ABOARD NW333, DECEMBER 31, 2003 During my flight to LA, a stewardess paced slowly through the aisles with two Rose Bowl tickets in her hand. She approach my row and I heard her ask if anyone wanted tickets to the game. A lady across my row raised her hand, excited, and the stewardess brought the tickets over. I took off my headphones and asked her what the story was. She said a guy up front was selling the tickets for $200 apiece. Checking out the tickets, I could see that they are in the Michigan section and that they were bought from the ticket office for $140, just like mine. So, someone up in first class just made a cool $120. Weak.
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Michigan National Championship Scenarios
You love it but it’s not going to happen. Or will it? SALINE, MI NOVEMBER 28, 2003 Here are the ways Michigan can still win at least a piece of the national championship: 1. Win Sugar Bowl. I don’t know what would is a tougher challenge, Michigan beating Oklahoma or Michigan getting to the Sugar Bowl. If USC and LSU both lose, there is a very good shot that Michigan would make it to the BCS championship game. Win, and Michigan will automatically be declared the national champion. Odds: 2%. 2. Win the Rose Bowl, AND… Yes, Michigan can still win the national championship if they play in the Rose Bowl. While the Sugar Bowl winner is automatically the ESPN/Coaches national champ, the Associated Press still votes after the bowls are complete. For this to be a reasonable assumption, a two-loss LSU, Georgia, or Tennessee would need to upset Oklahoma in the Sugar, and Michigan would need to take down USC in the Rose Bowl. If a one-loss USC makes it to the Sugar Bowl and wins, Michigan won’t get the AP vote. Odds: 4%.
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Michigan vs. Ohio State 2003, Victors Prevail!
Michigan Offense Too Much for Buckeyes, Luck Stops Here ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN NOVEMBER 22, 2003 What a win in a crazy game. A Chris Perry touchdown run late in the fourth quarter essentially put it away, although I wasn’t comfortable until Ernest Shazor intercepted Scott McMullen’s pass with under two minutes to play. Here are a few takes on this incredible game, which was of course the 100th meeting between the two teams: – We’ll see how this shakes out in the BCS, but it looks like Michigan will surely end up in the 2004 Rose Bowl, and Ohio State will end up in some other BCS Bowl. – Chris Perry made excellent cuts all day and ran like crazy on the #1 rushing defense in the nation. I’m hoping that he gets invited to New York for the Heisman trophy presentation (he needs to be in the top 4). Putting artificial turf in the stadium was a huge boost for the Blue. This 14 point win was the closest of the year at home. – John Navarre played a sharp game, just as he has the past several weeks since his legendary comeback against Minnesota. – Jason Avant going down early was a concern, but that’s probably Michigan’s deepest position. Ann Arbor native (Pioneer) Carl Tabb filled in…
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Ohio State – Michigan Hype 2003
Get to your seat early and hang on. The center of the sporting universe will in Ann Arbor and in particular at the corner of Main and Stadium. Kickoff of the 100th meeting of the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes will be at high noon. At Stake The winner will be holder of the 2003 Big Ten championship outright. Remember, Ohio State shared the Big Ten title last year with Iowa. For Michigan, a victory will also mean a likely trip to the Rose Bowl to face USC or an at-large BCS team. If some things happen to fall their way in the coming weeks, the M could even weasel into the BCS championship. With a loss, Michigan’s season will certainly hold great memories, but will be remembered as another season of unfulfilled promise. It would mean another door-prize Florida bowl game against another SEC opponent, and potentially a dreaded four loss season. On top of that, a loss would be the third consecutive to Jim Tressel, who would would remain undefeated against the Wolverines and begin to have people talking about Lloyd Carr as they did John Cooper. A loss would be devastating, especially with this game at home. For the Buckeyes, a victory would no doubt keep them at the #2 position in the BCS standings…
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Ann Arbor News Slams Bush in Sports
Slam on President in Sports page is bush league ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN OCT. 19, 2003 In an article in the Saturday “Football Special” section of the Ann Arbor News a sports columnist wrote the following: So why not use the hurry-up offense more? Heck, why not use it all the time? “That’s certainly a legitimate question, ” coach Lloyd Carr said Monday. Which – coming from the man who said, ‘We’re going to run the ball or die trying’ – is a bit like Henry Ford advocating public transportation or George W. Bush championing fiscal responsibility.” This is what I have to suffer through on Saturday morning? My liberal sports columnist’s take on our President? As if the Ann Arbor News doesn’t have enough space to show its leftist leanings? No matter what you think about Bush, this political take doesn’t belong in a sports section. It’s amateurish at best. Come on JC! You can do better than that! (He has written some great pieces in the past couple years, including an excellent article on Chris Webber and why he should be banned from the University, and a story comparing John Navarre to Jeff Smoker).
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Michigan Scores 31 in 4th Quarter to Shock Golden Gophers
Brown Jug stays in Ann Arbor for 15th straight game SALINE, MI OCT. 11, 2003 Even the biggest John Navarre supporters probably were secretly wishing that we’d get a look at freshman Matt Gutierrez at some point in the third quarter. It looked like things were out of hand and that this was Minnesota’s year. Navarre was missing receivers and the defense was giving up major rushing yards seemingly on every snap. Down three touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, Navarre led the Blue back. With delicate passes and textbook footwork, he navigated the Wolverines down the field within incredible efficiency. Of course, we saw similar drives near the end of the Iowa and Oregon losses. So remarkable was the rapid comeback is that despite a Minnesota touchdown negating a Michigan score (an inexcusable 52 yard run by Abdul-Khaliq on a third and short), when M had the ball for the last time, they actually had to slow down to milk the clock. They scored 31 in the last quarter without the benefit of an on sides kick. After the game, Coach Carr was interviewed in the tunnel and was giddy as a school boy. He was fortunate, because the wolves were coming out all week on local radio calling for his head. Despite the win, there will…
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Buckeyes Lose, Yet Still in BCS Championship?
BCS Scenario: Buckeyes Lose to Michigan but still end up in BCS Championship? ALEXANDRIA, VA NOVEMBER 18, 2003 While everyone is crunching all the BCS theories, here’s another one I call “The Luckeye Phenomenon”. Here’s how it goes: Let’s say all the things that have to happen for Michigan to weasel into the BCS championship occur. To repeat, Michigan beats OSU on Saturday, and LSU and USC lose one of their remaining games, and Michigan, as would be expected, gains enough in the computer poll to pass the other 2 loss teams (Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia). Well, as I’m looking at the numbers, under the scenario of events that would seemingly put the Wolverines in the Sugar Bowl, I see a strong possibility that a 2 loss Ohio State, despite losing to Michigan, could still go to the BCS championship game and screw the Blue. Each computer poll loves the Buckeyes, they are ranked #2 in every one except for Jeff Sagarin who has them #3 (good ol’ Hoosier, Jeff). If they lose to Michigan, the Buckeye’s BCS computer average will drop, but by how much? I’d imagine losing to a top 10 team can’t hurt you that much. There is no “justice” in the computer ranking, i.e., the machine won’t automatically drop a defeated opponent behind the victor. Losing…
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Michigan Pounds Northwestern
Showdown at the Big House on Saturday SALINE, MI NOVEMBER 17, 2003 Suddenly the Michigan Wolverines look like the team they thought they were after destroying Notre Dame. The Northwestern Wildcats could do little to stop the offense that attacked from all sides, and a defense that rendered the Wildcats’ gimmicky offense feeble. With a win against the Ohio State Luckeyes on Saturday, M will at worst head back to Pasadena. QB John Navarre must have been feeling it, as he is seen left awkwardly breaking out a little taste of “The Bird”, perhaps paying homage to Dools and Lew’s last trip to the Rose Bowl where one evening was spent taking in a concert by Morris Day and The Time at the House of Blues.