I'm on vacation this week in the hinterlands of Wisconsin. Internet access this week will be spotty at best, but I'll try to put up some content. It may be a huge content dump one or two days, but stuff should still make it to the front page. In the mean time, I highly encourage you to make use of the Fan Shots and Fan Posts feature to get some discussions going on the upcoming season. When I get back, previews galore.

Thanks!

- Maize n Brew Dave

There are just 12 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 12 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #28 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#28 - Bell's Pizza

via assets.sbnation.com

I've expressed my unending love for this place before. Simply the best Pizza in Ann Arbor and the best college pizza joint I've ever been in. Good grinders too. Extra large pepperoni with a large coke, please. 4am? No big deal. Bell's pizza was like gold at 3 in the morning. Buy a pie, bring it back to your house, eat half of it, then sell the rest to your buddy or roommate for 5 bucks. Or be a d-bag and eat the whole thing in front of him. It's all good. I can't wait to get my hands on a Bell's pizza for the opener. Yet another reason why it's #28 in our Countdown and Reason #28 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

There are just 12 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 12 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #29 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#29 - Scorekeepers

S'keepers (via jeffwilcox)

Yeah, another bar. But it's monday and you should be thinking of happy things and not your work. S'keepers was always that bar that was a happy medium between enough TV's and beer to make it a solid sports bar and just enough college, chick friendly crap to bring the ladies in. I never figured out what exactly encouraged women to come to that place, but I'm not complaining. S'keepers is Ann Arbor's best sports bar. Plain and simple. TV's everywhere. Pitchers, Pitchers, and more Pitchers.  Good beer selection. Decent food. Plenty of space. Guys night out usually turned into an "every man for himself" when the sororities would empty into the place around 11. Good times. Even Brian Griese loved the place, sort of. But hey, he won us a national championship, so all is forgiven. Yet another reason why it's #29 in our Countdown and Reason #29 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

There are just 12 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 12 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #30 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#30 - Mitch's Place

via mitchsplace.net

I used to live at this bar back when it was at its old location. I remember lining up at 6am on St. Patty's day to get a table with some buddies. I remember those same friends trying to kill me with shots of 151 a couple of months later. I remember dates gone bad and finding new, better looking ways to pass the time. Mitch's was one of the bars you just loved because that's all it was. A bar. No dance floor. No crappy techno. Just a place to grab a booth and a beer with friends. To me it'll always be the perfect college bar. That, and it was dirt cheap. The new location may have lost some of the old charm, but it's still #30 in our Countdown and Reason #30 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

via GoBlueWolerine.com

Folks, meet your new left tackle. For the first time in three years, Jake Long won't be protecting Michigan's signal caller's blind side. That responsibility now rests on the shoulders of red shirt junior Mark Ortmann. Ortmann's played little in his two seasons as an active Wolverine. As a redshirt freshman he saw almost no game time, and last season only managed significant minutes due to injuries on the line. On the positive side, Ortmann did show some flashes of being decent. Going into 2008, he’s cemented at left tackle and will bookend Michigan's offensive line with Steve Schilling. Ortmann was also had a decent spring when the pressure was put on. At 6-7, 300, Ortmann's the type of guy that should be a tackle at the major college level. As a prep prospect, Ortmann was actually a three star Tight End who projected to the next level as a tackle. When he committed to Michigan in the 2005 class, it was well known he'd have to make the transition, and four years in this is where Michigan starts reaping the benefits.  There are going to be rough spots, but Ortmann's not someone you want to be against. Judging by his spring practice, diligence in the weight room, frame and athletic ability, Ortmann could grow into a monster tackle. That's why he's one of our 15 Michigan Football Players to Get Excited About in 2008.

There are just 13 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 13 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #31 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#31 – The Engineering Arch

A massive HT to Craig at the Hoover Street Rag for the photo and the suggestion. Photo via farm4.static.flickr.com

One of those iconic, Michigan-esque settings that remain etched in your mind, even ten years after you've graduated. The Engin Arch is not just a beautiful piece of architecture but an entryway into Michigan life. I know it sounds hokie, but as you pass underneath the arch, you feel like you're leaving Ann Arbor and entering the University. As you pass through the arch the libraries are to your left, massive class rooms and research buildings stand to your right, and dead ahead lies the Diag. As an alumni you get goosebumps upon your return. And for the spouses, girlfriends and/or other family members, the area leading in is just beautiful. It's #31 in our Countdown and Reason #31 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

There are just 13 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 13 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #32 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#32 – Elbel Field

Ann Arbor and the University's closest playing field to Michigan Stadium. During the spring and summer the grass is full of sun bathers. The parking lot is full of roller bladers and pick up hockey games. In the fall the parking lot is filled with the sounds of the Michigan Marching Band, practicing and high stepping.  It's the home of intramural softball, the Men's and Women's Rugby teams, team soccer and flag football. Just one of those places that everyone who went to Michigan has had some kind of experience on.  That's why it's #32 in our Countdown and Reason #32 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

There are just 13 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 13 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #33 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#33 – Cottage Inn Pizza

via farm2.static.flickr.com

One of those Ann Arbor institutions that everyone seems to love. When you get to Ann Arbor the locals all rave about how good the Pizza at Cottage Inn is, so like the suckered semi-tourist you are, you go there. Being a Chicago guy, it's not my kind of pizza, but it is pretty good. More importantly, as a college student, Cottage Inn was always open. Always. So when the munchies kicked in around 1:30, food wasn't hard to come by. One other reason to name Cottage Inn is the fact it's a very good restaurant. They're Italian menu is one of the better one's in the area, so if you're in Ann Arbor and have a hankering for a chicken parmigiana, I'd recommend it without flinching. That's why it's #33 in our Countdown and Reason #33 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

There are just 14 Days Left Till Kick-off, but we're running a little behind on the Countdown. So with 14 Days Left, you’re gonna get three reasons a day to Love Ann Arbor until we get caught up! So, here's #34 in our continuing Series of 100 Days to Football and 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

#34 – Good Time Charley’s

via www.a2southu.com

You'd think for one of the bigger bars/restaurants in Ann Arbor, there'd be a better photo than this. But I couldn't find one. No matter, Charley's was always a good time. Great sit down bar. Decent food. Specials. Etc. But what makes Charley's a must visit is the outdoor seating. I know about the "dance club," but that's for you crazy kids, the key is the ability to sit outside and enjoy an adult beverage as the day slowly passes by. Charley's lived up to it's name, that's why it's #34 in our Countdown and Reason #34 to Love Ann Arbor.

If you've got suggestions on places you'd like to see, email me with a photo or a description and we'll get your favorite hangouts in the countdown as well. I'll also try to get a link on the sidebar in the coming days that allows you to see all 100 Reasons to Love Ann Arbor.

via cache.viewimages.com

Speed. Pure and simple. Trent has undergone a renniasance over the last year, from burnt extra crispy after the 2007 Rose Bowl to elite shutdown corner. Both pro and college scouts are enamored with the 6'1", 190 senior. Much was made of the 4.1 forty Trent supposedly ran over the summer. Hell, even everyone's least favorite 5 foot tall mouth said his little piece about it. But the point was made. Trent is fast.

After a sophmore season behind Leon Hall, Trent posted 2 INTs and 8 PBUs last year despite being matched up against the opposition's best wideout. Like the entire Michigan team, Trent struggled early but got better as the season went on. But this year is different. There's no margin for error or time to improve.

In 2008 Trent goes into every game with a bullseye on his back. He's the corner the scouts love. He's the guy that can make or break your highlight tape. He's also the guy that can crush your dreams, pick off your pass, and flatten you short of the goal line. He's one of our 15 Michigan Football Players to get excited about in 2008.

If you're a playa, pop your colla...

via media.collegepublisher.com