Bob Asmussen defends picking Michigan No. 1 in preseason AP poll

"I don't think I'm famous -- infamous, maybe," Asmussen told AnnArbor.com by phone, noting he received several emails and tweets within a couple hours of the poll's release and "not of the favorable variety."

"I decided late spring on Michigan, and said, "OK, I'll take the hits.' Up (in Ann Arbor), I'll be fine, but elsewhere, you can imagine the fan reaction to this. Even the Illinois reaction, they don't like Michigan, so they're like, 'Why are you doing this?'"

annarbor.com