We are Wisconsin's biggest rival in football?
I was just informed by a long time Wisconsin fan that Wisconsin puts the Michigan football game in front of all others, we are their biggest rival. While there is a natural rivalry with Minnesota, they want to beat Michigan even worse. Interestingly enough, I had no idea that was the case. When pressed for the reason, it was because we were so arrogant for so many years when we were consistently beating them. My reply that "Michigan likes to beat Wisconsin but we have more important rivals that we focus on" may have been a poor choice of wording that somewhat validated the person's point. However, I still am not sure I really believed the premise beyond a single person's beliefs. Has anyone on the board heard this before? Is this true?
January 18th, 2012 at 5:03 PM ^
Are you sure you weren't talking to an Illinois fan?
January 18th, 2012 at 5:05 PM ^
What people often forget is that Michigan does share a border with Wisconsin. It probably means more to Wisconsin because there are more people that live in the northern Wisconsin area that is close to the border with the Upper Peninsula.
How about a neutral site game up there? That would be cool.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:23 PM ^
the UP is just considered technically Michigan by us here in Wisconsin. more packers fans then lions fans there and they'd be state fans not michigan fans when it comes to college
January 18th, 2012 at 5:47 PM ^
Say what? The UP is full of state fans and not michigan fans? From living up here my entire life, I would say that you are way off.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:50 PM ^
Not true about being MSU fans.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:12 PM ^
might've misread the MSU fan to MICH fan ratio; only been to Menominee, Mich as far as the UP goes. My point is that this is by no means a border war, it's more an inferiority complex left over from the lloyd carr/alveraz years when UW fans thought they weren't getting proper respect.
January 18th, 2012 at 7:58 PM ^
So you've only been to one UP city, which is on the border of Wisconsin and yet you are commenting on multiple sentiments of the people in an area consisting of over 16,400 square miles?
January 18th, 2012 at 8:06 PM ^
According to CommonCensus and my personal experience the Eastern UP has more Lions fans than the Packers. Also, Marquette, the biggest city in the UP has more Michigan fans than MSU fans.
http://www.commoncensus.org/sports_map.php?sport=1
January 18th, 2012 at 10:28 PM ^
Even the western U.P. (where I have some relatives) still has a decent number of Lion fans, although they may be in the minority. In all the other sports the locals support the Detroit teams. The NFL is the only league where they cheer for a Wisconsin team. It's more that they can identify with the city of Green Bay, being a small market, than that they care about the state of Wisconsin.
January 18th, 2012 at 8:22 PM ^
The UP is full of Northern Michigan University fans.
January 18th, 2012 at 8:30 PM ^
January 18th, 2012 at 6:30 PM ^
I was born and raised in the UP (as a huge M fan) and went to high school and college in Madison. So I have a unique perspective on this question.
People forget that UW used to SUCK BAD. They were the basement of the BIG forever until Barry Alvarez showed up. I was at the game at Camp Randall when the students stampeded after they beat us for the first time in many many years. I definitely think UW wants to beat UM worse than any other team; just because it's a benchmark of their relevance. There was once a time that they never even believed it was possible.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:05 PM ^
Every other B1G fanbase Michigan will come in at 1 or 2 to every one.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:11 PM ^
I've been in Madison to see the atmosphere when the Badgers played OSU in a night game, when they played Iowa for first place (at the time) in the Big Ten, etc. The atmosphere with Michigan was as wild or wilder than any of them. Our colors make their blood boil. Seeing our equipment truck in the little parking lot at Camp Randall made them crazy.
You could not have stated it any more clearly, we are easily one of the two most important home games for every one of our opponents, and with rare exceptions we are Number 1.
This is why Michigan and OSU HAD to be separated for B1G divisional play. The rest of the league simply would not tolerate being in an "other" division that lacked both.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:05 PM ^
Everyone loves to beat Michigan. I am sure Penn State fans might tell you the same thing.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:08 PM ^
illinois fans are the worst.....blah blah blah we rivals blah blah triple overtime...... honestly have fun playing northwestern on a baseball field. just shut up and we will be taking your linemen and ty
January 18th, 2012 at 6:39 PM ^
I have to be honest, I went to the Illinois game this year expecting the worst possible treatment from their fans, and my friends and I didn't even get harassed once. I realize this is just a single anecdote but I gotta say based on what I'd heard I was expecting at least a LITTLE bit of friction.
January 20th, 2012 at 9:52 AM ^
I went to the Illinois game this past year as well and experienced the exact same treatment. No one really said anything. The campus was dead though. I sat in a section completely dominated by Illini fans and did not get harassed once. I was shocked. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were spiraling downhill, but everyone around me was really friendly and wished us good luck the rest of the season and a safe drive home. Cool story I know.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:07 PM ^
We dont even play them every season now
January 18th, 2012 at 5:09 PM ^
We never played them every year. They've never been a protected rival. It doesn't matter though. Everyone considers Michigan a big game.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:15 PM ^
But we didn't play them this season and won't be playing them for the next 3 seasons.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:18 PM ^
Is Brett Bielema's usage/understanding/thought process on calling timeouts
January 18th, 2012 at 7:40 PM ^
So I guess that would make us number 3?
January 18th, 2012 at 5:13 PM ^
A lot of teams feel that way. That's the reason that I don't consider MSU a rival. Misopogon had to post something about why it was important because people outside the state didn't understand why. Basically, the only reason it's important to win is to shut up the MSU fans. If I lived in Illinois, that would be the 3rd most important game (behind ND and OSU). If I lived in Wisconsin, apparently that would be the 3rd most important game.
I also have a hard time saying that the 3rd most important game is a rivalry, especially when the importance to Michigan doesn't match the importance to that team. The Game is equally important to Michigan and OSU. I'd also say that the ND-USC game is more important to ND, making Michigan a probable second. Other Big Ten teams saying Michigan is their rival is like saying you are in a relationship with a girl when you are clearly in the friend zone. If Wisconsin said that Minnesota was their girlfriend, Iowa was their girl on the side, and Michigan was a friend with benefits, I'd be down with accepting them as a 3rd rival, especially over MSU who for some reason keeps stalking us.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:36 PM ^
with your posting. Especially now that MSU stands in the way of making it to the big ten championship game, and since getting to and winning the big ten every year is our goal - I'd say there's even hightened importance of beating MSU every year.
I understand your thought that MSU is still the 3rd most important game, but don't tell me over the last 4 years you haven't been going crazy during the MSU game. I also agree that it's more important for MSU to beat Michigan than Michigan to beat MSU in any given year.
Thats because their year is (usually) based on that game. So I get that too - but especially in lieu of recent events (not beating them for four years) I would consider them a rival. Add in the fact that most years now we're gonna have to beat them to accomplish our "main goal" for the season, I don't think we can deny it anymore. I also hate Dantonio and his perpetual "piss face" - and after the shenanigans they pulled this year - I want to pound them into the turf every single year from here on out and put them in their rightful place in the state - in the back of the jeep in the carseat.
Edit: Sorry for the offtopic discussion, but couldn't resist. I hate "UCF" more and more each year....
January 18th, 2012 at 5:49 PM ^
The first year we lost to MSU, I was depressed because the streak was over and it was a depressing season in general. After the second loss, I finished off a quarter barrel that was approximately half full because I knew there were going to be some MSU fans I had to deal with on Monday. The last two years have not hurt any more than any other loss. In general, I go pretty crazy during games that I think we even have a chance of losing, so that really doesn't change how I feel about MSU.
Your argument that we have to beat MSU to get into the championship game is a non-argument because we have to beat Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska too. I don't consider any of them rivals either.
I hate Dantonio too. I also hate the meathead known as Bielema. I also hate Danny Hope.
To me, MSU is more akin to Minnesota than anyone else. We're supposed to have a rivalry, we have a trophy, and it's fun to poke fun at their misfortunes, but I've never really hated them like ND or feared for my life around their fans like OSU.
Obviously, you are entitled to your opinion, and mine clearly differs with the coach's (although I think that would change if we didn't have to compete for recruits in the state), but I still wouldn't really consider MSU a true rivalry game.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:13 PM ^
The fuck? Everyone says we're their biggest rival. Unfortunately for them, it's not a rivalry unless we reciprocate the feeling...
January 18th, 2012 at 5:30 PM ^
Wisconsin: "You know, Michigan, we've done some really great, important, things together over the last few years. I just want you to know.... I love you."
Michigan: "Oh, thanks Wisonsin, I think you're great too..."
January 20th, 2012 at 11:22 AM ^
...that I was the egg McMuffin of football opponents!
January 18th, 2012 at 5:16 PM ^
Michigan has always been a huge rivalry. I was at the 93 game when they stormed the field injuring their own. I had peanuts, beer amongst other things thrown at me most of the game. Good thing I was wearing my sweet Michigan Starter jacket to protect me. I've been to every Madison game since with similar welcome.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:26 PM ^
fellow Dane County UM fan here. glad they finally upgraded camp randell those troughs were disgusting
January 18th, 2012 at 5:34 PM ^
Those were disgusting. I sit in the JJ section for the MI games which works out well because there's a bank of 10 port-o-johns right outside. Also have a tailgate just off the corner of breeze terrace and park at my parents rental property (across from the big statue of footballs that looks like di**). You'll see a stuffed badger that's been featured on ESPN and BTN that my parents set up. next time MI is in town, stop by.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:07 PM ^
I know exactly what statue you're talking about. I'll keep an eye open for the stuffed badger next time I go to a game there (a couple times a year) gotta tour the beer gardens first though.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:19 PM ^
We have enough fake ass rivals already and we don't need another one to jump on the bandwagon.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:19 PM ^
Wisconson's biggest rival is sobriety.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:53 PM ^
damnit I wish you were wrong
January 18th, 2012 at 10:13 PM ^
It looks like the middle girl's shirt says "SUCKS".
<br>
<br>I wish they had advertised that well when I was in college.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:19 PM ^
and neither is with michigan. i suspect that if iowa or minnesota were to be as competitive with wisconsin as we are for a long time, they'd both be more important to badger fans.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:23 PM ^
Michigan has two trophy games as well, and neither of those teams we consider to be major rivals.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:00 PM ^
MSU is a major rival.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:07 PM ^
We only have one major/arch rival and that is OSU. If you lose to OSU and win the Big Ten Championship, I don't think you can consider the season successful. I don't think you can say that about any other team.
January 20th, 2012 at 12:40 AM ^
talk to me next year after we win the b1g if we don't beat msu
January 20th, 2012 at 9:42 AM ^
Making a note now.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:19 PM ^
Minnesota sucks, but don't belittle the Little Brown Jug.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:50 PM ^
your post. sparty has ever been a rival in anything.
January 18th, 2012 at 9:46 PM ^
I am fascinated by this post. There's so much unintended richness.
Thanks.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:26 PM ^
If by rival they mean we play in the same conference and they beat us once in every five tries, then yes, I guess Wisconsin is our rival.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:22 PM ^
yes, my sister and brother-in-law went to wisconsin and all they ever talk about is wanting to beat michigan. technically their biggest rival is supposed to be minnesota, but no one cares about minnesota.
January 18th, 2012 at 5:37 PM ^
So the next three seasons for them are really going to suck. Honestly, given how many times MSU has fucked up Wisconsin's football/basketball seasons in the past few years, I can't imagine how any Badger fan doesn't hate Sparty with the power of a thousand suns.