What other non-championship games have been as important as WMU is this weekend?
For reasons other than winning a championship, what other games have been as important (for psychological reasons, for vengeance, for showing the transition is working, etc.) as this game is this weekend, and why?
One that comes to mind is ND in 2007 - after two opening losses (one being 'the horror') for a team that was slated to compete for the national championship, the team needed that win, the fans needed that win, hell the big ten needed that win. Oh, plus Hart's guarantee.
That is all I can come up with. The game this weekend is hugely important for so many tangible and intangible reasons.
Any other games been as important for similar reasons?
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 AM ^
Every game played last year comes to mind.
And then I'll add PSU in '05. Boy were things not looking good going into that game. A loss there (and by getting killed, as many thought might happen), and UM would have been in danger of having a sub-500 season that year.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 AM ^
Sorry Charlie ... I mean Urban.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:12 AM ^
Probably one of the most important/awesome games of all time. The only 1 vs. 2, and both were undefeated, in the UM/OSU rivalry.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:15 AM ^
I thought we could only pick non-championship games.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:21 AM ^
My over-eagerness bites again, apologies.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:18 AM ^
I thought about the 06 OSU game also - I think that one is a hybrid - while it was for a championship, the fact that it was #1 vs #2, both undefeated, it was THE rivaly in sports, it was historical, made the game meaningful both because and beyond what it meant for the championship.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:13 AM ^
are as big as this one.
In 2007 the biggest game was ASU (go figure) if we win that we probably run the table.
In 2006 it was OSU (complete opposite of 2007)
In 2008 I think it was the opener again
The opener sets the tone for the whole season as does the first "real" test (I.E. this year ND).
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:10 AM ^
I don't totally disagree with you. But, when Dennis Dixon was healthy in 2007, Oregon was probably the best team in the country. Unfortunate bit of scheduling that we had two great teams that were both horribly underrated/under-respected entering the season to open up that year. I think, even if we beat ASU, we still get rocked by Oregon.
To the point, Oregon 03. Our first road test after we had just laid a 38-0 shit stomping on ND. We entered ranked #3 and looking it. That was a letdown game that could have propelled that team into a title game. There were no undefeated teams that year and our only other regular season loss came to Iowa on some bad special teams play. I don't know that we would've matched up better with LSU than USC, but either way, it was a huge loss.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 AM ^
Oregon took down USC fairly easily that year and was on the fast track to the national-championship game before Dixon got hurt and it all went to hell. A win over Appalachian State does little or nothing to help against the Ducks.
[EDIT: Sorry, Ike, for stepping on your toes -- your post went up while I was writing mine.]
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 AM ^
It's a BIG stretch to say if we beat ASU in '07 we run the table.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:09 AM ^
was the biggest game of that year.
That was a HUGE debilitating loss. It doesn't matter how you parse it but Michigan had never even lost to a MAC school let alone a D-1AA team.
I'm not saying that we would have won that game but it would have been a completely different game. To not realize that is just plain stupid but yes I'd put us as a favorite in that game if we beat ASU.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:05 AM ^
You really have to go back to Bo's first year. Winning the opener against Vanderbilt set the tone for the whole season -- a loss there and confidence might have collapsed after so many player defections. 24-12 might never have happened.
Rodriguez gets a reprieve for last year, for myriad reasons mostly related to Bo's death. So this year he gets a do-over. This team needs to believe that they can make another 24-12 happen, that OSU is a winnable game this year if they work hard and stay focused. For that to happen they need to be at least 3-1 going into East Lansing -- 2-2 won't cut it, no matter how well they play against ND. Sometimes winning is all that matters, and this week's game is one of those times.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:25 AM ^
Rodriguez gets a reprieve for last year, for myriad reasons mostly related to Bo's death.
Could you explain this further? I'm confused as to what you are talking about.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:19 AM ^
I do think most alumni and fans are willing to write off last year if there is marked improvement this year.
For me, I cut Rodriguez a lot of slack last year because I saw the program as still reeling from the 2006 OSU game and Bo's death right before it. I don't think most outsiders understand quite how intensely emotional that game and its aftermath was for any lifelong Michigan fan -- my wife, who was born in Ann Arbor and grew up within easy walking distance of Michigan Stadium (where her parents still live), was absolutely devastated. Then Lloyd retires the next year, and the line of head coaches who cut their teeth under Bo comes to an abrupt end. All in all, the end of an era, no matter who they might have hired. Pile on top of that the crazy, roller-coaster, 2007 season.
So Rodriguez steps into all this. The transition would have been hard enough just with the changes to the offense, let alone everything else. So yes, last year just doesn't count. It would have been nice to keep the streak going, but I don't care. It's meaningless now that you can go to a bowl with a .500 record. It's even possible that 3-9 has helped accelerate the transition because it provides such a clear demarcation between the past and the present, which might not have happened with mere mediocrity rather than total failure.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 AM ^
Notre Dame 2006 comes to mind. After coming off our 7-5 season, people were bashing Michigan left and right. Once they saw us take down Brady Quinn, they shut up fast and saw that we were legit.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 AM ^
The Iowa and Penn State games from 1997 come to mind. The season went from "good start" to "promising" with the comeback against Iowa. Then the shellacking of PSU in Happy Valley announced our intention to dominate.
(I'd add the OSU and WSU games from that season, too, but they were "Championship" Games - one for the out-right B10 and one for the NC).
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:17 AM ^
You gotta keep some perspective on this game and this season. We are in year 2, and coming of the worst season anyone can remember. A loss to a good team like WMU at the beginning of the year will not be the end of the world.
What I am looking for this year is the the program and team progresses. Progress can not always be measured by wins and losses. Do we look cohesive on offense and defense? Are we protecting the ball? Are we still strong at the end of the game? Are the coaches making good adjustments? Can we convert 3rd downs at a reasonable rate?
A bowl game this year would be a bonus, but if those other items are demonstrated, I can be patient.
Don't get me wrong, I want this to be a repeat of '97 where nobody had much expectation for this team and they went out and dominated.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 AM ^
game is so important are:
1) to feel something positive about the program for the players, coaches, and fans
2) to get the stench of last year out of the minds of the players
3) this game is important to getting into a bowl. There are 4 games in which Michigan will be heavily favored. This, Eastern, Delaware St, & Indiana. Those 4 games + 2 more wins get us into a Bowl.
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:23 AM ^
Blueblueblue, very good point. It's hard to imagaine several years ago we were pointing to an opener with Western Michigan as having so much significance, but you are absolutely correct. I'm a believer in Rodriguez, I really am, but if we lose this game, anything short of beating Ohio State will cost him his job.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 PM ^
I'd say that as the 1997 season progressed, every game became more important than the last. The PSU game was important because it solidified our ranking. But that Iowa game nearly derailed the whole season.
That said, I can honestly say that in my 23 years as a bleeder of maize and blue, there has never been a game that I've anticipated more than the one happening THREE DAYS (WOO!) from now. The 8+ months of waiting between seasons is agonizing enough, but this time around it has been downright painful.
ALL IN!