Know Your Goals: The Big Ten Bowl Lineup for 2010-11

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With realignment around the corner, this could be the last we see of some of these matchups...at least in their current form.  But for now, it's important that we recognize the urgency surrounding the program with regards to making it into one of these games.  There may be some debate on what the number is that Coach Rodriguez has to hit to keep his job....be it 7,8, or 9 wins...but there will be no debate if Ohio State is the last game we play.  No bowl....hello Jim or Les.

The selection order is as follows:


#1  Rose Bowl vs. Pac-10 (1/1/2011)

#2  Capital One Bowl vs. SEC (1/1/2011)

#3  Outback Bowl vs. SEC (1/1/2011)

#4  Gator Bowl vs. SEC (1/1/2011)

#5  Insight Bowl vs. Big 12 (12/28/2010)

#6  Texas Bowl vs. Big 12 (12/29/2010)

#7  Dallas Football Classic vs. Conference USA or Big 12 (1/1/2011)

#8  Little Ceasar's Pizza Bowl vs. MAC (12/26/2010)

A Tale of Two Cities

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The Long Way

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That is the best way I can sum up the 5500 mile journey across the United States...from Ann Arbor to Las Vegas...to Los Angeles and back. The best of the trip occurred in Vegas, the finest in food, entertainment, clubs, and playing blackjack with former college roomates and friends. Winning makes things better as well, and some of us came away with solid paydays.

On the 30th we moved from Vegas to LA, and checked into the Hyatt on Sunset, AKA the "Riot House", with a balcony overlooking the greater LA area. This is where things went downhill for many of us on the trip, as the flu made itself present starting on that evening, and flourished throughout the remainder of the vacation. We passed it around to eachother, and struggled to attend our private New Year's Eve party, the tailgate, and even The Game.

I took no pictures at the tailgate (thanks to JJ for chronicling the event with my camera), drank no alcohol at the tailgate, and shivered my way through four horrible quarters of Michigan football, passing in and out of conciousness as USC put point after point up on the board. USC's 2nd half opening drive was the nail in the coffin, putting them up 21-0 in front of a USC tilted fan base.

So the season ends with a loss, giving USC a piece of the National Championship. Michigan finishes 10-3, and in the top-10 in both polls. Given our talent base, we expected more, but given our quarterback and special teams...we should've expected less.

Thanks again to everyone for the successful tailgating season. Though I was incapacitated, the turnout in Pasedena was amazing...a testament to the strength of the UMTailgate.com family. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and look forward to all of you joining us in our exploits in the coming season.

Your 2003 Michigan Wolverines

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From Beale to Bourbon to 7th Avenue

It was arduous, but well worth it, as the UMTailgate.com tour took the long way to Tampa. Travelling through Stevensville, Memphis, and New Orleans ended the monotony of the straight shot down Wolverine Bowl Game Parkway (A.K.A. I-75). In Tampa, we (Webmaster and Bloomfield) met up with Stephen, Bubba, and Old Frank for a quick tailgate, some souvenir shopping, and a stadium tour. Yes, a stadium tour was warranted before the game. I can't stress enough how much better Raymond-James Stadium (known to the locals as Ray-Jay) is than the Citrus Bowl. Someone needs to swap the position of these bowls in the Big Ten - SEC hierarchy. The food was actually edible, the beer was cold, and the place was clean.

The Strength is in Our Defense?

A shootout at the Outback Bowl ended with victory for the Wolverines. Chris Perry ran for four touchdowns and had just under 200 all-purpose yards. John Navarre threw for over 300 yards. But the game was won by taking care of the football and capitalizing on turnovers. Coupled with opportune offensive conversions, the Wolverines pulled away from the Gators and sealed a 38-30 victory.

The Ohio State University is The National Champion

Stealing the fire from my bowl season enjoyment, the Buckeyes upset the Miami Hurricanes and ended the season 14-0, winning the concensus National Championship of college football. Did you cheer or jeer? Mixed emotions filled the Ann Arbor bar from which I viewed the game. Crossed between rooting for the Big Ten and deep rooted hatred for the Buckeyes, I chose the latter, and explained to those that cheered for the scarlet and grey that if Michigan was in Ohio State's position, the Buckeyes would be rooting against the Wolverines so vehemently that Columbus would have been renamed North Beach. Now that it's over, I'm happy for the Big Ten, and happy that the Wolverines may be able to use what they witnessed as motivation for next season. And we WILL need motivation, as the media will no doubt be hyping the 'high-powered' offense that is returning with two seniors at the two biggest skill positions.

Gutter Ball

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Out-matched Wolverines Embarassed in Citrus Bowl

First, for those that have never made the journey, let me tell you all a little bit about the Citrus Bowl. It is similar to going to a baseball game at old Tiger Stadium. The parking areas are a mix of gravel and grass. Local shops include a 'drug' store, a liquor store, and a pawn shop, and all have bars on the windows. The pagentry of BCS bowl games is missing here. The only thing 'Citrus' available at the Citrus Bowl were small bottles of Tangerine juice, obviously left over from the newly resurrected Tangerine Bowl played a week earlier. The food inside included cheese steak sandwiches, smoked turkey legs, popcorn, and hot dogs. All of the food was of the quality of, in the words of Stephen W., 'a food stand in a 3rd world country'. After we all completed a cheese steak sandwich, a churning buring sensation arose in our stomachs. Luckily, Bubba and I chased our cheese steak sandwich with with the turkey legs, which were obviously leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner at a local soup kitchen. The bacteria in the Turkey legs killed the fungus in the steak (which was not beef by any stretch of the imagination) and we survived. Thank goodness they served beer at the game, as the alcohol further dampened the effects of the food poisoning that we all endured.

Why am I going on an on about the conditions of the Citrus Bowl, and the food there? Because despite all of it's shortcomings, the stadium outshined the Wolverines, as the untalented John Navarre left our outmatched defense on the field the whole game, and Tennessee rolled over the Wolverines 45-17. Perhaps this is the wake-up call we needed, perhaps this will lead to bigger and better things down the road, perhaps John Navarre has started his last game. All of our questions will be answered in a little less than eight months when the Huskies come to town on August 31st.

I hope everyone enjoyed the tailgating season and I thank you all for visiting the site so often. There will be alot of changes on the site before the next season starts. Until then, I hope you all continue to check back to see the winter reunions, spring game, and summer exploits of the upcoming return to Cumberland Lake. Use the message board to keep in touch. I hope to hear from and see you all soon.