Something to read while you're counting down Lloyd's Top Ten (From The Realests):

I've never known less about a team than this one.

I've seen us come out and battle back and forth and come out on the losing end with a team from Division 1-AA. I've seen us completely lethargic and get pasted by a then-unranked middle of the road Pac-10 team. And then, just a few days ago, I saw us dominate one of our many rivals. Proving that, if nothing else, that our rival has fallen further from the college football elite than anyone...perhaps ever.

I've never known less about an opponent. They tossed aside Florida International (59-0), which is in Florida, isn't at all "international", and has the 118th ranked offense and 87th ranked defense in the country. They beat Notre Dame, which is a little worse than Florida International...and they did it in front of a crowd that was bigger than ours (ugh!). They also beat Buffalo. Not the Bills.

My only reference for Saturday's matchup is the past. And in the past, at least the recent past, we've completely owned the Nittany Lions. Eight in a row. So that means one of two things: Either we are completely in their heads and they can't beat us...or they are really really overdue to beat us. Hmmmm.

Despite the gamesmanship employed by Coach Carr by limping out Chad Henne to "practice" this week, there are few that doubt that Mallett will be at the helm this Saturday. That means that our gameplan should be fairly vanilla. Hand-off to Hart. Ball control. Keep it out of the hands of the Penn State offense...and our defense. Where this game will be decided will be very simple, and it's the place where EVERY game is decided...the line. After seeing the way our line dominated Notre Dame, you may be a bit too optimistic. Notre Dame is, well, not good. Georgia Tech dominated them in a similar fashion to start the season, and if you watch the way Boston College turned it around and dominated Georgia Tech last weekend, you'd understand that it is Notre Dame's ineptitude that is the constant here.

A big plus for Michigan...no spread until Illinois. Why a Blogger has the formula to defend the spread and Michigan does not is still a mystery to me, but maybe Lloyd reads MGoBlog.

The X-factor this weekend? Penn State is favored by three in the Big House. That typically doesn't sit well with the boys in blue. We've been known to upset a team...or two...when we are dogs at home.

"No matter what the outside world, other people and the odds said, we thought we could win." - Jarrett Irons

TAILGATE THEME ALERT:

Just a note to our attendees, we have a new theme in action this weekend, The UMTailgate Carnival. Elephant Ears, Corn Dogs, Cheese Steaks, and Walking Tacos are already on the menu. So bring something you would find at the local fair, and be ready for some makeshift carnival games.

FUTURE SCHEDULE ALERT:

The Northwestern game has been moved to the Big Ten Network and will take place at high noon (eastern time).

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE BAND:

Duuuuuuude. I so badly want them to write out UMTAILGATE.COM. It's $10K...start buying some shirts :)