The 2008 Michigan Wolverines suffered their worst season since 1967 and everyone noticed. It was the year where Big Ten teams and hated rival Notre Dame got their best shot to hammer a suddenly rudderless and overmatched team. But that's all in the past; it was horrible and I was there at the beginning and at the freezing, merciless end. MGoBlog and others have moved onto an impressive Wolverine basketball team and a recruiting season that took some positive turns of late. But since Spring Practice doesn't begin for two months and one week, let's take a quick look at some comparisons to the Wolverine's groundbreaking nose dive to mediocrity and what we can look forward in the 2009 season.

Historical Analysis

Because of the tremendous advantage that big money FBS schools hold over their smaller counterparts, these well endowed institutions can sustain success for a long time. The University of Michigan, using their winged helmets and former Swoosh inspired sponsorship, is obviously one of those schools. Starting in 1968, the Maize and Blue hadn't suffered one losing record and impressively compiled 21 Big Ten titles. Since the BCS era began, Lloyd Carr had a 93-32 record with four Big Ten titles. Recent Wolverine success has been well chronicled through their steady stream of NFL quarterbacks, the first defensive player to win the Heisman, and highly ranked recruiting classes.

So even with the preseason warnings from every sportswriter and Wolverine blogger, nothing could prepare college football fans for the inaugural season under RichRod. The Wolverines played a complete game only once, shutting down a slumping and injury filled Minnesota team. The highly touted defense, expected to carry the Wolverines while the offense got acclimated, set the Michigan single season record for most points allowed (347, or 29 ppg). Worst of all, the Wolverines lost badly to its three hated rivals in the same season.

But who cares, right? It was a rebuilding year, round peg, square hole, etc. Let's look at some other programs that took one year breaks from being dominant overdogs to see what the causes for their single season ills were and what was done to correct this possible anomaly.

Miami (FL) 1997: 5-6 Record

Embarrassing Loss: 47-0, Florida State. 1998 Record: 9-3

Since Howard Schnellenberger went down to the southern tip of Florida and established a top notch Hurricane program in 1979, Miami (FL) boasted an above .500 record for 17 straight seasons, including an eight year stretch of 10+ wins each season. The ‘Canes featured so many talented Florida athletes that it seemed the domination would go on forever. But in 1997, the perfect combination of NCAA sanctions, low octane offense, and big game choking pushed this Butch Davis-led team out of the rankings and into a world of embarrassment. The 47-0 thrashing at the hands of arch-rival Florida State was the obvious low point of the season. And although there was great weeping and gnashing of teeth, Davis stayed on as coach and didn't alter the program's offensive system, a popular move nowadays. The "U" reloaded with talented athletes like Ed Reed, Edgerrin James, Santana Moss, Outland Trophy winner Bryant McKinnie and Butkus Award winner Dan Morgan. A win over Florida State wouldn't be obtained until 2000, but Miami's subsequent 9-3, 9-4, and 11-1 records were enough to make Hurricane fans forget about the 1997 aberration.

1997 Texas: 4-7 Record

 Embarrassing Loss: 66-3, UCLA. 1998 Record: 9-3

Texas can rightfully boast all day long about their unbelievable past players and plaudits. Darrell Royal created a monster program, spurred on by legends like Tommy Nobis and James Street, and won three national titles while college football was coming into its own. The Longhorns can also claim the most famous signal in college sports ("Hook ‘Em Horns") and don't forget they created the Option offense, which ruled college football for 25 years. But after Coach John Mackovic led Texas to consecutive conference titles in '95-96, the '97 team was an exercise in futility and defensive ineptitude. Mackovic's troops allowed the most points in Texas history and suffered humiliating losses to UCLA, Baylor, Missouri, and Colorado. Fans booed and then left in droves before halftime of the UCLA game (and here I am thinking that leaving a Texas football game early is an offensive punishable by death in that state).

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Michigan

Great overview of the William Campbell signing, the Michigan 5 star recruit who claimed he was taking Michigan off his list, than picked Michigan at the Army Game...the video of a 320 pounder posing is worthwhile...

Michigan State

Lansing State Journal covers the Capitol One Bowl for MSU. The photo of a dejected Brian Hoyer "aka Bobby Hoying" says pretty much everything about this game.

Ohio State

Eleven Warriors bulletpoints the basics of the Fiesta Bowl. Kudos to Eleven Warriors for complimenting Colt McCoy; humility is an attractive trait.

Purdue

Boiled Sports attacks Bowl Games for being meaningless, inconsequential, and uninspiring - oddly enough, Purdue didn't play in one! Off the Tracks gives an extensive preview of 2009 Purdue football - Part 1 and Part 2 here.

Penn State

I was pissed after watching Penn State get murdered in Pasadena; the defensive backs were never in position to make plays and the game score was deceivingly close. Black Shoe Diaries takes a bit of a different, more optimistic look at the Rose Bowl beatdown that further promulgated the "Big 10 Football Sucks" legend truth.

Iowa

BGHP gives quick discussion of Shonn Greene's decision to leave for the NFL and the draft prospects for this hammer nosed runner.

For those rare few of you who have NFL Network and were able to catch the Insight Bowl game, you already know that an above average Kansas team dominated a slow Gopher squad that failed to make key defensive adjustments as the game wore on. And I assume that if you're a Minnesota fan, you're pretty unhappy about the four game losing streak that capped this otherwise uplifting Gopher season.

But the magic of college football is that joy and happiness can be found in so many avenues of culture that are attached to the game itself. How many of your friends did you share a drink with during the game? Did an old alum of your school offer you a job interview over brats in the stadium parking lot? As part of The Rivalry's attempt to bring all kinds of Bowl coverage to your e-door, our friend at Golden Gopher Football has been so kind to offer us a write up by a fellow Minnesota fan concerning his Insight Bowl experience.

(Note: Golden Gopher and I had a minor beef surrounding my original Big 10 Quarterback Rankings. I rebutted and life moved on.)

"I have been fortunate enough to attend a few bowl games in recent years.  I drove from Tucson, where I now live, to see the Gophers defeat Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl at El Paso.  I made the trip to Nashville to take in a gopher victory over Alabama at the Music City bowl in 2004.  A couple years ago I met my parents in Tempe to watch the Gophers take on Texas Tech in their first visit to the Insight bowl.  Yesterday I returned to Tempe to cheer on my beloved Golden Gophers as they faced the Kansas Jayhawks in another Insight bowl. 

Insight Bowl...Worst Trophy in Sports?

It's always great to see your favorite team in a bowl game.  There's a different kind of energy that surrounds a bowl game.  It feels like everyone is on vacation, and I suppose that's because most of the fans that travel to the game actually are on vacation.  Anyway, everyone likes vacation, and it's always fun to travel to see an away game, especially if it's in beautiful sunny Arizona late in December. Of course, at bowl games there are always a lot of people who go to the game without any allegiance to one team or another.  My friend overheard a "fan" on his phone saying "I'm at a bowl game in Tempe....Oh, it's like Kansas and Missouri or something..."  There are plenty of people who simply enjoy the game for the sake of the game, and I suppose they balance out those of us who bleed our team's colors.

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As the immortal Denny Green once remarked, they are who we thought they were. That oft-repeated statement applies nicely to the Capitol One Bowl. Georgia played like the ultra talented but injury and mistake prone team that lost three big games, while Michigan State's vanilla offense continued its struggles against above average defenses. And the Big 10 continued it's well documented ineptitude...

The Other Side of the 50

This unbelievable statistic jumped out at me instantly as I was going over the post game recap:

Michigan State's first six drives all ended on the UGA side of the field. Result of these six drives? 2 field goals, 1 missed field goal, 1 turnover on downs, 2 punts.

The Spartans couldn't run between the tackle's to sustain drives, hence the premature stoppages in UGA territory. Was it the Georgia defense, an injury riddled frontline that got convincingly run over by Florida, Georgia Tech, and Alabama? Or was it season long revelation that the MSU power run game just doesn't translate into success against decent linebackers and teams with winning records? It's not like Dantonio altered the run game that much over the season - the basic set up was a pro form formation with 2 WR's, FB, and tight ends. Ringer was so successful early running behind a line that consistently caved in defenses and allowed him to squirt out of the middle for big runs. This success dissipated when teams put 8 in the box and showed no respect for Brian Hoyer. Georgia proved that film study is effective, following the aforementioned formula to holding Ringer to 47 yards.

We Got Linebackers

Greg Jones and the Spartan LB's looked excellent against Knowshon Moreno, the Cover Boy of ESPN the Mag's preseason coverage, holding the dynamic runner to 62 yards rushing. This linebacking corps, made semi-famous by stuffing Shonn Greene to preserve the Iowa game, didn't miss tackles and didn't allow Matthew Stafford to get in any kind of rhythm during the first half. All-Conference LB Greg Jones will be back for his junior year along with LB Adam Decker; these two will continue to give Michigan State a veteran presence in the middle of the generally solid Spartan defense.

Of course when Stafford got locked in, the Bulldogs took the reins to this game and rode his obscenely good 2nd half performance to victory. At one point, the soon to be Detroit Lions QB (just kidding, someone pull him away from the ledge) was something like 11-13, 120 yards and 1 touch in the 2nd half. Those are the numbers that allow talking heads like Gary Danielson to talk so reverently about the junior QB.

Not Inconsequential, But Close

Michigan State sealed its successful season long before this game was ever played. The Green and White were 9-3 with a sound beating of UM, while their coach avoided the pitfalls of his predecessors. People in East Lansing won't get riled up about any SEC-Big 10 inferiority complexes or whether the Spartans were only good because UM was down. All they should concentrate on is that MSU football is relevant again and returns many impact players for next year.

That said, Coach Dantonio does need to address his inability to score against quality opponents. 16 points against Iowa, 7 against OSU, 18 against Penn State, 12 v Georgia...The Spartans had solid receivers, a top notch running back, and a veteran quarterback - How do you explain the lack of offensive umph against decent opponents? Furthermore, how do you explain Dantonio's inability to mix up the playbook or try zone reads when the man blocking was so obviously ineffective at the end of the year?

A perfect tagline for this matchup would harken back to Charles Dickens and his epic book,  "A Tale of Two Cities." For as East Lansing citizens pile onto jets to excitedly follow Sparty and Mark Dantonio to their first New Years Day bowl in 10 years, the Bulldogs will disappointingly stroll over to Tampa, burdened with unmet expectations and negative comments from all sides of the Georgia Blogosphere...

Capitol One Bowl Preview: Michigan State v Georgia

Christmas Theme Song: "Come All Ye Faithful"

And all those faithful fans and boosters from MSU will come to Tampa, joyful and triumphant. You may not know why a 9-3 season, complete with losses against the three best teams on the Spartans schedule, would be cause for such positive thinking. But you obviously have not spent much time following Spartan football then. As I chronicled earlier this year, the Spartans have suffered through bad coaching, coked up star players, and continous beatings from their Ann Arbor brethren. This season showed so many building blocks, so many good signs, you can almost hear the joyful footsteps on this happy morning. Let me bulletpoint these signs quickly:

• Better endgame coaching: The Spartans avoided mistakes and late errors to beat Iowa and Wisconsin with clutch defensive and special teams plays. This tactical improvement is almost enough to wipe out the memory of those John L. Smith 4th quarter breakdowns.
  
• Ability to adapt: Teams stacking the line to stop sparkplug Javon Ringer? Introducing soph WR Blair White, whose Gossip Girl-esque name doesn't obscure the brilliant way he was used to defeat Michigan and Wisconsin. 
• Recruiting: Not only does MSU have the #14 recruiting class in America, but Dantonio has mined the somewhat lush football fields of Michigan to pull verbal committments from players who would normally trek to Ann Arbor or out of state.

But let's not get too wrapped up in our Spartan praise. They still have to beat the #1 preseason team in America, a Bulldog team featuring players that can quickly take the joy out of this Capitol One Bowl for those traveling Spartan fans. Matthew Stafford, frosh All American wide receiver A.J. Green, Knowshon Moreno, and a stellar defense led by LB Rennie Curran are heavily favored to slam the Spartans back down to reality. And let's face it, Georgia lost to three of the hottest teams in America (Georgia Tech, Florida, 'Bama). But when your #1, you get finicky and demanding, you expect the best, and that's why articles like this exist, and why quotes like this exist. "It was an OK season - disappointing at times," said Georgia junior cornerback Asher Allen."

How will Michigan State's "simple but effective" offense match up with the battle tested UGA D? Probably not well, if history and analysts have anything to say. Wisconsin brought their conservative, somewhat one dimensional offense into the Champs Sports Bowl and got hammered by a more athletic team that was in better shape. And the well documented struggles of Michigan State's running game against solid defenses comes through loud and clear:

Against the five Big Ten teams on MSU's schedule that are playing in bowl games, Ringer carried the ball more than 25 times against only one (Northwestern) and didn't average more than 4.2 yards/carry in any of the five games.  Opposing defenses know that MSU's preference is to run the ball three out of every four times on first down and adjust their gameplans accordingly.  Georgia will be no exception. (Spartan Weblog)

These are two storied programs, one that is peaking and one that peaked (apparently) during the offseason. Everyone loves the Mascots and both coaches look to be around for awhile. Although the East Lansing supporters may echo the lyrics from our aforementioned hymn and begin adoring Coach Dantonio, a strong performance against this SEC power would certainly do wonders for the Spartan program.

These two schools haggled over who has better journalistic presence in America and then took that fierce literary argument to the field, combining to play the best bowl of the young postseason. The Alamo was full of long touchdowns, late game drama, and way too many shots of Chase Daniel's family (note to ESPN: Isn't that nice, Chase Daniel has a family. I understand. You could have shown this with 5 camera shots, not 159. If there was a pregame puff piece too than woah, overdone).

Good Northwestern Defensive Coaching!

I am sure that someone on the Mizz or NW sidelines can explain this a little better than I can, but strategically, each sideline made adjustments before and during the game that altered the course of the game. Northwestern came out in a tightly packed defense which showed no respect for Chase Daniel's ability to complete long passes. Each time a Mizz receiver would catch a 5-7 yard pass, he would be hit quickly by numerous defenders, limiting the YAC and testing the patience of Daniel. The 2007 Big 12 Player of the Year rewarded good Northwestern defensive plans by throwing a couple of game changing picks in the 2nd half.

But there is always a counterpunch to good defense and Mizz had the skill and variety of offensive weapons to carry it out. Seeing that NW was controlling the middle of the field, the Tiger offensive coaches decided to hammer the outer portion of the field with quick screens and a steady stream of reverses. Jeremy Maclin, he of 10.2 hundred meter speed, changed the game with his 8 and 9 yard runs, and also allowed the Tigers to take the ball out of the inaccurate Daniel's hands.

Good Northwestern Offensive Coaching!

It helps your ball control offense when CJ Bacher throws for 304 yards and completes almost every single 6 yard slant perfectly. It also helps when your future NFL scatback returns from a horrific hand/wrist wound that doctors compared to a car crash injury. But what really helps is that you understand how to tailor your system to the opposition successfully. Pat Fitzgerald understood that Mizz had one of the worst pass defenses in America and exploited it early with underneath throws early and deep passes late. I decided not to call out the Missouri secondary players specfically, but I get the feeling that giving up three long touchdown passes to a quick pass offense pretty much says it all.

Of course Mizz counterpunched again (note: The Tigers were the overwhelming favorite here, but played from behind the whole game, constantly changing their strategy to faciliate a comeback. That says a lot of good things about Pat Fitzgerald and the spirit of this Wildcat bunch). The Mizz defensive ends split a little wider and beat the young offensive linemen constantly in the 2nd half, smacking Bacher and forcing an overtime fumble that essentially ended the game. The linebackers began crashing the middle and stuffed the NW run game in the 2nd half.

Stars

Chase Coffman: Best hands in CFB? Maybe. Caught everything Monday.

Corey Wootton: Pulled up late with injury and did it while being steps from sacking Daniel. Dominated the game with an interception, sack, and constant presence in the backfield.

Bacher: Outplayed Daniel, even while the announcers were praising the Mizz QB for being 2nd only to Jesus. Beat Daniel in the "who can throw the prettier six yard slant/out route" competition.

Sean Weatherspoon: Went nuts against NW with 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, 13 tackles. Did everything except propose to a cheerleader.

Northwestern Receivers: Save one drop by Brewer, this no name group was unbelievable. Tough endzone grabs, low thrown slant routes...everything ended up in their hands.

This years Outback Bowl is a popular one in the Midwest due to the overdog status enjoyed by the mouth-smashing Iowa Hawkeyes and the Big 10's Offensive Player of the Year, RB Shonn Greene. This former furniture mover has used his shifty 230 lb frame and an earth-moving O Line to become the #1 running back in the nation. Greene may be the best player in the bowl, but he isn't the only key to a successful Iowa gameplan. Enjoy The Rivalry's look at these other key elements of the 2008 Outback Bowl.

Outback Bowl Preview: Iowa v South Carolina

Christmas Theme Song: "We Three Kings of Orient Are"

This classic hymn implores an actual and metaphorical star to guide the weary travelers to their destination. Iowa would do just fine by calling on their own stars to defeat the underwhelming South Carolina Gamecocks. Kirk Ferentz's defense is led by its emotional and physical leader, Mitch King, a senior DT who dominated Penn State and was voted Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches. Having a leader like King can probably explain why Iowa boasts the 8th best scoring defense in America and the 13th best rushing defense.

Some Paint for Iowa and the Wisemen.

While the Three Kings offered valuable gifts when they visited Bethlehem, it seems to many Big 10 fans that South Carolina comes to the Outback offering nothing but some wasted potential and a famous coach. Coach Spurriers best unit is his linebacking corps, led by NFL prospects Eric Norwood and Jasper Brinkley. These talented all-SEC performers will stack the box to force Iowa to throw the ball (just like everyone else did in the Big 10). On the offensive side of the ball, USC brings an inconsistent quarterback combination of Chris Smelley and Stephen Garcia. The latter will start against Iowa and attempt to coax some big plays out of an offense that struggled against every top notch defense they faced (with the exception of a 30 point "explosion" against Miss). Smelley and Garcia have combined to lead the SEC in interceptions (24), including 4 in the lopsided regular season loss to Clemson.

Want to talk about people who followed through under pressure and lived to their full potential? How about those three kings memorized in the carol? They busted their butts to get to Bethlehem and then refused to sell out Jesus's location to Herod. The "panache under pressure" shown by the wisemen has been lacking for Spurrier's Gamecocks, losers of four out of five games against FBS opponents with winning records. While Spurrier was known as a big game coach at Florida, boasting 1 national title and victories over Tennessee and superpower Florida State, his USC teams have been unable to secure a high profile, program altering win during his four year tenure.

It seems the stars of the Midwest should shine in the Outback Bowl, but one question remains: Is a powerful and above average Big 10 team better than a non, descript mediocre SEC team?

It was hard to watch Florida State shred a Wisconsin team that was ranked #8 nationally in the preseason and had seemed to discover it's offensive rhythm of late. Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Bagers. Penalties, back breaking turnovers, lack of defensive intensity, inability to finish drives with touchdowns...The Madison faithful who skipped this game were probably secretly patting themselves on the back.

Stop Giving the Ball to the Other Team

Blowouts usually include some version of Team A's mistakes directly leading to Team B's points. The Champs Sports Bowl followed this recipe for disaster, as Wisconsin turned the ball over three times, each TO having worse consequences than the next. FSU took a Dustin Sherer fumble 80 yards to the house, than PJ Hill coughed up a fumble to stall another promising Wisconsin drive...Finally, the tastefully named Dekota Watson picked up another Sherer fumble and ran 51 yards to paydirt. FSU did a good job of maintaining pressure on the passer when Wisconsin was forced to throw. The Seminole D obviously didn't respect the deep passing of Wisconsin, blitzing on any down, even typical "rush 3, sit back 8" downs.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Then keep running the ball. FSU's offensive line was manhandled the entire first half, getting no push and allowing QB Christian Ponder to absorb some monster hits. After some halftime adjustments, such as widening the splits of the lineman, Florida State ran for 114 second half yards and 2 touchdowns. The Wisconsin strategy to not run blitz with linebackers became impotent and resulted in Seminole RB's not being touched until they hit the 2nd level of the defense.

Don't Switch Horses in Midstream

Bret Bielema didn't/couldn't change his teams MO (read: power running) for the Champs Sports Bowl. And while the Badgers did run for 201 yards against a solid ACC defense, it's extremely hard to score touchdowns without any offensive versatility. A typical Wisconsin drive from Saturday's rout would involve 3-4 effective running plays and then quickly get bogged down, only to end in a TO, FG, or punt.

What Does it All Mean?

Florida State will be solid/spectacular next year, returning Christian Ponder and most of the offensive and defensive starters to compete with Georgia Tech for ACC supremacy. Bret Bielema will survive to coach next year, albeit with a low rated recruiting class and a complimentary hot seat from the Madison admin. For the Big 10, this was a black eye. The 3rd best Big 10 football program from the past 10 years looked slow and predictable. Hopefully following bowls will show a different side of the Big 10, but the Champs Sports Bowl didn't ease any Midwestern minds.

I'll keep statistical and scoring updates going, leave comments if you would like...

C'mon Wisky!

Welcome to The Rivalry's Big 10 Bowl Preview Series, where Jon and I will break down the culture of these wildly entertaining matchups, with a wink at the seasonal music collection. Our first matchup includes disappointed fans who think it's 1995, an injured star, and a color-coordinated reindeer.

Champs Sports Bowl Preview: Florida State v Wisconsin

Christmas Theme Song: "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

Just like this luminary ruminant, the Wisconsin Badgers are a red-themed underdog. The Badgers have struggled this year, inexplicably losing five Big 10 games after beginning the season ranked #8 in the country. Now they must face the ACC's best offense and a Seminole defense filled with NFL caliber defenders. It's looking ugly in Madison, right? Don't forget that Rudolph became a hero at the end of the song, worthy of his peer's adulation...

If the Badgers intend on salvaging their season just like Rudolph saved Christmas, coach Bielema needs to address the following points of business:

• Find a replacement for injured playmaking LB Jonathan Casillas. The linebacking core will be extremely important against the mobile Florida State quarterback because the well balanced Seminole offense has run effectively against small defensive lines like Wisconsin.
• Cut down on the penalties and dumb coaching decisions that caused meltdowns against both Michigan teams and helped spawn a "FireBielema" website.
• Effectively scheme to pound the less than stellar Florida State defensive tackles, while at the same keeping Seminole defensive end Everette Brown (12 ½ sacks) away from Dustin Sherer.
• Prove Wisky can play with the big dogs. Wisconsin was blown out by 8-4 Iowa and 11-1 Penn State, while also losing squeakers to 10-2 Ohio State and 9-3 Michigan State. Signature win? 35-32 over slumping rival Minnesota.

The fans from the Sunshine State are packing the bowl, allowing the Champs sponsors to claim that more tickets might be sold than ever before. However, the blogosphere and legendary coach Bobby Bowden are viewing this game with a mixture of boredom and apathy. Bowden has commented that the matchup "isn't very interesting." My associate FSUncensored believes that many Seminole fans wanted to play Nebraska in the Gator Bowl and now view this pairing as a possible rout with little or no importance towards building the football program. I think that these fans still think Charlie Ward is coming through the tunnel...

The Midwestern fan most hope for better defensive play than the above illustrated. If Wisconsin gets hit in the mouth early, it's going to be a long day. But if they continue to ride the resurgent running game on the typical 2nd and 8 situation, this could be a very interesting game. Fans have complained about Bielema's team lacking passion and playmakers - which Badger defensive player will announce to the 50k plus fans at the Citrus Bowl that they should get comfortable because it's going to be a long, hard fought game?

Just as Rudolph rose from the ashes of his unpopular outcast status to a pop culture icon who saved Christmas and got his own CBS special, we here at The Rivalry, Esq. hope the collective talent of this once highly rated Wisconsin team can embark on a mission of season saving in Tampa and avoid the predicted blowout that many believe awaits.

Bonus Coverage: Here is the gift bag that players will receive (no NCAA violations included).

$400 shopping spree at Best Buy
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Goodie bag