"This game means more to us than it does them, let's play like it!"

Michigan beats Duke!! This is the second huge win this season for Michigan. UCLA and now Duke. A solid big ten season and Michigan should go dancing for the first time in years. 

Michigan was led by DeShawn Sims' 28 points and 12 rebounds. Michigan was better from the field, from 3-point range, from the free throw line, and they hit the glass hard. The story of the Duke game earlier in the season was Michigan's inefficiency overall, and today they came out with confidence and drive. It seemed as though Michigan just wanted this game more. Sims, Harris, and Grady should play 30+ minutes a game, with a compliment of Douglass, Novak, Gibson, Wright, Sheppard. 

The last time Michigan beat Duke, Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy later that night. Savior that memory and enjoy the Michigan Basketball win.

I am thrilled that Michigan has a watchable and competitive team again. I look forward to watching and writing more about them this season. 

#4 Duke @ MICHIGAN

32-30 Michigan Wolverines up at the half.

David Merritt gave this incredible sound bite in the Michigan locker room before the game, and it certainly has been ringing true so far through the first half of play,

"This game means more to us than it means to them...lets play like it. Win on three! One. Two. Three. WIN!"

Let's go Blue. Great to see Crisler Arena like this again...

#1 Alabama...#2 Florida...SEC Championship

As I was deciding to write a little preview before the game, I came across some interesting things. First of all, for all the talk of the SEC being so much better than every other conference, were they not a huge disappointment?

• LSU: 7-5 overall, 3-5 in the SEC, losses to Ole Miss and Arkansas
• Georgia: Preseason #1, 9-3 overall, 6-2 SEC, loss to Georgia Tech
• Tennessee: 5-7 overall, 3-5 SEC, losses to Wyoming and UCLA
• Auburn: 5-7 overall, 2-6 SEC, losses to Vanderbilt, Ole Miss

Four of the perennial "powers" in the SEC having hugely disappointing years. Perhaps Georgia at 9-3 isn't hugely disappointing but the fact that they were preseason #1 and are now 9-3 with a regular season finale loss to Georgia Tech has to be classified as a disappointment of some type. 

Alabama was expected to be a middle of the pack SEC team and now they sit at 12-0 and are one win away from a national championship appearance.  But have the Crimson Tide really been THAT impressive? Beating teams like Clemson, Tulane, Western Kentucky, and Arkansas State in the non-conference, and narrowly escaping disappointing SEC teams like LSU and Kentucky...am I missing something? 

Florida has been showing off since their one point home shootout loss to Ole Miss. Beating opponents by 30+ points per game. Tebow's TD:INT ratio on the year is 25:2, slightly better than the Crimson Tide's John Parker Wilson's 9:5 (eek!). Florida is a statistical juggernaut, and based on the numbers, Florida should win big and then win the National Championship for the 2nd time in 3  years...

But this is college football, a world where anything can happen. I hope Alabama comes out big against Florida, and makes this SEC championship game competitive, because on paper, it really shouldn't be that close. 

Enjoy the game! Hope for a doozy?

Notre Dame annouces decision to stick with Obeseity

Notre (spell check doesn't recognize Notre...bravo spell check) Dame announced today that they will retain head football coach Charlie Weis. Despite:

"In Weis' four seasons, only eight of Notre Dame's 28 victories came
against teams that finished the season with a winning record. The Irish have recently gone 1-16 against teams that finished with a winning record."

and highlights like these:

"His only victory against a team that finished a season ranked in the
Top 25 was a 41-17 win over a Penn State squad that finished 2006
ranked No. 24."

Ouch...

As a non-ND fan, I am happy he is sticking around. I predict two more years of relatively non-competitive Irish teams.