Despite Nashville's best efforts, I have survived and returned. I'm sorry about your luck.
Word of the Day: Subsist.
IMMOVABLE OBJECT. I'll admit that I was pretty critical of Luke Wypler last season, maybe even too much.
To be fair, he was probably the weak link on the offensive line for the vast majority of the season, but how bad can your weak link be if he didn't allow a sack the entire season?
Big Ten Centers with the most pass block snaps played without allowing a sack last season
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 9, 2022
Luke Wypler: 516
Nick Krimin: 438
Cam Jurgens: 414 pic.twitter.com/GCEhovFysV
In all honesty, I never even had a problem with Wypler – he performed more than fine given the circumstances and everything that we now know of Harry Miller's offseason and preseason months.
My beef was more that Ohio State had one of the best interior linemen in the country in Matthew Jones and had no idea how to get him on the field and that he wasn't prepared to play center even though he was rated as the No. 1 center in his class.
But now, both are going to be on the same offensive line with little controversy. So all is well.
UH... MICHIGAN? If you haven't been paying attention, Michigan's 2023 recruiting class is an absolute dumpster fire.
Michigan’s 2023 recruiting class is ranked just No. 48 in the team rankings, behind teams like Rutgers, Illinois, and SMU and they don't have a single commitment from even a top-200 player. That includes missing out on in-state five-star quarterbacks Dante Moore and C.J. Carr, even after recruiting Moore since seventh grade.
When Jim Harbaugh interviewed for an NFL job on signing day, I said it would have a massive, negative, trickle-down effect on UM.
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) July 8, 2022
Fast-forward a few months, and two five-star QB's from Michigan, have decided to go to other schools.
Not a very good few weeks for Harbaugh https://t.co/dTCDNjox0i
To me, the most hilarious part about all of this is you're assuming Michigan would have had a shot at landing either of these quarterbacks if Harbaugh didn't pull his bullshit earlier this year, which is quite the assumption because, well... *gestures towards Michigan's recruiting the past two decades.*
But regardless, I'm enjoying the hell out of this.
And to think, Michigan was riding high as hell in December. They'd just beaten Ohio State for the firs time in a decade, won the Big Ten and made their first-ever College Football Playoff. They couldn't even make it to the start of the next football season before everyone was laughing at them again.
God bless, Michigan. See you in November.
BACK ON TOP. Hey, speaking of recruiting rankings, while Michigan's out there fighting to stay in the top 50, the Buckeyes just retook the top spot.
In recent weeks the Buckeyes have gone back and forth with Notre Dame for the country’s No. 1 class. However, at one point the Irish had moved out to a 10 point plus lead over the Buckeyes. But with the commitments over the past few days of offensive tackle Miles Walker and then high 4-star defensive end and defensive lineman Jason Moore on Sunday evening, the Buckeyes once again have the country’s No. 1 recruiting class.
The Buckeyes now have 18 commitments for 281.58 points for the No. 1 spot while Notre Dame currently has 19 commitments for 280.72 points. The Buckeyes have two 5-stars, 14 4-stars, and two 3-star prospects in their class. Notre Dame has one 5-star, 16 4-stars, and two 3-star recruits.
Generally, I feel like the team rankings aren't even worth considering until kids are sending in those Letters of Intent in December, but I'm fine bringing it up now because it's an amazing dichotomy with Michigan.
PLEASE TAKE MY SCHOOL. If y'all wondered just how wild the whole conference realignment stuff is behind closed doors, apparently Nike CEO Phil Knight has been "working the phones," cold-calling conferences and begging them to take Oregon.
The true impact of this latest round of conference realignment is the image of one of the world's most powerful sports figures "working the phones." That's how one source this week described Phil Knight's level of desperation.
A marketing genius, benefactor, philanthropist and multi-billionaire, the Shoe Dog himself is apparently using all his resources to find a home for Oregon, a program Knight has made one of the most recognizable college sports brands as a de facto offshoot of his Nike empire.
Knight has been reduced to cold-calling telemarketer. And that's a sad situation.
...
What we're witnessing in real time is the consolidation of the best brands atop the sport. Everything else be damned. When Knight is being reduced to speed-dialing to save his Ducks, well, that takes potential exclusion to another level.
A multi-billionaire spent his weekend cold-calling folks to try to get his alma mater into a new conference. God bless this insane sport.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Mo Bamba" by Sheck Wes.
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