National Signing Day: I don't get it, but I understand it

I have kind of a Chris Rock outlook on National Signing Day: I'm not saying we should be following the every whim of these high school recruits, but I understand it.

It's college football's hot stove. And when your team or school finishes disappointingly - as Michigan did, for instance - you want some hope to look forward to. So I get why MGoBlog and Michigan Sports Center cover this stuff so closely. (And if you're into it, they both did a really good job.) What happened yesterday could have a direct bearing on several football seasons to come - though perhaps not for two to three years down the line.

I'm not saying I do it, but I understand it.

Actually, I look in on it, too. I remember being excited when Charles Woodson committed to Michigan, and I was intrigued by this little guy out of Syracuse who put up gargantuan rushing totals, but besides those occasional exceptions, I just can't get too worked up about it. So many things can change.

But this recruiting period seemed especially overblown - at least locally. This whole thing with Ronald Johnson - he's coming to Michigan; no wait, it's Michigan State; hang on, his mom wants him to go to Florida; there was some e-mail; wait a minute, he committed to USC? - exposed the insanity of this entire process.

How many of us have ever even seen this kid play, and we're waiting for his next move like it's an episode of 24. This stuff dominated local message boards, blogs, and to a lesser extent, sports talk radio. It was out of control.

And it might be even worse when sour grapes are added to the mix. Red flags, sirens, and warnings were flashing all around Illinois' stash of highly touted high school prospects. How did a coach with a 4-19 record get his school to finish among the top 15 recruiting classes (whatever that even means)?

Well, Ron Zook could just be working his ass off, as Mark Schlabach details at ESPN.com. That's possible, isn't it? A coach works in a state rich with Midwestern football talent, sees a chance to succeed in his conference, and decides to live and breathe his job, knowing that with a little more effort, he can make some strides. Is that really such an outlandish concept?

No, he must be cheating, according to a former Big Ten coach (who just might be nursing a grudge). At least that's what he sure as hell implied in yesterday's New York Times.

John L. Smith, who was recently dismissed as the head coach at Michigan State, expressed a view shared privately by many rival coaches and recruiters: “If they had a winning program and all of that, it would be a different deal. If they had the greatest facilities in the world, then maybe they could sell them. But what are they selling?”

He added, “Where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire.”

Tony Kornheiser said it perfectly on "Pardon the Interruption" yesterday. If John L. knows something incriminating about Zook's recruiting methods, he should have the balls to just come right out and say it, instead of playing coy behind a cliche. If he's worried about jeopardizing his chances at future employment, then just drink a hot cup of Shut the #@$% Up, and don't talk to the NY Times about this stuff. Nothing like continuing to embarrass yourself, Coach.

What is Zook selling? How about a chance to play immediately, in a prominent BCS conference, in which you're virtually guaranteed to get at least two or three of your games nationally televised each season? How about sitting on a potential gold mine of media exposure, playing just outside the #3 market? How about the head coach pointing to the current national champions, and telling a kid, "Hey, I built that team!"

Is any of that just not possible? Or am I being adorably naive? Maybe I don't understand it, after all.

I suppose I can just fall back on an old stand-by and blame ESPN for all this. How much air time and bandwidth did they devote to National Signing Day yesterday?

Happy Hour 01/09: The Best News Ypsilanti's Ever Received

After last night's national championship game, in which Florida crushed the Buckeyes and heard the lamentations of their women, it's difficult to imagine that anyone would take issue with the Gators being the undisputed #1 team in the country.

Well, except for that dip$#!+ who gave his vote to Boise State. Someone always has to be the contrarian. Look, Greg Archuleta of the Albuquerque Journal, the Broncos' victory over Oklahoma was impressive. Before last night, it's all any college football fan was talking about. And yes, they finished their season undefeated. I'm all for making a statement. But hey, this is the system we're stuck with until at least 2010, Norma Rae.

Anyway, the people over at The Serious Tip applied some fuzzy math (which I understand about as well as regular math) to the BCS standings, and shook it all about. After looking at the various contenders and their most significant losses, the bouncing ball can be followed all the way down to... Eastern Michigan?

Say what? Well, see - the Eagles beat Toledo. It was the only game they won the entire season, but don't think about that. Think about the teams that Toledo beat. Yet the Rockets went down to old EMU. Ergo (and man, I've always wanted to use that in a blog post), they're really the best team in the country.

So hats off to you, Eastern Eagles! You're the best and you didn't even know it. Maybe the athletic department can use this fuzzy math to try and get some people to Rynearson Stadium next fall. Otherwise, it's a nice, quiet place to study during mid-terms.

(via Deadspin)

The Gator Chomp of Affirmation

Oh, right - so that's why they play the game. Wow.

As if I didn't already feel foolish enough for protesting Florida's bid for the national championship game after Michigan's performance in the Rose Bowl, the Gators' upset annihilation of Ohio State has me reassessing whether or not I actually know anything about college football.

41-14. And it wasn't even that close. I know you can't take away Ted Ginn's touchdown to begin the game. It obviously counts. But when you consider that the Buckeyes offense only managed seven points on the Gator defense, the result seems that much more shocking.

The idea that I or anyone else briefly considered that the game might be an Ohio State rout, with Ginn scoring so quickly, seemed utterly laughable just minutes later when Florida scorched right down the field to tie the game.

And that's really as close as this ever was. Didn't Jim Tressel seem to concede the game by opting to go for it on 4th-and-1 from his own 29-yard-line? You expect that kind of play-calling from a Detroit Lions coach. It was only a 10-point game at that point, but Tressel's decision acknowledged how desperate the situation had become.

Was Tressel thinking he had to get some more points before halftime? Was he trying to keep his defense off the field? If so, he ended up applying more pressure by giving Florida the ball 29 yards away from the end zone. Who the hell knows? I'm not even sure Tressel does right now. Fortunately, Ohio State only yielded a field goal, which prevented the decision from completely exploding in his face. But that was really besides the point. This thing was over.

Unless you were a Gators fan or some kind of Buckeyes masochist, I'm not sure why you tuned in for the second half. Well, I kept watching. But I wanted to see if Florida might post 60 on the scoreboard. It certainly looked possible.

Florida's game plan was simply masterful. It was like Urban Meyer and his staff had spent the past five weeks locked away in a situation room with transparent dry-erase boards, radar screens, sophisticated super jumbo computers, and three-dimensional digital schematics turning back and forth on high-definition monitors. Meanwhile, back in Columbus, Tressel and crew were in smoky offices, watching grainy film from rickety projectors and mapping out plays on chalkboards.

The Gators had an answer for everything. On offense, a receiver was open on seemingly every play, and Chris Leak calmly found him for a big gain. Over on defense, linebackers and defensive ends rocketed past blockers - if they were blocked at all - and were in Troy Smith's face before he could even complete his dropback.

Could you have blamed Smith if he'd left his Heisman Trophy on the field, shrieked "Here! Take it!" and just run back to Columbus to hide? Was this really the same guy that looked oh-so-unbeatable this season - especially against Michigan? Not when he was battered around like a pinball. Even when he had time in the pocket (which was rare), Smith rushed his throws in anticipation of the pressure.

Had we really been poking fun at Meyer over the past month-and-a-half for his campaigning and politicking? "Urban Cryer"? "Urban Whiner"? Holy $#!+, are you kidding? Sure, I was hoping that Ohio State would wipe that pompous smirk right off his face. Too bad he smacked us right in the mouth, essentially giving the finger to anyone and everyone who dared question his team's bona fides. This was the sweetest affirmation for Meyer, who showed that he belongs among those master tacticians who can come up with anything, given a month to prepare.

Also drinking the wine of affirmation was Leak, who'd spent much of the past two years as the proverbial square peg trying to fit into a round hole. It never seemed like he was the right guy for Meyer's rootin'-tootin'-spread-option scheme. There has been plenty written about how the coach had to shake his quarterback out of his comfort zone to make him a better leader and teammate. And this year, Leak had the added pressure of staving off the chosen one, Tim Tebow. But he held his ground and asserted himself, living up to the promise he showed throughout his career in Gainesville. It was the kind of ending you love to see for a guy like this, who just clamped down on his mouthpiece and kept fighting.

So I'm done. My hands are held up in surrender. The white flag is waving. I feel like a jackass for ever expressing outrage that voters put Florida in the national title game by finding reasons not to support Michigan, rather than touting the Gators' virtues. Such arguments seem incredibly foolish today. I'd better start studying for next season. These BCS match-ups have shown me I still have a lot of learning to do about college football. And that's what makes this thing so fun. If we knew how it was all going to turn out, why would we bother watching?

A Nick Saban in training?

This might be an unfair comparison to make, but when I heard the news last night that the Atlanta Falcons had hired Louisville's Bobby Petrino to be their new head coach, the first thing thought I had was, "Another Nick Saban in the making."

No, he hasn't moved around quite as much as Saban. At least not yet. I realize that coaching careers are typically nomadic, as you jump from staff to staff, trying to build your resume. But now that Petrino's made the jump from a college head coaching job to the NFL, let's see what happens.

If there's been a job opening at a school in a major conference or in the NFL, Petrino's probably been mentioned as a candidate. (Of course, this doesn't mean he actually expressed interest in the job.)

Ole Miss? Notre Dame? Florida? Washington? LSU? A particular highlight was when the Auburn athletic department snuck behind Tommy Tuberville's back to offer Petrino his job back in 2003. And last year, Al Davis offered Petrino the Oakland Raiders job (more than once), which he turned down.

If you signed up to play for Petrino at Louisville, how does it feel when your coach is attached to another job every other week? Is that just a part of doing business these days? Or do you go to a school with the hope and expectation that the man who convinced you to play for him will be there throughout your college career?

Meanwhile, the Cardinals athletic department did everything it could, burying Petrino in extra money and contract years, to get their coach to stay. Just last summer, he signed a 10-year, $25-million extension with the school. And this year, Louisville looked like a program that could (along with the Big East conference) possibly establish a presence in college football for years to come. (Would John L. Smith have left Louisville for Michigan State if he knew what might happen four years later?)

So much for that. You have to pounce while you're hot, right? Nick Saban did the same thing when he left both MSU and LSU. No one sticks around for 15-20 years anymore. Petrino has obviously kept an eye on the NFL since working in Jacksonville as an offensive coordinator, so when Atlanta offered virtually the same amount of money with half the years, he figured it was time to bolt.

I'm kind of surprised the Falcons didn't hire Ken Whisenhunt or Cam Cameron. Those guys have shown they're creative enough to do something with Michael Vick. But maybe Whisenhunt's staying with the Steelers, and Cameron could be busy with the Chargers for up to another month. And Petrino is known for innovative and explosive offenses. Anyway, they seem pretty happy with the hire in Atlanta.

However, given the recent success rate of college coaches going to the NFL, if you're an athletic director, keeping Petrino on your list might not be a bad idea. He might be available in the next couple of years, after deciding that the pros just aren't suited for him.

The Flogged Irish

I meant to tick off a list of everything that was bugging me about the BCS - specifically the various reasons cited for Michigan not being in the championship game - just before Christmas, but 1) it got lost in the holiday crunch, 2) to pick it up now feels like sour grapes, and 3) after the Rose Bowl, really - what would be the point?

But I do want to pick up one of those points in light of Notre Dame getting their clovers smashed by LSU in the Sugar Bowl Wednesday night.

One of the more popular arguments for Michigan not being voted into the BCS title game was that the Wolverines didn't win their conference. And I was willing to accept that as a rationale, until you consider how easily it would've fallen apart had Florida lost in the SEC championship game to Arkansas. Then it would've exposed as an arbitrary reason.

So my question is this: If winning the conference is suddenly so important (and yes, of course it means something - I don't want to dismiss that), then why should the BCS accept any non-conference champions as at-large teams?

Is it to even out the number of teams at eight, so there can be four match-ups? Is it to allow for those teams that had impressive records in a given season, yet had the misfortune of playing in an extremely tough conference?

Or is it really just to keep the door open for Notre Dame when they have a worthy record (regardless of whether or not it's artificially inflated by a weak schedule)?

Even when the match-ups were announced, it was clear that the Fighting Irish didn't belong. A rule restricting conferences to only two participants kept the far more deserving Wisconsin and Auburn off the BCS carousel. And maybe a fair bit of politicking from Charlie Weis a few weeks beforehand.

But Notre Dame had the name. ("The university of football in America," as Tony Kornheiser often nauseatingly refers to Notre Dame on Pardon the Interruption.) A supposedly good record. The golden boy quarterback - destined for #1 NFL draft pick status - that surely would've won the Heisman Trophy if only he hadn't been completely exposed against the only good teams he faced. The supposedly genius coach that sends Brent Musberger TV announcers and analysts reaching for towels to wipe up all of their awe-stricken drool.

So how did that end up working out for the BCS? 41-14? That almost made Michigan's effort against USC look competitive.

Brady Quinn looked like a quarterback who needs absolutely everything to go right for him to succeed. While on the other side, JaMarcus Russell was that rare football player who could impose his will on the game with his variety of talents. NFL scouts and general manager had to be re-evaluating their draft boards, taking note of Russell's size, athleticism, and arm strength. You think that kid's skipping the NFL scouting combines? All he needs to do is pass out a tape of that 58-yard touchdown pass he launched on the run.

[Pardon me for the brief digression. I couldn't resist making a suggestion or two to the Detroit Lions, who inexplicably beat the Dallas Cowboys to lose the #1 overall draft pick. It's probably a moot point, since they'll likely never have a chance at drafting Russell now, regardless of whether or not they need him. C'mon - why the #@$% did they bother winning that game?!? Ahem.]

Boise State's thrilling victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl (a game I couldn't bring myself to watch because I was so disgusted with football after the Rose Bowl) has a lot of people touting the virtues of the BCS, but that just makes me wonder why conferences like the WAC and MAC aren't part of the sock-hop to begin with.

Yes, runners-up in the "big" college football powerhouses are likely better than the champions of such mid-major conferences. But can we really be sure about that these days? Boise State and Utah have made quite a case for the WAC in recent years. And really, could any of those schools from the lesser-known conferences really perform any worse than what we saw from Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl?

▪▪ Meanwhile, back in South Bend, Charlie Weis is having a grand ol' time taking shots at Nick Saban while denying he's a candidate for the New York Giants head coaching job that will surely be open after the Giants lose to the Eagles in their wild-card playoff game on Sunday.

Anyone want to be Weis somehow inexplicably scores a raise and extension out of this? After all, he's got himself a program to rebuild.

The Slick Nick Road Show continues

Is anyone really shocked at Nick Saban's smash-and-dash to Tuscaloosa yesterday? It already has to be the least surprising development in the oh-so-fresh-and-young 2007.

This is what the man does. Any Michigan State fan could tell you that. It seemed like he had one foot out the door with a phone to his ear during his entire four-year stay in East Lansing. Saban also showed how sneaky he could be when he insisted that he didn't meet with anyone in New York about the Giants' head-coaching job. See, he actually met with them in New Jersey.

To be fair, however, though it looked like Saban left MSU hanging when he bolted for LSU, it's been revealed in the seven years since his departure that the school's administration was playing games with him and his contract.

LSU catered to Saban's ego, made him feel wanted, and offered him an opportunity to be the top dog in an area with fertile talent - something he was likely never going to be in Michigan. (And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Saban's contract made him the highest-paid coach in college football.)

Obviously, it turned out to be the right decision. Saban proved just how good a coach he could be by winning the 2003 national title. Yet a year later (after trying for a championship repeat), he was loading up the moving trucks, bound for Miami.

I'm not nearly as familiar with the situation in Baton Rouge, but I'm sure the pattern was similar enough. Rumors of Saban leaving for the NFL began to persist, while he insisted he wasn't going anywhere. Maybe he talked about his love for LSU, and how Baton Rouge was the best place for his family. He'd won the national championship and recruits continued to stream in - why would he go anyplace else?

Of course, a big, fat contract ($5 million per year) from Wayne Huizenga and the promise of total control over football operations can do a lot to change a man's mind.

Maybe it was time for Saban to go, anyway. What more could he achieve? He put in five years. He got a national title. It could only go downhill from there, right? Coaches typically have nomadic resumes, but Saban's (especially with his time in the NFL) seemed to indicate that he wasn't too interested in hunkering down in one place for 10-15 years. He's a mercenary football coach. And if you've got the money, Slick Nick is interested.

Sure, he'll act offended at such a notion. How can he maintain credibility with his players while preaching the virtues of integrity and character?

Back in his office, however, he apparently just can't say no when someone begins flirting. Saban's like that man or woman you know who's happily married, with seemingly everything you could want (house, kids, great job, etc.), yet feels the need to go to the bar (wedding ring tucked away in pocket, of course) to see if he or she still "has it."

And that's what's so outrageous about his behavior over the past week. You've heard the sound bites on TV and sports talk radio constantly over the past 24 hours.

"I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. ... I don't control what people say. I don't control what people put on dot-com or anything else. So I'm just telling you there's no significance, in my opinion, about this..."

Hey, he's not going anywhere! So quit asking him about it! He's looking at you dead in the eye and telling you how it stands, man! Why are you even bringing this stuff up?!

Yet once again, back in his office, he's setting up interviews with the University of Alabama. Oh, just to hear what they have to say, right? Please. Anyone who's familiar with Saban's history knows that he was leaving the Dolphins as soon as that meeting was scheduled. Otherwise, why not just say no? Wait a minute - how much money was the Crimson Tide offering?

And there you go. It's that kind of phony indignation, saying one thing while clearly intending another, that has people so outraged. Even the Miami Herald's reporters, filing supposedly unbiased news stories, couldn't help but let some of their cynicism and venom sneak into their prose. (Even Dan Le Batard was apoplectic, and he lets everyone off the hook. Oh, if only Saban had been busted with guns or steroids. Or decided to take a marijuana-fueled sabbatical. Then he'd probably be "misunderstood" in Le Batard's eyes.)

Sure, it's not entirely about the money. (But c'mon, let's be real here.) It's about control, being able to mold a program to suit your beliefs. It's about having a true position of authority over 18-to-23-year-olds, and forging boys into men, as opposed to catering to adults raking in a ton of cash from professional contracts.

But it's also about being perceived as a savior, which is obviously intoxicating to Saban. Alabama is a historically elite college football program that has consistently shot itself in the foot looking for the next Bear Bryant. (While I'm at it, why did they fire Gene Stallings? Was one national title not enough?)

The possibility of being the guy to finally bring glory back to Alabama - along with $32 million, of course - was just too good to turn down. Especially when it appears that Saban was in over his head in the NFL. (Maybe that mess-up with instant replay in Week 1 this season told us all we needed to know.) College football clearly suits him better.

But kudos to Alabama. They got the best guy we didn't (but should've) realize was available, and it will be worth the trouble. Saban will very likely bring another national championship to Tuscaloosa. He's very good at what he does; just look at his record. However, it's worth noting this to Tide fans: If you think Slick Nick is sticking around for the duration of that eight-year contract, you haven't been paying attention. You'll learn. Oh, you'll learn.

The Woes Bowl

[Presented by $#!++y - football, that is...]

Well, I don't know about you, but I certainly feel like an idiot for dragging out the pitchforks and torches after Michigan was left out of the BCS championship game.

The Nelson Muntz-like "HA-has" emanating from Columbus, Gainesville and Los Angeles would've kept me up most of the night, if I hadn't already tired myself out from grinding my teeth and nearly smashing anything and everything with a block "M" on it.

I think I'm old enough now to consider myself a "long-time" Michigan football fan, and that giant turd the Wolverines left in Pasadena yesterday might have been the worst performance I've ever seen from the maize-and-blue. Especially considering the circumstances and expectations leading up to the Rose Bowl.

One of the best teams in the country? Deserving to play Ohio State for the national championship over Florida? Are you #@$%ing kidding me?

Unfortunately, Michigan's gotten their collective asses kicked in bowl games before. The two poundings that immediately come to my mind are the 1992 Rose Bowl against Washington and the 2002 Capital One Bowl vs. Tennessee. They were completely overmatched in those games, with the players looking slow and sloppy, and the coaching staff embarrassingly outwitted.

But I'm not sure either of those games were as bad as this.

Michigan looked like a team that sat back for five weeks and got pudgy and soft, feasting on all of the adoration and outrage that had been expressed on their behalf. Despite all of the talk from the players beforehand about wanting to prove they were the best and becoming the second team in school history to win 12 games, they acted as if their case had already been made, so why bother showing up to play USC?

And I've defended Lloyd Carr for years to naysayers, but you have to pin this one right on the coaching staff. (Yes, Brent Musberger - here comes one of those bloggers.) Did they not come up with anything new during the past five weeks? I suppose when you're going into your bowl game with an 11-1 record and the belief that you should be playing for the national championship, you don't have to do anything differently.

Meanwhile, the coaches across the field looked like happy-go-jumpy football geniuses on the other sideline, intent on showing that the loss to UCLA was a total aberration.

And most importantly, after both teams just kept banging heads against one another, like rams on a mountaintop, Pete Carroll and his staff gave up on trying to run the ball and decided to attack a Michigan secondary that didn't have the talent or the game plan to match USC's receivers.

Is it possible that Leon Hall and Willis Barringer heard what Keyshawn Johnson said about Dwayne Jarrett not being ready for the NFL, and decided to help the guy out? Sure looked that way. Awfully generous of those young men, but maybe the Rose Bowl wasn't the best time for that kind of philanthropy.

I tend to roll my eyes whenever fans or sports talk radio hosts complain that adjustments weren't made at halftime, because that's just often used as a catch-all phrase to hide behind when you really can't point out a problem. But that seems entirely appropriate in criticizing Michigan's approach in the second half yesterday. It's like the coaches had no idea what else to do once it was obvious that their game plan wasn't going to work. "$#!+, fellas - That's all we got. What do we do now?!" They truly let their players down yesterday, especially on offense.

I'm not a big fan of Bob Davie's work on ABC (especially back in the days he was paired with Mark Jones on ESPN and they seemed to call every play "a jailbreak screen"), but he made the outcome seem pretty clear when talking about the big flaw in the zone running game. If the scheme isn't working, you're in trouble. You're either running left or running right. There aren't many adjustments that can be made. You can't suddenly draw up some counters, draws, or toss plays.

Oops! Heh-heh. Yeah, about that... I'm sure Mike Hart and his 47 yards rushing would be happy to confirm that for all of us.

By the way, does Michigan's passing game have the same sort of limitations? Because they didn't seem to change much against that USC pass rush. No three-step drops. No quick slants or seam patterns. No changes in pass protections. The best work Michigan did against the blitz was when the Trojans decided to stop blitzing and go into a prevent scheme.

And now something that looked so promising, perhaps a fresh direction for the University of Michigan football program, goes from the new hotness to old and busted in less than two months. Three straight years with losses to Ohio State and a bowl opponent. Four consecutive bowl losses. And it all looks so same 'ol, same 'ol.

If Lloyd Carr earned a free pass and some goodwill from starting the season 11-0, he may just have burned that up, whether it's deserved or not. And Ron English can probably put any resumes he'd been sending out for head coaching positions back on the shelf. Hopefully, he's on the phone right now, buttering up some new defensive backs. Or drawing up some schemes that can defend the deep pass.

August is a long way away, right? I might need until then to bleach the memory of this debacle out of my eyes and mouth. That was truly revolting. And I'm not sure I've ever said that about a Michigan team after a loss.

One hell of a West Side Story

Here's the football story I should've focused on yesterday, instead of flogging the Detroit Lions yet again (which isn't even fun anymore):

Congratulations to the Grand Valley State University football team for winning their second straight Division II national championship on Saturday.

If you're keeping count - and we really should be, at this point - that is four national titles in five years for the Lakers. They've won 66 games in that same time span.

Since GVSU plays in a Division II forest, however, not enough people have bothered to hear the trees that have fallen. But when a program keeps making the kind of noise that the Lakers have, it attracts attention. Even here on the east side of Michigan - where the "big boys" play - we have to turn west toward the little town of Allendale and take notice.

This is just too good a run of success to ignore. Slap the "dynasty" bumper stickers on the GVSU football wagon. It's more than well deserved.

Coach Brian Kelly built the championship foundation during his 13 years at GVSU (and has since moved on up the Division I ladder, first at Central Michigan, and now at Cincinnati). But his successor, Chuck Martin, hardly dropped the keys when Kelly handed them over at the end of 2003. He may have initially felt the pressure of maintaining the excellence that had been established, but has since emphatically carved out his own legacy.

Back in the summer, I wrote a feature on GVSU for Motor City Sports Magazine, and was able to interview Coach Martin. His honesty about the expectations he had to deal with - especially as a first-time head coach - was pleasantly surprising. But it was also pretty clear that building upon the success that preceded him had given him a great deal of pride and confidence.

(Of course, I'm also extremely grateful that he was patient with me, as some of my questions had made it apparent that I hadn't watched GVSU play very much. Thanks, Coach.)

The great fans at gvfootball.com posted my article on its forums when the article was published in August, which was really cool. I received some really kind e-mails from people who read the piece. Unfortunately, I never was able to make it out to Allendale this fall and follow up on the generous offers of tours and tailgates. Maybe next year, guys? I really do want to see some GVSU football up close.

You can read the article after the jump. Congratulations again to the GVSU football team, and thanks to Coach Martin for his time earlier this summer.

Read "A Grand Brand of Football"

Motor City Sports Magazine
August 2006 Issue
p. 64

A Grand Brand of Football
By Ian Casselberry

There’s something special happening on the west side of Michigan. And it’s becoming too good to ignore. Three national championships in the last four seasons. Fifty-one victories within that same time span, tying an NCAA record.

It’s the kind of record that the bigger schools across the state yearn for. It’s a run of success — of dominance — that fans and alumni in Ann Arbor and East Lansing expect from their gridiron programs. But the best college football you might not know about is being played at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, a small town approximately 12 miles west of Grand Rapids.

One of nine Michigan schools in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Grand Valley State University has asserted itself as a football powerhouse. And after years of close-but-not-quite finishes, the Lakers finally find themselves on top. And they have no intentions of slipping from the pedestal they fought so hard to climb onto.

In 2005, the Lakers capped an undefeated season with their third NCAA Division II national title. It’s a result the fans in Allendale have come to expect from their football team.

“They expect you to win every game,” says head coach Chuck Martin, “and win by a lot.” Martin, now in his third year leading the GVSU program, took over for Brian Kelly, who left for the head coaching position at Central Michigan in late 2003, following two consecutive national championships. Having served as Kelly’s defensive coordinator, Martin was fully aware of the expectations he had to fulfill.

“It was difficult because I’d never been a head coach before,” Martin says. “But it was easier for someone on the inside, with some experience to draw upon.”

The Lakers went 10-3 in Martin’s first season, losing in the playoff quarterfinals at North Dakota. But as disappointing as that was, Martin knew his team faced more adversity than it could realistically overcome.

“Health was a factor,” he says. “We had seven starters out for the ’04 playoffs.”

So how did Grand Valley State become a Division II football power? Look no further than the school’s administration.

“The university invested in athletics,” says 1999 GVSU graduate Ryan Maguire, program director and afternoon drive-time host at WTKA-AM 1050. “There was a renewed commitment from [Athletic Director] Tim Selgo in marketing the program, and upgrading its facilities.”

Under Selgo’s term as athletic director, the Lakers’ sports teams have thrived, winning three straight Directors’ Cups, awarded by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the best overall athletics program in the country. And GVSU football has been a chief beneficiary of Selgo’s resolve.

On his watch, the football stadium has increased its seating capacity to 8,550, installed lights, incorporated a new weight room, and added executive suites, along with a video display scoreboard. And the GVSU Football Center, just outside the stadium, has been expanded by 4,000 feet.

“It’s on par with any university,” Maguire says. “It’s a showplace for recruits now.”

But sleek weight rooms and glitzy scoreboards can’t do it alone. To build a top-notch football program at a school this size, there’s another critical ingredient — talent. To find it, GVSU has seized upon an influx of transfers from Division I programs who opt for immediate playing time, rather than serving an apprenticeship behind entrenched upperclassmen.

Of course, when you’ve been as successful as the Lakers have the past few seasons, it’s a lot easier to register on the radar of high school athletes, especially when your postseason games are broadcast on national television.

“We’re pretty well-known now,” Martin says.

A vast majority of GVSU’s talent base comes from Michigan, and the coaching staff focuses its recruiting efforts largely within the state. But the school’s increased exposure has allowed Martin and his coaches to expand their scope, reaching throughout the Midwest, and even down to Florida.

So what can be expected from the Grand Valley State football team in 2006? Ask the other coaches in the GLIAC, who voted the Lakers No. 1 in their preseason poll.

Among the Lakers’ returning starters is senior defensive lineman Mike McFadden, who won last season’s Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award. McFadden recorded a sack in every one of GVSU’s games in 2005, finishing the season with 19, tied for first in the nation. And with 29 for his career, McFadden’s next sack will give him the most in school history.

Leading the offense is senior quarterback Cullen Finnerty, whose résumé includes a 36-4 career record and two national titles. With 22 touchdowns passing last season, Finnerty is a force to be reckoned with. He’s also a threat to run the ball, leading the team with nine rushing touchdowns, and finishing second with 523 yards on the ground.

Also returning is senior running back Astin Martin, who runs just about as well as his automotive namesake, finishing with 1,419 yards last season. And Eric Fowler, one of Finnerty’s favorite targets, is back, too. The senior wide receiver caught six scoring passes in 2005.

On defense, the focus is on the one word that should make any defensive coordinator’s engine rev: Turnovers. And the defensive unit kept its coaches’ spirits in overdrive, forcing 28 miscues in 13 games.

Running the football, making big plays, and creating turnovers. No wonder GVSU wins a lot of football games. And the fans in Allendale turn out in big numbers to show their support. In five home games in 2005, attendance at Lubbers Stadium exceeded 10,000 four times — well above capacity. For two of those games, more than 14,000 fans packed themselves in.

The big schools in the state have taken notice. In November 2004, Michigan Stadium hosted a game between GVSU and Michigan Tech in front of 50,000 fans. Metro Detroit fans can join in the fun this season, too. GVSU will travel to Wayne State in late September for a conference game. And after watching the Lakers in action, you might find yourself looking outside the Big Ten and the MAC for quality college football.

“Give it a chance,” Maguire says. “You might enjoy it.”

The man behind the trophy

It might be a bit late in the day for this, but with the Heisman Trophy ceremony tonight (I haven't watched ESPN today, but surely they have a countdown running somewhere), I thought I'd link to the profile of the man the trophy takes its name from in yesterday's New York Times.

Obviously, to get such an award named after him, John Heisman would have to have been an important man in the history and development of American football. But if you're like me, and didn't know much about what he was responsible for, it's pretty interesting stuff.

Heisman contributed many innovations to the game, things we take for granted now. But can you imagine football without:

▪▪ The forward pass?

▪▪ The game being divided into quarters?

▪▪ The center snap?

▪▪ Yelling "Hike!"?

▪▪ Calling an audible at the line of scrimmage?

▪▪ A scoreboard?

Another intriguing aspect of Heisman's story is that he was staunchly opposed to the Downtown Athletic Club's annual award for the best college football player in the country being named after him. He also didn't like the idea of giving such an honor to a single player in a team sport.

Once Heisman passed away in 1936, however, the D.A.C. named the trophy after him.

The article's definitely worth checking out, even though I just gave away most of the factoids. At the very least, it'll give you something to read while ESPN tries to kill an hour before ceding to inevitability and giving the Heisman trophy to Troy Smith.

42 points by Troy Smith on the wall...

42 points. Take 'em down, pass 'em around...

That's the thing I can't get over. You can say Michigan just ran out of time and the last team to have the ball was going to win. (Did you like their chances to tie the game or even take lead had they recovered that onside kick?) You can point to missed tackles or overthrown passes. You can wonder how helmet-to-helmet hits on quarterbacks outside the pocket should be interpreted by the referees.

You could even sound like the sorest of losers, like the moron caller I heard on WTKA after the game who blamed Ohio Stadium's shoddy turf for the Wolverines' loss. (Fortunately, that guy seems to be in the smallest of minorities.)

But ultimately, it comes down to 42 points. You can't expect to win a game giving up that many points. (Unless you're, say, the San Diego Chargers.) And if you watched the Michigan defense all season long (well, except the game that was on ESPNU), you wouldn't have predicted it to yield six touchdowns.

39 points - on the road, with that defense - should be enough to win a game. And against any other team in the country, that number on the scoreboard probably would've been enough. Mike Hart pushed through the first tackle, and looked as fast and nimble as I've ever seen him. Chad Henne may have played his best game at quarterback. (But ooooohhhh, if he only could've connected with Mario Manningham on that pass down the sideline in the first quarter.)

But Ohio State was expected to be be an offensive juggernaut coming into 2006 - with two fantastic wide receivers (make that four?), two spectacular running backs, and the best player in the country taking the snap at quarterback - and in the course of three-and-a-half hours, destroyed all the good work Ron English had done with Michigan's defense this season. (I imagine he won't be including this game in his resume once he starts applying for head-coaching jobs.)

Coach English made some good second-half adjustments, finally figuring out how to break the Buckeyes' pass protection and get the blitz into Troy Smith's face. But by then, it may have already been too late. Michigan had already coughed up 28 points, and it fell upon Henne and the flying Wolverines to get the maize-and-blue back in the game.

On The Sporting Noobs Podcast (new episode coming tomorrow!), I said Ohio State would win because of their offense - and more specifically, because of Smith. Kind of a "no duh" statement, I realize, but what I meant was that I thought Michigan could knock around that Buckeyes defense a bit. The real test of strength would pit the supposedly immovable object of the Michigan defense against the irresistable force of Ohio State's offense. I just didn't expect quite so big an explosion after the collision. (My prediction, by the way, was Ohio State 31, Michigan 26. I just felt Smith would find a way to win the game - as he had the previous two years.)

But Michigan picked the worst possible day to start giving up the big play. And that was the difference in the game. Chris Wells' 52-yard run. A 39-yard pass to Ted Ginn. Antonio Pittman's 56-yard run. All for touchdowns. Michigan had some big plays of their own, but the Ohio State offense was just relentless. Even when it looked like the Wolverines defense had everything covered, Roy Hall or Brian Robiskie found a sliver of open space in a corner of the end zone, and of course, Smith didn't miss them. He really didn't miss anything.

After the season ends, I'm sure we'll once again hear all the talk about how Jim Tressel owns Lloyd Carr in this rivalry. And 1-5 is a difficult number to argue against. But I'm not so sure it's a question of Tressel owning Carr. I think it's more that Troy Smith owns Michigan. I'm not sure I've ever looked more forward to an opposing player graduating than Smith. And I hate saying that, because it seems like such a lame admission of defeat.

But Michigan just can't beat this guy. And I felt that way the entire game. The only thing that was surprising to me is that he never made Michigan pay by running the ball. But he also never had to. His development as a quarterback over his four years at Ohio State has been truly impressive. (I would've said it was a joy to witness, if so much of that growth hadn't taken place at Michigan's expense.) Obviously, Smith is fresh in my mind, clouding my long-term memory, but I can't think of any other players who I both hated and greatly admired at the same time.

(And this doesn't even need to be said, but if anyone but Smith wins the Heisman Trophy, the damn thing should be melted down and used to make doorknobs, and never given out to anyone ever again.)

Now, the current sensation sweeping the nation is the question of whether or not Michigan deserves another shot at Smith and the Buckeyes. Right now, I'm standing on the side labeled "No Rematch." It's not that I wouldn't like to see Michigan play Ohio State again on a neutral field. Despite all the breakdowns, belated adjustments, and missed opportunities that plagued the Wolverines on Saturday, they still only lost by three points and fought the Buckeyes hard until the very end. And that was in Columbus.

I like their chances if they were to play Ohio State again in Arizona, and sure as hell wouldn't complain if the BCS roulette wheel hit Michigan's number on December 3 and set up that rematch. And yes, I'm biased - but I think Michigan is better than USC, Florida and Arkansas (and we already know they're 26 points better than Notre Dame). So if they're the second-best team in the country at the end of the regular season, it stands to reason they should play in the Fiesta Bowl.

But if you were among the people who said that Saturday's game was the de facto national championship game, well, Michigan had its shot and lost. On the day their defense had to play its best, it gave up 42 points. And the disappointment from that and the sadness over likely the most emotional day in Michigan football history are the emotions I can't move past right now. They're too fresh in my mind.

Of course, I could change my mind in a couple of weeks. And you bet your sweet maize-and-blue ass I'll be watching USC-Notre Dame and the SEC championship game to see how it all shakes out. Just hold 'em to 38 this time if you get another shot, boys.

Suddenly, it's just a game

I was getting set to finally write something about tomorrow's game in Columbus (and even my sister - who hardly ever reads my blog - ripped into me last night for not writing about Michigan-Ohio State this week), but right now, it doesn't really feel appropriate.


I have a couple of memories of Bo Schembechler that I'd like to share, one of which is particularly special because it involves my father. Dad loved Michigan football and admired Bo greatly. And at some point, I really want to write about that. But not today.

Rest in peace, Bo.

Help a sweaty man?

Okay, my friends - I am holding out my hands to you, the readers of Sweaty Men Endeavors, hoping for some help. I am only one man, and this World Wide Web is a vast expanse, spanning... well, the world. Widely.

I've spent the better part of a week futilely searching for what I need, but feel like a man who's trying to find his glasses in the ocean. Maybe it doesn't exist, but it's more than likely that I just don't know what to look for.

What I'm hoping to find is a college football equivalent to a Baseball Almanac or Retrosheet, a site that documents the game's history - game accounts, box scores, rosters, etc. - and would provide mucho information to a curious young man. Such a person might be, for example, trying to do some research for an article.

Sure, I could get up off my ass and head to a library. And I intend to do that this weekend. But I've found that in recent years, libraries tend to just send you back to a computer, anyway. So I'm thinking I'll just save myself a trip, if necessary. Plus, I often assume that other people know more about these sorts of things than I do, and a solution is just a mere comment or e-mail away.

So once again, I'm coming to you, seeking aid. Consider this the blog equivalent of a door-to-door plea for assistance. If there's a resource on the internet chock full of history, facts, trivia, and minutia for college football, I'd appreciate you pointing me in the right direction. Thank you in advance.

Musings with your lunch?

Tuna sandwich or chicken salad? Anyone have thoughts on that? I'm leaning toward the sandwich...

♦ Is it completely lame that I opted for "regular" TV last night, instead of Louisville-Rutgers?

See, I kind of forgot about it. I intended to watch, but last night, I just felt like some fictional laughs and drama before falling asleep. Yes, even though it was a good game (25-22 in the fourth quarter, when I remembered to turn the game on), and I missed a great finish, along with perhaps one of the recent amazing events in college football.

Was that wrong of me? Look, the body clock just can't get attuned to Thursday night college football. Unless it's a bowl game in December or January. (Big Al knows what I'm talking about.)

♦ MLive.com's Danny Knobler is reporting that the Detroit Tigers have what the Yankees could be looking for in a Gary Sheffield trade. (Namely, young utility infielders and starting pitching.) And a deal could be close to happening.

I'm not crazy about this idea. Sheffield's bat would be amazing in the Tigers' lineup. But I don't know where you'd put him on the field, and Sheff doesn't strike me as a guy who'd enjoy playing most of his games at DH. A small problem? Maybe.

The big problem, as I see it, is that Sheffield wants a contract extension. And if he doesn't get it, he's historically pouted, sulked, and dogged it until he's either given what he wants or sent to another team that's willing to meet his demands. (Search for the archives of Buster Olney's ESPN.com blog, if you're interested in some stories on this.)

Does that sound like the kind of guy who'd fit well in Detroit's clubhouse? Do the Tigers seem like a team interested in a potential chemistry killer? If you're nodding yes, I have Dmitri Young holding for you on Line 1 with some thoughts on that subject.

♦ According to the Detroit News, you can scratch Steve Mariucci off your list of potential new coaches at Michigan State. Is that a sigh of relief I hear from Spartan Country, or is that just a gust of wind outside my window? I can't quite tell (though most of my Sparty friends have said they hope Mooch isn't the choice).

The article goes on to tout LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini pretty strongly, though Todd Grantham (who could be the favorite for the job) is the first name listed. I think it's interesting that Pat Shurmur (another favorite, depending who you ask or what you read) isn't even mentioned in the piece.