Things Discussed:

• Playoff expansion: SEC and Big Ten are trying to strongarm their 2-loss teams in without having those teams play anybody.
• Seth: Don't care anymore, because once you go past six teams it's an invitational and you've got a playoff champion, not a season champion. Did Team 12 have a better season than Team 1 if they get eliminated? If not you're not a season champion.
• What we should care about—and here's where our needs align with Puppet Petitti and the TV exec with his arm up Tony's ass at the moment—are better games. I like having a Big Ten Showcase where you play the best games that weren't played, and do that in every league, and THEN use that information to make your small playoff field. You can also expand that concept to a national invitational round of matchups. Just get rid of the bracket, which is too rigid, and say these are the matchups we think we need at the end of the season to make our field. The losers can then still play in the bowls, so you aren't stuck with Middle Tennessee State on December 31st when Tennessee ended their season in December in Columbus, Ohio.
• Is Penn State a fraud? Sam: easy schedule. Seth: Michigan's 2023 schedule was the same, with the gauntlet at the end. Just need to come up with a tinpot scandal for them—suggestion: go after them for tampering.
• Why is PSU a favorite? Seth: because Big Ten powers are spending to retain their best players, and getting players because their fans are their superpower. PSU is like us (cultish); Michigan won Bryce in part because he saw how awful LSU fans are to their team, and had been around enough Michigan losses like that to see that Michigan fans stay behind their guys. Penn State fans are the same way. They are behind their dudes. I don't think James Franklin is a top-five/championship-caliber coach, but Penn State fans are a top-five, championship-caliber fanbase, and when you have a superpower you can win.
• Michigan basketball: The issue is their best five lineup isn't a shooting lineup.
• Shooting from the guys who aren't shooters: via Dusty via Sam they *say* they can do it: Cadeau is a 40% shooter on catch-and-shoots, Gayle found his stroke again, Yaxel says he's going to show it, Morez and Mara also say they can shoot but weren't allowed to. We believe Grady can shoot, Cason can shoot, and Burnett can shoot, but you don't have any lineups with those three.
• X-factor is LJ Cason and whether they can maximize Mara by having him go hard for 20 minutes and letting Morez take the rest.
• Might want to figure out lineups instead of a five and backups with different players taking on more creation so they don't have to be shooters, while always keeping 2 guys on the court who will knock down an inside-out.
• Shoot more slop please; this team can rebound, so a 40% shot from two might be more like a 50% shot in reality, and that 1 PPP is a heck of a lot more valuable than the 0 PPP you get from a turnover.

THE BOOK: Is done. Yes you can still get in on The Kickstarter (but not the name/sentence levels). Also a Kindle Edition is now live. MGoBlog.com/25

Lineup: Sam, Seth, Craig, and Miz. Brian's still on dad duty; Ira's on a plane.

Things Discussed:

• Wink Martindale criticism: The Emotional Rollercoaster sweatshirt from Sack the Stigma is great but Wink is cutting off the sleeves, which are the best part.
• Wink Martindale praise: His defensive approach changed to be much more college late in the season. Can't be in his head but we think he was having guys make reads that they were missing (examples: Zeke Berry nickel blitz from nowhere on the USC TD, or Barham leaving an RB wide open in the flat) and trying to play attention games with Mason Graham (see: the 3rd down sets). That's how the game is played in the NFL but in college it's much more straightforward. This is praise because he realized what was happening and changed what he was doing, which is extremely hard for people to do.
• Everybody was coming from success, so they had to get comfortable with each other. Was a big thing for the player as well. Will Johnson noted some of these players need the A and B explained before you tell them to do C.
• Rod Moore: Expect him to play, not sure how rusty he's going to be and what's the timeline. We'll hear from Rod when Sam interviews him.
• Mikey Keene vs Bryce Underwood: VERY different offensive planning. Kinds of passes are different, how you use his legs is different, how much pre-snap reading you're doing is different. Having Keene out in spring gave the offense clarity.
• Chip Lindsey offense: He uses RPOs and running QBs but he cuts back on the running and focuses on making the QBs more efficient. He also will turn regular routes into long bombs—they missed one to Channing Goodwin in the spring but it was open.
• RPOs and screens? Well you have to show you can beat man coverage to access those, and that means dropping back with a QB who can be safe in the pocket long enough to find his leverage and deliver an accurate pass all over the field to receives who create their own space. Do we have that QB, those WRs, that OL?
• OL: Sam's discussion with Sherrone started with Blake Frazier (because Sam asked) but he also said Andrew Babalola and Ty Haywood are more athletically talented than ANY guy they've had at Michigan until now. Link is battling with Frazier and Babalola for LT.
• Crippen: Not sure how much better he can get because his reads are spot-on, but versus top-of-the-line DTs who knew what's coming Crippen got physically manhandled. He's alright, but you need something on this offense that is better than alright if you want to take the pressure off of Bryce/his protection/his receivers. That said, centers pop late—how many times have we seen an Anderson or Bihl or Kugler or Vastardis have a great 5th year.
• WRs: Are probably a lot better than their stats last year (fewest WR yards since 1973, would have been bottom-third among Bo teams.) But there could be a player or three in there—they didn't have the passing. Warren didn't know what he was looking at half the time and wasn't accurate. Orji had no downfield accuracy at all. Defense knew it.
• Link vs Ohio State/Alabama? Did well, but the context was Michigan took dropbacks out of the offense.

THE BOOK: Kickstarter is still active. MGoBlog.com/25

REMINDER: Michigan fans won the Charity Bowl, so we'll be getting together with Spencer, Holly, and Jason on JUNE 28, 6PM at the Ann Arbor District Library, then going to Venue for drinks at 8:00. Signup is here so I can give them a final count (we're at ~200 right now), or go to pizzawestern.com.

THE LINEUP: Brian still on break. Seth & Craig & Sam today.

NO SHOW NEXT WEEK: July 4th.

Things Discussed:

• HTTV 2025: Craig's article on 1898 has a surprise for Buckeye Fans, because the NCAA is going to vacate Michigan's 1897 wins ANY DAY NOW.
• Warde with Sam last week: Credit to him for being more transparent. Sam notes he specifically came out of his no-comment stance to put to rest any ideas of vacated wins/championships.
• Our favorite recent commits. Seth loves Alister Vallejo: he's incorrigible. Even has Mason Graham's baby face.
  • Craig likes Bear McWhorter.
  • Titan Davis: really good example of the type of player you see from Lou Esposito: good length and good burst.
  • Marky Walbridge: Most Massachusetts name ever. He looks like a TACKLE—reminds me of Blake Frazier. Sam: I think Blake is going to be the starting LT.
• Philosophy for how to spend your money?
  • Seth: Baltimore Ravens. Start by putting more money to your top players. Positionally, you look at what system you run and where you can get value. Michigan runs the Ravens system, which spent less on Edge and LB to get big-time athletes in the secondary. Spend on a cornerback.
  • Sam: Spend on a cornerback every year, because Ohio State is a receiver team, and cornerback is mostly about talent. QB, Edge, and Cornerback.
  • Seth: if you can develop edges you can save money there. If you're struggling to develop something you spend on it (e.g. OSU with
  • (Break: Naming the people who are in our chat)
• NIL Clearinghouse. The ADs don't even know what the standard will be. Guessing it will be like every other NCAA enforcement attempt, IE they will ignore 99% of it and then come down hard on Michigan when they're mad. Next battleground is in legislatures.
• NBA Draft: Wolf slipped to 27th but only because the Nets had 1/6th of the picks and could slot him lower. Took another Jewish guy right before him. Top of the draft: Ace Bailey was the last difference-maker; if he won't play in Salt Lake they can trade him, but the value dropped after that.