Michigan was the lowest ranked team to receive a first place vote in the 2012 preseason AP Top 25 poll, and the writer who gave them that vote, Bob Asmussen of the Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, defended his rationale in an interview with Kyle Meinke of AnnArbor.com:
Asmussen knows he's in the minority, but is standing behind the pick. Why?
"First of all, Brady Hoke has done a great job," Asmussen said of the second-year Michigan coach. "I think when he came in there, it could have been a disaster. And instead, he managed that season last year. So, I'm impressed with the way he's turned that thing.
"I think they have extreme momentum going into the year, coming off the bowl and they played well down the stretch last year. I like that, and I think that's important to this team because, they obviously lost their way under (Rich Rodriguez). I like what he does, I like the staff he has there. So start with the coaching. I think it's fantastic, and everywhere (Hoke's) gone, he's done this. He's been good, and now he actually has the bodies to help him win a national championship."
Asmussen also admitted in the interview that he's received quite a bit of unfavorable feedback from readers for his vote. He believes that Michigan will upset Alabama Sept. 1 despite being a 12.5 point underdog in that game.
Interestingly, the reporter conducting that interview, Meinke, had the other outlier No. 1 vote in the AP poll ? he was the only writer to vote Oklahoma No. 1. The Sooners are fourth in the poll.
For the latest on all things college football, be sure to check out SB Nation's college football hub. For more on the University of Michigan, check out Maize n Brew.
dr dog ke$ha earl csco big bend national park leon russell meredith vieira
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.