Which comes first: Michigan national title or Lions Super Bowl?

Submitted by Hugh Jass on

After watching the Lions play yesterday I started to wonder if they would ever win the super bowl.  Just wondering about the knowledgeable MGObloggers.....

 

Which will happen first

Michigan wins a national championship in football or the Detroit Lions win the super bowl?

That may be too easy since the Lions have been bad for so long.  I also wonder ......

 

Will the Lions win a first round playoff game before Michigan basketball wins a national championship?

We can dream

Mod edit: Title changed to better reflect thread contents. Please remember to make thread titles as informative and concise as possible. JGB.

Jasper

December 23rd, 2012 at 7:32 PM ^

As several others have noted here, there's almost chance of the Lions doing anything great while the Fords own the team. Their micromanagement of affairs might be the single most amazingly underreported sports story in the history of this state. They must have nasty pictures of all the Detroit sportswriters.

FrankMurphy

December 23rd, 2012 at 7:40 PM ^

Things that have a greater likelihood of happening than the Lions winning the Super Bowl while the Ford family owns the team:

1) Ndamukong Suh winning Sportsman of the Year every single year from here on out until he retires

2) The Patriots winning the next five Super Bowls after firing Bill Belichick and hiring Ron Zook 

3) Eastern Michigan running the table and winning the national championship next season

4) The LA Clippers going 82-0

5) Brian Kelly winning a humanitarian of the year award

6) Ryan Leaf coming out of retirement and breaking every major passing record

7) The Big East winning the next five national championships

8) Ohio State committing no major or secondary NCAA violations for the next 20 years

9) Hell freezing over and thawing out (repeatedly)

10) Grandpa Simpson recognizing Missourah

phork

December 23rd, 2012 at 7:59 PM ^

Considering the previous Natty in football for you guys was 50 years previous to 97, I would say the Lions, since Ford will be long gone in 35 years.

LSAClassOf2000

December 23rd, 2012 at 8:18 PM ^

If you look at historic odds for the last four years, you get some intriguing figures. For example, averaging the Super Bowl odds for the Lions in the last week where they were potentially eligible to make the playoffs, their odds of winning the Super Bowl sit around 1,571 to 1 on average. For Michigan football, it falls considerably - the average is about 87 to 1 over the last four years to get to the BCS championship game. For Michigan basketball, it falls further to about 51 to 1 on average over the last four years (obviously, it seems much better recently). So, if the current trends held, Michigan would experience some far more excellent years in a couple sports before the Lions would win the Super Bowl. 

I Bleed Maize N Blue

December 23rd, 2012 at 9:33 PM ^

Michigan NC (even though it seems an uphill battle, given we don't oversign, and current demographics).

The Lions last won a championship in 1957, before there was a Super Bowl.  They have one (1!) playoff win in over half a century of futility.  The best years I can remember were with Barry Sanders, where they'd generally alternate a playoff loss in a weak-schedule season with failing to make the playoffs in a strong-schedule season.

(OK, I wasn't going to look it up, but then I decided not to rely on memory.  In the Super Bowl Era, the Lions made consecutive playoffs in 82-83, and 93-95 .  It felt like alternating, because they otherwise skipped years at the beginning and end of the 90s:  91, 97, 99 [per Pro Football Reference].  Except for 91, it was one-and-done.)

People who talk about blind squirrels and nuts have a point - for other teams.  William Clay Ford is a blind squirrel which also doesn't have a sense of smell.  And maybe doesn't have paws.

There are ten blind squirrels (one Super Bowl appearance, * means win):  Jets*, Ravens*, Bucs*, Saints*, Chargers, Falcons, Titans, Panthers, Seahawks, Cardinals.  It's pretty pathetic when expansion teams get to the Super Bowl before you.  The Bucs started out 0-14 (only to be eventually outdone by the Lions), then 0-12 their 2nd season, before notching their 1st & 2nd wins, beating the formerly hapless Ain'ts, who fired their coach, then the Cards, who also fired their coach.

I expect the Browns, Jags and Texans to make the Super Bowl before the Lions while they are under the curse of William Clay Ford

Michiganguy19

December 23rd, 2012 at 10:07 PM ^

Michigan is on pace to constantly be a top ten team, so they are in the conversation. There aren't that many NFL teams, but I dont think any rational person thinks Detroit is about to be a regular in the top 10 in the NFL.

jdon

December 23rd, 2012 at 11:49 PM ^

I was at the lions game yesterday and left at halftime.  That team is pathetic and plays for stats not victory...

Hoke will win a national title in the next ten years.  count on it.  probably 2015

jdon

 

uminks

December 24th, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^

In a couple years Hoke should have the talent and depth back to normal Michigan standards. That means the team will starg winning B1G championships. Though it is difficult to run the table for an undefeated season.  If Bo had a few good bounces and a few plays here and there he could have won 3 to 4 NC. 

I hope Michigan does win a NC in the next ten years but I would be happy if they turn into a dominate 1 or 2 loss team again! As for the Lions! They look like a team that is totally out of phase, mainly due to poor draft selections and coaching. I don't see a real change until the Ford's sell the team. Junior ran the team after '99 and made a horrible mistake of hiring Matt Millen as the GM, and stuck with him way too long. I was more  hopeful about the current coaching staff a few years back  but after this season it looks kind of like a disaster heading forward.

So yes, Michigan has a much better chance of winning a NC then the Lion' do winning a Superbowl!

True Blue Grit

December 24th, 2012 at 8:46 AM ^

Impossible to say anyway.  The Lions will win only when Ford is gone and they hire a good coach and about 5 years have passed to get rid of all the dead wood players from the old regime.  Michigan could win one any time starting in about 3 years.  

Mgodiscgolfer

December 24th, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^

Michigan will win several national titles, before the lions play in one Super Bowl. I believe there is a hundred year curse on the Lions now that the fifty year curse has passed. The Spartans will win,,,,,, I don't know, something significant not sure what but something before the Lions do anything...... Go Blue! 

BlueHills

December 24th, 2012 at 1:17 PM ^

I'm remember when the Lions were the best team in the NFL. Then again, I also remember when Detroit was called, "The Paris of the Midwest."

That's how old I am...

The Lions will never go to the Super Bowl. Not ever, not as long as Ford owns the team. I don't know why.

Michigan will win a MNC within the next four years.