Win vs. MSU or OSU?

Submitted by StephenRKass on

I already replied to post about "pressure is all on Michigan and Rodriguez" that I don't think it matters whether we win or lose vs. State. I think we definitely beat Purdue, and at least one other game this year, which keeps RR off the proverbial "Hot Seat."

However, thinking about MSU and whether or not it was a "must win" got me thinking about OSU. At this point, I would sooner take a record of 8 - 4, provided that included a win over OSU, than a record of 11 - 1, with a loss against OSU.

What about you? If you had to choose one victory between MSU and OSU, which would it be? Not living in Michigan, and having relatives at OSU, and with OSU being our real rival (rather than our "Little Brother,") I want a win against OSU more than anything else in the rest of the season.

EDIT:  If you respond, please say whether or not you live in Michigan (or have relatives affiliated with Michigan State in some way.)

YakAttack

October 5th, 2010 at 11:57 AM ^

I live in Michigan, and have many MSU alum relatives.

EDIT- But seeing OSU Munson away their National championship hopes is a nice consolation prize.

MDave

October 5th, 2010 at 2:15 PM ^

Definitely OSU more than MSU and I live in Michigan.  Now the 11-1 or 8-4, definitely 11-1.  Now on the other hand, I will be at the game this Saturday, and I don't know if I can bear a loss to MSU with being there.   

octal9

October 5th, 2010 at 1:03 PM ^

But if we lose to MSU again this year we'll never hear the end of it. I'm not even kidding; we could beat them for the next 30 years straight and we'd still be hearing "yeah well we beat you three times in a row that one time so there!"

edit: We're going undefeated though, so it renders this exercise moot

Wolvmarine

October 5th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^

yeah, cause every day some State fan brings up that 3 year win streak in the 1960's that State had over Michigan./s  While loosing now 3 years in a row would suck real bad.  In the grand scheme of things it doesn't mean as much.  Look at our record against the Cooper coached Buckeyes and those seem like a distant memory.  Michigan State fans cannot argue on history or tradition so why would they do it with a 3 year win streak? 

They will try but in a decade when its all said and done:  Dantonio is fired for turning into Bobby Williams and John L. Smith, and we have a few Big Ten titles, a National Championships, and a Heisman Trophy winner in our corner.......is State fan really going to talk about a 3 game win streak? 

YouRFree

October 5th, 2010 at 12:00 PM ^

Who knows what's going to happen in the OSU game. I would say MSU.

this W will keep RR's job. and it's easier than the W for OSU game. At least i know DR is healthy and we can beat anybody now.

btjabrone

October 5th, 2010 at 12:01 PM ^

Beating OSU is more important - we have been losing to them for far too long now. That said, I don't think I'd take your 8-4 with an OSU victory over 11-1 with an OSU loss. 11-1 (7-1) would be an amazing leap for this team and would have us heading to the BCS. If we go 8-4 that means from here we are 3-4. I don't think my little heart can take that.

Parkersback

October 5th, 2010 at 1:05 PM ^

I'd vote you up on that.

I grew up 20 mins. outside of Ann Arbor, but that's irrelevant.

It's always, always, always OSU.  There's lots of reasons for it to be that way this year--losing streak is longer than MSU, could ruin their undefeated season--but even if there was no reason, it's always OSU. 

I'd have to think about this some more, but I'd maybe prefer that we lost the rest of our games, except we beat OSU, as opposed to winning all the rest of our games, but then lose to OSU.

bouje

October 5th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^

And it shouldn't even be close.
<br>
<br>They are our #1 rival. They will most likely be big dogs going into the game at the shoe and msu will not be good by the end of the year.
<br>
<br>People will remember a Michigan win in the shoe against a top 10 team. No one cares about a win over little brother.
<br>
<br>It would do much more for rr and the program to beat osu

dakotapalm

October 5th, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^

No. Just stop.

These hypotheticals are not related in anyway; a victory/loss vs. Michigan State has no bearing on OSU (unless it reveals some strategic deficiency, but that can happen in a win or a loss).

In what sort of Faustian world would we have to choose between the two?!

 

Argh.

 

LaurenNolan

October 7th, 2010 at 1:40 AM ^

agreed these types of questions kill me but as someone who has to deal with MSU and OSU fans on a regular basis I thought I would comment.

W or L I tend to ignore all of my MSU relatives like you do with an annoying little brother.

 

OSU fans on the other hand you really can't ignore....
 
For example I have to be in Cincinnati tomorrow for work, so I had to drive through Ohio.  At a gas station I was trying to figure out what oil to get and a man came up to me and said "you'd better watch yourself lil girl"  to which I replied "excuse me?"  
 
then the man pointed at my Michigan t shirt and said "this here's buckeye territory" ....
 
only in Ohio do I take comments like that seriously.

oakapple

October 5th, 2010 at 12:09 PM ^

There is not much point in asking for a choice that doesn’t exist in real life. The two games are independent: winning one doesn’t preclude winning the other.

Having said that, I think it is more important to end MSU’s two-game winning streak, to re-establish in-state dominance, and to send a message to fence-sitting recruits who are still wondering if Michigan can keep winning.

If the choice were 11-1 with a win over MSU, or 8-4 with a win over OSU, I would unhesitatingly choose the 11-1 record, as it would practically guarantee a BCS bowl. The losing streak to OSU will end in due time. What is most important is to re-establish Michigan’s national recruiting profile, which can only be done by winning.

Remember that 8-4, although you’d gladly take it after 8-16 the last two years, is still below Michigan’s historic average: during the Bo/Mo/Carr years, we would have considered it a sub-par season.

StephenRKass

October 5th, 2010 at 12:12 PM ^

I thought about the stupidity of such Faustian bargains before posting. I want Michigan to beat BOTH MSU & OSU. Just sayin, OSU is a lot more important to me, and I think, like Bouje said, will have a much more lasting impact. I don't know who won the UM - MSU game in 1969. I do know who won the UM - OSU game.

I will say, if Denard and the O-Line stay healthy, I actually think Michigan can realistically win against any one of our remaining opponents, including OSU. I truly have drank the koolaid, and henceforth, have lost touch with reality. In my reality, Michigan will not lose again.

Bigasshammm

October 5th, 2010 at 12:13 PM ^

I'm surrounded by fat idiots that can't let me and my family go anywhere without slurring obscenities at us if I have a M hat or shirt on. I hate all things Columbus and really hope they lose every game. My greatest season would be a 0-12 tOSU season. But that only happens when I hit the pillow.

 

Go Blue

Buck Fucks. (I guess that works either way lol)

DenverRob

October 5th, 2010 at 12:17 PM ^

Out of state, sister went to MSU.

I cannot stomach another loss to OSU. A loss leaves me with grey days in the winter, misery for a year, and OSU fans talking more.

anwonadell

October 5th, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^

I'm from Michigan, and it's OSU. As mentioned previously, they are the #1 rival. Sweater-vest has been accumulating a nice little streak, and I'd love to see it snapped. I also really want to see us beat Pryor while he's still there.

Plegerize

October 5th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^

I go to Central and there are a TON of Spartan fans up here. I also have a lot of Spartan friends who go to State. Despite me being surrounded by them, this is an easy choice: Ohio State.

I can stomach another loss to MSU if it meant beating OSU this year. Honestly I think one of the reasons it's been tough to deal with MSU/OSU (and their fans) these past 2 years is because we haven't beaten either one. I firmly believe if we beat OSU, I would feel all that pain go away regardless of a win against MSU.

The focus would be removed from MSU and directed all on OSU like it should be, and if Spartan fans give us crap, we could just say we don't care, cause we beat OSU this year and that's the only one that truly counts.

bleednblue

October 5th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^

I would take the OSU win in a heartbeat.  Beating a highly ranked OSU team and effectivley ending their national championship hopes, and perhaps TP's heisman bid as well, would be considerably more awesome than beating little bro IMO.

jb5O4

October 5th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^

Am I the only out of stater that doesn't care too much about the MSU rivalry? I know it's big but not having lived in Michigan except to attend UM I don't know any MSU people to hate on. Notre Dame and OSU are always more disappointing losses and greater wins than MSU.

JamesBondHerpesMeds

October 5th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^

...you're not the only one.  I can handle an MSU loss because I see a lot of State alums on a daily basis at my firm, and we can at least talk cordially about the game's ups and downs.

But when Ohio State wins, my facebook wall gets firebombed by a bunch of OSU alum punks (who, 364 days of the year, are my friends) from Seattle to the UK.  I have no ability to respond to them, face to face, with a roundhouse kick of love.

Logan88

October 5th, 2010 at 12:43 PM ^

I grew up in Ohio (stil live here) and I wasn't even really aware that UM had a rivalry with MSU when I was young. I have grown to dislike MSU because of their obnoxious behavior the last two seasons and Dantonio is just such a douche, but they are still pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of the college football landscape. Beating OSU is so much more important than beating a good, but not great, MSU team.

However, for this season, I feel MSU is a must win game for RR along with Purdue and Illinois. There is no way in hell UM should ever lose to medicore programs three years in a row, so wins over the three aforementioned teams is critical this season.

Dix

October 5th, 2010 at 12:32 PM ^

Remember all that complaning about moving the OSU game to earlier in the year?  The answer is obvious.

I'd have been willing to have MSU rotate off our schedule to preserve the OSU game as the last of the season. 

amichfan2

October 5th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^

How about wins against OSU and MSU and no other wins between them?  We would have beaten our three biggest rivals and finish 7-5. Not sure if I'd like that scenerio.

Logan88

October 5th, 2010 at 12:48 PM ^

I can honestly state that, for this season, I would rather go 7-5 with the only other wins being over MSU and OSU than go 10-2 with losses to MSU and OSU and wins over everyone else. That is for this year only, mind you. Ending the losing streak to OSU and shutting up the ridiculous notion that MSU is the elite program in Michigan would be worth losing the rest of the games IMO.

Greg McMurtry

October 5th, 2010 at 1:11 PM ^

I don't see how all the other games are losses.  I know you're just throwing out a scenario, but that scenario is highly unlikely.

And to the OP, frankly I want UM to win every game and do not wish to pick games that are wins.

Frank Drebin

October 5th, 2010 at 12:41 PM ^

I live in Michigan, and I can't imagine losing to MSU again. HOWEVA, I can't stand losing to OSU, and can't believe that the series has become so lopsided. Beating the Bucks would do much more for our fanbase, team, coach, and perception in the media. As bad as it would be to listen to Sparty for another year (and it would only be one more year if they do somehow win) I would much rather shut up the imbreds from the worst state ever.

M-Wolverine

October 5th, 2010 at 12:52 PM ^

Thus easier for Rich to hang his hat on.  But if we're going to play who I pick wins, then for sure OSU. It would be hell to lose to MSU a 3rd time....but to stop OSU winning a 7th time, down there, making Rich 1-2 vs. them with the next game up here, and trashing OSU's season for the last time we meet at the end of the season with no other Big Ten game after it? Yes, the media would be hell for 365 days, but it's always OSU.  The only time I ever wanted to beat MSU more was in 2002.  The white hot hate that year made that the most important game.

MGoHail

October 5th, 2010 at 12:53 PM ^

My sister, mom and 6 people on my mom's side of the family went to state and i'm the only person in my family who has gone to Michigan. Personally, I couldn't care less about state. They're annoying yes, but realistically mean nothing. The Rivalry with OSU is a real rivalry with an enormous history and true hatred. Yes, Michigan State hates us more than anything, but I honestly just don't care about them.

funkywolve

October 5th, 2010 at 12:58 PM ^

Normally I would say OSU, but this year I'm going with MSU. The last thing I want to see is MSU winning or sharing the big ten title.  After Saturday MSU's remaining schedule is pretty easy:  Illinois, at NU, at Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue, at PSU.

Yeah, they could lose some of those, but at this point and if they beat UM they'll probably be favored in every game other then Iowa.