MichiganCardinal

I'm having a hard time imagining Cignetti can be bought if Penn State couldn't buy him. But maybe Michigan has a larger vault.

Good on the school. Maybe they learned a little something after they stupidly stood behind Juwan Howard. Revenue sports should make money and attract talent to your university. Don't allow your sports programs to give the university a black eye.

I have to guess that those rumors on Twitter had a kernel of truth to them. My hypothetical question from the other day just got a lot more real. And sure enough:

Dayyyyyum

He told Ragnow “it’s you or me” and he meant it.

Tight ends are overrated anyway, who needs any on the active roster?

Our qualifications as fans are not that far below the qualifications of the current committee. At least most of us aren't actively or formerly employed by the very entities we are judging.

vs. Setting: 12/14/2025 4:25pm on FOX Site: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA Weather: Climate Controlled Opening Spread: Rams -4.5 All-Time Series Record: Rams lead, 45-43-1 Last Meeting: 09/08/2024, Lions won 26-20 in OT Los Angeles Rams (10-3) Head Coach: Sean McVay (9th Season: 90-55) Projected Starting QB: John Matthew Stafford (17th Season: 118-116-1) Last Week: 45-17 W @ Arizona Cardinals (3-10) Looking Ahead to Week #16: Thursday Night @ Seattle Seahawks (10-3) Your Detroit Lions (8-5) Head Coach: Dan Campbell (5th Season: 47-33-1) Projected Starting QB: Jared Goff (10th Season: 89-57-1) Last Game: 44-30 W vs. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) Looking Ahead to Week #16: Sunday vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) Elsewhere in the NFL Primetime: Falcons @ Buccaneers (TNF), Vikings @ Cowboys (SNF), Dolphins @ Steelers (MNF) 1:00pm: Ravens @ Bengals, Browns @ Bears, Chargers @ Chiefs, Bills @ Patriots, Commanders @ Giants, Raiders @ Eagles, Jets @ Jaguars, Cardinals @ Texans 4:05/4:25pm: Panthers @ Saints, Packers @ Broncos, Titans @ 49ers, Colts @ Seahawks

I would support this as long as they’re going to pretend like this is still college football and not have the Big Ten and SEC leave everyone in the dust. All nine conference champions (not including the two-team PAC-12 or Notre Dame) get an auto-bid. Plus 11 at-large teams, as determined by a computer. All teams are ranked #1-20 based on the computer. First round is just #14 vs. #20, #15 vs. #19, #16 vs. #19, and #17 vs. #18. Which will be mostly MAC and CUSA champions against lesser at-large teams. Re-seed after every round.

If it was the Lions he would leave the physical with a diagnosis of decapitation. Said he had a headache but felt good and didn’t know it would be that bad.

Crystal Ball AFC: 1. Denver Broncos (14-3) 2. New England Patriots (13-4) 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (12-5) 4. Baltimore Ravens (10-7) 5. Buffalo Bills (13-4) 6. Houston Texans (12-5) 7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) NFC: 1. Los Angeles Rams (14-3) 2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6) 3. Detroit Lions (11-6) 4. Carolina Panthers (9-8) 5. Seattle Seahawks (13-4) 6. San Francisco 49ers (13-4) 7. Chicago Bears (11-6) - - 8. Green Bay Packers (10-6-1) I think Love collapses and Green Bay goes 0-3 against Denver, Chicago, and Baltimore. Maybe I’m wrong. Hope I’m right. It would send Detroit into Soldier Field in a seat where a win could have them as high as the #2 seed and a loss likely knocks them out of the playoffs entirely.

Who would they have replaced him with this cycle? They were never bringing in Kelly, Kiffin, or Franklin. Maybe seeing if unproven Hartline would defect instead of going to UCF? Risky. Or if Minter would take a college job? He’d probably say no, he’s on the shortlist for an NFL job… On the flip side, who would you hope to replace Moore with next cycle? I’m not convinced Moore is a good coach, but he’s getting it done in recruiting right now, and hiring a worse coach can set the program back a decade (not to mention tens of millions in buyouts that is better spent on 5* players). Jim Harbaugh was a once-in-a-lifetime no-brainer hire who probably could have had his pick of NFL jobs if he wanted one. And before Jim, Michigan royally screwed it up twice. Moore is better than either Hoke or Rich Rod.

D3 football (and other D3 sports) don’t rely on a subjective analysis at all. Their 40-team playoff is entirely based on conference champions and at-large bids determined by the NCAA Power Index, which allows the playing committee to set “dials” of importance preseason, rather than just manufacturing the equation after you know what you want as an answer. So if you want to prioritize scheduling difficult non-conference opponents, or playing in a conference championship, you just increase that “dial.” Of course the problem with that is that it allows a three-loss Alabama to get bounced for an objectively better team, and of course it takes away the “fun” (and $$$) of a Selection Show where we see what games a random committee of biased and unqualified ADs and fired coaches want to see next. And who would want to take away that?

It’s the committee so they’ll just do whatever they want in the end anyway. A 10-2 Notre Dame will be ranked #13 if they don’t want them in. They’ll craft the narrative to suit their outcome, just like taking Alabama over Florida State in 2024 despite it defying everything they’d claimed to that point. It’s not the best teams, or the most deserving, or who played quality non-conference opponents, or who shouldn’t be punished for playing in a conference championship, or who shouldn’t be punished for believing they’re better than to be in a conference... It’s just vibes.

Andy Reid with a braindead call to go for it on 4th and 2 on his own 30 tied in a defensive battle. Leads to a Texans go-ahead touchdown midway through the 4th.

I won’t be at all surprised if Green Bay loses the next three games against Denver, Chicago, and Baltimore. Their offense relies on blown coverage and Love not throwing it to the opponent too often.

Lions control their own destiny to the playoffs.

Does Fargo, North Dakota count?

These teams are very evenly matched. I think they split the series in two weeks. I also think Denver beats Green Bay next week if they can score 14 points.

Just kidding. Temple and Kansas have both declined invites. Still no opponent identified.

Birmingham Bowl can’t find an opponent to play Georgia Southern (6-6). Rutgers, Florida State, Auburn, Baylor, and UCF (all 5-7) have all declined an invitation. Crazy that bad teams have no interest in playing a meaningless exhibition game in Birmingham, Alabama. Who will agree? Kansas? Mississippi State? Do they start asking Temple, Rice, Akron, and Kent State, or move to P4 4-8 teams?

Bears and Packers are tied up midway through the 4th quarter. Too early to say this, but a tie would be the worst possible outcome.

Bears cut it to within three.

If they split (or the Bears lose any one game) and the Lions go no worse than 2-1 against the Rams/Steelers/Vikings, we’ll have the chance to beat the Bears in week 18 and pass them via tiebreaker. Regardless of everything else. I know I’m the resident optimist, but with the Packers having to play the Broncos and Ravens in addition to the Bears twice, my eyes are still set on the division. But I could understand rooting for the Packers today (or at least hoping they win, FTP always) because it gives the Bears the one loss we need to catch them if we can win two of three.

Has anyone smarter than me done math on who we should be rooting for tonight? I know we want them to split. I think the Packers are better so intuitively I want the Bears to win, thinking this would be the one they would “steal.” But I’ll defer to analytics if they know better.