Forever Saturday

Serena and Matt on what we've learned about the Michigan depth chart heading into Week 1, what we don't yet know about the offense, what to expect against Fresno State, and the general in-going vibes as we recalibrate around a team that's going to be imperfect but still gives us plenty of reasons for the best of things: hope.

Serena and Matt go position-by-position through a Michigan defense that's still loaded with elite players throughout, break down the one unit that's going to take a meaningful step back from what it was in 2023, and wonder whether there are transition costs with Wink Martindale or if this remains the best defense in the country.

Serena and Matt go position-by-position to break down Michigan's 2024 offense, which has *some* turnover (albeit less than a lot of people are claiming) and a couple of critical questions around quarterback play and accompanying philosophy that will determine whether the offense as a whole remains championship-caliber-ish.

~5:00: Purdue ~12:30: Indiana ~17:15: Michigan State ~27:45: Illinois ~33:10: Northwestern ~38:00: Rutgers ~47:45: Minnesota ~52:25: Maryland ~59:00: UCLA ~1:05:00: Washington ~1:11:30: Nebraska ~1:19:20: Wisconsin ~1:23:45: Iowa ~1:32:10: USC ~1:39:15: Penn State ~1:47:00: Michigan ~1:48:45: Oregon ~1:54:10: Ohio State

~1:40: Early Vegas lines for Michigan's notable games (and which seem right/wrong) ~11:45: Michigan's recent recruiting uptick, the state of the class, and whether the continued angst is justified ~18:15: Private equity in college sports: What private equity really is, why it's becoming relevant to college sports (specifically Florida State and the Big 12), why there's concern about PE involvement...

~1:00: Transfer additions at defensive back ~19:00: Addressing the lack of portal activity at receiver ~28:00: Scheduling announcements ~40:00: Post-spring SP+ rankings and Vegas win totals ~45:00: Desired outcome at quarterback ~54:00: More details (kind of) on Harbaugh's Exit ~1:03:00: NCAA settlement, what it means, and what's ahead ~1:21:00: NCAA Football 25 trailer (lol Ohio State)

Serena and Matt are back from hiatus to talk post-natty offseason vibes, draft emotions, Michigan spring game takeaways, the problem (?) at quarterback, the Big Ten commercial that must be salvaged, and more.

Serena and Matt react to Jim Harbaugh's departure, mourn the end of an era (maybe the best in modern Michigan football history?), reflect on why this was the only possible perfect ending, and share some thoughts on the next chapter, presumably to be written by Sherrone Moore.

Serena and Matt linger in the confetti and glory, bid farewell to some of the greatest of Michigan Men, and revisit the plays/moments that turned Team 144 into national champions.

Serena and Matt revel in Michigan's national championship game win (!!!) over Washington, look back at the media nonsense and how Michigan put all the storylines to bed, talk about the players who stayed and became legends, and share some emotional thoughts about a title that was a long, long time coming.

Serena and Matt talk Michigan-Washington for the national title (!): why this is the matchup Michigan probably wanted, what still terrifies us about Washington, takeaways from the Sugar Bowl, and one last moment of appreciation before Team 144 takes the field for the last time -- with *everything* there for the taking.

Serena and Matt talk Rose Bowl glory, the beauty in ecstasy in Pasadena, the moments that make legacies, and much more, plus initial thoughts on the matchup with Washington for the national title (!!!)

Serena and Matt briefly revel in Michigan's third straight Big Ten title, talk CFP selection committee nonsense, share some thoughts on why this isn't Usual Bama, break down the interesting Rose Bowl matchups on both sides of the ball, look ahead to a very hazy Michigan offseason in terms of player needs/movement, wonder what the hell Ohio State is doing, and offer a reminder to not let the subjec...

Serena and Matt revel in "Michigan 30, Ohio State 24," discuss what it means for Michigan and The Narrative, break down exactly why Ohio State remains a soft/TikTok-ass program, revisit the key moments from a game that had a lot of them, and try to put in context what this Michigan team has already accomplished, even before a potential third straight Big Ten title and trip to the College Football...

Serena and Matt discuss a mostly irrelevant Maryland game, the apparent finality of Michigan's/Harbaugh's settlement with the Big Ten, and the "scary tiers" of CFP contenders, then turn to Ohio State and what we know, what we don't know, and why this version of The Game feels even bigger than the previous Football Armageddons.

Serena and Matt talk Michigan's emotional win over Penn State, a grind-it-out effort from Blake Corum and the running game, an as-expected performance on defense, some quintessential James Franklin decision-making, what it all means for The Game (and Maryland, kind of), and what's next in the Michigan/Harbaugh v. Big Ten legal proceedings.

Serena and Matt break down Michigan's response to the Big Ten and what it means, from the big-gun law firm to the overall message to the specifics of the argument, then talk actual football (!), including Michigan's advantages and disadvantages against Penn State and what's at stake in Happy Valley.

Serena and Matt discuss the ongoing Big Ten "investigation," potential punishment for Jim Harbaugh, why there's a very strong legal argument against anything that gets handed down, and the news of a sign-stealing collaboration among Michigan's *opponents,* then revisit a beatdown of Purdue that felt pretty much like every other Michigan game this year, give or take a little wonkiness on offense.

Serena and Matt on the latest Connor Stalions allegations/screenshots, whether Michigan's approach with the NCAA makes sense, whether Harbaugh has real exposure, what the reported contract extension means, the initial CFP rankings, how we're feeling about Penn State/Ohio State heading into November, and what we'll be watching for against Purdue.

Serena and Matt talk all things Michigan-Michigan State, including the pregame yikes, the in-game beatdown, J.J. ascending to never-before-seen levels, a couple very obvious giant-middle-finger drives, an utterly dominant defensive performance against a lifeless Sparty offense, and more, then revisit a Penn State-Ohio State rockfight that only has us feeling *even* better about Michigan's path ahe...

Serena (an actual lawyer, with "not legal advice" caveats noted) and Matt break down the ongoing investigation into Michigan and staffer Connor Stalions to try to decipher what the NCAA rules actually allow, why this is such a gray-area situation, what exposure Michigan actually has, and where this is probably headed.

Serena and Matt talk Michigan-Michigan State, what makes this year's version of Sparty particularly unthreatening, logic vs. emotion, and the "Harbaugh remembers" mantra, then briefly revisit the Indiana game (which was basically the Rutgers/Nebraska/Minnesota game, just with the eventful stuff in a slightly different order) and debate whether it's Penn State's or Ohio State's weaknesses that turn...

Serena and Matt talk Michigan's comprehensive dismantling of Minnesota, J.J. being in complete control, P.J. Fleck's scintillating postgame comments, whether this really is the best team in the country, some absolutely stupid endings across the sport (including Red River and OH MY GOD MIAMI), and what to expect from an Indiana team that's probably one of the worst Michigan will see all year.

Serena and Matt reflect on Michigan's never-a-game blowout of Nebraska (including a few intriguing developments on offense and some wonkiness in coverage on an otherwise-dominant day for the defense), share some important thoughts on corn, revisit where Michigan stands in the advanced-metric rankings, talk general Big Ten grossness, and preview a Minnesota game that's probably going to look pretty...

Serena and Matt revisit Michigan's familiar-feeling win over Rutgers, try to reconcile the continued grumbles (about a lot of things) with Michigan's first-ever #1 ranking in SP+, debate whether a few of those grumbles are legitimate, talk Ohio State-Notre Dame and what Ryan Day was *really* ranting about, and then preview Nebraska, which if you squint looks a lot like the Rutgers team Michigan ju...