LIVE: Michigan Football v. Ohio

Listen as the Meeeechigan Wolverines look to end an 8 year losing skid in the great rivalry in sports.

Bill Rothwell, Seth Goldman, and Clarence Stone on the call.

LIVE: Michigan Football v. Nebraska

LISTEN LIVE at noon as Michigan welcomes Nebraska to the Big House for the first time since 1962. Michigan holds a 3-2-1 advantage in the all-time series between these storied programs.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris, Bill Rothwell, Kevin Carpenter, and Seth Goldman on the call.

LIVE: Michigan Football v. Iowa

LISTEN LIVE at noon eastern as Michigan looks to take down the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris, Adam Wilensky, and Iowa's own Sam Kavalier on the call.

LISTEN: Michigan Football v. Purdue

LISTEN LIVE at noon as Michigan comes off a bye and looks to get back to its winning ways against the Purdue Boilermakers.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris, Bill Rothwell, Jeff Turner, and Michael Fienberg on the call.

LIVE: Michigan Football v. Minnesota

LISTEN LIVE at noon as Michigan opens Big Ten play against the Minnesota Golden Gophers! Brady Hoke looks to keep the Brown Jug in Ann Arbor in his B1G debut.

USTREAM LINK

Bill Rothwell, Andrew Goddeeris, and Michael Fienberg on the call.

LISTEN: Michigan v. SDSU

LISTEN LIVE as Michigan takes on SDSU at 12 pm in Brady Hoke's first matchup with his former team. The Wolverines look to stay perfect in September the last three years.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris, Bill Rothwell, Adam Wilensky, and Kevin Carpenter on the call.

LIVE: Michigan Football v. Eastern Michigan

LISTEN LIVE at noon as Michigan takes on the Eagles of Eastern Michigan in the Battle of Washtenaw County. Brady Hoke looks to move to 3-0 in the 2011 campaign.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris, Bill Rothwell, Jack Warner on the call.

LIVE: Michigan Football v. Western Michigan

Tune in at 3:30 pm as the Michigan Wolverines take on the Western Michigan Broncos to open the 2011 season and Coach Brady Hoke's tenure.

USTREAM LINK

Andrew Goddeeris, Bill Rothwell, and Kevin Carpenter on the call.

Podcast: 2011 Michigan Schedule Breakdown

The WCBN crew breaks down the 2011 Michigan football schedule. Special guest Tim Rohan, Sports Editor at the Michigan Daily, joins us in studio. Follow him at @TimRohan on Twitter.

PODCAST LINK

Unfortunately we lost the part of the preview in which we broke down the roster, but it may have been for the best. Stay tuned for more podcasts throughout the year.

Questions/Comments about the Spring Game

1. How did Rich Rodriguez completely ignore Tony Anderson for 3 years?
- I don't know what everybody else saw, but I saw somebody who (based on admittedly flimsy evidence) should have at least been given a chance last year.

2. Is the underwhelming performance by Devin Gardner a good thing?
- I don't doubt DG's ability, but one of our monster quarterback recruits watching on TV might...which could be a good thing?

3. Had the spring game referees ever seen Denard Robinson run?
- I know they're trying to protect the quarterback, but some of the times that they blew plays dead I am certain that Denard had at least 5 yards left in him.

4. It's nice to see Mattison mix up packages and move around his best player.
- Mike Martin rushing off the outside like a linebacker and forcing running backs to try to pick him up on their own was refreshing to see.

5. More Mike Cox please.
- Give that MAN the damn ball.

6. No wide receiver deserves the #1 jersey.
- Too many drops yesterday and in years past.

7. It was nice to see the shotgun.
- Yes, Michigan liked to run a lot of sets out of the Power-I on offense, but every once in a while coach Hoke catered to the talents of Denard (such as the first play of the practice) and I appreciated that.

8. Should we be worried about the fact that the first team offense looked pretty lackluster as a unit?
- I don't think so. My mathematical reasoning:
Offense that ranks 9th in yards- Steve Schilling+ new system = Probably still pretty good

9. Was the defense that good, or was the offense that bad?
- There was compromise on behalf of both parties, but I do think that this defense looked worlds better than last year.

10. Is the spring game really an accurate way to determine anything?
- No, but it sure is fun to watch.

Taming Our Freshmen Expectations

It seems like every year under head coach Rich Rodriguez, incoming freshmen had big shoes to fill when it came to contributing early.

In '08, it felt like the whole team was new. Sam McGuffie was our starting RB, Martavious Odoms was our go-to WR, and the terrible twosome (literally) of Threet/Sheridan was at the helm of the Wolverines' offense.

In '09, we still had no quarterback. Enter the Tate/Denard freshmen showdown.

In '10, it was the year of the special teams. No more Olesnavage/Mesko tandem at place kicker and punter respectively meant that the Wolverines needed an overhaul. And boy, was it ever a wild ride with Hagerup (who I supposed wasn't terrible for a punter) and Gibbons/Broekhuizen (who were both terrible for place kickers).

And that brings us to '11. Which of Brady Hoke's young guns will we see in '11? By my guess, less than a handful will see significant playing time, but there will be a few fortunate ones and they are...

PK Matt Wile- Be forewarned: MATT WILE WILL STRUGGLE IN '11. It's not that I think Wile is bad, but you can't exactly practice kicking in front of 100,000 people, so I'm sure the freshmen will miss a few bunnies here and there while he works out the kinks. Even if Wile only makes 65% of his FGs in '11, competition (or a lack thereof) from Gibbons (who has hit on 20% of his FGs as a Wolverine) and Broekhuizen (who has hit on 33%) should be weak enough to make Matt Wile Coach Hoke's #1 guy at PK. Wile also punts, but I don't think Hagerup's going anywhere.

CB Blake Countess- Blake is the headliner of Coach Hoke's first recruiting class at Michigan, so I would expect him to at least see the field on occasion. Since we really don't know defensive coordinator Greg Mattison's depth chart for his 4-3 defensive attack, it's hard for me to say in any definite form how often Blake will see the field. If Countess is good enough in practice to surpass JT Floyd and/or Courney Avery (he will not pass Woolfolk) on the depth chart, the Wolverine secondary should actually be in pretty good shape in '11 (fingers crossed).

TE Chris Barnett- With only two scholarship TEs on the Michigan roster in '11 (Senior Kevin Koger and Junior Brandon Moore), Chris Barnett will likely see playing time in the Brady Hoke offense, which frequently includes two TEs in offensive packages. I doubt Koger will be passed on the depth chart, but a healthy competition with Moore (in which I believe Barnett will win) should give Barnett the chance to contribute to Michigan's offensive attack on Saturdays in '11.

LB Kellen Jones- In Mattison's 4-3 system there is an obvious void at linebacker, where 2010's graduating seniors Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh have departed. It seems to me like Kenny Demens, who will be a junior in '11, should hold down the middle linebacker spot for the next two years. This leaves availability on the outside, where I believe that freshman Kellen Jones may see significant playing time.