HBO looking for Biggest U of M fan to join their Entourage...

MZone's search for Michigan's biggest fan

Above is a link to the boys at the MZone. Apparently Yost has been contacted by HBO, asking for nominations for the biggest Michigan fans to be filmed for an HBO Sports documentary on the Michigan - OSU rivalry. Think you have a friend who might qualify? Or maybe you're like me, and slept with a Michigan blanket in a room with Michigan wallpaper when you were a kid (And no, that's not creepy!!! My parents raised me right!!!). Check out the link, and take a look at the rest of the site. Those dudes rock.

Odds and Ends from Spring Ball

I had a blast at the Spring Game in Ann Arbor this past Saturday, and not just because I got to hang out with Mini-Me.

Yeah, so no player of note except for Chad Henne really played, but we get our first look at super-stud Ryan Mallett, and the big Texan freshman did not disappoint.

So, without further ado, the highlights from Saturday's souped-up practice:

Dressed to Impress: Greg Matthews and Obi Ezeh. Most of the starters didn't dress because of minor injuries, giving the youngsters a chance to show off their skills. Matthews is a big, physical receiver who plays a lot like Adrian Arrington (and might have to play a whole lot like Arrington if Adrian messes up one more time...and is subsequently kicked off the team). Matthews made the first TD grab of the game on a nice deep ball from Chad Henne, and looks to be a nice, big target who should be able to catch some balls over the middle.

Meanwhile, Obi Ezeh, the kid out of Grand Rapids Catholic Central who really didn't participate much at all last year due to a shoulder injury, made some plays from the outside linebacker position; and certainly could contribute down the road. Ezeh looked ripped, the baby fat is gone, and his hard work is starting to pay off. One could easily see him take a similar path to Ottawa Hill's David Harris.

No Shows: As stated earlier, Adrian Arrington is on his last straw. Pretty much any infraction, no matter how minor, will have him tossed off the team. This guy is a charmer and a great player, but just can't seem to get his personal life together. Also, Carlos Brown was moved from tailback to corner; a position that Michigan is painfully thin at, but decided to stop showing up for practice a couple weeks ago. Word is he's back on the team, and looking to move back to running back after the knee injury to Kevin Grady. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

Word has it: During the media interview session, Ron English told me that the biggest obstacle the defense will face this year is consistency. They are young and inexperienced. However, playing the first four games at home should help them gel before that tough road game at Wisconsin.

Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Jake Long all voiced their desire to win the Big 10 and then compete for further titles. The fact that last year's team didn't win a championship of any kind really was a disappointment. Mike Hart told me that his final game against Ohio State is #1 on his mind. Going 0-3 so far against the Buckeyes has him itching to take one final shot at The Sweater Vest.

Super Fan Spirit Award: Goes to Verne Troyer, the pint-sized actor who played Mini-Me on Austin Powers and had some less than endearing moments on VH1's reality show, The Surreal Life. But Verne is a Michigan fan, and watched from the sidelines; although he did back his scooter up a bit after an errant Ryan Mallett pass decked a photographer nearby. Speaking of which...

Newest Man-Crush Award: Ryan Mallett of course. I love this kid, and you will too...that is if you've got a thing for 6'7 quarterbacks, turbo-charged rocket arm. Apparently Mallett broke some kid's nose with a pass only a week into practice, and after watching him whizz the ball around on Saturday, I assume that whoever he hit in the face is most likely dead. Remember those half-size Nerf footballs that you could chuck at your buddies and feel like a tough guy for throwing the ball so hard??? That's how Ryan Mallett throws a regular football. If Lloyd really wants to punish Adrian Arrington, he'll make him catch balls from Mallett till he either apologizes for his bad behavior, or all his fingers are ripped out of their sockets. I got the over/under on 15 minutes.

Audibles: -Weather may have stunk, but a great day all around, at least for me. Always good to be back in the Big House, and I'm anxious to see how the construction on the north side of the stadium turns out.

-Highlight of the day: Getting hollered at by some cuties in maize and blue scarfs. I can thank my sexy FOX 17 jacket for that one. I'm telling ya, chicks dig three things - Money, Notoriety, and the long ball.

-Alan Brach, David Harris, and others were on hand to watch the game as they prepare for the NFL Draft. I got to sit down with David after the game and do an interview for FOX 17 that will run on the 22nd. He did a great job and you've got to love the fact that he's a self-made man. Good luck to David and the rest of the guys.

-Finally, if you want a player to watch, keep an eye on #3, Stevie Brown. Josh Helmholdt from Thewolverine.com tells me Stevie could turn out be one of the fastest safeties ever to play at Michigan. He shared kick return duties with Brandon Minor, so we might be able to get a glimpse of him early on this coming season.

The RoJo story hits the fan...

OK, so I'm not going to spend too much time on this, as I am crying inside just typing the words.

Looks like Ronald Johnson will not be committing to the University of Michigan.

Why, you ask? So do I. Months ago, it seemed like RoJo was firmly headed to Ann Arbor, despite the fact that he would be entertaining other offers from OSU, Florida, and USC. Conventional wisdom had the kid sticking close to home, due to his close relationship with his family, and going to play with former Muskegon teammate Terrence Taylor.

But due to yesterday's events, it seems that scenario will not come to be. Ronald's mother called Michigan and told them not to bother taking their final visit to his home in Muskegon, yet Florida, USC, Ohio State, and Michigan State were/are all allowed to make their final pitch.

Why is this? Countless rumors are flying, so I guess you can believe what you want. A person close to the situation has told me that there may have been some improprieties in the way RoJo's Michigan recruitment was handled...but I am not saying by who. Thing is, Ronald's mother decided to remove Michigan from the running after discovering this. I can't say I blame her. I do not have personal knowledge of the matter, so I'm not going to speculate what happened. All we know now is that RoJo probably will not be wearing a winged helmet next fall.

So what team now has the inside track on one of the best athletes in the nation? Many believe that it's a dead heat between Florida and USC, both programs of high notoriety who can boast recent national championships. But I caution, do not remove Michigan State from your radar just yet. The Spartans made a shrewd play by offering Ronald's younger brother Corey a scholarship this past fall, despite the fact that he was only 16 years old at the time and not a highly recruited prospect. Some said it was a play to get RoJo, who is very close to his brother.

No matter what it was, MSU has a very viable shot at Ronald Johnson, because they remain the only in-state program in the picture. It doesn't hurt that Ronald's teammate from this year, Ashton Leggett, also committed to the Spartans. In addition, Mark Dantonio has been pushing his religious values on many of his recruiting pitches, and that is something that would matter to Ronald, who has decided to make his official announcement at his church on Super Bowl Sunday.

Regardless of where this kid goes, I wish him the best. In covering him the past couple years for FOX, he's been nothing but a class act, and a great kid to talk to. I am sad because I know he will succeed at whatever school he chooses, even if it's not Michigan.

Ronald Johnson update

Okay, okay, so the Keith Nichol thing didn't go over so well.

Not my fault though...seems that having a winning record and going to bowl games that matter (or maybe just going to a bowl in general) ended up being important to a kid who won a state title. Hmmm...top athletes enjoy winning...revolutionary theory.

So anyways, with that saga out of the way, I'm going to try and concentrate on our other local stud, Muskegon's Ron Johnson...the trick here is that he's being courted by some of the country's most elite programs...so I'm guessing that any information I gather on him will be flopped within 48 hours and turned into another huge embarrassing failure, but screw it, here goes:

According to our Michigan insider, Josh Helmholdt (http://www.thewolverine.com/), the Wolverine's D-coordinator Ron English was at the Johnson household last week and suggested that RonJon take his U of M visit first, rather than last, which was originally planned. So RonJon spent last weekend in Ann Arbor, touring the campus and watching the USC - UCLA game with the team. According to Josh he enjoyed his visit a lot, and had some slight feelings about giving Michigan a verbal at that time. But RonJon remains committed to taking the rest of his visits...next up is USC on the weekend of December 15th. Ohio State and Florida will also invite him on campus some time in January.

So, with the official signing day for recruits coming up in early February, looks like RonJon will be stretching out the recruitment process as long as possible. And when you're getting flown around to Southern California and Gainsville for free during the school year...who can blame him? More news as the story develops.

The great debate: Bout time for a Playoff?

The BCS is on the chopping block for sure.

Today on the show, every single call we got was either about the Michigan-OSU matchup; debating the merits of a rematch, and each call also included the mandatory whining over the failure of the BCS to satisfy fan's desires for an undisputed National Champion.

I'll tackle the idea of whether Michigan deserves a rematch once we see how USC-Notre Dame shakes down. That game will probably serve as the turning point to what team will head to Glendale to take on the Buckeyes. I hate even considering Arkansas and Florida right now, mostly because I don't believe Florida can hang with either Big Ten team or USC...and I can't really stomach the idea of Arkansas playing for the title when they got rolled in Week 1 against USC. Granted, I know USC is a solid club...but I don't think any team should be allowed to play for the title after getting smoked by 36 points (50-14 for those of you who missed the game or pushed it from your selective memory). Honestly, if you lose by more than 21 you shouldn't be allowed to play for the title (you hear me Notre Dame fans???) championship-quality teams don't get beat down like that.

Which brings us to the major discussion at hand. Why not a playoff? I'm not gonna get into the guts of the bowl system, and we're gonna have to ignore for a moment the fact that the BCS is really a way for the major universities to make piles of money on their supposed "postseason".

Truth be told, I like the bowls. Teams that have winning seasons should be rewarded with a postseason game. But I also believe that every year there are about 3-4 very deserving teams that should get an opportunity to play for a title. So here are my thoughts:

1.) We start things off with an 8-team playoff, utilizing the major bowls as neutral playoff sites. Most major BCS schools travel really well, and the committee can make a concerted effort to ensure that LSU isn't playing in the Superdome every year for its opening round game. Bowls like the Rose Bowl, Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange can rotate as quarter and semi-finals matchup sites. By going with 8 teams to begin with, the winner of the title plays 3 total postseason games, and if we could just stick to a 12-game regular season with no conference championships (or then force everyone to play 13) then the "toll" on the athletes would not be that great. Plus you can start in mid-December and finish up as scheduled in January.

2.) I like 8 teams because if you move to 16 then there will too many 2-loss squads sneaking in who don't really deserve a shot at the title. People complain that a playoff removes some of the meaningfulness of the regular season, but I don't think so. Not only will there be ferocious debate over those #6-8 spots, but any regular season loss can still make the difference of whether or not a team will get a chance to play for the championship. Plus if you're gonna sell this thing, you need a name like basketball's "Final Four" to become synonymous with your playoff system (like the "BCS Big Eight" or something...you can see why I didn't do so well in marketing class...)

3.) People argue that it will more or less be the same 8 teams every year...not so. College football's parity is just fine. Yeah, there will always be the dominant programs, but an 8-team playoff allows the Boise States of the world to at least attend the party before getting thrown through a window by a BCS bully. Here's how this year's playoff would look if it started today (and might still look after this weekend barring major upsets) (ranked by current BCS):

(1)Ohio State vs. (8)Wisconsin (who didn't play this year by the way)
(4) Florida vs. (5) Notre Dame

(2)Michigan vs. (7)West Virginia
(3)USC vs. (6)Arkansas

Some sexy matchups there, eh? Yeah, you get a USC-Arkansas rematch, but there's still room for a team like LSU (9-2) to sneak in...and you want controversy? Here's a short list of teams on the outside looking in: Boise State (11-0), Texas (9-2), Louisville (9-1), Auburn (10-2). Think one of those teams might make some noise?

I just wish we would get a chance to see this. Not gonna happen anytime soon, unless all hell breaks loose and Michigan barely ousts OSU in Glendale and the USA today votes for the Buckeyes as their champ. Another co-championship might be enough for the current system to be dumped. So now you have no choice to agree with me when I say LETS GO BLUE!!!