Is it just me or do things seem a little quiet this year?
Maybe it is last weekend’s loss to Illinois. Maybe it is that this year’s Michigan has turned out to be such a dispointment. Maybe it is just the fact that last year’s Ohio State/Michigan game was probably one of the biggest in the history of the rivalry.
Last year at this time, The Buckeye Blog was getting somewhere around 2,000 hits and up per day. Yesterday, we hit 500+. Last year, CSTV.com asked a number of us to participate in a “Battle of the Blogs.” This year, things are quiet over at CSTV.com. I can barely find a reference to the game.
(If you haven’t read my post on CSTV.com, you can read it here. It will bring a tear to your eye.)
The build up to last year was insane and the game was one for the books.
This year, however, things are different. There is no national championship on the line (at least not like last year) and for the first time since the 1950s both teams are coming into the game off a loss.
If you’re reading this blog however, odds are you know that none of this matters. For those of us suckled on the hatred of the Ohio State/Michigan game, we know that there is nothing more pure, no purpose more clear, and nothing more potentially devastating then the game at hand. Yes, it hurt to watch our team lose to Illinois last weekend. Yes, it hurt to watch our dreams of national championship redemption slip out of our control. But there is not one Buckeye fan out there who at some point didn’t think to themselves, “Well, at least it wasn’t Michigan.”
Let the SEC lobby for their rankings. Let Notre Dame dream of days of yore. Let the rest of the college football world pass on by for the Ohio State/Michigan Game is at hand and unless you are in it, unless you have lived the rivalry, there is no way, none what so ever, that you can even begin to comprehend the essence of all that is Ohio State vs. Michigan.
Let the others fall by the wayside as this weekend’s game harks to a simpler time — a day before the BCS when the only bowl that mattered was The Rose. And what a classic set up it is. The Big Ten Championship is on the line. The winner will spend their New Year’s in Pasadena. The loser, well what does it matter. For Michigan, it will be the last shot for a team of desperate seniors (and a very desperate coach) who have not experienced a win over Ohio State.
And while yes, it is disappointing that we are no longer in control of our BCS Championship destiny, I can’t believe that Coach Tressel and his team have put these things aside. Both teams have been preparing all year for this moment and last weekend’s results won’t be enough to slow down those plans. If anything, it provides an opportunity to adjust and make corrections ahead of time as opposed to the field.
Bring on the game, bring on the Wolverines, this is the weekend we have waited for all year.
And remember:
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BEAT MICHIGAN TODAY!!!
GO BUCKEYES
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post! If you haven’t seen the OSU/Michigan rivalry documentary on HBO yet, it’s airing this week and it is fantastic, well worth watching!
I’ve made it through about half of it. I have it recorded on the DVR. There is some great footage.
Most of the complaints have been that it has more about Ohio State.
We all know that this is because…
…MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS!!!
Oh, I see the Michigan fans are suddenly proofreaders.
Yeah, I could go back and proofread but take a look at the time this was posted.
I think that says enough.
We work straight from the school of Gonzo around here and time in the fighting chair is limited.