With Michigan's success under Brady Hoke and Ohio State's hiring of Urban Meyer, there's a question of whether the Big Ten will return to the Big Two and the little rest of the Big Ten (since this number has changed from 8, to 9, to 10). In his first year as head coach of Michigan, Hoke led his team to an 11-2 record including a Sugar Bowl victory. He also had a top 10 recruiting class and is well on his way to another one this year. For Urban Meyer, the expectation of success seems inevitable. In his first month and a half, he rallied Ohio State to a top 5 recruiting class. The belief is that this dominance in recruiting will translate to the gridiron.
To start, it must be said that Michigan and Ohio State's recruiting has traditionally been the best in the Big Ten. Other schools have compiled some good classes, but they haven't been consistent. With Urban Meyer and Brady Hoke entering the fold, recruiting has become more cut throat. Their pursuit of top talent is limitless, and it's going to squeeze the number of top prospects that tend to trickle down to the rest of the Big Ten. The disparity between the two and the rest of the Big Ten should grow.
Part of the problem was that Michigan has not been as competitive these last few years. Furthermore, they weren't competing for the services of the same players. Rich Rodriguez had to find players that fit his offensive system. They were recruiting different players, and as a result, the two schools didn't hold each other accountable on the recruiting trail.
While Ohio State maintained its level of recruiting for the most part, Michigan's recruiting clearly wasn't as effective. Lloyd Carr was getting top 15 classes with the average stars in the mid to high 3s. The recruiting classes under Rich Rod dropped to the low 3s. Additionally, many of the players he recruited did not stay on campus or did not see the field.
The real beneficiary of this drop off was Michigan State. The Spartans capitalized at Michigan's expense, improving their average the mid to high 2-stars to the low 3-stars. At the end of the Lloyd Carr days, Michigan State was getting only one 4/5-star every year. In the last four years, Michigan State has gotten 3 or more.
It appears that things are changing with Hoke and Meyer in the mix. Beyond the fact that both schools had top 5 classes last year, it's impressive how these two have compiled talent against their competition. Hoke has put an emphasis in getting the top players in the state of Michigan. Last year, he got 9 of the top 15 players in Michigan. Furthermore, he has already locked up 4 of the 6 players from Michigan in the early Rivals 250. He is winning a lot of head to head battles with Michigan State.
You can look at the success Urban Meyer had by looking at the players that he kept or flipped. He got Tommy Schutt, Armani Reeves, and Camren Williams to decommit from Penn State. He landed Se'Von Pittman from Michigan State, Kyle Dodson from Wisconsin, and Taylor Decker from Notre Dame. Additionally, he landed two five-star defensive ends in Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington. Not only is Urban Meyer bringing this talent to Ohio State, he is taking the talents directly away from some of their top competitors.
2013 is shaping up to be a similar story. Brady Hoke has already landed 11 players in the Rivals 250, including 6 players in the top 100. All of the players that Urban Meyer had landed are in the Rivals 250 including top 10 prospect, Cameron Burrows. No other Big Ten team has Rivals 250 commit. It's still early, but it goes to show that Hoke and Meyer will get their players and the rest of Big Ten will have to wait.
We'll need some time to see if the recruiting dominance will translate to the field. However, you can look at the records of Meyer and Hoke and anticipate that it will. This might not be a good thing for the other schools of the Big Ten, but a return to dominance for both of these schools on a national level could change the negative perception that the conference has developed in recent years.
As an alumnus of Michigan, I hope that this is the case.
The reason this bothers me is because I've seen this before: college players going pro and spending their money on every single thing they did not have as a kid. While these players are going to be paid a lot of money, they don't plan for the future and spend frivolously on luxury items like a flashy sports car. I don't have a problem with players buying things like this, but I do have a problem with players not taking care of their money.
That got me thinking: why don't universities do more to prepare athletes for handling money?
First let me acknowledge that I know that there are sports management programs, but the finance classes in those programs have more to do with formulas and things of that nature than practical principles of money management. They don't teach you about taxes. They don't mention how to handle hangers on. They don't talk about long term planning to have money for retirement or setting up a second career after a professional career in sports.
I absolutely hate hearing that athletes squandered the millions of dollars that they accrued during their career. It's so disappointing.
So why not prepare them for the real world? Over the coming weeks, I will come up with a proper curriculum.
When Michigan gets commitments from recruits, I always like to see what the reaction is at the Michigan board. There's usual jubilation and what not. Equally interesting is seeing the reaction of rivalschools' boards. It's funny because there's always a put down or a rationalization that goes with these commitments.
This weekend, Michigan got eight 4-star commitments, all of whom are in the Top 200 on Rivals.
That's the context. That's what inspired this post. Both the onslaught of commitments to Michigan this weekend as well as the reaction of the fans of other schools.
Where is your new bicycle?
Recruiting is like Christmas. No wait, it's like a birthday. When a player commits, it's like getting that big shiny 3 speed Schwinn Sting Ray. You're really happy about it. You want to show it off and ride around the block for all your friends to see. Your friends are jealous. They'll mask their jealousy by saying "I didn't want that bike anyway" or "I will still beat you in a race."
I think I illustrated the reactions of Buckeye and Spartan fans pretty well.
Buckeye fans are pretty arrogant (yeah, I know it's funny coming from a Michigan alum/fan) right now. They have raised their already high expectations after hiring Urban Meyer. Part of what contributed to that was the way Meyer ended his 2012 class. They think they should get nothing but the best both in recruiting and on the field. They expect Meyer to dominate Brady Hoke on the recruiting trail. They also are the first ones to point out that a lot of these commits did not have OSU offers.
Let's try and grapple with the situation here.
First off, it's early in the recruiting cycle. We're almost two months away from teams' Spring Games. Not all the offers have gone out yet. Coaches are still in the process of evaluating players and sending out offers. Both Michigan and Ohio State have cast out nets in the form of offers. Michigan's net has been a little bigger (86 vs 65) than Ohio State's net. Those nets have covered a lot of the same players, but also a lot of players who only hold offers from one of the schools.
The important thing is that these two schools aren't handing out prospects to any regular player. They're giving offers to the best players in the country. I guarantee you right now that if both programs fill out their classes with the players that they have already offered, both fanbases will be more than satisfied with their coach's job. You know, so long as their coach did better than the other coach.
The fact of the matter is that Michigan is closer to filling their class with the top guys that they offered at the moment than Ohio State. Their coach is doing better. However, Ohio State fans think their coach can do better. When you factor that in with the relatively low number of head to head battles, this weekend changed nothing in their heads.
Buckeye fans think Urban has a strong reputation on the recruiting trail
Buckeyes fans are both quick and right to say that Meyer is winning head to head battles for their commits. That's if your only qualifying issue is an offer from both schools. Michigan had offered all the guys to commit to Ohio State, but all those guys were considered heavy Ohio State leans to begin with. With a lesser depth of talent in Michigan, the Wolverines will have to look throughout the Midwest to find players, including Ohio. Ohio has the most talent in the Midwest, so there's enough available beyond what the Buckeyes need or want. Many of the Ohio guys that end up at Michigan grew up as Buckeye fans.
The fact of the matter is that when you're recruiting out of state, you're likely to face an uphill battle. You're likely going to have to turn someone's fandom. Of the three Ohio kids that have committed to Michigan, Taco Charlton and Jake Butt were both Ohio State fans. They were turned. Neither of them had offers from Ohio State. Both are in the top 200 on Rivals. While you can say that Ohio State wasn't interested or did not recruit them, you cannot deny the fact that Michigan got two good players.
Then you have Michigan State, Sparty in my part of the world.
They always have a chip on their shoulder. Who can blame them? They don't bring in the prospects that Michigan and Ohio State does. The school isn't as highly regarded as Michigan. The football program isn't as prestigious. The thing they have most going for them at the moment is the fact that they have had great success recently against Michigan.
They won't shut up about it, not that they should. You should hold recent success over your rival's head. However, they don't recognize the importance of having good recruiting classes. They say Michigan has had good classes yet Michigan State has still beaten them. Well, here's the thing; Michigan had an abnormally high rate of attrition for those classes. You had guys transferring and you had guys getting into trouble with the law.
Michigan players who didn't make it
Hoke has changed things up. He's not only recruiting kids who are highly regarded, but also kids of high character. These kids will stay in the program and there will be less attrition. This coaching staff is better than the previous staff. They teach their players football. They teach fundamentals. You'll see this on the field. I'm not saying that this guarantees Michigan victories over Michigan State, but it definitely makes a difference.
To go back to the back metaphor, if you have a better bike and you're equally skilled riders, you're more likely to win. It's as simple as that.
Conversely, because rivalries go both ways, Michigan State got an in-state 4-star linebacker that Michigan hadn't offered. Much of this might have to do with Michigan taking four players at the position in this past year's class, and therefore, have earned the right to be selective (he also doesn't fit the LB position of need, SAM, for Michigan, but we'll just keep it simple). There was also commentary that he wasn't good enough to earn an offer or that he was a MSU lean. Of course, Spartan fans had a milliad of excuses.
Without regards to the facts, both fanbases come off as petty. Michigan fans put their own spin on it, saying he wasn't good enough or he wasn't worth the effort. Michigan State fans should be happy for landing a good player. The reality is a combination of these two stories, but the two sides are only going propagate whatever is favorable to them.
***
These arguments that fanbases have resulting from commitments is just stupid. It's also what makes college football great. It's a year round cycle of celebration, hatred, schadenfreude, and bickering. Your team might be your colors, but your rivals bring out your worst colors. That's the point that I'm trying to get across.
There is a lot of controversy nowadays, particularly in regards to coaches. There aren't many coaches who run their program with principles. Amidst all of this, Brady Hoke has proven to be one of the few who runs his program with integrity, expecting his players to be accountable for their actions.
When Brady Hoke came to Michigan, he had to deal with the Daryl Stonum situation. From all public appearances, it appeared that Stonum was a decent kid. However, he had had numerous run-ins with the law, encompassed by a second DUI offense shortly after Hoke was hired.
Hoke had numerous options to deal with the situation. He could have dismissed Stonum right then. Undoubtedly, he could have lost players or divided a locker room because he was a new guy coaching the old guy's recruits. Hoke could have also dusted the situation under the rug and allowed Stonum to play, taking a more win at all costs path. He did not do either of these things.
Hoke made Stonum redshirt. He made Stonum push weights across the football field early in the morning. He made Stonum play on the scout team and help the team prepare for their season. He showed his players that to be a part of the program, they had to be accountable. He also showed them loyalty. Hoke handled the Stonum situation as best as he could, and he gave Stonum a chance at redemption.
Stonum failed. He failed himself. He failed his team. He failed Coach Hoke. He was irresponsible and misguided and thought he could cheat the law. He lied to a judge. He drove with a revoked license. He did time as a result. However, he blew his chance at playing for Michigan again.
Like he has for almost all of his players, it was clear that Brady Hoke had a fondness for Daryl Stonum. He wanted him to come back and he wanted him to succeed. Stonum forced Hoke's hand. That's why he was dismissed, but you can still feel Hoke's disappointment:
"I love Darryl and wish him nothing but the absolute best," Hoke said. "However, there is a responsibility and a higher standard you must be accountable to as a University of Michigan football student-athlete. That does not and will not change. It's unfortunate because I believe he has grown a great deal as a person since the beginning of the season. My hope is that maturing process continues."
Similarly, you can tell that Stonum himself is disappointed by his actions:
"I appreciate everything the University of Michigan, Dave Brandon and Coach Hoke have done for me," said Stonum. "I look forward to continuing my football career down the road, but more importantly, right now I'm focused on graduating from Michigan this spring. I understand only I am responsible for my actions. I'm sad about how all of this turned out, but I completely understand. I love this school and my team and will miss them all greatly. But I'll always be a Wolverine. I know I have grown and matured as a person over the last nine months, and I will continue to learn and grow every day. I want to thank everyone for all of their support, and I hope they will support me in the future."
I enjoyed watching Daryl Stonum play for three years. I loved his press conferences as well. He seemed like a good kid who couldn't shake trouble. I wish him the best wherever the next step is. I believe he could transfer to another school, if they take him or he can also enter the draft, though I don't think he'll be picked. It's an unfortunate circumstance, but one he brought upon himself.
You have to laud Coach Hoke though. He did not buckle under the pressure to boot Stonum last year. He did not hesitate to release him after he did not come through this year. He did not divide the team, but rather set a precedent and a tone for how his program is going to be run: with accountability an integrity.
Far too often, we see players get put on a pedestal, with the University's protecting them from legal action and allowing them to continue playing. That's not the right way to run things. That's not how you develop men. Brady Hoke handled this situation the best way possible. He deserves praise for it.
Michigan will benefit from having a man like Brady Hoke in charge.
@RapSheet Ian R. Rapoport
In my opinion, there are 5 college jobs better than all but about 5 NFL jobs: Bama, PSU, USC, Texas, Michigan. O'Brien had to take it
It produced a spirited response to say the least, but it got me thinking: what are the best jobs in college football? What other schools have a case? What schools on this list don't belong? What makes a coaching job amongst the best?
Recruiting is said to be the life blood of college football. You need to recruit to get the talented athletes to compete on the field. While the prestige of a program might help with that, it is extremely helpful to be in a talent rich state or region.
Tradition is another important aspect of a program and the allure of the job. Much of that is tied with winning, but it also comes with other things like important rivalries, history, and things of that nature. There are some schools that have just spent money on the facilities to raise the profile of the program. That's not really tradition. That's not prestige.
The program also has to produce NFL caliber players. NFL players raise the profile of the school and ultimately, most of the players going to these schools want to go to the NFL.
Let's take a look at some of the best jobs: Texas - This is really a no brainer. Texas is probably the easiest school to recruit at. Texas is by far the most prestigious school in the most talent rich state in the country. If a kid is offered early by Texas, he is very likely to commit. They can both be selective and aggressive to get the kids they want. That makes a huge difference. The program itself has gone through ups and downs, but it has some great rivalry games like the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma. Losing the Texas A&M game hurt the program, but Texas is still clearly one of the best jobs in the country. Oh yeah, Texas is a pretty good academic school as well if that's what you're looking for.
USC - While USC has had some sanctions placed on the program, I still think it is the most prestigious program in the Pac-12. It has produced countless NFL players, it has many Heismans, and it has a winning tradition. It is in a talent rich state where it is the dominant recruiting power. Back to that winning tradition, not only has it dominated its rivalry with UCLA, it has dominated its conference. USC is a pretty good school and its campus is beautiful.
Michigan - A lot of people are down on Michigan, but let's review the facts: Michigan has the biggest stadium in the country, Michigan has the winningest program in the country, Michigan has the best uniforms in the country. Furthermore, Michigan plays in the best rivalry in college sports with Ohio State. Michigan produces NFL players. Michigan is one of the few top academic schools that also has a top level football program. The facilities are as good as it gets. Recruiting-wise, Michigan isn't as talent rich as Ohio, Texas, Florida, or California, but its always managed to get great players from all over the country while getting the best in the midwest.
Alabama - The Crimson Tide have one of the most storied programs in the nation with 9 poll-era national titles and 14 claimed national championships. They're the most successful school in the best conference in the nation. They have a recruiting base through out the Southeast. Bama has one of the biggest stadiums in the country. Furthermore, the Crimson Tide produce a lot of NFL players every year.
Ohio State - Despite the NCAA sanctions, Ohio State remains one of the best programs in the country. It is the other piece of the best rivalry in college sports. It is the best school in the most talent rich state in the midwest and thusly attracts talent very easily. They have a historic stadium and a history of producing not only NFL players but also Heisman winners. Over the last ten years, they've cemented their status as an upper tier program.
Notre Dame - Despite high academic standards and a recent track record of not living up to pre-season expectations, Notre Dame has continued to attract top level talent. It is one of the winningest programs and it has produced several Heisman winners. It has one of the most historic stadiums in college football and there is great tradition. While Notre Dame is an independent and doesn't play in conference championships, it has its on deal with NBC and in any good year will find itself in a BCS game. Furthermore, more than any other school, Notre Dame has a national following. It is one of the few schools that plays teams in more than a couple of the BCS conferences.
There are a few programs that will want to make their case, but I can't say they're at that level: The Three Major Florida Schools - Despite having the richest base of talent, the Florida schools have the trouble of having to fight each other for talent as well as fighting outside schools. None of the schools has history or tradition above the other. In fact, a lot of the history and tradition is dependent on each other. This is why I think that these schools aren't at the top top level.
Penn State - I did not know that people considered Penn State such an elite program. I always felt that it was between Michigan and Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten. It was not quite elite. Of course, they have a great stadium and have produced great players. However, in the Big Ten era, they have scarcely contended for the Big Ten Championship. While Pennsylvania is a good talent base, the East Coast is kind of scarce and Penn State can't really compete with Michigan and Ohio State in the midwest. The Sandusky case really tarnishes anything they had.
Oregon - I'm only including Oregon because they've been a consistent contender for the last five years and have become a high profile program. They're not on the top level because they don't have the history and tradition. They don't really produce NFL players. They have a horrible stadium and they play a non-traditional offense. They're known for their uniform changes and that's all.
I think that about covers the entire conversation.
The season ended last night in not so dramatic fashion, but it's never too early to start thinking about next year. Bovada has already released its odds for the National Championship and the Heisman. From early glances, I would just say to short Florida State at 12/1 and Notre Dame at 18/1. Both of those schools are perennially overrated at the start of the season and underachieve despite the tremendous talent they inexplicably recruit year after year. There's no doubt that they will be ranked highly next season and disappoint before the end of September. The rest of it is hard to say.
Meanwhile, the Heisman is much easier to review at this moment because we have some familiarity with the players and how successful their team can be.
Matt Barkley 7/2
It's no surprise that Barkley is the favorite. He is the best quarterback (pro-ready) in the country, and he is returning to a USC team that is going to return many of its starters. That team should have a chance at winning the Pac-12 next seasons, putting Barkley at the forefront of the Heisman race.
Denard Robinson 5/1
Usually Al Borges's quarterbacks make major progress in year two of being in the system. There isn't a more dynamic quarterback in college football than Denard Robinson and if he does make a leap, it will be great for him and Michigan. Michigan has a tough schedule, but if they make it through successfully, Denard is going to be a big part of that. It's hard not seeing Michigan being successful without Denard having a great season.
Montee Ball 5/1
Ball was a scoring machine this season, but I'm not sure his team is going to return the players to give him a chance to win. Wisconsin could very likely be in the mix for the Leaders Division title, but that will come largely because of OSU's postseason ban. I just see Ball having a tough time getting the votes if he couldn't get them this year.
Landry Jones 13/2
Jones is probably the second best quarterback in college football, but he's going to have to prove that he can do it without Ryan Broyles. He had a horrible second half of the season and his team went down with his performances. I don't know if Oklahoma can make the championship charge, but they'll have the talent for it.
Geno Smith 7/1
Before I get into the longer shots I like, I wanted to mention Geno Smith because I think his statistics could put him in New York. West Virginia absolutely destroyed Clemson with Holgorsen's Air Raid offense. If Smith can carry that into next season, he can put up prolific numbers in a conference that isn't known for its defense. He could do what Robert Griffin did this season. I see him as more Case Keenum than RG3 though.
Longshots that I like:
De'Anthony Thomas 25/1
This guy is fast. I think he suffered this year because he is young and the Ducks have LaMichael James. Next season, Thomas could put up monster numbers as the guy. Watch out!
Tyler Wilson 35/1
Tyler Wilson, in my opinion, is the best quarterback in the SEC. He loses Jarius Wright, but he should still have the weapons to compete for the Heisman. Arkansas should be good next year, and Wilson will have plenty of opportunities for Heisman moments when he faces LSU and Alabama.
Sammy Watkins 40/1
It's worth mentioning that Watkins's teammate Tajh Boyd is listed at shorter odds, but Watkins is clearly the star of that offense. When Watkins was hurt, the offense stalled. Watkins's injuries are precisely why he wasn't in the Heisman conversation as a Freshmen. If he stays healthy and Clemson can put together another strong season, I see no reason why Watkins isn't in the Heisman picture.
The Heisman is all about having the statistics, the wins, and the big moments in big games. It's always an open competition and accompanies the unpredictability of college football. I'm sad to see this season end, but that just means we can focus on college hockey, college basketball, and of course, next season!
I was fortunate enough to go to New Orleans for these last few days to see my Alma Mater, the University of Michigan, play the Virginia Tech Hokies. It was my first bowl experience and it was unique to say the least.
Let's start with the reason I was there.
My view at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (What the hell? They spent a lot of money on naming rights!)
The Game:
I can't say I actually enjoyed the game until the very end. I have never been to a more nerve racking game. It wasn't just that the game was close throughout or that Michigan played easily its worst game of the year with the horrible offensive play calling and the seemingly collective effort by the defense to forgot how to tackle.
In the back of my head, what made the situation so stressful was that I had come all that way. I had expected Michigan to win, though that's not the only reason I went down. It was the most important reason I went to New Orleans: to see Michigan win a BCS bowl game.
At this point, I should say that what made the situation better was being around Michigan fans. Being around people who want the same thing certainly eased the situation. However, not having the benefit of replay, not sitting with friends, fending for myself essentially, that was a bit difficult. I don't like watching important games with people. I like to deal with the stress by myself rather than to impose my stress on others.
With that bit of personal stuff out there, I'll get into the actual experience. I wasn't feeling well from the night before and I wanted to remember the game, so I did not drink. There was plenty of alcohol being served though. It's New Orleans. That's all you have to say.
One of the most overlooked aspects of the college football experience is the band. May be this is because most schools don't have good bands. Michigan has the best band there is playing the best fight song there is. The band is integral to building the excitement leading up to the team's entrance. Nothing gets me more pumped than seeing the M Fanfare and hearing The Victors.
The Block M formation
The Halftime show was nice too. One of my qualms was that the Superdome was so big and the acoustics in the stadium were so horrible. I could barely hear the band play. At least we got a great view of the band's elaborate formations.
The very beginning of the band's halftime program.
In typical New Orleans flavor, they had a Dr. Michael White, a jazz clarinetist, and Bryan Batt perform it. The anthem is always a nice reminder of our great country. I really liked that while they honored our country, they also managed to incorporate the unique culture of New Orleans. Another nice touch was the flag that they had for the National Anthem:
America.
As I mentioned in this post, the pricing of tickets at bowls has made it a difficult sell:
Ticket prices are too high, and as a result, the schools are having trouble selling their allotment of tickets. If a school doesn't sell its allotment, it has to eat the costs. For smaller schools like UConn with less support for the football program, making a bowl can be a costly endeavor. The initial idea was to use the games to get people to come down. While the people may still come down, the schools pay the price.
The Sugar Bowl was no exception to this problem. While I saw plenty of fans from both sides around the city, there were tons of empty seats:
A large block of the upper section of the stadium was empty.
We all know the Superdome can have an electric environment from watching Saints games. I expect it to be electric on Monday night as well for the National Championship game. It was definitely not electric for the Sugar Bowl. It's a big stadium. With a crowd of 64,512 in a stadium with a capacity of over 76,000, the size of the stadium really was a negative for the environment.
As for the game, I thought Al Borges had a poor offensive game plan. It was obvious that he had watched film from the Clemson game as he tried to use the jet sweep early. It was extremely ineffective and I would've liked to see Borges play more to Michigan's strengths than trying to implement what had beaten Virginia Tech before. We didn't see enough of Fitzgerald Toussaint. Denard's passing was very poor. The offensive line looked horrible without David Molk. I'd go so far as to say that that was the worst offensive performance of the season, despite the two Junior Hemmingway touchdowns.
Defensively, Michigan did a great job of putting Virginia Tech in third and long situations but did a very poor job of killing drives. Some of the tackling reminded me of the Rich Rod/Greg Robinson defenses of the last three years. It was that bad. Logan Thomas looked fantastic. The Michigan defense did not. One of the key plays of the game, though, came from Frank Clark who has a huge and athletic interception.
What might have won the game for Michigan was the special teams play. I don't think I imagined saying that before the season, but Gibbons was great kicking field goals. The fake field goal attempt actually worked and Michigan shut down Virginia Tech's fake punt attempt. If I wasn't before, I am now thankful for brunette girls.
One of the most controversial plays of the game was the Danny Coale non-catch. There was a lot of bickering after the game from the Virginia Tech side. I don't think they got a clear replay, nor do I think any of us, on both sides, got a clear explanation of why it was incomplete. The officials made the right call in the end:
The ball hits the ground and moves.
It wasn't incomplete because Coale landed out of bounds. That is probably inconclusive and not overturnable. However, the ball hits the ground and moves, which is an incomplete pass. That's the bottom line, so I don't feel that the Hokies got screwed. You hit your field goal and stop Michigan and you win the game. Tech didn't do that. There's nothing to complain about.
Michigan Celebrates!
While I don't feel great about the game because of the way Michigan played, I am extremely happy for the players on this team, especially the seniors. They've probably been through the worst stretch in Michigan football history, and it's great to see them go out in grand fashion. I am so very proud of them.
The City:
First, let me say that New Orleans is a great city. There's beautiful architecture and a culture unlike any other city in the US. This was my first time staying in a different city for vacation by myself, and I must say it was a bit intimidating. I was able to explore a lot on my last day in town, but I did not get to see everything I wanted. I will return in the future because I have to see a brass band on Frenchmen St, I have to see the plantation houses, and I have to see the swamp.
Part of why I enjoyed the city was being around the Maize and Blue faithful. There's something great about going to a different city and seeing Michigan fans everywhere. Everywhere you go, you're greeted by several Michigan chants. You have street performers playing The Victors. It makes you feel at home. This is part of why Michigan is such a special school to me. I'm not sure there are many others that compare.
The people of New Orleans were tremendous. I think just about every native I encountered was more than friendly and accommodating. I don't think you can say that about the people of any other city. They were very polite too, and bring the politeness out of you. I must've said please and thank you more than I ever have.
I arrived in New Orleans on the afternoon of New Year's Eve and took a cab into the city. My cab driver and I chatted about New Orleans and its recovery since Katrina. He was a nice guy and seemed to appreciate that I actually know some of the hardships that the city has been through. It was a very sobering start to my New Orleans experience.
New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street is nuts. On my flight back, I ran into an old high school friend, and he called NOLA an "adult Disney World." That's about as accurate a description as you are going to get. There are people everywhere, and it is filthy; alcohol is flowing, the streets are dirty, there are beads everywhere. It was nuts.
We did our best to avoid the chaos of Bourbon Street to start New Year's Eve. We started on Decatur St at Jackson Brewery, which is by Jackson Square (makes sense rght). It was there where we rung in the new year along with several others who wanted to check out the fireworks. I'm pretty sure that this was the only time that it was hard to get any "Go Blue!" chants going.
As I said before, Bourbon Street was nuts. I think the pandemonium was a bit confusing to us non-natives. I think pictures speak louder:
Looking East on Bourbon Street
Looking West on Bourbon Street
Looking up at the Balconies.
It's something that everyone should do. As a warning though, if you go for a few days, Bourbon Street might keep you from seeing things that you want to see because it is consuming. New Orleans is a beautiful city and there is a lot to see. The only day I really got to see the city was my last day when I had nothing to do and I hadn't drank the night before.
On my last day, I did a lot of the things that I had intended on doing but had thus far wasted the opportunity to do so. I went to Jackson Square to see the statue of Andrew Jackson.
Jackson Statue in Jackson Square
I was there really to sit down as I had been walking around the French Quarter all morning, but it was definitely something I wanted to see along with the St. Louis Cathedral.
St. Louis Cathedral.
It also happened to be the site of College Gameday. I relaxed and watched Desmond Howard, Todd McShay, and I believe Wendy Nix broadcast live from New Orleans. It seemed that Desmond had to catch a flight to Miami for the Orange Bowl right afterwards, but he took the time to meet with Michigan fans and take pictures afterwards. It's always great to see athletes take the time to show their fans appreciation. Desmond is a class act.
I headed to Cafe du Monde for Beignets afterwards as it was recommended to me by a few people. The line wasn't as bad as the days leading up to the Sugar Bowl. The Beignets were pretty good. There was a mountain of sugar in my bag. It's pretty much fried dough, but fried dough is delicious too. The cafe au lait was alright. I was there to go to Cafe du Monde more than I was there to enjoy doughnuts and coffee.
Cafe du Monde is a New Orleans institution.
As I walked around the rest of the French Quarter, trying to kill time, I realized that I was going to miss the place a lot. It's so different, it's so unique. There's the debauchery, but there's also the food and art. It was nice to walk through Chatres Street and look at the art galleries. It was also nice to walk on Bourbon Street one last time. Seeing it during the day without all the mayhem is different. There are still some people getting their drink on, but the music and the food are a much more prevalent feature.
The last thing I had to do was get some New Orleans food. I hadn't had the chance to have any of the food really, so I had to go all out. I went to Pier 424 and ordered the Taste of New Orleans, which included Jumbalaya, Gumbo, Crawfish Etoufe, and Beans and Rice. I wasn't that hungry and I could barely eat the food that was given. The waitress definitely made fun of me for it. Oh well, I'll say I enjoyed the Jumbalaya and the Beans and Rice a lot. I'm just not a heavy eater.
A Taste of New Orleans.
Concluding Thoughts:
The Sugar Bowl was an opportunity to check off several things off my bucket list: to visit New Orleans, spend New Year's on Bourbon Street, and to see Michigan in a BCS bowl game. All of those things contributed to a memorable experience.
In a short time, New Orleans captured my heart and I hope to visit there again. I know that, while I had a lot of fun, I missed out on seeing a lot of things that I would've seen had I better planned my trip. I will be back.
I always espouse the virtues of sports as something more than the game. I believe it is a powerful force that can unite, divide, wound, and heal. It can also take you to new places. It can also bring you new experiences. The Sugar Bowl was my first bowl experience, but it was only a small part of the bowl experience. I wouldn't have gone to New Orleans without the bowl. I wouldn't have been reminded why I love my school so much. So when I think about my first bowl experience, I will think about those things first, before I think of the actual bowl.
