Believe
“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” –Napoleon Hill
The above quote was one of Bo’s favorites. When one believes, everything’s possible.
In the 16 seasons between 1985 and 2000, Michigan won 12, Ohio State won 3 and they tied in 1992. Michigan’s football team believed it could—and would—beat Ohio State.
Then, Jim Tressel happened.
In 2000, at the OSU basketball game where Tressel was introduced as the new football coach at Ohio State, he famously asserted that “I’m proud of our young people (at OSU) in the classroom, in the community, and most especially, in 310 days, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the football field.” The Buckeye crowd of course, went NUTS! While he didn’t guarantee a Buckeye victory over Michigan in 2001, he strongly implied it.
He believed.
Then, in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 24, 2001, Ohio State beat Michigan 26 - 20.
Whatever issues we Michigan fans may have with Jim Tressel, he single-handedly brought back belief to OSU nation that Ohio State football not only could—but would—beat Michigan again. And so they have.
In the 17 seasons, 2001 through 2017, OSU has won 14 (OSU vacated the 2010 win due to self-imposed sanctions over NCAA violations). Michigan has won 2.
In those 17 seasons, Ohio State didn’t just thinkthey could win, they believedthey would win.
Michigan on the other hand seemed to approach most of those games hopingthey could win, thinkingthey could win, but not necessarily believingthey would win.
Nothing lasts forever.
Michigan’s run of dominance over Ohio State ended. The Detroit Lions eventually beat the Packers in Green Bay. The City of Detroit is making an impressive comeback I personally doubted would ever happen. The great depression eventually came to an end.
Now that Coach Harbaugh is here and has had the time to fully implement his vision and version of Michigan football, it appears Michigan believes again.
The emerging truth seems to be that Coach Harbaugh has put finally put together the kind of team—but more importantly—the kind of program, that can end the Buckeye’s dominance.
Do we believe in a Michigan win on November 24, in Columbus, Ohio?
November 5th, 2018 at 5:15 PM ^
Anyone who looks past Indiana is a damn fool. Those games have been a sweaty grind every year Harbaugh has been here.
I'm permanently paranoid.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:22 PM ^
hey man -- where can I buy Harbaugh's sweatshirt from this past weekend's game?
Not the one he wore, I want my own
November 5th, 2018 at 5:29 PM ^
https://www.nike.com/t/jordandri-fit-elite-hybrid-michigan-mens-half-zip-jacket-S2HcsN
November 5th, 2018 at 5:52 PM ^
Thanks!
Funny enough, I asked WD on twitter... lol
November 5th, 2018 at 10:31 PM ^
I thought I-STIFF might be trolling WD when i read this...too funny!
November 6th, 2018 at 8:56 AM ^
no troll here, just asking the subject matter expert for (hopefully) a quick response
November 5th, 2018 at 6:42 PM ^
Do you suppose that Harbaugh wrote the one review on the site, about it running a little snug in the arms?
November 5th, 2018 at 8:06 PM ^
Hahaha. This is awesome.
November 6th, 2018 at 8:59 AM ^
what's a brother got to do to get some large sizes here. SMH
November 5th, 2018 at 5:23 PM ^
Indiana is a bit different this year but they still manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when given the chance.
We haven't played them with a decent QB since Rudock in 2015 when all of the DTs were hurt against Jordan Howard. I think we will roll with a healthy defense and Shea at the wheel.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:27 PM ^
Have you seen Michigan play defense and Indiana play offense this year?
November 5th, 2018 at 5:28 PM ^
Michigan 49 Indiana 3
At halftime
November 5th, 2018 at 5:37 PM ^
I mean, the last two years, we had John O'Korn as our QB - last year's on the road - and we still won.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:38 PM ^
Counterpoint: The Actual Thing About Indiana is they never win any of those games.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:45 PM ^
This should really be talked about more. During the Rod/Hoke years, we lost to every single team in the Big Ten... except Indiana.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:55 PM ^
Even Illinois???
November 5th, 2018 at 6:03 PM ^
How could you forget the Roy Roundtree tackled at the one yard line leading to a 99.5 yard drive by Illinois game?
November 5th, 2018 at 6:33 PM ^
Too soon
November 5th, 2018 at 10:43 PM ^
It will never not be too soon
November 5th, 2018 at 6:34 PM ^
Ah!!!
I couldn't get off that page fast enough...
November 5th, 2018 at 6:59 PM ^
Holy moly what a game recap. Ron Zook, Rich Rod, Tate Forcier, Mikel Leshoure, Carlos Brown, 500 yards of offense to Illinois... whew!
November 5th, 2018 at 7:22 PM ^
It's a long climb out of a decade of BPONE.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:34 PM ^
I tend to be paranoid as well, the last 17 years have conditioned us to be so.
But no more. Not with this squad.
This Michigan team is going to march right into Mordor, kill all the orcs, and burn down Sauron’s castle.
Then, since they are in the neighborhood, they will drop by the Horseshoe and bludgeon the hated Bucks into submission.
Can’t wait!!
November 5th, 2018 at 5:15 PM ^
Doesn't matter if we believe.
I am certain that the players believe after watching what happened on Saturday.
Lets beat Rutgers.
November 5th, 2018 at 6:48 PM ^
More importantly, they believe in one another.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:15 PM ^
Do you believe in life after love?
November 5th, 2018 at 5:30 PM ^
I can feel something inside me say..
November 5th, 2018 at 6:00 PM ^
i really don't think you're strong enough
November 5th, 2018 at 6:15 PM ^
Noooo!
November 5th, 2018 at 5:16 PM ^
What's the difference between thinking you will win and believing you will win?
November 5th, 2018 at 5:33 PM ^
thought
1. an idea or opinion produced by thinking or occurring suddenly in the mind.
2. the action or process of thinking.
be·lief
1. An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
2. "trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:34 PM ^
I think this is a serious question, but I can't believe you'd ask it.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:44 PM ^
Believe.
November 5th, 2018 at 7:00 PM ^
They ARE very similar, but belief encompasses the entire groin area.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:55 PM ^
Let the boy WATCH
November 5th, 2018 at 5:18 PM ^
Remember the last couple of weeks of August, when we all said "I can't wait until the season starts and we don't have terrible threads anymore?"
Ah, how naïve we were in the halcyon days of yore...
November 5th, 2018 at 5:18 PM ^
Polar Express?
November 5th, 2018 at 5:34 PM ^
Great movie!
November 5th, 2018 at 8:22 PM ^
Great song from the Lost Boys
November 5th, 2018 at 10:23 PM ^
Not so great version of a great song by The Call (1986)
November 5th, 2018 at 5:22 PM ^
Actual thread is great. I was logging in to neg as a result of the the title. Haha
November 5th, 2018 at 5:30 PM ^
Don't let this post distract you from the fact that Delaney and Da Boyz prevented a Michigan win in Columbus during 2016's edition of The Game.
OSU slappy refs, AKA "da boyz", called phantom penalties on Michigan, gave celebratory taps on the asses of OSU players, and, infamously, placed the ball slightly past the marker on a game ending, overtime stop on fourth down, otherwise known as "The Spot". This led to yet another OSU win, missing out on possible program changing implications for Michigan, and bitter disappointment.
Never forget.
November 5th, 2018 at 5:50 PM ^
There is some truthiness to some of that, but it reads like Cooper-era paranoia and defeatism. Refs didn't throw an interception at the goal line.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:38 PM ^
Spotatrocity
November 5th, 2018 at 5:33 PM ^
Tressel's teams beat Michigan because they played better football. Period.
All this hoo-ha about belief and confidence is putting the cart fifty yards in front of the horse. Belief and confidence that isn't preceded by solid excellence in the fundamentals of football is nothing more than planting a spike in the ground without being able to back it up. Achievement comes first.
Bo Schembechler and his teams were notoriously confident, but that's because the players worked their asses off in practice while being drilled by great assistants like Jerry Hanlon, Jim Young, Bill McCartney, and Gary Moeller.
This year's team is confident because they work their asses off in practice while being drilled by great assistants like Don Brown, Ed Warinner, Greg Mattison, and Mike Zordich, and the results of that hard work are evident in the games.
November 5th, 2018 at 6:04 PM ^
Of course, you are absolutely right. I would argue confidence and belief are the same thing.
November 5th, 2018 at 6:34 PM ^
Tressel is a cheat. Don't forget that.