So Ann Arbor wasn't exactly a hotbed of intrigue over the weekend, mostly because Jim Harbaugh has set up a Glavlit for the Michigan Wolverines football program, and also because everyone was super distracted by a 53 year old man doing a can opener off a 15 foot diving platform:
Jim Harbaugh is spending the bye week jumping in a pool.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) September 30, 2017
Wearing his Michigan hat and khaki-colored pants. pic.twitter.com/DcqkUNabHv
Okay, in fairness, this is a very very good can opener. The can opener carries a fairly low level of difficulty, but Harbaugh manages to nail both the technique and the entry. This is at least a 9.2, possibly even as high as a 9.4. Also, may favorite part of this is him putting his hat back on so his hair doesn't get wet.
Anyway, this is all fascinating, but if you remember from last week, we've got a quarterback controversy to stoke.
THREAT LEVEL
Again, at this point I think it's fairly clear that John O'Korn should be the starter. If he isn't, it's not based on a sober analysis of the pros and cons of O'Korn versus Speight, it's just Harbaugh being a stubborn weiner who would rather ride or die with the guy he chose instead of fate. Which, okay, but this quote from the Detroit News sure makes it seem like the players would be fine going with the other very Amishly named quarterback on the roster:
“We believe in John,” offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr. said last week. “John’s been here three years, he knows the offense very well. He’s next man up. That’s our motto about everything.”
Anyway, Michigan probably could beat Sparty next week with either Speight or O'Korn, but given the super bad vibes surrounding that game for the Wolverines, they'd be dumb to mess with an arrangement that would give them the best chance to win.
Michigan State isn't great, but they've got a dynamic quarterback and a puncher's chance should the UM offense start to suck, as it has been wont to do so far this season. Given that this game is at Ann Arbor, the Wolverines should have the advantage, but if they make the right decision at quarterback (and, to be honest, no one is going to know if they will until their first offensive snap of the game) and look impressive in a rivalry game, we'll have to consider raising the Threat Level.
Until then, though, we remain at a tentative GUARDED.
