National Championships?

Submitted by UM4ME on

This kind of goes along with WindyCityBlue’s earlier point about being an elite program – do we, as a program, as a fan base, care about national championships?

As annoying as Drew Sharp is, I actually understand his line of questioning yesterday. Shouldn’t our goal every year be to win a national championship, not just the Big Ten? I realize that winning the Big Ten is, most likely, a step along the way but there were many times over the years when we lost in September and all hopes of a national championship were dashed. Then, as a fan base, we all said, well at least we can still win the Big Ten.

I was at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1998 and I got a taste of what it was like to be the very best and I want that back! I don’t want to settle for just GOING to Pasadena every few years. But, the more I hear other people talk, they seem just fine with that. Is it me? Is it wrong to want more? I’m honestly really struggling with this so I need feedback.

Please don’t negbang me to Bolivian - I don't have enough MGoPoints to sustain it!

gulo gulo

January 13th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^

The MNC is a beauty contest, a subjective interpretation of "deserving."
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<br>Winning the B1GTEN is (thanks now to a title game) an objective measure of accolades a team deserves.
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<br>Coach Hoke understands that what matters in football is to control the details your team can control, not what Other People think of you.

rpel84

January 13th, 2011 at 11:08 AM ^

SEC schools only aim for the NC.  Listen to Gene Czick and the rest of his players interviews.  They cant even name the bowl that is equal to our rose bowl.  they only think NC

modaddy21

January 13th, 2011 at 11:17 AM ^

Ahh, hell yes, what kind of question is that?  National Championships comes first when you tell someone about the program.  UM 11 Nat Champ, 42 BigTen Champ.  As a national program, we have to compete for NCs, mythical or not.

cjpops

January 13th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^

Hoke is just parrotting Bo, his mentor and idol.  Nothing wrong with focusing on the Big 10 Championship.  After that, let the chips fall where they may.

uferfan1

January 13th, 2011 at 11:43 AM ^

I for one loved his response to the dumbest fricking question of the day. Well Drew we don't really care about a national championship, we might not even play if we were invited. His sarcastic wit doomed Drew Sharp and from the look on his face he knows who and what Drew Sharp is. I can't wait for the next answer , feel by the end of the year 2011 Drew Sharp won't ask any questions. This cat don't give a shit about embarassing a fool and I love it . Hell that alone was enough to win me over.

gobluesasquatch

January 13th, 2011 at 11:49 AM ^

I understand some of the legitimate concerns about what is Michigan's focus regarding the goals of the football program. However, we have been around long enough to know Drew Sharp's motivation of questioning.

For whatever reason, Drew Sharp hates Michigan. He's a jerk, a second rate journalist (which says a lot), and he's mostly wrong on his commentary and his facts. His point was clear - MICHIGAN IS NO LONGER A NATIONAL PROGRAM, A PRESTIGIOUS JOB, AND A CONTENDER FOR MNCs. Look at his latest rip job on hiring Hoke and compared to the SEC. Because Auburn sure didn't settle when they hired Gene Chizik. (His predecessor at ISU was 43-43 over the course of the previous 7 years, and 5 of those 7 wins or more - Paul Rhodes is 12-13 since). But Sharp is too much of an idiot to actually allow facts to influence his writing.

I don't believe for a moment that Hoke is going to be just a regional recruiter like some are saying (though he'll focus on it a bit more) because he was Michigan's primary California recruiter when he was here (another reason why the move to SDSU was logical for him). Likewise, I don't think for a moment that he isn't going to be attempting to win national titles. However, like ALL other Big 10 and Pac 10/12 schools, they almost always first talk about winning the conference and the Rose Bowl. Why? Because usually the Big 10/Pac 10/12 champion knows that unless they play in the national title game, there is a strong chance they'll be playing in the Rose Bowl. Not all the other conference champions have that strong of a tie in anymore. And besides, outside of Auburn, an undefeated, untied conference champion from an BCS conference has been left out of the BCS title game how many times? Zero. And only two out of the 26 teams to participate, only 2 have not one their conference title (Nebraska 01 and Oklahoma 03) so yeah, win your conference, play in the Rose Bowl, and when the voters and computers align, play in the BCS title game. 

Sharp was just being an idiot trying to embarrass Hoke, Michigan, and make himself look smart. And you saw how his peers reacted to his stupid question. They laughed at him. 

jpazy23

January 13th, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^

I am a liftetime um fan, but have recently stopped drinking the kool-aid and instead decided to do my own research. We may have dominated the Big Ten in the past 60yrs, but have been less than stellar in bowl games and have 1 national championship. That is right, 1! Little brother has 2 in the past 60yrs.

We as fans are so arrogant about our proud history and we should be proud, BUT who cares about us dominating the 30s and 40s! Wake up! We act like the Big Ten is an amazing conference. News flash! 2 national titles from the Big Ten in the past 25yrs. Not what I call a power conference, not to mention our stud team this year lost to a TCU squad that runs a 3-3-5 defense.......wierd.

Fielding Yost: 25yrs;10Big ten Titles; 6NC

Harry Kipke: 9yrs; 4BG titles; 2 NC

Fitz Crisler: 10yrs;  2 BG titles; 1 NC

Bennie O: 11yrs; 3BG titles; 1NC

Bump Elliott: 10yrs; 1 BG title; 0 NC

BO: 21yrs; 13 BG titles; 0 NC

Gary Moeller: 5yrs; 3 BG titles; 0 NC

Lloyd Carr: 13yrs, 5BG titles; 1 NC

RR: 3yrs, 0 BG  titles; 0NC

 

Once Hoke gets his guys, we will compete in the big ten and get smashed in bowl games by superior teams, but we will make ourselves feel better by saying, "we beat OSU"!

mtzlblk

January 13th, 2011 at 1:31 PM ^

you are in the hunt for the NC, that is true. but if you deply a plodding, outdated scheme, then you will be exposed when you play an elite team from another conference, either in a BCS bowl or the BCS championship game. Ask Wisconsin, good, solid team, but not one that will ever likely be in the NC picture on a consistent basis, though will likely be a force in the conference for the foreseeable future.

I, for one, would rather modernize the program and compete and recruit on a more national level than restrict ourselves to a conference-oriented goal. 

Question: why would Hoke state that we want to focus on midwestern recruiting first? Wouldn't we want to recruit the best/top players regardless of where they come from? It isn't as if we can't afford plane ticklets.... I think this is indicative of a more traditonal, close-minded attitude toward building a team and isn't one that will compete at an elite level.