OT: Did the wins breaking a streak like MSU or OSU bring closure to you?
The only thing that will bring me closure is a B1G Championship. 9 years ago was the last one. That is unacceptable.
And even that 2004 season was a drag. Lost two rivalry games and the Rose Bowl in heartbreaking fashion.
Beating a bead horse, but my god Rich Rodriguez was so damn worthless.
I think, by now, that everyone agrees Rich Rod was not the right man for the job. But what you say is untrue, unneccessary, and unbecoming.
Not really a big-picture guy, are you?
Yeah, the cultural fit couldn't have been any worse (nor, likely, the defense), but *worthless* isn't on-the-mark.
Rich's lack of defense made him the wrong coach for success in this conference, although he's certainly done better than I expected in the Pac 12, which has proven to be a pretty tough conference over the years.
Hoke may indeed be a better fit, but I wouldn't call an 8-5 campaign all that much more masterful than Rich's 7-6 in 2010, especially considering the improved talent level.
Give credit where it's due - Rich wasn't that bad, and had very good offensive game plans. The current staff has done poorly on offense, and the team wasn't much better in the results department, despite a greatly improved defense. And no running game other than Denard? I can't even begin to think about that.
Based on last year, this is still an incomplete system.
In case we needed any additional proof that some people can't see straight when it comes to RichRod, here's a Bolivia'd guy with at least 4 upvotes for his crude post.
If I were a mod I wouldn't send you Bolivian but force you to change your handle and avatar. You don't deserve either.
*2007
If we had beat osu in 2007 we would've won the title outright, but we scored 3 points.
As I get older, I tend to do less looking back, at least at sporting events, win or lose. I look at a win after several losses in a row more as an opportunity for beginning a win streak than as some kind of closure for ending a losing streak.
Exactly. It's not closure at all. If MSU wins this year, it's going to be 5 out of 6, not "oh, you beat us last year so everything was reset."
There have been a number of "signs" that Hoke was the right guy to right the ship. The first was beating ND in 2011, the second was beating OSU in 2011, the third was winning the Sugar Bowl, the fourth was beating MSU last year. Those two wins (MSU and OSU) were huge signals that we are taking steps forward and are important to not only our players, but our fanbase to believe we can return to what we once were...basically a prennial B1G power that is expected to contend for the title every year. Beating both of those teams was a huge relief to not just believe we could, but to know it. I think we will beat MSU on the road and win 2 consecutive wins that says a lot because based on recruiting it will only get worse for MSU. But, beating OSU in Columbus...man that has been a long time. When is the last time that happened, like '03? I think like Navarre/Perry/Edwards if I'm not mistaken. Man, that was a long time ago. That would be a real signal that we are ready to contend now.
'03 was in Michigan. The last time Michigan won at OSU was in 2000.
I pulled a rapture guy after the win against OSU. I cheered and partied after beating MSU. It brought me a fair bit of closure.
But that Big Ten Championship, man. Get it.
has quite a pair of man-boobs,
I would have to say that the wins help (more with my sense of the program than anything), but I would like to think that it is more in the fact that the recruiting is going extremely well and on a consistent upward trend over the past couple years now, but also that the program is well-managed and in good hands with Hoke and his staff.
The potential for some sustained success again against rivals like MSU and OSU is more attractive than merely the first win which breaks a losing streak. The foundation that is being laid for a very bright future is a major portion of any "closure", which is probably hard to find in football really.
That being said, a win in Columbus would definitely be a psychological boost and an excellent benchmark for what seems to be building. Also, as others have said, the Big Ten Championship (actually, more than many things, this).
For me, with the constant barrage of grief I take from the large number of Spartan in-laws, the win vs MSU really helped bring me close to a sense of closure. Which I understand is a stupid thing to say. Not because I'm talking about Staee, but "closure", in and of itself, is complete. But as you're saying, LSA, it's our trajectory that creates the sense of comfort for what the program is doing. We're back and we aren't going anywhere for a long time. Even when we lose, we seem to be getting better, IMO.
But as many of you have said, it's the B1G title and Rose Bowl. I'll probably get a little emotional the next time I see us run out on the field in Pasadena. Hopefully that will be this season.
If I do however, it will come after Sparty is broken like a ship on the rocks, tsio is soundly beaten in the horsecollar, and a Big Ten championship trophy is lifted by a victorious Michigan team.
I'm with ya. I was born in 1988, and I never even considered the possiblity that Michigan would lose to Ohio State more than once every now and then or not be in contention for the conference title. I didn't understand why it was such a rivalry until we started losing a little more frequently.
Exactly. The satisfaction is short lived. You have to win year to year to feel comfortable, although a healthy rivalry is always more fun to watch than lopsided streaks on either side.
because I was starting to seriously worry about us falling behind permanently. Good start for Hoke.
Beating MSU was just a relief so all the MSU trolls could finally STFU (all MSU fans become trolls when discussing Michigan)
We need to win the national title again. Our 1997 rings are getting rusty.
That will most likely not happen. We are undoubtedly on the upswing, but I think it will take one more year to really be on a similar or even superior talent level.
The game last year was pretty evenly matched...
Beating msu last year was a relief. Beating osu in 2011 was a cause for celebration as it always should be.
I will have closure when we win the National Championship. This program will never be nationally respected until that happens.
Or at the very least beats a very good SEC team.
I hate the whole of this thread. Closure? Closure of what...10 years of Ohio cheating and getting the fcuk away with it? Three years of coaching and recruiting that was just not appropriate at Michigan? Four years of Sparty running their mouths when, for the first time in most of their lives, they could name a time when they had consistent success against Michigan?
Closure? To hell with that.
The only thing that brings thoughts of closure is knowing that this thing Hoke is building...that light at the end of the tunnel...that's the god damned train.
OSU turning a blind eye didn't have anything to do with them kicking Michigan's ass all through the 2000s. Even in 2001 and 2004 when Michigan was a much better team they still kicked our ass.
I think that it will take back-to-back wins against Sparty to right that ship. If MSU wins this year, then that will be five out of six and Michigan will have not really accomplished anything in that respect. Things will not be back to "normal". It's a little different with OSU. I can handle losing to them occasionally and accept that there will be ebbs and flows in the rivalry (M was something like 10-2-1 against OSU in the Cooper years). I really can't handle losing to MSU.
There will always be unresolved closure for me regarding the OSU losing streak stretch.
I grew up a die-hard fan, dreamed of attending a Michigan-Ohio State game as a college student, worked my tail off in high school with the sole motivation of watching one of those games as a student, and miraculously found myself living that Michigan dream from 2006-2010. Alas, I watched Michigan lose to Ohio State four timess during my college tenure - in person for three of them. After that last one, I sat in the stadium for what seemed like hours, pondering my ill fortune and also where the time had went. It was a hard dose of reality never seeing Michigan beat Ohio State during my college years, something that seemed to carry meaning beyond the sports world.
MSU no, OSU yes, mostly because my family (all swear allegiance to the Enemy) and I were hollering at the TV en masse for the entire game, with an obvious split. I watched the 2012 M-OSU game embedded in Block O South with the students, but I'll never do that again! The club section isn't too bad. I recommend Hawaiian shirts for maximum confusion.
Sounds to me like you need to go to every game...