w a a 0 9 9 Homecoming is here. So is your dad. And your mom. And that guy asking for change. Even he knows what the Little Brown Jug is. No, not the restaurant. It's the 100th game of the series, so show up! (To Michigan Stadium, not the restaurant.) Everett Cook, Zach Helfand, Matt Slovin and Liz Vukelich. 2013 Schedule TABLE OF CONTENTS What do we know about Michigan through four games? Not much for sure. Saturday should provide clarity. Devin Gardner grew into the man he is at Inkster High School. Now, the school sits vacant, its doors super-glued shut. For the 100th game against Minnesota, the Little Brown Jug has been a constant pres- ence with Michigan this week. Cover photo by Erin Kirkland ' , I Central Michigan (Aug. 31): Michigan beat the Chippewas by their largest opening-day margin since 1905. Notre Dame (Sept. 7): Eminem is still in the ESPN booth, wondering where he is and where all the people went. Akron (Sept.14): Unfortunately, Akron is chick- ening out of this great rivalry after this year's game. Connecticut (Sept. 21): UConn lost to Buffalo. Buffalo. Buffalo. But almost beat Michigan. Buffalo. Minnesota (Oct. 5): Against Michigan last year, Minnesota promoted epilepsy awareness. For information, visit: epilepsyfoundationmn.org. Penn State (Oct.12): Happy Valley at night usu- ally isn't so happy for opponents. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. Sz Indiana (Oct.19): Long Island Bowl 2013. Win- ner drinks from the keg of glory and gets all the bagels and muffins in the land. Michigan State (Nov. 2): Michigan State's defense is really good. Michigan State's offense is really not. Nebraska (Nov. 9): The problem with Nebraska fans is they're much too nice to hate. Unless, of course, the 'Huskers win again this year. Northwestern (Nov.16): Nice kitty. Iowa (Nov. 23): Vodka Sam! Ohio State (Nov. 30): The Game is past its peak -- the rapper, that is. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: STAFF PICKS The Daily football writers pick against the spread to predict scores for the top-25 and Big Ten in the 2013 football season. Zach Helfand @MICHIGANDAILY IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL Everett Matt Cook Slovin Pat Stansik, Former Host of - Liz Pre-Gaming Vukelich with Pat No.1Alabama(-55)vsGeorgiaState GeorgiaiState Alabama Georgia State Alabama Alabama No.2 Oregon (-39) at Colorado Oregon Oregon O.regon Oregon Oregon Nc.Cemson (4) at Syracuse Clemson Cemson Clemson clemson Clemson No 4OhioState(-7) at No.16 Northwestern Ohio State Northestern Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State No.5sStanford(-7.5) vs No15Washington Washington Stanford Washington Stanford Stanford No.6 Georgia (-105)vs. Tennessee Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia No. 7 Louisvile(-3)atTemple Louisvile Temp Louisville Louisville Temple' No. 8 Florida State 6) vs. No. 25 Maryland Maryland Maryland Florida State Florida State Florida State No 10 LSU (1)at MississippiState LSU Mssissippi State Mississippi State LSUL SU No.21klahoma (-14.5vs.TCU Oklahomat Oklahomata OklahomaTe O Oklahomat No.2UCLAtt(-6) atOtDa UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA No. 3esnhC eina (-2)ateidtuFkyrKenstkyt dohCFreiaSoutCaroliae Frentukye S duhCaroina No.24 Mimi sFI(-6)a ubergibTerh Mami MiAbui M i Misi Mii 5e.i7 taylor(-2u)ivsWestViruinia WestiViri italor Wesi Viginia Went Virgnia, Went Vrgnia No, 18Foia(-1) vs AkansasPilrida Aikansas Fiorida Fiorida Arknsas No.20UTexasTech (-17.5 tiKansas iTeasTech TexasTech Texas Tech TxitTech Texas ech No. 2i OkaoeaSatei(-14)ivs. Kansas StateOklhoemaSiate OkaoSte tnOkiahecma SttOkahoma Staie Okaheea title No.22 Aizona tiat -6 t tir~e DeNte Oater Aiona State Arizona Sttie Notre Dame NionDae No 23PFrestaite (-26)atIdaheoPFresState IdhoPFreoStatei Frtate iIdaho No.24 Ole Miss-3)at Auburn j Auburn OeMiss Aubure Oe MissOleMiss Penn State (-3.5)at Indiana Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State iiinois(+9.5)atNebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Illinois Michigan State (-1.5) at Iowa Michigan State towa Michigan State Iowa Iowa Overall 64-52 65-51 77-39 - 63-s3 2 FootballSaturday - October 4, 2013 on as another opportunity to get some help and pride in this build- ing. It was just tough for me to leave Inkster." " nJanuary 2011, the new administration wasn't as familiar with Gardner's situation as the previous one - Inkster had never had an athlete do this before. For a week, Gardner and his mother thought that he wasn't going to be able to enroll early, and since he had already played in the Under Armour High School All-America Game, he wasn't eligible for bas- ketball or track. His coursework was done. It would have been a wasted five months. A solution was floated: Trans- fer to Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor. He would graduate there early and be on track to practice in the spring. Gardner shot it down immedi- ately. Absolutely not - Michigan would have to wait. If he was going to get a high- school diploma, it was goingto say Inkster on iC. It didn't end up being a problem when the school board stepped in. to rectify the situation. The issue worked itself out, and Gardner became the first Inkster athlete to graduate a semester early to play college spring ball. To the public, it looked like there were issues with Gardner's grades. In reality, it was just akid who didn't want to abandon Ink- ster. Carter is working on a new mural on the walls of his office at Oak Park. He's starting his third season there, but time will bring pictures of his former players turned college students to put on the walls. Right now, he has schedules and posters from college coaches who have stopped by to talk to him hung up on the wall. Places like Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Cincinnati. In the mid- dle of the posters is a newspaper clipping from Gardner's first start as a college quarterback against Minnesota almost a year ago. In lieu of a college wall, Gard- ner is what Carter can show off as proof that the system of education over football is working. Gardner doesn't have a place to go back and reminisce anymore. He's got an empty parking lot and an overgrown school garden that looks post-apocalyptic. He does have Oak Park, though. Carter has made it a point that any of his former players can come work out at the facilities or just come to talk, like they would if Inkster was still running. After last season. Gardner brought his highlight tape and teammate James Ross III over to show Cart- er and his staff. Carter called him the Pied Piper, so many kids were follow- inghim around the hallways. Still, Gardner and Gordon's introductions on the Big House video board each game refer to a school that no longer exists. That won't change no matter how wel- coming Oak Park is. "I'll never forget Inkster," Cart- er said. "I miss it, I really do, even after I left. That's probably one of the toughest things I've ever had to do, was to choose to leave that school and those kids. We still carry that stuff with us. We'll never forget what was accom- plished there and how we kind of got that school to rise up. It's a great little city, and they need their own school if they want it. "Kind of breaks my heart the school is closed. Whether I was there or not, that school was there before I got there, and it should be there after." There isa massive purple rock in the courtyard at Inkster. ef you stand on top, you can just peek over the buildings and see the football field. Prom this far away, it looks like a high-school football field should. Hearby, the paint on the press box that says "Home of the Vikings" is slowly fading away. The door's super glue is still strong. The hand prints are now the only thing left of the boys who can't be the hero or the villain or both because they didn't have the chance to grow into either. TheMichiganDaily - www.michigandaily.com17