Rivalry game on BTN? Why?

Submitted by trueblue262 on

My apologies if this has been discussed in earlier threads, but WTF? Why would this game not make the ABC or even ESPN slate? Not sure how everybody else feels, but I can't stand the watching games on BTN.

Purkinje

October 15th, 2012 at 9:27 AM ^

Have you seen State play this year? This game doesn't catch thnqtional interest because one team is a double digit favorite and the dog isn't even a challenger in it division of the LOLBIGTEEEEEEEN

ijohnb

October 15th, 2012 at 9:52 AM ^

It has always been a big deal, and it will continue to be.  With the exception of a couple of years that were lopsided, State always plays very well and very tough in this game.  It has always been a very difficult game for Michigan to win.  State has beaten some very good Michigan teams.  It is a backyard brawl and there are no records going into this game.  This game is going to be a bitch to win and I can't wait to watch Team 133 do it.

mzdmv

October 15th, 2012 at 9:59 AM ^

Agreed. It will always have some significance. It's a natural rivalry between the two largest schools in the state. Every state with two large major BCS schools considers those games rivalries, even if one team is consistently better

MGoSoftball

October 15th, 2012 at 10:22 PM ^

A rival goes both ways.  They recruit our players, we only recruited 2 of their players and one was a long snapper.  They cannot compete with us in any other sport other than woman's basketball.  I forget the record but it was our record is something like 20-5 in both men and women's sports.

We do not compete for the same student either.  Only 10% of moo u students could get into Michigan.  US News a few years back said something like 50% of moo u students apped to Michigan but only 5% of Michigan students apped to moo u.

I could care less if we only played moo u every other year.  I dont care about Eastern, Western, Central, Saginaw Valley or Ferris either.  All of these schools are in the state of Michigan.  The only difference is that moo u is in our conference which is why we want to win every conference game.  So if moo u went to the Big East, no one would miss them.

ohio, on the other hand is more competitive in football anf all the other varsity sports.  They have more Heisman winners and NC.  We hold the overall series record.  This is a natural rivalry.  They are hicks and hillbillies that are in-bred.  I personally hate them.

Lil brother, is just that.  They wish they could be like us.  Just read the RCMB and that will confirm it.  ABC knows it is not a rivalry that is why they defered to air Nebraska vs Northwestern.  I would prefer to see us on ABC every week but the moo u game is nothing special.

 

artds

October 15th, 2012 at 10:16 AM ^

"We have no connection to them."

Last I checked, Iowa is in our division. Both Iowa and Nebraska are and will continue to be much bigger impediments to our goal of a Big Ten championship than MSU.

Sorry, but I just don't care as much about MSU. I suppose if I worked with a bunch of annoying farmers who went there and had to listen to them talk shit after a win, I'd feel differently. Luckily, I have a good job in the professional services sector, so I don't encounter them much.

mzdmv

October 15th, 2012 at 10:23 AM ^

Until divisions, there was no connection except being in the Big 10 with us. They were the equivalent of Indiana for us. Even now with the tirefire they are and will continue to be as long as Frerentz is coaching, they are easily the least threat to us winning our division.

Needs

October 15th, 2012 at 10:56 AM ^

Iowa under Ferentz is not a tire fire. That's Illinois. Or Purdue. Or Minny. Or Indiana if they had any tires in the first place.

Iowa under Ferentz is a solid, middle of the league team that will beat the conference powers  when they have down years and pull the occasional upset against them at home.  Every 10 years or so the stars will align and they'll go to the conference championship/play in a BCS game, etc. They will also lose a fair number of games they should win (CMU this year) because they play a grind it out type of game that results mainly in close scores. Given their very easy schedule (crossovers against Purdue, Indiana, Penn State @ Iowa), I think the division may come down to their visit this year. In fact, if they beat Penn State this week, they may very well come to Ann Arbor undefeated in the division (PSU, @ Northwestern, @ Indiana, Purdue). Now, we should win that game fairly handily, and I could see them dropping any of those, save Purdue

But that's far from a tire fire, even though the style will, at many points, be ugly.

justingoblue

October 15th, 2012 at 10:29 AM ^

Iowa has only beaten Michigan thirteen times, and three of those have come since 2008. We play State a ton more (104 meetings compared to 57) and they have a better winning percentage (.307 to .228) and more wins than Iowa does against us (32 to 13). Not to mention EL and A2 are all of 65mi apart, or the fact that pretty much every Michigan guy we have on roster was heavily recruited by MSU.

joeyb

October 15th, 2012 at 10:38 AM ^

Misopogon made the same argument last year. It's only a "rivalry" because people in Michigan have to deal with Staee fans at work on Monday. If you live in Illinois, you're going to hear from Illinois and NW fans on Monday. If you live in Pennsylvania, then you are going to hear from PSU fans on Monday. That doesn't make them our rivals (even though Illinois fans would try to convince you otherwise). Yes, I want to beat them more than other teams in the Big Ten, but only because I hate hearing from them on Mondays. They are still behind OSU and ND, though, and how can you call your third-most-important game a rival?

The team needs to beat MSU for in-state recruiting. The same can be said about Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, etc.

mzdmv

October 15th, 2012 at 10:45 AM ^

I think it depends a lot on when you were exposed to MSU. If you went to Michigan during a time where we stomped MSU yearly, I understand the rationale behind thinking they are solely an annoyance. Personally, I went to Michigan in the last few years where we haven't won a game. I am also an out-of-stater with no prior feelings towards MSU. Therefore, I feel a greater sense of rivalry with them than many of you and while I know the history of the matchups, it's hard to ignore what happened when I first started watching

justingoblue

October 15th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^

but I can't disagree with a lot of what you're saying. I don't know how you can call MSU our third most important game, though. ND is basically a useless game unless we are on a MNC run or lose our division and are looking for an at-large BCS bid. Ohio is by far our biggest rival, but with the division setup being what it is, we can almost always go to the BTCG as long as we beat MSU and Nebraska, regardless of what happens in The Game.

MSU and Nebraska are our most important games annually, and I don't see how there's too much of a debate there. It sucks, but that's the alignment the Big Ten decided to go with.

ChicagoB1GRed

October 15th, 2012 at 9:00 PM ^

you're saying what I've been saying since the new 12 team B1G and divisional alignment formed.

I know UM has way more skin in the OSU and ND games than Nebraska and usually MSU, but the reality is that winning the division is where it starts, and that does change things. Different league now with different dynamic, though it will take time for that to sink in for some.

Nebraska has no "thing" about beating UM or MSU other than more often than not, we know it will mean playing in the B1G title game. Over time, rivalry intensities will shift based on that.

M-Wolverine

October 15th, 2012 at 2:11 PM ^

Tackling Desmond in the endzone. Spartan Bob. Neck wrenchings. Comments from players and coaches.  Yes, Illinois really hates us (their fans are so cute), but little of that carries to the field. MSU has won the second most games against us. That's why it's a bigger rivalry than those other Big Ten schools. 

Auburn is the 5th best team all time in the SEC, but Alabama doesn't consider them the 5th most important game. Proximity matters.

ziggolfer

October 15th, 2012 at 10:28 AM ^

Out-of-staters do not have the same distaste for MSU as in-staters. I'm sure everyone has their own feelings, but it is a general trend. On the other hand, everyone has to answer to other rivals. It is what it is. Has Indiana beaten us in 4 years? Are we a rival to them? 

bklein09

October 15th, 2012 at 9:30 AM ^

I'll be watching the game from my seats in the Big House. So I'm not too worried about what channel it's on. 

That being said, I'm grateful for BTN because it allows me to watch every single Michigan football game even though I live in Oregon now. Not to mention, all the basketball and occasional hockey games it allows me to see. 

DCAlum

October 15th, 2012 at 9:33 AM ^

Haven't found a satisfactory answer yet. 

 

Can I shell out like $2-5 and just watch this game on BTN2Go? Is there some way to do that I'm missing? I'm all for using the pirate tv sites, but I was trying to host a watch party and they flake out sometimes/have bad picture quality. I can hook my comp up to the TV, get good internet...just don't get BTN.

 

Help me out. What's the best way to do this?

Darth Wolverine

October 15th, 2012 at 9:36 AM ^

I'm fairly confident you can only access BTN2GO if you have an account with a cable provider that carries BTN. If you have a friend or family who has BTN, ask him/ her for his/her password and account log in so you can access BTN2GO.

marcota

October 15th, 2012 at 9:46 AM ^

First you have to create an account on BTN2Go website.  If you plan on using a mobile device you'll need to download the app from your respective store.  Once you create an account, you have to verify your TV provider.  I think you'll need your account number for that but I can't quite remember.  Once you verify your provider, you have free reign to pilage BTN2Go for all your sporting needs free of cost.  I may have missed a few details but I think that should get you going.

mgogiants

October 15th, 2012 at 9:52 AM ^

If you're hosting a party, maybe one of your guests or friends who does get BTN can sign in temporarily so everyone can watch?

Just a suggestion because all you need to do is sign in with my Verizon/Comcast/etc. email on btn's website, could be a simple thing for someone to help you out with.

thisisme08

October 15th, 2012 at 10:16 AM ^

I've signed up through DirecTV by way of my parents account number, in all honesty I find the pirate streams to be better than the BTN feeds. 

Also, curse you mortgage lender for not getting me into my new house/ so I could switch providers and watch on DirecTV myself. 

UMgradMSUdad

October 15th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^

If  you end up having to use a pirate site, be sure to use some sort of ad blocking software.  Someone in a thread a week or two ago mentioned Ad Block for Chrome.  It's a free ap and it works like a charm.  It makes a huge difference.  I was able to watch an entire game with just a few minor hiccups.  The only problem was, I couldn't figure out how to make it full screen, but then again, I was at my prime dealing with technological innovations about 20 years ago, so I'm probably just missing something simple, like a "picture go big" button.

ijohnb

October 15th, 2012 at 9:33 AM ^

rather have a 3:30 BTN start than a noon ESPN family of networks start.  This means two things: 1) I can enjoy the noon games win or lose, as losing a noon game erases any interest i had in watching any other football, and 2) I am assured a male play by play announcer.  These two things make me happy.

Hannibal.

October 15th, 2012 at 9:36 AM ^

I don't know why it's on BTN, but I do know that I am sick to fucking death of 3:30 games. 

The only other Big Ten game worth watching is also on at 3:30.  As usual, the dumbfucks that make up the schedules have ensured that nobody can watch both games.  It also means that you can't watch South Carolina at Florida either.  I guess this will be yet another weekend where I don't bother watching any shitty noon football games.