The Mystique of the "M" Is Gone...

I've always found it interesting how often Michigan and Ohio State are coupled on teams' schedules. The perennial "big two" often are on Big Ten foes schedules in a back-to-back situation. This is the case for Northwestern this week as it was last season (faced Ohio State in week 4 and then Michigan in week 5). Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Northwestern all face the Buckeyes and Wolverines in consecutive games this season while Indiana and Iowa have both of them off the conference schedule this season. Northwestern rotates both off the schedule for the next two years (in exchange for Wisconsin and Penn State). Perhaps this coupling of the arch-enemies is the reason for it, but the mystique is gone from the "M".



I've spent considerable time outlining how the Cats hurdle to upper tier conference status is covered in Scarlet and Grey. But, despite the head-to-head record vs Big Blue since 1995 (Michigan holds an 8-3 advantage), the Cats no longer fear them as a program. I lump Michigan in with Wisconsin in terms of consistently more talented teams that the Cats compete with. If you pressed me I'd put Ohio State first and then Penn State second in terms of fear of blowout factor, this includes the fact that heading into this season, we've had essentially the same conference record as Penn State since 2003. Yes the uniforms are cool and the Big House is impressive, but the ghosts of yesteryear are gone. Have we been blownout by them recently? Yes (see back-to-back 20+ point losses in 2003, 2004). Have we been toe-to-toe with them deep into most games with them since 1995? Yes.

I can go on and on and cite the "beneath the score" storylines that substantiate this last claim. Last year, for example, we led in the 4th quarter before imploding in a 28-16 loss that twenty years from now will look like an easy victory for the Victors. The bottom line is what I'm discussing is an immeasurable intangible. Is there a very likely chance we could lose on Saturday? Yes. Do I think we'll win? Yes. This is an easy post to write as Michigan is suffering through one of its worst seasons ever, but I could've written this exact same post heading into last year's game. I believe that since Brian Gowins' amazing game-winning FG(s) in 1996 we've simply gained the confidence as a program that has buried the historical aura of the signature Michigan helmets. Fans tend to put a lot of stock into historical trends and relevance of things that happened long ago, but I believe that the aura and culture of opponents' stature is one of the few things that is carried on in a program. Granted, having a coach who was responsible, in part, for the change in culture by beating these exact teams when he played helps (read: see how well we play against Iowa).

What's my point? Win or lose on Saturday, Michigan simply doesn't carry the mental barrier that exists with Ohio State in the minds of our players and coaches. Who would have thought we'd ever see the day when we want to keep Michigan on the schedule instead of rolling them off like we are happy to do with the Buckeyes.