We are at a critical juncture in the RichRod era
With all the media (and booster) scrutiny Michigan is receiving in the wake of the MSU game, winning this game may prove to be the turning point of RichRod's tenure. Before the State game, I would have traded a loss v. Iowa if that meant a guaranteed win over MSU.
Now, although certain people are going to clutch to the MSU loss, the game against Iowa could be the biggest game of RichRod's tenure. The team just inadvertently set in motion a chain of events that will make or break RichRod's legacy. Everyone expects him to fail. Last year some excused his 1st year and blamed it on a bare cupboard. When we started rolling in the beginning of year 2, people got excited and thought we were back. Now, no one thinks we're back - everyone expects us to fail, including many of our own "fans" and boosters.
If Michigan beats Iowa, there is a good chance we go 4-2 the rest of the way. More specifically, with a win this week over Iowa the haters will be proven wrong, the negativity will start to die down, fans will get excited for a bowl game, we will travel well for the bowl game. If we win the bowl game, we will be a consensus top 20 team going into the offseason/preseason. Michigan will be back, and the only thing people will have against RichRod is the past.
If Michigan loses the game this weekend, there is still hope to silence the haters, but it won't come until the end of the season. Not to say that RichRod will be gone if he loses to Iowa/Wisconsin/OSU, but we will be arguing all these same issues on this date in 2011 if that's the case.
If the team can take care of business this weekend, it provides hope and ammunition against the persistent pessimists.
Go Blue!
Edit: It seems I did not make my position clear in this post. I am a huge RichRod supporter and even if he goes 6-6 this year, I still want him here because I think he deserves to finish what he started and I have confidence he will. A loss to Iowa is not an end of the world situation for this team, and I never said it was (in fact I said "if we lose to Iowa, there is still hope"). A loss to Iowa is simply a loss to Iowa. However, if we win this game, I think we will look back on it in a few years as the game where we turned the corner. Certainly we can't just go out and beat Iowa and call this season a success - we've gotta finish strong. I'm just trying to play Nostradamus a bit.
October 14th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
that there's a line drawn in the sand where if Rich Rod loses to all three Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio State he is gone? I really feel that any true Michigan fan will tell you that you can't simply look at Rich Rod's win loss record and say if you want him to stay. The criteria in every Michigan fans' head should be, "Do I believe in this coach to bring us to a national force in football once again?" Therefore, seems better for us to stop focusing on where the line will be drawn, and more so on each game as they come. Because when all the dust has settled after the MSU game, I reallyl feel that if our defense continues to improve along with our offense minimizing mistakes, we have a chance to do what past Michigan football teams have been great at... ruining Ohio State's national championship chances at the end of the season. GO BLUE!!
October 14th, 2010 at 2:10 PM ^
A terrible Purdue team beat OSU last year. Purdue was 1-5 when they played OSU last season. Figure that one out.
We've got to play every game as if we are winless. Beating Iowa doesn't mean a thing if we choke on an injury plagued PSU team. People will see that PSU loss and say Iowa was overrated.
We have very little margin of error this season.
October 14th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^
Every game is crucial. If we go 8-4 with losses to MSU/Iowa/Wisconsin/OSU, I think we are headed in a great direction, we beat everyone we were supposed to beat and only lost to the teams that were legitimately better than us. However, you and I both know that those losses will keep the negativity going with those who want Rodriguez gone. They will say "Michigan hasn't beaten anyone yet." I THINK if we beat Iowa, it means we are pretty good and therefore SHOULD (not will) beat PSU/Illini/Purdue. However, the negative nancies will put even more pressure on RichRod to NOT lose those games and say we were out coached by a lesser team if we do lose any of those games after beating Iowa.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't I guess. I just really wish we could all - you know - actually support this program and our coach.
October 14th, 2010 at 2:22 PM ^
until the end of the season. Momentum and confidence is what this team needs to keep getting better (look at LSU). One game at a time.
The next BIG game we play is whatever the next game is !
Go Blue !
October 14th, 2010 at 2:28 PM ^
If Michigan beats Iowa, there is a good chance we go 4-2 the rest of the way.
On thing has nothing to do with the other with this team. Each week is it's own unique entity -especially with this defense. A win against Iowa will only help to quell the fears of fans which have absolutely no influence on the outcome of games.
October 14th, 2010 at 2:33 PM ^
Beating a top 15 team that has a top 2 defense in the big ten will have no bearing on whether we finish 4-2 or 1-5? I realize that each game is its own unique battle, but you've gotta have some confidence if we beat Iowa. Now, the TEAM can't expect to go 4-2 if it beats Iowa. But i think its a reasonable expectation for a fan.
October 14th, 2010 at 5:16 PM ^
First of all I think IA is a good team, but we definitely have the ability to beat them. If we lose and go into an MSU like swoon, there'd be legitimacy to those calling for his head. However, I know a few players can change the whole complexion of a team, and it appears he's collecting those needed. In that respect, each season, not merely games, is its own entity.
On the other hand, if DRob comes out with total confidence and we beat IA w/o more than one miscue by him, I agree many will point to this game and declare that UM showed its real mettle and that applies even more so to DRob and aside from his national publicity as a great football talent, he'll also earn the respect from the media, teammates and coaching staff needed as the true leader of UM's return to the upper echelon of the Big X. In such a setting, I can't imagine a different conclusion than that which was stated at the beginning of this thread.
October 14th, 2010 at 10:14 PM ^
However, I know a few players can change the whole complexion of a team, and it appears he's collecting those needed.
Not unless he's collecting 5 star linebackers. At this point it's all offense. That has to change for him to keep his job. Not that I'm calling for him to be fired. Although, I predicted that the team needed to win at least 6 games and beat MSU or OSU for him to stay. That was before the Denard Robinson Experience, tho.
October 14th, 2010 at 10:09 PM ^
i think its a reasonable expectation for a fan.
As I said, only for fans. The team has serious flaws - namely needing near perfect offensive execution with little to no turnovers due to defensive liabilities in order to win. You won't catch them looking past any opponents...they don't have that ability. There are no "baby seal" opponents for UM this year, not in the Big 10 at least.
I don't see them beating Iowa on Saturday, btw. However, before the season started I didn't expect them to be 5-2 thru 7 games.
October 14th, 2010 at 2:33 PM ^
I don't think it's a win-loss thing. Let's say we go head to head with Iowa the entire game, Denard and the offense have great numbers, the D plays respectably, we're even winning, and then Iowa gets the ball last and sneaks it into the endzone with 11 seconds left to beat us by three. It would be really disappointing, but that's just football. That would say to me this team is getting better, we should stay the course.
It's really how the team plays, how they hang in, how they deal with adversity, how they monopolize on Iowa mistakes. In 2009, we sort of folded during the second half of the season (for a lot of reasons, Tate's shoulder being one of them). What this team needs to do is recapture the days when Michigan could be down, and could come back and win the game.
October 14th, 2010 at 3:10 PM ^
would be a shitstackload of posts talking about a possible BCS bowl and Nat'l Championship. That we had in fact turned the corner and were on our way to B10 dominance this year. Reasons would be given as to why. Those would be silly too
<br>5-1, let's play
October 14th, 2010 at 8:06 PM ^
...that the really blind defenders seem to miss (particularly that guy with the Wolverine as his avatar that generally posts recipes to those who dare disagree with him) is that Michigan would have completely quited the "Can't Work in the Big 10" argument by beating a prototypical Top Big Ten D. Which hasn't happened in 2.5 *YEARS* under RR.
That type of landmark would have been progress. As it is, we are still waiting to see whether there is actually progress (right now? We're exactly where we were last season, overall, sweeping the NC and beating ND & Indiana, but not doing well in the traditional Big 10).
October 14th, 2010 at 3:30 PM ^
October 14th, 2010 at 7:15 PM ^
I sort of think a win this weekend will make this a more meaningful game than a loss will.
If we lose, it's not the end of the world, it is somewhat expected, and we can still win a few more games this season and end up with an acceptable record.
A win, however, could be a very meaningful turning point for the program: first win against a solid team, first bowl eligibility for RR, and proving this season is not like the last.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^
Maybe all we need is a name change...