Spreading the "Hate"
So while reading ESPN at work today, the theme of the day seems to be hate. Some really good and interesting stuff. One team that seems to be Number 1 on everyone's hit list is Ohio State. At first, I thought this was kind of funny, but then I got to thinking if that's really fair. Sure, there are some good reasons and all, but as a die hard Michigan fan, I wouldn't put Ohio State at the top of that list. (Just for reference, in the ESPN article, Notre Dame is third, while Michigan is sixth).
One of the funnier quotes was "Michigan fans think Ohio State fans are classless. Ohio State fans think Michigan fans are arrogant," (Technically, this quote is from an article that talks about the biggest rivalries in the Big 10, but I still feel it fits well)
Anyways, I am going to compile a list of teams that I think I hate personally, as a Michigan fan and obviously, this is meant to spark some debate and probably everyone won't agree with me - that's fine. That's what's great about having freedom of speech.
** This is not meant as me spewing hatred and I'm trying to be objective as possible. The key word here, of course, is trying. **
1. Notre Dame: discounting the Ivy League schools, if anyone is more arrogant about their school, it's Notre Dame. The history of this school cannot be undermined, although Charlie Weis is doing a fine job of trying. I still think they are the number one most hated school, period, because of how many people jumped on the "Ha Ha - Look at ND" band wagon last year when they fell so far from grace. It's amazing that Weis can still draw in the talent that he is drawing and still not perform up to expectations. Yes, they are all young, but if there isn't vast improvement this year (let's say .500), Weiss is going to find that seat starting to heat up. Side note: Weis got booed out of Wrigley Field this weekend in Chicago. That's pretty telling, I think.
Side note: why is Jimmy Clausen on the O' Brien Watch List?
2. Michigan State: ah yes, the other school in Michigan. I hate all their "just wait 'til next year talk" and the fact that they try to rile us with "Appalachian" chants. We beat you. At your place. After you had a 10 point lead. Please don't bring up how "classless" Michigan is. Using an example from Brian, Jehuu talks about us being classless and yet it's him planting the Spartan flag at ND. At least, I'm pretty sure that's him.
3. Tennessee: I don't know why, I just dislike Philip Fulmer and Rocky Top. Probably because he "allegedly" voted us fourth in the rankings and caused us to have a split NC with Nebraska instead of having it outright (pardon me if I'm incorrect here, as 1997 was the first year I really started following college football and even then, I was still a kid, so this is all running on memory). Oh well, at least Woodson won the Heisman. Sorry, Peyton. At least you still have your Sprint commercials.
4. USC: I HATE USC's fight song. It's like the only thing they can play - no variations. I know people hate Michigan's fight song, but at least our marching band can play other songs as well. I also hate USC from taking two potential game changing recruits from Michigan - Ronald Johnson and Nick Perry, although from what I heard, Perry hasn't qualified. Ronald Johnson, however, would have been a game changer on either side of the ball. Can you imagine if we had him and Donovan Warren as a cornerback tandem? Absolute studs.
5. Ohio State: should they be this low? Shouldn't they automatically be the first on this list for any "true" Michigan fan? Probably, and in all likelihood, yes. I just don't know why - my gut tells me otherwise. It's weird - I want them to go 11-0 every year and then lose to us - 2006 was THE dream match up with us as the top two teams in the nation. I would take that every year in a heart beat. I can't remember who said it, but someone (a player) said that the Michigan - OSU game is the best game of the year because it's the cleanest game (really?) of the year. Both teams have such a respect and healthy hatred of one another, that they don't want to do anything to tarnish the reputation of this rivalry. Fans, on the other hand, will say differently. Yes, there are some chidings that go both ways and yes, both schools have those fans that cross that boundary, but for the most part, most fans, when you talk to them one on one, you see the love of the game. I'm not trying to paint a pretty picture here - there is mad animosity between the fan bases, but overall, I just don't hate them as much as the four above them.
Yes, I'm probably a hyprocrite. Oh well.
Honorable Mention:
Oregon: First of, I will say this - I LOVE Oregon's jerseys and I'm probably the only person outside of Eugene that will openly admit that. However, we are 0-2 against them and while this past year's thrashing hurt (especially with that Oregon dude who took a sledgehammer to the Michigan logo), the one that pains me more is the one at Autzen after we had demolished ND at home 38-0 the first time. I thought after we returned that blocked FG for a touchdown after Oregon had drove the ball on us that we were good and boy was I wrong. That game was a harbinger of our doom as a not-as-unmobile as you might think Kellen Clemens danced all over our defense and would soon show how much trouble we would have with a mobile quarterback. I think it's awesome that Phil Knight loves Oregon and they get all this crazy cool gear, but I'd really wish we schedule another home and home against them or meet them in the Rose Bowl sometime for some payback.
That's it for now - please comment away. I'd love to hear what people think.
Very nice list. I hate to say it, but I am a fan of Pete Carroll and don't blame either of those two for going to USC (shit, Ronald met up with Kobe when out there for his visit!). Even though they would look a lot better with a winged helmet plus get A LOT more playing time!
"Ronald Johnson a game changer on both sides of the ball", more so on offense / spec teams. I watched many of his high schools games (man among boys out there) and agree he is a game changer on offense and special teams. As for cornerback, I just keep seeing the games against Holland Christian and Lowell. Kurt Cousins (Michigan State) and Keith Nichol (Michigan State) both tore Rojo up when they played (I think Rivals took him off their top DB's after the Lowell game). It seemed like he plays off the receiver in order to get the QB to throw his way. This worked when playing non-D1 caliber QB's.
With that said I would take Rojo on my team any day of the week but limit him to special teams returner and wide receiver! However with a little work he could be a good DB. Still crossing my fingers for a transfer from him!
My top five would be:
1. Notre Dame. Huge superiority complex without the superiority. Jimmy Clausen. NBC.
2. Wisconsin. They load up on cupcake games. Ron Dayne. The "jump around". Their fans are insufferable, particularly because none actually attended UW.
3. OSU. I'm from Ohio. I respect the program. I want them 11-0 before Michigan beats them. But I'm tired of losing to them. Their fans are classless. None of the fans went to OSU. Troy Smith.
4. Texas. Vince Young. White see-through pants. Vince Young. Mack Brown. Vince Young.
5. Tennessee. I live in Tennessee. The uniforms could be mistaken for prison-issue garb. Rocky Top. The fans didn't go to college and probably can't read. The Clausens. The Citrus Bowl.
I atleast respect tUOS and what the rivalry means. I have little or no respect for ND, with their cake-walk schedule, we are better then every one, because we have our own TV deal and get into bowl games we have no business being in, attitude.
I respect OSU as a rival. For one thing, I definitely root for them again MSU because 1) I don't want other teams beating OSU while we can't and 2) MSU wishes it could compete on the same level as UM and OSU, but it can't. I don't respect MSU the way I respect OSU. OSU hates us unconditionally while MSU tries to come up with ridiculous, trite reasons (arrogant, wal-marterines or whatever, etc.). It's just that many of OSU's fans are obnoxious and almost everyone I've met who has gone there is a huge tool.
Also, someone was mentioning how many fans of schools he didn't like didn't actually go there. I don't agree with that reasoning. First of all, it reeks of classism. Now, I am not super touchy and I don't mean to accuse anyone of bigotry, but would you feel the same way about someone from Columbus who went to, say, Harvard? Okay, bad example, it doesn't happen. What about someone from A2 who goes to a top-notch school? The Big House holds (held?) 112,000 people. There is no way in hell everyone there is a student or alumnus of Michigan or the visiting team. My issue with a school like Tennessee is that the STUDENTS can't read.
And Molly Qerim is hot.
So, I hate Ohio State with a passion.
Notre Dame, I just have a cold, dead, lifeless disdain for. No passion.
Michigan State is just goofy.
Actually, the SC band plays two songs - the fight song and that sort of Trojan war chant (don't know what it's called).
My list: 1. OSU. Their fans are simply the biggest assholes on the planet. (At least, they are if you're a Michigan fan - they might be semi-normal to other fans.) Michigan fans have to fear for their safety every time we go down there. That says it all.
2. ND. I respect them as an academic institution, and in fact, the few ND grads I've met have been good people. But I absolutely hate how the media tries to turn them into America's Team when they're winning. Just because some New Yorkers and Chicagoans have a ND fetish doesn't mean that the other 90% of us give a shit about them.
3. MSU. In comparison to OSU fans, they actually seem reasonable. But man are they annoying after their rare wins over us (which always seem to involve some BS officiating at the end). And as our in-state rival, they are theoretically the biggest threat to our program's well-being - we can't start losing our home turf.
4. Tennessee. I started hating them when they made their stadium 40 seats bigger than ours a decade ago, and I started loathing them when they rolled over for Nebraska in the '98 Orange Bowl. I also have little doubt that it was Phat Phil who voted us fourth. And it really pisses me off that the one time we got to play them in a bowl, we had our crap 2001 team and they had a BCS-caliber team that somehow ended up in the Citrus.
5. Oregon. Team Nike. Phil Knight. Ugh.
6/7/8. Florida/Florida State/Miami. It's always a tough call whom to root for when some combination of these teams meet.
9. Oklahoma. Their fight song is the worst, and they play it more than anyone else (yes, even USC). Plus Bob Stoops just seems like a jerk.
10. USC. I'm just tired of their success more than anything.
That happening while we're losing to them with little time and/or hope.
If you are referring to this year's game, then it wasn't silent and dead. Go Blue countered the OH cheer.
I'm just not going to list OSU. It's a different type of hate with them. I hate them, but the rivalry is great and I sort of see OSU as Michigan's doppledanger or evil twin brother. I root for them in bowl games but their fans and students are terrible. So here are the programs that I can't stand:
ND - I hate how they're treated as America's CFB team. They're not. Notre Dame is private and not non-sectarian; not quite the team of the everyman. Plus the independent status is load a crap, especially while they take the Big East's bowl tie-ins while not actually being in the conference. Join the Big East in football already you arrogant bastards.
Tennessee - Phil Fulmer has little to no personal integrity, and his players are out of control. I don't know much about the fans though, but they need to get over the fact that Charles Woodson deserved the Heisman.
Florida - I hate Urban Creyer (he also acted like such an asshole following the Citrus Bowl), I don't like Tim Tebow, and the fans seem pretty obnoxious.
ILLINOIS!! The fans are awful and they really, really hate us
MSU - fans are immature and annoying...or am I talking about the players, or even Mark Dantonio for that matter?
Utah - Urban Meyer (haha guilt by association), and I thought that Kyle Whittingham seemed like a bit of a prick
FSU - dirty, no control over players, and I hate Charlie Ward
Oklahoma - Bob Stoops runs up the score, Barry Switzer
Miami - thugs, bad fairweather fans, Jimmie Johnson. Funny story, too. Bernie Kozar is a smart guy--he graduated in 2.5 yrs with a degree in finance, while VT was in school for something like 6 years and never got his degree. Vinny Testaverde's number was retired but Bernie Kozar's wasn't, or something like that.
Colorado - Scandal U. I wasn't a fan yet in 94, but it's annoying and I can understand why many of you were crushed. They also had thugs, the 5th down, self-righteous Bill McCartney, and Gary Barnett.
APPALACHIAN STATE - fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you. I hate them, and I hate how they felt the need to taunt us by shushing the fans. Not many people talk about this, but the players lack class, as displayed during the Horror and the NC game against Delaware (more taunting)
Coaches:
Bobby Petrino - yeah he's a snake, but what irks me even more is how bad a shape he apparently left Louisville in. Basically, SN had an article about how Steve Kragthorpe, who seems to be a fine coach, has been left with a mess on his hands because the players had no discipline whatsoever under Petrino
Tom Osborne - Nebraska fans are super classy (ditto Texas), but Tom Osborne is a rat bastard who stole the NC from Michigan and used to run up the score. He beat Minnesota 84-7 or something in the 80s
Tressel
Honorable mentions:
Duke in basketball - every Feb-March ESPN talks about how UNC-Duke is the best rivalry in the nation. It's not: ESPN is just saying that to boost viewership/hype
Harvard - I hate the school, they know nothing about college sports, and I was at the basketball game that we lost this year. Classless, self-entitled bastards. Ugh.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
October 5th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Im upset that because I just fooled around with points I get almost all my points taken away and I only got about 250 out of what I did. The sent you an email and you didnt even respond...I put alot of people in Ohio onto the blog when it first started up and now im pretty upset that you cant even be resonable....so now Im gonna get my points back one way or the other. Ill change my name a million times if I have too.
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