B1G Flips the Script
Several B1G narratives had its script flipped in Week 1:
- Michigan won on the road against a ranked team, as the post-Lloyd narrative of not being able to do so didn't appear to weigh as a concern on the team last night.
- Poor Damn Indiana spent most of the past decade bringing terror and #CHAOS to Michigan, and scaring the poop out of OSU's coolers; but not ever able to get the big win. Not only has PDI not beaten either of the Big 2 since 1987, but they haven't been able to get a win against a marquee B1G program...until yesterday.
- Rutger might be close to earning its "s", by (1) beating a B1G opponent!, (2) by double digits!, (3) while scoring 38 points!, (4) on the ROAD! Perhaps ...perhaps the narrative on Rutgers will be that it will be a less-Rutgers Rutgers?
- With the Dantonio era passed, so too is the edge (and the defense) gone from the program that spent most of the past decade as a legitimate title contender and top 10-15 program nationally. The flip in the script of this narrative certainly didn't just come about yesterday (been coming over the past couple years), but a home loss to Rutger put an exclamation point on that gravestone. Let us welcome 2-7 Sparty back to the B1G as you Michigan fans will only have to worry about losing to Sparty ~1.5 times every decade.
- ...Wisconsin has a deadly passing attack?!?
October 25th, 2020 at 12:17 PM ^
I think MSU is devolving into West Rutger
October 25th, 2020 at 1:34 PM ^
RSU?
(Rutger Staee University)
October 25th, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^
That’s what I was saying yesterday! West Rutger FTL!
October 25th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
You also forgot that OSU’s football players had over a 50% attendance for classes this week. Albeit via zoom.
October 25th, 2020 at 12:24 PM ^
They just made cardboard cutouts of all the players and set them in front of the laptops.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:35 PM ^
^^^Winning comment!
October 25th, 2020 at 2:23 PM ^
They've been using cardboard cutouts in the classroom for years!
October 25th, 2020 at 12:21 PM ^
re: MSU v Rutgers
I watched the game from top to bottom. I totally realize that this is a kind of "throw away" year for them because most of their talent was gutted and they have to start from scratch.
And quite honestly, I had this game as a toss-up, because Rutgers did a good job in a short time bringing in some decent players.
With that being said, the absolute lack of effort or passion from MSU was seeping through the TV. The way they entered the field, no sense of urgency, any of that stuff. Even when they got back from halftime, the reporter said Tucker told their team to stay neutral and remain level-headed. To hell with that. When you are down at half, you better play like your hair is on f'ing fire- you can't do the whole "stay calm" business when something is clearly not working. That was the biggest thing I was surprised about; I thought with a first-year coach and a new system, they would be working their tails off and throwing out the kitchen sink to get a W.
October 25th, 2020 at 12:36 PM ^
Colorado fans were warning MSU that Tucker can talk a big game but doesn’t actually bring anything on game day. No excitement. No motivation. No game plan. No clear path to win the game. Just a bunch of talk leading up to a sub par performance on the field. Looking at how they played yesterday, that is pretty spot on
October 25th, 2020 at 11:17 PM ^
Hard to judge really. State was going to be horrendous this year with any coach. Although I didn't expect them to get completely blown out by Rutgers. It will be interesting to see how good they actually are. Next week should be a cakewalk for Michigan though.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:26 PM ^
MSU was bad, no doubt. Tucker may be bad. We'll see.
But motivation's a strange thing. Sometimes it works if you play as if your hair's on flapdoodle fire. (Unsure what you meant by "f'ing fire," I took a fucking guess.) But sometimes that gets you more keyed up, and you lose efficiency.
Results can be deceiving. If we think fiery attitudes will work, we notice when they do, but also forget the times a coach or QB calms things and leads to victory.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:37 PM ^
They've saved the kitchen sink, dirty dishes and rotted food scraps to throw at us next Saturday.
October 25th, 2020 at 12:23 PM ^
Are we sure MSU wins 2 games? I’m not. I’ll give them Maryland, but is there another win on that schedule? I think they have to hope that they’re better than the last place West team for that 2nd win.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:57 PM ^
Came here to ask the same question. Where are there two wins for MSU, if Rutgers at home isn't one of them?
October 25th, 2020 at 2:24 PM ^
Good points. I guess I was meaning 2-7 in conference play for years to come.
October 25th, 2020 at 12:28 PM ^
Illinois has no defense. Not sure if that equates to "deadly passing attack"
though not exactly a weakness.
Rutgers is still bad.
MSC is terrrible.
October 25th, 2020 at 12:40 PM ^
BuckeyeChuck, you are a literate and generally tolerable OSU fan.
You've been flipping the script for years.
October 25th, 2020 at 12:40 PM ^
Wisconsin beat up a hapless Illinois team. Their schedule this year, outside of playing us, is a fucking joke. I don’t think we’re going to learn anything about them until they come to Ann Arbor
October 25th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
Eh. Its week 1. Hard to glean too much.
Is Wisc passing attack good or is Illinois pass D trash?
The "Michigan on the road against ranked teams" narrative was always a little suspect. They generally played higher-ranked teams on the road so you'd expect them to lose those games. And streaks that span multiple coaching staffs are always more fun to talk about than actually informative.
PDI did get over the hump and msu does look like a perennial bottom feeder again. Those I agree about. Rutger getting their (s) will depend on how bad msu turns out to be. That could've been a game to determine who gets 1 win in the division this year and who has 0.
Not sure what to take away from psu other than they aren't great. Every season they have close games to start usually against Pitt. Every year they barely escape. This year they didn't. And with a shortened season there is no time to recover. There's a chance they put it together, clean up the mistakes and still end up a top 25 team according to S&P+ but they can't be ranked when they're 0-2 next Sunday.
We may not learn anything about Wisconsin until they play us. Maybe Purdue the week before will be telling.
October 25th, 2020 at 2:05 PM ^
psu having to face osu next week will be telling. They want to be osu main rivals, so let them at it. Starting the season 0-2 is a real possibility for the nitts.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:01 PM ^
The last bullet is the one that is the weirdest.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:19 PM ^
It's the most UN-Big Ten opening slate of games I've ever seen.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:27 PM ^
I predict Pat Narduzzi will be the next MSU head coach.
He's going to be available after this year—Pittsburgh sportswriters are already calling for his head—and Tucker isn't going to show any promise.
MSU will be desperate to bring back some of that nasty "60 minutes of necessary roughness" that characterized Dantonio's teams with Narduzzi as DC.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:35 PM ^
I would love for Narduzzi to be back there. It would be a great opportunity to keep beating the Dantonio era.
I think Chris Creighton is their best option by a long distance. The fact that they are too arrogant to hire him is hilarious.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:47 PM ^
They signed Tucker for 6 (!) years. I don't know what exit clauses there are, but I doubt they could afford to can him early.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
Franklin has benefitted from an unusual amount of luck at Penn State. It's nice to see the universe even itself out.
Having said that, my anonymous message board hottake predicts PSU will not be seen as a big win for anyone by season's end.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:46 PM ^
Lock that damn tight end down from Wiscy. He was *uckin' catchin' everything near him.
October 25th, 2020 at 1:56 PM ^
Here's something I was thinking about the other day.
Dantonio's MSU was HIGHLY reliant on the football team being untouchable. Consequences were avoided, infinite chances were given, LAWS were broken. The whole extended university and, to some extent, city, was complicit.
Not sure Tucker gets that kind of treatment. For one, I don't think he has a reputation as a rule breaker and greaser of palms. Two, he hasn't beaten Michigan yet, which is the yardstick MSU uses to measure the quality of a coach (never mind that we haven't even played yet...). Third, he's black, and that absolutely affects how you're treated in certain parts of the Lansing area, and by certain wealthy individuals in that area.
If Tucker becomes highly successful, then everyone may start to play along. But struggling, as MSU looks to be, may start a bit of a spiral.
October 25th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
Schiano, notwithstanding character flaws, is a pretty damned good coach.
That's the best, most organized Rutger team I've seen since....Schiano was coach.
Seems to me he can make them respectable - there's a ceiling, of course - but NJ/mid-atlantic has a bunch of talent, and if he can show kids Rutger is competitive he might be able to build something pretty decent there.
TESTING