OT-ish: How superstitious would you be for another win over OSU?
So, I would say that I’m a bit superstitious and need the help of the board here. During the summer of 2020, we were all struggling with COVID lockdowns, craziness of the upcoming election, and the losing streak Michigan was on to OSU. I always had the dream of earning my doctorate and figured if I was ever going to do it, the world being locked down was the perfect time to do it. The problem being that I only had a bachelors degree at the time.
I reached out to my undergrad university (not UM) and was quickly accepted to their MAE program and made it known my goal was to get accepted into their Ed.D program after. I was originally planning to do two years for the masters and three years (fastest possible) for the Ed.D degree, only to do the masters in one year.
Well, this past weekend I graduated with my doctorate and I realized that since I have been in grad school, Michigan hasn’t lost to OSU (2020 game being canceled). What is annoying about Ohio teaching license is that we always have to be taking continual education classes to renew our teaching license. The 102 hours I’ve taken the last four years is only good for my upcoming renewal but for the next renewal, I’ll have to do in five years, I’ll need three more credit hours.
My question to the board is, should I take a random class this fall for my 2029 license renewal to ensure another victory over the Buckeyes this fall or let go of the superstition? Also, sorry for any typos. I’m writing this while waiting for jury duty to start here in the city of Columbus.
*Places hand on shoulder*
Son... you take the credit hours. I don't care if you don't need them anymore, but you take the dang credit hours. Every. Single. Year.
Looking to help the team in any way I can, ha.
The laws of physics are the same no matter who wins The Game. But God is on UM's side. When we lose, we're being punished because of too much sodomy.
Let thee overtaketh thine ass
Surely one of the more bizarre questions posed to the board recently. I think a strong OL and defense will have more of an impact on the game than whether you do or do not take a course this year.
Da fuck is wrong with you? Superstitions are the way we impact the game from the couch. How do you not know this?
And I have personal proof this is correct. In 2002 I was watching the Michigan OSU with my ex-wife and her sister. At half we were leading the undefeated and heavily favored Buckeyes 9-7 when those two idiots thought it would be "fun" to switch seats. Now mind you their current seating position in front of the TV was working just fine for the first half (we're up 9-7 remember) but no, THEY JUST HAD TO FUCKING SWITCH SEATS.
For those old enough to remember we ended up losing 14-9 on a late OSU TD and Navarre was intercepted in the end zone on the last play of the game. I was so fucking mad at that insane seat switching but at least I knew why we lost.
Sorry guys.
And the following day was when she became your ex?
You were right to divorce her.
Agreed...I would also suggest renewing the divorce vows...it can't hurt.
In the tense 2nd and 3rd quarters of the national championship game, despite increasingy desperate pleas from my bladder, I remained firmly planted in the chair. It was part of my personal commitment and contribution to 144.
Can I ever know for sure how much of an impact it made? Perhaps not. These things, however, mustn't ever be left to chance.
By the Grace of God, I didn't add peeing myself to the superstition, which I would have adopted only for national championship games, because I was raised with class.
Go Blue!!
You probably stepped on the M before your first test, too.
You know what you need to do.
I am not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.
I'm always at my in-laws' house the day of the The Game because of Thanksgiving. They're not football fans at all and either want to chat through the whole game or else avoid me entirely (their first experience with The Game was 2016). 3 years ago I got sick of being the elephant in the room and decided to go to a bar instead. The last 3 years I've gone to the same bar and ordered the same thing every time. I know exactly where I'll be watching The Game this year, and exactly what I'll be eating.
I feel ya... I also spend Thanksgiving Day at my in-laws, and they are not sports fans. In fact, the TV hasn't ever been turned on since I've been going there - ~17 years! They believe talking is the way to enjoy a holiday. So watching the Lions on DVR is the way I've seen those games. Which worked out for the best, actually, considering how much they used to suck!
Thank you for your service.
My biggest question, currently, is do I start today with a plain or an egg bagel? I mean, there are so many decisions I have to power through that it's a bit overwhelming.
"... our biggest hour. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!"
Everything bagel is the correct answer.
Thank you, Obi-Wan. 😉
And a fragel is worth extra credit.
You do you dude
Haven't changed my shirt in he 946 days since we started the streak against OSU in 2021...but I would refer to myself as mildly superstitious.
Your superstition is a lot of work and probably costs a decent chunk of money. My superstition is light and silly like not washing my Michigan jersey until Michigan loses. It's been hung up dirty in my closet for a while now, thankfully. Superstitions shouldn't be that hard to fulfill.
EDIT: and my superstition is not just against OSU, it's any game. So I washed my jersey after the TCU loss.
Well, continual graduate education or professional development is a requirement to keep a teaching license, so I’ll have to do it in this five year period. It’s just if I want a semester off this fall. Guess I can test the theory by not taking it this fall.
OK well in that case keep it going! The football team is putting in its work. We superstitious fans must do the same.
First of all, congratulations on getting your doctorate. That's something.
My niece graduated U of M this weekend, and we realized in the 3 years she had student tickets (she transferred in 2021) she's never seen a loss at the big house, because there hasn't been one to see. Pretty cool. But I'm not flying her back for games this year!
Dude! Take one (or 3-4) for the team! Prolly gonna need all the help against Texas, Oregon, and maybe even USC (but probably not).
Thank you!
One more win in a row would break them. Like world shattered. So... Whatever it takes
Careful sharing such details.
Tough guy Ryan Day might put a PI on you.
Better make it 6 credit hours just to be safe.
Am I “stitious”? You bet.
My maize Nike “Jumpman” 1/4 zip - has been the staple of my home game day / tailgate attire for three seasons. It’s washed after every game.
I begin setting up our tailgate by 6:04 am (for noon / 3:30 pm kickoffs) - and, play “Freebird” as I pull into the lot.
If it’s working - don’t change a thing.
Congratulations on your academic accomplishments. Go Blue!
More than knocking on wood and less than Jim Leyland.
DO NOT let us down. Take the classes. I am still wearing my same M shirt bought prior to the current streak for every game. Do you part!!!
Although, I admit your part is harder, but that is on you!
Yes, and I'm going to do my part by not watching the game for like the 30th time in row.
I had a messed up dream last night that OSU was absolutely boat-racing us in Columbus this year. It was bad.
You are thinking too small.
If you being in school is related to Michigan beating OSU, then I think you should be in school for the next 20 years at least.
And congratulations on your doctorate.
After experiencing the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows, I'm just not superstitious anymore. I've realized that nothing I do or don't do is going to impact the outcome of the games.
I'm a long time fan of this site. Im also a Buckeye. Let's talk about this.
Jim Harbaugh is a phenomenal coach. Definitely a weirdo, but a fantastic ball coach. He's easily the best coach Michigan has ever had. Jim was the dude. He was YOUR dude. I remember when buckeye fans laughed at Jim harbaugh and wanted him there forever. Before kicking our ass for 3 years, he got spanked for 6 and he even struggled with Michigan State. Hell, Ryan day even kicked his ass once. You can blame Don brown all you want, but Jim hired him. Jim also let the dude go cover 0 and allowed Don brown to let his outside corners play a catch technique in off-man coverage against superior athletes. Talk about rolling the fuckin dice. Jim learned, grew, and improved. It took like 6 years (right? 6 or 7?) but he did it. Did he cheat with the advanced scouting thing? Sure. But Ohio State has always cheated. We've just done it for so long that we know how to get away with it. Doing dirt was so new to Michigan that stallions used his own credit card. If anything, Michigan is just guilty of being so clean that when it was time to be dirty, they fucked it up and got caught. The team you had this past season was so damn good that all the negative press only galvanized the team. They took the least talented team in the modern football era (by standards of recruiting services) and won a goddamn national championship with it. Only Michigan has been able to pull that off. Then just to stick with the theme, you parlayed that national championship into the worst off season I've ever witnessed.
So my question is this. How the fuck does a team take less talent than any other national competitor, develop that talent into a 15-0 undefeated season with a national title, then cap it off by getting 13 players drafted and somehow take a step back? And stop blaming those recruiting misses on Kentucky having a better NIL than you. You just won a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. The revenue your team brought in from merchandise alone probably dwarfs whatever NIL fund Kentucky football has. You know on game days in Lexington, people leave tickets to the games on the hoods of cars in the parking lots? They would rather tailgate then watch their own team. So don't tell me about their sweet ass NIL. You guys went into last summer with one of the top classes in the country. This year at the same time you are what 37th? I read comments on here every day and there is a very small minority of you who say things like "is this normal? I kind of thought our success would be a good thing for us" and someone will be like "idc I'm going to rewatch the rose bowl" or my favorite "I trust the coaches". The coaches? They are in LA right now with the greatest coach you've ever had. Make this make sense.
What’s your point?
Will Michigan “take a step back” this season? Well, they are the National Champions - if they don’t win it all, by definition - they will have taken a step back.
Recruiting? Should Michigan be recruiting at a “higher level”? If so, what exactly is the definition of “higher level”? Based on the average player rating of commits first the ‘25 class - they are Top Ten. What was Michigan’s 247 Team Talent Composite the last three seasons? Probably, mid teens on average - and those teams seemed to do “ok” on the field.
How did they win? It’s combination of effort, commitment, scheme, teamwork, creativity, preparation, and execution. You could call it culture - or focus - but development and coaching were a big part of it.
I’m just curious - with the high level of recruiting the Buckeyes have had for a decade or more - do you think “under-achievers” is a fair and accurate description? If not, why not?
Georgia didn't even make the playoffs this year after going back to back. No one feels like they've taken a step back. So no, that's horse shit. No one is going to say Michigan took a step back if they don't repeat. You know that.
And yes. "Higher level". As in higher than they did before winning a national championship. Is that crazy talk? Give me one good reason why any kid who plays on the O-line, running back, tight end or defense line wouldn't be Knocking down the door to go to Michigan. You shouldn't lose a running back to fuckin Kentucky. You must know this. What offensive lineman doesn't want to play for a head coach who was an offensive lineman, previously coordinated a top 10 victory in a game which he did not throw the ball once, and won a GODDAMN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP?? That alone should have you doing better than 35th in recruiting with 5 kids. And yeah the average is good because there's only 5 fuckin kids and 2 of them are studs. I mean it's a good start but you had like 14 in the class last year at this point and they weren't bums. Jadyn Davis was still a 5 star of low 4 star at the time.
Lol I didn't ask how they won. I watched every damn game. They won because they run counter Trey and power better than anyone in the country. Michigan forces you to play in a phone booth and as soon as you crowd the box, JJ to roman or the best tight end in the country. I can talk about the defense too but I think you get it.
And to answer your question, I think you could argue that we have under achieved. Maybe? I mean name a shitty team that beat us? Georgia? Bama? You? I think those are pretty good teams to lose to. It's not like we've finished outside the top 5.i can't remember the last time we lost 3 games. So maybe slightly underachieved? What do you think though?
The last time the Buckeyes lost three (or more) games in a season - it was the year Fickell was head coach.
247's Team Talent composite goes back to 2015. In the nine seasons of data they have available - OSU's Talent level has been "Top three or better" in 8 of the 9 seasons. The one season they weren't Top Three, they were ranked fifth. In those 9 seasons, I believe the Buckeyes have reached the CFP Championship game one time - and, they lost in that lone appearance. So, do I think they Buckeyes could be "under performing"? Based on the talent level of their roster - year in and year out - the answer is - "yes". Now, to be fair - in several seasons - they were third in talent - behind Bama and Georgia - who are two teams that have recruited at an elite level. FWIW, I would also describe OSU's level of recruiting as elite. And, I think the issue with OSU's recruiting is - balance. Is there enough elite level recruiting - complimented by development - across all position groups?
As for Michigan's recruiting - my opinion is - let's see how this recruiting cycle plays out. In early / mid January - Michigan was preparing for a couple of football games - whereas most coaches in the country weren't - and, those coaches that didn't have a game to play could continue their recruiting efforts.
I can't speak for what "Top 300" prospects are thinking. I do believe the landscape has changed - the transfer portal and NIL have influenced that quite a bit. If you're an OL and in the "Top 300" prospects list - you'd assume that Michigan would be on your radar. This being said - what's the role of the portal and NIL? I'd say Michigan has worked the portal effectively - especially on the OL. If there's one position group where many Michigan fans might feel there's a deficiency - it's WR. The goal would be that long, fast WR. NIL is a different story.
As for "why" Top 300 prospects aren't knocking on Michigan's door? There are several reasons - NIL is one of them - academics is another (some prospects won't pass Admissions) - it could be climate / distance from home - and, culture could be a fourth. Realistically - it's probably a combination of the above - and other reasons could add to the list.
I also think it's worth mentioning the impact of having to conduct camps "further away" from parts of the country that have a deep density of talent. The decision by the NCAA about a decade ago - which I believe favored the ACC and SEC - is ridiculous.
You need to take those classes and our next QB needs to keep drawing smiley faces on their hand!
WC? I can do this all day ... you might want to want to rethink your current behaviors toward me and others.
I've noticed in my life, wherever I have lived the sports teams tend to do really good +/- a few years of my arrival and then tank after I leave. So I think the only logical thing is for me to remain living in Michigan for the rest of my life.
Exhibit A: 1980-1984. Tigers World Series.
Exhibit B: 1988-1992. Basketball Natty. Fab Five. Desmond Heisman. Bad Boys titles.
Exhibit C: 1995-2003. Football Natty. Hockey Natty. Woodson Heisman. Wings Championships. Pistons foundation for championship (stretch?).
Exhibit D: 2020-now. Football Natty.
When I live out of state the football program tanks. However when I'm in state the basketball program stinks...
1984-1988 I was in Chicago. Bears win Super Bowl. Bulls draft Jordan.
1992-1995 in Kansas City. Bunch of AFC title games (damn you Jim Kelly)
2003-2020 in Oregon. UofO program builds into a football powerhouse and their basketball program sees success they haven't had in ages. Blazers are "meh". Seahawks make it to their only Super Bowls in franchise history.
Can you make please live in-state for football season and then move out every year for basketball?
The rest of us would really appreciate that.
Redacted due to user posting comment in wrong thread.