Off Season Bulletin Board Material

Submitted by Kevin Holtsberry on

Is there such a thing as off season bulletin board material? If so this ought to motivate the players and coaches as they work at building this program. Bob Hunter in the Columbus Dispatch (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/11/23/osufb_hu…):

Put it this way: Ohio State-Michigan has suddenly begun masquerading as an OSU-Toledo game, a switch not without a touch of irony considering the Wolverines lost to Toledo this season.

But the rivalry is tottering not simply because Michigan has had an embarrassment or two, or because of an unprecedented five consecutive OSU wins in the series, or because Michigan has just finished the season 3-9, or even because the Buckeyes hammered their hapless rivals 42-7 yesterday in Ohio Stadium.

It is tottering because the Wolverines looked so weak yesterday that it's hard to imagine they're looking at a quick fix. This is a team so bad that even the rivalry couldn't lift it up, and this is a rivalry that injects so much emotion in the game that it sometimes makes mediocre teams look pretty good.

Rich Rodriguez is a good coach, but he's not Moses. After Michigan's woeful performance in the Horseshoe, it seems clear that for Rodriguez to lead his team out of the Big Ten's second division -- not even one of college football's lower-middle-class neighborhoods these days - it's going to take more than a few top recruits.

Hunter goes on to all but predict that Ohio State wins the next two meetings. And then gets in a litte dig:

Some rivalry, eh?

If this keeps up, those little gold pants Ohio State players receive for winning the Michigan game may eventually become worthless trinkets around here. They used be rare as a gold doubloon. Now they're like loose change. Fifth-year seniors have five pairs.

The Buckeyes fans are clearly enjoying things. But you have to think this kind of talk will serve as good motivation for Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines as they work to regain their winning ways and the respect that comes with it.

File this away for the future.

Comments

stevemc_777

November 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 PM ^

What do you expect? There is no more sad and pathetic fan base than that of the University of Ohio State. Writers like this are typical of the fans I know that define themselves more by their hatred of all things Michigan than their enjoyment of anything buckeye. I was in Columbus for signing day last February and was worried I would get any Michigan news not having an internet connection. Geez, I was overwhelmed by Michigan recruiting news. They are obsessed!
So let them revel in their statistical anomaly. The truth we aren't going anywhere and will be here to remind them when the natural order is restored.

Clarence Beeks

November 24th, 2008 at 12:26 AM ^

Someone might want to remind Mr. Hunter of the all-time record in the series. Despite TUOS winning the last five, Michigan is still up handily, which means that for a good number of years TUOS wasn't winning often either.

goblue1962

November 24th, 2008 at 2:21 AM ^

Some one want to remind that O$U fat ass that over the last 25 years of the 20th century, O$U only won 7 games. That's right.

7-17-1 from 1976 to 2000. 3 coaches at UM, 3 at O$U, and they went 30%.

Tre$$ie has to win 11 of the next 17 to do to us what we already did to them.

Tre$$ie has to win 4 of the next 5 to do to us what we did to Cooper.

Check the record boys. We were first to win 4 in a row, first to win 5 in a row and first to win 9 in a row. They still have to win 5 more to take that away.

And we still taught them that dumb shit OHIO script.

Garvie Craw

November 24th, 2008 at 7:45 AM ^

They've won five in a row, and Saturday's game was a 35 point blowout. Like Spielman said, they've upheld their end of the bargain and we haven't. If the situation were reversed, we'd be laughing at them too. Lloyd stayed too long, and now Rich Rodriguez has his work cut out for him. It's going to take a lot of hard work. Newspaper articles don't matter.

blueman

November 24th, 2008 at 9:21 AM ^

Unfortunately, the article is true. UM is at the bottom of the Big 10 and is likely to be a 6 or 7 win team next year. O$U, after losing a splendid senior class with several high draft choices, will reload and be favored to win the Big 10 in 2009. UM simply does not have the talent now and the present recruiting class does not have a game changer in it yet. There are no Jake Longs, Charles Woodsons or Braylon Edwards on the present team. The winter of our discontent is not near its spring.

TCPW

November 24th, 2008 at 9:59 AM ^

The article is true, we would be saying/writing the same things. As RR would say "get a life", Michigan football is emabarassing. OSU will not be taking any step s back in the next few years, and will Michigan get that much better?

umjaker310

November 24th, 2008 at 10:10 AM ^

Hey Lloyd held his own against OSU for along time a never received a beat down that UM received on saturday. RR can do better and must win this game in the next two years if he does not go to a bowl game.

IM4UMich

November 24th, 2008 at 10:27 AM ^

Michigan will not be great next year, that's obvious. But RichRod knows his system, knows the players he needs, and knows how to get the best of what he has. Unfortunately, he didn't have really anything this year. With two incoming quarterbacks that he can actually utilize to run his offense, let alone ones that can complete a pass (Sheridan 8/24 on Saturday), this will be a drastically different team.

Also, let us not forget that the OSU team is going to be largely decimated by graduation/NFL, including their star linebacker and most likely star running back. Both UMich and OSU will be drastically different teams next year.