blew open a tight contest for a 44-13 win. And tonight, the host Dragons sent West Bloomfield, well, west, with a 56-14 dismemberment and subsequent wood-chipping.

Four opponents. For embarrassments. I've seen cockroaches stand up to steel-toed boots more successfully.

The party rolls on, next Friday at Royal Oak High School, then a home-and-home with the Troy teams (hosting Troy High and travelling to Athens) before the "Cross-over Team To Be Named Later" and their final home game, October 22 against their other neighboring rivals from Clarkston. Expect an Oxford-like crowd.

See Denard Run

See Denard run.
Run Denard, run.
Watch Denard get bigger and bigger.
Watch Denard get better and better.
Denard is going to run me right over.
Did you see Denard?

Don't bite the brand that feeds you

It's official. The National Football League is a joke. And despite how he may appear in this picture, Calvin Johnson is not laughing.

How the Lions' all-pro wide receiver's touchdown catch--which should have won this afternoon's game against the Chicago Bears--was not a touchdown catch is beyond me. How referees watch that catch before huddling together to rule that it wasn't a catch is beyond me. How fathers try to explain to their sons that it wasn't really a touchdown is beyond me.

With :24 left and the Lions trailing the Chicago Bears 19-14 in that architectural disaster once known as Soldier Field, quarterback Shawn Hill lofted a pass toward the right corner of the end zone. Johnson out-jumped two defenders and pulled the ball down. Johnson landed with both feet in the end zone, still in possession of the ball. Johnson took another step as he fell to the ground and landed on his ass, STILL IN POSSESSION OF THE BALL. Johnson brought the ball to the ground with one hand, still in possession. Johnson pushed the ball against the ground and let go as he sprung to his feet, circling the end zone in celebration. The referee in the end zone signaled touchdown.

But in the 2010 version of the NFL, this is apparently not a touchdown.

According to league rules, the "process" of Johnson's touchdown catch is only completed after the ball hits the ground, and since he let go of the ball at that moment, the play was not ruled a completion. Hence, no touchdown. The rule doesn't state how long after the ball hits the ground the receiver needs to maintain possession. Still, no other rule in the sport uses a player's actions after a play is over to determine the outcome of that play.

It's football's equivalent of the five-second rule. Were it in place last season, it could have cost the New Orleans Saints a key two-point conversion and possibly a Super Bowl victory. Were it in place throughout NFL history, who knows how many legitimate touchdowns would have been disallowed.

For some reason, "the process" doesn't come into play when a player crosses the plane of the goal line with the football. In these situations the play is over the instant the ball crosses the plane. So if, for example, a runner dives into the end zone and a defender hits the ball out of his hands on his way down, it's already ruled a touchdown.

As for the ruling on the field... the official who was less than 20 feet away watched Calvin catch the ball, land with both feet in bounds and fall to the ground, still in possession of the ball, and signaled touchdown. Yet he was overruled. Though no other official was as close to the play as this official, someone decided the pass was incomplete and changed his call. The man in position--the man who saw the play and had been trained to make this call--his perspective, opinion, experience and expertise were nullified by someone somewhere else. So suddenly, the review of the play had to hold enough evidence to overturn the overruled ruling on the field.

There's only explanation for all of this: the NFL has jumped the shark.

The stats-loving, black-socks-wearing geeks have taken over, and they've micromanaged the game into oblivion. Things are no longer what they seem. Black-and-white facts now have gray area. Eye witness accounts are now open to interpretation. The rules have officially invalidated the reality.

What if Calvin Johnson had spiked the ball instead? What if he caught it, landed with both feet in bounds and chucked the ball into the stands in celebration on his way to the turf? Isn't that part of the "celebration process", thereby being accepted as a touchdown? Imagine sitting around the screen at Caesar's Palace, with thousands of dollars riding on the outcome of this game. When rules determine that plays like this are not touchdowns, someone needs to be accountable. And there's no accountability anymore in the NFL.

The call took a win away from one team and gave it to the other. A professional football team's fortunes can shift on the weight of a single game. As the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers showed us, a game can be the difference between winning the Super Bowl and not making the playoffs. The Lions lost a game they won. The Bears won a game they lost. So what would the league and all those who draw paychecks from the almighty shield tell us? "They made the right call." That's it. Nothing more.

Well I hereby issue a challenge. I dare the NFL's mediabots to stand up and say the rule is wrong. The touchdown we all saw on TV was indeed a touchdown--regardless of the geeky, fantasy-fooball-driven tweaks that are killing the once proud, once it-is-what-it-is NFL--and that this insanity must be stopped.

So far the only national sports analyst I've seen that's called the League out on the field turf has been Fox's Michael Strahan. The former Giant couldn't believe a catch they all knew was a touchdown was no longer so. But the others didn't follow his lead, opting instead for the safe, soft path to job security. Terry Bradshaw sped through the game's highlights and quickly changed the topic. Fox Football Sunday host Curt Meneffe shamelessly plugged "our Michael Guerrero" with man-crush vigor any time someone brought up the play. Guerrero is the network's NFL expert whose interpretation of the rule kept Meneffe and his team from risking reputation and employment with their own opinions. "He (Guerrero) was 2-0 today," echoed the once bold Howie Long, also muppeting the pro-NFL "no problems here, keep moving" stance.

These parasites are too fat and happy to consider hurting the host. Ultimately, the health and welfare of the NFL is more important than anything else. Like a meaningless September game involving the Detroit Lions. As any smiling face in front of a network camera would say, you don't bite the brand that feeds you.

The Green Half-Mile

This week the other team KNEW what was coming. And they still couldn't stop it.

For an offense as wide open as the Michigan Wolverines offense, their primary weapon is no mystery. Two weeks ago Denard Robinson held his breath as coach Rich Rodriguez decided which of his three young quarterbacks would lead his team into the 2010 season. Yesterday 80,000 held their breath as Robinson darted left, right, over and through the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for 502 yards of total offense--258 of them on the ground. Both numbers set Michigan all-time records for a quarterback, the first of which broke his own record of 383 yards, set seven days earlier against Connecticut.

In just two weeks, this lightning bolt of 4.3 speed has already covered 885 yards--nearly nine football fields, over a half mile of real estate--and may not slow down until he reaches the Downtown Athletic Club in December and speeds off with Michigan's fourth Heisman Trophy.

Denard's inexplicable rise has carried him from prominence to dominance. Whether the Irish defense knew when he'd call his own number or not, had little effect on the result. difference. In the second quarter, pinned back on their own 13-yard line, Robinson once again called on Robinson to make something happen. The swift sophomore took the snap from center and rolled right, then cut to the left and dashed through a hole off his right tackle in a dead sprint. That was as close as any golden-domed defender came to #16, as the sold-out crowd at Notre Dame Stadium watched Robinson actually pull away from the Irish secondary as he soared into the north end zone.

World-class sprinting aside, perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Denard's upward spiral is the zip he's put on his own spiral. Robinson followed his near-perfect 18-for-21 performance against UConn with 24 completions in 40 attempts for 244 yards. Rarely did a ball get away from him, and only one of his passes even came close to being intercepted. The 87-yard sprint was impressive to be sure, but Denard's shining moment came on the first play following Jonas Mouton's first-quarter interception.

From the Irish 31 Robinson took the shotgun snap, faked a handoff to tailback Mike Shaw and rolled left, floating along the line of scrimmage, looking for an opening. Notre Dame's two linebackers read the play as yet another quarterback run and broke toward him. Denard took a step back instead and fired, hitting a suddenly wide open Roy Roundtree in stride. The sophomore split end scored easily, and Michigan had its first lead of the game.

The play was an absolute work of art. In fact, these two weeks have been an offensive masterpiece. Robinson's rating is a robust 138.3, his 70% completion percentage ranks 20th among division-1 quarterbacks and he leads the nation in rushing. THE NATION. In fact, Oklahoma State tailback Kendall Hunter and Kansas State's Daniel Thomas are the only players within a hundred yards of Mr. Robinson's neighborhood.

How ironic is it that the kid who didn't know whether he'd be named the Wolverines' starting quarterback, now has his name mentioned as a Heisman contender, in the same breath as former Wolverine Ryan Mallet.

How ironic is it that the man who didn't understand what Michigan football is all about, now has lit up two favored opponents with none other than a triple-option attack? Remember the option, Wolverine fans? Remember the Bo Schembechler offenses run by Don Moorheaad and Dennis Franklin and Rick Leach? They've got nothing on Rich Rod and his six-point buck from Deerfield Beach, Florida, who cuts his way through opponents as effortlessly as he sprints down an open green field.

The coach now his ideal quarterback in place, the Pat White of the Big Ten. And football is once again exciting in Ann Arbor.

Team ACK

The rumors are true this time. Tracy McGrady will sign with the Detroit Pistons, as early as Friday.

Is that a good thing? That is up in the air. When you lay the hoops cards on the table, you see a potential starting five of Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Teyshawn Prince, Ben Wallace and T-Mac. Or Rip, Rodney Stuckey, T-Mac, Charles Villanueva and Jerome Maxiel. Or...

Okay, it may not be get-your-playoff-tickets-today strong, but it's far from horrible. McGrady will be grabbed for one season, with an option for more depending on how well this year's experiment from team president/mad scientist Joe Dumars works out. Despite applying a semi-transparent coating over the Madison Square Garden floor last season, the former perennial all-star of the Houston Rockets still has enough talent and versatility to help a team that has been prone to injury of late.

And no, the irony is not lost, why do you ask? T-Mac has been knee-jacked most of the past two seasons, starting--and playing--just 24 games with the Knicks in 2009-10. But a star of his caliber is worth a one-year gamble. Beyond his talent, McGrady gives Pistons coach John Kuester match-up opportunities he sorely needed last year.

Now, when the situation calls for a bigger team, Kuester can pair his 6'8" newcomer with 6'5" point guard Rodney Stuckey and choose from a front-court forest: rookie Greg Monroe and Kwame Brown (all 6'11") at center; second-year Zaga grad Austin Daye, Charlie Villanueva (also 6'11") and Swedish Jiant Jonas Jerebko (6'10") at power forward. And if need be, he and Teyshawn Prince (both 6'9") can keep the three spot tall and strong. Whatever aircraft comes their way, the Pistons have the counterattack. Ack-ack knock 'em back, I say!

So what does all this mean? My guess is, it means they can play with any team on any given night. ANY team, even that one they assembled in South Florida. Yet as likely as they are to pull off the occasional stunner, they're just as likely to lose that very winnable game due to their inconsistency or inexperience as a unit.

There will be rough patches, and good quotes should be plentiful. However, they've got too much ability not to make it interesting. Should they avoid the debilitating injuries of recent seasons, .500 seems like a very real possibility. And that's generally enough for a team to sneak into the NBA playoffs.

He don't care any more

So what felled Great Britain in the 2010 World Cup? It wasn't the blown call that denied them a first-half goal against the mighty Germans. It wasn't their goalkeeper's sloppily played fielding of that trickle of an American shot which resulted in a draw with the U.S. and ultimately kept them from winning their group.

Nope, what did the British in was the inexplicable disappearance of their all-everything striker, Wayne Rooney (see photo at right). The chap who not only led Manchester United, but led the European world with 30 goals in international competition this past year, came up empty in South Africa. Zero goals. Nada. Bupkis.

Members of the media and football fans alike could sense something wasn't right. As England fanatic Ian Simmington puts it, "I could feel it in the air tonight. Rooney misses again. Oh Lord." Tabloid reporters could not believe it was true. And despite repeated questions, Rooney himself had no reply at all.

The reason Wayne Rooney wasn't himself during the Cup, was because it wasn't him at all. Blame the British management and their last-minute decision to replace him with Phil Collins (see photo below).

As if no one would notice! Just look at the statistics. Last season Rooney scored 26 goals in 32 games for United. Collins, in contrast. didn't even enter a single Premier League match. FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009-10, the English striker has won three Premeir League titles, two League Cups and the 2008 UEFA Champions League trophy. Enough, one would think, to have been selected over the long-time Genesis drummer whose only substitution came in 1975 when lead singer Peter Gabriel removed himself from the progressive rock quintet.


Someone needs to take responsibility for this egregiously poor decision. If heads don't roll within England's football hierarchy, they can't expect success in Brazil four years from now. As Collins himself so aptly put it, "If you don't stand up, you don't stand a chance."

A Guaran-Sheed Thrill-Ride

The announcement arrived with surprisingly little attention considering the person involved, a guy known for anything but his quiet nature.

Mr. T called it quits yesterday. Rasheed Wallace, the man who revolutionized the technical foul (they should rename it in his honor, just so we can say things like, "I can't believe Van Gundy got sheeded up for that!"). The human rallying cry, who--along with the coach he dubbed "Pound For Pound"--elevated the Detroit Pistons from perennial playoff team to World Champion, decided before taking the court for Game 7 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles that this game would be his last.

While referees everywhere may still be drinking to the news, the sport will miss him. We as fans will miss him too. We'll miss his heart, his dedication and his leaving-the-atmosphere level of talent--rarely does a seven-foot power forward come along who can stand at the arc and swish three-pointers with either hand. Mostly however, we'll miss his willingness to speak his mind. Never would he bring himself to mail in a presser. Rasheed would pour his thoughts out effortlessly, with a flow as continuous as a BP deep-oil line. Not because he cared about what others would think. But precisely because he didn't.

I remember when Joe Dumars announced the acquisition of Wallace from the Portland Trailblazers. Frankly, I thought the man from Shreveport was a crawdad short of a Cajun dinner. Mind you, we were but a mere few months into the Larry Brown Experiment (Joe D had fired coach Rick Carlisle after the previous season, which saw the Pistons reach the conference finals for the first time in over a dozen years). And now, to complement a mildly imbalanced (yet brilliant) head coach, Dumars brought in a surly (yet gifted) malcontent with anger management issues. In the process moving guards Chucky Adkins, Lindsey Hunter and Bobby Sura as well as a promising young center in Zeljko Rebraca.

It wasn't long before I was sipping the gumbo. Dumars' gamble ended up instilling a passion, a drive, a sense of perserverence the team just didn't have. At the time, the Pistons were nothing more than a collection of cast-offs from mediocre franchises. Before Wallace donned the red and blue, their most recognizable name was Corliss Williamson. Rasheed pushed this vagabond group of overachievers to do the unthinkable: win an NBA title without the presence of a superstar. A feat the league hadn't seen since the Seattle Supersonics of the late 1970s. Back when Magic was just Earvin, incoming Michigan State freshman. Yeah that long ago.

Wallace's Guaran-Sheed win at Indiana in Game 2 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals led the way to their six-game win over the Pacers (who were led by former coach Carlisle). The series wasn't pretty, nor could it have been. But it was filled with heart and substance. By winning ugly, the Pistons assured themselves of being picked by NO ONE to defeat the mighty Lakers and their three-time-NBA-Champion nucleus of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. I didn't even hear a prediction of seven games, and I was paying attention.

Most said it would go five, tops. It did, only because Kobe caught fire late and led LA to a Game 2 overtime win. Otherwise it was a Detroit Pistons sweep. And the man who led them to the promised land, the one wearing the WWE title belt, was the one I pegged as the disruptive force. As it turned out, he was every bit the prototypical Piston. One part Isiah and one part Laimbeer with a dash of Mahorn. The third-millenium personification of basketball's baddest brand.

Sheed became my son's favorite Piston, and the Pistons became his favorite Detroit sports team. He ran into Wallace--literally--at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. We were hustling to our gate and he was deep into his ipod. My boy didn't even recognize him at first, until he looked up. And up, and up.

Winning over the kid's respect isn't an easy thing to do, but if anyone could do it, it was Sheed. His ability to change the negative perceptions about his character (particularly mine) led countless Piston fans to do the unthinkable: cheer for him as a member of the Boston Celtic (see my pic) during this year's run to the Finals.

It would have been fitting to see Wallace ride off with another gold title belt around his waist. But I'm sure he's satisfied with the belt he already has. The one he proudly displayed while riding down Woodward Avenue during the 2004 NBA World Champions' victory parade.

Pitch Perfect

Had to wait two weeks till his next start at Comerica Park... but here's the wind-up of the man who threw the first perfect game in 109 years of Detroit Tiger history.

No bad call can erase that which is already done, Armondo. I hope you're proud of this tremendous accomplishment--it will never be forgotten.

Without the nation's punchline, the playoffs are a joke

It's the easiest shot to take. The big Peruvian rock under the addict's nose.

Who can resist a good jab at Detroit, right? From an comedic standpoint, it's about as clever as mother-in-law schtick. Yet people who make a living looking into a camera and talking into a microphone rarely balk at the opportunity to make themselves feel better at the expense of Motown. All it takes is a smirk and an ill-informed "at least we're not in Detroit!" gasser. Pieceacake.

I use ill-informed not only because many of these quipsters have never visited the state much less the city. But also because they have no idea how much they really need Detroit until Detroit is not around.

No better proof exists than this year's NBA and NHL playoffs. For the first time since the start of the millennium, Detroit teams are not a factor in either sport's championship.

The Detroit Red Wings hoisted Lord Stanley's silver chalise in 2002 and 2008, missing another Cup by a single game-seven goal last year. The five-year span between those two Stanley Cups happened to coincide with the Detroit Pistons' rise to pro basketball's promised land. The 2002-03 NBA season began a string of six straight runs to the conference finals for the Pistons. Twice they reached the Finals, winning it all in 2004 and taking the San Antonio Spurs to seven games before falling in 2005.


But this year, poof. The Pistons didn't make the postseason for the first time since 2000. The Red Wings kept their playoff streak alive at 20 years, yet surrendered home-ice advantage in the opening round for the first time since 1991. They were extended to seven games by the Phoenix Coyotes and didn't survive round two.

These results may have given the talking heads all the set-up they'd ever need ("Poor Detroit, what'll they do now, with their economy and their sports teams in shambles? Ha ha ha..."). But it hasn't given much more to the rest of America. To put it in terms any D-basher can appreciate, this year's playoffs just suck.

What level of suck are we talking about here? Just look at the NBA. We're still a week away from the NBA Finals, yet the level of play is so pathetic that two of this season's most promising playoff teams have already lost their head coaches. In the case of Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown--who many viewed as a detriment to keeping #23 in Cleveland despite being the only professional coach Lebron's ever known--all he did was turn in the league's best record over the past two years, taking the team to heights no previous Cavs coach had ever reached. And Atlanta coach Mike Woodson--whose Hawks were swept by Orlando by an average of 25 points per defeat--just finished doing what no NBA coach had ever done, ending his fifth straight season with a better record than the season before.

Neither move will help make this year's two-month postseason any more bearable. Only one of the 14 best-of-seven series so far has made it to the deciding game. (For those whose TiVos still contain that pivotal Atlanta-Milwaukee first-round showdown, I won't ruin the ending for you.) All but one of the four conference semifinal matchups ended in a sweep, and the conference finals seem to be nothing more than an undercard for the inevitable Lakers-Celtics clash everyone wants to see. Particularly the Eastern Conference Finals, where Boston yawned its way to a 3-0 series lead before the Orlando Magic finally stepped up last night, winning Game 4 in overtime. The first overtime of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. The entire NBA playoff season. I'm fighting sleep just trying to finish this paragraph.

To say there's a lack of playoff excitement in the NBA is putting it mildly. The league couldn't generate interest if it offered rebroadcasts of these games to prison inmates in return for a commuted sentence.

And don't think the lack of "Deee-troit Baaa-sketball!" this past month is nothing more than coincidental. The Pistons are one of the few NBA teams with a bonafide I.D., a "brand personality" if you will. Detroit Pistons Basketball. A hard-core, hard-working team from the once-industrial midwest. An overachieving collective with a lunch-pail work ethic, an emphasis on team defense and a continual chip on its shoulder. This personality has been cultivated over decades, since the days of Isiah Thomas, Vinnie Johnson and a seven-foot-tall white center named Laimbeer. Much like Oakland Raiders football, the team's gritty "Bad Boys" image and "Goin' To Work" persona have remained consistent ever since. The net effect resonates with players and opponents alike.

When the Shaq-and-Kobe-led Los Angeles Lakers were on their way to a fourth straight NBA title in 2004, all that stood before them was a rag-tag group of free-agent journeymen, a team without an all-star much less a superstar, the latter being perceived as mandatory criterion for an NBA world champion. Many "experts" claimed the Lakers were far too talented and too powerful, and may predicted a four-game sweep. The series went five games, only because the Lakers stole game 2 with a furious late-game rally. The Detroit Pistons shocked the world and won the NBA world championship (their third) with relative ease. And in so doing, they effectively altered the balance of power for the balance of the decade.

The following season, Detroit pushed San Antonio to the brink before falling in an epic seven-game NBA Finals. To get there, the Pistons had to defeat Shaq once again, but this time as a member of the Miami Heat. They captured the Eastern Conference trophy, winning game seven on the road inside a hushed American Airlines Arena. They wouldn't make another Finals appearance, but the teams that did had to get through the Pistons to do it. This was just the roadblock Dwayne Wade and Lebron James needed to ignite their meteoric rise to superstardom. Each led his franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance--Miami in 2006 and Cleveland in '07--but the Pistons were the yardstick against which they ultimately measured themselves.

This year there is no yardstick. The Eastern Conference favorites from Cleveland proved to be one man deep, and when that man mailed it in, the rest of the team didn't have the ability to lick the envelope. Last year's champs from Orlando needed overtime and a call from the governor to avoid Boston's four-game death sentence. In fact, the Celtics' chief concern at this point is staying attentive long enough to win one more game. Somehow that doesn't seem to send America running for their flat screens.

As for that title that's being settled on the frozen surface, this year's NHL subtext is one of the unchallenged and underqualified. In the Eastern Conference--where top seeds advancing are considered upsets--the pattern reached epidemic proportions as we were treated to the first #7-vs.-#8 conference final in NHL history. The lower seed prevailed--I know, right?--as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens in five games, three of which were shutouts and none of which were watchable (despite such empty hype from the NBC announcers during the Flyers' Game-5 clincher as "You wanted a close game, fans? You've got it!"). Guess what? They didn't.

In the West, Chicago completed a four-game sweep of the suddenly toothless San Jose Sharks. Riveting. The Hawks' lack of a postseason challenge, or more specifically, the chance to earn their rite of passage by defeating hockey's gold standard, the two-time conference champion and perennial powerhouse Detroit Red Wings--the HATED Detroit Red Wings, their bitterest rival--can't help but drain a bit of satisfaction from their Cup run. The line of ascention has been severed. And while ANY Stanley Cup would be welcomed by an Original Six town that hasn't sipped from it in nearly a half century, beating the seventh-seeded Flyers in the Finals, and not even facing their mentor and defending champion to get there, will keep them from being considered among the better teams of the decade.

It's the regrettable consequence of missed opportunity. Not just for Chicago, but for America as well. Through its sheer absence on the grand stages of two major sports, we now can feel the true entertainment value a city like Detroit brings to the party. And it's far more than a quick laugh.

Let's call it what it is: Big Teen Football

It's unofficially official. The conference that thrives in excess--from 100,000-seat stadiums to revenues that make member schools feel like big oil--will soon become the Granddaddy Of The Excessiest.

A Kansas City sports radio station is reporting that the Big Ten Conference, technically the Big Televen given Penn State University's inclusion in 1992, will add at least three more schools before month's end. And should they land the golden-domed Holy Grail of prestigous schools, which looks more likely than not, they will bring a fifth on board and become the Jabba The Hut of super conferences.

As many as 16 schools could call the conference home by the 2011 football season. Universities already on the "Where do I sign?" list are Nebraska and Missouri (see pic from their 1976 contest), the latter of which stands to triple its athletic revenue with the football team alone. Rutgers has also agreed, saying "yes" slightly faster than a heavy-set girl a the skin condition responds to a prom invite.

So 14 teams appears to be a done deal. What is anything but done is school in slot #15. That private school in Indiana with its own network-TV deal. Notre Dame has prided themselves in being an independent school, even after signing on with the Big East Conference for all those cute non-football sports. But the reprocussions of college football's plate techtonics may force the hands of Touchdown Jesus, who with each development appears more likely to have a gun in his back than six points on his mind.

The Big Ten's decision to forego the chicken caesar salad in favor of the entire right side of the menu, has started the ball rolling for other leagues concerned with their cash flow. The Kansas City Star and other sources report that the Big 12 Conference--that is, what will be left of the Big 12... heh heh heh--is talking very seriously with the Pac-10 about a merger of sorts, one that could unite schools representing six of the top 13 media markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Seattle and Phoenix). Presumably, USC and UCLA, Stanford and Cal, Washington and Wazzou, and the two Arizona schools would join forces with the top eight remaining conference teams to form a formidable, football-friendly Sweet 16.

To say this will be a defining moment for college football would be putting it mildly. It's been speculated that the snowball effect could be cataclysmic. The SEC, strong on its own as it is, may suffer a case of the "me too"s and grow, with schools like Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami and the biggest trophy fish of all, North Carolina. Which would loot the ACC and Big East, leading to further speculation that Notre Dame would best serve Notre Dame as a member of the soon-to-be Big Teen. For conferences like our middle children from the Mountain West, this could all be a blessing since it may set the table for a highly coveted automatic BCS berth--which for schools on the outside, is the budgetary equivalent of hitting PowerBall.


On that greater topic, what will this all mean to the BCS? Could these gargantuan super-leagues fall in love with the potential windfall of a NCAA division-1 playoff and pull out--even if it means pulling out of the NCAA altogether?

For fans of college football, this will rock them to their fundamentalist core. It was only a few years ago that traditionalists insisted on keeping the bowl system intact and not tampering with things like the seven-decade-long Big Ten / Pac-10 Rose Bowl alliance (see photo of the 1965 Rose Bowl between Michigan and Oregon State, courtesy of the way-back machine).

While many speculated about change, the culprits were assumed to be the greedy bowls or the greedy BCS itself. Who knew the greedy conferences would be the temporal forces?

A Savant's Guide To Bemidji State Hockey

Michigan's opponent in the NCAA Midwest Regional hockey tournament Saturday night is Bemidji State University. Until last season hockey world knew as much about them as they could Wikipedia. That's when they burst upon the major college hockey scene as suprise winners of the College Hockey America (CHA) tournament championship and the 16th overall seed in the 16-seed NCAA playoffs.

Then they captured the hearts of hockey America, not merely pulling off the biggest upset in NCAA Division I tourney history, but blowing away the #1 overall seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 5-1, on their way to the school's first Frozen Four berth.

But there's so much more to this modest northern Minnesota college than one would imagine. So here's everything you ever wanted to know about Bemidj... okay, maybe not much you wanted to know, but once you see how interesting the history of Bemidji State Beavers' hockey really is—and how much they have in common with the Wolverines—I'm sure you'll be the better for it!

BEMIDJI STATE HOCKEY TRIVIA (or "BEMIDJIVIA")

As storied a hockey program as the University of Michigan may be, the fact is that Bemidji State has more national championships in men’s hockey – 13 to the Wolverines' 9. Seven were won in the NAIA, with one NCAA Division-III and five NCAA Division-II titles to go along with it.

Each year from 1993-98 a men's hockey national championship trophy bore the name of either Michigan or Bemidji State, a string of six straight seasons one or the other captured an NCAA hockey title.

Bemidji State won its most recent national championship (in D-II) in 1997 by defeating Alabama-Huntsville, 4-2. 4 and 2 happen to be the seeds of Alabama-Huntsville and Bemidji State in this weekend’s Midwest Regional, Huntsville being the fourth seed (facing top-seed Miami) while BSU is seeded second. Should each win on Saturday they would face each other in the NCAA quarterfinals on Sunday night in what would be the first-ever playoff meeting of CHA conference foes.

Bemidji State and Miami are two of three teams from last year’s Frozen Four to earn berths in this year's NCAA playoffs. Vermont is the third; they lace 'em up against top-seeded Wisconsin in the West Regional in St. Paul, MN. Boston University, 2009 Frozen Four national champions, failed to qualify this year.

Four Bemidji State hockey players have reached the NHL, most notably Joel Otto of Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers fame. Although the list of celebrities and notable BSU grads is nearly non-existent, it did happen to be the birthplace of Jane Russel.

The Beavers hold two very impressive NCAA hockey records to this day, for most wins in a row (43, from 1983-85) and best season record (31-0, in 1983-84).

Bemidji State has a two-game winning streak in Regional play, with both wins (over Notre Dame and Cornell) occurring in the state of Michigan (during last year's Midwest Regional in Grand Rapids). They ultimately lost in the Frozen Four semifinals to the Miami Redhawks, 4-1. Barring yet another major upset, Miami will face the Michigan-Bemidji winner this coming Sunday.

The Beavers are 2-2 all-time the in the NCAA Division-I Regional playoffs. Their only two defeats were to teams who went on to win the national championship (in 2005 they lost to Denver 4-3 in OT; in 2006 they lost to eventual champ Wisconsin 4-0).

This weekend's regional semifinal will mark the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Bemidji State. In fact, the Wolverines have never skated against a team nicknamed the Beavers before. BSU hasn't played a Wolverine team in hockey before, but that probably goes without saying.

Bemidji State has, however, defeated a University of Michigan campus before—and in the playoffs no less. The Beavers defeated U-M/Dearborn 4-3 in 1980 for their seventh national hockey championship.

Michigan may be facing the Beavers on Saturday, but if Lake Superior State had any say in things, they would take on BSU instead. After all, they've got a bit of a score to settle. It seems that Bemidji State beat the Lakers in the national championship game three years in a row (1968-69-70).

In fact, Bemidji State won its first-ever national hockey title with a 5-4 overtime victory over Lake Superior State. The last time the Wolverines faced LSSU in the NCAAs was 1994, when they lost to the Lakers by an identical 5-4 score. And also in overtime. The previous week Michigan won the CCHA Tournament championship with a 3-0 victory over the same Lake Superior State team, earning them their first #1 national ranking since the days of Red Berenson. Red as Michigan's left-handed center, not head coach.

And lastly, had top-seeded Michigan not lost 2-0 to Air Force last year in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA hockey playoff history (aside from Bemidji State knocking off #1 Notre Dame), and had they gone on to defeat Vermont—who needed two OTs to beat the Falcons—in the regional final, they would have ended up facing the Beavers in the Frozen Four semis. Which means you would have read most of this article on my blog exactly one year ago.

There. Now go impress those other bar patrons!

From "Never Before" To "Once Again"

They skated with thirty pounds of equipment on their bodies, and the weight of high expectations on their shoulders. A weight those who don't understand the importance of tradition will never bear.

They played four games in two weekends, facing teams among the top 10 in those all-important KRACH power rankings. Yet no opponent could rival the pressure they placed upon themselves not to be The Team.

The University of Michigan won a most improbable CCHA Tournament championship Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena with a run as inspiring as its motive. Each of coach Red Berensen's last 19 Wolverine teams had earned berths in the NCAA playoffs without the need for a post-season conference tournament championship. No school in NCAA hockey history--not even Ron Mason's Michigan State Spartans--had ever amassed such sustained success. And this year's team was determined not to be the one everyone would remember: The Team that ended The Streak.

The all began in March of 1991. The first Iraq War was in full swing, and it would be another three years before anyone knew what a world wide web was. Current Michigan defenseman and Columbus Blue Jacket draft pick Kevin Lynch, who scored twice in the Wolverines' 5-2 semifinal shocker over #2 Miami, was an eight-month-old embryo inside his mother's belly at the time. To lend further perspective, Red's 1991 squad started the string with a win over Cornell before being swept out of the NCAAs by Boston University. Leading the Terrier attack? A senior forward by the name of Tony Amonte.

Nineteen years later, the Wolverines entered the CCHA Tournament in seventh place, a second-division regular-season finish in the 12-team conference, with a 14-13-1 record, 19-17-1 overall. Losers of four of their last six, the maize and blue had also dropped six straight on the road. To call the season mediocre would have been flattering.

But that was the "before" photo, as Michigan proceeded to go Charles Atlas on the rest of the conference. After sweeping Lake Superior State in their play-in series--play-in series!--all this seven seed did was take down second-place Michigan State (twice, in their own arena), run top-seeded and #2-ranked Miami out of the Joe, and weather a well-balanced and equally well-coached Northern Michigan team for the 2-1 clincher.

If that alone weren't a Shawn-White-worthy turnaround, they pulled it off without their captain and starting goaltender, neither of which were in uniform for the final four games. Senior defenseman Chris Summers, future property of the Phoenix Coyotes, suffered an unspecified lower body injury in the opening round series against the Lakers, and hasn't played since. And starting netminder Bryan Hogan injured himself in the final series of the regular season against Notre Dame while defending a 2-on-1 Irish rush. He skated at Joe Louis Arena this past weekend, but is still less than 100% and listed as back-up to fellow junior Shawn Hunwick [pictured here rehydrating].

Making just his seventh career start since the injury to Hogan, Hunwick sucked the hope out of every sliver of Huskie momentum, allowing a single goal on 19 shots. In six CCHA playoff games Hunwick surrendered a mere nine goals. Exactly three per weekend. And won the CCHA Tournament's Most Valuable Player award without a second thought from the voters.

So now the Wolverines begin NCAA tourney run number twenty, this time enjoying the rare benefit of selection committee generosity. Michigam travels to Fort Wayne, Indiana, as the Midwest Regional's third seed, and will face 2009 Frozen Four semifinalist Bimidji State Saturday at 7:30pm. A win will score them a potential re-match with the Miami Redhawks, thirsting for revenge not just from this year's CCHA semis, but also from last season's crushing overtime loss in the National Championship game. The Redhawks had Boston University dead to rites by a 3-1 count with less than a minute to play before the Terriers tied the game, scoring twice after pulling their goalie and winning it in the extra period.

No team seeded higher than fourth had ever won the CCHA Tournament championship before the #7 Wolverines. But enough with the "never before". It's time for Coach Berenson to lead his white-hot maize-and-blue skaters back into the more familiar world of "once again". Hail!