Since Rich Rod took over the program, the spectrum of emotions regarding almost every facet of Michigan’s football program have been all over the map. I remember in 2008, Michigan’s home opener against Utah, I was telling people how jacked up and loud that stadium would be – excited to welcome in a new coach and catch a glimpse of what this spread offense would be like. The emotional high was quickly squashed by the loss. In ’09 and ’10, there have been ridiculous highs after beating Notre Dame and getting out to a fast start. Only to be followed by losses in similar fashion to MSU and Iowa.

Growing up and being a kid in the nineties – I didn’t have the access to all the media we have today. No pressers, no Mgoblog, no MVictors, etc. I didn’t live in Michigan, so I didn’t get to watch Michigan Rewind or the local news coverage. I got whatever ESPN wanted to highlight and the game itself. Outside of the ’97 season, Michigan wasn’t great, but overall they were good. They were generally consistent, and you expected big things out of the new guys that would show up on the field – whether it be the season opener or midseason. Usually, my introductions to the new guys were when they first stepped on the field. Now, you’ve heard of guys for a couple years before they first step foot on the field in a game.

Now, with all the access we get to the team via our lovely internets, it’s easier to hop on board and really ride the emotions of the team as a whole, the games, and even the practices. Because of my site – I’m a twitterer. And by the way, Twitter is great. It’s not just people announcing to the world when they are taking a shit, or grabbing a bite to eat. If you follow the right people, it’s really a means of getting information from inside the team you follow the fastest. Enough on twitter. Back to my point – nowadays, you practically know the personalities of the players and it creates more of a nonsensical, meaningless, emotional attachment to these players, coaches, and this team.

Even in 2008, when Michigan legitimately sucked ass – it took me the remainder of Saturday after losing and through Sunday to get over it and look ahead to next week’s game. Maybe it’s came with age, but I’m over avoiding all things sports after Michigan loses. In my earlier days if Michigan lost – I’d refuse to watch anymore college football that day, refuse to be exposed to Sportscenter, refuse to read the sports section the following day, and shun all sports media exposure until I got over the loss. Loss after loss in ’08, I couldn’t pull away from Michigan football in any legitimate capacity. You all know some guys that will refuse to watch their team if they perform well under expectations or just aren’t good. Knowing your team is going to lose going into a game is never fun – and in 2008 against Ohio State – I was about 99% sure Michigan had no shot at winning that game. Maybe I would have been 90% sure Michigan would lose if Steve Threet wasn’t injured, but that wasn’t the case. But I still lived and died with every play. Damn emotional attachment to Michigan football – gets me every time.

2009 and 2010 draw many parallels that have been well documented and don’t need to be rehashed, but it’s a damn roller coaster. It’s up and it’s down. And the pressure that the mainstream media puts on every loss under Rich Rod is overwhelming and just continues to build. I can guarantee you that this game against Penn State on Saturday – in the eyes of RR and David Brandon – is not the biggest game of his career at Michigan. It’s a huge game, because it’s the next game on the schedule, because it’s a conference opponent, it’s off of a bye week, it’s off of two losses to two good teams – but it’s not nearly as big as this year’s home game against Wisconsin, nor is it even close to this year’s season finale in Columbus.

I see a Michigan team that is so much closer to being really good than most Michigan fans are willing to admit or realize. I’m not the only one – so when Michigan’s explosive offense hits the bench and their deficient defense hits the field – pure excitement gives way to shear fear and anticipation of all types of bad things that can happen on defense. Michigan would be 7-0 right now if there were a few more playmakers on defense. The future is so bright under Rich Rodriguez. It really is, and he’s caught some awful breaks from a personnel standpoint.

As fans, and as Michigan’s young team matures and gains experience, the emotional attachment only grows stronger. The superstitions only get more ridiculous and the losses are that much harder to stomach. It’s a fair bet that Rich Rod is here to stay – and Michigan continues to improve season after season. I’d be happy with Michigan continuing down it’s current path of improving by two wins per season. Should Michigan win seven or eight games this season, which I will be okay with – I’m pretty sure I can take 10 or 11 next season.

Oh yea, one more thing. Aren’t you glad this guy doesn’t play for Michigan? Yes, yes you are.

Michigan’s Team Rankings through 3…sorted by highest national rank

Remaining Games on the Schedule

With the entire conference schedule ahead and too small of a sample size to make predictions from – predictions ensue. And the games I think Michigan will win are in bold. That’s right.

Season Record: 8-4. Where does Michigan get the final 5 wins? One will come against Bowling Green. So that leaves 8 games on Michigan’s schedule to get 4 wins. Did you notice the sack number up above? Or, the rushing statistics? Or, the passer efficiency? Yea, Michigan has this dude and this dude has dreads. He’s like, so fast. And he’ll have a lot to do with Michigan’s final 2010 output.

Probable Wins: Indiana, Illinois, Purdue. Michigan won’t have a walk in the park at Indiana, but I still think it’s a game that Michigan should win. Indiana will score, but Michigan should be able to do what they want when they have the ball. Indiana has also played nobody so far, seriously, really nobody. The other probable wins are Illinois at home and Purdue on the road. Probable wins are the equal opposite of probable losses. Do I think Michigan can walk in to Happy Valley and beat Penn State? Absolutely, but I’m not putting my money on it. So let’s say Michigan slips up maybe on the road at Purdue or Indiana. Actual Wins = 2..

Toss Ups: Michigan State, Wisconsin. Personal preference is for Michigan to pound Sparty. MSU is riding high after squeezing by Notre Dame in exciting fashion. If you think Michigan is susceptible to a let down after receiving some media attention, just wait and watch what happens to the Spartans. Should they be 5-0 heading into Ann Arbor, that will mean they are coming off of a HUGE win over Wisconsin at home. I think it all adds up to an emotionally drained Sparty and a vengeful Michigan team. Actual Wins = 1..

Probable Losses: Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State. The Iowa and Penn State match ups are looking more and more winnable after what we’ve seen through 3 weeks. Ohio State, now they have a lot of talent, and probably the most team speed on defense that they’ve had in a long time. I’m confident in Michigan taking one of these games – and it will most likely be the home game against Iowa. Or, at Ohio State. Why Ohio State? Michigan’s due and Denard Robinson. I’ll just leave it at that, see how things play out, and get back to that convo another day. Actual Wins = 1..

Neat as a Pin…

As Michigan fans vary in degree of fandom, In Rod We Trust has a nice little emotional spill regarding his childlike habitual gameday tendencies. There are certain things a big fan simply cannot do. For a big game, I gotta be in front of my tube at home, the bar won’t cut it. Watching with a fan, buddy, or family member that’s clearly invested no disposable energy into Michigan football is just a tough thing to do. I’m even awkward when I have the whole place to myself! I was home alone for the first half of last year’s OSU game – and I simply couldn’t sit down, nor could I manage to get 3 or 4 feet away from the TV. Nice read though, funny.

UConn in 30 seconds.
Cycles through an apparent 800 photos in 30 seconds from AdamJacobs Photography

Needless to say – this will get you fired up for some Wolverine football – regardless of how dismal the past two seasons have been. Michigan has a new squad this year with a new mission and the last two years can be thrown out the window. Can’t wait for practice to get started in a month….

UCONN

Disappointed?

I honestly have to say that I am – and I have to assume most fans were expecting a program with a little more prestige than UCONN. Don’t get me wrong, this could be a tough game, but when I heard Rich Rodriguez talk about playing a home and home with a BCS opponent – was I thinking UCONN? Hell no. Oh well. It is what it is.