Congrats Sparty

Submitted by MGoPietrowski on
Hate 'em or Hate 'em.
That's one hell of a defense.
Thanks for bringing a little cred back to the BiG

Bombadil

January 1st, 2014 at 8:55 PM ^

All I can say is Congrats to Sparty and hopefully we'll be better than them next year. Damn, I hate saying that every year. I wish I had more confidence in our coaches.

uofmfan_13

January 1st, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^

Things change quickly in NCAA sports.  Last year, Michigan had the best player in college basketball and Sparty was on the outs looking at us playing in the National Championship and Final Four.  This year, we are on the outs watching their football team win a Rose Bowl.

Things change quickly.  Goat to hero to goat.  But at the same time, they have had some sustained success and Wolverine fan patience is wearing thin.

bronxblue

January 1st, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^

A very good performance by State.  Kudos.  A fitting end to 2013/beginning of 2014 for UM to be sitting at home 7-6 while Sparty carries about a bunch of trophies after their best season in decades.

michiganfanforlife

January 1st, 2014 at 8:52 PM ^

The perception of the B1G on a national scale just improved with that win, and frankly we need all the help we can get. I really want what's best for Michigan and that includes a conference that is relevant nationally.

LordGrantham

January 1st, 2014 at 8:52 PM ^

Can we be clear about one thing? This is in no way good for Michigan.  Having your in-state rival and recruiting competitor win the Rose Bowl while you get destroyed by a middling Big 12 team is bad any way you look at it.  If this keeps up, MSU is going to start getting the serious talent to commit.

bighouse22

January 2nd, 2014 at 1:35 AM ^

It is only bad for the coaches because they have more pressure to earn their top salaries and perform.  Michigan still gets higher rated players and should be able to beat MSU.  If they can't get it done, then we have learned something valuable about the staff and can move to correct it.  They won't be able to get by taking advantage of a weak B1G.  If Michigan gets it done, it will be because of coaching and that can only help against the National Powers.  It will make the B1G better in the big games.

MonkeyMan

January 1st, 2014 at 10:07 PM ^

I agree that this is bad for UM recruiting - AT THIS VERY MOMENT-  if we stay bad as you described. But if we get good we can recruit nationally very well.  Stong competition only makes you stronger IMHO- if you take it on. And why do we always need "serious talent to commit" to have any chance to become good? Other teams develop average players into great ones. I think there is very much a loser's mindset among many UM fans that wants our enemies to get weaker rather than us get stronger.

goblue20111

January 1st, 2014 at 8:52 PM ^

Pretty cool video of Mark Dantonio. Even with all his accomplishments (NC ring as a DC) he still feels like he has something to prove. Would kill to have that kind of hunger and desire on our staff.

jaysvw

January 1st, 2014 at 8:53 PM ^

Congrats to Sparty.  You can't argue with success.  Right now Michigan and MSU are programs headed in opposite directions.  Hopfully 2014 proves me very wrong, but I haven't seen much to make me think so.  Should make in state recruiting a little more interesting as well. 

bo_lives

January 1st, 2014 at 8:57 PM ^

they have a great coaching staff and Michigan doesn't. This shit should be expected until that changes. They deserve to be Rose Bowl champions and they are.

Easily MSU's greatest season since '66. You could make a case it's their greatest of all time.

Neg me to Bolivia, but all I can say is fuck Mike Hart. His petty comment has come back to bite and has made the turning of the tide all the more unbearable. Michigan will now be cursed for a hundred years. And nobody outside of the fanbase gives a shit. Bill Martin and Dave Brandon are laughing all the way to the bank as they sit back in their 5 million dollar mansions, and suck every last nickel out of the last wave of a dying legacy.

Call me overdramatic but how long do we have to sit back and watch the coaching staff and the U-M administrators act like Michigan football does not have a problem before anything actually changes?

bo_lives

January 1st, 2014 at 9:13 PM ^

please read my concluding sentence again.

As for Mike Hart's comment, I'm just saying it's funny to think how giddy almost every Michigan fan was after that comment was made. We were on our way to a 4 loss season that began by losing to Appy State and yet everyone was acting like it was 1997 and Michigan was light-years ahead of Sparty. 

It's pretty clear that back in '07 Bill Martin was convinced that Michigan was on a permanant pedestal and didn't bother taking the coaching search seriously. Meanwhile Dave Brandon is the sort of arrogant elitist stiff who epitomizes what MSU fans say Michigan fans are. Hopefully he runs for office or something.

And yet here we are in 2013, and with regards to football, Michigan is now little brother. I wonder how Lloyd Carr feels about all this. He left this program as a house of cards that has no utterly collapsed.

uofmfan_13

January 1st, 2014 at 9:04 PM ^

It has backfired on UM and in a big way.  A huge, huge sea change has occurred and we're on the deserted island - watching all the ships sails away.  Sparty is going to be ranked in the top 5... probably #3 to end the season!  LOL #3!  And meanwhile Michigan is 7-6, still arguing about "proper tempo" and "toughness" and "the team the team the team". 

It is getting stupid.  Michigan State gets athletic, intelligent, undersized scrappers and then puts 'em into new positions.  That tackle by their linebacker on OSU's Miller in the B10 title game said it all.  Remember the 4th and 1?  Kid grabs Braxton's legs and doesn't let go.  Scraps to the end.  Turnover on downs.  Ball game.  When was the last time you saw a "Michigan man" do that?  Make an all out gut-check tackle to stop an opponent on fourth down?

I am finished with the hype on recruiting.  It means nothing.  Correction - it means something when it comes to the big boys up front (OL, DL) but for the back 7?  Means very little to me until I see the kid strap on pads and make plays in the B10.  Is it awesome to have someone like Jabrill Peppers commit to your school?  Of course.  But wouldn't you take Sparty's "No Fly Zone" from this season over one man?  Pretty sure we would.  

BeatOSU52

January 1st, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^

Hart made some analogy after an emotional game at the age of 21.  I don't really think it was that big of a deal.

I do blame Bill and Dave more more.  From their botched coaching hires to writing "Go Blue" in the sky over Sparty Stadium like a jackass

massblue

January 1st, 2014 at 9:05 PM ^

If you think DB is not going mad right at this point, you are kidding yourself.  You cannot be uber competitive and to get to this level -- CEO of a large firm and the AD of a top 10 athletic program.  

He also knows that the UM football is the cash cow and that all the money that it brings in could be gone if we have a couple more years like 2013.  I am sure he wants to win as bad as the most fanatic fan.  He could make stupid decision, but it is not for lack of desire to win.

bo_lives

January 1st, 2014 at 9:26 PM ^

how can you not see that? Obviously he wants to win - I never said he didn't. The issue is that he suffers from wayyy too much overconfidence with regards to his decision making. Ask any coach or even sports writer and they'll tell you that firing a coach after a meaningless bowl game is insane. But not only does Brandon do that, he then goes out and hires a below .500 MAC coach who knows so little about offense he doesn't wear a headset. Despite the fact that Jim Harbaugh was available.

victorsvaliant01

January 1st, 2014 at 9:27 PM ^

This could not have possibly come any further full circle--it's like Obi-Wan and Vader type shit. I don't see the roles reversing anytime soon either. Our program and ESPECIALLY administration just don't get it. If they did, ass clowns like Borges would have been gone by now. All that matters is money to them; it sickens me.



State reminds me of how Michigan Football used to be--like in 1997. That seems like a different lifetime ago. We took it all for granted, and now we're paying.

mackbru

January 1st, 2014 at 8:57 PM ^

Much as I dislike them, I have to admit they were a couple iffy interference calls away from being undefeated and worthy of the championship game.

massblue

January 1st, 2014 at 8:58 PM ^

Unless there is a miracle by Hoke and company, it is going to be a tough for us going forward.  I now can understand how MSU felt when we had Bo and Carr here.