Michigan Football, 2021 Season

[Niffla]

Maybe its time we all become Coach Howard fans.

Shoot I already am.

I think Juwan will bring this program a national championship -- and I really think it's going to happen sooner rather than later. Like within the next 3 years soon.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Here's the Freep story that started all of this late yesterday. The only thing that is new in this story is that there's a 5 year deal on the table instead of the 1 or 3 year contract that's been tossed around. The concept of lowering JH's base salary and buy-out numbers is not new news. It's not new news either that Harbaugh is "waiting to see if an NFL team offers him" and that will sort itself out tomorrow .... maybe.

What's also not new or surprising is the lack of interest in the football program from administration and Regents above Warde Manuel. Warde's behavior in the Harbaugh matter just reflects it. Harbaugh's dalliance in entertaining the idea that he might take an NFL gig could also reflect his view that deciders don't care about M football.

But, there's been a gradual decline in the concept of putting M sports out there as a image defining aspect of the U or a recruiting tool for campus life for the last decade. In my history of observing the program though, this is the worst I have seen things given that fans rarely have a clear picture of what is going on within the heads of decision makers anyway. I think signs are strong though ..... the U doesn't care about M football, it's travails, its won/lost record, championships or it's national standing.

I sense there is a general distaste among elites in the U for what they perceive as a decent to an over-focus on college sports as identifying characteristics and symbolism for the institution within which they are played. What does the general public think of when they think of Ohio State University or the University of Alabama, LSU, UF, UGA? Not academics and research even though a close look will reveal all of these schools offer both. That's just not the public image of these modern day football elites though and I feel pretty confident that the elites inside Michigan prefer that public image to one defined by sports and particularly football.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...ow/4115246001/

[lineygoblue]

I think you nailed it, Jeff.

That's why I used the juice box and fruit slices analogy a month or so ago.

School leadership treats this program like they are soccer moms. After the team loses, pat them on the head, hand them a juice box and apple slices, and tell them "you tried".

"Good effort". "Still learning". "They fought hard".

Meanwhile, even programs like Indiana, Rutgers and NW have taken steps to improve their programs, and are definitely on their way.

[lineygoblue]

Shoot I already am.

I think Juwan will bring this program a national championship -- and I really think it's going to happen sooner rather than later. Like within the next 3 years soon.

As long as he can consistently coach his players up on game day, he's going to be very good. He's already proven he can recruit. He's a likable guy and he loves the program. I think you're right that M Basketball will be challenging for the Final Four within the next 3 seasons.

Soon we'll start getting the "HOWARD!!!!!" mocking here, but that one may come back to haunt folks more than the Harbaugh stuff.

[Jeff Buchanan]

The thing that bothers me about the notion that the U doesn't care about M football's travails is that it obviously did care about M basketball when John Beilein went to the NBA. Howard was not an unknown quantity or a particularly low profile coach. He had the college (as a player) and NBA (as an assistant coach) resume and it demanded and he got the big bucks.

I do think in support of the notion that the U doesn't care about M football is that CFB is a entirely different animal than CBB. I think the stakes are bigger with regard to rep and pub. So is the cheating and the back room shit that goes on.

So, you could argue the U doesn't want the rep and publicity that goes along with that tawdry sport that is CFB and is fine with a cleanly run CBB program..... not withstadning that when it was a part of the front porch of the U it was stained by cheating and washed clean by the atonement that followed.

[iam416]

Basketball is waaaayy dirtier* than Football (*dirty in the sense of monetizing one's talent). It's not even close.

Fundamentally, Howard was the same "easy" hire that HARBAUGH!!!! was. A true "M Man" that was a big name and likely the best they could have done.

It has, inititally, worked out with Howard. Of course, HARBAUGH!!!!'s first two seasons were cause for great optimism, too.

The problem M has is that they have no real Plan B. It's pretty much lke these guys either work out or they don't. But, that's it. There is no other choice.

[lineygoblue]

Beilein ran the cleanest basketball program in the country, and it was acknowledged nation wide. Howard will continue that. He'd rather lose games, than be accused of being dirty.

BTW, John Beilein still lives in the Ann Arbor area. I would not be surprised to one day see him offered some sort of advisory position at Michigan. Folks still like the guy.

[iam416]

I'm just saying -- as a sport -- CBB involves way more money transfers than CFB does. It starts at the AAU level and never really stops.

[lineygoblue]

With the transfer portal, I think the potential for money transfers in CFB is going to be massive. Those untraceable VISA money cards are amazing things. They are bought with cash and spend like cash.

[iam416]

I guess.

Seems like yet another layer of player attraction where I will once again be amazed at how many kids turn down hundreds of thousdands of dollars just for the chance to win clean at M.

[lineygoblue]

I'm not saying it is or is not happening at M.

I'm just saying its very easy to do. If Visa money cards were available back in the 60's SMU would still be a national power.

[iam416]

Well, late 70s/early 80s for SMU. And their problem wasn't necessarily the traceability of what they were doing. Their problem was they had a disgruntled player who spilled all. And, of course, the scope of what they were doing was going to inevitably cause problems. It wasn't a tight ship.

That said, Visas are easy, I guess.They're less conspicuous than cash. But cash is still untraceable. And for the amounts we're talking, no one is giving some dude a pre-paid visa in the amount of $100,000.

[AlabamAlum]

We have made it easier for the players to survive now without booster money. Even the shittiest programs have full training tables with food available year-round, plus we give a yearly stipend of around $5000, and players can take the max student loan and Pell Grant on top of that. We’re talking decent cash - especially when you have no medical, room, board, rent, utilities, tuition, and supplies to buy. Hell, for the most part, you are given track suits, shorts, shirts, and athletic shoes to wear to class and laundry money to wash them (even though team managers take care if that).

Not saying cheating doesn’t still happen, but most involved think it’s cut way down.

[iam416]

Yeah, the full training table is a pretty big deal.

[THE_WIZARD_]

STFU