Boiling the Boilermakers

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Three Turkeys, Then a Team Full of Them

40 pounds of turkey. Deep fried in all of their splendor. That's what was digested at the tailgate on Saturday in the 7+ hour marathon prior to the game. Fried mushrooms and fried dill pickles on the side, plus the Schaffer dumplings with bean soup, the Goodell family's barely soup, mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes...and countless other delicious delights. It all filled the tables to capacity as we tried to stay warm and stay dry.

Then Michigan jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and you couldn't have been warmer or dryer. Not enough to call it a game, but that feeling was there. That dominating the Big Ten feeling. The team was back, led by a terrific hard hitting defense that lacked its most storied player, Marlin Jackson. In his absense, the defense stunted and confused the outmatched Boilermakers, scoring on a fumble recovery to close out the rout, and letting up only 3 points to the Big Ten's #3 offense. Michgan wins 31-3.

Don't get yourself all worked up just yet. Better yet, hold off on your Pasendena reservations. Purdue, as is normally the case, is not a great team. The only Purdue win you pointed to going into this game was against Wisconsin, who just this week lost to Northwestern. NORTHWESTERN? PLEEEEASE DON'T MAKE ME WORRY ABOUT NORTHWESTERN! Purdue had excelled against the weakest of the Big Ten with wins over Illinois and Penn State, and non-conference wins against Pac-10 bottom-feeder Arizona, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame...and don't forget about their loss to Bowling Green. So, let me be as clear as I can about this: The fact that we spanked Purdue to give them their first Big Ten loss DOES NOT mean anything with regards to the impending game against Michigan State. Simply put, we are not going to beat Sparty based on the fact we beat Purdue.

Destiny Revisited

First of all, why didn't anybody call me out for misspelling "destiny" on last week's page? No matter, step one is done, and 2 and 1/2 steps remain on the way to a Rose Bowl bid. When the BCS standings come out on Monday evening, you can expect Ohio State, Michigan State, and most likely Michigan to appear there. As if a round-robin tournament, all three of these teams play each other, with the winner most likely headed for the Rose Bowl. Stay tuned...it doesn't get any better than this.

Up Next...Sparty

Michigan Agricultural College and its band of thugs invite us into their crap-hole city to help settle the Big Ten Championship. This week's theme is : The "You Want Fries With That?" tailgate. Bring the fast food of your choice, breakfast, lunch, White Castle...whatever floats your boat. UMTailgate.com will be well represented and in our usual Sparty spot. For information on where we will be parking, contact me at frank@umtailgate.com. Hope to see you all there!