A little fuel for the fire, perhaps?

Submitted by Firstbase on

On playing Michigan...

“I feel like our guys are very battle-tested and have been exposed to enough big-time atmospheres and hostile crowds,” Whittingham said. “No more significant than any other Pac-12 game or any other games that we have.

“What’s significant is having Michigan leave the Big House and come here to play. That would have never happened five or six years ago and beyond. … Are they any bigger than Oregon, USC, UCLA? No.”

-- Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham, September 1, 2015

lilpenny1316

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^

Utah wasn't a P5 team back then, which is why whenever they played us, it was at the Big House.

And after Bill Martin, we still don't travel on the road to non P5 teams.  

I must respectfully recommend you go hit a tackling dummy.  You sound fired up for this game.

jmblue

September 2nd, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^

Whittingham wasn't commenting on Michigan's scheduling.  He was just saying that until recently, a program of our stature wouldn't have considered coming to Salt Lake City, because Utah wasn't considered a prestigious enough program. That has changed.

MI Expat NY

September 2nd, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

He didn't say why Michigan wouldn't travel to Utah 5-6 years ago.  Just that Michigan wouldn't, and having a Michigan visiting isn't all that different than a big Pac 12 opponent.  Don't see much problem with that.  The same statement could have been said about basically any OOC opponent, aside from maybe Alabama or Ohio State because of their immediate recent success.  

charblue.

September 2nd, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^

really compete for the BCS championship before it landed in the PAC-12 conference even when it knocked off Alabama under Meyer. So, why would Michigan travel to play there when the stadium it plays in offers half the seating capacity of Michigan Stadium?

It didn't make sense competitively or financially, which is why Utah couldn't get a home date until after it joined the league and started playing the league's major players like Oregon, USC and UCLA, which, of course, are all on the same level as Michigan. 

Something else to consider, very few major programs travel to the west for preseason games. SEC teams almost never do. 

Michigasling

September 2nd, 2015 at 4:28 PM ^

Taking things out of context.  I believe this was from an article/interview/press conference that showed the great respect Utah and its coach have for our program and history, how excited they are about opening with this nationally prominent game, but then specifically answering questions posed about it being the biggest game of their year.  What is he supposed to say?  That his conference foes are chopped liver?

Not sure this is the article (from the DetNews), but it's probably covering the same press conference.  So let's pick and choose what we'll post here:

“He’ll do a great job,” Whittingham said. “He’s a heck of a coach. He’s a proven commodity. He’s been successful everywhere he’s been. He knows how to get it done. I thought it was a great hire for them.” There is a common thread in every team Harbaugh has coached, Whittingham said. His teams play tough, with a “hard-nosed” power run game, multiple tight ends and a fullback.

Gofor2

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^

Means that it probably pisses USC and UCLA off that he compare them to Michigan. I can see what he means. USC and UCLA are not great, but god damn they are not Michigan bad. Good point.

schreibee

September 2nd, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^

I have never, not once, looked at a msu or osu site. I can't imagine what would have motivated me to.

But after seeing the pure simple pleasure you get from trolling on Mgoblog - and I mean daily, in nearly every single item that's posted - I guess I'm starting to understand.

And just imagine how much more inbred, brain cell challenged flaming I could cause to ensue with just a few well placed comments occasionally! I'm seriously thinking about doing it - just as soon as I'm done reading about my own team.

Oh wait, here's another thread on the Mgoboard, and another posting on the blog to look at... when will I ever find the time to go trolling on rcmb or 11w?

LSAClassOf2000

September 2nd, 2015 at 11:42 AM ^

For some reason, I am assuming that at no point will the SLC paper run a story with a headline which reads, "Booker Asks Fans To Tone Down Heisman Talk About Booker", so he must at least appreciate hype on some level. 

Even so, it seems as if the Harbaugh hype has energized the back-and-forth over what might otherwise be an OOC game that some might have overlooked, so it is interesting to see the trolling and attempted trolling (mostly attempted) coming from Utah fans. 

Never

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:39 AM ^

They're confidently suggesting 31-17 - Utah - with Michigan having their hands full with Booker.

I have a difficult time believing that they'll be able to grind Michigan down for 31 points via the run game. But they're all like "eh, the Booker Michigan saw last year wasn't the real Booker".

But the Michigan they saw was the "real" Michigan (today)? Love that logic.

 

lilpenny1316

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:52 AM ^

But didn't Utah only have a lead at halftime because we didn't know how to put 11 men on the field in punt coverage?  And didn't Booker run for only 30 yards or something small like that?

There are two reasons I'm concerned about us winning tomorrow.  One, we struggle out West regardless of the coach.  Two, I am concerned about our defensive line without Mone and our other D-lineman getting worn down in the first game.

Last year has nothing to do with it.

Trebor

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^

Yeah, I don't see anything wrong with what Whittingham said. We probably wouldn't be playing the game there if Utah wasn't in the Pac-12.

Let's not try to read disrespect into everything anyone says about Michigan.

Don

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^

Considering where Michigan has been during the last seven years, Whittingham is right. The vast majority of college football fans don't give a shit about what happened prior to 1960, and a sizeable percentage really only care about what's happened in the last decade.

Tuebor

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^

“What’s significant is having Michigan leave the Big House and come here to play. 

That is what happens with P5 programs.  They schedule home and homes.

 

That would have never happened five or six years ago and beyond.

Well five or six years ago you weren't a P5 program.

DonAZ

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:39 AM ^

Well five or six years ago you weren't a P5 program.

Exactly right ... there was a time when Utah was not really part of the college football conversation.  Urban Meyer changed that quite a bit when he was there; Utah's joining the PAC-12 changed it a bunch.

Still, that said, it's hardly controversial to say that Michigan is not bigger than their Pac-12 rivals.  The last time Michigan was part of the top-tier discussion was 2006.  It's been a very dry last seven or eight years.  But ... Harbaugh!

Go Blue.  Let's start the turnaround tomorrow evenin.

ElBictors

September 2nd, 2015 at 10:34 AM ^

Whatever, Whittingham ...

MICHIGAN played Alabama in Dallas a couple years ago and had Utah not become a Pac-12 program, this game would not be taking place in Salt Lake City ..

Nor would Colorado be coming back to Ann Arbor next Fall.  It's far more about the relatively recent BigTen & Pac-12 mutual agreement to renew some of the old conference rivalries than it is about "Michigan finally agreeing to play outside of Ann Arbor"

 

You're still fucking Utah, Wittingham ...and not even the most successful era in Utah football over the past 20yrs.  If the fans were half-clever, they'd hand out pics of Meyer coaching Utah to "haunt" Michigan and Harbaugh.

corundum

September 2nd, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^

I'm going to disagree with you. Utah is an established program. They are definitely in their most successful era of the last 20 years. Sure, Meyer went undefeated in 04 but he was only there for 2 seasons. Wittingham has been just as successful as Urban, also going undefeated and winning a BCS bowl in 2009 and paving the way to joining a P5 conference.

ElBictors

September 2nd, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^

Utah has gone 5-7 two out of the past three years and last year went 9-4.

I'm not interested in splitting hairs about relative winning percentages but Meyer put the program on the national radar (alongside Sonny Lubick at CSU when both were WAC/MWC programs) and Wittingham has inherited it - now considered an average to below average Pac-12 team.