Around the Big Ten

[Pasadena Blue]

Tattoo U and their fanbase just have a greater asshole to quality/normal person quotient.

Exactly

I think even dsl recognizes this.

Don't think so.

[Dr. Strangelove]

We have plenty of idiot fans. I just get weary of the self-righteous attitude that prevails amongst your fanbase. Michigan doesn't police the death-threat senders any better than we do.

Well, I look forward to the book and hearing how your school President, two AD's, Lloyd Carr, and Rich Rod, were all knee-deep in mudslinging, backstabbing, and undermining each other. Which can't possibly be true because, as we all know, Michigan Men don't behave that way.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I think even dsl recognizes this.

Don't think so.

Exactly ..... I was going to write a response to dsl's continuing comments that imply some comparability to what is going on at osu since January of 2010 (before if you believe tressel is an unmitigated liar and cheat, and I do) and Practice Gate.

Laughable, is all that needs to be said.

There is something important though about the defense of the bucks that dsl has taken up with the departure of talent .....

I make no excuses for thinking Rodriguez and Barwis were going to come to M and change the B10. Spectacular error in judgment on my part.

But what I did say when things started going to shit around the football program was that there was a terrible stink about what was going down. Bacon's book is going to give a lot of weight to just about everything I knew and posted here about that stink; it was pretty accurate.

So what does this have to do with my view that osu is headed to the wilderness because of political infighting and player finger pointing inside the program? Easy. Sure, Buasermann sucks and so did Nick Sheridan running Rich's Read Option Spread. But that was only half of it. The seniors importantly but others too didn't like Rich; they didn't like his coaching style or his scheme. They didn't come to M to play basketball on grass. They didn't want to learn a new system.

That is exactly what is going on inside osu's football program right now if observational data about the quality of osu's play is an indicator. When miller went down, it looked like the defense gave up thinking Bausermann isn't any good so what difference does it make if they get a stop ..... pretty clear to me that thought crept into their minds watching the game. In fact, it was so obvious, you could package it and sell it as a bottle of toss in the towel. Neb got in their heads. It's easy to get in the heads of a team in disarray. osu is in disarray.

I also know a thing or two about Michigan football politics, infighting, stupid stuff going on that should never go on but does when there is not a strong personality in place like Lloyd or Bo. Does that sort of thing go on inside osu and the politicos that have influence on the osu football program? Does a bear shit in the woods? tressel had a handle on that ..... he's long gone. gordon gee is in charge now. God help you guys.

So, either you are side stepping the obvious, dsl, or you don't get it. I think its the former. osu = dead man walking for a few years anyway. I'm going to grab a box of popcorn and enjoy the show.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Jeff, if you are comparing player confidence in Bauserman with player dislike for Rich Rod and his staff, then I'm not very worried. Bauserman will hopefully never see the field again.

Michigan had a problem with half the players disliking the new coach, half the administration disliking him, and a significant minority secretly working to discredit him, no matter what harm might befall the Michigan program.

At OSU the players have a lack of confidence in the backup QB

Only in your mind do the two problems rise to the same level.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Otherwise you're not saying anything I haven't already said. It's patently obvious the players have no faith in Bauserman, both offense and defense. How will that create discord for years to come?? Bauserman is gone after this year and it's not like there is a faction in support of him.

If we play like we did for the first 2/3 of the game the rest of this season, I will be very happy. I don't know if we can consistently play like that.

[geo weidl]

If we play like we did for the first 2/3 of the game the rest of this season, I will be very happy. I don't know if we can consistently play like that.

Would you in support of keeping fickell then? just asking.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Only in your mind do the two problems rise to the same level.

Maybe .....

I think the observational data suggests they are linked.

Anyone with a clue about M football knew damn well Rich wasn't getting the support he needed to do the job as best as he could. He didn't react to it well but that is one of his weaknesses as a leader .... he's too emotional. Not to say you can't be emotional, you can, but you better not show it.

So, the drama, as he referred to it went on and on .... that he didn't handle it well hurt his ability to run the program well. He made a lot of bad decisions with personnel hires some of them forced on him that may have been part of plan to run him out of town.

Is feckal getting the full support of the administration? Are there cliques with power or seeking to maneuver to get it? Why is everyone so enamored with Meyer? Is the thinking that feckal will be gone in a few months? Are the coaching staff watching their backs instead of the players and the games? Maybe they're not completely tuned in because they have to worry about getting a new job and paying the bills at some future point when they are let go.

Well coached teams, even ones with shitty QBs, the ones that hang tough during difficult times, don't look like osu looks. osu is not well coached. The players are disgruntled. You can draw your own conclusions about that. I think I've got pretty good observational data upon which one can come to a reasonable conclusion ..... osu is heading to the wilderness.

[Dr. Strangelove]

If we play like we did for the first 2/3 of the game the rest of this season, I will be very happy. I don't know if we can consistently play like that.

Would you in support of keeping fickell then? just asking.

It sort of depends on who is available but I'm leaning away from keeping Fickell right now. How much he can salvage from this season would affect my decision. He wasn't left in a good spot but he's not given me a litany of reasons to keep him so far.

I'm only marking down Wisconsin as a definite L the rest of the season but we could also lose to everybody. Even (ugh) Purdue and Indiana

[Optimus Prime]

Nonsense DSL , RR failed to win, plain and simple. If he kept the transition period respectable, he would have earned the support of those that mattered.

[Jeff Buchanan]

3-8 ...... cue Ralph Cramden (Jackie Gleason)

"How sweet it is."

[Dr. Strangelove]

Only in your mind do the two problems rise to the same level.

Maybe .....

I think the observational data suggests they are linked.

Anyone with a clue about M football knew damn well Rich wasn't getting the support he needed to do the job as best as he could. He didn't react to it well but that is one of his weaknesses as a leader .... he's too emotional. Not to say you can't be emotional, you can, but you better not show it.

So, the drama, as he referred to it went on and on .... that he didn't handle it well hurt his ability to run the program well. He made a lot of bad decisions with personnel hires some of them forced on him that may have been part of plan to run him out of town.

Is feckal getting the full support of the administration? Are there cliques with power or seeking to maneuver to get it? Why is everyone so enamored with Meyer? Is the thinking that feckal will be gone in a few months? Are the coaching staff watching their backs instead of the players and the games? Maybe they're not completely tuned in because they have to worry about getting a new job and paying the bills at some future point when they are let go.

Well coached teams, even ones with shitty QBs, the ones that hang tough during difficult times, don't look like osu looks. osu is not well coached. The players are disgruntled. You can draw your own conclusions about that. I think I've got pretty good observational data upon which one can come to a reasonable conclusion ..... osu is heading to the wilderness.

This sounds like weak sauce some pathetic assistant coach at Indiana would try to sell to recruits. Talk about a stretch.

Players have no confidence in Bauserman which means they have no confidence in the coaches which means they're disgruntled which means the OSU administration is in disarray and ready to devour itself and burn to the ground.

Yesterday was a problem with being paper thin at quarterback. Not the wet dream you've created for yourself.

The team looked confident and executed well when Braxton was playing. He goes out and all air went out of the balloon. You even said so yourself.

Why are people enamored with Meyer? Because he's from Ohio, has OSU experience, and has two national titles under his belt. I think most players on the team would rally around that. He's got a hell of a better resume than Rich Rod who you were selling for years as the guy who would revolutionize the Big10 for the 21st century.

The soap opera revolving around Rich Rod and lack of confidence in Bauserman's abilities are not comparable. Keep dreaming. We could be in trouble for some years if the NCAA penalties are severe but blaming yesterday's game on infighting is nonsense.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Nonsense DSL , RR failed to win, plain and simple. If he kept the transition period respectable, he would have earned the support of those that mattered.

Rich Rod had people in the administration and plenty of players on the team resisting him from Day One. A small number of people were actively hoping, maybe even working behind the scenes, to ensure that he would fail.

Now maybe he could have drowned those people out if he'd rolled off undefeated seasons right from the start. But even the Carr-lovers acknowledge LLLLLloyd did not leave a talented team behind him. It was a young, undertalented team, with many players resenting him from the start, that Rich Rod was dealt

[Jeff Buchanan]

We could be in trouble for some years if the NCAA penalties are severe .....

Well, now you're starting to get it.

I don't think the posey stuff helps osu's cause in avoiding FtM and LOIC. I'm feeling more confident your boys are going to take a hit.

My question on Urban had less to do with Urban's resume (he's good no doubt) and more to do with the swirling debate on who is going to be osu's coach next season. Rudderless programs have such talk surrounding them. Ones that are steering a sensible course don't.

I appreciate your defense of osu's situation and your view that its not that bad. But it is. It is very bad ...... if it weren't very bad, right now, coaches would be coaching players with the talent of osu's to play better football.

Rich not only had no talent, he ran his football program poorly ...... well run, well coached teams with less talent look like Brady Hoke's Michigan team not like Rich Rodriguez's. Poorly run, poorly coached teams with a lot of talent, and even with a weak QB, look like a 3-3 osu with not a single conference win.

Almost always, struggling organizations have significant systemic problems well beyond the workers making the widgets on the line who may or may not be doing a good job. The problem is finding them and fixing them. I wouldn't doubt that folks like gene smith and gordon gee think just about like you do. Its just one guy, its just a qb problem, we'll get by this. In fact they have said stuff indicating that is exactly what they think. osu will never get well unless some tough decisions are made. Just another observation here, dsl, but that devir posey is still on the team indicates the deciders can't make them.

[Pasadena Blue]

Speaking of which ... do we know for sure that the October COI decision has been delayed?

Is there any inkling that a second NOA related to the new findings (FakeJobsgate) is on its way?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Yes ..... and yes.

Still nothing solid but the thinking is that at least FtM is being considered as part of a second NOA.