To the chagrin of the Capital One bowl officials, looks like after yesterday’s shake up at the top Illinois will end up in the Rose Bowl [latest BCS projections], and that’ll put Michigan in the Capital One Bowl. Wisconsin and Penn State are already locked into the Outback and Alamo. As posted here, remember the bowl official offering an actual opinion weeks before selection: “At best, they’d be looking at the Alamo Bowl,” said Frank Frana, an official with the Capital One Bowl. “At best.” “There are at least four teams ahead of them: Ohio State, Illinois, Penn State and Wisconsin,” Frana said. “Their bowl opportunities are going to be tough.” Sorry dude. Oh, and how can I get your job? During the season you go to games to watch teams play to see if they’ll be a good fit for your bowl? You couldn’t watch them on TV, you need to go to the game. And all this ‘work’ eventhough you end up have little choice in the matter, really. Great JOB! And for Ohio State, another year where they won’t be going to Pasadena. Crazy phenomenon. Finally, it looks like this guy was on the ball.
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Alamo Likely for Carr’s Finale
Looks like Lloyd Carr, Hart, Henne and Long will finish their Wolverine careers in the Alamo Bowl. Even if the Buckeyes worked their way back into the BCS Championship they will certainly be the only Big Ten team in a BCS bowl. After that, the bowls with Big Ten agreements pick in the following order this year: 1. Capital One 2. Outback 3. Alamo 4. Champs Sports 5. Insight 6. Motor City The Big Ten standings don’t matter after the champion is determined; the bowls pick who they want. Capitol One could take Michigan for whatever reason. Michigan fans would argue that the Wolverines are the rightful #2 based on league standings and the fact they beat Illlinois, but it doesn’t matter. CollegeFootballNews seemed to think this scenario would play out as they projected the Blue in the Capitol One Bowl this morning. Whoops. The crew a CFN must have missed this quote I found in today’s Ann Arbor News which will crush any idea that this could happen: “At best, they’d be looking at the Alamo Bowl,” said Frank Frana, an official with the Capital One Bowl. “At best.” “There are at least four teams ahead of them: Ohio State, Illinois, Penn State and Wisconsin,” Frana said/. “Their bowl opportunities are going to be tough.” How about the Outback?…
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Beat Bucks, Get Ducks?
I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or not worry about it until Sunday. The Oregon Ducks fall to Arizona and suddenly they’re on target to end up in Pasadena. Anyone who witnessed that beat down in early September certainly has to be concerned about a rematch with those Ducks. At the same time, what a better demonstration of how has Carr turned this team around then by avenging, in the same season, one of the most brutal defeats in Michigan history? I’ll have to check to see that last time Michigan has played the same team twice in one season in the modern era. Michigan State pulled off this feat in 1987 by beating USC early on in East Lansing. The Spartans then took down Rodney Peete and Trojans in the Rose Bowl later that year. Note: I was at both games screaming until my throat was sore for the Spartans. Update: I think I found the answer – In 1982, Bo’s Wolverines played UCLA twice losing both games. On September 25 UCLA came to the Big House and took down the Blue 31-27 and then doubled up the Wolverines 24-14 in the Rose Bowl.
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You M-supporting Wuss!
You may have noticed this site pumps Stubhub. They pay a decent commission if you refer someone who buys tickets from their site. While SH’s reporting sucks, it does tell you who bought what. I just found this disturbing sale: While I can’t know for sure, it appears as though we’ve got a bonafide pessimist within our ranks. It’s a somewhat safe assumption that these tickets were purchased by a Michigan fan. This “fan” no doubt purchased the tickets assuming Michigan would lose to the Buckeyes and take the Big Ten #2 slot in the Capital One Bowl vs. the SEC #2. Funny, the dude is loyal enough to want to attend the Capital One Bowl, but in his hearts of hearts– a traitor. Reveal yourself coward!
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Projecting Michigan’s 2008 BCS Bowl
Filed under for what it is worth, here’s where some of your major (and not so major) sources have Michigan ending up this season. Complete BCS bowl projections are tracked here. All the major sources have the Wolverines ending up in the BCS. Each also assume M trips up somewhere along the way or doesn’t pass another undefeated squad to make it to New Orleans for the BCS Championship. CollegeFootballNews (Scout.com): Michigan vs. Hawaii, Orange Bowl ESPN (Ivan Maisel): Michigan vs. Texas, Rose Bowl ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Michigan vs. Oklahoma, Rose Bowl SI.com (Stewart Mandel): Michigan vs. Rutgers, Rose Bowl I think the Rose Bowl is probably the right pick. While you can expect that Michigan would run through the Big Ten schedule up until Wisconsin and Ohio State, there’s still the matter of Oregon and Notre Dame in the next few weeks.
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Media Medicine: Take It
Here’s a set of the harshest quotes from the major local writers that covered the game. Jim Carty, Ann Arbor News “No imagination, no fun meant no chance for victory” “When’s the last time Michigan let it rip?” “[Michigan has] so many players that Carr can play it safe and still end up 11-2.” “..there isn’t an offensive skill [high school] player who’d pick the Wolverines over Southern Cal or Boise State. Not one.” Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press