3 Rivals a year is too many
A lot of us have been speculating why we came out so flat on Saturday. Some say it was talent gap, others say scheme, etc.
My theory is they were mentally and physically exhausted from having to "get up" for yet another rivalry game.
From the lows of the loss of the opening game with Notre Dame to the highs of the MSU win and then going to Columbus to play for a chance to win the conference is just too much for any athlete.
Putting Notre Dame back on the schedule was dumb. They gain more than we do. We have a conference that will give us quality wins. They don't. Fuck them if they are too arrogant, cowardly, or greedy to join a conference. Schedule a home and home with a solid beatable program like Boise, Arkansas, VaTech, Duke, or somebody like that.
Michigan State is and should be our true rival. We share hate, location, and similar quality of talent/coaching with them. This is the only game Michigan should have to "get up" for on the schedule.
Sad to say but it's clear to me now that Ohio State, like Bama, Oklahoma, and Clemson in their conferences just is on a higher level. We shouldn't EXPECT to beat them. It will be nice to beat them every once in awhile but it's like Indiana or Northwestern expecting to beat us...It's silly.
I think going into seasons with this mentality will help both fans and the football program.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:31 PM ^
Perhaps, in part because they have literally one rivalry game to worry about...
November 26th, 2018 at 8:27 PM ^
3 rivals excuse is bullshit. Osu has been and is a better program top to bottom. The truth hurts. The gap is closing though
November 26th, 2018 at 8:30 PM ^
I totally agree
November 26th, 2018 at 8:33 PM ^
The gap is closing? They just put up 62 points against Harbaugh’s best team.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:44 PM ^
I still believe its closing. Hell just in the players Michigan is getting now is way better than 5 years ago
November 26th, 2018 at 9:03 PM ^
Yeah I keep hearing this sentiment but the result Saturday proved the complete opposite. Not sure what to make of it.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:28 PM ^
Saturday was flat out being out coached. Plain and simple.
November 27th, 2018 at 12:39 AM ^
We had a team go into Columbus 2 years ago and lost in triple OT. That team went on to produce several NFL players. This squad was good, but that team was better top to bottom.
November 27th, 2018 at 1:46 PM ^
The '16 team was better.
November 26th, 2018 at 11:22 PM ^
I agree. I can't believe that people are blaming a loss in Week 13 on a loss in Week 1. Or that fact that Michigan had to play a crappy 7-5, geographic rival, MSU team in October. If you can't get up for OSU after the past 15 years, then there's a serious issue within the program.
Also, I don't get the "Notre Dame needs us more than we need them argument". It's almost like people think that Notre Dame can't get other teams to play them. USC is on the schedule EVERY YEAR. Obviously, USC is down right now but they're as much of a college football "blue blood" as just about anybody not named Alabama. Notre Dame plays 5 ACC games every year which means that teams like Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech will rotate through their schedule on a regular basis (they played two of them this year). Notre Dame plays games in Ireland, Yankee Stadium and Jerry World. That have their own freakin' TV network (well, you know what I mean). I'm thinking that they don't need to play Michigan to be visible to the college football world or generate revenue.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:28 PM ^
I agree adding Notre Dame was dumb. I will never agree that we are on the same level as MSU. Never. The talent and coaching levels are not comparable at all.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:31 PM ^
Agree and disagree. M has better talent than MSU. However, I believe that Dantonio is a better coach.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:29 PM ^
see airing of grievances thread below
November 26th, 2018 at 8:30 PM ^
Brian ought to be able to switch on "moderate first" mode, where all posts get moderated before they get published.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:37 PM ^
Good idea, as I'm mentally and physically exhausted because of the OP's theory.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:38 PM ^
Good idea, as I'm mentally and physically exhausted because of the OP's theory.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:31 PM ^
God damnit everyone go to sleep and come back in August.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:39 PM ^
Best take on here. My mind has switched to basketball mode.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:12 PM ^
What would you recommend as the best Sleep Number bed for an eight-month sleep?
November 26th, 2018 at 8:35 PM ^
boo you. Back in my day we’d play all those teams plus a top 5 non-conference (ND was considered Big ten).
November 26th, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
In the season that Desmond Howard won the Heisman, Michigan played at Boston College and then hosted Notre Dame and Florida State. Michigan won the conference that year.
Ohio State won on Saturday because they had better coaches and better players. I love our coaches and players and wouldn’t want to trade, but the explanation for the loss really is this simple. There is no easy way forward.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:49 PM ^
The year we beat USC in the Rose Bowl...it has been done...we lost to Notre Dame and Miami to open the season by...what, 4 points combined...
What I do not like is...we should not be opening the season with Notre Dame...I actually don't mind what happens next year when the ND game is on an OOC island in the middle of the conference season.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:36 PM ^
After the Notre Dame loss you predicted we'd finish 6-6 this season.
I like playing our rivals. That's what makes them our rivals.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:24 PM ^
Big Ten football is about being able to go to a bar in Chicago and talk shit to ND, MSU, OSU and Wisconsin alum and mean it. Northwestern, IU, Purdue, IL, and Iowa folk know their place. MN, Nebraska and PSU are all too far away. Don't get me started about Maryland and Rutgers...
I hate the national championship and the playoff. Yes 97 was great, but most teams don't win every year and having every year you don't win the national championship be a failure sort of sucks. Alabama has had the #5, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3, 3 recruiting class from 2018 to 2008 by a wide margin. Ohio State has been 2, 2, 4, 7, 3, 2, 5, 6, 18, 5 from 2018 to 2009. Sure they have no moral standards and probably pay their players in tattoos or otherwise, but how is anyone supposed to compete with that? Sure Saban is a decent coach, but you give Harbaugh the number 1 recruiting class for 10 years and he'd have just as many national championships. From 2018 to 2008 Michigan was 22, 5, 8, 37, 20, 4, 6, 30, 17, 10, 11. ...and a couple of Hoke's classes didn't develop at all. (see 2013 the #4 class). I want to go back to the day when Michigan was always getting the best players. It's more fun that way. (I think our team was great this year. They just didn't show up versus OSU.)
November 26th, 2018 at 8:38 PM ^
I think it’s more that our coaches and players completely shit the bed, but to each his own. But yeah adding ND to the schedule is kind of pointless for us. We’re a big enough program to where we can afford a loss even with a weak non-conference schedule. We’re not Iowa who has to go undefeated or have a big non conference win to even have a chance. It’s whatever though. Football is entertaining. And better games are more entertaining.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:39 PM ^
3 Rivals is fine.
Notre Dame being one of them is not.
It accomplishes nothing.
Fill that slot with someone from the South or West.
November 26th, 2018 at 11:14 PM ^
actually, if ND is highly ranked at the end of the season and we beat them it accomplishes a lot in terms of strength of schedule and getting into the playoffs.
Playing a cupcake weakened Wisky, Sparty and PSU? What did that gain us? Did it lead to overconfidence?
November 26th, 2018 at 8:39 PM ^
I hate to hit you with history, but the 97 champs swept all three of them.
Stop with all this surrender bullshit!
November 26th, 2018 at 8:55 PM ^
Two were at home, and ND/MSU were nothing special.
November 27th, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^
So you only want to schedule them based on their end of season results? That's pretty hard to do.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:36 PM ^
Those were the days...
November 26th, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
I mean, yeah it’s a bit much, but there really is no way we make the CFP ever without beating OSU.
If we beat Arkansas week 1, then Saturday happens and we go to #7 instead of #7 in the polls instead of #8
November 26th, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
As others have said, having ND/MSU/OSU all on the road in some years is really the part that gets to me. Even when they come to AA, that still means (potential) road games at Iowa, Wisconsin, and/or Penn State (and Iowa and Penn State love to make those night games). That is a lot to ask for a team to go undefeated.
In terms of Ohio State, the talent gap is closing, but man if it feels like they don't just have dudes who make plays. I know hindsight is 20/20, and I tend to be a pessimistic fan, but think about that lofted INT Shea threw to the sideline...tell me you don't picture an M player dropping that (a la last year in the red zone iirc), or the blocked punt that the guy timed and caught perfectly for the TD. Just FEELS like one of our guys would have fallen on the punt, then after 3 plays go nowhere, settle for a field goal.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:54 PM ^
The theory was that we would alternate OSU and Penn State at home.
People did not expect that MSU would remain a difficult opponent for so long.
Whatever. Still would be best if Michigan would get either OSU or MSU was a home game every year.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
Goodness...once upon a time, we played ND and another high-quality OOC rival every year plus MSU plus OSU every year..I wasn't bitching about that.
I'm not happy about the 3 rivals all on the road thing...that needs to get fixed...but this is flat out ridiculous...
November 26th, 2018 at 8:56 PM ^
Back then MSU was a 5-7 to 7-5 team almost every year.
Plus back then Michigan beat OSU about 70% of the time.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:55 PM ^
In fact, that was a year after the Roided Spartans did something that neither Michigan nor Ohio State had much of a propensity to do...they beat USC in the Rose Bowl...
November 26th, 2018 at 8:45 PM ^
You might be on to something as far as exhaustion, but I am glad we resumed the Notre Dame rivalry, as long as we end up with as many home games in the series as they do. This Big Ten season Michigan plays is a bit of a grind. I've never thought highly of Bama scheduling a cupcake or two the last half of the season, but I'm starting to see the merit of it allowing a team to be fresher at the end of the season.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:45 PM ^
No, this opinion is submissive and takes away from THE rivalry, we’re only up by 7 games now all time, now is not the time to give in.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:53 PM ^
Let’s get all the bad takes out of system before the end of this week.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:53 PM ^
We should get rid of the end of the schedule game against OSU. It sucks losing at the end of the year and that is the lasting impression for us for a long time. Play it at the beginning or middle of the schedule. It would be easier to get over in that scenario.
November 26th, 2018 at 8:59 PM ^
WUT?!?!?
That goes back as far as the winged helmet.
Ups and downs. A time will come when Michigan again has a dominant period against OSU.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:14 PM ^
I’ll gladly settle for simply competitive. And before anyone says it, NO, losing every single year is NOT competitive, regardless of the point differential.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:31 PM ^
Dave Brandon agrees with you.
November 27th, 2018 at 3:59 AM ^
"Is there an '/s', Pat?"
November 26th, 2018 at 8:57 PM ^
I agree, too. I've read a lot where football season wears on the players and coaches. I agree with the poster below who said we were different, less intense for the final few games after the gauntlet portion of the schedule ... I suspect OSU was coasting in the games leading up to The Game on shear talent and using a lot of practice time prepping for us .... they seem to do that every year. In fact, I've noticed them lose quite a few games the week prior to The Game over recent years
November 26th, 2018 at 8:58 PM ^
Theres 8 automatic wins on the schedule almost every year. 3 hard games is not too many. MSU sucked this year anyway
November 26th, 2018 at 9:03 PM ^
Nah, its fun. Wish they were split up more in regards to location, but its fine. People are overreacting to one game way too much.
Michigan will beat Ohio State next year assuming the corners come back. Even if Long and Hill leave, they will be right there. All the nonsense about Harbaugh will never beat Meyer is laughable. Dude out-coached Meyer twice. Its not his fault his QBs were Wilton Speight and John O'Korn or that the refs boned Michigan in 2016.
Meyer's overrated. The guy's never faced a moment of football adversity. The second he did, he booked out of Florida before he had to watch the program crater. Then he landed at Ohio State where his recruiting class average player ranking in the Big Ten were: 1, 1, 2, 1, 1. On top of this, he entered a Big Ten that was at its weakest possible point. The best team he played up until MSU in 2013 was a 9-4 Wisconsin team (2013) or an 8-5 Michigan team without its starting QB (2012).
Bitches on the board are gonna whine about 0-4, but its coming. And then they'll clap and squeal and say they believed all along.
November 27th, 2018 at 10:14 AM ^
Urban Meyer is a brilliant coach and horrible human. Can it.
November 26th, 2018 at 9:04 PM ^
I agree that swapping out a gimme tune up Arkansas for ND, just because Harbaugh felt like it, was pretty stupid. It was stupid at the time and a thousand times stupider at this point.
ND was the difference between a 11-1 Michigan and a 10-2 Michigan.
It was also another hard game that the players needed to subject their bodies to.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.