The Rivalry

[DVaut1]

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But Michigan and Ohio State just get each other. Its the yin to the yang, opposite in colors but identical in form. I have a lot of respect for you guys and there just seems to be a "bond" whenever I meet someone from Michigan.

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I agree. It's a strange mix of seething hatred and grudging respect, but there's a bond.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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Agree, TC. Best friggin' week of the year. I'm totally useless at school (and hopefully starting next year at work).

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In 2001, when everything was "pushed back a week" due to the cancellation of games because of the 9/11 attacks, the Michigan/OSU game was the Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving. I skipped all my classes Monday - Wednesday because my housemates and I chose instead to watch tapes of old UM/OSU games. I went home to have Thanksgiving with my family Wednesday night, then came back to campus Friday to start tailgaiting. We lost the game (remember Jermaine Gonzalez? Yeah we lined him up at QB because Navarre was performing so badly. That's all you need to know about that game and the 2001 season as a whole) and the weather was rainy and awful, but I still consider the entire week a great memory. That week is the similarly emotional/fun/exciting every season, whether the game is home or away. Just an incredible experience.

If I knew people who were coming out of town to experience Michigan/OSU at the Big House, I'd tell them to get to Ann Arbor on Monday to see it all. I'm sure the same applies when the game is in Columbus.

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the 2001 game is one of my all-time faves between Ohio State and Michigan

[DVaut1]

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I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories that were told about Woody and the way he approached the game. The fact that he never referred to Michigan as "Michigan" but as "that school up north." And that after the 1968 game when he ran up the score by going for two late in the game, his response to a reporter who question why he went for two when then game was already in hand was, "Because I couldn't go for 3." The Game wouldn't be what it is without the deeply connected history of the two school and states.

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I really love this story about Woody. I mean, it makes me hate that old [censored] for running up the score on us, but Bo got his revenge in '69 and it completely encapsulates the rivalry.

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Players and coaches are remembered for what they did in the this game more than in any other aspect of their career.

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This is true. No one will look back at Mike Hart, Jake Long, and Chad Henne and considered it a legendary tenure unless they beat OSU; even Mike Hart, who's about as 'beloved' as a Michigan player gets -- this game is integral to his legacy. It will forever be an asterisk on their careers here if they don't win next week.

[DVaut1]

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BTW- Michigan fans- do you "root for the conference" to do well, including rooting for Ohio State fans? I've noticed a lot of lame Ohio State fans starting to root for you guys on out of conference games and it pisses me off to no end. I would rather Michigan lose every game than root for them. However, I actually tend to pull for Michigan against Notre Dame. When we were watching the Appy State game, about 3/4 of the bar was rooting against Michigan, and about 1/4 was rooting for them (all OSU fans). Lame. I hope you guys root against us too.

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I always root for the Big Ten in bowl games; I don't particularly care about the out of conference games during the season vis a vis the Big Ten -- I'd have rooted for Appalachain State had they been playing Wisconsin or Penn State and been in a position to win -- but I always root for the other Big Ten teams in the bowl games.

Having said that, I exclude Ohio St. from this as a general rule. I make it a point to watch/DVR all OSU games I can (when they don't conflict with UM games and are on TV) and wish for painful losses full of suffering for them whenever possible.

Having said that, I remember not rooting against OSU in the 2002 BCS Championship game against Miami. I remember watching that game with my then girlfriend (now wife), and she commented afterwards that I didn't seem too upset OSU won the National Title. And I wasn't. I definitely wasn't rooting for OSU to win, but I did put aside my scorn and disdain for that one game. Completely inexplicable. I don't know if it's because I hate Miami too (which I do).

[DVaut1]

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Michigan's band was one of the best I've seen. Especially after seeing the jokes of bands Texas and U of Miami put up.

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One year, in the student section of Michigan stadium, we committed ourselves to "turning around" and not watching the Ohio St band as they did Script Ohio & the 'i' dotting prior to the game.

But then as the game rolled around, we were like "screw this, we want to see this live" and everyone who intended on turning their backs instead watched (and booed). That's right, though -- no one had the discipline not to watch a college band. That's how cool of an experience it is.

[DVaut1]

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to follow along on a few things

yep...I can never remember any big11ten fanbase having national title as the goal for football until very recent times

it was always going to the RoseBowl

the rest of the nation just didn't matter

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As you say, for a lot of the older folks, going to the Rose Bowl is still the preferred ending to the season. The national championship isn't something many of the old-guard Michigan fans give a [censored] about. They all know what hotels in Pasadena they like to stay at, where they like to sit and watch the Parade of Roses, what restaurants they like to eat at when they go on a trip out there, etc. And whether or not Michigan gets there is all they care about.

I understand this on some level. I realize I might be committing sacrilege here as a Michigan fan by saying this, but I don't think we have the type of program that's a year-in, year-out national title contender. Some fans feel like the season is a over and an unmitigated disaster when we blow an out of conference game, etc. I don't.

This in no way excuses the coaching staff having the team completely unprepared for the App. State game (or the dismal performance against Oregon the next week) -- but I'm more than happy to define whether or not a season is successful using only the scope of Big Ten play as the metric. I should throw the Notre Dame game in there too.

[shemp]

I guess I'm a fogie, but all I want from the college post-season is the Pac10 champion to play the Big10 champion in the Rose Bowl. (I realize this would have kept the OSU/Miami and USC/Texas games from happening, to pick to examples).

[DVaut1]

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the 2001 game is one of my all-time faves between Ohio State and Michigan

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Not alot of people remember the game, but we were down 21-0 at half and looking completely awful. We then staged one hell of a comeback, which Marquise Walker putting the team on his back (despite the fact he dropped an easy TD in the 3rd quarter) -- all in vain, though. Neither Michigan or OSU was very good that year, but it was an awesome game looking back on it.

I assume you love that game because it gave the Illini the outright Big Ten title that year, but it was great on its own merits.

[TomCollins]

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Agree, TC. Best friggin' week of the year. I'm totally useless at school (and hopefully starting next year at work).

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In 2001, when everything was "pushed back a week" due to the cancellation of games because of the 9/11 attacks, the Michigan/OSU game was the Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving. I skipped all my classes Monday - Wednesday because my housemates and I chose instead to watch tapes of old UM/OSU games. I went home to have Thanksgiving with my family Wednesday night, then came back to campus Friday to start tailgaiting. We lost the game (remember Jermaine Gonzalez? Yeah we lined him up at QB because Navarre was performing so badly. That's all you need to know about that game and the 2001 season as a whole) and the weather was rainy and awful, but I still consider the entire week a great memory. That week is the similarly emotional/fun/exciting every season, whether the game is home or away. Just an incredible experience.

If I knew people who were coming out of town to experience Michigan/OSU at the Big House, I'd tell them to get to Ann Arbor on Monday to see it all. I'm sure the same applies when the game is in Columbus.

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I was just wondering myself why I was at home for the Michigan game that year, and now it makes sense, forgot about the 2001 push back. What a crazy game, after Jim Tressel's speech as he was introduced came true, made a believer of me right there.

[ADLinden]

If anyone has a ticket to the game I'm looking for one. PM me if you have one or something I guess...