[NU Sports] FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day 38

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

It's BEAT VANDY WEDNESDAY! GO CATS!!!

We're getting closer and closer to kickoff ... only two teams left after today!

FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL
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> DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota
09) Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
08) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
07) Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin
06) Randy Walker, Northwestern
05) Lloyd Carr, Michigan
04) Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
03) Joe Tiller, Purdue
02) Joe Paterno, Penn State
01) Jim Tressel, Ohio State

> DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade

10) 2000: Purdue 32, Michigan 31
09) 2001: Michigan State 26, Michigan 24
08) 2005: Michigan 27, Penn State 25
07) 2003: Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 34
06) 2004: Northwestern 33, Ohio State 27 (OT)
05) 2008: Penn State 13, Ohio State 6
04) 2009: Ohio State 27, Iowa 24 (OT)
03) 2002: Ohio State 10, Purdue 6
02) 2000: Northwestern 54, Michigan 51
01) 2006: Ohio State 42, Michigan 39

> DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade

10) Laurence Maroney/Marion Barber, Minnesota
09) Antwaan Randle El, Indiana
08) Jamar Fletcher, Wisconsin
07) Dallas Clark, Iowa
06) Troy Smith, Ohio State
05) Damien Anderson, Northwestern
04) Braylon Edwards, Michigan
03) Chris Gamble, Ohio State
02) Larry Johnson, Penn State
01) Drew Brees, Purdue

> DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

10) 2003 Michigan Wolverines
09) 2002 Iowa Hawkeyes
08) 2006 Wisconsin Badgers
07) 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes
06) 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes
05) 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions
04) 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions

Just one rule for this list: No more than three teams from one school (so it wouldn't just be a list of Buckeye teams :) ).

TOP TEAMS
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03) 2006 Michigan Wolverines

- Record: 11-2
- Quality Wins: @ #2 Notre Dame, vs. Wisconsin, @ Penn State, vs. #23 Iowa
- Bad Losses: None
- Average margin of victory: 17.3 points
- Bowl result: Lost to #7 USC, 32-18 in the Rose Bowl

If there were a couple days in his life that Lloyd Carr could do over again, it would probably be the days before the final polls of the regular season came out in December of 2006. 

As we saw in 2005 against Penn State, Lloyd Carr could be a bit of whiner at times. He could work an official with the best of them during a game (and sometimes it got those crucial two seconds back on the clock) and if he was displeased after the game, he had great difficulty hiding it. But in those weeks between the 3-point loss to #1 Ohio State and the B(C)S pairings, he decided to take the "high road" and stay out of the chaos.

It was a bad move and a sour ending to what had been a terrific season. The Wolverines entered 2006 with new coordinators after a disappointing 2005. They were ranked #15 in the preseason poll, well behind preseason title favorites and rivals Ohio State. But the perception of Big Blue changed drastically in week three, when they marched into South Bend and slapped around the second-ranked Fighting Irish. For fans who love to hate Notre Dame, it was a thing of beauty as Michigan scored early and often en route to a 47-21 thrashing, with two scores coming off of turnovers by the D. It vaulted Michigan into the top 10 and made them a contender again for the national title.

The most impressive Michigan victory of the season, however, turned out to be their next game against unranked Wisconsin. It was one of the nation's best rushing offenses against the top rushing defense in the Big House for the Big Ten opener. The score was knotted at 10 for halftime, but the Wolverines pulled away in the second half, holding the Badgers to 12 rushing yards and winning 27-13. It didn't register at the time, but the loss would be Wisconsin's only defeat of the season as they would finish 12-1 and ranked #5 in the nation.

After Michigan easily dispatched of Minnesota and Michigan State, they traveled to Happy Valley to face a PSU team that would finish the year at 9-4 and ranked #25. The defense starred again, holding the Lions to -14 rushing yards en route to a 17-10 victory and a #3 ranking.

>From the Notre Dame route on, Michigan's season was on a collision course with Ohio State for the biggest "Big Game" of them all, and after the Wisconsin and Penn State wins, the hype and anticipation reached new heights. The next month's lineup of Iowa, Northwestern, Ball State (surprisingly close) and Indiana were mere speed bumps before the game.

And then it was go time - #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Michigan for the Big Ten title and a spot in the title game to end the season. The game was an offensive shootout that saw the Buckeyes break ahead in the second quarter and never relinquish the lead after that, though Michigan came close a few times. The final score was 42-39 and the Buckeyes were headed to Arizona for the championship game.

But then a funny thing happened - Michigan was still #2 after the game in the BCS standings. Their season was complete and they were in the top two, so talk of a rematch in the title game started growing. At first, though, it looked like that could be avoided with #3 USC. The Trojans beat #6 Notre Dame (by a smaller margin than Michigan did, and they played them in California) and jumped up to the #2 spot, dropping Michigan to #3. But then SC lost to rival UCLA the following week.

The pollsters then looked to the SEC, where #4 Florida finished the season with a 10-point win over Arkansas. While Lloyd took the "high road" of silence, Urban Meyer politicked long and hard for the title game shot (based on a 7-point win over a 6-loss FSU team and a 10-point squeaker over Arkansas???) and kept hammering home how a rematch would be a bad idea.

So when the final standings came out, Florida magically jumped from #4 to #2 and Michigan - who finished their season at #2 got dropped twice, once for USC beating a Notre Dame team Michigan had beat by more and then again for a 1-loss Florida team (double digit loss at #10 Auburn) who had just beaten Arkansas (a team that was clobbered 50-14 by USC earlier that season) by a 10 points in the title game.

It smelled back then and it still smells today. Michigan was robbed by voters' feelings that they didn't want a rematch in the title game. The B(C)S is supposed to match up the top two teams in the nation for the title game. It doesn't say anything about that not being the case if they had played already that year. Michigan and Ohio State were the two best teams all season and had the two best resumes for the title game that year. There is no doubt in my mind about that.

Unfortunately, both Michigan and Florida's bowl performances confirmed the fuzzy math that put them in their places (but again, the B(C)S is not supposed to be speculating on what would happen and get a better matchup). The Wolverines and USC were tied at 3 at halftime, but the Trojans pulled away in the third to win 32-18. And Florida won a laugher against Ohio State to win a "national championship" that deserves a big fat asterisk next to it.

Coming Thursday: The best roster of the decade.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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