Other school's opinion of Michigan/Rivalries
I'm a grad student at Illinois and finished being an undergrad at Michigan. People ask me from time to time whether I was cool with going to Illinois considering the ongoing Michigan-Illinois rivalry, which I was completely unaware of. Apparently Illinois fans think they have a rivalry with Michigan. One random fellow in a video store told me something along the lines of "we don't like those colors in here". (These are the exceptions, not the rule, over my year here. The remarks also seem to be mainly a way to start a conversation, not a threat or anything.)
My question is, have other Michigan fans had similar experiences going to Big Ten schools that are not Ohio State or Michigan State? And how would you all define a rivalry?
For instance, I'd say that we only have "rivalries" with Ohio State, Michigan State, and Notre Dame, in that order. Does this one-sided definition of rivalry come up a lot for other schools?
Take three steps back from your M fandom some day and just spend some time reading through M fans posting on message boards and blogs across the internet and I think you'll quickly understand why everyone else in the Big Ten (and most of America) hates Michigan.
Moeller was the head coach of Illinois from 1977-1979. After they fired him, Bo was very critical of them for not giving him four or five years to completely install a program and ran up the score a few times, including the 1981 game where Illinois went up 21-7, only to have UM score 63 consecutive points on them. This is probably a large part of Illinois' hatred of UM, and is related to the earlier point I made about rivalries and bitter defeats.
Anyway, here is a link to YouTube and the 1981 game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVwdwN5Pzec
People who feel strongly about college football and do not root for Michigan generally hate Michigan.
I went to UM undergrad, grad school in Chicago. While group-studying for an exam, an UI alumna asked me something to the effect of "so we're rivals uh"?
My response was as cold as it was shocked when I told her on no uncertain terms that UM is not a rival, athletically or academically, with the UI. Needless to say, I didn't make friends with her.
I still live in Illinois, and situtations like this crop up more than you'd imagine.
Dude, I think she was hitting on you. Idiot.
Not a perceptive lad, is he?
that is all.
Girl: Hi! Is this seat taken?
treetopflyer: Ew, a girl. Um, no, I guess it's not.
Girl: Great! I'm Stacy, by the way. Nice to meet you!
treetopflyer: I can't shake your hand. You have cooties.
Girl: Well, are you ready for this group study? They always make me horny.
treetopflyer: Yeah, I only got a 96 on my last exam. I was really disappointed so I thought I would give this a try.
Girl: So, I see you're wearing a Michigan sweatshirt covered in Doritos stains. That's fucking hot.
treetopflyer: Oh, yeah, I went there undergrad.
Girl: Really? I went to Illinois! I guess you could say we're rivals, huh? Boy, I'd really like to unleash the time-honored fury of the Michigan-Illinois rivalry in my pants.
treetopflyer: You repugnant strumpet! Michigan would never stoop to consider such a filthy crack den as the University of Illinois a rival! My rancor for Illinois surges at its very notion!
Girl: Let's go to Cedar Point.
Epic win, my friend. Epic win.
he's just slow playing her.
That was the funniest thing I've seen in months. Couldn't make the sexual tension any more subtle...
I lol'ed, and I don't fuck around with my "lols".
I'd plus this 10,000 times if I could.
I went to the '91 game in Champaign to watch Desmond abuse the Illini.
After the game, we ate at a Mexican joint called (I think) La Bamba.
I still remember their motto: "Burritos as big as your head."
Anyway, on the wall of this place they had a mural of a giant Illini football player with a huge burrito for a head and he (it?) was just completely plowing through the opposing team en route to scoring a touchdown.
And who was the opposing team depicted in the mural, you ask?
The Michigan Wolverines, of course.
Considering it is more "prestigious" to send your kids to UM rather than Illinois for those from Chicago and its 'burbs... you can see why the Illini have a chip-on-their-shoulder.
That and the fact that whenever any Illini claim UM their #1 rivalry, they get pissed, and defensive, when you tell them Illinois is tied at #4 with Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue, N'Western, IU, Penn St., and Minnesota
I just started at Northwestern for grad school, and I still proudly and frequently wear Michigan gear. I get a look once in a while, but it seems that most are pretty nice. I do remember going to a game a few years back, and some NU fans were chanting something about Michigan grads working for NU grads. (like we do to MSU) Nobody really seems to actually believe that or feel that way here though. They are pretty respectful fans.
People would hate Michigan less if our definition of "classy fan" and "respectful fan" didn't rest on said fan being completely and totally deferential to the almighty superiority of Michigan in every facet of college football ever.
I live in Chicago (clearly), and can say this:
Illinois fans don't consider Michigan a "rival" - most actually complain that they don't really have much of a rivalry with anyone (they don't consider Northwestern a rival). They do, however, hate Michigan. This is two pronged:
1. In 2000, Michigan beat them on Rocky Harvey's horseshit fumble call. They were jobbed - the Big 10 and Lloyd admitted as much afterwards. They felt they lost the game because Michigan was "Michigan". That pissed many people my age (around 30) off.
2. Michigan fans, in the eyes of many people in Chicago, are on the level of Notre Dame fans - egotistical, self-entitled assholes. The perception that many have of Michigan is indistinct from the impression they have of Irish fans.