Help Cheer Blue On!

Michigan students and alumni interested in travelling to Texas for the Alamo Bowl to cheer our team on - here is your chance for a great time! UM students and alumni can purchase game tickets through the athletic ticket office and the Alumni Association also offers members a full tour option that incudes travel, accomodations, game tickets, tailgating, and souvenirs. Students and alumni who wish to be eligible for priority seating must order tickets by December 9th, though, so hurry!

To kick things off, all Michigan fans and alumni are invited to the official (and free) pep rally on Monday, December 26 at 6PM in the Arneson River Theatre in downtown San Antonio. The rally will include the football teams, bands, and cheerleading squads from both Michigan and Nebraska. The official pre-game tailgate, sponsored by the UM Alumni Association, will be at 4PM on game day (December 28th) and will feature a buffet, cash bar, and lots of fun entertainment. A real Wolverine fan would be sure not to miss out on these good times and warm weather!

Alamo Bowl Bound

Yesterday, bowl game bids were officially announced and Wolverines fans learned that our team will be headed to San Antonio, Texas for the MasterCard Alamo Bowl on December 28th. Coach Lloyd Carr will return to the site of his first bowl game as head coach ten years agao - hopefully with a better (winning) outcome this time. Carr predicts that it will be a great game against a team under the lead of coach Bill Callahan. Many fans, however, are not too excited, as this is not an especially prestigious bowl game.

The University of Michigan, representing the Big 10, will face the University of Nebraska, a Big 12 conference team. Interestingly, these are two of the most winningest teams in college football history, with Michigan as the all-time leader in this category and Nebraska in fourth place. This will be the first time in twenty years that the Wolverines have played Nebraska, as they have rarely been pitted against each other in the past. If past records are any indicator, Michigan at least has a strong fighting chance to lock in the win.

Which Bowl Game?

On Sunday, December 4th, official announcements regarding bowl games for NCAA football teams will be announced. Until then, fans can only speculate as to where the Michigan team will end up - though we can be certain it won't be the Rose Bowl like last year, as this is a game generally reserved for conference champions. In fact, the Michigan team is not actually guaranteed a spot in a bowl game at all, though it is likely that they will land a spot due to beating two other ranked teams. Assuming that the Wolverines do indeed receive a bid for a bowl game, this would mark the team's 31st straight year of bowl game eligibility. To learn more about which bowl games Michigan is eligible for and how bowl game bids are determined, be sure to visit the Michigan Alumni site.

So Close

As my Ohio State friends will not let me forget, the Wolverines fell to the Buckeyes this past weekend with a 25-21 loss in their final game of the regular season. Though the Bucks led the first half of the game, I thought that Michigan had a chance for the win as we clung to the lead into the final minute of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, as has been the case for the Wolverines in way too many games this season, the final score came down to the very last seconds of the game and Ohio State sealed the deal with 24 seconds remaining on the clock. Check out the Michigan Daily for full details of the game.

The stadium fell eerily silent as the relatively small Buckeye portion of the stands rushed the field and the rest of us stood there staring. It felt like everyone was thinking, "Did that actually just happen? Maybe it's not really over..." I've never seen the Big House like that - usually everyone is shoving to get out of the stadium ASAP. Needless to say, Michigan did not pull through with the Big 10 win, afterall.

Moving on Up

I was excited as the rest of UM's fans to see the Wolverines beat Indiana Saturday in a blowout 41-14 win, improving Michigan's hopes to finish the season respectably. Quarterback Chad Henne was back on top of his game; let's hope he can keep it that way this weekend when Michigan faces Ohio State.

The Michigan/Ohio State game is always huge because of our rivalry, but this year (along with the Penn State vs. Michigan state game) it will also determine the Big 10 Championship, making it extra exciting. Even though Ohio State has a strong team, especially defensively, I think that the Wolverines stand a good chance of winning - as long as they don't fold under pressure. The Michigan team definitely has the skill and talent to beat the Buckeyes, they just need to get it to all come together at the right time.

Wolverines to Dominate Indiana

This coming Saturday (November 12), the University of Michigan football team will play Indiana University at home in the Big House. The two teams last met in 2004, with Michigan claiming the victory in a final score of 35-14. Michigan, currently ranked #21 in the Associated Press and #22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, is expected to dominate the game against unranked Indiana. Of their past 57 meetings, the Wolverines have beaten the Hoosiers in 48 games, an impressive historical record that should hold true this weekend. The Wolverines also have the advantage of playing at home, furthering expectations for a victory. A win in the game is crucial for Michigan in improving its standing in the Big 10. Check out MGoBlue for more Wolverine info and predictions on the upcoming game.

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Laura Fischer

I am a student at the University of Michigan.
The OC

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Laura Fischer, lafisch@umich.edu