Jeff: Rocktober

There is no better month for sports than October. None. Not even March, although it is a close 2nd. Baseball playoffs are on, which means i'm actually paying attention now (not that you can blame me--the Mariners have been out of it since the season started in April), the NFL is in full swing, hockey is startin--oh wait, we're not discussing that pro hockey league that has no soul and sold-out to old southern men. And then there's college football. There's ALWAYS huge games in October. And there are none bigger for the Gophers than the one coming Saturday. Might I say it's the biggest game for the Gophers since they last went to the Rose Bowl in '67 or whenever it was. Biggest game in almost 40 years. Even ESPN, who is always slow to come around on the sports happenings in smaller markets, has gotten the idea, moving the game to ESPN Classic to make sure baseball doesn't interfere with it. They're even running Minnesota and Michigan sports moments for 18 hours leading up to it.

Before I say good things about the Gophers, I need to call out the Jer, and the Dan for that matter, who has proven he has no sports allegiances whatsoever. Any man who claims that his two favorite NFL teams are the Vikings and the Packers, well, I don't know what to say. Not only that, but he claims he likes Michigan and yet was one of two people (Jer being the other) who were calling me at halftime of that fatefull game last year, giving me grief about how terrible Michigan was playing, how they'd be thinking of me while they were at the Rose Bowl, and various other statements I can't repeat on this website. They promised me they would call after the game to rub it in further as they paraded around town basking in the glow of beating Michigan. Well, we know what happened. The Gophs collapsed and my phone line remained silent. Apparently Jer and Dan forgot my #. Hmmmmmm.....

Look, I've been a fan of the Maize and Blue since I was seven. Blame it on my cousin Kristy. She went to a college near Ann Arbor and sent me all this Michigan stuff. I've been hooked ever since. I lived on campus at the U of Minnesota for a year and had seasons' tickets for a couple, and love the college football atmosphere for Minnesota, especially the tailgating. Of course the atmosphere in the Metrodome is less than desirable, but let's be honest, you could take any of the "big schools" like Tennessee or Texas or Georgia, and if you put them in the Metrodome their atmosphere would suck too. It's not the GOphs fault--they NEED an outdoor stadium. It has to happen. The GOphs really have grown on me in my time in the Midwest, but when they play Michigan I have no such problems with allegiances--I want a Michigan win.

However, that doesn't mean I'm going to get it this year. This game means more to Minnesota than it does to Michigan. Michigan has sold out "the Big House" for years upon end, with a ridiculous 110,000 people showing up for every home game, yet I'd be more intimidated by the Gophers crowd than I would Michigan's. Michigan has the quietest 100,000 people I've ever seen. I know the Gophs aren't intimidated. Nor should they be. The only reason they're only 13th right now in the country is because they're NOT Michigan, if you know what I mean. Whoever Michigan throws on the field, they get ranked in the top 25 just because they're Michigan. The Gophs have to do more to earn it because outside of the Twin Cities they're a virtual unknown. I think they're a better team than a #13 ranking. They also need to stop playing the cup-cake schedule Mason keeps throwing out there for them. Still, he's gotten the team on the doorstep of the ROse Bowl. Really, this game could decide it. Minnesota doesn't have to play Purdue or Ohio State this year. After the Michigan game, Wisconsin is the only ranked team left on the schedule. This is it for Minnesota.

If the Gophers win this one, they're on their way to the Top 10. Michigan loses and they're on their way out of the Top 25. The Gophs have the better team. They've got the best running back duo outside of Auburn. Caputo has been keeping defenses honest. Their D remains the question mark, but to call Michigan's offense a question mark would be too kind. A true frosh QB and zero running game has wasted the best receiving core in the country. The Gophs won't even have to worry about Braylon Edwards and company if they can shut down the run and send in the cavalry to blitz Henne.

This is the Goph's time. Their time to step into the national spotlight for the first time in too long. For Michigan, it's another hurdle to another Big 10 title, and may prove to be another one they're not able to handle. Saturday will tell. I'm hoping for a great game, and for the first time, I'm hoping the Wolverines can keep up with the Gophs. If not, I would fully expect harassing phone calls from Jer and Mr.-No-Conscience-Because-I-Cheer-for-the-Packers after the game. This time I hope they'll wait until after the game is officially over before they start gloating.