I've read more than a few musings about "Harbaugh to the NFL" lately. With that, I cannot help but to laugh at myself.
When he was hired, I was genuinely afraid of the way the balance of power in the B1G would evolve. I thought this guy was a top flight coach. A guy with experience turning around a CF program as well as bringing a team to the Super Bowl. Further, he seemed to be the perfect fit there. A guy coming home to his bliss. He was supposed to be their Meyer. The Pied Piper to lead them back to the promised land.
Fast forward four years, and things didn't turn out quite the way I, and A LOT of UM fans, thought. He's not Hoke or RR - he's compiled a respectable 38-13 overall and 26-9 in conference. But he's 0-4 against OSU, the latest being an embarrassing 62-39 pasting against his favored and supposedly Playoff bound Wolverines. Those numbers get you fired at Ohio State. At UM, they may be a bit more patient, and my point is that may be a good thing.
Moral of the story, I find myself now hoping JH will stay at UM as long as possible. I can't believe I'm now saying that, but I really don't see him as a threat to anything OSU is doing, even with our current changing of the guard.
From a UM perspective, I see next years game in a similar light to this years, only with more risk. This year, I didn't expect an OSU win. If we lost, I figured it would just be a period to a tumultuous season. Not so for UM - this was their best team in a while. They really thought they were going to the Playoff for the first time. Bring on Bama. Their savior has finally delivered for them. Oops. Maybe not. Now, with the Ohio Dark Lord finally retiring, they FINALLY will have their chance. The second nemesis is now gone. The clouds are breaking and the sun is coming out. Time for a new dominant era of UM football in the B1G.
Now imagine if UM loses that game next year, in AA no less. If we lose, hey, we have a rookie coach. Love to win, but understand a loss here. But if UM loses?? What hope do they really have left? Talk about a program that will be beaten down to its core, and attending OSU in the 90s, I can say that I will not shed a single tear watching it. Besides the general success of Day, this will be one of my favorite CF narratives for next year.
When he was hired, I was genuinely afraid of the way the balance of power in the B1G would evolve. I thought this guy was a top flight coach. A guy with experience turning around a CF program as well as bringing a team to the Super Bowl. Further, he seemed to be the perfect fit there. A guy coming home to his bliss. He was supposed to be their Meyer. The Pied Piper to lead them back to the promised land.
Fast forward four years, and things didn't turn out quite the way I, and A LOT of UM fans, thought. He's not Hoke or RR - he's compiled a respectable 38-13 overall and 26-9 in conference. But he's 0-4 against OSU, the latest being an embarrassing 62-39 pasting against his favored and supposedly Playoff bound Wolverines. Those numbers get you fired at Ohio State. At UM, they may be a bit more patient, and my point is that may be a good thing.
Moral of the story, I find myself now hoping JH will stay at UM as long as possible. I can't believe I'm now saying that, but I really don't see him as a threat to anything OSU is doing, even with our current changing of the guard.
From a UM perspective, I see next years game in a similar light to this years, only with more risk. This year, I didn't expect an OSU win. If we lost, I figured it would just be a period to a tumultuous season. Not so for UM - this was their best team in a while. They really thought they were going to the Playoff for the first time. Bring on Bama. Their savior has finally delivered for them. Oops. Maybe not. Now, with the Ohio Dark Lord finally retiring, they FINALLY will have their chance. The second nemesis is now gone. The clouds are breaking and the sun is coming out. Time for a new dominant era of UM football in the B1G.
Now imagine if UM loses that game next year, in AA no less. If we lose, hey, we have a rookie coach. Love to win, but understand a loss here. But if UM loses?? What hope do they really have left? Talk about a program that will be beaten down to its core, and attending OSU in the 90s, I can say that I will not shed a single tear watching it. Besides the general success of Day, this will be one of my favorite CF narratives for next year.
