Time to Revise our List of Archrivals?
Given that until this year we hadn't played Notre Dame for four years; and, after next year, will not play them again for the foreseeable future, would it not be appropriate to revise our list of football archrivals to include (1) OSU, (2) MSU, and (3) PSU? We play each of these schools every year, and every year these four teams will likely be competing for the B1G East title. Also, given the disdain we have for Pedo State, its delusional fanbase, and its sad coach, it would not be a much of a leap to tab them as archrivals.
"To Hell with Notre Dame" is a timeless line; but, when we're not playing them anymore, it becomes somewhat of a hollow statement. And, BTW, by revising the list, Harbaugh's record against our archrivals becomes 5-7; and soon to be above .500.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:05 AM ^
Yeah I don't really care for Notre Dame and would prefer for them not to occupy a spot on the schedule. Would rather play home and homes with the likes of Washington, Arkansas, Va Tech etc.
But yeah, Fuck Penn State.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:34 AM ^
5-6, (2-2 vs msu, 3-1 vs psu, 0-3 vs osu). OP, If you are going to try to come up with something subjective like this, you have to get the objective parts right. The last thing we need is to concede another loss that didn’t happen.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
He's just reverse jinxing our last game in November.
November 13th, 2018 at 11:08 AM ^
Where are Rutgers and Illinois? Those are critical rivalries that define each season!
November 13th, 2018 at 7:42 PM ^
They define when I schedule my Fall vacation.
November 14th, 2018 at 7:56 AM ^
My bad. I apparently still counted the ND loss from this season. So, Harbaugh will be over .500 against our archrivals even sooner. No reverse jinx needed. Go Blue -- pound the bloody snot out of OSU!
November 13th, 2018 at 9:40 AM ^
I hate ND but also don’t think of them as that huge of a rival. In the big picture of how many years we have played football compared to how many games we have played against them it’s far from being a rival they aren’t even in our conference
To hell with them I would only schedule them for a home and home maybe once a decade and go after national schools like Washington Texas USC. Spread our brand and get in front of more recruits
November 13th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
Agree completely. I could go for an every other year type thing. I think the "rivalry" is primarily based on us teaching them the sport and us both having two storied programs in close proximity. All of which make it a cool rivalry. But the level of passion/hate between the programs nowhere near rivals UM v. OSU or MSU or even PSU.
November 14th, 2018 at 5:21 AM ^
There is also the whole winning-est team thing, and ND used to be (and may be this year) a bigger hurdle to the National Championship than State.
If we lost to ND, then an NC run was over in September.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:47 AM ^
Same, also can we get rid of rutgers and MD please?
November 13th, 2018 at 11:04 AM ^
...and their delusional JoePa loving fan base?
November 13th, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
I hate ND and have bumped them below Mich St and Penn St in my book, but you'd rather play Arkansas and Va Tech instead? I don't think either of those programs are particularly appealing or interesting and a win (or even an ugly close L like this year) vs ND goes much further than a similar outcome vs Ark, VT or Wash.
November 13th, 2018 at 12:04 PM ^
Better yet just Fuck Penn State!
They (and JoePa) lost any semblance to football 'tradition and honor' when they covered up a pedophile. IMO they should've been kicked out anyway so whether we play them or not matters not to me.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:06 AM ^
Most people will disregard you because “tradition” but yes, if things keep going the way they have the last few years, PSU is going to become rival 3.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:26 AM ^
Most wins and best win percentage are both historical and ongoing at the same time and can’t be discounted. For the youngins, Penn State has been a more meaningful game the last few years, but ND vs. Michigan is special.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
Compare the ticket prices for home games vs PSU and ND. Notre Dame game will be far more expensive. I'd say compare it to an OSU game also, but it's not really an apples:apples situation there. Last game of the year, cold as hell, and on a holiday weekend.
November 13th, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
The last time we played OSU at home with a B1G title on the line was 2003. If the 2006, 2016 or 2018 games were in Ann Arbor, the prices would have been astronomical.
November 13th, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^
Freshman year, baby!
November 13th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^
Well hell...if we're gonna go full bore revision let's go FULL BORE REVISION.
Our new rivals are Indiana, Rutger and Maryland. Harbaugh is undefeated in rivalry games!
November 13th, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^
I tend to think of our rivalries in the grand context and not just over a decade span.
So, to me it will always be:
1. OSU
2. ND
3. MSU
And that's it.
Yeah, over the past 10 years MSU has been more of a pain than ND, but that's just a 10 year run of good fortune for MSU and a lack of playing ND. In the grand scheme, MSU has been (and probably will continue going forward) more of a nuisance than anything.
And Penn State has also been lotheworthy of late, but that's separate from a rival in my opinion. It's a different hate than rival hate.
November 13th, 2018 at 11:07 AM ^
If you are indeed thinking grand context, then you sure as hell better include East Dakota.
If Chicago still had a football team I'd include them as well.
November 13th, 2018 at 1:52 PM ^
The Maroons certainly still have a football team!
https://athletics.uchicago.edu/sports/fball/index
I'd rather play Chicago than Middle Tennessee next year just for historical lolz. Might be dangerous for Chicago though.
November 13th, 2018 at 6:50 PM ^
Hear Hear!
I get that for a significant portion of the younger fanbase UM-ND is ancient history. For me, the three decades of renewed rivalry starting in the 80's etched ND's place on the list for me. Throw in the continual battle for best winning percentage in NCAA history and I think this keeps this rivalry on top. Maybe UM-MSU stays relevant, but history suggests MSU returns to "occasional annoying upset" status.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:11 AM ^
1) OSU
2) Urban Meyer
3) Columbus, Ohio
4) Brutus the Buckeye
5) MSU
6) Illinois
7) Eastern Michigan
8) Penn State
Others Receiving Votes: Notre Dame, Scott Frost, Pete Finebaum, Rob Ass.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:28 AM ^
Here I thought it was:
1. Delaney
2. Big 10 refs
3. Shitty colleges with the word “State” in it
4. Rutger
5. Illinoises (they get the extra s from Rutger)
November 13th, 2018 at 11:01 AM ^
also also receiving votes: scott frost's mom
November 13th, 2018 at 9:11 AM ^
Saying "To Hell with Notre Dame," will never be a hollow statement. I tend to use "Fuck Notre Dame," more often than not but "to hell.." should never go extinct. I despised them as a kid, I despise them now and I will continue to despise them even though we will no longer play after next season. Screw that school, screw their fans, screw the ACC for allowing them to be a part time conference member, screw NBC for continuing to have that contract with them for their home games. Screw them forever. I'll still think of them as a rival regardless.
Penn State is a dick and I really hate them. But they're not a rival.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:21 AM ^
Our rivals are OSU, MSU and ND. ND won't be on the schedule as much, but they don't get booted b/c of that. We can hate other teams, but your rivals hold that distinction for bad blood on the field and LONG STANDING rivalry between teams and fan bases.
Lakers and Celtics.
Manchester United and Liverpool.
Barca and Real Madrid.
The NFL and The Patriots
Hate other teams all you want, but it doesn't make them an out and out rival, at least in my opinion.
November 13th, 2018 at 12:29 PM ^
Red Sox and Yankees
Dodgers and Giants
November 13th, 2018 at 9:26 AM ^
1,000% agree--fuck ND. They'll always be #2 behind Ohio State to me.
But I think it largely depends on when & where your formative years occurred. I'm almost 40 and from the south side of Chicago. Meaning, when I was a kid, ND was not only really good, but had a ton of annoying fans in my neighborhood. Whereas MSU was, and had been, ass. And I didn't know a single MSU fan growing up. So I had very little Sparty animosity--they were just another game on the schedule.
Now, I can see how a kid currently in his 20s who grew up in Michigan wouldn't care that much about ND, but would have a great deal of distaste for Sparty.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:05 AM ^
I can say that you correct because I’m in my mid 20s and my actual order would go as:
1. MSU
2. OSU
3. Notre Dame
Im sure people will neg me for this take but Sparty fuck stick fans are 100 times worse then OSU fans. In my lifetime, I can think of ONE time Michigan has beat OSU that I watched an actually cared about. OSU has done a lot of winning and imo you can do some talking when you win, especially a lot. I hate them a lot don’t get me wrong, but MSU is just on another level of hatred for me. Their fans are uneducated, brash, hypocritical and beyond annoying. I’m sure some of the older Mgobloggers feel that hate for OSU and I hope I can see that rivalry at its best (I’m confident I will). As for ND, fuck em, I hope they lose but if we lose to them I don’t hear much from their fans. But again, fuck MSU.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:30 AM ^
You didn't have the glorious childhood that I did. Between the ages of 5 and 21, we lost to OSU just three times. But their fans still did plenty of talking. They would lose, be miraculously quiet for a few days and then start talking crap for the next year's game. I was always dumbfounded over how much sh*t talking a fan base could do despite losing this game year after year after year. Buckeyes are programed to talk no matter what the situation.
MSU fans were annoying before Dantonio but were nowhere THIS unbearable. So I see your point there.
November 13th, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
Your post is interesting and made me think...
Should we call the folks that became Michigan fans between 2007-2015 Michigan fandom's "greatest generation"? I mean, to hitch your wagon to the program during that period of time required some tremendous loyalty.
November 13th, 2018 at 1:39 PM ^
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, ND was actually our #1 rival, OSU #2, and MSU #3. Because we beat OSU almost every year -- it wasn't really a rivalry game. ND, on the other hand, went back and forth every year with some epic clashes.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:43 AM ^
Could not have articulated my sentiments better than that, WH!
November 13th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
I was going to write something, but you've captured my opinion on Notre Dame and who our rivals are completely.
Michigan's duty to the rest of College Football is to beat ND early in the season, and then we all can avoid a whole autumn of senility about how awesome they are. This season is a good example, but there are countless others.
November 13th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
100% in sync with your sentiments. Wish I had seen this before I posted my weak ass lambasting of ND and FPSU (Fuck Penn State)
November 13th, 2018 at 9:18 AM ^
The only time someone gets off the archrivals list is to destroy them so completely that they give up football altogether. See Univ of Chicago.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:19 AM ^
You can create whatever list you want. Imhe, OSU will always be our main rival athletically. MSU will always be an annoying thorn in our side, but I'm hoping they become much less relevant going forward. ND is closer to Michigan academically and in terms of football history.
If you bring up a list of teams ranked by wins, Michigan is at the top. Closely behind are OU, Texas, OSU, and ND. Bama, Nebraska, and PSU follow after.
LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_football_teams_by_wins
In winning percentage, it is Michigan, followed by OSU and ND, with Bama and Oklahoma in the same vicinity.
Thus, in terms of wins, winning percentage, history, academics, and geographical proximity, OSU and ND are clearly our rivals. (ignore academics for OSU, although they have improved a lot in the last 20 years.) PSU, Bama, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska have some of the markers, but aren't in the same neighborhood as OSU and ND.
EDIT: And whoever called Rutgers a rival is an idiot. That joke is about played out. Multiple teams hate Michigan, and we are big on their enemy list. MSU and even Illinois fall in this category. But I maintain that OSU and ND have been rivals and will continue to be rivals. Whether or not PSU replaces ND, it is too soon to tell. I am wondering if the wheels are going to fall off for Franklin and PSU. We shall see, but I think this year will be more of the norm for them.
Here is a link for PSU vs. UM: http://www.winsipedia.com/penn-state/vs/michigan
Here is the same for ND vs. UM: http://www.winsipedia.com/notre-dame/vs/michigan
November 13th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
I can't hate ND fans. Every single ND fan/grad I've ever met has been a decent sort of person in my limited interactions with them.
I too would like to keep them as rivals.
November 13th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^
Yeah, I am with you. My wife's family are ND fans and I've been to a number of ND games. I love their campus, enjoy the pageantry, and hope to God that Michigan beats them at every opportunity. But I have no hate for ND, just love them as a rival.
I always look forward to a Michigan v ND game.
November 13th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
Ditto...
MSU on the other hand are commonly shitty people.
I just started a new job... one of the directors here is a MSU grad. He spent the entire welcome lunch on the first day telling me what a scumbag I am for going to Michigan, how many Michigan people he has working for him but not reporting to anyone from Michigan, and how much hatred he has for anything Michigan.
I asked him was there a "welcome to the firm" in there somewhere.
In every interaction with every client so far, I've seen him weave a personal Michigan State story into the conversation.
November 14th, 2018 at 3:21 AM ^
Did you congratulate him on their win over Ohio State?
November 15th, 2018 at 8:21 AM ^
It's best not to engange him at all. Biggest racist, sexist, ahole I've met so far... but he brings in the most money so the company looks the other way.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:23 AM ^
Hard for me to think about arch rivals being anyone other than MSU & OSU. I just enjoy beating Notre Dame & Penn State. With OSU & MSU, there’s gnashing of teeth the entire game towards their coaches, their players & their fans.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:27 AM ^
Definition of rival: to be or seem to be equal or comparable to.
Its twisting the definition of "rival" by including them in the list in the first place.
Whatever the list of rivals is, if they're included, MSU should be at the bottom because that's the spot they occupy in their own minds.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:28 AM ^
Surprised no one has mentioned Minnesota yet. Not much of a rivalry, per se, and we don't exactly play them all the time...but at least that has history and trophy to it. Penn State is...ugh. I'd rather say we only have two rivals OSU/MSU than give Penn State the satisfaction of thinking they're one of them. They deserve the Illinois treatment.
November 13th, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
Because of The Little Brown Jig, Minnesota remains on the list. Due to Big Ten scheduling, we won't play them much for a while which really pushes the rivalry into the background. However, the Jug is a thing and we've had the upper hand in this rivalry for a long time.
As I have previously proposed, during years we don't play Minnesota, we should treat the Rutger game as a Minnesota game and play for the Jug. Rutger may like be called Minnesota for a week each season. Also gives us a better reason to play Rutger.
November 13th, 2018 at 7:46 PM ^
They're even farther East than East Dakota is . . . I like it.
But they don't get to touch the fucking Jug.
It's New Jersey, we can play for penicillin shots.
November 13th, 2018 at 9:30 AM ^
What is wrong with having OSU and MSU as the rivals? Why do we need a third?