Stevie Brown: Michigan has 'good chance' of making Rose Bowl this year

Posted on Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 4:34 p.m.

Stevie Brown: Michigan has 'good chance' of making Rose Bowl this year

By Dave Birkett

Stevie Brown played in a Rose Bowl as a freshman, and he wants to go back.

Despite two Big Ten losses, Brown said Michigan has "a good chance" of reaching Pasadena this year.

"I have a feeling,” Brown said. “I don’t know if anybody else has a feeling, but I have this feeling. If we can win out, I think we have a chance that we might be able to make it to the Rose Bowl."

While not yet mathematically eliminated from winning the Big Ten, the Wolverines (5-2, 1-2) are a long shot to represent the conference as league champion in the Rose Bowl.

Iowa (7-0, 3-0) has a favorable remaining schedule, and six teams are ahead of Michigan in the Big Ten standings.

If Iowa stays undefeated, however, and Michigan wins out - the Wolverines host No. 13 Penn State this week and have games remaining against Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State - the Wolverines could go as an at-large selection.

The Rose Bowl hosts the national championship game. If a Big Ten or Pac-10 team plays for the BCS title, the game gets first or second pick from the pool of at-large replacements.

“I think we all know there is a situation with Iowa being the only undefeated team left, but we need some help and all we can do is worry about ourselves,” guard Steve Schilling said. “If we win the rest of our games it still might not happen. So we got to win our games and hope we can get some help along the way from other teams with some upsets and take it from there."

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said he hasn’t addressed bowl scenarios with his team - the Wolverines will become bowl eligible with their next win - but he doesn’t mind his players dreaming of a Rose Bowl appearance.

“We mentioned after the Iowa loss that there’s a lot of things can happen and we got to stick together,” Rodriguez said. “You see it every weekend, crazy things happen, not just in Big Ten but throughout the country.

"There are a lot of ways we can control our own fate as far as bowl games and Big Ten championships, and sometimes you need a little help. This thing’s going to play out until the end, probably. We just hope we’re in it."

Brown said his desire to return to the Rose Bowl is fueled in part by memories of his 2006 experience. Michigan lost to USC, 32-18, but Brown said the experience was “great” and he always figured he’d go again.

“It wasn’t necessarily that I took it for granted,” he said. “It was just more so, this is what the goal is to be, we made it here, that’s how we’re going to do it every single year, we’re going to make it to the Rose Bowl. But we haven’t been back since. I really want to get back.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Comments

Sparty7

Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 7:39 p.m.

Point Proven! Michigan Sucks and they proved that today, Dick Rod sucks and clearly can't coach. I look forward to reading all the Michigan nut jobs crying about the bad calls and how they almost won that game so it really counts as a win. O how the proud have fallen. LMAO!

Sparty34

Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 8:05 a.m.

Theo212, I am not sure I understand your logic. "We basically beat Iowa... And, yes, we basically beat msu, too." So therefore, "We are clearly the conference's best team." Using your logic the Lions Basically beat the Vikings last year, I mean the score was 10-12. So, really they were not the first team to lose all 16 regular season games. Oh, and by the way, we did beat you, Iowa did beat you. PSU WILL beat you. OSU WILL own you for another year.

Sparty7

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 7:03 p.m.

I agree Penn State is overrated but Michigan will NOT win. MSU does have a big challenge aginst Iowa, But overall MSU is improving and I think that scares Michigan fans. Yes we only beat Michigan 2 years in a row ( by the way I never said that) and Michigan has been better over the years, the records prove that. The point Michigan fans live in the past because they fear the future, I don't blame them their coach is a shady guy, MSU is improving year by year and we are 2-0 in the Dick Rod era. Michigan fans can't say too much yes we did get beat by CMU but look at your NON-con games, you were afraid to play anyone halfway good, probility because you didn't want to look like a fool kinda like the App state game. All your wins are at home and those games were to bad teams. Yes I know MSU lost to Notre Dame. They are still a bad team.

saginaw

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 1:33 p.m.

Penn State is way over-rated. There is no reason that Michigan can't win on Saturday. In fact, we should win. We almost beat Iowa in Iowa City. Iowa blasted PSU in Happy Valley. Michigan will beat Penn State. However, that still leaves us a very long way from the Rose Bowl!!!!

MichFan4BorW

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 12:21 p.m.

don't pay attention to Sparty7. SpartanNation thinks 3-1 in conference is huge, until you look at MSU's wins. Beating Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois and Montana St. hardly shows a team worthy of a championship. Tell me how any of those teams have a good defense. I'm a michigan fan obviously, but even I know our defense is good on its BEST day and merely average overall. I do love it when Sparty gets a big head though. "UM hasn't beaten MSU since 2007." That's a fancy way for saying two years in a row. Wow. Congrats, sparty. In the last decade, Michigan owns MSU with 7 wins to Sparty's 3. No team has beaten MSU more than Michigan (69 wins). Sparty's reply: so many of those games were in AA b/c Michigan was too scared to play MSU in EL. My response: Michigan's record in east lansing is 19-11-2. We historically spank MSU in AA and in EL. The last two years does very little to change that.

MichFan4BorW

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 12:16 p.m.

CarrNavarreous

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 11:31 a.m.

Has anyone noticed that since Lloyd has been hanging around in Iowa City the Hawkeyes are undefeated and blowing away the rest of the Big 10? Coincidence?......I think not.

eL gOrDo

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 10:24 a.m.

ummm. I am a huge and realistic M fan...Stevie needs to focus on winning agains PSU. UM should win but just because Iowa won at happy valley doesn't mean UM should win. Michigan still has an undersized Dline and a great QB that is one hit or twisted knee/ankle away from being done for the season. Michigan should focus on making a bowl and then try to improve. If this team plays anywhere on or after Jan 1st the season will be a huge success.

LRTROJAN

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 8:25 a.m.

For the record they still play the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1st and then play the NC AT the Rose Bowl a few days later.

treetowncartel

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 8:08 a.m.

If the Rose Bowl is for the NC this year I doubt a Big Ten team will be there, its Texas vs the winner of the Alabama/Florida game.

Oregon39_Michigan7

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 8:05 a.m.

It's nice to set goals high... but a Rose Bowl for UM is not happening

15crown00

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 11:58 p.m.

part of the qualification to go to a major bowl is strength of schedule.so we look at the a2 blues and see they played WMU,EMU,and DELI STATE and should have lost to the Domers and Indy.at this point in the season i see the BLUE BRAINS going to a second level bowl AT BEST.To the clown that says "we basically beat Iowa i would say "you basically lost to the Domers and Indy.the only thing that really counts is the final score.

aareader

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 10:46 p.m.

It is always important to dream, be optimistic and hungry. It is possible. Both Q backs are looking great, the running backs are great. The O line is getting better every week. This is true for the D line too. We can win over Penn State, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, and yes even OSU. Purdue proved OSU is not perfect. Go Blue!

aareader

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 10:46 p.m.

A2D2

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 9:50 p.m.

Two bowl predictors on ESPN.com or CBSSports.com (or some other equally qualified source) have UM playing Clemson in the Champs Bowl and MSU playing somebody in the Capitol One Bowl.. For the life of me, I can't see MSU being anybody's pick to go in any bowl higher than the Independence Bowl in Shreveport.

Jimmy Olsen

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 8:25 p.m.

Sparty7 - just like Purdue had no chance of beating OSU. Beat Iowa, then we can talk. Go Chips!!

FreeFallin

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 6:55 p.m.

Why aren't Michigan fans cheering on Michigan State this week? Come on everybody say it with me "GO STATE!"...I mean, you wouldn't want to look like hypocrites over the Dantonio comments made when U of M played OSU last year. Many U of M fans ripped Dantonio for 'cutting off his nose to spite his face'.So either you cheer for MSU or you're a hypocrite, who is with me? GO GREEN!

mercury69

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 6:22 p.m.

I'm sorry but I don't know what Kool-Aid you drank...Unfortunately U of M just won't make the cut...no matter how you want to spin it...Iowa, Penn St., OSU... or even MSU will have a better shot...I realize AnnArbor.com is what it is now...but don't print fabrications....

rensational

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 6:01 p.m.

Honestly, the only things I want to see these Michigan guys getting jacked up about are, first of all, taking care of Penn State, not getting embarrassed by losing to Illinois and/or Purdue (um, like Ohio State, on that last count) and then beating OSU in the first time for years. It's helpful to shoot for the skies, but it seems like the last few years Michigan has been mysteriously been glazing over the OSU game. Right now, the RB should not be more important than beating OSU, especially with beating OSU looking more and more possible every week (because of how OSU is falling apart, not necessarily because of Michigan) than getting to the RB looks. Let's not blow both opportunities by putting the carriage before the horse. If we gunned for them like Michigan State guns for us all season long, we'd have won by now.

amaizenman

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 5:46 p.m.

Sparty 7 Hold on to your hat this week. Iowa is coming to put a hurt on your boys. Don't be so sure we don't have a chance against PSU, we have only lost to them once in the last 8 years. We have dominated you like we have dominated MSU, only our domination over MSU goes back many many many years. Go Blue....

InsideTheHall

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 5:32 p.m.

Common Birkett, get your facts straight! This is Meeeeechigan and we demand excellence not only from the football team but those who cover the team.

tulsatom

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 5:18 p.m.

Although it sounds like a long shot for U-M to go to the Rose Bowl this year, I'd rather have Stevie Brown talking Rose Bowl than saying there is nothing to play for but pride (like last year). His attitude reflects that U-M still has high hopes and is giving it all they have, which is a good thing.

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 5:12 p.m.

Correction... I am the only one who apparently thought it was! Sorry! Game is played at the Rose Bowl, not FOR the Rose Bowl.

JV77

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 5:11 p.m.

Michigan played in the 2005 Rose Bowl and lost to Texas by a final of 38-37. I believe you are referring to the 2007 Rose Bowl, in which Michigan lost to USC by a score of 32-18. I also didn't see Brown quoted saying he thought they had a "good chance," just that they had a chance.

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 5:08 p.m.

Am I the only one who knows that the Rose Bowl game is the national championship game this year? BCS 1 vs. BCS 2? Anyone?

LRTROJAN

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 4:54 p.m.

"I have a feeling, Brown said. I dont know if anybody else has a feeling, but I have this feeling. If we can win out, I think we have a chance that we might be able to make it to the Rose Bowl." Birkett, Where did you get your title from? He never said that they have a good chance. He said they have a chance and they might make it. He never said "Michigan has 'good chance' of making Rose Bowl this year. Write it like it is. You're twisting words. Keep this up and the Freep might offer you a job. Sparty7, Congrats you guys have beaten Illinois and Northwestern the last two weeks. If you guys beat Iowa then come talk. No chance at beating Penn State? That's why the line is only 4 huh?

Sparty7

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 4:40 p.m.

Stevie Brown should slow down on the Kool-Aid, Michigan has no chance winning the Big Ten or beating Penn State this Saturday.

dconkey

Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 4:11 p.m.

FYI, Michigan lost to USC that year.