Reply #4: That's how I'm taking it. Carr should be ashamed, but...

[caraher]

let's face it, there's not much joy in winning these early-season "tuneup" games. If Michigan had pulled it out the stories would be about escaping embarrassment, not a victory. Appalachian State had so much more fun winning than Michigan would have had avoiding the humiliating loss.

Also, Appalachian State is not Div II, they're in the former Div IAA. The technical difference is that they don't put enough fans in the stands to qualify as a top-division team. Oh, and they play for a genuine national title, as opposed to the BCS beauty contest plus one game formula. Perhaps the Mountaineers two straight seasons of playoff success produced a sharper squad mentally... maybe they play better as a team because of real playoff experience (instead of the whole game of "if our loss was earlier in the season and the right combination of upsets occurs we get a shot at a "national title..." I don't know who would have won a real playoff last season, but I doubt it would have been Florida. At the very least, it's not obvious that the Gators were the best team... they just lost at a less damaging time than their higher-ranked competition.)