Tues AM TJBlog: My own IMO
... this may or may not be true ... it's just my own little IMO.
I don't think WVA has a to-the-death blood-rival like U-M has in MSU, so RR didn't grow up with that. Yes Pitt is a WVA rival, but not a to-the-death blood-rival that ruins the whole year for many fans if they lose.
For U-M fans, yes ND is a rival ... and yes, OSU was always The Game ... but MSU is the to-the-death blood-rival ... it's because U-M fans who live instate now have to be humiliated for a whole year by their Spartie neighbors, for the 3rd year in a row ... after being able to smugly consider MSU to be 'little bro' for several years.
I'd venture a guess that U-M fans didn't even realize what a to-the-death blood-rival MSU is, because U-M had been winning more than half for quite a few years.
But U-M fans now realize it if they'd forgotten ... this is a sickening game to lose for instate U-M fans, unlike any other ... especially at home, especially when the game was over for the last 20+ minutes ...
And so for a lot of U-M fans, as we have seen, this one loss DOES wipe out 5 wins ... especially for those who weren't RR-supporters in the first place.
Going back to Bo for a minute ... I came in as a frosh when Bo came in as HC ... as an OSU guy Bo'd experienced U-M as the to-the-death blood-rival, because U-M is OSU's blood-rival ... ... ... but for U-M fans the blood rival is NOT OSU, it's MSU. I didn't think Bo really 'got' that in his first year, and U-M went down to MSU with a good 3-1 record, but they played flat and lost 23-12, a big-score loss for that day-n-age ... I was sitting in Crisler, with thousands of other fans, watching the game on the Big Screen that U-M had set up, I'll never forgot that. I think after that that Bo felt the harsh-vibe consequence of losing to MSU, especially when playing badly.
I don't think WVA has a to-the-death blood-rival like U-M has in MSU ... and so RR, I think, is surprised by the venom coming in his direction right now, even tho he is sitting at 5-1 ... that for many it's like he's 0-1 right now (or even 0-3, three losses to MSU).
For a lot of U-M fans, as we have seen, this one loss DOES wipe out 5 wins ... especially for those who weren't RR-supporters in the first place.
I don't happen to feel a loss to MSU like that ... but I don't live instate either.
Just my IMO. The team of course has to quickly refocus on Iowa ... but for many instate fans this loss will linger with them for a year, and their Spartan neighbors will make sure of it.