College FB Plus: Michigan ready for spotlight dance
By Mark Blaudschun.
They have been a presence all season, but seldom in the spotlight, at least not for what they have done on the football field.
But we are talking about Michigan here and we are talking about Coach Khaki pants--Jim Harbaugh
And yes, we are talking about off the field controversies, such as self imposed three game suspension for Harbaugh for some still to be resolved NCAA recruiting violations and we are talking about the latest pot boiler--charges of sign stealing of future Wolverine opponents, a violation so obscure few people even knew it was on the books.
Still, it was Michigan and it was Harbaugh and for a team which is regarded as one of the top 5 teams in the country, as well as defending Big Ten champion, it was prime time stuff going into the Wolverines annual meeting with Michigan State.
Football issue was not an issue.
Michigan, which may be the best team in college football, posted a 49-0 win--the biggest margin of victory over the Spartans since 1947.
No, the sign stealing and the current NCAA investigation was the topic, which is another joke.
We're talking about the NCAA, which swept aside major charges against two of its schools (North Carolina--academic fraud, Kansas--various basketball violations).
And now it's looking into an obscure violation against Michigan?
Please.'
Harbaugh was asked if he felt Michigan had a target on its back.
"I think success does that,''' said Harbaugh after the Michigan State game. "There are people who don't like people to be successful. And there's a target. But our guys stay focused and take care of business.''
But that leads to a bigger issue, which will affect Michigan.
My guess is that there is ZERO chance of returning to Michigan next year, even if the Wolverines run the table and win the national championship.
Harbaugh has returned his alma mater to elite status.
Enough of the nit picky NCAA nonsense, of the roller coaster ride of having his contract restructured at a lower base a few years ago, enough of the rules of engagement which drives qualified coaches to the NFL.
Harbaugh should be the No. 1 candidate for any NFL job which opens in the next few months.
And he should take it. He has already proven he can coach in the NFL. He will receive more money and deal with fewer obscure rules and, at worse, Michigan will be a 9-3 team this season and could be a 15-0 national champion.
As for the Wolverines themselves, ,their season will come down to two weeks in November--at Penn State and home against Ohio State and the Big Ten championship game in December.
Michigan should be favored in each game.'
Then comes the tricky waters of the Final Four--two losses in the last two years, and a possible spot in the national championship game n Houston.
It's all gettable, but then it will be time for Harbaugh to move on.
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Who's Hot
Air Force
The Falcons are off to their best start in 26 years and the early favorite to receive the Group of 5 bid to a New Year's Six bowl game. With a 17-6 win over Navy on Saturday and a meeting against Army schedule for a couple of weeks, the Falcons can again establish their dominance among the service academies.
Boston College
Hard to believe, but the Eagles are on a roll with wins over Virginia, Army and on Saturday, a 38-23 win over Georgia Tech, which puts them at 4-3 with winnable games coming against UConn, Virginia Tech and Syracuse, which would mean bowl eligibility
Missouri
The hottest team in the SEC outside of Georgia and Alabama, Mizzu is 7-1 after sprinting past South Carolina 34-12 on Saturday. Games against Georgia, Tennessee and Florida after a bye week will prove the worth of these Tigers.
Who's Not
North Carolina
Losing to Virginia, 31-27 was not a season breaker, but it ended dreams of an unbeaten season and a spot in the Final Four. Winning out and knocking off FSU in the ACC title game will get NC a spot on the Orange Bowl.
Iowa
12-10 loss to Minnesota?
Come on. The over under for his game was 30.5--the lowest such total of points predicted for a game ever by the boys from Vegas and it still was not close to being challenged.
It also may have cost Iowa a slot in the last Big Ten divisional title game.
USC
The Trojans were one dimensional again with defense rarely showing up. Losing on the road to Notre Dame was one thing, but with a season on the line against a very good Uta and then fighting back from a two TD deficit lead against Utah only to lose it again in the final seconds was the season breaker for Coach Lincoln Riley's team.
It was fun to watch (if you weren't a Trojan fan).
Play it Forward (Games to Watch next week)
Florida vs. Georgia
Annual Cocktail Party meeting in Jacksonville might have some old Fla-Georgia competitive flavor.
Oklahoma at Kansas
Sooners were lucky to beat USF, beating Kansas in Lawrence could be a bigger challenge with lots at stake.
Oregon at Utah
Winner gets to challenge Washington for Pac-12 title.