Posted by Jerry Hinnen

When Brady Hoke was hired at Michigan, one of the common selling points used to justify the selection of a coach with a lifetime under-.500 record was that his longtime ties to the school and record of success under Lloyd Carr would unite a fanbase and program divided by Rich Rodriguez's outsider status.

How much that unity might pay off on the field remains to be seen. But there seems to be little question that Hoke has, at least, created the unity his hire promised. For evidence, look no further than the contrasting reactions of Braylon Edwards, the Wolverine All-American receiver whose exploits helped make the No. 1 jersey a status symbol for Michigan wideouts.

Edwards had this to say in the Detroit News on Hoke and his handling of the No. 1 (emphasis added):

"He was asking me about the number," Edwards said of Hoke. "I said, 'You know, coach, for the No. 1 jersey, everyone looks to me, but at the end of the day, it's on you. You feel like someone deserves to wear the number, you feel comfortable, you have my blessing to give it to whoever you want.' "

Hoke replaced Rich Rodriguez, who was fired after three seasons.

"I had a great time," Edwards said of his visit to Schembechler Hall last weekend. "It was like home again. Brady's door was open, he was on the phone, told the person he'd call him back and he gave me a big hug."

This would be less-than-noteworthy, run-of-the-mill daily beat fodder if not for Edwards' reaction to Rodriguez's decisions with the No. 1. Rodriguez casually gave the number to an incoming freshman defensive back, prompting Edwards to say he'd "have a talk" with RichRod and claiming "Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan" as his alma mater during Sunday Night Football introductions. Clearly, Rodriguez did not have Edwards' blessing to do whatever he wished with the jersey.

It would be easy to see Edwards' bellyaching over a tradition he didn't start himself (as he admits) as childish, his open lack of support for Rodriguez as sour grapes. But it's also worth noting that Hoke began the conversation by asking Edwards his thoughts on the matter; whether that's necessary or not, it's the right move from the public relations standpoint. Rodriguez's approach might not have been wrong, per se, but there's also no doubting it was needlessly clumsy, one of many minor missteps he could have avoided that piled up into major missteps.

Again, for Hoke to succeed where Rodriguez failed, he's going to have to do a lot more than simply be a better politician. But being a better politician is a start, and as Edwards' example shows, Hoke is off to a good one in that department.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

The Detroit Free-Press caught up with former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr this week for his opinions on new Wolverine head man Brady Hoke, a former Carr assistant. Not surprisingly, Carr had nothing but highly positive things to say about his protege:

"[H]e has a great recruiting background nationally, and he’s a guy who likes to recruit. He’s a gregarious, fun-loving guy and meets people extremely well. I think he’ll do a great job recruiting. If you look at his background in coaching -- he’s been a defensive coach, a defensive player, and I think, if you look at the Big Ten Conference, there aren’t any teams winning that conference that I can recollect that didn’t play outstanding defense. So I think he’s going to hang his hat there, but it looks, to me, that he’s hired a very good offensive coaching staff as well. He understands it’s a big-picture deal ...

"[H]e’s not going to ask for my counsel. The thing he knows is I’m for him. I’m for Michigan. And if I can help him or he needs me, I’ll be there for him. But I don’t think that’s going to be very often. He’s spent seven, eight years here — he knows what he’s doing."

This probably wouldn't even be worth discussing -- "Football Coach Says Nice Things About Other Coach He Worked With" isn't exactly groundbreaking stuff -- if not for the contrast between Carr's effusive praise of Hoke and the lack of such praise for Hoke predecessor Rich Rodriguez.

Rumors abounded in Ann Arbor throughout the course of Rodriguez's tenure that Carr was less-than-pleased with the direction of the program under his successor, and even as Rodriguez came under attack from any number of directions, Carr's public support amounted to what MGoBlog author Brian Cook summarized as "a single tepid statement of support" over the course of three seasons. Former Carr players like Braylon Edwards seemed particularly hostile towards Rodriguez, exacerbating the perception of a rift between the two coaches. Former Michigan quarterback Rick Leach eventually came forward to attack Carr's lack of support on multiple occasions .

None of this is to say Carr shouldn't be as candid and as positive regarding Hoke as he is. But the conventional wisdom regarding Rodriguez's failure in Ann Arbor was that part of his struggles, at least, could be chalked up to a lack of universal support within and without the program. Contrasting Carr's rapid show of support for Hoke with his lack of same for RichRod -- certainly he never said anything publicly as encouraging as " The thing he knows is I'm for him" -- and it seems clear that the days of factions within the Michigan program are at an end. Hoke will have the kind of support that Rodriguez did not.

Now he just has to win the games that Rodriguez did not, if he wants to keep it.

Posted by the College Football Blog Staff

Every season, every month, every week, there are several outcomes and achievements that, frankly, nobody operating within reason would ever predict. Who could have predicted Nebraska would beat Florida for the 1995 title by 38 points, or that Boise State would pull off three late trick plays to knock off Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, or that Les Miles wouldn't be the coach that screwed up the endgame the worst during Tennessee-LSU? Nobody... until now. We're going to try capture that lightning in a bottle by making similarly absurd predictions every week. Are they at all likely to come true? No. Do we even believe the words we're writing? No. But if we make even one correct call on these, we will never stop gloating. Ever.

Highly Unlikely

Utah punishes every single "win-go-up, lose-go-down" poll voter by dropping their night game at Iowa State, 31-20. The previously comatose Cyclone defense comes to life against the Utes, sacking Jordan Wynn four times and picking him off twice. The exasperated Utah coach, Kyle Whittingham, will blame the pollsters for Utah's upset loss, saying "I wasn't the one telling my guys they were the tenth best team in the [censored] nation." -- Adam Jacobi

Washington State slows down and upsets Oregon in Martin Stadium, claiming their first conference win with a 24-0 victory over the Ducks. The shutout will be thanks to the defense who, despite starting the day ranked 118th in the nation in yards allowed per game (509.8), shut down the best offense in nation by simply putting 11 linebackers on the field at all times. -- Chip Patterson

Michigan's defense actually shows up to play on Saturday, allowing Denard Robinson to see even more snaps behind center.  The end result is a 600-yard performance from Robinson as the Wolverines coast to a surprisingly easy 42-17 victory over Michigan State, giving Denard an even firmer grasp on the Heisman Trophy. -- Tom Fornelli

Severely Unlikely

Michigan and Michigan State's defenses completely shut each other down in a 3-2 Spartan victory in the Big House.  Denard Robinson attempts to run 18 times, but is only held to 14 yards.  Braylon Edwards gets behind the wheel and drives the Spartans back to East Lansing, hitting every bar on the way. At 73 mph. -- Chip Patterson

A week after having a huge day in a losing effort against Michigan, Indiana's Ben Chappell does even more damage in the Horseshoe.  Chappell picks the Ohio State secondary apart for 520 yards and 5 touchdowns. Terrelle Pryor's leg injury reappears and the Buckeyes offense has absolutely no answer. The Hoosiers shock the world, picking up what would be considered the biggest win in the program's history.  Final score: Indiana 45, Ohio State 31. -- Tom Fornelli

Oregon pours it on hapless Washington State for the full 60 minutes and becomes the first I-A team to hit the century mark since Houston beat Tulsa 100-6 in 1968. LaMichael James reclaims the top spot in Heisman consideration with 532 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Oregon cruises, 113-0. -- Adam Jacobi

Utterly Preposterous

The game between LSU and Florida is an all-time epic performance that will be talked about 50 years from now.  The game goes back and forth as the offenses take turns destroying the defenses, and the defenses respond in kind.  Finally, in the fourth quarter Jordan Jefferson takes the field with LSU down 24-20 and two minutes left on the clock.  He has yet to throw an interception as the Tigers begin their drive.  They enter get inside the Florida 20-yard line as the clock goes under the minute mark.  Les Miles stands on the sidelines with no worries in the world.  Amazingly, he still has all three of his timeouts left.  He uses them well, and Gary Crowton calls the perfect plays as Jefferson hits Terrence Toliver for the game winning touchdown with 12 seconds left.  LSU wins 27-24. -- Tom Fornelli

In a scene reminiscent of the realistic football documentary Varsity Blues, the Texas Tech players rise up in mutiny against head coach Tommy Tuberville at halftime as they trail Baylor 21-3. Red Raiders QB Taylor Potts makes one call on his cell phone, and five minutes into the third quarter, Mike Leach parachutes onto the field, delighting the Cotton Bowl crowd. Leach, seeing no sheds present at the game, has WR Adam James locked in a bathroom stall for the rest of the game. Leach re-installs the spread, Baylor's defense is overmatched, and the Red Raiders prevail 34-31. -- Adam Jacobi

South Carolina upsets Alabama 28-24 after Mark Ingram has his 5th fumble of the game on the goal line in the final seconds. Trent Richardson, who had 250 yards rushing in the game, erupts with rage that he did not get a chance to win the game himself.  In the locker room, things get heated. Our own Tom Fornelli emerges from Richardson's locker and pins Ingram's arms behind his back, allowing Richardson to head-butt Ingram and knock the Heisman Trophy winner to the ground. Alabama coach Nick Saban suspends Ingram for the confrontation, claiming "the kid showed no fight." -- Chip Patterson