Here are five takeaways from the football scene around the state this weekend.
Quinn’s tenure breeds more failure for Lions franchise
It seemed like it was finally the right approach from Lions ownership before they settled on Bob Quinn as general manager four years ago.
Team owner Martha Ford hired a respected former front office executive, former New York Giants architect Ernie Accorsi, as a consultant to aid in a search for the Lions new GM.
The Lions landed on Quinn, who seemed like a bright young executive within the Patriots organization.
But four years later, it’s clear it’s not working and Quinn is the person most to blame.
His draft picks have been subpar, his free agent signings haven’t been impactful and the hiring of his friend from New England, Matt Patricia, as head coach has been an unmitigated disaster.
Worse, he seems to fit in the old Lions mold of having no accountability.
There’s no better extension to reach out to fans and communicate what the direction of the franchise is than speaking to the media, and Quinn never does that during the season, a sign he couldn’t care less about the fans.
While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has never met a camera or spotlight he doesn’t like, he at least talks after games to keep fans in the loop.
Bob Quinn is not helping the team win and he’s not having interaction with the paying customers that are so loyal to the team, so thus there isn’t any good reason to keep him around.
What’s next for U-M?
Michigan has no choice but to look toward the future, which is certainly is a lot better than looking back at another lopsided loss to Ohio State following a 56-27 defeat.
That future will include head coach Jim Harbaugh despite his 0-5 record against OSU.
He won’t get fired, and unless he has a swift change of mind that the NFL is more appealing, he’s likely not leaving.
The first question is determining which players will want to compete in the bowl game, or sit out and get ready for the NFL Draft knowing it won’t be a major bowl.
Players such as junior wideout Nico Collins and junior center Cesar Ruiz could easily forego their senior seasons in Ann Arbor and turn pro, while other seniors on the team might choose to skip the bowl game also.
The next objective is trying in some way to close the recruiting gap with Ohio State, which is continuing to bring in more five-star players.
The seamless transition from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day will make the Buckeyes just as appealing to recruits.
Also, will there be any change in the coaching staff with defensive coordinator Don Brown’s unit once again getting shredded by OSU?
These are the issues U-M will have to confront in the coming months in order to avoid another embarrassment to Ohio State in Columbus next year.
Michigan State might be taking bite out of Big Apple
It was a frustrating performance that fittingly capped a disappointing regular season for Michigan State, but the Spartans still managed to outlast a bad Maryland team, 19-16, and become bowl-eligible.
It’s been widely forecasted the last two weeks that MSU would be playing in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit if they became bowl-eligible, but another opportunity might have opened up.
Thanks to Illinois’ surprising loss at home to Northwestern, the Fighting Illini also finished the regular season at 6-6.
That might entice the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City to take MSU over Illinois, but it will be known for sure when bowl pairings are announced Dec. 8.
CMU continues amazing turnaround
Central Michigan is one win away from going worst to first in the Mid-American Conference.
Thanks to a 49-7 win over Toledo, the Chippewas won the MAC West title and will play Miami (Ohio) in the MAC championship game on Saturday at Ford Field.
Not bad for team that won just one game last year.
Prep season comes to a close
Eight new state champions were crowned on the final weekend of the prep football season Friday and Saturday at Ford Field.
Here’s a brief synopsis of all eight title games.
Division 1 - Davison 35, Brighton 25. Davison won its first-ever title against a Brighton squad also looking for its first title. Davison quarterback Brendan Sullivan completed 14-of-19 passes for 290 yards.
Division 2 - Muskegon Mona Shores 35, Detroit Martin Luther King 26. Mona Shores won its first state title in school history over a Martin Luther King team looking for its fourth title in five years. Quarterback Brady Rose accounted for 212 total yards and four total touchdowns (3 rushing) for Mona Shores.
Division 3 - River Rouge 30, Muskegon 7. River Rouge recorded a surprising rout over a Muskegon team thought to be the best in the state regardless of division. River Rouge quarterback Mareyohn Hrabowski rushed for 175 yards on 15 carries. It was River Rouge’s first-ever title.
Divison 4 - Grand Rapids Catholic Central 44, Birmingham Detroit Country Day 0. The most lopsided final of the weekend. Catholic Central won its fifth title.
Division 5 - Lansing Catholic 31, Almont 17. It was the second title in school history for Lansing Catholic and the first for head coach Jim Ahern, who began his prep coaching career in 1969.
Division 6 - Monroe St. Mary’s Catholic Central 7, Maple City Glen Lake 0. In the lowest-scoring game of the weekend, Catholic Central won its first state title since 2014.
Division 7 - Pewamo-Westphalia 14, Jackson Lumen Christi 0. In the only game of unbeaten teams over the weekend, Pewamo-Westphalia ended Lumen Christi’s 35-game winning streak and won its third title in four years.
Division 8 - Reading 33, Beal City 6. Reading broke open a close game in the third quarter, turning a 14-6 lead at halftime into a 26-6 lead after three quarters to win its second straight title.