The Rise of Michigan

OK, I must admit...I've watched a little bit of Michigan football. Yes, in spite of the atrocious losses to Appalachian State and Oregon. Who can resist Saturday Night Football on ABC when the Maize and Blue are playing?!

So I've been watching the re-emergence of the Wolverines, and now they sit at #19 on the AP poll. I see them rising over the next few weeks, as some top-ranked teams will face each other and leave one of them tumbling. So Michigan will fill the void, rising to probably #11 or #12 by week 13. And what, say ye, is Week 13? Well, the annual Michigan-Ohio State game, of course! Duh! Last year's game of two undefeated teams left Michigan out of the championship (though much of the nation felt there should be a Michigan-Ohio State rematch for the title). The graphic above shows some of the nation's top teams and how they've fared through week 8. My predictions for weeks 9-12 are shown, with Michigan rising. November 17th, 2007 should be another classic. With Mike Hart and Chad Henne having returned to make another run at the Big Ten Championship and a victory over the Buckeyes, they will certainly come to play.

And I, for one, don't expect to be disappointed!

For those of you who don't realize the significance of the Michigan-Ohio State battle, I just had to post this. An elementary school photo taken in Ohio, with the lone Michigan fan.

GO BLUE!

HAIL TO THE VICTORS!