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Seriously, what time do both teams play?

(#11) Michigan took (#2) Notre Dame to school on its home turf and this game wasn’t even as close as the 47-21 drubbing that the Wolverines laid on the Irish today.

In my preview of this game I thought that it was a foregone conclusion that since Notre Dame actually played teams its first two weeks of the season, that the Irish were more mentally and physically prepared to play in this game than Michigan was.

Well, I also said Darius Walker would be the difference maker in this game and Walker finished with 10 carries for about 10 feet.

Good call Stalter.

All of that talk about ND playing more meaningful games before squaring off against the Wolverines meant nothing once Prescott Burgess intercepted Brady Quinn’s second attempt of the game and took it 32 yards for a touchdown.

In just seven seconds, Burgess (who picked off Quinn twice in the game) and U of M took the wind out of Notre Dame and then stepped on its throat by opening up the playbook and attacking the Irish weakness all day: their secondary.

Wolverines’ offensive coordinator Mike DeBord called a masterful game by giving quarterback Chad Henne full reigns to attack Notre Dame through the air and that allowed Henne to throw for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Henne hooked up with receiver Mario Manningham four times for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Terrail Lambert’s jock strap is still laying out on the field after Manningham completely fooled him on an out and up for Manningham’s first score.

Mike Hart carried the load for Michigan with 31 carries for 120 yards and put the game away with great ball security in the second half.

As great as some of the individual performances were, the key for Michigan in this game was doing something it rarely ever does, however – they were the aggressors when they had the lead. Common knowledge for anybody who follows the Wolverines is that when Michigan gets up on an opponent, they run right, run left, throw a quick slant and quickly get off the field to punt the ball. On defense, they fall back into a prevent and let the other team slowly build back momentum before Michigan either crumbles and blows its lead or holds on for a close-to-the-vest victory.

The Wolverines defense pressured Quinn into four turnovers and made the Heisman hopeful look more like he should be playing on Friday nights, not Sundays.

Nobody has been talking about Michigan as a serious threat – that changed at about 4:30pm Eastern when the Wolverines 34-14 in just one half of football against the formerly #2 ranked team in the nation.

YAHOO! Sports is reporting that former USC and current Saints running back Reggie Bush could stand to lose his Heisman Trophy. Allegedly Bush and his family accepted financial benefits from a marketing agency while Bush attended USC.

Here is a list of the benefits that Bush and his family allegedly received:

· $595.20 in round-trip airfare from San Diego to Oakland in November 2005 for Bush’s stepfather, LaMar Griffin, his mother, Denise Griffin and younger brother to attend the USC-California game at Berkeley.

· $250.65 for limousine transportation from the Oakland airport to the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco that November weekend for the Bush family, charged to Fritz, according to a document. Ornstein acknowledged both he and Bush’s family stayed at the luxury hotel.

Additionally, New Jersey memorabilia dealer Bob DeMartino alleges that Ornstein provided:

· Suits for Bush’s stepfather and brother to wear during the Dec. 10, 2005 Heisman ceremony in New York, a makeover for his mother for the event and limousine transportation;

· Weekly payments of at least $1,500 to the Bush family.

Documents and multiple sources also link Bush and his family to receiving benefits from New Era’s financial backers, including:

· $623.63 for a hotel stay by Bush at the Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from March 11-13, 2005, charged to Michaels, according to a document signed by Bush.

· $1,574.86 for a stay by Bush at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego from March 4-6, 2005, paid for by Michaels, according to a hotel document, a hotel employee and a source.

· Approximately $13,000 to Bush from New Era to purchase and modify a car, three sources said.

· As reported by Yahoo! Sports in April, $54,000 in rent-free living for a year at Michaels’ $757,500 home in Spring Valley, Calif., according to Michaels and San Diego attorney Brian Watkins.

· Also from previous Yahoo! reports, $28,000 from Michaels to help Bush’s family settle pre-existing debt, according to Michaels and Watkins.

· Thousands of dollars in spending money to both Bush and his family from the prospective agents, according to multiple sources.

If the allegations prove true, the NCAA has the right to revoke Bush’s Heisman – it would be the first time that a player would ever have the trophy revoked.

For as big of an issue as steroids are in the pros, there is just as large of an issue in the collegiate world with players getting rewarded for their play on the field. I hope for Bush’s sake, his trophy isn’t stripped from him, because he won that award on the field – not off it.

However, how many stories does the media break with these players getting special attention from boosters, marketing agencies or whoever else gets a hold of these athletes? Bush seems like a likeable kid and someone that has his head on straight, but if he thinks that he has escaped his problems now that he’s in the NFL, he better wake up.

I think the only people who are safe from this whole mess are the New Orleans Saints who have already come out and said this is a NCAA and USC issue.

There will be more to follow once this story unfolds.