Rival related rant
September 4th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
I think people are looking at it too simplistically. The committtee is making a big deal about schedules, but even though Michigan's isn't the strongest, I'm sure they'll be fine if they're actually undefeated.
HOWEVA, what if Michigan DOESN'T run the table (let's say they lose a very close game to ND), but beat State and everyone else, and it's far more likely they lose a game anyway. In that case, a big win on the road versus a (presumably) good State team could be huge.
September 4th, 2014 at 8:24 PM ^
I'm late to the party here but I felt compelled to comment. Maybe I'm just a small person, but I want MSU to lose every game they play except one. And the only reason I want them to win one is because they have someone on their schedule I hate even worse. I don't care about the playoff. I don't really care about public perception of the conference. I care about Michigan winning and MSU and OSU losing. I would trade a playoff spot every year for MSU winning one game only and OSU winning none. I'm not proud of what that makes me, but it's the way I feel.
September 4th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^
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September 4th, 2014 at 10:03 PM ^
Hope MSU gets waxed this weekend - & hope we beat them even worse
Sidenote: can we not play "Thunderstruck" at the Big House. That's a way beyond wore out song ...
September 4th, 2014 at 10:30 PM ^
its bad enough that 'little brother' is playing in probably the biggest non conference game of the year. they need to be humiliated. the negligible benefit UM would otherwise get would be dwarfed by the benefit to State.
M fans thinking otherwise are nuts and need to come back to reality. we're not going undefeated. and we're especially not going undefeated AND not making the plyoff.
September 4th, 2014 at 10:36 PM ^
Again, I am not sure why people who think the way you do are not only arguing their point, but are actually arguing that no one could possibly disagree with them except by reason of insanity. Egotism much, bro?
Any rational analysis would see that Michigan gains a lot by MSU winning, and loses nothing. If Michigan beats an unbeaten MSU in East Lansing, it is in front of a national audience with Game Day and everything. If Michigan beats a one (or more loss) MSU, it will be noted in a footnote on the last page of the sports section.
If Michigan loses to MSU, then the result in Eugene is meaningless to us.
Now, do you have an intellectual counter-argument to my intellectual argument, or is the pinnacle of your persuasive talents petty name-calling?
September 4th, 2014 at 10:50 PM ^
You should be much more worried about Sparty's recruiting profile than the pitance of percentile points added to our chances of making the playoff.
M will recruite fine regardless. Buty Dantonio has been too much for us coaching up 2 and 3 star players. We do not want him loading up on the guys he wants.
September 5th, 2014 at 12:25 AM ^
September 5th, 2014 at 6:17 AM ^
Spaty's recruiting profile goes up if they beat Michigan, and goes down if they lose to Michigan. What happens in Eugene is almost meaningless, because Sparty isn't a national recruiter.
Michigan's profile goes up if Michigan wins a big game in east lansing, and doesn't look to gain so much if they win an obscure game in East Lansing, because Michigan IS a national recruiting power.
I am more interested in seeing Michigan benefit than sacrificing that benefit so Sparty suffers, because I am much more a Michigan fan than a Sparty detractor. Others, obviously, care nearly as much to see State suffer as to see Michigan benefit. I am okay with that, unless they start to argue that people who prefer seeing Michigan benefit are "nuts."
September 6th, 2014 at 4:46 AM ^
I think you're engaging in magical wish-fulfillment thinking. What makes you think that if Sparty can beat a top 5 ranked Oregon team, a well-oiled offensive machine, that then Sparty will lay down and let us do a beat-down on them in EL so that we can fulfill our national title aspirations? We had serious issues with the offense last year. Unless we fixed them, and it's hard to tell with Applachian State this year, we're going to have a tough time with Sparty this year. I want us to win, and to feel the glee of mocking Staee and the warm glow of bragging rights, but it's definitely not a given. That being the case, having the Ducks crush Sparty and seeing his spirit broken, would be a good thing in addition to seeing Brian Kelly's face explode on TV.
September 5th, 2014 at 7:54 AM ^
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September 5th, 2014 at 8:33 AM ^
Or a one-loss Big Ten champion versus a one-loss Big 12 or ACC champion. The Big Ten needs to be seen as one of the four strongest conferences in that situation. Winning major OOC games is the only way to do that.
September 4th, 2014 at 10:53 PM ^
September 5th, 2014 at 12:16 AM ^
I will be rooting for State and OSU to lose (because I hate them) and I also think the idea that it's in Michigan's interest for those two to win is just absurd.
Sure, if they win it could help us in the extremely unlikely even that we finish with exactly 1 loss (for the first time since 1991 I think) AND there are at least 5 teams from major conferences with one loss or less. That scenario seems pretty unlikely to play out.
On the other hand, we recruit against both of them and they are our two biggest rivals in our division for the forseeable future. So when you weight how their performance this season may affect their future recruiting against us I don't really buy that it's better for us if they win. On top of that, I think we have a better chance of making the playoff this year if they lose because then it seems more likely that they could have chemistry or confidence issues that make it easier for them to lose again against us.
If people wanna root for them because of B1G pride or because it's fun to root for teams that you know well, I can kinda get that, but I really don't buy at all that it's actually better for Michigan for MSU and OSU to win.
September 5th, 2014 at 6:29 AM ^
The reasoning that MSU or OSU become easier for Michigan to beat when they lose OOC games is a real reach, I think. I think that it is just as plausible, if not more so, that a loss will cause those teams to refocus their efforts, while a win will make them more complacent and falsely confident.
The benefits to Michigan of the perception that the Big Ten is strong rather than weak seems quite clear. We are competing (at east in theory) for that fourth playoff spot, no matter how unikely that scenario is. In no way do MSU and OSU defeats aid us in that cause. So long as Michigan beats those teams later, in no way do OSU and MSU victories this Saturday hurt us; in fact, the reverse is true: beating more highly ranked OSU and MSU teams helps Michigan's playoff profile.
I understand that there are people here who would rather see MSU and OSu suffer than Michigan gain. I don't understand why they wilfully refuse to buy, even hypothetically, that its actually better for Michigan for MSU and OSU to win.
September 5th, 2014 at 6:42 PM ^
Oh What Kind Of World Have We Come To, where the Spartans are the hope for the Big Ten in football?
No. Way. I'm with Sam Webb on this one - the talk is bad enough now. A beat down at the hands of Oregon would be a good thing. Besides, if Michigan doesn't win all their games, what the F difference does it make what the Big Ten looks like? If they do win all their games, it won't matter what the Big Ten looks like. Go Ducks.
Go Blue.
September 6th, 2014 at 8:42 AM ^