Armageddon Aftermath

June 19, 2008 Note: This is a post that originally appeared on Golden's Football Rankings and is reproduced here for posterity.

-Even though it wasn’t anything like what everybody expected, the game of the year actually lived up to the hype, as Ohio State and Michigan played a game for the ages.
-Like most every Michigan fan, I was shocked how porous our defense looked. I think the loss of Willis Barringer (injured on OSU’s first drive) and Prescott Burgess (injured against Indiana) really hurt us, especially on some of those long runs, where the replacement LB missed tackles, and the Safety took a bad angle.
-I’m not sure if we have enough DBs to go man-to-man, but I think Ron English was not aggressive enough in the first half. All the analysts before the game were suggesting that OSU would try and spread Michigan out. They had to know this was coming. Why did they look so unprepared for it?
-I also thought that Mike DeBord missed a few chances by not going on fourth and one a couple of times during the first half. If you are going to win a game like this, you have to take a few risks. Fourth and one between your 40 and their 30 should be an automatic go every time.
-Troy Smith, of course won the Heisman. If any body votes for someone else, they should have their vote taken away. I think Mike Hart earned himself a trip to New York to watch Smith win as a runner-up(or 3rd or 4th). Smith was very adept at moving just enough to avoid the oncoming rush, and at throwing on the run. If he’s not as good as Vince Young was, he’s pretty darn close.
-The turf was horrible. How can you play the most important game of the year on crap like that? Hope they go to field turf or something like that next year.
-Michigan’s special teams did very well. Before the game, I was worried they’d give up a big return or two. They actually outplayed the Buckeyes in that respect.
-So, the big question everybody is asking, should there be a rematch? I have no argument with people who say a team shouldn’t make the championship if they don’t win their conference. I have no argument with people who say that OSU shouldn’t have to play the same team twice. I can’t tell you that the result in a rematch would be any different. But if you want the best two teams in the championship game, that’s Michigan and Ohio State. Unless USC beats Notre Dame by more than 4 touchdowns, or Florida beats Arkansas by a large margin, no one else has as impressive a resume as Michigan. That being said, if I had a vote, I would vote for USC, Florida, or maybe Arkansas if they win out. Who knows what might happen. Miami looked unbeatable in 02, as did FSU in 00, and to a lesser extent, USC in 05. Just as long as when the final vote comes out after the bowls, Michigan returns to its rightful #2 spot (assuming it wins the Rose Bowl)
-So if you assume that USC wins out and makes it to Glendale, the Rose Bowl will have an interesting choice for an opponent for Michigan. Currently the BCS top 12 contains three teams that are not eligible for the BCS (LSU, Auburn, Wisconsin) because of the limit on conference teams. That leaves the Rose with the following teams to chose from: Arkansas (would they draw enough), Texas (three straight years?), ACC Champ (Wake, BC or G. Tech), Florida (would they want to piss off the Sugar Bowl?), Boise State (God, please, no), Notre Dame (that’s not the rematch we’d hoped for), West Virginia or Louisville. I’m hoping that Oklahoma rises enough to make them eligible. An OU/Michigan rematch could be entertaining, especially if Adrian Peterson is healthy.
-The Sugar Bowl, I’m sure, is hoping for a Florida / Notre Dame match, in what would be instantly dubbed the Urban Meyer bowl.
-Can’t believe the season is almost done. It all goes to fast. Wish we had a playoff to look forward to.