Horse Racing Alive And Well At Gulfstream Park

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Thoroughbred Racing may be dead in Detroit, but it's alive and well in South Florida.

Although you'd never see Pre-Kentucky Derby Races at the old Detroit Race Course (DRC) when it opened in 1950, closed down in 1998, only to be demolished in 1999 for commercial development, there was plenty of excitement during that era.

There was one person at the 2013 Florida Derby, who attended a race at DRC on December 8, 1979. ESPN's Hank Goldberg remembers DRC as "being a speed favoring track and a lot of horses came down to the old Tropical Park which was located in South Miami. Horses that came from Detroit did well at Tropical Park because it was also a speed favoring track," Goldberg said. "It has sharp turns and a short stretch."

Goldberg covered the Miami Dolphins from 1970-1992 and was in Detroit for a road game against the Lions. The Dolphins defeated the Lions 28-10 on Sunday, December 9, 1979 at the Pontiac Silverdome.

He has been covering horse racing since 1974. Goldberg is currently employed by ESPN and has been there for 22 years. He covered the Triple Crown for three years for ABC Sports.

You'll primarily find the 70-year old Goldberg covering mainly all major horse racing events, as well as his work with the NFL, predicting football games.

Goldberg has been covering the Florida Derby since 1970.

Gulfstream Park opened on February 1, 1939.

The Florida Derby began in 1952 and the current track is 1 1/8 miles in circumference with a one mile backstretch chute. It holds 16,627 fans and the purse is currently set at $1 Million.

How big is this race?

Forty one starters have gone on to win a remarkable 56 Triple Crown Events.

There have been 21 Kentucky Derby Winners, 19 Preakness Stakes Winners, and 16 have triumphed at the Belmont Stakes.

Although horse racing isn't a mainstream sport, it does get it's exposure during the Early Spring leading up to the Kentucky Derby. This weekend, the Florida Derby shared the television airwaves with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

I enjoyed covering My Third Florida Derby. I covered a pair working for the defunct Hallandale Digest in 1983 and 1984. I was at Gulfstream Park a lot because I used to write a lot of horse racing stories and had a good working relationship with former President Doug Donn.

This place has drastically changed. A Casino, Restaurants and Retail Shops have been added thus Gulfstream Park remains busy all-year. I didn't even recognize this place when I came here a few weeks ago so I had to get a feel for the track again.

This is a beautiful track as high rise hotels and condominiums present a nice backdrop along with water in the infield to go with the palm trees which provides a nice tropical setting inside the busy city of Hallandale Beach.

S-Croeso won the First Florida Derby I saw in 1983. Copelan finished second and Law Talk finished third.

In 1984, Swale won My Second Florida Derby, Dr. Carter finished second and Darn That Alarm finished in third. Swale went on to win the 1984 Kentucky Derby.

This Florida Derby was the 61st and Orb came away with the win and qualified for the Kentucky Derby.

Itsmyluckyday finished second and will also compete on May 4, 2013. These two horses had the necessary points to make the field at Churchill Downs.

Longshots Merit Man finished third and Narvaez finished fourth.

Now the intrigue starts. Will Orb or Itsmyluckyday be the 22nd Kentucky Derby Winner to come from starters of the Florida Derby? Stay tuned.

It will give us a gauge as to what to expect.

I have noticed in South Florida and I wouldn't doubt if that trend is common around the country, Horse Tracks and Casinos indeed combine to be good venues for entertainment.

I'm real impressed with the development of Gulfstream Park. It's too bad that DRC never kept it's doors open to combine Horse Racing, Casino's and Gambling. Even the Hollywood Greyhound Dog Racing Track a mile a way is a useful form of entertainment.

But in the Detroit Area, the four major sports are where the money goes. It's tough to compete with the Lions, Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons along with U-M and MSU.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com. Candy Ebling also contributed to this story.

Super Bowl XLVII By The Numbers

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When my girlfriend Candy told me that “this is one Super Bowl which has the least objections to either team winning,” the numbers backed her up.

The Baltimore Ravens 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49‘ers has set a record for highest overnight ratings in Super Bowl history, the Nielsen Company reported Monday.

Nielsen reported the game scored a 48.1 rating a 71 share in its select measurement of big cities. That’s 1 percent over a similar measurement in last years game.

For three years in a row, the Super Bowl has set a new record for most-watched event in U.S. television history.

One ratings point represents 1,147,000 households or 1 percent of the nations estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share means that 71 percent of TV’s that were on at the time were tuned to the Super Bowl.

Prior to the game, only one CBS analyst correctly predicted the outcome.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Bill Cowher predicted Baltimore would win 28-26.

For those individuals on the NFL Competition Committee that want to eliminate kick-offs due to safety reasons, remember the 108-yard kick-off return by Jacoby Jones which he ran back for a touchdown to open the second half. This gave the Ravens a 28-6 lead.

San Francisco sports franchises have seen bizarre events in championship rounds.

This Super Bowl saw a 34-minute Power Outage that nearly worked well for the young 49‘ers. San Francisco outscored Baltimore 25-6.

In 1989, an Earthquake disrupted the World Series for 10 days as the San Francisco Giants were swept 4-0 by their Bay Area rivals the Oakland A’s.

Here are some other interesting facts worth mentioning about Super Bowl XLVII:

*Baltimore QB Joe Flacco completed a remarkable playoff tournament. He threw for 11 touchdowns to tie a post-season record, had no interceptions in 126 playoff passes.

*Only one other championship game in the NFL’s 80-year title game history, Pittsburgh’s 35-31 win over Dallas in 1979, featured both teams scoring at least 30 points.

*San Francisco out gained Baltimore in the following categories, total yards 484-380, passing 302-287 and rushing 182-93. 49‘ers running back and former Miami Hurricane Frank Gore amassed 110 yards and had a touchdown. He out rushed the Ravens by himself. San Francisco had two wide receivers over 100 yards. Michael Crabtree amassed 109 yards and had a touchdown. Vernon Davis added 104 yards in the losing effort. 

The 49‘ers are now 5-1 in Super Bowls all-time. Baltimore is 2-0.

*Baltimore wide receiver Anquan Boldin was denied a Super Bowl Ring in 2008 when his Arizona Cardinals lost the Super Bowl in Tampa to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But now he has his jewelry by gaining 104 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

*This was the longest Super Bowl ever at 4 hours and 14 minutes.

The Ravens stumbled into the playoffs with four defeats in their last five regular-season games as Ray Lewis recovered from a torn right triceps.

How important are regular season records? The last three Super Bowl Winners Green Bay (10-6), New York Giants (9-7) and Baltimore (10-6) knew all they had to do was reach the tournament. 

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com. 

FAU's Best NFL Player

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Former FAU QB Rusty Smith was the first Owls player ever selected in the NFL Draft being chosen in the sixth round, 176 overall, by the Tennessee Titans in 2010, but he hasn’t played the best.

In the 2011 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals selected tight-end Rob Housler in the third round, 69th overall, and he was the team’s fourth leading receiver with 45 catches for 417 yards this season.

The best player ever drafted from FAU was running back Alfred Morris. There have only been three Owls picked in the NFL Draft. 

During the National Television games, the Owls are often referred to as "Tiny Florida Atlantic."

But Morris, who turned 24 on December 12, had a monster rookie season playing in the same backfield as Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

He rushed for 1,613 yards, with a 4.8 average and 13 touchdowns. 

He was second in the league in rushing.

Morris broke the Redskins single season rushing record previously held by former Miami Hurricane Clinton Portis, who had 1,516 yards. He broke Charley Taylor’s rookie season touchdown total of 10.

In the Redskins final regular season game, a 28-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys that gave Washington it’s first NFC East title since 1999, all Morris did was amass 33 carries for 200 yards and three touchdowns. It was Washington’s first playoff appearance since 2007. 

Not bad for a guy that was a sixth round pick, 173 overall,  that Washington selected in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings on July 27, 2011 for Donovan McNabb. Now McNabb is out of football and is doing radio in Philadelphia.

Morris became the fourth player in NFL History to ever record over 1600 yards rushing in his rookie year.

It’s safe to say that Redskins Owner Dan Snyder got a bargain when he signed Morris to a four-year $2.22 Million contract with a $154,000 signing bonus on May 6, 2012.

But leave little doubt that with Snyder’s deep pockets of signing veteran free agents which failed to produce, Morris will have a new contract soon enough. 

What a difference a year makes. In 2011, Morris was the best player on a 1-11 FAU team. In 2012, he’s put FAU on the map playing a key role in the Redskins 10-6 season and as long as he stays healthy, the youngster out of Pensacola, Florida has a bright future ahead of him. 

Meanwhile, it’s time for the 5-10, 218 pounder to rest his body and get ready for 2013. 

The Redskins front office know they found a Hidden Gem to build their offense around while FAU can use Morris as a recruiting tool to build it’s young program.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com. 

New York Mess

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As if I needed another reason to detest New Yorkers, or New York Sports, the Tim Tebow debacle gave me another one.

Former Jets Hall of Fame QB, Joe Namath criticized management because he felt Tebow's acquisition was mainly to grab headlines in the New York tabloids. It's hard to debate Namath because the publicity stunt failed and New York has a 6-9 record going into their final game this weekend.

Coach Rex Ryan's tenure in "The Big Apple" will be tied to his underachieving team and could be labeled as a "Big Joke."

A year ago, he criticized his rival the New York Giants bragging that his team was the best in the city.

On December 24, 2011, the Giants lets their Actions Speak Louder Than Their Words hammering the Jets 29-14 as their playoff hopes crashed.

To make matters worse, the Giants won the Super Bowl in February.

How was Ryan going to improve the 2012 Jets? He acquired a QB that won an overtime playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 on January 8, 2012. Tebow passed for 316 yards against the Steelers.

Tebow defeated Ryan on Thursday Nov 17, 2012 by a 17-13 score as the Broncos were making their playoff run.

When Ryan acquired Tebow during the off-season, he was secretive as to how he'd use him during the season. As it turns out, Rex didn't know how to use Tebow. Neither did former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano, the Jets new offensive coordinator.

Whether Ryan felt Tebow was the answer to the Jets offensive woes is only evidenced by the fact he didn't think Tebow was skilled enough as a signal caller as he thought.

To promote the third string quarterback ahead of the second guy on the depth chart as he did elevating Greg McElroy over Tebow, was disrespectful.

To give-up draft picks, pay millions of dollars for a "Wildcat QB" and "Punt Protector" was stupid!

There are two questions that I base life's lesson's on:

1) What if?
2) What could have been?

What did Ryan have to lose by starting Tebow the final two games of the season?

He would have had answers for next season as to whether Tebow could have played.

Denver fans learned that while Tebow's play was ugly, it did produce victories. It also gave a passionate fan base and created additional excitement for the Rocky Mountain Region. As I mentioned before, the Broncos earned a playoff win. It put fans in the stands and helped sell more team merchandise. Team owners like both.

While John Elway lived with Tebow Mania, he was determined to get rid of him for a more conventional pro-style type of signal caller. Elway demonstrated enough class to give Tebow options.

It didn't hurt that Elway did a great sales job to land future Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning, who had a brilliant career with the Indianapolis Colts.

Elway and Coach John Fox did the right thing by Tebow. They made the best of the situation and moved on.

It appears as though that Ryan has made promises he couldn't and didn't keep.

When Ryan eventually gets fired, there will be plenty of opportunities behind the microphone either as a TV Analyst or Public Speaker.

Rex had a great chance with the Jets and simply blew it!

His Actions Never Spoke Louder Than His Words.

On Mike and Mike in the Morning, Hall of Fame Analyst Mike Ditka said it best.

He doesn't blame Tebow for being upset at Ryan and the Jets! He said that Tim should pack his bags and get out of New York ASAP because of the disrespect he had to deal with all-season long.

I couldn't agree with Ditka more since we're talking about a guy that has won championships when he was with the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.

Bullseye Coach Ditka!

Ditka gave Doug Flutie and Jim Harbaugh chances to play in the NFL.

They had solid careers and are doing well in their post NFL Lives.

Flutie is doing fine on television while Harbaugh started a successful coaching career in college that has carried over to the NFL. He's done an outstanding job with the San Francisco 49'ers, who are among the favorites to get to the Super Bowl.

I personally don't care about the apparent perception of how Tebow's time in New York is ending.

With the sensationalism associated with the New York Media, how much of this rhetoric is true?

I'm giving Tebow a mulligan!

Can Tebow be at least a solid QB in the NFL? Time will tell. But it won't be in New York!

Will he be the answer in Jacksonville? I don't know, but what I do know is he'll get a chance to compete for the starting job with a 2-13 team, which has only one way to go and that's up.

I do know that Tim will work and train very hard in the off-season to prove all his critics wrong.

For Jacksonville fans, that could be a blessing and potentially a financial benefit with all the attention, fans he'll put in that stadium as well as revenue attributed to merchandise sales.

Jacksonville is a strong football town waiting to happen as long as there is a good product on the field.

Everyone should be rooting for Tim because he has no off the field issues and hasn't made headlines for the wrong reasons like we've seen in recent weeks with the tragedies in Dallas and Kansas City.

I hope things work out for him in Jacksonville and every time he faces the Jets, Jacksonville either runs up the score or wins in the final minutes/ seconds.

This way the Jets organization can indeed face the questions, what if or what could have been?

Go ahead Tim, make Mike Ditka, Josh McDaniels who drafted you in Denver and I proud, while Namath looks like a genius because we know the real reason you were acquired.

It's hard to question Namath because in 1969, Broadway Joe led the franchise to their only championship.

Tebow will have a lot more people cheering for him because of his strong character and integrity. We'd all be crazy to root against a man with tremendous morals.

I know Commissioner Roger Goodell would embrace Tebow's success on and off the field.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

My Media Family

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Over the years, I've been very fortunate & proud to have worked with some Excellent Media Organizations.

The Detroit Monitor, Tampa Tribune, Hallandale Digest (South Florida), KCTK Radio (Phoenix, AZ), WXYZ Radio (Detroit), the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DSBA), WKMT (Kings Mountain, NC) and RedsVue Magazine (Cincinnati, Ohio) standout.

I began My Association with the Deerfield Beach Observer in South Florida in 2007.

Former Editor Ric Green hired me to cover Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Sports focusing on Owls Football. This gave me the opportunity to reunite with My Good Friend Howard Schnellenberger.

Green and I were able to turn this seasonal relationship into a permanent one. When Green took a position to run the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce, FAU alumnus David Volz kept the beat going.

I am currently working with Diane Emeott-Korzen. (Pictured Right)

While the economy has cut back on the FAU stories due to reduced advertising, I'm very thankful Diane has continued her commitment  to covering the Owls. My stories are also seen on the Observer Online Website.

On December 21, 2012, the Deerfield Beach Observer had a Christmas Party Celebrating 50-years of Publication. It began in 1962.

What's amazing about the Observer's age is I will be celebrating My 50th Birthday on December 29, 2012. This is real neat that both of us turned 50 the same year.

Diane and Vice President Jim Lusk let everyone at the Christmas Party know of My Birthday Announcing it during the Gift Ceremony. They gave me a signed card by the office staff.

What made this more meaningful was The Party was the first one where My New Girlfriend Candy Ebling was in attendance. After hearing my name over the microphone, Candy's beautiful smile and brown eyes were indescribable.

It was neat to have a 50th Birthday Party with Candy alongside of me. You could say it was her coming out party.

Candy and I have proven that the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers can Co-Exist.

In this economy, the Deerfield Beach Observer has done an outstanding job working through their financial challenges to stay in business. Many daily and weekly newspapers have closed down.

Due to the leadership of Publisher David Eller, Lusk and Emeott-Korzen, along with the rest of the staff, they've done an incredible job!

These are the same people that sent me cards and made phone calls when I had major back surgery in June of 2009. Green was always in communication with me then and we remain close friends now.

Nowadays, Deerfield Beach sports are known for the accomplishments of Denard Robinson, the electrifying QB of the Michigan Wolverines. There is no question that Deerfield Beach High School can be proud of his collegiate and accomplishments.

Just like I can say that thanks to the Observer, I've been proud to have covered The New Orleans Bowl, Motor City Bowl, went to Gator Nation and watch FAU face Florida in Gainesville, had one more game at the Orange Bowl, covered an FAU Basketball Game against the University of Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, in addition to the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. Also, the opening of the New On-Campus FAU Football Stadium was memorable.

As time and circumstances change, I will continue writing for the Observer as long as I can and they want me.

Diane and I are both from Michigan therefore, we both have that Special Connection and Bond.

Every year she wants her Super Bowl Story in February and I'm glad to give it to her even if she has to extend the deadline by 24 hours.

But on this night as I sat at a table with Candy, Assistant Editor Rachel Galvin, who is an MVP Behind The Scenes, and Movie Writer Dave Montalbano, who is a great friend, this night was indeed a celebration.

What's made my relationship so special with the Observer is not only do they care about me as a person, but do an excellent job editing my copy. Even thought Rachel said there isn't much editing, it's still nice to have that spare set of eyes, even though I read it several times before submitting it.

In general, the editing is fantastic for this newspaper and the entire production staff does an outstanding job every week.

While I hope I can write additional stories again in the future if advertising increases, I'm quite satisfied with the role that I have and being a part of the Deerfield Beach Observer.

Even though the faces change at the Christmas Party every year, this event is a great way to positively wrap up the calender.

Although the Observer is a weekly that is available to 30,000 readers in homes and businesses throughout Northeast Broward and Southern Palm Beach Counties, they could easily be viewed as a daily with their tremendous effort and professionalism.

I'm extremely proud to be the same age "50" and am pleased to be working with a Class Organization "My Media Family."

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Rivalry Waiting To Develop

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There are different rivalries on I-95 since the Interstate extends from Florida all the way to Maine.

These rivalries have long histories in all sports.

But one match-up is very intriguing in the State of Florida.

It involves two cities which are five hours apart and have hosted Super Bowl Games.

It involves two of the most veteran and personable Public Relations staffs in the NFL. It would be hard to find a pair of nicer guys than Harvey Greene of the Miami Dolphins and Dan Edwards of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Although these two guys won't be issuing post-season credentials for the upcoming playoffs, they'll have plenty to do during the off-season as each of their rosters figure to have plenty of new faces.

Going into their Dec 16, 2012 contest, these teams had met only five times. Jacksonville led the series 3-2.

The most meaningful game occurred on January 15, 2000 as Dolphins Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino played his last game in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars crushed Miami 62-7 and sent Marino into retirement Ringless after the Devastation of this Playoff Game. Dolphins Coach Jimmy Johnson returned to Fox Sports as an analyst for the pre-game show where he's been since.

On this Dec 16, 2012 day, the Dolphins honored former Defensive Coordinator Bill Arnsparger by putting him into their Ring of Honor. They also celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the 1972 Undefeated 17-0 Team.

As for the game, Miami was mathematically alive for the playoffs. The Dolphins have a bright young QB in rookie Ryan Tannehill, who faced last year's Miami starter Chad Henne.

Miami would win this game as Tannehill was 22-28-220 yards and two touchdowns. He had a QB rating of 123.2. Meanwhile, Henne's return trip to Joe Robbie Stadium saw him go 18-34-221 yards in a 24-3 loss evening the all-time series at 3-3.

Time of possession was the story of this game as Miami dominated 35:38-24:22.

Henne downplayed his return to South Florida and said it didn't affect his play.

"It was a fun experience but obviously you want to come out with a win," Henne said. "I thought our guys fought hard and they played well on the other side of the ball. Their offense moved the ball and our third quarter was the biggest problem. Overall, it was a good atmosphere.

"My attitude right now is to prove to the Jaguars that I'm going to do the best I can to help this team win."

Jaguars Coach Mike Mularkey said he has the utmost respect for Henne.

"He is as much of a competitor that I've ever been around," Mularkey said. "He's scrappy and fights his tail off to give us a chance. We knew we were going to have a fight up front with our line and their defensive line.  For the most part, we held up as well as we could. There was pressure in front.

"We had chances to make plays. We didn't. We had some drops and a number of drives were stalled."

The Jaguars currently stand at 2-13 and have set a franchise record for most losses. Although Miami is now out of the playoff hunt, the Dolphins have a 7-8 mark, but are on the right track.

A crowd of 53,667 showed up for this Florida match-up and paid tribute to the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

During the past few days, there is news that Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan wants former Florida Gators Heisman Trophy Winning QB Tim Tebow.

It appears as though Tebow could be returning home in 2013 since he said he wants out of New York after being surpassed by Greg McElroy as the new Jets starting QB.

If Tebow returns to Jacksonville, it's obvious he'll put fans in the stands, generate merchandise revenue and add energy to a franchise which desperately needs it.

The Pakistani-born American Billionaire Businessman Khan knows the value of his franchise will increase. In addition to the fact that the Jaguars will be playing future home games in London, England., this figures to generate an International Fan Base for the Jaguars.

I have a feeling that my good friend Edwards will have less free time on his hands when the "Tebow Circus" comes to town.

Meanwhile, between Tebow and the high pick Jacksonville will receive in 2013 NFL Draft, perhaps things will look brighter for the franchise in North Florida.

It would be great to see this rivalry become what it can become. All it needs is some star power, wins, playoff appearances in a state that has won only three Super Bowls, but has hosted many.

There is no reason that crowds of 70,000 shouldn't become common.

I have covered sporting events in many towns that have only one team and the atmospheres have been passionate, rabid and enjoyable.

There is no reason that Jacksonville can't follow suit, just as Miami did in the 1970's and 1980's playing at the Orange Bowl then moving to Joe Robbie Stadium.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Life After Notre Dame

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I want to wish Michigan Athletic Director (AD) Dave Brandon lots of luck thinking that he's going to persuade U-Conn AD Worde Manual to switch the Huskies September 21, 2013 home game at 40,000 seat Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., to a bigger venue.

Even though the Huskies know they can make more money playing in a facility like MetLife Stadium in New Jersey which holds 82,500, Manuel has gone on record saying the game is staying in Connecticut.

Manuel knows that his smaller stadium will be extremely loud and the noise level could be heard all the way to Maine. He also knows this will be the biggest event in the Athletic Departments history with the No.1 winningest program in college football in town surpassing U-Conn Basketball.

It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Even though the Storrs campus is two hours away from New Jersey, Manuel knows that the Wolverines have a strong New York alumni base.

In 9-10 situations, money would make this move a no-brainer with 42,500 extra bodies. But not in this case. Manuel would prefer having the sixth man and take the crowd noise. I can't say that I blame him since he'll need every advantage he can to win the game. The sixth man would certainly make things difficult on an opponents quarterback.

Brandon has made some other good scheduling moves.

Recently, I suggested that BYU would be a great addition to the Wolverines schedule.

In 2015, this game will become a reality on September 26. The game is going to be at Ann Arbor and BYU is going to receive one of the highest totals that Michigan has paid at $1.3 Million with no return visit to Utah. The history and draw made this an easy game to schedule.

The going rate for a prestigious game is $900,000-$1.4 Million with no return visit.

Michigan has a home-and-home series scheduled with Utah in 2014-2015. They host Oregon State and UNLV in 2015 giving the Wolverines exposure on the West Coast.

Want some new blood and a Rainbow to go with it, the Wolverines will get that when Hawaii comes to town for the 2016 Home Opener on September 3. The Warriors usually have a high potent offense and have never been to Michigan Stadium. There will be no return to Honolulu so while the Wolverines will see no surf boards, Hawaii will see a Big Wave of Maize and Blue Jerseys in 100,000 plus Ocean of The Big House.

Colorado also visits Michigan Stadium in 2016 on September 17.

The Wolverines begin a and home-and-home series against the Arkansas Razorbacks beginning in 2018-2019. The Wolverines will host the first and Arkansas will host the next.

While Brandon says other home-and-home series are in the works, it's time to go back to the suggestion box and to give him some more ideas rated in the order of most likely to least likely.

1. The Miami Hurricanes make so much sense because Dolphins Owner Stephen M. Ross owns the Dolphins and Joe Robbie Stadium. This game would be an easy sellout. I could see at least 50% of this stadium filled with Michigan fans.

2. The LSU Tigers are coached by Les Miles, who has twice interviewed respectfully for the U-M job but declined to make a change. I can't see him turning down a chance to go to Ann Arbor and market his program in the Midwest. The Wolverines return trip to Baton Rouge gives them a chance to play at Tiger Stadium which holds 92,542.

3. The Oklahoma Sooners and Notre Dame Fighting Irish faced each other, so I can see Michigan following suit to use this as a great opportunity to recruit. Both schools are amongst the winningest programs in college football history that have produced their fair share of Heisman Trophy winners. Lets get them on the field together. The television ratings would be fantastic.

4. When I wrote the draft of this blog a couple weeks ago, The Rutgers University Scarlett Knights would give Brandon a chance to travel to New Jersey and play in front of the New York-New Jersey alumni base that U-Conn won't budge. The reason this didn't get published then was my instincts said to hold off and as a result, Rutgers is now one of the newest members of the Big Ten Conference. They will begin play in two years along with the University of Maryland. Brandon gets his wish to market his program on the East Coast.

5. The University of South Florida Bulls have a strong Midwest Transplant base and the Wolverines have played in the Outback Bowl in Raymond James Stadium. My alma-mater would welcome this game because it would be the biggest draw in the program's history. Like his father Lou, I could see Skip Holtz work diligently to make this game a reality.

6. The Georgia Bulldogs could make this a great financial move for U-M because the game could be played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta or in Athens. Sanford Stadium has a capacity of 92,746. Either way, the SEC would provide another quality recruiting opportunity for Michigan.

7. The South Carolina Gamecocks are now an elite team under Coach Steve Spurrier and from what I've heard, they play in a great stadium. I've driven by Williams Brice Stadium 80,250 and these are rabid fans.

8. If you can't get Oklahoma, there is always the Sooners in-state rivals the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Detroit Lions can thank this university for gift wrapping Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders to them.

9. The Florida State Seminoles and Michigan Wolverines have faced each other before in the regular season. Despite the retirement of Head Coach Bobby Bowden, his replacement Jimbo Fisher has done an excellent job keeping this program in elite status.

10. The Florida Gators and the Wolverines have met twice with U-M winning twice in bowl games. As much as I'd like to see this match-up, the Gators play such a demanding SEC schedule, that I don't see them adding another opponent that could cost them a National Championship opportunity. The Gators used to schedule the Miami Hurricanes annually, but stopped the regular series for this reason. These in-state rivals play once in a while in the regular season and occasionally in bowl games.

These are my suggestions, I encourage any feedback and will answer all responses.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.