Critical Couzens: Hail to the Season #12: To The MOON

The guys talk the MOON game, college football playoffs, bye week plans and praise to Basketball player Austin Hatch. Go Blue!

Critical Couzens: Hail to the Season #11 – Just enjoying Saturday

The guys talk about Dave Brandon being forced out, a Michigan win, can we make a bowl game and someone "shit" at sun devils stadiums.

Link to the full transcript of Schlissel's presser

http://mgoblog.com/content/president-schlissel-presser-10-31-14

Critical Couzens: Hail to the Season #10 - Take It Like A Man

The guys discuss the Mich St beat down, coaches, just fire Dave Brandon already and the playoffs.

Links to some of the Dave Brandon email disccusion podcast

http://mgoblog.com/content/david-brandon-i-suggest-you-find-new-team

http://www.detroitsports1051.com/drewlane/2014/10/28/drew-marc-read-the-dave-brandon-emails

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/130/michigan-wolverines 

Critical Couzens: Hail to the Season #9 - Bye Week Love

Ryan and Dave celebrate the bye week, discuss students crushing the AD, college football on a whole and get some insight from a Michigan state fan on the state of the rivalry.

Pertinent Links:

EDSBS Story on Michigan/Penn State

Full Student Survey

MGoBlog Article on Regent's Meeting

Critical Couzens : Hail to the Season #8 Doom and Gloom…still?

This week the guys discuss the B1G win against Penn St, if Devin Gardner is a good enough QB and if Dave Brandon or Brady Hoke will get fired.  (Forgive the audio, wasn’t the best recording.)

Critical Couzens: Hail to the Season #7 – “Those who leave” are fans too…

Ryan is solo this week to give you his perspective on the possible student boycott of the Penn State game.

Hail to the Season #6 – Big House Loathing

The crew gets heated about the recent national scrutiny over Brady Hoke and the Michigan Football Program. 

Critical Couzens: Hail to the Season #5 - Doom and Gloom & The Little Brown Jug

We discuss the disarray of Michigan Football, the harsh truth of what we are? & The Brown Jug.

Critical Couzens: Week 4 - Utah

This week the Critical Couzens talk about the Miami (OH) game, the B1G looking small and the upcoming Utah game.

Critical Couzens: Week 3 - The Aftermath

Ryan and David discuss their disappointment from the Notre Dame game, the B1G playing the conference out of the national championship and then discuss the Miami (OH) match up.

Hail to the Season - Week 2 Notre Dame

Ryan and Nate discuss our first game impressions of Team 135, quickly go around the B1G and then discuss our expectations and predictions of the Michigan vs Notre Dame match up.

We're Back!

It's been a few years but the Critical Couzens are back! And now we are in Podcast form.....hopefully we can stay on top of this one.

In the meantime, check out our first podcast discussing the first game and the 2014 Michigan football season....while i realize the game has passed, we will be posting our Notre Dame preview next. So stay tuned.

The Daytona 500

Posted By: The Rookie

I will now recount to you all one of the most bizarre days of my entire life.

It all started last week when my dad sent me 4 tickets to the Daytona 500. I had always wanted to go to a NASCAR race, and I figured that since I live two hours away I should make an effort to go to the biggest NASCAR race of the year. My dad came through with 4 great tickets (34th row, DePalma Tower, Section I [near the entrance to pit row]). I invited a bunch of people to come but by the time race day came around I only had 2 other people coming with me, Richard who works with me and Rick Ross who is an apartment manager on the island and a friend of mine.

We were all geeked to go to the race, so we left really early to try and beat traffic and get a good tailgating spot. We were on the road at 6 and driving to Daytona through a thick fog. After grabbing some snacks and a full tank of gas we settled in for the ride and it was fairly uneventful. At least it was until we made it a little north of Melbourne around 8 am- that's when the fun started.

All of the gauges in the van I was driving died. I was moderately concerned but the car was still working fine so I just kept driving. Then the radio died. Rick asked if I had turned the radio off and after I assured him it wasn't me he suggested I take stock of what did work. The wipers were weak, the blinkers right and left did work but the lights were all fading on the dash. Then the accelerator quit. I moved over and got off on the side of the highway, and then the car just died. The battery light came on and the whole thing shut down. A few attempts to restart the vehicle failed. We were stranded on the side of 1-95, in a pea soup fog, without any idea what mile marker we were on.

Rick jumped to the rescue and brought out his platinum AAA card, but without any idea what mile marker we were at they weren't going to be able to come tow the van. So I started walking north down the highway (for those of you who haven't tried this I don't recommend it...especially in a thick fog). After a few minutes of walking I had reached the point where I couldn't see anything to the north of us nor could I see the van (it was really thick fog), so I decided that I should go back to the van and go south instead - believing that the closest marker was in that direction. I left the phone with the guys and began jogging south. Turns out the closer mile marker was to the north. I ended up running most of two miles in jeans through thick wet grass - leaving my feet completely soaked. When I got back to the van we were able to radio in our coordinates to AAA and they sent a flatbed to come get the van.

Meanwhile an air of defeat had settled in over us because we were beginning to resign ourselves to the fact that we probably weren't going to the race. Rick gallantly called his ex wife who lives a few minutes away to see if she would loan us her car, but she was closing on a house that morning. Last ditch I called my step-grandpa, Rich (from here on known as Darth (its a nickname within the family)) to tell him what had happened and to ask him what he wanted us to do with his van. To our great surprise he told us that he was on his way north with his Yukon XL and that he was going to meet us and go to the race with us (using our last ticket) even though he didn't want to. Our spirits were buoyed by this news and we had the flatbed driver take us to the next exit and drop us off while we waited for Darth to get there.

He dropped us off at a Waffle House - so we went inside and had a quick breakfast and I had a beer or two in the parking lot before Darth made his way to pick us up. This was around 10 am. We made it to Daytona without further incident, finding a great parking spot and settling into our seats for the race.

The race was fantastic (pics to be up soonish). Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley performed before Martina McBride sang the national anthem. Michael Bay and Josh Duhamel were there to say "Start your engines!" and the F-16 stunt team the "Thunderbirds" performed the fly by. The race was incredibly exciting - featuring a record amount of lead changes and Rick bought a handheld TV set that lets you listen into the drivers' frequencies - which really adds an added dimension to watching the race.

As the race reached its dramatic conclusion (as everyone knows by now it was won by a 20 year old after a crash near the end and a false start on the restart) Rick and I were really getting into the race. Richard and Darth were down lower near the stairs watching the race - and I guess Darth decided to leave early. As we were gearing for the final restart of the race a man came up to our seats and asked "Are you guys with a guy in a yellow shirt?" Rick and I both shook our heads and he said "Well they said he was sitting in these seats" (pointing to the ones that Richard and Darth had vacated). Believing he wanted to sit in those seats for the end of the race Rick and I both said "No they are coming back we are just holding their seats for them" Then the hammer dropped. "No, a guy in a yellow shirt just fell down the stairs". It hit Rick before it hit me. Darth was wearing a black shirt with yellow fish on it. Darth had fallen down the stairs.

We both rushed out of our seats and headed down to meet Richard, who was standing ashen faced at the landing of the stairs. Darth was at the bottom of the steps completely covered in blood. Apparently he had turned to go down the stairs early and had lost his step and fell. The EMT's were right on hand and insisted that they put him in a carry chair to take him to the emergency aid building. He didn't want to get in the chair and was furious when they dropped him (!) on the way down to the main level. He finally got to the emergency building while we trailed after him and we were able to watch the exciting finale of the race on the handheld that Rick had purchased.

We waited for an hour while the EMT's patched Darth up (he needed a bandage on his head and around his knee and 8 stitches in his pinkie). The whole time he was wearing his sunglasses and messing with the nurses (at one point he asked her "will I be able to play the piano?" "Yeah you will for sure!" "Oh that's great, because I wasn't able to before!"). Meanwhile if anyone thinks that people watching at the Daytona 500 is great (and it is) people watching in the waiting room of the emergency aide building of the Daytona 500 is incredible. At one point a woman came in and demanded a ride back to her car for no other reason than she had parked far away and didn't feel capable of walking that far. Another guy very gallantly offered his electrical cart to woman who had twisted her ankle, and then informed me that he was a former MMA fighter (keep in mind he was probably 300 pounds) and that while training to be a Muay Thai fighter his shins became as hard as rocks. Another guy came into the waiting room with a massive cut that was gushing blood on his hand. Later - a guy wearing homemade Daisy Dukes and a cut up flannel shirt came in and stood at the counter and asked (in a very high voice that emphasized his s's) "Is my friend in here? His name is Jake and he cut his hand? Will you please tell him that I am so sorry I cut his hand? I just feel awful about it." Just before we left I walked up to the counter to check on Darth (we could see into his room from the window) and I saw that he still had his glasses on and was playing with his phone so I let out a small laugh. A girl standing next to me (with her bra straps falling out of her shirt) looked at me with disgust emanating from her bleary eyes, and said "Ugh, are you serious?!" before grabbing a tissue and stumbling out the door while crying.

After Darth was released from the emergency room we all packed up our things and headed back home. When we got home we had to change Darth's dressings (he later developed two black eyes and had to have a CAT scan), my feet were all pruned and painful to walk on from being soaked by the run and we were completely exhausted. What seemed like a simple trip to a NASCAR race had ended in complete disaster but it sure makes for a heckuva story!

Michigan - Michigan State preview

Posted By: The Rookie

Storylines: This is the most important Michigan – Michigan State game in a very long time, as this game is huge for both programs. Michigan needs a win to validate their season thus far, having played a respectable schedule to this point, but lacking a truly quality win thus far. Michigan State, on the other hand, proved to the country last week that they were for real threats for the Big-10 title with an impressive win at home against Wisconsin.

On one side of the ball is the most exciting player in college football, Denard Robinson, the quarterback of the prolific Michigan offense. The Wolverines are averaging 41.4 points per game, and Robinson is a big part of that. He has already led 2 game winning touchdown drives on the road, proving that he is not only extremely athletic, but he is clutch as well. He has an insane arsenal of weapons, running backs Vincent Smith and Michael Shaw are both very good in their own right, and he has a wide array of capable wide receivers – led by Junior Hemmingway, Roy Roundtree and Martavius Odoms.

However, as impressive as the Michigan offense has been, the Michigan defense has been equally abysmal. An extreme lack of talent, coupled with a truly asinine scheme (the 3-3-5 is the dumbest defensive strategy on the planet), has led to that unit being embarrassed each and every week. Every opponent they have faced has gashed them for yardage and points, and that unit almost allowed a second D-1AA school to pull off an upset in Ann Arbor.

The best news of the week for the Spartans comes from their coach. After suffering a heart attack following a gutsy win in OT against Notre Dame, doctors found a blood clot in his leg last weekend, causing him to miss the Wisconsin game. However, he will be in attendance this weekend for the Spartans, coaching from the press box. “As long as I don’t have a setback, that’s where I will be,” he said on Tuesday. ‘I feel outstanding…I was restricted because of the clot, so all day Sunday and all day Monday I watched film.”

So the stage is set, and on the line is national legitimacy for both programs. These two rivals have met 102 times with the Wolverines holding a hefty 67-30-5 advantage in the series. The last time the game was in Ann Arbor, the Spartans won for the first time in 18 years, knocking off the Wolverines 35-21. Last year, in East Lansing, Michigan State shook off a late game collapse to pull out a thrilling 26-20 overtime win. The ironic fact remains that the Spartans are still viewed as the second best program in the state, even though they have had a better record than Michigan the last two years and have beaten them the last two years. A win this weekend could vault them into national prominence and bring the two programs to status equality in the eyes of the nation. Can “little brother” take big brother down for good?

Analysis:

- Michigan Offense vs Michigan State Defense: It is no secret that Denard Robinson has been the most dynamic player in the country thus far into the season. The numbers he is putting up can only be described as gaudy. He has completed 69.8% of his passes for 1008 yards and 7 touchdowns with only one interception, giving him a quarterback rating of 180, good for 3^rd best in the NCAA. Oh and lets not forget that he has also rushed for 905 yards and 8 touchdowns (most in the NCAA) while averaging a massive 9.2 yards per rush. Michigan State has a respectable defense, 41^st nationally giving up 328.6 yards per game, but they won’t be able to stop Michigan’s offense as long as Robinson is at the helm. Edge: Michigan

- Michigan State offense vs Michigan Defense: While no one would define the methodical rushing attack of the Spartans as explosive, they are certainly efficient and effective. They are the #18 rushing team in the country, gaining 1101 yards over 5 games, utilizing the two headed monster of Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell (536 and 471 yards respectively) to grind teams into submission. Cousins has been effective through the air as well, completing 67.5% of his passes for 1132 yards and 9 touchdowns with 4 INT. Meanwhile Michigan’s defense has been atrocious, and that is putting it gently. They are dead last (ranked 120) in the country in pass defense and 102 in overall defense. Should be a great day at the office for the Spartan offense. Edge: Michigan State

- Special Teams: Michigan has some serious kicking woes. They are 1/5 on field goals attempted this year and have already missed an extra point and had a punt blocked. MSU has a solid kicking game, even if Treadwell refused to utilize it last week against Wisconsin. Keyshawn Martin is an explosive returner, but Darryl Stonum is equally dangerous, rendering that matchup a wash. Edge: Michigan State

- Intangibles: Michigan will be out for blood after two straight losses to the Spartans, especially after the disappointment of last season. Also working in the Wolverines’ favor is the fact that this is the Spartans first road game of the year, while they have been able to win two difficult matchups on the road thus far. I wouldn’t want my first road test of the season to be in front of 113,000 fans. Dantonio hasn’t ever lost to Rich Rod but I’m not sure how effective he is going to be if he stays up in the press box. Edge: Michigan

At the end of the day its all going to come down to how well each defense will be able to contain the offense of their opponent, because both teams are going to score, and score a lot. The first mistake could be the most fatal one, and turnovers may be the only way the Michigan defense can stop the Michigan State offense. I just don’t think MSU has a quick enough defense to stop the offensive blitzkrieg that is the Michigan offense, and I don’t know if Cousins and the rest of the Michigan State offense can keep up in a track meet. If the Spartans are able to control the clock and keep Denard off the field, it may be a different game, but I think the Wolverines pull out a thriller in Ann Arbor. Prediction: Michigan Wolverines 42 Michigan State Spartans 35

5112 Q&A

This week we feature a Q&A between two old roommates in Couzens dormitory. He has questions, I have answers, and all things considered we make a pretty good team.

Q) What does Terrelle Pryor have to do to win the Heisman?

A) Interesting question. He is already getting a ton of hype from the media, which is critical in the quest for winning that trophy. If ESPN doesn’t love you, you don’t have much of a shot. It doesn’t hurt to be on the #2 team in the country, generally the best player on one of the two national championship teams is the one taking home the Heisman. A quick glance at the last ten years shows us that only Carson Palmer and Tim Tebow didn’t play for the national championship the year they won the Heisman. He has been putting up big numbers on the field, although more performances like the Illinois game can hurt him. He will need Cam Newton and Denard Robinson to get injured, drop off their production or start losing a significant amount of games. I think right now he has to be considered the favorite to win the Heisman, only because he is a high profile player on a very good team.

Q) Will Rich Rod win a national championship, Big-10 title, or Rose Bowl in his career? Could he be fired for not winning one of these?

A) Honestly I can’t say whether or not he will win any one of these at Michigan. I can’t even say for sure he will be the coach of this team at the end of this season. They have started off very well for the second year in a row, but lets not forget he went 1-7 last year in the Big-10, including a 0-6 stretch to close the season out. If he has a similar collapse this year (very possible with that defense) then he will end up out in the cold. However, if I had to pull out my crystal ball on Rich Rod, I would have to say I think he will win a Big-10 title in his time here, I don’t know about a national championship, he will need a much stronger defense. I believe he can win a Rose Bowl as well, as his offense would make him a much tougher opponent than the traditional Big-10 team that generally ends up in the Rose Bowl. And I don’t think he will get fired for not winning a national championship or Rose Bowl here (Bo lost in the Rose Bowl all the time and didn’t win a national championship) but I do believe he could get fired eventually for not winning a Big-10 title.

Q) Will Boise State become a BCS team? Will they be allowed to play for a National Championship?

A) I’m a little confused as to your question so I will answer both of the ways I’m interpreting it. If you’re asking whether or not Boise State will be in a BCS bowl this year, the answer is an unequivocal yes. They survived the toughest part of their schedule (VT and Oregon State), and the WAC is pretty weak this year, their two toughest games are vs. Fresno State and @ Nevada, neither of which are really powerhouse opponents (although Nevada is having a decent season thus far). If you are asking whether or not they will eventually join a BCS conference, that’s a bit more difficult to answer. I don’t think they will anytime soon, given that they are joining the Mountain West conference next year I believe, which makes that conference by far the best non BCS conference in the country (I would put the Mountain West with Utah, TCU, Boise State, Air Force and BYU against the Big East straight up this year and it wouldn’t be close as to who is a better conference). However, it sounds like TCU is thinking about joining the Big East, and Utah will be leaving the conference for the Pac-10. The whole thing is pretty convoluted, and when all is said and done I do think Boise will end up one of the mega conferences that seem to be on the verge of reshaping the NCAA.

As to your other question regarding the Broncos having a shot at the national championship, I think they could do it, but they will need some help. Their strength of schedule in the WAC is going to hurt them badly in the eyes of the national media. They will need 2 of the 3 teams ahead of them (Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State) to lose, and they will probably need TCU and Nebraska to lose as well, only because both are right behind Boise and have far more significant games left on their schedule (mark your calendar for the TCU – Utah game, its going to be great). If Virginia Tech manages to win the ACC it should help them immensely as well. However, if all those things fall into place, I believe they should be allowed to play for the national championship, because I think they are one of the best teams in the country, but I don’t know if anyone can beat Alabama this year.

Q) Can Michigan have a losing record and Denard Robinson still win the Heisman? If he becomes injured against a team like Iowa or Wisconsin, how badly will it hurt his Heisman chances, and can Michigan beat one of those teams without him? Do you see him playing in the NFL? If so, what position?

A) I’m going break this answer down into parts.

1) Given my earlier answer about Terrelle Pryor and how important being on a winning team is, the answer is pretty much no. Paul Hornung did it in 1956 on a 2-8 Notre Dame team, but that was back in the day when any halfway decent player on Notre Dame was immediately considered a Heisman contender. Now we have much greater exposure to all the athletes and it’s harder to overlook great performances. In order for the Wolverines to have a losing season they would have to go 0-7, and unless every game’s final score was 56-49 and Denard was averaging 200 yards rushing and passing (which is entirely possible with that defense, like I said before), he won’t win the Heisman with that record.

2) General consensus around the country right now is that Denard is the Heisman frontrunner – if he stays healthy. That statement alone pretty much sums up my answer. If he goes down in a big game then his chances of winning the Heisman drop significantly. Those defenses are big and hit hard, and he plays in a way that could very well lead to him being injured. Tate Forcer looked sharp in his relief against Bowling Green, and I honestly believe that he could lead this team to victory against a team like Iowa or Wisconsin, but he would need some help from the defense, because the offense won’t be nearly as explosive with him at he helm. He is a little more experienced, a little more mature and I think he is a little better at throwing the ball than Denard, and he can still hurt opposing defenses with his feet, he just lacks the game breaking speed that Robinson possesses.

3) I’m not sure exactly what will happen to Robinson when he graduates from Michigan. On the one hand, he is blazingly fast, so I could see him being used as combo back, somewhat akin to Reggie Bush, a fast, slashing rusher who is equally adept at coming out of the backfield catching passes. My initial thought was wide receiver, but he isn’t built like one (only standing around 6’0” and 185 pounds). I suppose a team like the Dolphins could take a flyer on him as a Wildcat type quarterback, but Pat White flamed out quickly in that role and I’m not sure he would do much better. It’s largely a mystery to me right now. Who knows, he may end up like Michael Vick and being one of those quarterbacks who can legitimately change the way the position is played at the highest level.

Q) If you guys got your flag football team back together what BCS college football team could you beat given home field advantage and you win the coin toss.

A) Well let me start by saying we wouldn’t beat anybody without our awesome fans. There wasn’t a single player on the field who didn’t appreciate the loud pan banging on the sidelines, spurring us to greater athletic heights. If I had to pick one BCS conference school we could beat I would have to say it would be Minnesota (I hate picking on the Big-10, but these guys are awful). Check out their schedule, they started with a come from behind win against Middle Tennessee State, then they lost to the mighty South Dakota Cougars from D-1AA. They followed that with losses to USC, Northern Illinois and Northwestern, bringing them to a pretty bad 1-4. With The Architect at the helm and the great defense we had, I think that we could pull off a win against them, 32-20.

NCAA Week 6 Games of the Week

Posted By: The Rookie

No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 South Carolina: South Carolina has been winning in a very un-Spurrier like fashion, focusing more on a stingy defense rather than an explosive offense. Meanwhile, Alabama announced to the country last weekend that they are one of the best - if not the best - team in the country. The Gamecocks come out fired up, but Mark Ingram and McElroy are way too much to handle. Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 42 South Carolina Gamecocks 14

Posted by: The Bus Driver

Agreed, Tide Rolls...BIG

No. 12 LSU at No. 14 Florida: LSU has a few quality non-conference wins, but they have been winning their games by the skin of their teeth. Meanwhile, Florida is coming off a beat down of epic proportions and will be hungry for blood. There will be no miracle this week, the Florida defense will stifle the largely ineffective LSU offense and Brantley will rebound from last week's disaster. Meyer won't let them come out flat this week. Prediction: Florida Gators 30 LSU Tigers 13

Am I the only person who thinks that this is the Ho-Hum game of the week? LSU has been winning ugly, but at least they are winning. Florida on the other hand has yet to look impressive at all this season. Myer is being exposed without Superman...LSU wins another ugly and close game.

No. 23 Florida State at No. 13 Miami: This game used to be a huge game every year. Both programs are "down" this year, as is the entire ACC. Florida State has looked strong against mostly sub-par opponents, losing their only big game by a large margin to Oklahoma. Meanwhile Miami looked good against Pitt and decent vs Clemson, but they were embarrassed by Ohio State. Home turf comes up big for the 'Canes in a defensive battle. Prediction: Miami Hurricanes 23 Florida State Seminoles 17

Funny, I feel both these teams are "up" this year as neither team has been relevant for close to a decade. But from what I have seen, Miami is better and look for Harris to return to form. Canes win.

No. 16 Michigan State at No. 17 Michigan: At the end of the day its all going to come down to how well each defense will be able to contain the offense of their opponent. I just don’t think MSU has a quick enough defense to stop the Michigan offense, and I don’t know if Cousins and the rest of the Michigan State offense can keep up in a track meet. State's easy schedule comes back to bite them in the ass, as this is their first road game, and the battle tested Wolverines win one in a thriller (Yeah, I'm a homer, sue me.) Prediction: Michigan Wolverines 42 Michigan State Spartans 35

For the first time that I can remember "Little Brother" scares me this year. They are solid and the believe they can win, which is something I can never remember from them. No I wasn't afraid the last two years because the Wolverines were just bad...and i guess we will find out if we are still bad with this game this year. Our offense run by Shoelace is legit, hell, it even looked good when Tate got some play a few weeks back. But our "D" is horrible. Still, I agree with my brethren when they say they don't think that Sparty can keep up in the shoot out...Plus, I had Jimmy Johns for Lunch today for the first time in 4 years (just opened in AZ) and it was made by someone from A^2. Its a sign...Michigan wins.

Sunday Morning Quarterback

Posted By: The Rookie

What I learned from Saturday's action:

• Alabama is a good football team: And I mean scary good. Granted, Florida has been horrifically overrated all season, playing sub par opponents and scratching out victories. However, they do have a fair amount of talent on that squad and they were completely dismantled. That game was an absolute massacre. Ingram had fairly pedestrian stats (12 rushes – 49 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Alabama still won by 28 points. Auburn may be the only team left that can keep the Tide away from a second national championship game, and the only reason I say that is because it is a rivalry game, and Cam Newton is playing way above his head right now.

• Oregon may be the 2nd best team in the country: You want a dominant performance? Oregon goes down 21-3 in the first quarter. Their response was to simply outscore the ninth ranked Cardinal 49-10 for the rest of the game. I was incredibly impressed especially with the onside kick Chip Kelly called after their first touchdown, which set up a second score and brought the Ducks back into the game. They don’t have much in the way of defense, but their offense is the most explosive in the country, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them vault over Boise State and TCU if they manage to run the table in the Pac-10 in the rankings – although USC getting upset this weekend hurts those chances.

• The Big-XII is having a down year: Texas and Oklahoma played this weekend, did anyone notice? The Sooners managed to hold on in the face of a furious Texas rally and now a collision course with the Cornhuskers in the Big-XII championship game seems immanent. Yet, I ask myself if Oklahoma or Nebraska were able to run the table, would it be enough to put them in the title game ahead of an undefeated Ohio State, Oregon or even TCU and Boise State? The answer right now is undoubtedly no. I can’t remember the last time that I really believed that an undefeated Big-XII champion wouldn’t belong in the national championship, but that is a clear indicator of just how down the conference is this year. They needed to have a strong year from their big names that were staying in the conference, and every game Nebraska wins hurts the conference, which I still don’t think will be around in 5 years.

• The Buckeyes are vulnerable: Ohio State is not nearly as invincible as advertised. Their 24-13 win against Illinois was a lot closer than the scoreboard indicated, as they only had a 4 point lead late in the fourth quarter against a pretty bad Illinois team. Granted, Ohio State does tend to play down at least once or twice a year against Big-10 foes that it should handle easily, however their schedule is not exactly a walk in the park, especially with tough road games in Madison and Iowa City, and Penn State and Michigan at home are not exactly gimmes either. I thought this team would play for the national championship this season at the beginning of the year, but they need to improve a lot if they want to run the table in the resurgent Big-10.

• Michigan State is a darkhorse in the Big-10: At the beginning of the year I had Michigan State penciled in as a contender for the Big-10 title. Their schedule was incredibly favorable (easy non-conference, Wisconsin at home, no Ohio State) and they were returning a lot of talent. I will be the first to admit I didn’t think they would live up to my expectations but they have passed every test sent their way. Now we will see if they can truly contend for the Big-10 title as they have their first road game of the year against the most explosive offense east of the Mississippi. If the Spartans win this weekend there are really only two more tests on the schedule, at Iowa and at Penn State.

• Denard Robinson is still a freak: Seriously, the man is a human highlight reel. He is doing things that no one has ever done and he is doing it as a sophomore. He looks like someone playing a video game against the lowest difficulty setting. The yardage he racks up every week is astonishing, he has led two game winning drives on the road and, most importantly, he is not turning the ball over. One interception against UMass and a fumbled snap against Indiana are the only blemishes against him thus far, and if he can stay healthy, Michigan has a shot at beating any team they play this season.

My Top 5:
1) Alabama
2) Oregon
3) Ohio State
4) Boise State
5) TCU

NCAA Football Week 5 Games of the Week

Posted By: The Rookie

Alright folks, we're gonna start a little weekly game on this blog. I will pick a few notable games for the upcoming weekend and put up predictions. Add your own predictions in the comments below, and if you can beat the Critical Couzens "experts" we may give you some face time on the blog (a la a certain ESPN show).

All we are looking for is the winning team, the winning score and maybe a few sentences as to why you think they will win.

So, without further ado, here are my picks this week:

No. 7 Florida at No. 1 Alabama: I'm now a resident in Gator-country, so I have had the opportunity to watch a lot of this team, and I'm thoroughly unimpressed. Meanwhile, Alabama looked invincible until Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks put a scare into them. If this game was in Gainesville I would say the Gators had a shot at revenge for last year's SEC Championship, but Nick Saban and the Tide keep rolling. Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 31 Florida Gators 21

No. 9 Stanford at No. 4 Oregon: The Cardinal have looked sharp in their first 4 wins, although the quality of opponent was suspect until UCLA stomped Texas. Meanwhile the Ducks have had the most exciting show on turf, college edition, putting up scary numbers on offense. Can Stanford slow down this attack enough? Oregon is going to score, can Andrew Luck keep pace? I don't think so. Prediction: Oregon Ducks 38 Stanford Cardinal 35

No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Texas: Talk about a game that has lost its luster. Oklahoma has looked shaky at best against subpar opponents Utah State, Air Force and Cincinnati, squeaking victories out in each game. Meanwhile Texas was pounded, at home, by a UCLA team that was shut out by Stanford. Texas stuns Oklahoma in the least anticipated Red River Shootout in awhile, yawn. Prediction Texas Longhorns 28 Oklahoma Sooners 21

No.11 Wisconsin at No.24 Michigan State: Mark Dantonio returns to the Spartans as they start their Big-10 season. This is clearly one of the biggest games of the year for MSU, who haven't really faced a true test to determine if they are for real. Meanwhile Wisconsin survived a late scare by ASU while destroying everyone else they have played. If MSU wins this game they have a shot at the Big-10 title this year, unfortunately for them I don't think they will. Prediction: Wisconsin Badgers 30 Michigan State Spartans 24

No. 22 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa: This has evolved into a nice little rivalry of late, although both teams have lost face this year after embarrassing non-conference losses to Alabama and Arizona respectively. Still, both teams are good enough to compete for the Big-10 title. Iowa has a nasty defense and I don't think Bolden, who has looked shaky on the road especially, will be able to put up enough points to match Ricky Stanzi and the Hawkeye offense. Prediction: Iowa Hawkeyes 28 Penn State Nittany Lions 17

More than a game…

Written By The BusDriver

So LeBron James decided to join Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. Let’s take a moment to let that digest a minute….In a world where we constantly criticize athletes for being all about themselves, money and their brand. James, perhaps the biggest “brand” superstar the game has ever known, joined another superstar and decided to take less money. Let me say that again, take LESS money. And he wasn’t the only one. Wade, a bona fide“brand” athlete himself also took LESS money and for what purpose? Not to win a title, but to build a dynasty. This is unlike anything the sporting world has ever seen. And I for one am excited to see what happens. There are so many questions. Will they win the Title next year? There is no reason to think they won’t. It was only a few years ago that we were all wondering about the “Boston-three-party” and we had the same questions. Can they co-exist? They don’t have the pieces now? Who will take over in crunch time? Is Doc a good enough coach to make this work? One title and a Game 7 loss in the finals a few years later and we know how that turned out…

The most important of these questions are can these two alpha dogs co-exist on the court together? I believe they can. Why? Because James is the only player I have ever seen who I feel can legitimately average a triple double for a season. And mark my words, he will within the next three years. Now he is no longer kicking it out to a wide open streaky Mo Williams or a reluctant to shoot Varejao. Instead he is passing to an assassin like Wade and a skilled all-star in Chris Bosh. Oh yeah, I didn’t forget about him, but Bosh is the second reason why this tri-fecta will work. Because even though the “hype” media sells him as a superstar, I am with basketball guru Bill Simmons when I say that Bosh is anything but. Don’t get me wrong, he is a nice player but let us take a closer look at his career:

His résumé: seven seasons, 11 career playoff games, one second-team All-NBA selection, never played in a big game in his life (He's never played in a Sweet 16, a Game 7 or even Round 2 of the NBA playoffs) other than the gold-medal game of the 2008 Olympics…If one more person refers to Bosh as a "superstar," I'm going to scream.

Simmons is right on point. Bosh is one of those guys who just happened to be thrust onto stardom because he was the best player on a mediocre team in a league where the era of the skilled big man has given way to the athletic swingman. Therefore because he is a “nice” forward he is thought to be better then he really is. But let’s be honest. Other than Gasol, Boozer and Lee can you name another forward that you would call legit? Even Duncan/Garnet seems to be on their last legs (literally). And this is why this Basketball social experiment will work. Because Bosh will never be the superstar and he doesn’t have to be. His profile will be raised while playing with James and Wade which in turn will make him feel like a superstar and I believe that will be enough. Don’t be surprised when the final numbers come out for their contracts that Bosh will be given the smallest contract. (But if Bosh gets disgruntled at any point, they will go down in flames.)

The next step is to add a few complementary players to go along with these three guys. Who’s to say that we won’t see the second coming of Rajon Rondo in third year PG Mario Chalmers? His job just got exponentially easer after all. And he is a collegiate champion who has played on a “team” which is what these guys are trying to create now. After all, it was James who said it best, “You become a superstar individually but you become a champion as a team.” To his critics who say that he doesn’t have the mental fortitude or trust in his game. Or that he is taking the easy way out, how easily you forget that all the great champions played with other all-stars and future hall of famers. Magic had Worthy, Kareem. Bird had Johnson, Parish, McHale and others. Isiah had Dumars, Laimbeer Rodman. Jordan had Pippen, Grant, Paxton and later Kerr, Kukoc, and Rodman. Shaq had Kobe, Fisher, Horry, who later had Gasol and Artest. Duncan had Robinson, Elliot, Johnson and later had Parker, Ginobli, and Horry. Hell, even Wade had a productive O’Neal. The point here is that to you basketball fans out there, I don’t even have to say more than the last nameof all those guys who helped these superstars win their titles. But in James’ seven seasons with the Cavs he only played with one other active all-star (Mo Williams: 2009 as a replacement for the injured Bosh) and a bunch of aging players.

This brings us to perhaps James’ biggest critic of all, Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert.

His open letter to Cavs fans has reached a new level of disgust and blatant lack of Class: my comments in Blue.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;
As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment. Never mind that all the proceeds of “The Decision” went to the Boys and Girls Club. I admire that J

ames recognizes his “brand” power and uses it not to make money not for himself but for Charity.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you. You already did when you didn’t surround James with players that could win a title.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more. James won two MVPs and carried the Cavs the Finals followed by two consecutive years of the best record in the league. What more do you think you deserve?

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE" Not likely.

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels. Seriously? You were motivated to win a title by giving James absolutely no help to win a title. Then saying that he quit in the series this year against the Celtics when he had triple double in losing efforts? Maybe if you showed your “motivation” by putting players around him who can make a shot then you would already have a title and he probably never leaves.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. James did die. He sacrificed everything to win for you. He gave it all every night for SEVEN YEARS and you couldn’t even bring in some complementary players to help him get it done. Do you actually think it was easy for him to leave?

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become. What is more disloyal? To continue to grind for something that he may never get because after SEVEN YEARS he realized that the Cavs organization was not committed to winning? His actions are almost exactly what I would my children to learn from and grow up to become. Yes I want them to be loyal, but I would also be extremely proud to see my child give up Millions of dollars, Fame, Stats, recognition, status and to put his ego aside and NOT be selfish. To be happy and putting himself in a position to be successful as a part of a “team.”

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio. Sorry buddy, Ohio is cursed because free agents (in any sport) don’t want to go there.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue.... it’s sad that it took the best player in the league to leave for you to feel you have to re-double your efforts.

Dan GilbertMajority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Ouch…not classy. I think I addressed the points above but let me ask you Mr. Gilbert, where is the owner of the raptors bashing Bosh? Or Utah bashing Boozer? Or the Suns bashing Stoudemire? Nowhere to be found…Why? Because this is a business and they all have class. The right thing to do would have been to say you were hurt, but thank him for the seven great years. Man up son.

Anyway, this is an exciting time for the NBA. We have the possible makings of a Great Dynasty the likes of which we have never seen in this era. And because of that, no team will be scrutinized like this one. It is like combining the Yankees/Patriots/Lakers into one. Depending on your feelings you will either LOVE this team or LOATHE it and it is ok either way. If these guys don’t win multiple titles then this would be a major disappointment, but who is honestly going to bet against them?

Me? I’m justexcited to see how this team will pan out. As a fan of Basketball first and foremost, it excites me to see these amazing talents sacrifice their personal success for a chance to win not just now, but for years to come….oh and one more thing…one rumor flying around is that these three decided to do this back during the 2008 Olympics. And Chris Paul was in on it to join them after next year. That solves the problem of the point guard…It’s going to be an exciting

next few year.

Sounding Off: The Architect

Amen.

I completely agree with everything you wrote. All I can really think is: Since when is spending seven years of your life at one organization, communicating that you need more help, and continuing to work hard BOTH on and off the court considered betrayal? And who in this country has enough moral judgment to be angry at a young man for leaving AFTER his contract expired to go work with his close friends?

Does no one remember Kobe destroying the Lakers and demanding to rebuild them his way just a few years ago? He singlehandedly sent a hall of famer along with a host of solid supporting actors packing... Oh yeah, and LBJ is the selfish, greedy guy that wants to take the 'easy' way out. GIVE ME A BREAK! Anyone remember Kevin Garnett prior to Boston? Oh, that's right...you forgot that he 'betrayed' his team of TWELVE (12) years (Minnesota Timberwolves for those non-basketball fans) to take the 'easy way out' in Boston.

I'm sick of hearing people complain about his decision. He did nothing wrong, and certainly wasn't the first person to take a pay cut in hopes of winning a championship (wikipedia Payton/Malone...both of whom left teams they had been at for over a decade). It's a business. LeBron James decided to make a long term investment. Buy stock now, or be left behind...

Sounding Off: The Rookie

You two have both written fascinating pieces on this subject. Unfortunately I don’t have much to add to what you both already wrote, however, I do have a confession to make to both of you.

I don’t care about the NBA.

I really don’t. Not even a little bit. I probably watched a grand total of 15 minutes of the NBA this year, and 10 of them were Game 7 of the Finals. I almost cared this summer during the Free Agency of Doom. I thought I cared, even said I cared, but on the night of “The Decision” I was too busy reading a book to remember to turn it on. I could have caught the SportsCenter recap of it that night, but I chose instead to watch Diamondbacks – Astros highlights on the MLB network.

However, I was moved by the passion you both displayed, and it brought back memories of a time when I had once cared about the NBA. When I was younger, I was that kid in the teal Pistons jersey shooting hoops and reliving the days when Thomas and Dumars ruled the court. I was up late watching the new and improved Bad Boys win the title in 2004 and the year after when the Spurs snatched the title from their hands.

Oddly enough, I’m still a basketball fan. I enjoy watching and playing the sport very much. I have a yearly March Madness tournament and I tried to attend as many Michigan basketball games as I could.The problem does not lie within the sport itself, it’s the organization that has taken this game that I like and destroyed it.

My biggest problem with the NBA is that it that they aren't playing basketball. Oh sure, its some sport that vaguely resembles basketball, the general aspects of basketball are all there: one team tries to put the ball in the hoop more times than the other. However, the similarities between basketball and the NBA end there.

One of the reasons I love sports so much is that they are universal. The games played at the lowest levels resemble those played professionally. Granted, there are some differences, but the majority of the rules that apply to you in those leagues apply to the athletes who participate at the highest level. It allows those who have played to connect with the athletes even though they are not competing with them.

But the NBA has completely warped the game of basketball into something I no longer recognize. The league has slowly bent rules, allowing for small infractions in an effort to “preserve the flow” and “make the game more exciting”. There is only one small problem with that, because now players are moon walking from the 3 point line to the hoop. Traveling and carrying are two of the more fundamental rules you learn when you’re playing the game as a kid, and they no longer exist in the NBA. And when it does get called, the players are outraged that the ref would have the gall to penalize them. Lebron all but spat in the face this rule after a traveling penalty was called on him that cost the Cavs a win against the Wizards in 2009. When asked to explain the call, the officials response was "3 steps on the move to

to the basket. Basic travel call.” Any youth league player, coach or official would back that statement. Not Lebron. He believed that it was a “bad call” and that “they need to look at it and they need to understand that’s not a travel.” Specifically he said that “I watched it again, and I took a ‘crab dribble’ which is a hesitation dribble, and then two steps.” This is how badly the NBA has perverted the game; one of the faces of the league has no idea what a basic travelingfoul is. The Wizards' Caron Butler seemed to find James’ statement lacking in credibility as well, commenting “’Crab dribble’ is when you, uh, travel…That’s the hottest thing on the market right now.” In order to clear up the confusion, I called Merriam-Webster and they are going to add the word “crab dribble” to their dictionary in 2011. The listing will look something like this:

crab dribble: vb 1 a hesitation dribble before taking two steps towards the basket in the sport of basketball. 2 see: traveling

My second complaint stems from my first one. I understand how excessive traveling and carrying calls could stall a game out and thusly lose viewers. The NBA is correct in their assertion that there is a certain flow to a game. Yet, when I turn the game on, there is no flow at all. This is because it’s impossible to have flow if every time the defense thinks about breathing on a player with a big name while he is headed for the hole, they get penalized. Although the nam

e on the back of the jersey generally makes an impact on how a player is officiated in every sport, there is no professional league that employs favoritism like the NBA.

This is a list of the top 10 players ranked by free throws attempted in the 2010 regular season (the parenthesis indicate the amount of free throws attempted during the season).*

1) Kevin Durant (840)

2) Dwight Howard (816)
3) Lebron James (773)
4) Dwayne Wade (702)
5) Amar’e Stoudamire (632)

6) Carmelo Anthony (612)
7) Chris Bosh (590)
8) Dirk Nowitzki (586)
9) Corey Maggette (551)
10) Gerald Wallace (544)
*Take note that the top 3 players averaged over 10 free throws per game.

So, when Wade, James and Bosh signed with the Heat, 3 of the top 7 leaders in this category are now on one team, and last year they attempted a combined 2065 free throws. The slogan for this new super team should be “Root for us, we’re going to get all the calls anyway!”

Of the 10 players I just listed, only Maggette was not an All Star. And, just in case someone wants to use him as an example, Kobe Bryant came in at #11 with 541 (3 less than the #10 spot) and he ranked #1 in free throws attempted in the playoffs with 183 (his teammate Pau Gasol came in second with 158). That’s right, the two best players on the team that won the championship were also #1 and 2 in free throws attempted during the playoffs. It’s even harder to argue against some bias if you look at the stats from Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers defeated the Celtics 83-79 to win their second title in a row. With the roster the Lakers had this year, I don’t think anyone would dispute that the better team won that series, but my problem lies within how they won it. At the end of the game Kobe Bryant had attempted 15 free throws, Pau Gasol attempted 13, as a team the Lakers attempted 37 free throws.Think about that, 37 free throws in a game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics? They attempted two more free throws as a team than Kobe attempted by himself. The Celtics took 17 free throws and the Lakers took 37, a difference of 20, and yet the Lakers only managed to win by 4 points.

Everyone who follows sports has a favorite athlete, and their exploits go on to be stuff of legend. When I was younger, I would spend hours alone shooting at my basketball hoop, recreating the epic buzzer beaters of Jordan, Bird and Thomas (ironically enough my team was usually down by 1 point). Soon the buzzer beater will be replaced by the free throw, with future generations practicing “clutch free throws for the NBA championship”.

While I’m on the subject of officiating, I’d like to touch on the pink elephant in the room in regards to the NBA. Tim Donaghy, a referee who admitted to fixing games for the mafia, fileda court document that claimed, among other things, that Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Kings was fixed. He claims that he “learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew Referees A and F to be ‘company men, always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night it was the NBA’s interest to add another game to the series.” The Lakers won that game, attempting 18 more free throws than the Kings in the fourth quarter and went on to win the Title that year. Naturally David Stern has denied the accusation and attacked Donaghy’s credibility. Most people believe that the NBA is not fixed, however with all that evidence stacking up and all those stats you see, doesn’t just a little bit of that doubt creep into your mind? I mean, everyone wrote Canseco off after he named all those players in his book, and lo and behold every single one of them has been tied to steroids since then. What if Donaghy is actually telling the truth? While I’m not prone to conspiracy theories, there is a fair amount of evidence that suggests that the NBA may have successfully headed off one of the biggest scandals in the history of sports.

You know, I think I finally figured out what the NBA is. There is another "sport"

out there that involves fake refs and staged competition. Another federation of athletes that sold away the legitimacy of their sport in favor of higher entertainment values. They have colorful casts of characters who perform every night even though the script already says who is going to win and who is going to lose.

The NBA is the WWE with a ball.