Weekend Roundup, Underdog Edition: 8/27/2012

Gameweek?  Gameweek.

• ​It's all on Denard's shoulders.  And with Gardner filling in for Roy Roundtree, it seems we've got a lot riding on the health of a guy that has consistently found himself on the sideline nursing an injury throughout his career.  [ Is Michigan For Real? It's Up to Robinson to Show Us Against Alabama - CBS Sportsline ] 
• ESPN ranks the top 50 teams in college basketball in the last 50 years.  The M cagers come in at lucky #13.  (Little brother is #11)  [ 50 in 50 Series - ESPN.com ]​
• Help mentor your favorite pre-frosh into the world of tailgating!  [ Tailgating 101 for College Freshman - Tailgatingideas.com ]
• Outside of a Michigan home Saturday, I've never seen Pioneer High's parking lot as full as it was Friday night.  Droves of fans came to see the heir apparent to Denard throttle the home team.  [ Defense steals the show from star quarterback Shane Morris as Warren De La Salle dominates Pioneer in 35-7 win - Ann Arbor.com ] ​
• ​Chris Bryant's tibia fracture leaves Michigan with a skeleton crew of backups on the O-Line.  Depth is an issue for this team on many levels...this may be just the beginning of our problems.  Get used to the phrase "the expectation is for the position."  You're gonna hear it a lot.  [ Michigan's offensive line down to five scholarship reserves, all freshmen, after Chris Bryant injury - AnnArbor.com ]
• Crisler is really looking good.  Just don't go too far past it on Stadium Blvd when you visit, because that bridge is still closed.  [ Photo Gallery: August Crisler Center Renovation Updates - UMHoops ]​
• Mgoblog's practice roundup confirms Devin Gardner's full-time move to WR.  He didn't take a snap at QB.  [ Practice Items: Devins Will Catch - MGoBlog.com ] ​
• The 1901 Wolverines football schedule card is up for sale on Ebay.  Michigan went 11-0 that year, their first under Yost, and outscored their opponents 550-0.  [ eBay Watch: Baird Calls Cal & Stanford Yellow (1901) - MVictors ]​
• Rarely do I give props to Purdue, but hey, it's Neil Armstrong.  [ Neil Armstrong - Boilermaker - Boiled Sports ]
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Weekend Roundup... More Polls, Less Sense Edition 8/19/2012

Here's what happened around the internets while you pondered if you should carry extra cash for  your scheduled layover in Minneapolis on the way to Dallas.:

• First up...injury news.  Both Ondre Pipkins and Roy Roundtree had issues this week.  Ondre was part of a scary scene at practice, being carted off with a neck injury.  He made it back to practice later that day, watching from the sideline...sans neck brace.  His return is TBD.  'Tree had his knee scoped, and is expected back for game 1.
• Wojo speaks about the "rivalry" renewed between Michigan and Michigan Agricultural College.  As with any post that involves these two teams, it's the comments section that will really make your day.​
• Bennett at the Big Ten Blog on ESPN runs the gambit of best case / worse case for Michigan's upcoming season.  It's Little Ceasar's Bowl vs. Ohio or the BCS Championship Game vs. USC with a Heisman for Denard.​
• Maize and Brew covers the best of the Big Ten for both Offense and Defense.​
• Holding the Rope has a glorious and comprehensive dissection of the Crimson Tide.​
• Where else would they be?  ESPN College Gameday will kickoff the season in Arlington for Michigan vs. Alabama.​
• And finally an AP poll roundup...  Maize and Blue Nation provides it.  Pollspeak gives you all the numbers.  ESPN gives the Big Ten perspective.  AnnArbor.com studies the mind of the madman that gave us a first place vote.​

Weekend Roundup: Big Ten Meetings Edition 7-30-12

My god it's nearly August.  Jet plane for Jerry's World leaves in less than a month.  Game with defending national champion in 32 days.  Whoa.​

Here's what happened across the internets while you pondered how much it would cost to actually become Batman:​

• ​AnnArbor.com takes a look at Michigan's new roster, which now includes the incoming freshmen.  Of note, everybody is fully embracing the Gittleson plan, packing on pounds and no doubt getting slower, namely Jibreel Black and Craig Roh.  We are about to Lloyd the shit out of this team.  Soon after its release, Mgoblog took that roster and analyzed it like it was their job...which I guess it is.   You wish your job was that cool.
• Denard comes out of games for injuries.  You've seen it.  I've seen it.  His style of play makes it an inevitability.  So it's a good idea to have a good back up.  We have a serviceable one whose abilities have yet to be tapped...and we've decided that he needs to get time at wide receiver.  I guess we've got to appease him before Shane Morris gets here and forces him to switch positions in the name of pro-style philosophies., but does it make sense for THIS season?  Anyway, the Freep says he's busy adjusting to his role.
• From ESPN...Brady speaks at Big Ten Media Days about being the preseason Big Ten favorite, moving Roh and Black, and Will Campbell's abs.
• ​Denard Robinson, whose 3229 rushing yards is just 667 shy of Randle El's Big Ten QB record, spoke at the Big Ten media days.  
• Black Shoe Diaries covers the six top recruits that have decided to reaffirm their verbals to Penn State.  I sympathize ​with what the Penn State blogosphere is going through...it sucks and its not your fault it sucks.  I also appreciate the fact that this is good news for Penn State right now.  I also want to be clear that these six kids will not be signing with Penn State in February.  You'd have to be bat shit crazy to sign up for four years of no bowls, a team short on scholarship athletes, and no ability (short of a fifth year of eligibility) to reap any benefits of your efforts.
• Urban Meyer's camp "Friday Night Lights" debuted in Columbus this weekend.  From the sound of the Eleven Warriors recap, it was a resounding success, and it gave onlookers a chance to gaze upon the horseshoe's new scoreboard and new and louder music.  And the scoreboard wars continue....​
• Boiled Sports presents 2012's pivotal Boilermakers, players that are going to need to step up to get them the success they pine for, which is apparently 8 wins.​
• Derrick Walton, who is about a year from his arrival at Michigan, lead his AAU team to the Adidas Super 64 Championship in Las Vegas on Sunday, and was named the tournament MVP.  UMHoops has more.
• Iowa has beaten Michigan three times in a row, a first in the series that dates back to 1900.  No player our team has beaten Iowa.​..or Michigan State for that matter.  Damn you Rodriguez Years!  Anyway, Hawk Central reminds you of your Hawkeye problem.
• For all things recruiting, you need yourself some UM BBQ.  Maize and Brew covers the event in great detail.​
• People in glass houses are occasionally allowed to throw stones.  So, despite this...I still take great pleasure in this.​  Maybe if Brady and Urban get together they can universally decide not to have their players miss playing time in a closed door meeting.  That way, nobody can talk shit about the other, and Fitz can start in Texas.
• AnnArbor.com covers Brady Hoke's proficiency in night games.  3-0 last year....9-0 in that Ball State miracle year.  Good news considering the schedule is skewed toward the latter part of the day on Saturdays this fall.​
• They're going to let students into the Big House to watch the Cowboys Classic on the big screens.  Very cool.  Good luck keeping the alcohol out of there on a Saturday night on welcome weekend.​
• Jalen Rose will join ESPN College Gameday...the hoops version...this fall along with Bruce Pearl.
• Eleven Warriors doesn't exactly pine for Shane Morris, but they certainly do pine for there own version of this recruiting recruit.​

Championship Sunday Picture Page

Were we always this fired up about regular season titles? I guess I always thought of the Big Ten tournament champion as the Big Ten champion. I felt that way in '98, when Michigan won the inaugural Big Ten tourney. College basketball is a game predicated on tournaments. I'm pretty sure Kentucky didn't cut down the nets Sunday afternoon and declare themselves the regular season National Champion. In March, nobody cares about regular season championships. Nobody that is except a banner-starved fanbase that just wants to hang something from this century and get a ring for the fingers of a couple of un-recruited kids from Indiana.

Banners really mean something around here. We've hung our fair share, as well as unceremoniously taken a few down. The 1986 Big Ten banner and 1989 National Championship banner have remained. But that's getting to be an awfully long time ago. I can remember thinking it was a long time ago when I was here as a student. For a college student today, those banners might as well be from 1956.

But there will be fresh cloth to hang from the rafters now. 2012 Big Ten Champions.

It took this…

To beat this...

Before needing to find a way to root for this…

To beat this…

Hoping to cause this…

And place an order for this...

Somehow, it all worked out. But there's lots left to do. Plenty more banners up for grabs. Plenty more rings.

The Big Ten tourney bracket is now available. We're up on Friday at 6:30pm vs. the winner of Northwestern-Minnesota.

Pictures from East Lansing...a Horrible, Horrible, Hell Hole

We all decided that we hate East Lansing and Spartan Stadium the most of all the crappy places in the Big Ten.  So ya, congratulations Columbus...you are now in second place.