Are we there yet?
Well, if I'm not speaking prematurely I'd say the fortunes of Michigan and OSU are slowly turning in opposise directions. Going into spring practice 2010 the Buckeyes were still the team to beat in the Big Ten. My aim here is not to pile on Buckeye misery but rather to emphasize how the FB programs tend to run in cycles after the Bo and Woody 10 year war. As I recall the 1980's were slightly advantage Wolverines. The 1990s were overwhelmingly advantage Wolverines - and we all know about JT and the Buckeye scorched earth hordes of the 2000s. Question is - is the tide coming in for the Wolverines? What do you think we can expect in the 201x years?
October 11th, 2011 at 7:43 AM ^
I think Hoke has changed the tide on the rivalry. Hell people in Ohio are starting to believe him. Never in a million years I would have thought that. Selling Michigan jerseys is a good start.
October 11th, 2011 at 7:47 AM ^
Enough is enough.
October 11th, 2011 at 7:49 AM ^
what is the jerseys thing? i see it all the time but not picking up on it? someone please let me in on the joke.
October 11th, 2011 at 8:02 AM ^
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/night-jerseys-selling-hotcakes-ohio
Sextuple post... the rest is history.
October 11th, 2011 at 8:09 AM ^
gotcha...not all tht funny
October 11th, 2011 at 8:11 AM ^
but at least im now on the inside
October 11th, 2011 at 9:37 AM ^
I was just on the fringe (and the butt of a joke because of it) and I still find it funny. Its a "had to be there" kind of thing, I guess.
October 11th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^
As long as anyone can get five whole mgopoints for cutting and pasting an inane comment, it will continue to be the mgoblog mascot.
I only thought it was funny the first hundred times or so, but apparently I just don't "get it," because the same joke still gets repeated over and over, and apparently a lot of people still think it is funny.
I think the repitition is becoming rather Spartan myself, but that's just my opinion.
October 11th, 2011 at 4:59 PM ^
I don't think he gets 5 mgopoints for his comment, but that his comment has been moderated such that it won't get collapsed without a 5+ negbang. It's still worth as many mgopoints as your (collapsed) post.
October 11th, 2011 at 2:36 PM ^
Why do you care? It's a message board, where people come to post messages, about whatever they please.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:48 AM ^
Right, but when the same comment is posted over and over and over and over again, adding nothing of value, it takes away from the quality of the board. Plus, it starts to get really annoying.
October 11th, 2011 at 8:37 AM ^
Another good barometer will be on signing day next year. I really hope all the guys we have in this class stick, and stay stuck.
October 11th, 2011 at 7:51 AM ^
That is all...
October 11th, 2011 at 8:26 AM ^
is striking similar to something Dark Blue would type. Just FYI....nobody really liked that guy, so perhaps a change is needed if you plan on sticking around.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:18 AM ^
I'm so excited about this team and our future I could just burst out into streams of maize aand blue. However I am cautiously hoping I won't wake up this weekend nor anytime soon to find it was all a dream. Coach Hoke and crew are making believers out of sceptics and refueling our sense of pride in this program. No, most of us never lost pride but our belief foundation may have been shaken a bit. It has been stated by wiser men that the journey is more enjoyable than reaching one's destination. So in the spirit of Saint Bo I say the journey, the journey, the journey.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:38 AM ^
October 11th, 2011 at 8:02 AM ^
I don't think we can pile on too much. There was a time I might not have felt that way, but it was at least 3 years ago, give or take.
The tide meme is getting old, but the questions as to it's origin and the are just as old. Keep up, people!
October 11th, 2011 at 8:20 AM ^
Can we please win a few more weeks against good competition before we start looking ahead. It's not like we are blowing everyone out. This week should be a good marker for how much better the defense really is.
October 11th, 2011 at 8:36 AM ^
Except we are (with the exception of Notre Dame). This isn't your "UMass onside kick heart-attack" Michigan team. This is your "largest margin of victory @ Northwestern since 2003" Michigan team.
October 11th, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^
We have one of the biggest scoring differentials in the FBS. 228-75 (or +153). We're averaging a win by 25.5. If that isn't blowing everyone out, I don't know what is.
October 11th, 2011 at 8:43 AM ^
STOP ASKING THAT QUESTION AND FERGODSAKES STOP BOTHERING YOUR SISTER!! WE ARE NOT THERE AND WE WILL NOT BE THERE FOR A WHILE SO RELAX!!! JUST LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND COUNT THE COWS OR SOMETHING! WE'LL BE THERE SOON ENOUGH BUT IF YOU ASK THAT QUESTION ONE MORE TIME I WILL TURN THE CAR AROUND RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!!
October 11th, 2011 at 8:49 AM ^
Yeah. Not a big fan of the all caps, but I agree with your idea. These last three years were horrible. An improvement is still not Michigan football. Kicking ass is Michigan football.
And no, even if we beat a bad OSU team at home this year, we won't be back.
October 11th, 2011 at 2:05 PM ^
...please, please, please do not turn this car around. We do not want to go back to where we just came from ever again. We'll stop asking, just promise not to take us back there!!
October 11th, 2011 at 8:47 AM ^
I was a freshman at UM in 2006. Does anyone remember that year? We pretty much expected to win every game. MSU was an after thought; Notre Dame was overrate as usualy and we spanked them; and we played OSU to three points in Columbus in the best game I have ever seen (and I was at the UTL game too).
I want to get back to THAT Michigan. We're not "there" until we expect to beat a good PSU team in Happy Valley. It wasn't too long ago that we would change PSU's "We are Penn State" to "We Own Penn State." When we can do that again, we'll know we're back.
Of course, I could also get one-upped by someone who has actually seen Michigan beat OSU...
October 11th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
We will never "be back". We are too self-righteous and entitled to ever "be back". As a Michigan fan, instead of enjoying the victories (they've been sparse circa 2008 to present), there's always going to be something to complain about.
We could hold a team to negative total yards, pick their QB off 10 times, rush for eleventy billion yards, and score infinite points and people still wouldn't be pleased.
October 11th, 2011 at 5:14 PM ^
I don't quite want to get back to being "that" Michigan, particularly since "that" Michigan also got destroyed by USC in the Rose Bowl.
Having said that, it's way too early to say whether the tide in the rivalry is actually turning (jersey sales notwithstanding). Let's play our game against them this year, see how all the turmoil surrounding their program shakes out, and then assess which program is better positioned to seize the upper hand in the rivalry.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:13 AM ^
I live in Toledo and can't help thinking about the jersey quote every time I see Michigan gear. That being said, I see way more of it right now than the past few years.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:20 AM ^
One-half of a completely abnormal season is clearly sufficient basis for anyone to make this kind of conclusion.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
Yeah, kind of like drawing conclusions from preseason games.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^
Michigan-Michigan State is about putting those brothers in the back seat of an un-air conditioned Taurus wagon for a five-hour drive to Mackinac.As a Yooper, I made this trip from the other direction accompanied by a brother in a 1970's un-air conditioned Pontiac LeMans. To make matters worse, seat belt laws were non-existent and said bigger brother could give me noogies/wet willies/stuff fart-soaked pillows in my face throughout the entire trip by encroaching unencumbered to my side of the back seat. The road-sickness puking in Naubinway was partially offset by the nearness to Lake Michigan where a 7-year old child with a vomit-stained shirt could run over the dunes and inhale ample fresh air. So, "Are we there yet?" We're close. We're past Naubinway. The Mackinac Bridge is in sight. But damnit-to-all-hell, we forgot cash for the bridge toll and have to stick around in St. Ignace until the bank opens so we can wire some funds from our home-town bank in Houghton (remember, this is the 1970's, so no ATM's).
October 11th, 2011 at 11:54 AM ^
That was Misopogon, not Brian, FYI.
October 11th, 2011 at 2:12 PM ^
Yup. Mea culpa. I totally brain-farted and gave credit to Brian. I feel terrible and will make amends, Misopogon. I promise.
October 11th, 2011 at 9:54 AM ^
is misleading. I was expecting something about how Saturday can't come soon enough, which it can't.
So... let's change this up a bit...
Are We There Yet?
We have a huge game this weekend and I'm pumped! Saturday cannot come soon enough.
What are you doing to pass the time and get yourself through the week?
What are some of your "Hate Week" traditions?
October 11th, 2011 at 10:35 AM ^
When we win a Big Ten title, we will be close enough to ask this question!
October 11th, 2011 at 10:49 AM ^
Wait until the season progresses or this will happen to you:
October 11th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
In order to get a better perspective, I took a look at http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Michigan.htm
In the course of my M fandom (which began about 1970 - age 9), there have been a few teams that dominated (which is based on my quick scan of overall season record and Points Scored vs. Points Allowed from the aforementioned data link): 1970-74, 1976, 1985, 1997.
Borderline years were 1977, 1978, 1980 (dominating 2nd half of season), 1986, 1991 (ugly losses to Florida State and Washington), and 2006.
I'm not sure what your criteria are:
- sustained dominance akin to 1970-74 (probably not possible given the changes in college football since that time)?
- repeat B1G championships over 5 year period (e.g., 3 or 4 times over a 5 year period, M wins B1G championship)? Probably do-able, but of couse, that cannot be evaluated at this point.
- having M considered a football powerhouse by MSM again? This is fleeting (OSU exhibit A, Florida exhibit B), and not truly measurable. Thus, it's probably not what we want to use as a yardstick.
- or something else?
October 11th, 2011 at 2:24 PM ^
It's Michigan. We've always been the best, we still are the best, and we always will be the best.
October 11th, 2011 at 3:36 PM ^
so we are not.