Pigskin Picks even closer still

It's nearing that time of year where things are going to get nasty. Plus from top to bottom is the difference of just six, which means on any given week there could be a major shuffle.

The game results are below with winners in bold, per as usual:

Dearborn Fordson at Saline
Edsel Ford at Belleville
Ypsilanti Lincoln at Lincoln
A2 Huron at A2 Pioneer
Chelsea at Dexter
Riverview Gabriel Richard at A2 Gabriel Richard
St. Mary Catholic Central at Milan
Michigan at Iowa
Grass Lake at Manchester
Willow Run at Harper Woods Chandler

It appears that this was the week for the road teams, which means there were probably a lot of unhappy homecoming kids out there, including Lincoln and Saline.

The point totals stand as thus...
1. Mike Larson--This week: 7-3 Overall: 56-14
2. Jana Miller--This week: 7-3 Overall: 53-17
3. Don Richter--This week: 8-2 Overall: 52-18
4. Ed Patino--This week: 8-2 Overall: 51-19
5. Dave Merchant--This week: 7-3 Overall: 50-20

So it's getting closer. I liked including the UofM game this week. It made things more interesting. It's also weird that the team that seems to create the most shuffling so far this year is Willow Run. So few of us follow them that it leads to blind picks.

As for the Michigan game, I haven't yet decided how I feel about the quarterback situation. On the one hand, Tate has shown a solid late game in previous challenges. But on the other, he was throwing bricks out there and he definitely isn't without fault. Also factor in that Denard had just helped Michigan score a very important touchdown. What kind of message would it send to a quarterback who comes in and does everything right, and then can't also continue with that momentum in the same quarter? He screwed it up, to be sure, but thank god both Denard AND Tate are learning these lessons this year. I want to remind everyone that Tate also threw an interception to a very open opponent against Michigan State under a similar pressure situation. I think both quarterbacks are able and I have yet to select a favorite. I think Tate is more like the star quarterbacks we've had in the past, but Denard is a stronger QB for the future of football. It was also nice to see Denard actually throwing. He had plenty of clean complete passes on his first drive in the game that will unfortunately be overshadowed by his one mistake at the end.

I also really, really want to know what Tate said to Rich Rod to piss him off. He said something that resulted in a cold bench seat, and I think Tate probably took his gifted boy syndrome a bit too far. He hasn't secured that spot just yet, and Rod taught an important and difficult lesson that day.

I also want to say that I think it's terrible that the game is being blamed on the late quarterback call in the fourth quarter. There are four FULL quarters in football, and if Michigan players hadn't fumbled 5-1 times against Iowa, this game would have gone a very different way. Coming from behind is fun to watch, but it distorts what people remember, as well. And the fact of the matter is, we were LUCKY to be in overtime with Michigan State and we were also lucky to have that clear of a shot at a field goal for a win against Iowa. The Hawkeyes never should have been in that defensive position.