The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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controversy and the speculation and the arguing and debating is one of the things that makes college football fun for everybody. You can go to work and argue with your buddies who support another team, about which team is bet- ter. You talk about which team got an advantage, which team got screwed. That's all part of it. "That's how people have fun, and "I'm okay with that. I actually think the Ultimately, that's going to lead to con- troversy. Again, I'm okay with it. you're just not going to get rid of it. This committee approach, which I'm fine with — and I don't know who is on the committee, and I don't know what the committee's criteria is going to be — that's as good as any other system, but every system has its flaws. "Whether it's the computer, or the coaches poll, the media poll, or some independent committee, there are go- ing to be flaws, and there is going to be judgment and subjective thinking. nent: "In college football, if you send a message out there that says if you lose an early-season game to a tough national competitor, it's going to throw you out of the mix for consideration to compete for the national champion- ship, we all know what the behavior is going to be in response to that. Peo- ple are going to start scheduling high school teams to make sure they don't take that early-season loss. "I don't think that's good for the fans. Strength of schedule as a compo- " punishments associated with those infractions. "There's where you are. You've got no facilities, no real recruiting pipeline. You've got negative energy, in terms of momentum, that you walked into. "Now, it's taken a few years, but we're Big Ten champions. You've got facilities. By the time Crisler Center is completed … I personally don't believe anyone has any idea how transformative the change is that's happening over there. "Until we open it up and people walk It's not good for the teams, the play- ers, the coaches, to take a third of the season and try to find teams you basi- cally know you can beat. That's not exciting or challenging or particularly interesting. "I'm hopeful, as part of this new con- struct, that there's a heavy consider- ation for schools that want to go out and play schools that have brand names, that have competitive pro- grams, where there is a risk of losing. If that's the case, I'll be really pleased. "Among other things, it will only gen- in, they're just really not going to un- derstand it. The competition facility, the practice facility, the William Davidson Player Development Center … all of the things that are going on there from a fa- cilities perspective will make us as good or better than anybody in the country. "And we have a pipeline of recruits. erate more interest and ticket sales and viewership in September every year, which is important. It will also create an opportunity for those of us who have to schedule games to have a wider ar- ray of teams to choose from. "If we're all running around trying to find mid-major schools to play across the board in our non-conference play, you're going to keep reaching lower and lower to fill those spots. That's not good for anybody. a ton of credit to John Beilein. Some- times you don't pause and think back to what he inherited. He inherited some of the worst facilities in Division I basketball. He inherited a program that had a number of coaching changes. He certainly wasn't following a legacy of successful coaches. "He inherited a program that was Michigan men's basketball: "I give " still living out the effects of some very, very serious sanctions, that were brought on by some very, very serious, major infractions. The Michigan bas- ketball brand had been negatively im- pacted by the infractions, but more so had been negatively impacted by the Playing a game at night at Michigan Stadium and unvieling alternate game jerseys for the Wolverines are some of the new ideas Brandon has brought to U-M. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN If you see the people we are recruit- ing now — the talent, where they're rated, by whom they're respected — we've got that going. We're coming off a championship year, and we're doing well against our major rivals, which is always an important thing. "People show up here and they know this is going to be a tough place to play. We lost one game all last season at home. We're going to continue to turn up the heat, as it relates to the atmosphere we're trying to create in Crisler Center. "I couldn't be more pleased. It's been a ton of hard work. John has done a great job. One of the things John has done that I take great pride in is that he's surrounded himself with some re- ally good people in Jeff Meyer, Bacari Alexander and LaVall Jordan. Those three and John create a really formi- dable team of recruiters and coaches. "They really have it going. We're all re- ally excited about what the future may hold for Michigan basketball. we get it 100 percent done, and every- thing is up and operational, I'm going to go stand at the top of the escalators. "I'm going to watch people come in Crisler Center completion: "When " the front entrance, the glass atrium next to the production studio and the ticket office. I'm going to watch them come up the escalator and dump out into this huge, expanded concourse, with the new food service, a huge M- Den right around the corner selling merchandise, and prepare to walk into an arena that is virtually new. I just want to watch the looks on their faces. — John Borton AUGUST 2012 THE WOLVERINE 57 "