Consuming Michigan/College Football Content After a Loss?
After losing to TCU, I haven't consumed any college football, including TCU postmortems (Roundtable/Podcast). I'm only vaguely aware that Georgia beat TCU because my Twitter timeline is all about Georgia taking them 'seriously.' I might circle back round to some of the content in the offseason, I guess.
Not exactly sure why I'm posting this up. I guess I'm concerned that it's a personality defect to not want to engage after a loss, but then, MGoBlog is probably not the right place to get that kind of feedback. Anyway, maybe others have some insight about it.
January 10th, 2023 at 6:45 AM ^
Same here Caesar. It will be TOO SOON for me until spring game! Total ”head in the sand” since NYE.
Howeva, I do check into MGB from time to time and click on only threads that may have GOOD NEWS such as BC returning!
It has been a GREAT 2 years with M football. Looking forward to another in 2023!
January 10th, 2023 at 8:13 AM ^
You're not alone. I would surmise that the MGoBlog traffic fell off a cliff right after the TCU game.
January 10th, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
I'd be surprised. This board was plenty active afterwards. Losing games causes a lot of people to vent.
January 10th, 2023 at 6:48 AM ^
Not exactly sure why I'm posting this up. I guess I'm concerned that it's a personality defect to not want to engage after a loss
Its not a personality defect. Its a coping mechanism. Staying off this board or other social media after a loss is a good thing to do.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:24 AM ^
Staying off social media is a good thing to do in general.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:33 AM ^
Here I am upvoting your post, but being on social media to do it. Is that what's called irony?
January 10th, 2023 at 6:49 AM ^
It isn't the end of sports. Michigan had a great year, enjoy and celebrate that. We beat all our rivals, beat OSU in back to back years, and won the big ten title in back to back years.
How can we not be excited about that?
If anything, what might be a bummer is the cloud around Harbaugh's status. That is down energy because it is the same as last year (so far). Having a low recruiting rank is a drag because what else can we do?
Ranking of recruits matter as we saw emphatically last night. Michigan should have beaten TCU but we didn't. OSU could have easily beaten TCU. Thank heavens that it's Georgia instead of OSU.
January 10th, 2023 at 6:57 AM ^
I'm definitely thankful for the season; I'm even happy for it. I think the nature of the TCU loss (the pick 6s, the goal-line fumble, the defense looking shaky outta nowhere) was hard to swallow. I felt terrible after Georgia dismantled Michigan last year, but I expected that loss. I knew Georgia was a more talented team. (What beat me up about that game was how comprehensive the loss was.)
I agree that the Harbaugh/NFL flirtations (which, I'm making myself believe, are just negotiating tactics for an upcoming contract) aren't making it any easier. I think the recruiting stuff I've made my peace with, especially with transfer portal/roster-preserving NIL mitigations.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:18 AM ^
You nailed it. Considering where this program was 10 years ago, it's light years from the "dark ages" of Rich Rod and Brady Hoke. Michigan has proven once again it's one of the best college football programs in the country. Sure they're a notch behind Georgia and Alabama, considering those two programs have had recent sustained success in the CFB playoff whereas UM has yet to get over that hurdle.
The TCU loss was a major disappointment, but it doesn't diminish my excitement for the 2023 season. This team is loaded and even if Harbaugh decides to move to the NFL, it'll be considered one of the favorites in the B1G and a top 5 team in the country. Most of the "way too early" 2023 projections have UM at either #2 or #3.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:42 AM ^
I often wonder how Harbaugh’s Michigan would perform if we recruited like Georgia. But the TCU game showed me it’s not like Georgia. Assuming he comes back, Jim needs to do a little soul-searching and work on his bowl game prep. If he treats it like the OSU game, I’m confident he can get back on track and win some of these big playoff games.
January 10th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Harbaugh's 1-6 bowl record is a thorn in my side. There's no excuse for how Michigan played against TCU. I get that if we had a healthy Blake Corum on the field for that game, Michigan would have had an easy win. Maybe a blowout win. Michigan had solid wins over OSU and Purdue despite missing Blake in games 12 & 13.
All of the Jim dancing with NFL teams is a major distraction. Michigan had a great 13 game stretch then bad things happened against TCU. Credit them for the win.
If Jim comes back and this teams runs the table again in 2023 then wins in the CFP, then they'll achieve the unthinkable only 2 years ago. Michigan is setting up for another great season in 2023.
January 10th, 2023 at 12:07 PM ^
beating ohio is way more important than any bowl. he's won 2 of those in a row.
winning the B10 championship is exactly like a bowl. he's won 2 of those in a row, also.
January 10th, 2023 at 10:02 AM ^
That was my main thought last night. I was bummed Michigan wasn't there when we clearly should've been, but I was equal parts glad OSU wasn't there. Michigan and Georgia both lit up TCU's back 7 through the air. Ohio State might've beaten TCU just as bad in a year we whalloped them in Columbus. That would've been a real tough end to the season
January 10th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
“How can we not be excited about that?”
Since I started following Michigan football seriously in 1969, Michigan has concluded its season with a loss in a bowl game 29 times. No other program in the country has as many bowl losses.
I guarantee that at some point all those bowl game pratfalls take a toll on enthusiasm.
Our overall bowl record of 21-29 is a winning percentage of .420, which is the worst of any program that considers itself a top ten program the way Michigan does. And that record includes the four bowl victories before Schembechler arrived; since 1-1-70 the record is a pitiful 17-29. There’s no reasonable excuse other than consistent failures in coaching and preparation.
January 10th, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
I remember your comments being very cautious heading into the TCU game. You may have said Michigan either would or could lose that game. The rest of us, me included, were high with optimism and then we were wrong. Since that game, I have been a very vocal critic of Jim's bowl game record. Only Lloyd Carr had more success in bowl games and I need to look that up. I recall Lloyd's team not only beating Washington in 1998 to win the national title but beating Alabama in a bowl game a few years later, then winning a couple Citrus Bowl games in row and then upsetting the Urban Meyer lead FL Gator team with Tim Tebow in 2008 for his grand finale.
I am now going to be skeptical of Jim's chances until he and his team can pull of a victory and hopefully in the 2023 CFP game. As you said..."there's no reasonable excuse other than consistent failures in coaching and preparation" Agreed! Jim's 1-6 bowl record is unacceptable.
January 10th, 2023 at 2:48 PM ^
Not that anybody gives a shit but my MGoBlog prediction was for TCU to beat Michigan. I've watched Michigan fall on its face in bowl games too many times to be anything but skeptical when it comes time for Michigan to play a good team in post-season.
Lloyd's bowl record was 6-7. He started off poorly, hit a good streak where he was 5-1 in the next six bowls, then things went south again and he finished 1-4 in his last five.
Moeller was 4-1 in his bowls, although the level of competition in 3 of those wasn't as stiff as what Michigan normally faced under Carr.
January 10th, 2023 at 4:50 PM ^
One of the many qualities Harbaugh took from Bo is lousy bowl planning and execution.
January 10th, 2023 at 6:51 AM ^
Part of being a sports fan is being able to handle loss. Michigan had a great season. Keep your chin up, these are the good times.
January 10th, 2023 at 6:54 AM ^
I didn’t really want to engage in football after watching the Fiesta Bowl in person, but then I saw the Packers lose and remembered I can find just as much joy in being a vengeful, hate filled, soul sucking “fan” as I can watching my own teams win.
I’m sorry, you mentioned something about a personality defect?
January 10th, 2023 at 9:38 AM ^
Speaking of I can find just as much joy in being a vengeful, hate filled, soul sucking “fan” as I can watching my own teams win . . . have you dropped in on 11 Warriors?
You think we're upset by the CFP semi-final results . . .
January 10th, 2023 at 7:02 AM ^
I needed to break away after the Fiesta Bowl too. I check Twitter and the board for big headlines such as Harbaugh, recruiting, and roster news. Not going to really dive deep into content consumption until February or March then I will be full steam ahead for 2023. Onward and upward.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:08 AM ^
I think this is about right, for me, also.
I think if it was a personal setback, I would engage more directly--swallow the bitter pill to learn something and improve. But now it's just a bad feeling about an outcome I can't really control.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:10 AM ^
No you are doing it wrong, OP. Post UNACCEPTABLE over and over on the internet. It’s the only way to feel better
January 10th, 2023 at 7:12 AM ^
i'd say you're pretty normal caesar. for some, the loss is enough pain to have a desire to avoid wading into the topic again. it's like a bruise or a charlie horse, and some heal faster, some slower. until your pain tolerance lets you jog or hit with pads, you want to avoid it.
beating state was nice, but beating ohio was the jewel and made everything after that gravy. glad we won the B10. bummed we lost to TCU in a very, very winnable game but hey, i really do consider all of that gravy.
January 10th, 2023 at 1:48 PM ^
Agreed. The best thing about college sports is that it isn't all or nothing. If the Yankees, Giants, Knicks don't win the championship they haven't won anything, really. With college sports, winning the conference and beating your rival are accomplishments in and of themselves. Despite the playoff outcomes, Michigan has still put two new trophies in the case over the last two years and beat our chief adversary in America's biggest rivalry game over that stretch. That should mean a lot to all of us.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:21 AM ^
I will vaguely hold hope that this offense takes a step to modernization and realizes its ok to pass the ball if teams takeaway inside run. Deep down I know it's a waste to think that but I will anyways.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:40 AM ^
This is the main thing that still bothers me about the Harbaugh tenure.
Yes, the team has won a lot of games under his tenure.
And, yes, why would you pass the ball if you don't need to?
But, it's still maddening to see games that are unnecessarily close - or that Michigan loses - because of the overall approach to offensive playcalling.
There was no reason to hold anything back at the beginning of the TCU game. Using McCarthy as a running threat would've opened up the traditional running game. I don't have the stats to back it up, but it seemed like he threw better on the move throughout the season. Where were the roll-outs and play-action?
I wasn't upset after the GA loss last year. The TCU loss feels like a real missed opportunity.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:39 AM ^
By that same token, why would you run if you don’t need to? I get that his identity is running the ball, but so is Nick Saban’s. Passing is not a trick play or gadget play, it is the most important part of football these days. If you have no QB, you don’t win it all. Harbaugh has been incapable of coaching a high level passing attack at Michigan up to this point.
He needs an intervention, where someone tells him it is okay to pass the ball. But he is apparently surrounded by “yes men” that reinforce his tendencies.
January 10th, 2023 at 12:13 PM ^
It's not easy to break this all down because of the unique skills Blake Corum has to get us 2-3-4 or 5 yds on any down, for one. Then two, there's the explosive ability for Donovan to either catch the ball or break open a big run. Thirdly, some of WR's did catch passes they missed and yes, JJ lacked the deep pass connections until the OSU game.
I'm not trying to defend Harbaugh but the players have to make the plays so the offensive coaching staff can feel more comfortable calling more passing plays.
Let's hope JJ can be that sharpshooter in the passing attack in 2023 and also our WRs can make the big catches we see that the other Top 5 teams do on a regular basis. Once that happens, Michigan goes all the way.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:42 AM ^
JJ is a better passer when he does some running and takes some hits. He just is.
For some reason, it gets him outside of himself and gets him engaged in the game. Maybe all that pre-game meditation makes him too passive, who knows?
January 10th, 2023 at 9:48 AM ^
I dont want you there take my post as negative against yours. I just hate the “don’t have to” stuff because I know that Harbaugh runs because he wants to and “doesn’t have to pass” is the excuse given to the critics.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:52 AM ^
You pass the ball when you don't "need to" so your QB and playcallers know what the fuck to actually do when the normal stuff isn't working and you're down 2-3 scores in the first half. And yes, I'm aware that was a somewhat rhetorical question.
That game was just a repeat of the 2017 Orange Bowl to me. Get down early looking tight/poorly prepared, finally loosen things up but blow it in the end.
Back on topic, yeah I've avoided most content as well. I just don't need any analysis from that game, and don't really want any. On the bright side, I'm pretty sure TCU spared us a 3-4 score loss last night, so at least there's that.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:32 AM ^
I am the same way. I have stayed away from college football since Michigan's loss. I've checked this website for news and updates for next season, but the 2022 football season ended around 7pm on December 31 for me. I still look back on this season as a great season and I really enjoyed team 143. I'm just not interested in watching other teams play once Michigan is eliminated.
For years, I've wondered whether the national college football podcasts (i.e. Solid Verbal or Cover 3) see views go up and down depending on game outcomes from the prior week. Do fans of teams that took a big loss stay away for a week? Do the people listening for schadenfreude reasons make up for the people tuning out? I would guess it's negligible and impossible to parse out, but I would find it interesting to learn how different fan bases react to big and/or unexpected losses.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:34 AM ^
Every big loss for one team is a big win for the other, so maybe the change in listenership balances out in that regard. All fan bases abhor 'big' losses, that's what makes them fan bases. The biggest difference I've noted has more to do with the availability of sports affiliations in a given region. Columbus only has a miserable NHL franchise, so OSU's footprint is larger. Oklahoma/Nebraska have only the Oklahoma City Thunder, so their CFB footprints are large (I suppose Alabama is the poster child for this tribal phenomena). LA and NYC are awash in pro sports, they have a correspondingly smaller CFB footprint. The higher density of team specific CFB fans in an area, I'm guessing it's easier/more socially acceptable for the vocal nut job segment of the fanbase to 'express' themselves.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:44 AM ^
PAAAAWL.
January 11th, 2023 at 6:42 AM ^
So what about us? Detroit only has 1 professional sports team and it's the least likely of the bunch.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:40 AM ^
Much better to bottle it up so I hear. Here you only find reasoned and nurturing answers to the many questions confronting life post season.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:41 AM ^
The first half of the championship game is the first college football I've watched since Michigan's loss. And once it was clear it wasn't going to be a game I quickly lost interest. I was only really watching in hopes TCU could keep their good fortune going against Georgia but it was hard to watch Georgia so exactly what Michigan should have been able to.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:24 AM ^
I turned it off after UGA's 2nd TD. They literally did all the things learned from UM as only demonstrated in the 2nd half of the semi-final. The real difference to me is their D is strong and fast filled with 5 stars and no exploitable weaker links. That and a 38 year old QB.
Maybe Michigan suddenly could not get off blocks as a unit like at Maryland and Illinois. Amazing how few penalties those mistake prone teams managed against UM. Exemplary.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:43 AM ^
It depends on the type of loss for me. When it looked like Mich was about to get run out of the building by TCU, if that would’ve kept up, I wouldn’t have read/watched/listened to a single national perspective until next fall. I tactic I perfected during the last couple of Don Brown vs OSU years. The national pile-on can be unbearable.
As far as the games go, I’m a fan of football in general. If other teams have players I want to see perform, I can enjoy that independent of Mich. Probably just watch on mute, and consume very little to none of the talking head shows/media/surrounding hype of those games.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:44 AM ^
I always watch football if there's a game being played. Doesn't really matter win/lose. Only 1 team can win it all. Expecting M to be that team each year is absurd. 99% of teams would love to be where M is at. Don't let things out of your control dictate your mood.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:48 AM ^
Last night's game made me think back to the 1990 NCAA game where we got smoked by Loyola Maramount, even though we were clearly the more talented team. Loyola finally met their match and got smoked by 30 points in the Elite 8 by eventual champion UNLV.
Even though we only lost by 6 to TCU, there were times we were getting crushed (21-3, 41-22). Then and now, our opponent prepared a gameplan JUST FOR US, while we seemed to be in a generic preparation mode.
UGA clearly wasn't prepared for Ohio and would have lost if a normally reliable kicker makes a touch kick (50 yds) but one he could have made (and one I expected he'd make).
UGA went full in with a great game plan that would have beaten us by 20-30 points (again).
No regrets at all how this great season ended - we weren't going to beat a focused UGA team or even keep it close.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:49 AM ^
I'm exactly like you. Just saw GA won about 15 minutes ago and it doesn't even connect in my mind like it's even the same sport. I come here only after a loss. As I posted yesterday, I haven't watched a single playoff game outside the two michigan played in.
For me, It's just kind of a downer after UM loses...but also...I'm not as big of a college football fan anymore (or basketball, or any sport). I'm a Michigan fan and that fandom seems to keep growing but honestly I really don't care for much else with college sports. Obviously an unpopular opinion and to be honest I actually don't know why it happened.
January 10th, 2023 at 7:55 AM ^
Once the season is over (whether that’s immediately after the OSU game like it was for most of the last two decades, or after the bowl game), I don’t really care how other cfb games go because they don’t affect UM’s season or their final standing, so I generally disconnect from cfb. The only exceptions are if MSU (2015) or OSU are still playing meaningful games in the CFP. I’ll cheer for the opponent in those games, but still will be highly unlikely to watch or consume any content about any lead up.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:15 AM ^
“Cowards die many times before their deaths yet the valiant only taste of death but once.”
January 10th, 2023 at 8:18 AM ^
This is much of my strategy as well. I am not going to engage all the absurdly ridiculous takes of the fans who seem to believe that bashing every player, coach and administrator somehow make them a better and smarter person.
I am just now dipping my toe into the water. We were having dinner with friends last evening...big sports fans-not Michigan...we watched the first half with them. It is/was disappointing because Michigan should have beaten TCU in similar fashion and this should have been a Georgia matchup. But this is how the games go.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:22 AM ^
I have found it comforting and cathartic to pour all of my emotional fandom energy into the basketball team instead. /s if not obvious.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:22 AM ^
I guess I'm just an asshole based on the comments, but this does not deserve a post. This is the kind of stuff you share in the comment section of a different post.
Also, we beat Ohio State and won the Big 10 again, I would have given my left nut for that to happen for the last 20 years.
January 10th, 2023 at 8:54 AM ^
You're just disagreeing that this is thread-worthy, which is great feedback, too. I was ambivalent about posting, and I can see how it's a little dumb to be this bummed out.
That said, it's not like I don't view the season as a success. I mentioned this in another reply. I'm elated about winning against OSU. But my post-TCU situation has been pretty deflated.
January 10th, 2023 at 9:32 AM ^
I thought about it not being thread worthy when I read the post. As I was reading through the comments, I found it very interesting how other fanatics were coping with the loss. In my opinion this post hits the nail on the head in terms of what is on the fanbase's mind. Well done.
The most painful losses are when you are the better team but lose to a team that was better on that day. That's why the TCU loss is hard to take. If we had just . . .
We tried to win the hard way by using our super smart and awesome OL to react on the fly and get everyone blocked which definitely could have worked. Georgia took the easy way by using misdirection and running the QB a little which we did in the second half. This was hard to watch and brought back the what if. . .
In terms of my coping, it takes me about 24 hours to be able to consume M content after a loss. At that point, getting others' perspective makes me feel better not worse.
I've continued to track M content mostly looking for things that relate to next years team. Who is coming back, transfer portal, etc.
It was a great year. Next year should be even better if Zinter and Keegan will also come back. Gemon Green would be really nice too.