Season Saver? Only Because UM Has Nothing To Lose

There have been several articles written lately about how Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State game can salvage Michigan's woeful season.

To some extent, that is certainly true.

Others are claiming that Wolverines Head Coach Rich Rodriguez doesn't quite "get" "The Game," and therefore Michigan's already-unlikely chance of winning is even more improbable.

That's just unfounded.

It's foolish to judge Rodriguez and his level of respect for the greatest rivalry in college football before he's even participated in the game.

Let's go back to Jan. 18, 2001, the day Jim Tressel was announced as the new coach of the Buckeyes. Addressing a crowd at a home basketball game against Michigan, Tressel had this to say: "I can assure you that you'll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community, and most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, MI, on the football field."

Tressel's predecessor, John Cooper, was believed to be fired mainly because of his numerous failures against OSU's arch-rival, so Buckeye fans were excited to have a coach who seemed to understand "The Game."

Fast-forward several years to Feb. 17, 2008. Once again, there is a Michigan-OSU basketball game, but this time the location is Ann Arbor. Recently hired Rich Rodriguez takes the mic and tells the Michigan faithful this: "I'm not going to make any predictions just yet other than one thing: When you come to the Big House, when the Maize and Blue come out of that tunnel, they are going to play hard and they are going to play physical. That I can promise you.”

I was at that basketball game and remember that while fans were chanting "Beat the Buckeyes!" Rodriguez decided not to do something foolish like guarantee a win over a team that was coming off a Big Ten title and a trip to the National Championship.

Does this mean Rodriguez doesn't understand the importance of the rivalry? Not at all. You can be sure that OSU hasn't beat Michigan four straight years because of Tressel's comments at a basketball game. Public promises don't mean a thing. The team that plays better on the field is going to win—simple as that.

So, instead of criticizing Rodriguez for not treating "The Game" with proper respect before he's even participated in it, he should be commended for realizing that making brash predictions in a rebuilding year isn't wise.

Of course all of this has little to do with whether or not a miracle Michigan win on Saturday (UM is a 20.5-point underdog) would salvage its nightmare season.

While a win would go a long way towards healing 2008's wounds, it wouldn't change the fact that Michigan lost eight games. It wouldn't change the fact that if significant improvements aren't made next season, then it could enter 2009's "Game" with the same record (3-8).

The bottom line is, if a Michigan or OSU fan were presented with these two choices: (1) Your school fields a competitive team on a yearly basis but you only have a 50/50 shot of winning "The Game" or (2) You have a perennial losing team but you win "The Game" every season, any sane person would select Choice One.

My point is, a Michigan win over No. 10 OSU (9-2) would be extra sweet for Wolverines this season because of Michigan's epic struggles. Michigan supporters would much rather not be in this situation to begin with, and neither would Rodriguez. He knows how much this game means to fans, but a win in Columbus won't cause him to look back on this season with fond memories.

Just as the Buckeye faithful did not tolerate Cooper's losses to Michigan despite his perennially strong record in other games, most Michigan fans will not accept a coach who loses most of his other games even if he does beat Ohio State.

Look at this year's game. Unless there is an upset elsewhere in the Big Ten—and this only applies to OSU anyway—the winner of "The Game" will not earn a trip to the Rose Bowl, like in so many past years.

Obviously, neither team did enough to get itself in position for this game to be as meaningful as each would've liked. Which is why both school's supporters want to win every game, not just "The Game."

And that's one thing Michigan and Ohio State fans have in common.