Michigan Wednesday: Brandon Minor's Serious Injury, Big Ten Expansion

It's now very clear that Brandon Minor was seriously hurt late in the year. He tore his rotator cuff against Purdue and just had surgery a few days ago.

Here is a quote from Brandon's mom: "He's still not feeling too well," Gilliam said. "They had a problem controlling his pain. He ended up having to be taken back into emergency. He was discharged (Sunday). He's doing a lot of sleeping."

Let's hope Brandon can heal quickly and still show the NFL scouts that he should be drafted. Right now he is projected as a second-day draft choice. If Minor is healthy he can be an effective NFL running back.

No More Cornflakes

Corwin "Cornflakes" Brown, former Michigan Wolverine and now former defensive coordinator for Notre Dame, was let go yesterday by Brian Kelly. Does this mean Corwin could be a candidate to join Rich Rodriguez's staff? He is known as a strong recruiter.

Cincinnati Loves the Chips!

It seems the University of Cincinnati has hired its second head football coach from Central Michigan, Butch Jones. As you know, Brian Kelly also came from Central Michigan. Butch is a Rich Rod disciple and is taking over a very talented team that went undefeated in the regular season and plays Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators in a BCS Bowl. Butch's buy-out increases if he leaves CMU before the bowl game, so it will be interesting to see what the decision is regarding Central's Bowl game.

Josh Furman, a Three-Star Linebacker/Athlete, Will Announce between Michigan and Virgina Tech on Saturday

Furman will make his decision after the high school all star-game, called the Crab Bowl. Furman is not going to play in the Crab Bowl due to a sprained posterior cruciate ligament that he injured during the state finals in Maryland. As you will see in the poll on the right-hand side, the Michigan faithful believe Furman is Michigan's No. 1 priority for the remaining 2010 recruits.

This has been covered by most every blog, so I will give you my quick take on the Big Ten Expansion. I agree with the coaches that this needs to happen. The Big Ten loses a ton of exposure in early December with all the conference championship games. The Big 11 needs one more team to balance out the divisions. I'm guessing even a 12th team wouldn't change the name of the conference.

Big Ten's Candidate List:

1. Notre Dame

Makes the most sense but won't happen due to the TV contract and already turned down once.

2. Missouri

Also makes sense from a regional perspective and they now have a solid football program. I'm not sure why Missouri would want to leave the Big 12, but they will listen to offers.

Per SI.com:

University of Missouri spokeswoman Mary Jo Banken said the school hasn't been contacted by the Big Ten. "Should there be an official inquiry or invitation, we would evaluate it based on what is in the best interest of MU, athletically and academically," she said in an e-mail.

3. Pitt

Having Pitt brings an instant rivalry with Penn State and a very well-known head coach. They have solid academics and would be willing to leave the Big East in a minute. The downside is it plays in Heinz Field, where the Steelers play, and late in the year that field is a mess. (Why haven't they gone to field turf?) They also don't come close to filling that stadium.

4. Rutgers

This would open the Big Ten to the New York market, which I assume has a lot of Big Ten alumni in it. I know Michigan has a strong alumni base there. The downside is average academics and an up-and-coming football program.

5. Syracuse

A good candidate, solid academics, and a great basketball tradition, but the football team has fallen off the face of the earth. It really doesn't bring a great viewing audience in Upstate New York, but would certainly help the Big Ten Basketball conference.

I believe the Big Ten might take a run at Missouri, but will end up with one of the Big East schools. I think the New York market is very interesting for the Big Ten Channel and the Big Ten Brass will consider Rutgers very seriously. I even believe the NYC market makes Rutgers a stronger candidate then Pitt. So my prediction is Rutgers as No. 12.