GAMEDAY

Now that we here at admericaaaf.org have a full offseason (more or less) under our belt, we plan on upping the ante and providing a potpourri of insight for every gameday. We'll do our best to provide a preview of what to expect from each team as the Wolverines look to do the seemingly impossible and get past week 3 without a loss. Interestingly, many games are increasingly being made for modern comics tripster.ru. We have often noticed that we need to make more series for content.

It's quite simple really. Our schedule is so set in stone we could make t-shirts of the results before the season even starts and the shirt would last until you wore holes in it. Any serious Wolverine fan would be kidding themself if we didn't buck new tradition and lose the three big road games, including our annual first road loss of the year to one of our biggest rivals - Notre Dame.

Now, I know what most of you are thinking. Iowa? At home? A loss? C'mon people, it's not that much of a stretch. I had to add a home loss to either MSU and Iowa and I can't bring myself to say MSU is better than Iowa. For a better perspective on the prediction, let's break it down game by game so everyone understands the context of how the season plays out.

Week 1: Vanderbilt (home)
By all accounts this should be a laugher. I hope it will, but I highly doubt it. We'll lose an offensive lineman to injury during the game and Mike Hart will suffer a scare as well but play through it and sit down for good once he rushes past 150 yards. One of the few times a decent decision by Classic will make this game more exciting. Vandy's defense is completely overmatched and will get manhandled for most of the game, but the Commodores also bring some talented wildcards on offense to the table who can allow them to stick around. When Hart sits down and we try to get Grady's confidence established, the undersized Commodore defense will use their speed to gang-tackle Grady and keep our passing game also somewhat in check (especially since Manningham will somehow mysteriously spend most of this game on the pine). Also, since Classic doesn't run the score up against anyone unless they're a directional school from Michigan, this will allow Vandy to play their way back into a respectable score late. Lastly, with no Cutler, we will grossly underestimate them at first but our sheer amount of quality talent will inevitably put the Commodores away as the final score will turn out to be a misleading 31-21 (good guys).

Week 2: Central Michigan (home)
Directional school from Michigan - enough said. Go with 42-14.

Week 3: Notre Dame (away)
It's week 3, we're on the road for the first time this season, and playing one of our main rivals. This all equates to a loss. For all I care we could be playing Temple at Temple and this would still be a loss. Add in a head-coach with an offense built for the NFL and this becomes the ultimate no-brainer. No matter what the spread is I would not bet against it. Detroit Lions fans will get the opportunity to salivate over Brady Quinn for the first time as he picks apart a respectable Michigan secondary (there's only so much Leon Hall can do on his own). Now, Notre Dame won't run away with it because the talent on both sides is pretty even over the long haul, but the Irish will do just more than enough to cover the spread and continue a new Classic tradition. Irish in a competitive game with the end result 35-24 in their favor.

Week 4: Wisconsin (home)
The only thing that worries me about this game, as odd as it sounds, is John Stocco. He beat us last year in a game they shouldnt've been in so all bets are off here. They lost Calhoun and more importantly Alvarez, but the dropoff in the coaching department isn't much with Bielema. This game will be old-school: run, run, run, run, run and run some more. I'd be surprised if either team attempts more than 20 passes (sorry, Mario), but Michigan should have a hungry - and in the words of English: violent - defense looking to make up for their dissappointing performance against the Irish, plus the home crowd will give us a boost. This game will make Bo proud as the Wolverines outrun the Badgers to the tune of 28-21.

Week 5: Minnesota (away)
This game has trap written all over it, but there's no way this slimmer, meaner, faster, more violent defense will give up a late 60-yard run to set up a game-winning score. Despite that, this will be a game of the new-school. Good thing scoreboards these days are digital or the scorekeeper would get tennis-elbow from this game. Minnesota will play faster and better then they play all season because they get up for us, but we're still the faster and more talented team. Henne will be picking apart a very suspect Gopher secondary and Cupito will have no choice but to try and do the same. The two things Minny has going for them is that it's a night game and they're the home team. However, this is one game where Classic will break his 'won't-run-up-the-score-unless-you're-a-directional-school-from-Michigan-rule' because losing to Minny two years in a row is an automatic dismissal (it's in the contract). Brown jug comes back home: 45-31.

Week 6: Michigan State (home)
The media will call this the battle for hot seat supremacy - whatever that means. A home loss to MSU is another clause for automatic dismissal from U-M but John "L stands for Loco" Smith doesn't have the horses to compete with the Wolves. Don't get me wrong, this game will be more competitive than it should, but we'll put them away late in the fourth quarter because Drew Stanton is that good and Garrett Rivas is that, well, not. We'll all have shorter nails after this one but Classic keeps his record good against at least one coach with a crazy 34-31 result.

Week 7: Penn State (away)
Barring the sudden realization that Mario Manningham is the second coming of Braylon Edwards, this game is Penn State's to lose. Oh, and don't get me wrong, they'll do their best to try and lose this game, but we owe them for last year and JoePa still has a few tricks in his bag. Henne will have an uncharacteristically poor passing performance with two picks, combined with the emotional drain from MSU, and Classic being, well, classic, the second-half battle of who wants it less will sadly be won by us, resulting in a Nittany Lion 24-20 humbling.

Week 8: Iowa (home)
Iowa's my sleeper this year and the first half of our Big Ten season will be unexpectedly brutal. Lots of teams look to prove themselves at our expense and Ferentz always prepares his team well. Furthermore, they have a weak two opponents before this game (and if they beat OSU in week 5 then they'll have more than enough confidence to take the suspect Wolverines in the Big House. Especially when they know they can basically clinch their spot in the National Championship (did I mention they have a weak schedule outside of us and the 'Bucks?) with a victory here. Classic will be, well, classically outcoached in what should be a very balanced game all the way around - both teams will look to run more than pass but both methods will be fairly effective. Iowa gets the nod here as the healthier and hungrier team (just look at their schedule and if that don't scream sleeper I don't know what will) - and we might as well throw in smarter while we're at. Wolverine fans get a replacement TV after a late rally falls short in a 31-28 losing cause.

Week 9: Northwestern (home)
Not much to say here but the Wildcats always play us tough. Fairly straightforward final result as Wolves almost run up the score to lick their wounds from the loss to the Hawkeyes with a 38-21 victory.

Week 10: Ball State (home)
Basically a bye, but the score isn't a laugher as we give our "scrubs" more playing time than usual - ladies and gentlemen, meet backup QB Jason Forcier - and Ball State can probably put up some points then since they'll inevitably be a MAC team running a spread. Wolverines get healthier more than anything in a 35-24 win.

Week 11: Indiana (away)
Hoeppner is no Zook and that's not a good thing. We again give our "scrubs" more playing time once we feel comfortable the first team is ready for our showdown with the Buckeyes - I like the Ball State score for this one - 35-24 good guys.

Week 12: Ohio State (away)
The math isn't a whole lot different from week 3. Subsitute Tressel for Weis and the opponent's coach still pwns us (yes, if you don't know what that means, use wikipedia) and their QB being on salary doesn't help. Oh, and did I mention this is at the horseshoe? It's too bad we're so well-rested for this game, but the Buckeyes win this one going away, 42-24.

So, there we have it, 8-4 with 3 of the losses by a possesion or less. Classic doesn't royally screw up any of the 'lose-and-you're-fired-automatically' games and shows just enough promise to justify not losing such a stand-up classy guy for what will probably be slim pickings on the free agent coaching market for coaches with enough ties to U-M to warrant a good look as a possible replacement. Oh, and good news everyone, we won't need to watch the BCS standings this year - as if it would be different.