Latest / In The Pocket / Ep. 18: Who's going bowling? Is anyone going bowling? (Besides WMU)

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Ep. 18: Who's going bowling? Is anyone going bowling? (Besides WMU) · In The Pocket

• pod 10 29 mixdown: Hello and welcome to another episode of In the Pocket. I am Andrew Graham, a co-host, fifty percent equal partner. I'm not trying to try to come up with like duopoly jokes here. I'm here today with my proud and pink shirt wearing co host Connor Irgood, who is busy trying to get a home loan approved that should be approved already from the sound of it. Shout out. East Lancing Barbie, much like me. So hell yeah. Now my dad My dad spent many years of his misspent youth at the East Lansing Pinball Pete's growing up in East Lansing, so that's a fine place for me too. I did joke with my dad earlier. He's a suffering Michigan fan this year. He said if Michigan loses to Rutgers, can like get a thirty second rant on the podcast? It's like maybe. I think we'll allow it. Maybe Peter. Maybe that can We need a call line. Yeah, leave a voicemail for yeah. Fir first time long time, Andrew. It's your dad. But get the Chicago sports talk. Yeah, ex Yeah, the problem with Pat Fitzgerald. No. So I had a this is an immediate digression, but in college I went to Syracuse. There were like plenty of Boston folks there. And one of my buddies at the student paper, Josh Schaefer, who now works for Barons, I think, some financial publication, does great work. But he's a Boston guy. And he did the perfect like Boston sports radio call and impression. Like I couldn't I couldn't possibly mimic it, but it's just I've it's like W one of the hardest stuff ever laughed. so if you ever have a boss don't eat in your life, see if they can do that for you. But we got plenty to get to this week. be picking games later at the end of the pod. There's a only two games on Saturday involving Michigan FBS teams because Max is starting up and things are getting wonky. we're gonna end up picking the Mac games a week ahead, i.e., like Central Michigan ho plays Eastern Michigan next Wednesday. We're gonna pick that today on Thursday, because I think if we try to spradle picks across multiple pods. We're gonna confuse you and ourselves. And yeah, that's just not a good idea. So that's that. Western plays at noon, hosts bowling green. Michigan plays at Rutgers at twelve thirty. Those are your two games Saturday for for Michigan FBS team, so good weekend to go to the cider mill or rake the leaves or do something productive with your life. are you doing anything productive with your life for this Saturday you have off Connor? I actually haven't I haven't actually I I I'm going to Travis City I was I was claimed to go there. yeah. So it's it's gonna be interesting. I haven't been up in the fall. It's I'm excited to see it. But I also have to like pack a house and stuff. So we got a lot of stressful lot of irons in the fire for the bye week that has been kind of just me chud maxing, but You're gonna go up to Traver City to make your last campaign swing there before Tuesday. Yeah, bust shore up that northwest vote. no, so today I think The the the place I want to take this is the just a simple question. Who who's going bowling here? We've got October, or the last week of October, excuse me, to finish out the the first sort of four or excuse me, geez, I am struggling with numbers right now. The first eight, nine weeks of the season, and then we'll have the four four game runs through November, three games in Eastern Michigan's case, a couple others. And I just think it's interesting to take stock of who might make a bowl, who has a difficult path, where things are at, because I think that's where everyone but Western Michigan is at in this state so far. like, are we gonna make a bowl or not? Is sort of where the seasons are at because you're not really competing for much else. So just kind of going in alphabetical-ish order here. I got central Michigan in the dock first. They are three and five. They are coming off three straight losses to Ohio. Western Michigan and Miami, Ohio. Their next game's Eastern Michigan. That's Fort Field, Maction. Then they'll play Sack State and then they finish with two on the road at Buffalo at Ball State. Connor, I will throw this to you first. Are the Chippewas gonna get six wins and go bowling? If they win at the factory, yes. I think they beat Sack State easy. I think they beat Ball State easy. The ball sack bowl. I think they have handled. I don't think they win at Buffalo, given that they play pretty tough. I mean, unless it's, you know, penultimate week. could win, but not maybe picking it. Yeah. Yeah. It's like it's possible, but I think if they win against Eastern, I I think that's the that's the path. That's your your your your key, right? That's your game that opens the door. Yeah. It's worth noting with like the number of bowls that are like circling the drain. I don't know that it's like guaranteed that every six win team will go to a bowl this year. Yeah. So I could very much see central Michigan with an injured quarterback and limping through the finish not getting extended a bowl invite even at six and six. until Notre Dame. Yeah, the Central Michigan. Okay. So Bodz, who we mentioned sometimes on the pod, his sister works for some company and got to meet like the Pop Tart that gets sacrificed at the Pop Tart Bowl. That's incredible. That was fantastic. enough in that direction though. I I think I'm with you. I think that Eastern Michigan game is the swing game for Central. They should be able to just bury Sacramento State, like straight up. Like Boland Green has the worst rush defense in the Mac. They give it like 215 yards a game. They held Sacramento State to 70. Like you should that should be a win. And if it's not, like we got problems. And so then it's can you pick off one of Ball State and Buffalo, assuming you beat Eastern? And I would have to think you can beat one of those two teams. Yeah. Get to six and six. And if you get left out for a bowl, that sucks, and that's more of a issue with the rest of the flow and stasis of college football and the fact that we have two bowls in Puerto Rico now that for a minute was reported like there was one, but actually it's technically two, and one has a Mac tie-in and the other one doesn't. Like it's it's a whole right now. Yeah. And also I kind of like the idea the bowl at Ford Field, I should add, is dead. Like that's not a thing anymore, because didn't really make any money. so it's kind of interesting to see I think how like the bowl industry evolves in the next couple of years because it's the rent seekers aren't gonna stop seeking the rent. I guess is my point in that. It's but teams are increasingly like, why would we subject ourselves to that in December when we're trying to like re re recruit our roster and set up for the portal? I was gonna say, why give more tape for the portal poachers? Like Right. And just like when you can be like figuring out contract extensions effectively, like It's where it is. And I know that's not a popular thing, but it is the thing. moving on, the team Central Michigan is gonna be playing on Wednesday night. I I remember it's Wednesday because it's the day after the election, and I know the election has to be on Tuesday by law. so that's it's Wednesday night at Ford Field. Eastern Michigan there, four and five overall. They only have three games left with five weeks to play. I wrote about it on Minton Football, if you want to check it out. I'm gonna say they do make a bowl game, which means I don't think Central will. If we're mapping back my picks, like I'm kind of on Central, like whether you beat Eastern determines it for me. I think Eastern is probably gonna beat them. I just think they're a little more complete right now. And then that puts Eastern where don't like your chances at Western. I do like your chances to beat Kent State. And I know that's like walking a major tightrope, especially if they have to keep playing Brogan Mackay at quarterback instead of Noah Kim. But I just think they're better than two of the three teams left on their schedule and they need two more wins and so it's pretty s simple math for me. I'd say the same. Western I think probably beats them. Obviously, that's that's your your crown jewel of the state right now. But if only you had Western Michigan's offense and Michigan's defense. If it was like like a bounty league, like you just claim the defense. Right. Like if I could and if I could add like if I could take Nick Devereaux and Benson Prosper and make them the three and four receivers for Western Michigan. Like you could you could if you took these pieces, you could make a really good football team. The state of Michigan could make a playoff team. Yeah, like split it down. Like throw throw throw Carson Golker in there somewhere and get some. I'll stand up for Ryan Milmore. Ryan Milmore's been banging it this year for Western Michigan. Yeah. He's had a he's had a great year. quietly though. Speaking of Western. Yeah, that's the next one. they need one. Two. I will say I th I give Eastern a better chance to beat Western than I think a lot of people do, but I'm still probably going to pick Western when it comes around to that. But, anyways, Western Michigan. Broncos are five and three at the moment. They're coming off a loss to Toledo, but the rest of their schedule sets up pretty, pretty friendly for them, especially because Miami, Ohio is dealing with quarterback injuries. So they host Bowling Green this weekend. Bowling Green is An Enigma, but a team that they should be able to run over. They go to Akron, similar deal, like feisty, but I you are just better than them. You host Eastern Michigan. That sh will be for your chance to retain the Michigan Mac. And then you host Miami, Ohio. I would be surprised if Western goes anything worse than three and one through this final stretch. I I was gonna say, I bet they go three and one and there's a game that they just stuff happens. Like I I I I think they're they're a good enough team, but you never know. Akron could, you know, ambush him, that kind of thing. Rago Rago goes nuclear or whatever, like yeah. Yeah. Like so I I'd I'd I'm gonna pick them to go three and one. Eight and four. They make a good bowl. Lance Taylor gets a lot of money to go somewhere in the off season. Kind of depends on what keeps kind of depends on what keeps opening up. Cause my understanding is he's maybe not wanting to just run headfirst into a brick wall in terms of taking a power four job where there's just no resources to win. Yeah. Which is probably wise for him. Where it's like, do I do I want to go take the UAB job or do I want to just keep coaching where I'm winning? Fair fairly UAB is lateral. Yeah. No. He's he's very much at the like he's not the first name on any lists probably right now, especially just like for the specific jobs that have opened. But like I guarantee you ADs know who he is as they're considering their hires at the power four level. It would be rather foolish to not Sabin ties and yeah. El Notre Dame. I mean he he was there with with Brian Kelly and Freeman during like a really successful time there. even back to like I think people forget like Lance started he's his first like big boy football coaching job was coaching assistant tight ends for the Jets under Rex Ryan. So like He's really got this interesting career background, Rolodex, different pieces and parts you can pull. Coach Christian McCaffrey at Stanford, like really interesting career. He'd be a great podcast host, is what I'm hearing. Or a guest. I actually don't I'm gonna say he wouldn't actually interact with him a lot. He'd be a good guest. Lance, if you want to come on the pod, you're welcome anytime. I was I'll send that permanent offer to any sitting FPS head coach, actually, as a matter of fact. but yeah, I think It's just Westerns they're having last season again where they start janky and non conference. It's like, How good are we really? You hit Mac play, you go on a run, you literally lose to a league favorite on the road in week eight, like you did last year, and then now it's can you just reel it off and get back to Ford Field? And I would bet that they have a good very good shot too, and at a minimum that involves them winning one more game and getting bull eligible at five and three. And now the pit of despair. Michigan Connor. They go eight and four. Who is in Brian Ferrand's territory? Yeah. They they they they go eight and four. the defense isn't gonna let Rutgers beat him. Michigan State is too injured to hang. And Oregon is is at that point, like three weeks from the end of the season, I think is gonna have a lot of guys making business decisions. I i it would be a a testament to Dan Lanning if they didn't. so I I think that's an easy three. UCLA is interesting because UCLA runs hard and UCLA does a lot of like they do the little things right. Like that the extra block, the the angle on the punt return. Like I don't know, the the defense gets that sort of strain to prevent that half a yard and like that stuff adds up. They completely overpowered Michigan State. Like and yes, there was a freshman quarterback, but like the team I saw there I think would hang with most. And like they hung with Oregon, who You can say what you will about Ryola, but they're real on like that's a real Oregon. NFL players, yeah. Yeah. So and th that run the run game for UCLA I think is the best in the country. Like statistically it's it's in that running. I the way that they get that extra push, the way it's it's you can see it's the backs and the offensive line, the way dudes can sort of shift gears and select and then they have a power back and then they have a dude who can catch out of the backfield and they just have everything you'd want. Like Bob Chasney might be coach of the year. He's in that should be like him, Jason Eck, Jamarcus Shepherd, probably your three like favorites right now. So I I think Michigan, it'll be interesting because if that defense plays hard nose, like the interior's probably your best Well, well no, the corners are playing really well too. But that's the thing with Michigan is the defense. The linebackers have actually been excellent, which is I think is the quiet thing for Michigan where there was a question mark we just didn't had literally no clue who was gonna be good or bad at linebacker for them and So there's your question good and yeah. Yeah, there's your question is like can the UCLA run game translate it against an elite defense? That determines that game. And then Ohio State I think is if if Saiyan's hurt and Ohio State has two everything, but This is a rivalry we've seen go sideways and we've seen a lot of weird results as of late. so I I would I would I think they'll win one of those two. That's a fair take. I'm 'cause that UCLA game also being late November at Michigan Stadium, like were it not UCLA looking the way they do, it'd be very the can they do it on a cold rainy Tuesday at Stoke game for UCLA under Malt Chesney? And it might still be, but I think just the way they want to play football insulates them from that of turn all turn around and hand it off and run and strain and like at the we'll we'll do that in the thirty five degree cold, that we'll do it the same as with the sunny Southern California. Like I'm not I'm not too worried about them in that regard. I don't know. Eight and four feels kind of rich as I look at this for Michigan, 'cause you would have said that they should have beaten Minnesota and they should have beaten Iowa and they didn't. Well I picked an eight and four. I didn't think they'd get it. This way. I appreciate your consistency in sticking to your pick. I I see I mean like I see eight and four hap like how it happens. Like I don't think you're wrong and I think it it it actually kinda hinges on the Oregon game, where if you don't win that, you're not getting there because you're probably not feeling good about winning the next two if you lose that one. But if you win that one, especi like this is also presuming they just beat Rutgers and beat Michigan State, which at this point I wouldn't say anything's guaranteed for Michigan. Connor's mouthing like Michigan State's guaranteed. And I would tend to agree. although that one might be six to zero. Yeah, it's gonna be ugly. It's gonna be like the worst. Like this is a game to get pissed drunk in the stands and just like be angry. Like that is that is this matchup. It's it's like go hang out like your high school buddies who some of you went to MSU and some of you went to Michigan should just go have a great day at Ann Arbor, not care really what happens to the football game. Like that is what this is great for. Watch it from the bar. Well, especially given that this game currently we don't know when it's gonna be televised because they're putting it on the board. Which well, that reeks to me of which network partner are we screwing over by putting this on BTN in an adjacent time slot is kind of what that reads as to me. and yeah, I think I I'll put it this way. It it would be like you should fire Kyle Whittingham if Michigan doesn't get to a bowl. I will put it that way. Like straight up if they can't win two of their next five. And I really think the simple path is win your next two, get two six, be good about that, and then that lets you not have that being like this stupid thing hanging over you where you have three it's still talented, if not difficult opponents for the rest of the year. Yes. And arguably scaling difficulty. Two on the road. Like two on the rope too. Like that's the other thing I don't think. The shoe's close though. Like Fair. Yeah. it's not it's a rivalry one where it's like you're used to playing that road game. Yeah, and like it's you kinda there's also like a as much as we make like we being outside observers make a deal about like tough road environments, and it's a real thing about being able to communicate and function. But for like a rivalry especially, a lot of teams like love to go into like the hostile environment. Like it fuels them. Especially Michigan after the pepper spray and All the antics at the end that one. yeah. Just the the most disgusting thing that's ever happened on a football field, of course. You know, that was that. Nothing worse ever happened on a football field. yeah, like it's just win the next two, Michigan. Like that's really where I get to of like, I think you're a bowl team. You should win three at least of your next five games somehow. Make make two the next two two of them, or else it's gonna get really uncomfortable in Ann Arbor. all right. So we need to get on to, of course, the pit of despair that is MSU, as I've taken to calling it here. the Spartans are two and six. They have four games remaining. They're on bye this Saturday of Halloween. scary hours with the injury report. But they will go to Michigan out of the bye. that's Saturday, November seventh. Then they'll play Washington at home the following Saturday. They get Oregon at home on a Friday night. we'll have to double check. I I wanna say that's the Vig Ten Venmo rivalry series game or something. I'll have to double check that. at you know a rivalry dating all the way back to that one red box bowl. and then MSU will finish at Rutgers to end the year in what's looking like their best chance at a conference win. I am gonna go go ahead and be bold and say that MSU is not gonna make a bowl game because they're gonna take another loss here. Yeah, I they're gonna take a few of Like I I think Rutgers even is gonna be a tight one because if you can Rutgers has some dudes who can do some stuff when they're all of them are sitting though. Dust is over this week, Lonergan is is out and he was they beat him last year with BC. so like that's a game you still feel like okay, Michigan State can probably beat Rutgers. But you might be and eight, like going into Maryland last year. Yeah. Like a a it's it's dicey. Oregon too, I I'm curious to see what they look like that week. Just just in terms of of who's playing, who's not. But they still should have playing to beat Michigan City. There's just so many guys hurt. And like injuries that you're not bringing a guy back for, knees, things like that. they lost Ben Roberts to an injury that looked like it was his his left knee and it was braced and he was taken off the field in a wheelchair. Looks pretty long term. But then there were photos of him that didn't look like there was a knee brace. I don't know the date on those. But it was back in Hawaii, so who knows? maybe I I doubt he's gonna be back. and it was the first defensive play and and Fitz after the UCLA loss was pretty candid with us about like the injuries are bad and I've never seen anything like this. And no one like there are too many coaches that blame injuries, but it is true. It is just a fact of the matter for Well, some teams do they're not even get host. Like at play it and simple, like I don't think MSU would have been much better than six and six this year if they stay healthy because of the schedule and some other issues. they still had to go, they would have lost at Notre Dame. They would have blah blah blah blah blah. But like it it's not wrong or an excuse even at this point to say you can't judge you could judge Pat Fitzgerald and his staff for a lot of things, decisions they've made this year. I don't think you can really judge them for the wins and losses after week six. sure. I they just didn't have a they didn't have a health they didn't have a team that could compete because of his I would s I would argue too, the the wins you needed were Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern. Those are the ones you needed and you're hurt, all four of them. Like Jordan Hall, I think played in one half of a game. That sounds right. That's it. and and then got hurt again twelve thir sixteen snaps into the Illinois game, Pretzloff got hurt too. Like and they're getting guys to trickle back in, but now it seems like it's more like medical remedy reps, like, hey, this is what it's like to play in the Big Ten. Get your body right. Like Yeah, like, hey, like let's see how good it feels. Yeah. Well, and and like it takes a physical toll. And that's one of the things with getting a lot of lower level transfers is their bodies, there's a reason they're down there. Like not all of them have the frame. Like people always I s you see this in the NHL a lot. People see the short kings that rip it up and they're like, that guy's should be a first round pick. And it's like, yeah, and then he gets clubbed by a six three Swedish kid across the middle and he never plays another game because his back's screwed up. Like there's a health and wellness thing to size that you just don't overcome. And and Michigan State unfortunately runs into that a little bit with just the wear and tear on these guys. Well and there's a lot of people who are like, how did Trinidad Chambless not get recruited more out of high school? It's like 'cause he was five eleven. Yeah. And that's and but it's it's just it is what it is. And that's like that's why ball coaches, like a lot of them have some you would say, old school takes that are just that is the way the game is played. And and you have to be sizes into that. Yeah, sizes is a great way to put it. but I I think Michigan State's best chance at a win here is Rutgers. I think the second is Michigan and I'm gonna say I'd agree. Mich Michigan or Washington feels either or to me. Well Coming off of a coming off of a a a bye week of getting healthy, putting in the game plan, this is your season. Like this is how you can reclaim everything. If if you're able to beat Michigan the first time in since twenty one, since K9, post first win post tunnel fight, and the vibe shift that that was in the state rivalry. Like I'm serious. Like I I I think that is potentially something that on season you can't really say much about for Michigan State other than same old Spartans, you can hang your hat on something. And I think Pat knows it. I think all the OC and DC and and and everyone in this team coaching staff knows it. I think the players know it. I'm curious to see who plays. 'Cause there's only one out for season injury we've seen. That's Cam Edwards. He cannot play. I wonder how many of these guys who are teetering are gonna do everything they can to get back this week. Even if it's one game. this is the game you played last year, you had dudes do that. Nikai Martinez played some snaps, Ben Roberts played some snaps when they were hurt. Ended up not working super well. But this is the game you circle and you want to play in. So I I think that's Michigan State's second. and hey, if they win two and they're four and you know. Well I four and eight at the end of the season. That's probably where most people had embeged. the line. I think four four and eight was about was about where it was yeah, it's about where they're gonna be I gave an Optimus six and six because I really thought they would beat Nebraska and I really thought they would beat Northwestern. And it turns out those are two of the better teams in the basement. Yeah actually like I know competent, solid football team Wisconsin's been good too. Like there's no shame in that one as it turns out. Yeah, it turns out they actually had a tough schedule. the actual easy games on your schedule are Oregon and Michigan, just as we all predicted at the beginning of the year. and I think that's like what gets to me is like it's also a little frustrating of like MSU has like fought in a way where were they healthy, I believe they probably would have been six and six ish. Like they would have probably beat Illinois or Northwestern. They would have hadn't had a much better like chance of maybe beating a Wisconsin or a Nebraska. like they just they like. It's very clear they never even got a chance to credibly compete in the Big Ten. and it just sucks. Now, like to your point, you really can make Michigan your Super Bowl. And I know coaches kind of try to like shy away from that and a lot of time like do and for good reason because you have other games, you can't overblow one. But like if you're Michigan State and you do nothing else the rest of the year but beat Michigan and have everyone in Ann Arbor just hating life the entire offseason. That's what you're saying. Success at this point. That is a step. It is a measurable step. Yeah. And like the fight was there in the spring in spring a little bit, but then in the fall, we really saw it. And like visiting practices, you just saw like a level of oomph. Like it was it was apparent that like it's a well coached group. That was what made me think six and six. That's what makes me think. And I said earlier in the season, like Michigan, you probably favor. But if they're in similar muddy water here and Muddy Waters, Michigan State former coach. Disastrously. This is not a Muddy Waters tenure for for Michigan State. It might be. I or a Jonathan Smith tenure. Another Pac twelve guy. like I I it's interesting. And and I think it's Whittingham's quotes that he's prioritizing this rivalry over Ohio State were really interesting from Media Day. Like I don't think people focused on that part. But Michigan is also thinking about this rivalry more than I think they have in the past few years of like retain the state. And I almost think that's like that's how you get the D'Antonio like boogeyman in the closet, like you dread this week if you're Michigan. Like that's when Michigan State plays some of its best ball when it owns the state. And I think this is your your doorway. But both teams in a vulnerable spot. Michigan's still working with a lot more talent. So Yeah, so my previewing the the preview show next week of the rivalry. Well that I just like I come down to it's like Michigan has every ability to not let that game be close if it can just not shoot itself in the foot on offense. And that is the biggest if I can possibly imagine right now, where it's like I don't know that MSU crosses the fifty if Michigan doesn't give them a short field. And I would be stunned if Michigan doesn't try to give them at least one short field on a turnover in that game. Like can MSU oblige and like that kind of stuff to get ahead of ourselves. Like, but that is sort of what we're talking about. And if you win that one, if you're MSU, even if you lose the next three, you like have a thing to plant a flag on. And like it for Fitzgerald, it would be very like a vindicating's not the right word. And like Fortifying, yeah, you can exhale and it's almost like it's like galvanizing a little bit of like for whatever doubt we might have had about this guy actually turning it around into wins as losses as things got so bad this year. Because everyone also rightly kind of points to like his last couple years at Northwestern were really bad. Like they were really not good. And maybe maybe they were about to turn it where you bring in David Braun, who's now their head coach, and they're doing like I I can fully believe if you gave Pat if Pat Fitzgerald had gotten three more years at Northwestern that he'd have turned it around back to being good again. Maybe not. who knows? He's six and twenty-six in his past thirty-two games. That's the point at home. That he just hasn't been winning Big Ten games the last few seasons he's been coaching Big Ten football. And yeah, it would be one win. He wouldn't it would it would make him seven and thirty seven and twenty six or whatever it is. Yeah. But that one would mean a whole lot more than any of the other ones could have meant to him in MSU. So even if you don't make a bowl MSU, if you win that, you'd feel great. If you go three and one but lose that, I don't know that you would feel better. No. Because then you're still five and seven. Yeah, and you just didn't like yeah, you be you would have beat Oregon and you'd still be like, And this is also the time of year when fans don't show up because it's a cold stadium and it's correct, and they're and spending their money on basketball tickets. Yeah. it's like and basketball plays at Tennessee. They play It in at Palm Desert for over Christmas. Like they're gonna play the game at in Thanksgiving, at LCA, like and then obviously Champions Classic, but I mean that's right after Rivalry Week. So, you know, I I don't know how that affects the attendance, but like it's it's an interesting schedule for hoops where it's going to poach some of your fans. We got another we got another of your scheduling circles, Connor, but it's just cross board. MSU football played Toledo, MSU basketball playing Toledo. That too. There we Toledo coach actually is a loves. I forget his name. yeah. He's a a G. When he talks about like the scheduling and stuff, he's like he does not care to turn state's evidence on every other coach in the country about how screwed up they treat Mac teams and how difficult his job is, but not in a complainy way. It's Todd is it Todd Simon? No. Nah, I couldn't I couldn't tell. I I I I know the The head coaches at the Western at the directional Michigans for men's basketball. That is where my knowledge of Mac basketball tends to drop. Todd Kowalchik. Kowalchick, that's right. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Gee, great coach. And he will when we get to in the in the key, our basketball cloud, we'll we'll start talking about that. But in the paint. We can just keep we can do in the paint, keep the same letters. Ooh, there we go. Yeah, we should we should pick games. Western Michigan versus Bowling Green, noon at Waldo Stadium. Last Saturday home game, it's it's senior day for Western Michigan as C teams are increasingly doing that in the Mac with last Saturday home game. Should just be I'm gonna I'll I guess I'll pick first. Give me Western Michigan. Bowling Greed gives up more than two hundred rushing yards a game. Western Michigan doesn't even average that many rushing yards a game. They're a pretty good rushing offense. So I think we I would expect good days for Jalen Buckley and Lolo Matele. Probably get Brock Lowry a rushing touchdown if it's there for him. And That defense is legit again. Like they got got by Toledo, but I think a lot of people are getting got by Toledo. So it could be Western Michigan pretty comfortably. Michigan State almost got got by Toledo for reference. Correct. When they were healthy. Correct. Like the team we said could go six and six. Like week two, they were all playing and Toledo like had a lead of the fourth quarter. Yeah. Yeah. I I'm gonna go Western BTA. Like I I think A the senior day component, but home noon. Bowling Green is one of the worst, for people betting on them. I they like are the the biggest mush of any team in college football this year, I wanna say, or the last time I checked. I'm not into the betting, but I do think that's really interesting. And I do apply that to our pick'ems for the Detroit News. So pick Western outright. It should be an interesting one. Yeah, as mu as much as we were just praising Toledo, this bowling green team did beat them because the Mac can never make full sense. but I that does not dissuade me from my Western Michigan pick. Michigan at Rutgers at twelve thirty p.m. This one is is that is that Peacock or is that B I haven't even checked. Like I I no one's watching it. Yeah. That game's gonna be shown on Yardwork Saturday. That game's sh shown exclusively on stolen satellites lifted by the Jersey mob. Like that's one where like the honeydo list gets done this Saturday. Because no one's watching that game. Yeah. Speaking of my dad, speaking of my dad earlier, I'm pretty sure he was like raking up leaves this week. And I was like, why don't you wait until Saturday, man? you're not gonna want to watch this game. I I'll pick Michigan because I think the defense, like of the four main units on that field, the Michigan defense is far and away the best one. Rutgers might not have their starting quarterback. And so you basically play the Indiana game, but the other team like legitimately can't score and you can probably actually win this one seven nothing if you really had to. But for the vibe's sake, if you're Michigan, I would try to not do that and score maybe like 28 points. Get a get get real exciting score four touchdowns. If for anyone listening, read the the Detroit News predictions. You'll like my blurb. no I haven't read them all to go check this out after this it's not up yet. It'll be up. I will then I will not check this out after this. I will check this out whenever it's available on Friday morning. Yeah. I I I'm picking Michigan. Like they're they're gonna smack them around. It's gonna be fool's gold because it's a bad Ruckers team. Like a one read quarterback could pick apart this Rutgers defense. They are that bad. Correct. In fact, several one read quarterbacks have. Yeah. Like Paul Botson. So like Tommy Carr is a true freshman, like the the allure of the unknown, he kind of showed you like, this isn't a dude that's just, you know, gonna be a savior of this team. But like he looked like a guy He looked like a guy who was committed to go sit for a year for yes Chuck Martin at Miami of Ohio and then play in the Mac. which may actually be the end like I would not be stunned if Tommy Tommy Carr's career doesn't see him through a full four years at Michigan, I'll put it that way. Probably. I just don't think long term starting is necessarily in his future there from what we saw Saturday. And then in Indiana's a really good defense, so I'm not gonna put too much. Five years though. That's true. Yeah, I'll they'll change the eligibil eligibility matrix and somehow he'll lose them as he's going through them. and as we said, we're gonna pick Maction ahead of the curve just to keep things orderly. So we're gonna pick this game and then we'll talk about games on Monday, but this game won't have happened yet, but we're not trying to screw ourselves up too much. So Central Michigan, technically at Eastern Michigan, all of the game is motor city machine at Ford Field. It's an Eastern Michigan home game. It'll be a Central Michigan home game next year. Connor, who you got? I'm gonna pick Eastern. Like I said earlier this is the factory and it's not my fault. Fort Field is like Fort Field's closer. But it's the distribution center. Eastern Michigan is further along in where they want to be than Drinkle is. And I think that you can see the ev evidence of what Central wants to be, but I think like this tougher part of the schedule they just got through is the part where it's like it shows you the missing sauce, like what they the gap, yes. And so that's where I think Eastern isn't a super stellar Eastern team. They've got s a lot of injuries they've been dealing with throughout the entire season. Maybe it doesn't all match perfectly, but like you still feel good about where Creighton has pieces. He knows how to make the most of his guys. Like he knows where everything is. And I I I think they're just a little further along. But I think there's a lot of upset intrigue in this one as well. But I'm gonna pick Eastern. I I think they got this one. Yeah, I think I'm with you on Eastern and it's we might have two ja I mean technically backup quarterbacks. because Noah Kim is dinged up. They we got Brogan Mackay for media availability, which I think is fifty percent, hey, he played well. We should get him in front of the media. And also fifty percent, hey, he might be our starting quarterback next week. just because Kim is still on amend and they're not really gonna know until kind of over the weekend as they practice and prep. whereas Central is just at Jaden Glass right now because Angel Flores is And I think you hit it where although the completeness of Eastern has been dinged because of the injuries, like we haven't like this team, if it was healthy, would have been pretty, pretty sound. Like they just weren't holes on the roster. Even with the injuries, they've been that way. They've been one of the best rush defenses in the Mac. They create a bunch of havoc defensively in the passing game. I think they're like top ten in the country in pass is defense, even though they don't have a ton of takeaways. so they just They they make your life hard on defense. They know how to stop the run, which is a big thing against Central Michigan. And even if Makai's playing, he showed me enough against a good Ohio defense overall to think you will be able to figure yourselves out in some way against like my worry with him against Central Michigan's defense would just be like a rash of turnovers because Central's pretty good at turning over opponents. If he keeps the ball, you know, in check and they can run it a little bit. They might get Cold Dellinger back at right guard this week. I just think Eastern's just got a little Eastern's just got a couple more answers than Central does to try and find ways to win this game. And I think that just wins out in the end. I think it'll be close. I think it'll be pretty competitive. I think it's gonna be actually a pretty cool scene. Like they're marketing the hell out of it because they need to sell tickets and and do some good stuff. But it's kind of hard when your teams aren't doing well after the last month. But I don't know. I'm I'm I'm excited to cover it. Just like it's nice to Go cover games and nice venues where you're well you're well cared for as a media member because it's an NFL stadium. So all right. National little tasting venue here. Which I think we may have forgotten to do last week or no, we we remember. we did, we did. I've been all over the place. Wisconsin at Iowa. This is which which trophy is this? This is one of the trophies. Is this is this Floyd? No, Floyd is Minnesota, Wisconsin. It is the Heartland trophy. Heartland trophy. That's right. That's right. That's right. I think it's Babe the Ox, actually. I might be right. There's so much Paul Bunyan valor being distributed amongst Midwest football rivalries. Did I hear you say though Wisconsin though? I'm thinking Wisconsin. Colon Joseph's great. and as much as you know, Phil Parker's gonna have Iowa defense playing like an Iowa defense, like there's so many different little dynamic quirks that Wisconsin's offense has that I think Joseph's only gotten more comfortable being in command of. I don't think he's this world shaker like people made him out to be when he transferred up from Old Dominion. I think the Big Ten has shown some of his limitations, but I think he has enough that it's gonna be a busy day for the Iowa defense, as good as they are. And I just don't think an Iowa offense is gonna get too much against like that's it's the age old question with Iowa. You thought they had it for a minute. And they beat Michigan and then they go back to They don't have it. They do not have it. yeah, it sounds like Hank Brown, who Dan Wetzel on the ESPN Game Day podcast has dubbed the the best neighbor in the Midwest, will be back in the starting lineup at QB for Iowa. I think I'm gonna take the Hawkeyes in this one. I just they they're at home, which is that's a big home field advantage that kind of gets underrated. And to your point, I mean Colton Joseph, they be they beat USC last week with Colton Joseph passing for fifty-eight yards. Which to me also speaks a little bit more to USC, perhaps, than Blinken Riley would like it to. But to me, like yeah, Wisconsin's a team that can win when their quarterback throws for fifty-eight yards, and I was a team that will make your quarterback throw for fifty-eight yards. I think what's interesting to me is Wisconsin's great equalizer this year is Luke Fickle's defense, has been a Luke Fickle defense. Your defense being good doesn't really get you terribly far against Iowa. No. it they're bad on offense. So yeah, your defense will be good. And so I just don't know that like I just I I wonder if this is just not the classic Big Ten last. Like, yeah, it's just like it's ten to thirteen in the fourth quarter, and Iowa returns a punt for a touchdown and wins 17 13. Sure. something like that. So I I just I'm just I'm on Iowa here. So give me give me the Hawkeyes. And then we got the cocktail party, which is in Atlanta, not Jacksonville this year, because Jacksonville Stadium is getting renovated. Because the Jaguars, I guess, have money to spend. so it'll be in Atlanta this year. It'll be Atlanta this year, I believe Tampa at Raymond James next year. And then I don't know what it's doing after that, if not, going back to Jacksonville. I will take Georgia and not feel the best about it, because Florida's kind of cooking. Feisty and like definitely has the Jews, but just like. I don't think Georgia losing to Auburn is much more than a fluke loss for Georgia where Gunnar Stockton had three terrible turnovers and let let Auburn back in the game. So I just think Georgia has the ability to kind of make this the game they want it to be. Florida will kinda oblige with their style of play and might actually be sort of a boring game. Yeah, I'm with it. I I I I think it's probably gonna be Georgia, but I I'm gonna fade this for the picks and for the controversy and for the the folks at home being entertained in say Florida. but I do think like Florida shows you that it's not gonna be the underachiever we've seen in the past few years, which is big for them because I d it's been a long time. It's been a long time since Florida's actually had it clicking, probably since the mid twenty tens. Those bowl teams that Yeah, basically whatever whatever Dan Mullen was doing the last time they were actually consistently Yeah at a minimum nationally relevant if not contending. So I'll I'll I'll I'll say Florida just for the the the giggles and for Bobby Boucher. Fantastic. I and I just think Summerall and Kirby could be a great, these two guys have these rivals cooking coaching matchup for years to come. I I like that as those two guys going at it. And then last one, another we're we're we're going with the sort of classic I don't want to call that like Florida George is a very big rivalry, but sort of maybe not sell like the the not end of season rivalries, the like kind of maybe under celebrated mid season rivalries. Clemson goes to Florida State and I don't know if either of these teams are good. I don't think Clemson's good at all, but I think their defense is good enough to fool people. and Florida State is not that bad, but also not good. I have no read on this game. Give me Florida State. Give just I I'm I'm kinda out on Dabo at this point. Clemson has like three passing touchdowns all season. Yeah. I I'll Clemson screwed me week one w with the worst pick after hard. So I'm gonna go Florida State too. I can't Dabo, like I can't pick you. Sorry. I saw I I'm playing a college football team builder with White Sands Missile Base as a service academy. It's great. It's a great great program. You can search it online and and find it, but at least the original roster that I made like 39 overall. But I the coaching carousel the last offseason was that Dan Lanning left for the NFL and Oregon hired Dabo. And I said, huh? So that's my personal side. the reaction gif people have been using a bunch lately from Amadeus when the his rivals read the It's like seeing Dab seeing Dabo at Oregon. Yeah, I mean Washington State. Like it's yeah. So I I I'll go Florida State as well. Yeah. And I think floor like Florida State is act like when they can get it going with the run game with like Ashen Daniels like Usman Croma, who I think got banged up, but I don't know if he's back or not. Like my my Mike Norv Mike Norvell is in the Scott Frost zone where it's like the things you do well, you do really well. And that's like cook up a run game and you actually recruit decently okay talent. And it's And then it comes to And then it comes to like finishing football games and actually winning them and playing complimentary football. And it's like, my God, you are lost in the woods right now. so I I just but I think like the the good parts of what floor state does is more good parts than what Clemson has. Right now, and that's where I get to with it. But yeah, I don't I don't know. this is why we pick up and we'll find out. Well when Clemson wins by seventeen, we'll pretend this never happened. We'll have egg on our face. That's fine. We'll have one time. There's like a Dabbo's This is also one of my favorite this is actually one of my favorite questions to test people on. Do you know what Dabo's first name actually is? Like his real like like government name? Richard or something. You're on the right track. His his actual government name is William Christopher Sweeney. I don't know why I know that, but I do. And it just is one of my favorite little facts that a guy whose name whose name is William Christopher goes by Dabo because he got called Dat Boy, which changed to Dabo. It's the most southern thing ever. It's I I do have I I have to admit I love that. Like that just adds to it. They don't do that in the up here, man. that's my my other theory that I believe it's Vanderbilt women's basketball coach. Shea Ralph has the single most racially and gender ambiguous name of all time. Like Shay Ralph could be a white sorority girl from Alabama or like a black dude from Oakland. And I'd go. Yeah. Makes sense. I have no, like, I've no I yeah. So nice to meet you. Fun with fun with ambiguous names in college. Imagine the political polls this month with that name. Yeah, like, do you support Shea Ralph's candidacy for Senate? Just like no other information. No, she's she's actually a great coach over at Mandy Wimm's basketball. I I make jokes, but a little shout out to that. I think that's enough digression for for one day and enough picking and Connor. I hope you enjoy your Traver City little sojourn and Yeah, I was gonna say anyone that has wrecks, comment Send me pictures of the leaves or something. I've been Jonesin' to to get up north in the fall, but I've just not not had the time and and bandwidth to do that. So I appreciate everyone for listening to another episode of In the Pocket. We hope this was entertaining. I should add you should like and subscribe and rate and comment on this podcast and share it with all your friends and play it at home for your dog. Send us voicemails. Chicago Sports Radio. Play it play it at home for your dog when you're at work. You know, do whatever. Whatever, whatever gets the streams up we're in favor of. But on behalf of Connor, I am Andrew Graham and I want to thank you for listening to another episode of In the Pocket.