ESPN Hot button topic (edit) "The Ten Year War II"
Good write up on how both Michigan and Ohio and how Hoke and Urban will not be able to recreate what Bo and Woody did.
"Not that Hoke and Meyer can't ascend to approximately their level at their respective schools, but rather that the allure of Woody and Bo came in their intertwined history before Schembechler even reached Ann Arbor. Schembechler played for Hayes at Miami (Ohio) and coached under him at Ohio State."
August 20th, 2012 at 7:18 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 8:15 PM ^
And the connection to Meyer is....
August 20th, 2012 at 8:41 PM ^
He once coached at Michigan's Pac-12 archrival, Utah. Utah played SDSU in basketball last year. SDSU basketball is coached by Steve Fisher. Steve Fisher coached Jalen Rose. Jalen Rose called out Mary Sue Coleman on Twitter.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:44 PM ^
But it doesn't stop there. Meyer coached at Florida, where Tim Tebow was the QB. Tebow considered committing to Michigan. Also, Urban's last name is "Meyer" and Meijer" is a multi-state super-store based in Walker, Michigan (but originally Greenville). Lastly, Hoke and Meyer are both from Ohio, which is the state where OSU is located.
August 20th, 2012 at 9:53 PM ^
least we forget, they've both had the same guy as defensive coordinator.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:20 PM ^
All they need to do is string together 2 or 3 very competitive games and ESPN will play it up to levels far beyond the ten year war. Down the road people may look at it and think "hmmmm, there's not much to make a documentary on here besides the fact that they were good football games," but we can have fun in the mean time.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:28 PM ^
Hey, I'm always down with ESPN or any other news source hyping Michigan-OSU.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:46 PM ^
Well, the local ESPN (Columbus) affiliate sure was talking about the rivalry today...more bitching than anything.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:48 PM ^
Tell ya what, the local ESPN radio is pretty bad, at least here in LA. You'd think it would be good, but it's almost unbearable.
August 20th, 2012 at 9:45 PM ^
After having spent the last 5 years living in LA, and hearing the local slappies slurp up USC, the Lakers, the Dodgers, etc...I was glad to finally move away so I wouldn't have to listen to those clowns anymore.
I once was listening to the Mason and Ireland show talking about college football, and a recruit that USC and Michigan were both chasing, and one of them made a comment that Michigan isn't even known for good football, so why would he want to go there. I almost swerved off the road, I was so shocked! I couldn't believe that somebody who works in SPORTS for a LIVING, and in a major market, could say something so stupid. I couldn't tell which one of them said it, but luckily the other immediately corrected the fool, saying that Michigan is the winningest football program, etc. So, at least one of them isn't a total buffoon, but the other is a complete jackass, who knows nothing outside of his LA bubble.
August 20th, 2012 at 10:40 PM ^
I guess that is understandable, WiLA. They just don't get into sports here on the west coast. Same holds true up here in the Bay area for everything but 49er's. Only good sports radio I have ever experienced is East of the Mississippi. (Maybe Texas also, but haven't been there for too long.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:27 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 8:02 PM ^
just my 2 cents but i dont see Meyer coaching at ohio by the time the next decade rolls around.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:11 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 8:13 PM ^
Thats one thing i disagree with,i think ohio will be left in bad shape when he leaves. not a tire fire but i dont think he leaves because he is done coaching. ohio has a history of their coachesnot leaving on their own terms.
August 20th, 2012 at 11:49 PM ^
The history is definitely behind him leaving...not of his own volation. OTOH he's going to have some success with Tressel's roster, at the least, and might be able to keep a coordinator or two at Ohio to hand the reigns over to when he abruptly retires or is cought sending emails ending in Happy Easter !! Go Bucks !!
August 20th, 2012 at 8:53 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 9:58 PM ^
agree on the end of decade departure, but my take is, if he is still healthy, he's headin' to the nfl.
August 20th, 2012 at 10:03 PM ^
Unless his goal is to end his career by beating Nick Saban at something (which he won't at OSU or in the NFL) he'll be staying in college for a while.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:35 PM ^
The Ten Year War was a product of the media. If the two schools have high-end rosters and produce quality football games, then we will get all the hype and all the attention again.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:50 PM ^
It wasn't just a product of the media, it was also a product of OSU and Michigan being by far the two dominant teams in the conference, winning every conference championship from 1968 to 1980. Check out the scores of other Big 10 games during that era, it was rare for either team to win conference games by fewer than 10 points.
Edit: I just did a rough count, and during the years from 1968 to 1980, OSU and Michigan lost a total of 8 games to other conference teams.
Edit 2: Michigan State did win a share of the Big 10 championship in 1978.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:03 PM ^
I don't know about only losing eight conference games between the two schools over the next twelve years, but they could conceivably sew up their respective divisions year in and year out. Maybe if we play Ohio twice a few years The Game will hog headlines again.
August 20th, 2012 at 10:09 PM ^
wish it would but it won't happen again. scholarship limits have changed. no more 100+ person benches, and being able to lock up every top flight recruit. media exposure has changed also, more exposure equals diluting talent. plus, we have stronger teams in b1g with nebraska, and maybe someday psu again.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:43 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 7:36 PM ^
What's a "tompic"?
August 20th, 2012 at 7:38 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 7:43 PM ^
Is that a thing? BTW
August 20th, 2012 at 7:41 PM ^
I said when Meyer was hired that this was going to be the Ten Year War II. I also said that Michigan and Ohio would DOMINATE the conference and be top 10 teams year after year again.
I'm excited for the upcoming years...watching Dantonio slide into mediocrity will be just as amusing.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:49 PM ^
Dantonio has done a good job of building a contender at Sparty, we will best them most times going forward I do believe, but if he stays there, they will be a challenge and not just fodder like they've been so often.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:52 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 8:10 PM ^
What is with some posters lately. It seems like every time someone posts a semi-positive comment about MSU there's always a post right underneath, "Yeah sure whatever Sparty Troll! You Suck!"
Just a PSA for everyone, there's really only one MSU troll here, and that's Beachbum69. There's a few app trolls too, but they're really obvious about it
August 20th, 2012 at 9:19 PM ^
I'm not sure how I was mistaken for a sparty when I stated that I think "we will best them in most years". Reading comprehension please, get a hold of your tempers guys.
August 25th, 2012 at 2:39 PM ^
You catch Michigan with a coach who doesn't recruit the state and has the worst record in the school's history. You catch Ohio on probation.
Dantonio walked into a dream situation.
August 20th, 2012 at 7:50 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 7:56 PM ^
There will NEVER be another 10 year war where it's just those two teams mattering in the conference. The whole core of the Ten Year War was not only having Bo vs Woody but those two teams being THE powers in the Big Ten. Nobody else was worth a shit.
Plus, it always had a grand finale feel. Now, if the teams are good enough and win their divisions, that regular season meeting won't mean as much as getting the win in the B1G Championship game. That's why I think the B1G has ruined the traditional setting of the rivalry. But times change and it's nice to have a conference title game.
I hate when people make comparisons to that era. Nothing will top that. Ever.
August 20th, 2012 at 8:09 PM ^
August 20th, 2012 at 8:43 PM ^
Those of us too young to have lived through that will have our own golden age memories, though. Hoke vs Meyer may well be as important to us as Bo vs Woody was to you, despite the differences in college football as a whole.
August 20th, 2012 at 9:10 PM ^
Is the fact of 85 schollies, back then you didn't have that restriction and it made it easier for U-M and ohio to stock pile talent.
Also, now you have so many teams on TV that the other schools were helped in evening out the playing field, sort of speak. So kids can get exposure everywhere as opposed to a hand full of teams.
August 20th, 2012 at 9:02 PM ^
except hes a lot better at recuiting. He also knows how to coach a defense.