Michigan gets its own countdown clocks
Apparently Hoke and staff have installed countdown clocks for MSU and OSU. I'm not really sure how to feel about the MSU clock but the OSU one is fine by me. Anything to have that constant reminder there can't hurt one bit. Here is the link which is vague but says something about it in the responses.
http://michigan.rivals.com/forum.asp?style=1&sid=883&fid=338&pid=142485…
(It's a little ways down under New addition to Schembechler Hall and the info is behind a paywall)
February 18th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^
is in honeymooon mode. Winning the MSU game could actually turn the tide of perception. Losing that game could be an avalanche of negativity. MSU will regress to the mean next year and UM losing to them would be a huge blow to the Hoke regime IMO.
February 17th, 2011 at 7:16 PM ^
Other schools should count down to Michigan. Michigan should just beat whoever is next.
February 17th, 2011 at 7:41 PM ^
...with the little brown jug as his/her Avatar.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:10 PM ^
February 17th, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
as long as it helps the team stay focused on the big games. more power to it.
February 17th, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
Normally, I would be against the MSU countdown clock in favor of "the next game". However, I'm a Junior going on being a Senior. I've never beaten MSU. That's not right.
I don't care what Hoke does. If it helps get these guys fired up, do it.
February 17th, 2011 at 7:52 PM ^
you want a rivalry? We'll give you a rivlary! I'm all for taking the MSU game a bit more seriously and making sure we beat the hell out of em.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:18 PM ^
Given that they've beaten us three straight years, I'm all for the MSU clock.
Also, though it doesn't (yet) deserve its own clock, the Nebraska game should be inaugurated as our newest rivalry. I would love to see a trophy created and introduced at some kind of ceremony before the game this fall.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:05 AM ^
We could call it "The 1997 National Championship"
February 17th, 2011 at 8:20 PM ^
in both cases.
Next thing we know, there'll be a billboard up mocking MSU after we beat them.
I'd much prefer that we not obsess over our rivals.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:39 PM ^
tsio has been obsessed with us the whole decade. That's why they've kicked our asses. Tressel knows how to prepare for the game, he is an evil genius.
Hoke wants this rivalry to turn back around, emphasizing these games will definitely help.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:32 PM ^
"[Ohio State] has been obsessed with us the whole decade. That's why they've kicked our asses."
Ohio State has had better players with better coaching the whole decade. That's why they've kicked our asses.
February 18th, 2011 at 1:44 PM ^
THAT'S why? OF COURSE it is, what else could it have been?
February 18th, 2011 at 4:12 PM ^
The clock gimmick makes it seem like the primary focus for the season is to beat MSU and OSU. Then, if we accomplish that, we might achieve secondary goals such as being in contention for the Big 10 title and further off, being in contention for the MNC. No matter what happens, beating MSU and OSU is all that really matters.
I'd much rather be of the mindset that in order to compete for national championships, we need to win the conference and to win the conference, we need to beat MSU and OSU. I want to aim high with the thought that if we take care of business, we'll meet our goals. By publicly focusing on two games, I feel like we are aiming low, and this is not something a nationally relevant team would do.
If we are going to have a clock, I want clocks for every game on our schedule, the Big 10 championship game, and the MNC game. If our fans need a gimmick to prove to them that our coaches and players are taking our rivalry games more seriously, than put neon lights around those clocks.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:23 PM ^
All you need to do is post the schedule in Schembechler Hall, point to it, and say, "Win these games!". The clock is cute for the OSU game, maybe a Swatch for MSU.....I would rather we just play and win though.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:24 PM ^
You guys realize that the whole arrogant "why should we care about Sparty" vs Sparty's "you should care about us" attitudes are what makes it a rivalry right? It comes from our superiority complex and their inferiority complex and constant need for validation because they have nothing else in their lives. This is what fuels the rivalry. That's what's been the reaction to having a countdown clock for Sparty right?
Personally, I think it's great to have countdown clocks for these games. I don't think it means that they don't care about the next game, quite the opposite. What they want to do is take these rivalry games to the next level in terms of the performance our players put out there and the intensity they play with. It may have been lacking in the last few years, so it's something that really needs to be emphasized. I welcome the countdown clocks. I wonder if it's worth it to have a ND clock though...
February 17th, 2011 at 8:24 PM ^
I hate clocks. Remember when the Illini had one for us in 2008? Michigan is better than that.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:35 PM ^
They really are the most important games on the schedule. MSU is always the true mid season test, and every michigan fan should have a countdown clock for tsio! If you think about them and do something to better yourself to beat them every day of the year, it definitely helps. That's what Bo did, no not trying to bring out Bo comparisons here, but he always did something to prepare for tsio every day in practice. Doing this will help us GET BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK!
February 17th, 2011 at 8:48 PM ^
..if MSU got one, Bama should definitely get one.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:53 PM ^
People need to stop bitching about having the clocks. It's a form of motivation for the kids. Relax.
February 17th, 2011 at 8:58 PM ^
But countdown clocks are smalltime. Also derivative.
February 17th, 2011 at 9:00 PM ^
It was stupid when Dantonio did it and it's still stupid when Hoke does it. Why not have one for ND? How about PSU? Nebraska's a big game and can possibly decide our division, should we have one for them?
If his ultimate goal is to win the Big Ten, then focusing on two of the eight games is not the way to do it.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:04 PM ^
Agreed. The only reason we don't need one for ND is because we have beaten them 2 years in a row? I just don't get it. If we are putting up a clock for everyone that has beaten us in recent years, PSU, Wisconsin, and Iowa should have clocks as well.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:55 PM ^
Wasn't one of the biggest knocks on RR that he didn't put enough of an emphasis on our rivalry games? How Hoke is putting too much of an emphasis on them?
At the end of the day there are two very legit truths...
1. Coaches will place as much emphasis as humanly possible on every game that is played becuase that's what coaches do. RR did this but made one big mistake...
2. Fans/Media/Alums all want to win rivalry games for bragging rights, and they want their team/coach to feel the same way. This means coaches need to demonstrate some level of emphasis on these games in order to fall in line with the people that sway public opinion. RR, like with many other interactions with externalities, did not "get it" and made the mistake of being too "straight-shootery" about his approach to the season. That pissed a lot of people off.
Hoke is having his cake and eating it too. He will internally prepare his coaches and team the same each week, while portraying this undying focus on rivalry games that will appease the masses. Now he just has to win and everyone will be happy.
February 18th, 2011 at 2:31 AM ^
Ugh. Could we please stop this shit. It's embarrassing. The people who were upset about RichRod not caring enough about rivalry games are the same people who would have just found something else to bitch about if he had come out and declared all other games meaningless. RR understood the rivalries just fine and you are fucking stupid if you think otherwise. He was the fucking coach of Michigan...if you don't think he put extra emphasis on Ohio State and Michigan State then I don't know what to tell you. People who didn't like him decided it was a really big deal because he wasn't winning them. MSU started to become a rivalry and ND started not to because people who didn't like RR decided rivalries only counted when you started losing them. This is how it goes. If you are well liked, no one questions stupid shit like if you understand rivalries. People don't take everything you say and twist it into something it isn't....did anyone ever say Lloyd blamed the kids after he said the team didn't execute? Did anyone question Hoke while at SDSU when he said the exact same thing? No. Lloyd lost to OSU 5 times in a row to end his career at UM and no one was questioning whether or not he got the rivalry. This is the difference between coaches who are accepted and coaches who aren't.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:36 AM ^
Losing to your rivals is a really big deal. As much as you want to turn it into an RR thing, it's got nothing to do with him.
February 18th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
February 18th, 2011 at 9:44 AM ^
Did you even read what I wrote? I'm sure RR put an emphasis on those games, my point was that he was not media-savvy enough to play that up in the media to placate the masses and put the collective "us" at ease. I wish coaches didn't have to do that, I really do, but the fact is they do and RR was terrible at that part of his job.
Also, the heat on RR for not taking the rivalries seriously started on Day One, not after he lost all 6 of those rivalry games. He stuck to that "every game is just as important as the next" schtick the whole time. RR is good/great at a lot of things when it comes to coaching college football, but dealing with all the externalities (both positive and negative) that come with being the figurehead of a major program like UofM is/was not one of them. Hoke, although he is benefiting from the B.S. RR faced, seems to understand that he can run the program however he damn well wants but that appeasing the media/fans/alums/ex-players/etc. can only help him.
February 17th, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
My instinctive reaction was "ugh". My overall reaction was "Ugh, but I don't really care". While I don't agree with the decision, I'm willing to support the coach and really hope this doesn't become a big controversy.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:18 PM ^
As long as we win both games, I'm ALL IN for any sort of motivational tactic the staff wants to employ, including sacrificing goats, as long as it is not an NCAA violation.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:43 PM ^
on mgoblog.com?
February 17th, 2011 at 11:39 PM ^
Whatever it takes to stop being dragged through the mud. People need to be put their goddamn places this fall. I remember the week after this year's MSU game.... every time I went to bed, visions of Leveon Bell, Beanie Wells, Edwin Baker, Dan Herron striking for 50+ yard TDs kept dancing in my head. I'm so sick of being embarrassed.
If for some reason you think Michigan is "above" those "other schools" you need to open your eyes to a program that has not won a Rose Bowl since 1998, a Big Ten title since 2004, a BCS Bowl Game since 2000 (Michigan has won only one of those!), a game against the Buckeyes since 2003.
Maybe Michigan isn't the invincible dynasty we thought it was...so yes, I'm okay with treating our rivals and our damn defensive side of the ball with a little more intensity this go-round.
February 17th, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^
Yes, I'm sure that you are personally embarassed by the players' performance on the field. I just don't understand how that can possibly be since you're not on the field on Saturdays.
Look, if there is one thing that defines ALL Michigan teams - including under Rodriguez - it's that they have always played hard for Michigan.
I'm not sure if you're a Wolverine or not, but I can guarantee you that this Wolverine is never embarassed by anything related to on-field performance. Disappointed? Upset? Sure, but I am proud of my school.
This notion that we, as alumns and fans, are somehow owed something by the players or the football program is absurd.
February 17th, 2011 at 11:53 PM ^
February 18th, 2011 at 12:00 AM ^
You said "I'm so sick of being embarrassed."
Perhaps I misinterpreted that, though I think it's a reasonable interpretation. I apologize if I misconstrued your argument, because I essentially agree with the remainder of your argument.
You're relatively new around these parts, so perhaps you're not yet aware of the (in mgoblog lexicon) "OMG UNACCEPTABLE" crowd. This is a group of people who treat Michigan football as some kind of product that they purchase through their time and/or ticket sales.
For me, a proud alumn, there is no alternative "product" and the only way I am embarassed by our football program is if we adopt the SEC "win at all costs" mentality, which will never happen.
Apologies if this turned out to be a heated agreement.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:52 PM ^
Why in the world would people be against this?
February 18th, 2011 at 12:45 AM ^
February 18th, 2011 at 12:42 AM ^
February 18th, 2011 at 12:55 AM ^
Fine by me if it gets us to play better against them.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:39 AM ^
I would like this idea with a little twist. Instead of a count down clock, how about a count up clock? Days, hours, minutes, seconds since the last time Michigan won either of those games. I think it would be much more motivational to see those obscenely large numbers get larger every day and knowing it's up to you to zero those s.o.b.'s out.
February 18th, 2011 at 6:55 AM ^
In the WWE, that would be called "gimmick infringement."
If they could find a way to turn one of those clocks into a middle LB who doesn't let anything by, though, I would be all for it.
February 18th, 2011 at 7:41 AM ^
Make the Sparty clock a swatch. Or a Sundial....
(Not mentioning an orrery because the folks on RCMB would not understand what that was.)
February 18th, 2011 at 8:29 AM ^
and many anuses will assplode.
me, i like helmet stickers.
potato salad
February 18th, 2011 at 9:08 AM ^
for the clock he put in the Spartoon locker room counting the minutes to the UM game. Haw, haw, haw, what an idiot.
And then I'd like to see how many of them suddenly are all in favor of a Brady Hoke countdown clock.
February 18th, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^
And I am completely against this move.
February 18th, 2011 at 9:10 AM ^
It's funny how much the people on MgoBlog insist that MSU is not a rivalry, yet we talk about them all the time and get really pissed when they beat us (Three years in a row btw). Also, like it or not, they don't OMG SEWWWWWK, as they just capped off an 11 win season. Dantonio is a dick but he's doing good work over there.
February 18th, 2011 at 1:43 PM ^
but I, personally, "get really pissed when they beat us" because Sparty fan suddenly forgets a decade of beat downs and acts as if MSU has become the more relevant football program in the state after a victory.
The disgust of losing against OSU and even ND is completely different than that for losing to MSU. If MSU, can sustain a decent program and not be a flash in the pan once every 10 years, then my feelings will likely change.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
I'm not sure I would call it a decade of beatdowns. They've generally been really solid games.
2000: 14-0 W
2001: 24-26 L
2002: 49-3 W
2003: 27-20 W
2004: 45-37 W (3OT)
2005: 31-34 W (OT)
2006: 31-13 W
2007: 28-24 W (4th Q comeback)
2008: 21-35 L
2009: 20-26 L (OT)
2010: 17-34 L
We're 6-4 against Sparty this decade with only one real blowout on there. Lots and lots of really close games there.
February 18th, 2011 at 5:34 PM ^
1997: 23-7 W
1998: 29-17 W
1999: 31-34 L
10 years prior to 2008, Michigan was 8-2 against Sparty and they hadn't won 2 in a row since 1967. So, yeah, I consider that a regular beat down.