Forever Saturday

Serena and Matt discuss what the Big Ten would look like if it were to ditch divisions (which is where the major conferences seem to be headed), who Michigan should be locked in with as "rivals," what realignment would mean for the conference title game and The Game itself, and which college football players/coaches we'd wake up at 4:45 a.m. for just to slander.The NCAA says goodbye to divisions What might a division-less Big Ten look like? Pods? Matt proposes a system of locked-in rivals One thing we can't have is Michigan getting OSU/PSU/MSU and functionally guaranteeing itself the hardest schedule in the conference always. We're supposed to be making it better, not worse. The Big Ten Championship Game is a mess We could get a repeat of "The Game" in the next week Does it cheapen "The Game?" Who would you wake up at 4:45 am to slander? Its not slander if its true!! Early betting lines on Michigan's games

Serena and Matt try to understand why the recent NIL (or "NIL") happenings feel different and kind of uncomfortable in some ways, debate whether there are viable adjustments that can be made within the current structure, and discuss where things might be headed as the current trajectory of college sports collides with Title IX and other issues.Jordan Addison transferring from Pitt was triggering for all of us.About a third of college basketball players and a fifth of college football players entered the transfer portal this year.We've also seen 7 all-first-team Power 5 or All-American players enter the portal in the last year.Anyone who says "this has always happened" is wrong -- maybe at the recruiting stage, but this level of poaching from active rosters is new. As always, Twitter is not the best place for nuanced conversations. A lot of the conversation is very "if you don't like the changes to the sport, then leave" and both Matt and Serena think this approach is very shortsighted. It is no way to run a sport to act like that sport is inevitably going to maintain its popularity. It seems possible to us (though unlikely) that missteps at this stage could be bad for the overall popularity of the sport in a way that's worse for everyone because it can shrink the size of the pie. If you alienate fans, the money could dry up in a way that the players (and the fans) end up worse off overall. Can you shut the transfer door? There isn't a sport in America that doesn't have rules or restrictions about how and when you can move teams. Would it be the worst thing if you went back to requiring players to sit out? In professional settings those restrains are bargained for, which makes them more fair than the NCAA dictating these changes from on high.Is it even conscionable to change these rules now? Can you curb NIL? Matt and Serena both think the horse has left that barn on this one and that NCAA efforts to turn the NIL faucet off are futile. Collective bargaining seems to be the only way forward (they might try to resolve it by individual contract, but unclear if that will work) But even a CBA has problems -- each sport probably has to bargain separately.For sports like hockey, are there even enough profitable teams that schools like Michigan will have opponents? Will compensated players be playing against de facto club teams?Does whether the players continue to be students impact the product? For Serena, the players continuing to be tied to the university and the community at large is part of the appeal. Can you get the schools to agree to require that as part of a CBA? Does Title IX even allow this type of arrangement? There are more questions than answers.Gene Smith's proposal for the CFP to act as the governing body of college football -- this is an alternative potential structure that could work but also needs a lot of fleshing out and alignment.

After covering all the painful memories last week, Serena and Matt each share their most joyous/euphoric/exhilarating Michigan football wins (with some debate at the top), then briefly discuss the transfer portal pickup of Cam Goode and react to some, uh, questionable early-top-25 rankings that were released this week.To the good stuff:Had to cover the flip side after subjecting everybody to all the depressing memories in our last episodeThe frontrunners:2021 Ohio State (not much detail needed here) -- Matt's #12011 Notre Dame -- Serena's #1, and the game that made her (a student at the time) really fall in love with Michigan/college footballA few candidates at #3, including a couple Michigan State games (one of which you might not expect) and '97 Ohio State given the obvious Big Ten/national title/Heisman implicationsThese are the games that get you hooked (although if you're old like Matt, that may have happened even earlier)Other topics:The addition of Cam Goode from UCF will be extremely helpful for rotational/depth purposes on the interior D-lineA few early top 25 rankings came out this week, with Michigan a consensus bottom-half-of-the-top-10 team -- does this seem right?In non-Michigan observations, every one of these rankings has at least one top-10 team that's extremely iffy -- we debate whether Texas, USC or Michigan State is the most/least believable

In the aftermath of Michigan's hockey's devastating overtime loss in the Frozen Four, Matt and Serena debate the most painful Michigan football losses in recent memory (there are plenty to choose from!), decide what we'd probably pick if we *weren't* Michigan fans, and then touch on a few interesting post-spring comments from Jim Harbaugh.We can't help but re-traumatize ourselves after Michigan Hockey's heartbreaking loss in the Frozen Four, so we naturally drifted to football comps. Matt and Serena identify our most painful Michigan Football losses:Recapping the hockey loss in the Frozen FourMichigan has had almost impossibly bad luck in overtime Frozen Four games (or games to go to the Frozen Four) Obvious frontrunners on the football side: 2006 OSU - Matt's Number one. A de facto semi final game in what was perhaps the last time Michigan was a true national championship contender. 2016 OSU2018 OSU - Serena (perhaps controversially) takes 2018 over 2016. 2015 MSU Honorable Mentions: 2007 App State 2000 Northwestern 2003 Iowa/Oregon Spring Football Notes JJ Back!! An emergence at DE A crowded room and developments at safety

Serena and Matt revisit the less-compelling-than-it-could-have-been spring game, discuss the most exciting/surprising/otherwise interesting developments, debate the spectacular-ness of the various post-TD celebrations, and break out a new segment on "the most Michigan moment of the game"

Serena and Matt break down the Big Ten coaches alignment chart and debate the chaoticness of Jim Harbaugh, the evilness of James Franklin, the milquetoast-ness of Paul Chryst, etc., before revisiting an appropriately frustrating ending for Michigan basketball and an emotional rollercoaster for Michigan hockey en route to the Frozen Four.Check @ForeverSatPod on Twitter to take a look at the alignment chart so that you can keep track of where we have put everyone Lawful Good No one is lawful good, though Serena argues for Paul Chryst Lawful NeutralSchiano Bielema Lawful EvilFitzgerald Ferentz AllenNeutral GoodRyan Day Mel TuckerDon't say we're too hard on our rivals True NeutralPaul Chryst Neutral EvilJames Franklin, or is it Frames Janklin? Chaotic GoodJim HarbaughJeff Brohm Chaotic NeutralPJ FleckChaotic EvilScott Frost Mike Locksley Michigan Basketball loses to Villanova in the Sweet 16They are who we thought they were: talented and deeply frustrating The misses at the rim were killers Was the season a disappointment? Michigan Hockey advances to the Frozen FourGame against Quinnipiac was on cruise control until it wasn't Serena fixed the juju Is the season a success no matter what happens in the Frozen Four?

Coming off a weekend of NCAA tournament watching, Serena and Matt debate the college football "blue blood" landscape, including one hot-ish Big Ten-related take, and then revisit a rather sweet weekend for both Michigan basketball (which is now in pure gravy territory) and Michigan hockey (which has celebrated with one banner and might damn well get another)What makes a Blue Blood? Part history, part success -- you know it when you see it.Can you become a Blue Blood?Definitely -- Serena uses Duke Basketball as a case study Can you lose Blue Blood status?Matt argues that you can by picking on a Big Ten foe Who are the indisputable Blue Bloods? MichiganND TexasOklahomaOSU USC Alabama Most people include Nebraska -- not including them is a hot-ish take Who is on the cusp? Serena takes up the mantle for TennesseeAuburnPSU LSUGeorgia Michigan Basketball goes to the Sweet 16 Win over Tennessee is gravy Impressive stuff from Eli Brooks and T. Will This team could beat Villanova or lose by 20 -- who knows? Michigan Hockey hangs a bannerNumber one overall seed is as much as you can ask for Defense coming along just in time for the tournament The draw is about as good as you could hope for Michigan Women also advance to the Sweet 16 Naz is a monster Michigan is an "everything school."

Serena and Matt discuss the various good and bad tidbits from Michigan spring ball, rant about "top 25 coaches" lists, and briefly react to Michigan basketball's NCAA tournament draw and hockey's takedown of Notre Dame (finally) in the Big Ten tourney.We play a game of good news, bad news from Harbaugh's first media availability of this spring session:Interpreting coach speak is a difficult endeavor Bad news is largely limited to injuries JJ out -- hard to see him overtaking Cade during the offseason under the circumstances Rod Moore out -- this is less impactful because he: 1) doesn't have an experienced starter he needs to win the job from; and 2) he probably is the most experienced guy in that role, but nonetheless, missed time when he could really grow into the role kind of sucks Is no news good news or bad news on the linebackers? Good News The praise of Mazi Smith is really encouraging, especially with his size and our need to replace a whole bunch on the DL Harbaugh made some pretty emphatic comments about Mike Morris, we're happy to hear it but still skeptical; McGregor also appears to be getting work in at one of the DE slots Trente Jones is currently the leader at RT; we both think this is an encouraging sign. He was a pretty solid player to begin with, but if he's seizing the job maybe that means he's taken a step from solid to good, and given that his spot is the only vacancy on the OL, that's good news Freshman WRs are a "freak show" What does it mean that Harbaugh is so emphatic with his words? "Freak show" and "scary good" are certainly departures from how tight-lipped he has been in the past. Reporters are a little mean to Harbaugh about having to give up ever winning a Super Bowl Matt goes on a soap box about the stupidity of coaching "rankings" Michigan Basketball is going dancing! Avoid the play-in game and will face Colorado State. Colorado State only has one player taller than 6'8. Could be the Hunter Dickinson show.Michigan Hockey FINALLY knocks off ND This team has win-it-all potential One win away from a Big Ten Banner going into College Hockey's Selection Sunday

Serena and Matt summon their absolute hottest college football takes, including Michigan's place in the national hierarchy and a national power that's "over," and then briefly revel in Michigan basketball's you-got-to-pump-it-up win over Ohio State and Michigan hockey's obliteration of Michigan State in the Big Ten tourney.We're too reasonable for hot takes: Hot Take #1: Georgia is five star Iowa Hot Take #2: Offense is too advantaged Hot Take #3: Michigan is not a top 10 job Hot Take #4: Abolish replay Hot Take #5: Abolish the CFP Hot Take #6: Clemson is over Hot Take #7: The Pac12 might not ever win another national championship Michigan Basketball beats Ohio State DeVante' Jones coming on is huge for Michigan's chances to make a runShades of Derrick Walton Stringing two wins together seems important in a single elimination setting Michigan Hockey stuffs MSU in a trash canMSU hockey is sad Michigan hockey can win it all, but single elimination hockey sucks -- hold on to your butts.

Serena and Matt discuss the five things we're most excited for/curious about/intrigued by as Michigan opens spring ball, including who fills the crater-sized holes at defensive end and idk maybe some talk about what happens at quarterback. We also briefly touch on Harbaugh's buyout and the weirdness around the Big Ten voting against CFP expansion.#5: The new Spring Game format Will we actually be able to see the draft?Interesting that Clinkscale and Moore are coaching as opposed to Minter/Weiss#4: The crowded WR roomLots of weapons, lots of speed, interested to see if someone separates themselves as a no. 1 WR #3: The corners Floor seems reasonably high Hellooooooo Will Johnson #2: Defensive EndsUh, somebody? anybody? Plz fill the Ojabo and Hutchinson sized holes in our defensive line Can't even imagine having to replace that kind of production, but we have to try #1: We took the bait McNamara vs. McCarthy The floor at this position is SO highWe don't think anyone is going to really seize the job during the spring Neither of us would count Cade out Bonus Topics: Harbaugh's contract The buyout stuff is silly. No amount of money is stopping a billionaire from hiring your coach if that's what they want to do CFP Expansion Not quite yet but probably still comingBig Ten, Pac12 and ACC vote against, all for different reasons

Serena and Matt discuss the labor complaint filed by players in the Pac-12 in which they seek to be recognized as employees, which could reshape college sports as we know them. We also touch on the Juwan Howard situation and suspension. The Juwan thing is unfortunateNeither of us thinks he should have been fired, but it also wouldn't have been unreasonable for him to be firedThe punishments mostly make sense and seem fairIt can't happen againThe NLRB Labor ComplaintThis has the power to reshape college sports as we know themCollege players want to be regarded as employees entitled to wages under the Fair Labor Standards ActThe inclusion of UCLA in the suit is a way of testing the waters on jurisdiction because the NLRB usually only has jurisdiction over private employersDiscussing the feasibility of the joint-employer theoryNeither one of us wants to see college sports become full of 24 year olds who flamed out of the NFL or NBA - there's something magical about knowing these kids are in your classes and "just like you"Do any of the benefits college athletes currently receive count as wages? There's a good argument that room and board do, but perhaps not tuitionWhat happens if they win?Nonrevenue sports could disappear or become club sportsMaybe not much changes? It might depend a lot on what the players bargain forWhat of women's sports? There are some Title IX implications hereCould they adopt a grad student model?Might Congress just change the law to exempt college athletes from the FLSA?We could talk about this for 1000000 years and not assess all of the possible outcomes, so we have to wait and seeWVU Law Review Article: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6307&context=wvlr

Serena and Matt react to the Michigan coordinator dust settling, discuss our comfort level with Jesse Minter and the apparently collaborative approach they'll be taking at OC, speculate some more about why Josh Gattis was so damn salty, and address Michigan's NIL program taking a step forward with The VICTORS Exchange.Minter has a good but not great resumeWe like the playcalling experience It's hard to translate the Vanderbilt defense to what Michigan athletes are capable of This feels like a continuity hire, but its hard to see the continuity because what Vandy ran under Minter is so different than what we were running Matt wonders why there weren't bigger names attached to the jobLast year Harbaugh took a risk (and he probably had to, because no reputable DC with options is falling over themselves to take a DC job with Michigan while Harbaugh is hanging by a thread) This year is significantly different circumstances. So why no big names? Perhaps the timing in the cycle? Gattis is still salty We try to reconcile reports that Gattis was going to be named head coach if Harbaugh left with the way he behaved in his departureSomething doesn't make sense, but the truth is probably somewhere in the middle Matt Weiss/Sherrone More get the nod Again, a totally expected continuity move Just hoping the offense can take a step forward Please don't take 30 seconds to get the play call in, we're begging Michigan launches an NIL portalSerena wants to form an LLC just to drop bags Seems like OSU and Michigan are taking similar approaches at this stage

Serena and Matt discuss Josh Gattis' weird exit, what it means that he scorched the earth on his way out, whether it was Harbaugh's "fault," and what we expect/want Michigan to do at offensive coordinator.Every podcast is an emergency podcast It certainly seems like Josh Gattis did not get the head coaching nod based on his reaction This kind of makes it seem like Gattis wouldn't stay regardless of how the Harbaugh NFL flirtation played outIs this Harbaugh's fault?Probably not. Gattis was probably only going to be around one more year anyway (he was already getting head coaching interviews), so this probably just accelerated the timeline a bitCandidates? Internal - Moore/Hart/Weiss Joe Brady? Tom Brady is a pipe dream Having to replace both coordinators is less than ideal but at least we have a veteran coach doing it

Jim Harbaugh stuns us all by announcing his return to Michigan. Serena and Matt talk about his return, piece together the timeline, our states of panic (or lack thereof) and where things stand now. Putting together the timelineBalas' report sends the drama into overdriveSerena thought this was a done deal and spent last night coping like she just got dumped.Matt remains skeptical as alwaysWho said no to whom?Discussion of other candidates is moot, thank goodness because we weren't sold on any of themTalk of firing Harbaugh should have been fired for taking this long nonsense for a lot of reasons: 1) the optics are terrible to your employees in the athletic department coming off of Covid layoffs and salary cuts; 2) sending a message to a future coaching candidate that Michigan is willing to oust a coach for even looking at another job is crazyWe want coaches to feel a weird amount of loyalty to their employers. They're not fans. Its their jobStill need a DCLet the younger guys on the staff marinate and grow in their roles

Serena and Matt assess Michigan's D-coordinator options in the wake of Mike Macdonald's exit, imagine what Paul Chryst would do with Caleb Williams, and discuss what the Big Ten can do with its divisions to stop being so stupidly lopsided.Still no Harbaugh news Mike Macdonald departure was not at all unexpected, but was probably sooner than expectedPLZ hire someone capable of stopping spread passing attacks -- no one wants to get Don Browned again Internal candidates include Mike Elston and Steve ClinkscaleExternal candidates? Jon Heacock, Larry Foote, Derek Mason, Vic Fangio Caleb Williams to Wisconsin -- Does Paul Chryst even know what to do with a Caleb Williams? Big Ten realignment scenarios Whatever you do, don't make it worse Kind of feel like Michigan can't really win in this scenario because its guaranteed to have two of the better teams in the current Big Ten East as its "locked" rivalriesSerena campaigns for Kevin Warren's job

Reading Tea Leaves: What the Mike Elston hire means (if anything) for Jim Harbaugh's future at Michigan Whether the Ravens' DC opening is another thing for Michigan to worry about on the Mike McDonald frontDiscussing:The odds that Michigan hires an internal candidate in the event of Harbaugh's departure.Mike McDonald vs. Mike Hart vs. Josh Gattis External candidates We hope you like soup! Luke Fickell has an Ohio State tattoo. That seems like a bad idea. Dave Aranda? Following up on lingering NIL questions What happens in states where there are no NIL laws What if a state repeals their NIL law (like Alabama is threatening to do now)

We cover the whole NIL landscape around Michigan including: The NCAA's (borderline nonexistent) NIL regulationsThe Michigan NIL LawWhether Michigan's policy imposes additional restrictions on UM Athletes beyond what the law imposesHow does Michigan's NIL policy stack up next to MSU and OSU?MSU's policy might be a little more permissive on alcohol and gambling NIL deals, but otherwise the policies are substantially similarMSU and OSU completely ban their staff/coaches from procuring or developing NIL opportunity for their athletes - Michigan's does not. The institutions seem to disagree about whether a university can take on the role of procuring NIL deals for their players. MSU/OSU must think they cannot assist players in procuring NIL deals, or else it makes no sense to impose that type of restriction on your staff. Even if UM could set up an in-house team dedicated to finding NIL deals for its athletes, would that move the needle? Or is the only way forward to go full Texas A&M?

Reactions to the national title game and attempts to find a path (if there is one) for Michigan to win a national title when Alabama and Georgia are what they currently are.

Matt and Serena talk Jim Harbaugh rumors, cryptic tweets/sparkle emojis, how much Harbaugh has moved the needle on Michigan Football, and Alabama and Georgia in the national championship game.