Eat This...Pryorfest Delayed, Ohio Plundered

​OK. Seriously. This is a General Tso's Phily Cheesesteak Sandwich. It speaks for itself.

Official stuff from the official site: MGoBlue is reporting that 23 individuals have been signed to "binding" LOI's. I've been waiting all day to use that acronym, and I hate myself for it. Also, the use of the word "binding" by the worldwide leader in fluff makes it all feel so legal-like. Not among those LOI's? Mr. Pryor, who has decided to drag out this self-love show for a little while longer. Looks like dad likes JoePa and TP is leaning towards OSU. My first choice for him at this point is Penn State. That keeps the overhype out of The Big House, and the possibility of a world beater out of Columbus. If JoePa gets a hold of this guy, he will have him looking like Morelli

 by the end of spring, thus eliminating any threat.

Late submitter? Sam McGuffie, who tried desperately to ruin my day, pulled the trigger at 8:30pm.

Interesting notes on RR's first class...

• Of the 23 commits, only 5 are from Michigan. 7 come from Ohio.


• 2 of the recruits are from Florida...which is two times the number of players currently on the team from Florida


• Justin Feagin, quarterback. Yesterday, you had no idea who he was. 7 months from now, he might be at the helm. Uhhhhhhhh....statline.......nice...... rushed for 1,313 yards on 160 carries and scored 25 touchdowns as a senior ... completed 91-of-151 passes for 1,420 yards with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions senior year. That there's Pryor-like numbers.

Worth checking out...

• MGoBlog roundup


• Conquering Heroes Roundup


• EDSBS weighs in on Mallet's appeal by discussing leading a lawless life.


• Two things you did not know: #1) There is something known as "Rodriguez Fallout." #2) There is a paper in Michigan called the Daily Tribune. Experience both of these anomalies right here.


• Somehow, continuing the rich tradition of John L. with a MAC quality recruiting class means things are coming up roses in East Lansing...if you ask Drew Sharp. Somehow 2-star athletes make for good foundations. Somehow Drew Sharp keeps his job.

40 Days, 40 Nights, 40 Posts

​During the offseason here at UMTailgate.com, I seem to divide my time evenly between posts that are "catch up" oriented and posts that are apologetic for a long period of time between posts. This one should cover both of those.

First we catch up...

Coach Rodriguez is in a legal battle with his alma mater. There are a lot of opinions out there about this from the Michigan side, but most are complaining for the sake of complaining. Those that dislike RichRod and his apparent negative press pile are the same people that would be talking about Les Miles being just another Lloyd. West Virginia won their bowl game without Coach Rodriguez. Les Miles beat Ohio State. Lloyd beat Florida. The bowls results aligned against this new regime from an appearance standpoint. But don't let the beginning of January dissuade you from the decision you supported just six weeks ago. For years you've complained, you asked for change, you wanted more from those four and five star recruits, you wanted speed, unpredictability...don't dare deny it. And now it's here, so don't be scared when the school that didn't want to meet Rodriguez's demands decides to wage a war of words on him. This is your coach. You support him. You don't bail on him before he even gets to take the field. Sack up.

Terrelle Pryor commits at noon today. Brace for an overreaction either way. I plan to embrace him as the next coming of Christ if he picks the Blue. I plan to call him a crooked, overrated pile of shit if he picks the Buckeyes. He's most likely somewhere in between. I'm just as interested in the good press as I am the player at this point.

The stadium currently looks like a medieval castle. There's a 25 foot deep trench all the way around it. It's freaking me out more and more each day. It will not host the spring game this year...but there are some rumors floating about that there will still be a game, perhaps at Ford Field.

The basketball team kinda sucks.

Ok, that's it for the catch up.

The apology: Sorry it's been so long between posts. As penance, and in the interest of Lent, I will post every day from today until Easter. Seems to be better, more fun, and more beneficial than giving some food item up. Seriously. That's the plan. So...we're back tomorrow with Pryorfest. See you then.

Never the Bride

​She wore red tonight. The Buffalo Bills of college sports choked on another one, misrepresenting their conference and embarrassing themselves. A lot was said about the lightning fast SEC speed in the weeks leading up to this matchup, but it didn't come to fruition.

Too fast? Not really.

Too smart. Too strong. Out-coached. Out-battled.

The Buckeyes fall short again, making it 3 consecutive National Championship games (football, basketball, football) in which they couldn't get it done. They started quickly, jumping out to a 10-0 lead...and that would be it. From that point, Ohio State looked confused and frustrated. Costly, borderline retarded penalties kept drives alive. Missed assignments all over the place, missed tackles all over the place...unable to adjust to the trickeration from the Michigan Man that almost was, and unable to respond to the SEC strength.

The Buckeyes fall to 3-11-1 overall against the SEC, 0-9 in bowl games. Yummmm. Taste the tears. The Wolverines are 18-5-1 against the SEC...8-2 in bowl games.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to compare seasons here. We lost to a mountain town high school this year. OSU won the Big Ten title. I'm just giving you the final results...Michigan didn't win the National Championship, and neither did Ohio State. The rest of this is smoke and mirrors, ifs and buts. The only difference between us now?

We're on a winning streak.

There's a certain amount of satisfaction that we have the ability to do something that Ohio State cannot...beat the SEC. Our New Year's Day victory felt good and looked good. Now it's even better.

And now it's over in so many ways. The season is over. The reign of Bo has truly ended. Things will never be the same. We are moving on, moving forward. And you have to love it, all of it, even the bit of uncertainty about the new regime. These are exciting times my friends. Get on board.

Spring game up next. See you then...and at the reunion.

GO BLUE!

THEY NEVER ROOT FOR YOU

Just in Case You Are Waffling...

​...I would like to remind you that you are rooting for Les Miles and LSU tonight. Big Ten loyalty is something you cherish if you are Northwestern, Indiana, or Michigan State. Ohio State is something you root against if you have any loyalty to Michigan at all. So, don the purple and yellow tonight, wear it with pride, and revel in The Ohio State University being known as The Buffalo Bills of college sports.