Best of Michigan on CFN.com 11.20

Here’s some of the highlights of collegefootballnews.com’s Monday coverage, some of the best in the business:

Pete Fiutak:
We know what happened when Michigan got its shot against the number one team in the nation; it lost. Now it’s time for someone else to get its chance. You might think Michigan is the number two team in the nation, but one thing’s for sure; it’s not number one.

…don’t dare use Bo Schembechler’s death as any sort of a reason why Michigan lost. If Bo were alive, the Michigan defensive back seven wouldn’t have tackled better. Troy Smith wouldn’t have been any less brilliant. Antonio Pittman and Chris Wells wouldn’t have been any slower on their breathtaking touchdown runs. If anything, Michigan was more inspired to win the game for Bo. It’s not fair to the man’s legend, or to Ohio State’s win, to suggest anything different.

John Harris
Don’t buy that bill of goods, just yet. Let USC, Florida, Arkansas and Notre Dame finish out the season and complete each one’s candidacy. Then, see if you’re convinced that Michigan is the only team close to Ohio State. If the rest of the teams fall by the wayside, cue the rematch, but let those others make a final plea for your vote. Your final vote.

Richard Cirminiello
Thanks to Ohio State and Michigan, Wisconsin may have just completed the quietest 11-win regular season in college football history. Despite being No. 8 in the latest BCS ranking, the Badgers will be blocked from a BCS game since no conference can have more than two teams represented in the five marquee games.

Matt Zemek
Michigan’s Lloyd Carr was rumored to be on the hot seat going into this season. Michigan was 11-0 going into The Shoe to do battle for the top seed in the purported Mythical National Championship Game (still seeking a sponsor). I guess Lloyd is safe. Amazing what a season without mass injuries can do to make a coach smarter, isn’t it?

Would I rate the Michigan-Ohio State game a classic? Yes, but grudgingly, and not for the football itself. This game is a classic because it was produced under emotionally wrenching circumstances in a tremendously hyped game. Had there not been the over-the-top hype, and had Bo Schembechler not died to make this game a seminal moment in American sports history, the pure football merits of the game would not have elevated this game to the level of a classic. But when you take all the elements of this game and put them together, yes, the game manages to make the cut as a classic. Michigan’s level of fight and grit, plus the Heisman-sealing performance of Troy Smith, provided enough historic elements needed to give this game elite status in the history of college football. Without those details, however, this game would not have passed the “classic” test.