7 Reasons Why Everyone Can't Stop Talking About Michigan Football

There seems to be an awful lot of talk about Michigan Football this off season, more then most other College Football teams are receiving.

I went through as much as I could about Michigan this year, and then through years past to pull out some talking points. Here are the largest key points I could find.

I'm writing this while at home with a cold. I've already went through every episode of "Scrubs" available on NetFlix. That show is amazingly addictive, I want to go on a date with that Dr Elliot chick.

If you find this boring, I don't blame you. I'm sick of the Michigan speculation, also, and just want to get this season started! 

New Coach Hooplah

Brady Hoke was 3rd on a list "Best Potential Prospects" that CFB analysts' assumed would take the Michigan coaching job. The other two being Jim Harbaugh from Stanford and Les Miles from LSU.

Let us not forget that Brady Hoke was the only Head Coach with any ties to the Michigan program that was available for the taking. He was considered by many to be Michigan's "Last Resort." 

This Michigan Man has had mildly successful stints as head coach with Ball State and San Diego State University (SDSU). With only three winning seasons in eight years as a head coach, his last year at SDSU is what put him on the map; finishing 3rd in the Mountain West Conference - the same conference that was home to TCU, BYU and Utah.

Michigan's new Head Coach has the defense mind set that the Big Ten loves, with a career switching between Defensive Ends and Defensive Line coach for seven years under Loyd Carr.

Lets also not forget that Brady Hoke understands that beating Ohio State is important to the school and the fan base. Something that was completely lost on Rich Rodriguez.    

Too Much Hype over 2012 Recruits

Brady Hoke has begun his 2012 recruiting regiment by doing what all the other Michigan coaches do: They start in Ohio. 

Every two or three weeks another headline would pop up stating "Ohio State Recruit Jumps the Michigan Boarder."

With twenty-three committed recruits for the 2012 season, that is a lot for being this early in the recruiting process,ten of them from Ohio, but that actually isn't Big-News for the Wolverines. People want to play for Michigan, even under Rich Rod Michigan recruited well.

But, there are also better players out there. Ones that haven't committed to a particular school. Michigan handed out almost all of their 25 available scholarships.  

Ohio has only one major college football program with a state population of 11 million, where Michigan has two major college football programs with a state population of 10 million. So when writers try to make these recruits from Ohio seem like a big deal, it really isn't. It's been happening for decades.

Just ask Desmond Howard, he's from Cleveland.   

Potential NFL Superstar Denard Robinson

He can rush harder, he can pass longer, he can make plays that produce points; he can do a lot of things that the Big Ten doesn't see everyday. He can even get someone else to tie his shoes - and he's on the Michigan Track Team.

There is a lot of speculation on how well Robinson and Hoke will pair, and even speculation on whether or not a player like Denard Robinson belongs at a school like Michigan, but Michigan's best quarterback since Chad Henne has been creating a lot of buzz. Robinson considers Michigan his new "family," and Michigan fans are happy to be a part of it.

He's already broken the school's record for most offensive yards in a single season (2010); plus, he's broken Michigan's single game offensive yard record 5 times in one season (2010).

This one-man show may be too much for the Big Ten to handle, possibly even Michigan's new head coach, but it's going to fun to watch. This could be the year we see another Junior win the Heisman Trophy?

Defensive Coach Greg Mattison

For the past four years, Michigan has been seriously lacking in defensive power. With the return of Greg Mattison, there is hope that Michigan will be a great Defensive power again.

Mattison was instrumental in the great Michigan years of the 1990's under Loyd Carr. During that time, Michigan lead the Big Ten in rushing defense. He also foraged a friendship with Brady Hoke.

Finishing 2010 Above .500 Is a Sign of Hope

It's sad that there is some excitement around a team like Michigan when they finish above .500, but with 2008 and 2009 being as disastrous as they were, that .500 mark is a sign of hope.

2010 saw some life pumped back into the Michigan Football program, including that 132 point triple overtime slug-fest against Illinois.

With a large number of key players returning for 2011, such as Roy Roundtree, Denard Robinson, Mike Shaw, etc.., this is gearing up to be a great come-back season for Michigan Football.

Michigan fans, football analysts and watchers of football across the country are looking upon Michigan for the next great American comeback story. Notre Dame and Ohio State fans are looking to return them back to 2008. 

The Drama

Since the 2006 season, the Michigan Football program went into cardiac arrest.

In 2007 the University of Michigan got stunned by Appalachian State. They remain the only team to be ranked in the AP Poll's top 5 then completely dropped from the rankings the next day. 

In 2008, Michigan delivered another stunner: their first losing season since 1967, the year before Bo Schembechler was hired.

In 2009 it happened again, two losing seasons in a row. The only other time that's happened was 1962-63 (Thanks Joel). 

Like on that show "Scrubs," when someone is "Coding" it means someone is about to be dead. Same is true for Michigan, they were "Coding."

The Wolverines' pedestal was not made of clay. Their winning track record and notable history in college football gave them a well deserved pedestal made of marble and steel. It was shocking to see a program like that fall the way they did.

Like the sinking of Atlantis, an entire civilization was disappearing into the sea, or at least Lake Erie or Lake Michigan.

We are looking upon this season to be the year that pedestal gets replaced.

Everyone Wants Michigan to Beat Ohio State This Year

Even Ohio State fans are saying "Hey, something's got to give."

While it is this contributor's opinion that the Michigan - Ohio State rivalry is on its way out, it is still one of the most celebrated rivalries in sports today and it's time for Michigan to show up.

Jim Tressel, Michigan's Arch Enemy second only to Rich Rodriguez, has made Michigan Ohio State's whipping boy. Now Jimmy is gone. So is his all-star Prima-Donna Terrelle Pryor.  

So this could be the year Michigan turns the tables on Ohio State.

One thing to consider about this year's game, though, is that Brady Hoke has his coaching job at Michigan, but Luke Fickell doesn't necessarily have his at Ohio State. Luke Fickell gets to keep his job if he beats Michigan. If Brady loses to Ohio State, he'll at least have another year to try again. 

Boredom

My life is so dull that my hobbies are work and college football. It's like an addiction and Bleacher Report is my primary enabler. When ESPN runs out of college football news, Bleacher Report takes over.

Like so many college football fans, when the college football season is over, I start to speculate about the next season. I make out my own Top 25 Rankings the day after the BCS Championship game and argue with people who disagree.

Michigan is this offseason's hot topic and it's been fun debating their future. But we're only a couple weeks away from the truth. God forbid Michigan loses to Eastern Michigan on September 3, then we'll all have to speculate on how Brady Hoke is all washed up.