Michigan/Minnesota depth chart

In advance of tomorrow's game between Michigan and Minnesota, here are the depth charts for each squad:

No. 15 Michigan (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten East)

Injury List:


Running back Drake Johnson- Probable (knee)

Wide receiver Brian Cole- Out (undisclosed)




Minnesota (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten West)

Injury List:


Cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun- Probable (knee)

Offensive lineman Josh Campion- Out (concussion)

Safety Damarius Travis- Out (hamstring)

Center Brian Bobek- Out (undisclosed)

Linebacker Cody Poock- Questionable (undisclosed)

Tight end Duke Anyanwu- Probable (knee)

Defensive tackle Scott Ekpe- Questionable (undisclosed)

Wide receiver Jeff Jones- Out (undisclosed)




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Tale of the Tape: No. 15 Michigan at Minnesota

On this edition of Tale of the Tape, I break down the awesome traits that makes Michigan and Minnesota unique and different from each other.


          Michigan                                                       Minnesota

                                                







       

            Big Ten                                    Conference Affiliation:                           Big Ten


                15                                 Associated Press Current Ranking:                 NR


      2012 Sugar Bowl                              Last Bowl Win:                        2004 Music City Bowl


       11 (Last: 1997)                            National Championships:                  7 (Last: 1960)


        42 (Last: 2004)                         Conference Championships:              18 (Last: 1967)


 3 (Tom Harmon: 1954,                     Heisman Trophy Winners:           1 (Bruce Smith: 1941)
Desmond Howard: 1991 and    
Charles Woodson: 1997)                                                                          
                                                                                                                   


Gerald R. Ford, Rich Eisen,                    Notable Alumni:                   Bob Dylan, Brock Lesnar
Desmond Howard, Selma Blair                                                              Kevin Sorbo, Jessica Lange                                               and David Alan Grier                                                                             and Herb Brooks

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
 
            None                                                   Mascot:                                     Goldy Gopher


          43,625                                           Current Enrollment:                            69,221


           43-28                                    Win-Loss Record This Decade:                   32-38

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The Geno Green Podcast- Green Bay Packers Plus writer Rob Reischel

On this edition of The Geno Green Podcast, Green Bay Packers Plus writer Rob Reischel, special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel comes on to talk about his new book, Leaders of the Pack: Starr, Favre, Rodgers and Why Green Bay's Quarterback Trio is the Best in the NFL.

We talk about the impact of Starr, Favre and Rodgers on Green Bay's fan base and how former General Manager Ron Wolfe took a chance on Favre.

Also, we dive into Sunday night's game between the 6-0 Green Bay Packers and 6-0 Denver Broncos.










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Kill's resignation is another reminder of everything being temporary in life

                                      Photo Credit: Geno Green

Football can teach some powerful life lessons and for Minnesota coach Jerry Kill, his time on the field came to an end Wednesday.

The 54-year old Kill resigned and retired effective immediately due to health reasons coupled with advice from his doctor to think about life after the game.

No matter how good or bad things are going in life, everything is  temporary and must come to end a some point.

For Kill, the time in the sand glass of 32 years coaching in football expired, but not under his own terms. Kill has been battling with the effects of epilepsy since 2005 and admitted to suffering two seizures on Tuesday, coupled with additional seizures this year.

In Wednesday's press conference, Kill's reality of letting go of the game that gave him and his family so much sunk in.

"I've given every ounce that I have for 32 years to the game of football and the kids that I've been able to coach," Kill said while trying to keep his composure. "Last night, when I walked off the practice field, I felt like a part of me died. I love this game. I've always done it for my family. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to coach this game."

For someone who not only dedicated his entire life to making players succeed on the field, but in the classroom, Kill left an indelible mark on the game.

Kill amassed a collegiate coaching record of 156-102 (.605) overall at Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois and Minnesota in 22 seasons.

The ironic timing of Kill's retirement brought to mind Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, who passed away at the age of 60 on Oct. 25 after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma for three months.

Saunders, who was beloved by not only the NBA community, but the city of Minnesota for delivering the Timberwolves eight playoff appearances from 1997-2004 and a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2004.

Weary of the recent fate of Saunders, Kill came to the realization that football is temporary, like any other activity in life.

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No. 15 Michigan and Minnesota come into Saturday's game with plenty in common

                                   Photo Credit: Geno Green



Things happen sometimes in threes. 

For the No. 15-ranked Michigan Wolverines and Minnesota Golden Gophers, losing their last games at home, not playing the week before because of a bye and playing for the Little Brown Jug are the common threads.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh played in this rivalry game as a coach and lost the 1986 matchup to Minnesota, 20-17 on a last-second field goal.

Fast forward to last season's meeting at Michigan Stadium as the Gophers dominated the Wolverines on both sides of the ball in a 30-14 loss giving the possession of the Little Brown Jug back to Minnesota for the fourth time since 1968.

Harbaugh relishes the chance to be on the coaching side of things under the lights at TCF Bank Stadium, but sees similarities and differences in terms of preparing for Minnesota.

"Preparation as a player is both mental and physical," Harbaugh said in Tuesday's Big Ten teleconference. "I would say as a coach, it is more studying from a mental standpoint than being a player. There's a lot of contrast between the two."

After losing to Michigan State 27-23 on Oct. 17, Harbaugh and the Wolverines used the bye week as a chance to regroup and work on some fundamentals to get ready for Minnesota.

"We have had an opportunity last week to practice and I was very impressed with our team," Harbaugh said. "[Last] Tuesday's practice was much like a training camp practice. Half of our preparation was for Minnesota and the other half was getting fundamentals with our units down packed."

The Harbaugh-Kill connection:

The connection with the Harbaugh family and Kill goes as far back as 2001 and 2002 when Kill coached at Southern Illinois and went head up against Jim Harbaugh's father, Jack at Western Kentucky.

Harbaugh respects what Kill brings to table and expects to see the full package Saturday.


"I see the way [Minnesota] executes their schemes and the Harbaugh family has deep respect for Jerry Kill," Harbaugh said.

"I've seen it from all phases from my perspective. [Minnesota] plays the game like it is supposed to be played and as my dad has always said, great, honest, fair competition when you play a Jerry Kill-coached team."

The Gophers' first quarter struggles on offense have been the norm all season, mustering 10 points, while allowing 47 on defense.

Minnesota associate coach Tracy Claeys knows a good start against a top-tier team like Michigan will be critical to keeping the Little Brown Jug in Minneapolis for another season.

  


"It still comes back to eliminating the negative plays and having third downs that are manageable," Claeys said. 

"Those are things that we haven't done out of the gate and it takes a little bit to get adjusted. The main thing we have been stressing in the off-week is to eliminate the bad plays to give us chances to convert on third down. It's all about taking care of the ball."

All-Time History:

Michigan leads the all-time series 73-25-3 over Minnesota. The Gophers are looking to win two straight games against the Wolverines for the first time since taking four in a row from 1960-63.


Game Planner:


No. 15 Michigan (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten East) at Minnesota (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten West)


Location: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn.

Time: Saturday, 6 p.m. CT

TV/Online: ESPN/WatchESPN

Line: Michigan (-13.5)




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Projecting The New Year's Six for Oct. 26

Last weekend produced another finish for the ages as Georgia Tech won on a "Kick Six" against then-No. 9 Florida State, 22-16.

There are plenty of changes to this week’s New Year’s Six projections, so here they are for your viewing.

NOTE: The Associated Press poll is the template being used to help make the selections until the College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled on Nov. 3.

Orange Bowl:


1) Ohio State vs 4) LSU



Cotton Bowl:


2) Baylor vs 3) Clemson



Fiesta Bowl:


5) TCU vs 16) Memphis



Peach Bowl:


12) Oklahoma State vs 11) Florida



Rose Bowl:


6) Michigan State vs 8) Stanford



Sugar Bowl:


7) Alabama vs 9) Notre Dame





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College Football Power 25- Week 8

                                           Photo Credit: Geno Green

Here are my Power 25 rankings for Week 8:

1) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten East)

W 49-7 at Rutgers

Next Week: BYE

2) TCU (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)

BYE

Next Week: vs West Virginia

3) Michigan State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten East)

W 52-26 vs Indiana

Next Week: BYE

4) Baylor (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)

W 45-27 vs Baylor

Next Week: BYE

5) LSU  (7-0, 4-0 SEC West)

W 48-20 vs Western Kentucky

Next Week: BYE

6) Clemson (7-0, 4-0 ACC Atlantic)

W 59-0 at Miami

Next Week: at NC State

7) Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC West)

W 19-14 vs Tennessee

Next Week: BYE

8) Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC East)

BYE

Next Week: vs Georgia (Jacksonville)

9) Stanford (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12 North)

Next Week: at Washington St.

10) Notre Dame (6-1)

BYE

Next Week: at Temple

11) Memphis (7-0, 3-0 American West)

W 66-42 at Tulsa

Next Week: vs Tulane

12) Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1 Big 12)

W 63-27 vs Texas Tech

Next Week: at Kansas

13) Iowa (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten West)

BYE

Next Week: vs Maryland

14) Utah  (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12 South)

L 42-24 at USC

Next Week: vs Oregon State

15) Michigan (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten East)

BYE

Next Week: at Minnesota

16) Toledo (7-0, 4-0 MAC West)

W 51-35 at UMass

Next Week: BYE

17) Houston (7-0, 4-0 American West)

W 59-10 at Central Florida

Next Week: vs Vanderbilt

18) Oklahoma State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12)

W 58-10 vs Kansas

Next Week: at Texas Tech

19) Ole Miss (6-2, 3-1 SEC West)

W 23-3 vs Texas A&M

Next Week: at Auburn

20) Duke (6-1, 3-0 ACC Coastal)

W 45-43 (4OT) at Virginia Tech

Next Week: vs Miami (FL)

21) Florida State (6-1, 4-1 ACC Atlantic)

L 22-16 at Georgia Tech

Next Week: vs Syracuse

22) Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2 SEC West)

L 23-3 at Ole Miss

Next Week: vs South Carolina

23) Pittsburgh (6-1, 4-0 ACC Coastal)

W 23-20 at Syracuse

Next Week: vs North Carolina

24) Wisconsin  (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten West)

W 24-13 at Illinois

Next Week: vs Rutgers

25) Temple (7-0, 4-0 American East)

W 24-13 at East Carolina

Next Week: vs Notre Dame

Conference Breakdown:

Big Ten: 5

SEC: 5

Big 12: 4

ACC: 4

American: 3

Pac-12: 2

Independent: 1

MAC: 1

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