Worst Day Ever
This is, without a doubt, the worst day in the history of Michigan football. Truly embarrassing. I can't believe that just happened.
I'm going to go cry now.
Seriously, when am I going to wake up and realize that today was just one horrible nightmare?
UPDATE - Now that I have graduated from sadness to rage, I am going to fire away. Michigan should have never scheduled this game for the following reasons:
1) Playing a 1-AA opponent is a no-win situation. When you win, you still lose in the eyes of your fans and the greater college football "community". Bill Martin may do a good job when it comes to dollars and cents, but he failed the Michigan football program by scheduling this game as a 8th home game instead of taking the team on the road for a season opener as part of a 3-for-1 deal with a middle-of-the-pack D1A team. Maybe the team would have not fucked around for 45 minutes if the name on the front of the opponent's jersey was more prestigious.
2) Appalachian State is better than at least 15-20 Div 1A teams. The fact that this game is a no-win situation is even worse when it is against a team that would not finish last in the Big Ten conference. However, in the eyes of everyone who watched this game, ASU is still a D-1AA team, regardless of how talented they are, and Michigan is going to get a lot of much deserved flak for what happened today.
3) Playing an opponent significantly better than, say, Eastern Michigan is not good to open the season if the players do not take the opponent seriously. Michigan was caught napping this week, in addition to the fact that they are clearly worse than advertised this year. Move over, 2005 Wolverines.
Other thoughts:
4) Lloyd Carr is done as Michigan coach after this season. His departure at the end of the season will be spun as Carr deciding to step aside after a wonderful 13 years as head coach, but it will become clear to everyone that Bill Martin strongly encouraged Carr to resign after the season when his successor is named. The next Michigan coach will not be part of the Bo-Carr "family tree". Lloyd was just outcoached by a 1-AA coach with 1-AA talent because of his archaic game plan on offense and defense. That is flat out inexcusable and is the final nail in Lloyd's coffin.
5) Too bad the Jim Harbaugh burned his bridges with his Fredo Corleone move a few weeks back. I don't think there is a single coaching candidate out there with ties to Michigan if Martin goes outside the Bo-Carr family tree. Given Jon Gruden's recent troubles at Tampa Bay and his rumored interest in one day coaching at Michigan, I think Bill Martin will make a run for Gruden after the season.
6) One of the surprising losers in today's monumental upset will be Appalachian State. They make close to $500k for playing a game like this every year. Who in their right mind will schedule them in future years? You think the athletic director at Penn State or Alabama wants to risk something like this happening to their school? Now you are going to see Div 1-A powers reaching out to shitty 1-AA teams like Bucknell as opposed to the 1-AA powerhouses for early season tune-ups if they can't schedule a 1-A patsy like Eastern Michigan or Florida International. Appalachian State might have lost out on a major revenue stream for their football program in the future for their win today. If I were an ASU fan, I would think that the potential loss was definitely worth the thrill of their win today, but still...
7) Can I revise my prediction for Michigan football this season?
I'm going to go cry now.
Seriously, when am I going to wake up and realize that today was just one horrible nightmare?
UPDATE - Now that I have graduated from sadness to rage, I am going to fire away. Michigan should have never scheduled this game for the following reasons:
1) Playing a 1-AA opponent is a no-win situation. When you win, you still lose in the eyes of your fans and the greater college football "community". Bill Martin may do a good job when it comes to dollars and cents, but he failed the Michigan football program by scheduling this game as a 8th home game instead of taking the team on the road for a season opener as part of a 3-for-1 deal with a middle-of-the-pack D1A team. Maybe the team would have not fucked around for 45 minutes if the name on the front of the opponent's jersey was more prestigious.
2) Appalachian State is better than at least 15-20 Div 1A teams. The fact that this game is a no-win situation is even worse when it is against a team that would not finish last in the Big Ten conference. However, in the eyes of everyone who watched this game, ASU is still a D-1AA team, regardless of how talented they are, and Michigan is going to get a lot of much deserved flak for what happened today.
3) Playing an opponent significantly better than, say, Eastern Michigan is not good to open the season if the players do not take the opponent seriously. Michigan was caught napping this week, in addition to the fact that they are clearly worse than advertised this year. Move over, 2005 Wolverines.
Other thoughts:
4) Lloyd Carr is done as Michigan coach after this season. His departure at the end of the season will be spun as Carr deciding to step aside after a wonderful 13 years as head coach, but it will become clear to everyone that Bill Martin strongly encouraged Carr to resign after the season when his successor is named. The next Michigan coach will not be part of the Bo-Carr "family tree". Lloyd was just outcoached by a 1-AA coach with 1-AA talent because of his archaic game plan on offense and defense. That is flat out inexcusable and is the final nail in Lloyd's coffin.
5) Too bad the Jim Harbaugh burned his bridges with his Fredo Corleone move a few weeks back. I don't think there is a single coaching candidate out there with ties to Michigan if Martin goes outside the Bo-Carr family tree. Given Jon Gruden's recent troubles at Tampa Bay and his rumored interest in one day coaching at Michigan, I think Bill Martin will make a run for Gruden after the season.
6) One of the surprising losers in today's monumental upset will be Appalachian State. They make close to $500k for playing a game like this every year. Who in their right mind will schedule them in future years? You think the athletic director at Penn State or Alabama wants to risk something like this happening to their school? Now you are going to see Div 1-A powers reaching out to shitty 1-AA teams like Bucknell as opposed to the 1-AA powerhouses for early season tune-ups if they can't schedule a 1-A patsy like Eastern Michigan or Florida International. Appalachian State might have lost out on a major revenue stream for their football program in the future for their win today. If I were an ASU fan, I would think that the potential loss was definitely worth the thrill of their win today, but still...
7) Can I revise my prediction for Michigan football this season?
posted by GaryGinew at 3:15 PM
2 Comments:
Ugh... I just took a look at PSU's 2008 schedule and saw a I-AA on there. I agree that the good I-A teams shouldn't schedule these, and I'm as peeved about this as you were about App State even before Saturday.
Honestly, I still think Michigan will be ok. A horrible way to get a wake-up call, no doubt... but I still say they get through the Big Ten season with no more than one loss.
I didn't see the game, since I was in Happy Valley, but from what the highlights showed, Hart had one heck of a game.
And I really hope I don't see Bucknell playing a I-A team anytime soon...that'd just be ugly.
I fear this loss is more like the opening day stunner Penn State experienced in 2000 against lowly Toledo.
I cannot possibly believe that Michigan will turn it completely around and storm through the Big Ten this year. You don't lose to App. St. and then go on to win or even compete for a Big Ten title. If Michigan does compete for a conference title, then the Big Ten sucks big time this year. This year is looking to be worse than 2005 for Michigan. I'll be happy just to escape September with a 3-2 record.
Has Lloyd mailed it in this year and started preparing for retirement? How can he let this team be so horribly unprepared?
I feel horrible for Mike Hart today. He was the only player who showed up yesterday.
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