SPONSOR NOTE: Congrats, Ann Arbor: there are now as many dispensaries in Ann Arbor as there are liquor stores! But there's only one Cannabis Microbusiness where everything is grown, trimmed, processed, and packed in-house and by hand. MGoBlog readers that mention this ad can get either A) 30% Off their first purchase at Winewood or B) 5 for $100 Live Resin Carts (these single-source sauce carts pack the punch of a dab in the discrete, portable vaporizer format. Containing zero additives, ever). Learn more at winewoodorganics.com =============================== Essentials WHAT Michigan vs Colorado State Who is this and why does he keep flirting with me? WHERE Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI WHEN Noon Eastern THE LINE M –27.5 TELEVISION ABC (Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III, Quint Kessenich) TICKETS from $51 WEATHER 86° Partly Cloudy Overview Last year the Nevada Wolf Pack went 8-5 and finished third in the Mountain West's West division, which was about standard in their five seasons under Jay Norvell and Matt (son of Air Raid pioneer Hal) Mumme. Also as usual, their defense got thrashed by every offense with a pulse. The last was in a 52-24 loss to Western Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. Following the loss in Detroit, Norvell and the Wolf Pack relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, changed their colors to green and gold, and renamed their franchise the Rams. This is a new experiment in college athletics, made possible by the free one-time transfer rule and effectually zero control on tampering. Among the treasures Norvell smuggled out of Reno are most of his coaching staff and eleven players, including 40% of the offensive line, two decent starters at WR, a cornerback they're moving to safety, the special teams units, and the quarterback they were grooming to replace Carson Strong (UDFA, Eagles). Click here or on the graphic for full-size. PDF here. Transplant host Colorado State was happy to incorporate any and all of Nevada's vital organs after the two-year tenure of Steve Addazio, recommended by former CSU WR coach Urban Meyer, produced two major scandals to three Mountain West victories, and left the program gutted. Several returning starters were shunted aside for transfers, and the guy I thought was going to be the star of their defense got benched in fall camp for a RS freshman walk-on. Once the procedure takes, CSU should recover nicely over the course of the season to a program level somewhere in the vicinity of where Mike Bobo had them when Bama was sending him spare Dee Hart. Norvell ran a solid program in Reno, and system-based offenses tend to thrive in the Group of Five, where the natural answers (IE better players) are difficult to come by. I doubt they can have it up and running by Week 1 in the Big House, however. While it's safe to say the Rams will represent Michigan's toughest test of the nonconference season, that's mostly just an indictment on Hawai'i and UConn. [After THE JUMP: Coulda been yours. Now? Nope.]