Holding Myself Accountable: Reviewing my NFL predictions)

With the NFL playoff picture now complete, it’s time to assess my preseason predictions. I managed to stay above .500, correctly predicting seven of the twelve teams qualifying for the postseason, including five of the eight division winners correct (New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Dallas and Seattle).

But since my preseason Super Bowl pick of the New Orleans Saints failed to qualify for the playoffs altogether, it’s hard to give myself anything better than a C for my preseason picks.

In the NFC, I correctly placed Washington in the sixth spot, even matching them against Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. I also had Dallas as a division winner. But I badly underestimated Tampa Bay, Green Bay and the New York Giants. And I was much too optimistic about the 2007 season for San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago and Carolina.

In the AFC, I expected a good year from the Patriots, but not 16-0. I had them winning the division, but I actually had San Diego pegged to go 15-1 as the best in the conference. Instead they went 11-5, which was still enough to win the AFC West.

I was on target with my pick of the Colts to win their division. I also had Pittsburgh in the playoffs, although I thought they’d sneak in as a wild card with Cincinnati winning the division. The Bengals finished 7-9 behind both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I was way off on the Browns and Jaguars, picking them as cellar dwellers in their respective divisions.

However, I was close on the woeful Dolphins. I predicted two wins for Miami. As the worst team in the league, they managed just one victory this year.

With my Super Bowl champion gone before the playoffs even begin, my postseason picks will have to be taken with a grain of salt, but for those interested in my playoff predictions, I have a first round column coming later this week.

Until then, happy New Year and enjoy the bowl games!

One Week Later: My thoughts from Lakers-Cavs 12/20/07

Last Thursday, along with my brother Mike, my dad, my best friend Colvin and his dad, I traveled to Cleveland to watch the Lakers take on the Cavs. It was my first NBA game since 1998. That game was also Lakers-Cavs, though both teams bore little resemblance to their ’98 counterparts.

The only thing I remember about that ‘98 game is Mario Bennett, who scored a career high 21 points and pulled down double digit boards for the Lakers in an otherwise unremarkable 105-93 victory.

After looking at that old box score, it turns out Derek Anderson of the Cavs was actually the leading scorer in the game, not Bennett. And Shaq had 26 points to pace the Lakers, but he did so on 11-of-23 shooting.

Did you know three players from last week’s game also played in the ’98 contest? Derek Fisher, Zydrunas Ilgauskaus and some kid named Kobe Bryant.

As for the Cavs 94-90 win over the Lakers this time around, I have several observations:

• The loudest ovation of the first half, and arguably the entire game, was the introduction of the newest Iron Chef, Cleveland restaurant owner Michael Symon. No offense to the chef, but you would think the fans of the reigning Eastern Conference Champions would be a bit more excited, especially for LeBron vs. Kobe. Also, piping in chants of de-fense – not very impressive.
  
  
• There were at least two or three occasions when the Lakers used a halfhearted hug technique to foul LeBron on drives to the hoop, allowing him to get his shot up on the rim for the “and-1” opportunity. Part of that is LeBron’s strength, but you have to be able to commit a clean, hard foul in those circumstances to prevent the three-point play. You coach that in high school.
  
  
• Poor Larry Hughes. It’s not his fault the Cavs signed him to a ridiculous contract, but he looked overmatched by everyone in a purple uniform. My brother actually apologized to the Cavs fans sitting next to us that they had to have Hughes on their roster. I think he was only half joking.
  
  
• From the second quarter on, I kept saying, “It feels like we should be winning by a lot more than we are.” The Lakers enjoyed a double-digit lead for about 20 seconds late in the third quarter, but they had several key turnovers to stifle their own momentum throughout the game.
  
  
• If you ask me, the game was lost in the first two and a half minutes of the fourth quarter when Phil Jackson went with a lineup of Trevor Ariza, Sasha Vujacic, Vladimir Radmanovic, Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum. The Cavs turned a 78-75 deficit into an 83-78 lead in less than three minutes before Jackson reinserted Bryant into the lineup. I actually like what each of those players brings to the Lakers team, but as a unit, they brought the offense to a screeching halt.
  
  
• After LeBron hit two free throws to put Cleveland up 92-90 with 1:44 to play, the Lakers had five chances to tie or take the lead, including two shots from Kobe. I’ll take those chances every game. This game, however, the shots simply didn’t fall.
  
  
• Early in the season, when Kobe trade rumors were swirling, I proposed a four-team mega deal that I e-mailed to Bill Simmons, who calls himself the Picasso of ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine. At the time, you could make a case for all four teams, but I said the Cavs would be first to say no when it came to dealing LeBron. Fast forward to today, and the Heat and Knicks are dying for this sort of deal. But I think the Lakers are now as hesitant to deal Kobe as the Cavs would be to deal LeBron.

2007 College Bowl Pick 'em

This year, I’m trying my hand at a college football bowl pick ‘em. I cannot believe that it’s taken me until age 23 to latch onto this idea. After all, I’ve been known to fill out dozens of NCAA brackets in March for college basketball.

My earliest memory dates back to first grade. Cootiful girls (this was many years before hormones detected any female as beautiful on my radar) wondered aloud why I was drawing rocket ships all over my notebook. Had any of the girls accurately identified the “rocket ships” as tourney brackets, I may have been the first to ever find a first grade soul mate. Instead, the cooties lingered for another four years or so.

Back to my point. A college FOOTBALL pick ‘em?! How had I missed this until now? I mean, let’s face it: matchups like TCU/Houston and Nevada/New Mexico are not the sexiest sells. Even for serious football fans like myself, it’s hard to get psyched for something known as the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. But ask me to predict the winner of this game, which I propose should be renamed the San Diego C-CUP Bowl for marketing purposes (I told you the cooties issue was a thing of the past), along with the other 31 bowl games, and suddenly, I’m personally invested. Add to that the power to rank my confidence in my picks in descending order from 32 (most confident) to 1 (least confident), and I’m hooked.

Throw in the option to compete against friends and/or complete strangers online at places like ESPN and Yahoo for free, and I find myself salivating at the mention of the Papajohns.com bowl. And if, hypothetically, I lived in a state where gambling were legal and I could win money based on the success of my picks in a bowl pick ‘em office pool, I might even go gaga over the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl.

Just like that, the BCS becomes Bowl Craziness Season. LSU/Ohio State may be for the national championship, but if I chose to give it a confidence of 1 (I didn’t), it would mean that game could mean less to me than Connecticut/Wake Forest. Take that, Buckeyes!

If you haven’t hopped aboard the bowl pick ‘em express, hurry up. Bowl season begins Dec. 20. And you’re going to need a reason to tune in when 6-6 Alabama battles 6-6 Colorado in the PetroSun Independence Bowl on Dec. 30.

My picks are in bold with my confidence in parentheses. (Remember, 32 is my most confident pick and 1 is my least confident pick. Each game is worth as many points as the confidence indicates. So, for example, my 14 confidence pick is worth 14 points.)

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Thursday, Dec. 20
Utah (19) vs. Navy

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Friday, Dec. 21
Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis (7)

Papajohns.com Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 22
Southern Miss vs. #22 Cincinnati (23)

New Mexico Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 22
Nevada (28) vs. New Mexico

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 22
UCLA (12) vs. #17 BYU

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Sunday, Dec. 23
#24 Boise State (30) vs. East Carolina

Motor City Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 26
Purdue (27) vs. Central Michigan

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 26
#11 Arizona State (11) vs. #19 Texas

Champs Sports Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28
#14 Boston College (20) vs. Michigan State

Texas Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28
TCU (3) vs. Houston

Emerald Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28
Maryland (15) vs. Oregon State

Meineke Car Care Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 29
#25 Connecticut vs. Wake Forest (10)

AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 29
Mississippi State vs. UCF (5)

Valero Alamo Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 29
Texas A&M vs. Penn State (14)

Petrosun Independence Bowl, Sunday, Dec. 30
Colorado vs. Alabama (9)

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Air Force vs. California (8)

Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech (13)

Sun Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
#21 South Florida (22) vs. Oregon

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Florida State vs. Kentucky (21)

Insight Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Oklahoma State vs. Indiana (6)

Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
#15 Clemson (4) vs. #23 Auburn

Outback Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#16 Tennessee (17) vs. #18 Wisconsin

Cotton Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#6 Missouri (26) vs. Arkansas

Capital One Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#12 Florida vs. Michigan (1)

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#20 Virginia vs. Texas Tech (25)

The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#7 USC (32) vs. #13 Illinois

Allstate Sugar Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#5 Georgia (29) vs. Hawaii

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Wednesday, Jan. 2
#4 Oklahoma (16) vs. #9 West Virginia

FedEx Orange Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 3
#3 Virginia Tech (18) vs. #8 Kansas

International Bowl, Saturday, Jan. 5
Ball State vs. Rutgers (24)

GMAC Bowl, Sunday, Jan. 6
Tulsa vs. Bowling Green (2)

Allstate BCS National Championship Game
#1 Ohio State vs. #2 LSU (31)

There it is for all to see. Check back throughout the bowl season to see how my picks are holding up, and feel free to comment about where you agree and disagree with my selections. Happy bowl season!

Bowl Season Breakdown

Chanukah has eight nights. Christmas has twelve days. And this year, bowl season is 32 games and 19 days long. So put your dislike of ridiculous sponsorship and lack-of-a-playoff related frustration aside because those battles will have to wait.

We have sponsors and bowls galore, and unless you’re planning to stage a coup, you might as well embrace what college football has to offer: games, and plenty of them. The bowl season provides college football fans with the opportunity to watch 32 games giving 64 teams one last chance to end their season on a winning note.

Everyone knows what’s at stake on Jan. 7, but what about the other 31 games leading up to LSU and Ohio State in the Allstate BCS National Championship game? For those involved in a college bowl pick ‘em poll or those simply looking for an excuse to feed their football hunger throughout the holiday season, here’s a quick look at each game leading up to the championship.

Jump to: Dec. 20-26 Dec. 28-31 Jan.1-7

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Thursday, Dec. 20
Utah vs. Navy

Navy beat Notre Dame for the first time in 44 years this season. Their quarterback, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, gives fits to both spellers and defenses, helping the Midshipmen put up numbers rivaling the letters in his name. Meanwhile the Utes are riding a six-game bowl winning streak.

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Friday, Dec. 21
Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis

Florida Atlantic’s football program is younger than your average kindergartener. Their program began in 2001. Memphis battled back from a 2-4 start and the tragic shooting death of defensive lineman Taylor Bradford in October to become bowl eligible.

Papajohns.com Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 22
Southern Miss vs. #22 Cincinnati

A tale of two coaches in this one: Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly was named Big East Coach of the Year in his first season with the Bearcats. On the opposing sideline, Southern Miss will be playing its last game under Jeff Bower, who resigned Nov. 26, and may have been forced out by the school.

New Mexico Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 22
Nevada vs. New Mexico

New Mexico lost in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl last season. Nevada, who boasts a top-20 scoring offense, suffered two point losses to each of the WAC’s two best teams, Boise State and Hawaii.
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 22
UCLA vs. #17 BYU

BYU is playing in their third consecutive Las Vegas Bowl. Last season they defeated Oregon 38-8 in the game. The Bruins topped BYU 27-17 on Sept. 8, but finished the season winning just four of their final ten games. UCLA is also the only bowl team who lost to Notre Dame this season.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Sunday, Dec. 23
#24 Boise State vs. East Carolina

This is only the second year since the bowl’s inception in 2002 that Hawaii will not play in the Hawaii Bowl. Boise State will make a rare return trip to Honolulu. The Broncos lost to Hawaii 39-27 in November. Most teams would welcome two trips to the Aloha State, but the Broncos are disappointed after they wowed the nation with a Fiesta Bowl upset victory over Oklahoma last year. East Carolina is looking for their first bowl victory since 2000.

Motor City Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 26
Purdue vs. Central Michigan

Purdue finished with a 3-5 conference record but the Boilermakers are still playing in a bowl game. Their opponent is a Central Michigan team looking for revenge. Purdue handled team 45-22 on Sept. 15.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Wednesday, Dec. 26
#11 Arizona State vs. #19 Texas

The Sun Devils’ only two losses came against a Dennis Dixon-led Oregon Ducks team and the Pac-10 Champion USC Trojans. Texas is 1-2 all-time in the Holiday Bowl.

Champs Sports Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28
#14 Boston College vs. Michigan State

The Eagles were ranked as high as number two this season before dropping three of their final five. Quarterback Matt Ryan’s Heisman hopes were vanquished along with BC’s shot at the BCS. Ryan’s final collegiate game comes against a Spartan squad making its first bowl appearance since 2003 under first-year coach Mark Dantonio.

Texas Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28
TCU vs. Houston

Houston is fourth in the nation in total yards, but they will play the game without their coach, Art Briles, who left for Baylor. TCU won their last two games by a combined 36 points in order to secure bowl eligibility.

Emerald Bowl, Friday, Dec. 28
Maryland vs. Oregon State

Both of these teams made noise this season by knocking off high-ranked opponents. Maryland defeated tenth-ranked Rutgers and later eighth-ranked Boston College. Oregon State beat number two California and state rival, number 17 Oregon.

Meineke Car Care Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 29
#25 Connecticut vs. Wake Forest

Emeka Okafor and Tim Duncan will not be in uniform for this one. Neither will Ray Allen or Randolph Childress. It turns out these schools play football this time of year, too. Despite skidding to a 1-2 finish, UConn finished as co-champions of the Big East. As for the Demon Deacons, they managed to overcome an 0-2 start to earn back-to-back bowl berths for the first time in school history.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 29
Mississippi State vs. UCF

Sylvester Croom has coached Mississippi State to its first winning season since 2000. The school’s reward is the Liberty Bowl where they’ll meet Central Florida and the nation’s leading rusher, Kevin Smith, who has rushed for 2,448 yards and 29 touchdowns on the year.

Valero Alamo Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 29
Texas A&M vs. Penn State

The legendary Joe Paterno brings an underachieving Nittany Lions team to the Alamo Bowl. Penn State beat just one ranked opponent all season (Wisconsin). They lost badly in a showcase game against number one Ohio State and also missed opportunities to move up in the conference with losses against Illinois and Michigan. Texas A&M finished its season on a high note, knocking off Texas to end a three-game conference losing streak.

PetroSun Independence Bowl, Sunday, Dec. 30
Colorado vs. Alabama

This is a Jekyll and Hyde game for you. Colorado beat Oklahoma but lost six games, including a 47-20 drubbing versus Kansas State. Alabama also went 6-6. They beat Tennessee, played LSU tough and then lost to Mississippi State, Louisiana-Monroe and Auburn to end the season.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Air Force vs. California

After beginning the season 5-0 and being ranked number two in the country, it’s safe to say Golden Bears fans were not dreaming of a trip to the Armed Forces Bowl, but their season began to tailspin after a loss to Oregon State. They won just one of their final seven games. At 9-3, Air Force had its first winning season since 2003.

Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets’ best win was a 13-3 victory over Clemson back in September. Fresno State’s best win? Probably a 49-41 victory over Nevada on Oct. 6. Needless to say, both teams would like to go out with a bowl victory.

Sun Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
#21 South Florida vs. Oregon

The Ducks have been anything but mighty since losing Dennis Dixon. Oregon was 8-1 and ranked number two in the country when they faced Arizona on Nov. 15. Dixon went down with a knee injury. The Ducks lost 34-24 and proceeded to drop their final two games as well, looking like a shell of their former selves. Without Dixon, and now unranked, the Ducks meet another team who rose to number two this season, South Florida. Their rise in the ranks also fell with a three game skid, but they rebounded to win their final three games, averaging 48 points per game in the three wins.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Florida State vs. Kentucky

Kentucky was another basketball school making news on the gridiron this season. Their three overtime defeat of LSU was undoubtedly the signature moment of the team and quarterback Andre’ Woodson’s rollercoaster season. After throwing for 36 touchdowns this season, Woodson will likely face an FSU team decimated after being caught in an academic scandal.

Insight Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
Oklahoma State vs. Indiana

The last time Indiana played in a bowl game, quarterback Kellen Lewis was five years old. This year he led the team to wins over conference opponents Minnesota, Iowa and Purdue. Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy reminded everyone earlier this season that he’s a man, he's 40, so he may actually remember Indiana’s last bowl appearance. His team will look to rebound from their last game, an embarrassing 32-point loss against Oklahoma.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Monday, Dec. 31
#15 Clemson vs. #23 Auburn

Clemson went 4-3 against bowl teams this season. They won five of their last six and are very familiar with Auburn. These teams have fought 45 times since 1899. Auburn’s season included a victory against Florida and a 35-point loss to Georgia, but it won’t be complete without a bowl victory. Auburn has won four of their last five bowl games under coach Tommy Tuberville.

Outback Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#16 Tennessee vs. #18 Wisconsin

The Vols rebounded after losing two of their first three games this season to win the SEC East. Wisconsin will hope a healthy P.J. Hill can run wild against Tennessee. Hill ran for more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns on just 217 carries this season.

Cotton Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#6 Missouri vs. Arkansas

No one took a more dramatic fall during the final week of the regular season than Missouri. After losing to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, Missouri dropped from number one in the nation to number six and missed out on a BCS bowl bid altogether. They’ll have to settle for the Cotton Bowl where they’ll meet Arkansas. As a subplot, Heisman trophy finalists Chase Daniel and Darren McFadden will go head-to-head in this game.

Capital One Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#12 Florida vs. Michigan

One year ago Michigan fans griped about Florida’s inclusion in the BCS Championship instead of them. After the Gators dominated Ohio State and Michigan fell to USC, those complaints were forgotten. Now many of the main pieces of that Wolverine team, including coach Lloyd Carr and running back Mike Hart get their shot at Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and the Gators, in what will be their final game for the maize and blue.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#20 Virginia vs. Texas Tech

Texas Tech makes the New England Patriots offense seem tame. Exaggeration? Not really. Quarterback Graham Harrell has thrown for 5,298 yards and 45 touchdowns while completing nearly 73 percent of his passes. Leading receiver Michael Crabtree has caught 125 balls for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns. Needless to say, Chris Long and the Cavalier defense will have their hands full in this one.

The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#7 USC vs. #13 Illinois

Illinois has not been to the Rose Bowl since 1983. USC was there as recently as 2005 when it lost a 41-38 thriller against Texas for the national title. For Illinois, this game is a reward for a surprise season that featured an upset of number one Ohio State. For USC, it’s a consolation prize after being knocked out of the national championship picture by unranked Stanford way back in October.

Allstate Sugar Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1
#5 Georgia vs. Hawaii

This is the biggest game ever in the career of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan. Oh, it’s also the biggest game in the school’s history, playing a top-five opponent in a BCS bowl. The undefeated Warriors earned this spot. Will the Bulldogs, winners of six in a row, become victim to the underdogs from the island, or will Goliath squash David this time around?

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Wednesday, Jan. 2
#4 Oklahoma vs. #9 West Virginia

The Sooners thought they played their way into the BCS championship with a win over number one Missouri in the Big 12 championship game. West Virginia played itself out of that game by losing the season finale to unranked Pittsburgh. They still have a dynamic offense led by Pat White and Steve Slaton but will be without recently departed coach Rich Rodriguez.

FedEx Orange Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 3
#3 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Kansas

The Hokies only lost twice this season, but one of those losses was a 41-point beatdown against LSU. The Jayhawks lost just once but played just two ranked teams all season. Needless to say, several teams are unhappy that the Jayhawks received this invite.

International Bowl, Saturday, Jan. 5
Ball State vs. Rutgers

Playing after New Year’s Day usually means big things, unless you’re in this game. In the second edition of the International Bowl, teams that combined to go 14-10. But Rutgers coach Greg Schiano did make headlines when he proclaimed he was staying at Rutgers rather than going to coach Michigan. The Scarlet Knights have their coach’s support, if nothing else.

GMAC Bowl, Sunday, Jan. 6
Tulsa vs. Bowling Green

This BCS championship appetizer should feature plenty of excitement. Both teams rank in the top 18 in the country in passing yards. Tulsa’s Paul Smith will look to add to his 42 passing TDs.

Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Monday, Jan. 7
#1 Ohio State vs. #2 LSU

(For Matt's picks of all 32 games, check out his bowl pick 'em blog post)

Wolverines Get Rich: Rich Rodriguez named as the new football coach at the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan Wolverines football program never settles for less. But when Louisiana State University Head Coach Les Miles refused Michigan’s offer to be their next head coach, many maize and blue faithful worried about the future.

If Miles, a former player and coach at Michigan under Bo Schembechler, didn’t want the job, what did that say about the winningest program in college football history?

In short, it signified that Big House smash-mouth football had grown stale. That’s why the hiring of Rich Rodriguez, formerly the coach at West Virginia, should be welcomed as a breath of fresh air in Ann Arbor.

Rodriguez, 44, likely didn’t settle for less either. Lloyd Carr made $1.5 million this past season. And while the terms of Rodriguez’s new deal at Michigan were not announced, all indications are that he will bring in well over $2 million per year as coach of the Wolverines.

Spread the wealth, Rich

Since 2005, Rodriguez’s teams at West Virginia have gone 32-5 and 2-0 in bowl games. Over the same span the Wolverines have gone 26-11 and 0-2 in bowl games. Rodriguez’s Mountaineers have dazzled opponents with his version of the spread-option offense, and the coach intends to bring that plan of attack with him to the Big Ten.

It will be a new brand of football for the Wolverines, who operated a more traditional pro-style offense under Coach Carr, featuring a power running game and strong-armed quarterback.
Now it’s a matter of finding players to fit the new coach’s scheme starting at quarterback. Freshman Ryan Mallett received valuable playing time this season at Michigan, but the 6’6”, 247-pounder does not fit the typical mold of a spread offense quarterback. While the Michigan faithful may not want to see Mallett jettisoned from Ann Arbor, the arrival of a prized recruit could lead to his departure.

Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette High School in Jeannette, Pa., is considered the number one quarterback prospect according to scout.com. He also had a suddenly renewed interest in attending Michigan once he learned Coach Rodriguez was the new coach. If Rodriguez succeeds in landing Pryor, the Wolverines will be on their way toward making this transition a successful one.

Time for a change

The change of pace could not come at a better time for the Wolverines. Their 2006 season came crashing down with losses to Ohio State and USC. Then the Wolverines, who began the 2007 season ranked number five in the nation, opened with back-to-back home losses. First, they suffered a shocking defeat against Appalachian State and then a 32-point blowout loss to Oregon.
In the four game losing streak that spanned two seasons, the Wolverines were exposed. For all their star power, Michigan was deficient in at least one key area – team speed – and programs across the country were blazing past them on the field and in the polls.

Coach Carr was and is part of the Michigan family. He followed in Bo’s footsteps and played a traditional, conservative style of football that won games, conference titles and even a national championship in 1997. But that was ten years ago. And his last victory over Ohio State? That came in 2003.

As much as Michigan is about tradition, the program needed a jumpstart. Along with the departing Coach Carr, the Wolverines will lose a heap of leadership from this year’s team: Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long, Shawn Crable and Jamar Adams headline a star-studded list of departing seniors.

That’s why Rodriguez’s hiring makes sense. The fact that he may have been the third candidate offered the position after Miles and Rutgers’ Greg Schiano is irrelevant. And the fact that he comes from outside of the Michigan family is not a bad thing.

With a big contract comes big expectations

Next year was going to be a rebuilding season regardless of the coach. Look for growing pains to surface early in 2008 as a young team tries to learn a new system. In fact, expectations should be tempered for the next two seasons while Rodriguez implements the new scheme and brings in fresh recruiting classes to fit his style of play.

His first few seasons at West Virginia were likewise lackluster, but after he brought in the athletes capable of running his system at a high level of efficiency, the Mountaineers took off. So while patience is not often practiced when it comes to college coaches, Rodriguez deserves two years free of frustrated fans calling for his head.

Clearly Rodriguez knows how to recruit talent (see: White, Pat and Slaton, Steve). Now that he can sell the tradition of the Big House and the Wolverines, he has no excuses. He should be able to land several top prospects each year and build the Wolverines back into a contender by 2010.

That will be his third season as coach, which means he’ll have three years of recruiting classes on the roster. By that point, his style of play should have them punishing teams throughout the Big Ten. Within four or five years, Rodriguez needs to have the Wolverines in the hunt for a national title.

Those are reasonable expectations for a school that has more wins than any other in the history of college football. Michigan fans don’t just crave success – they demand it. And for the maize and blue faithful, success is defined by winning national championships. Rodriguez’s hefty contract means he is being charged with delivering that success. Michigan fans will not be satisfied with anything less.