Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Michigan-OSU always matters
By Bob Wojnowski / The Detroit News
ANN ARBOR -- Listen to the quiver in the coaches' voices. Listen to the nervousness in the players, who know they can't say what they really feel, not this week. Listen to the fans, who generate much of the noise.
This is why, amid college football's evolving landscape, with BCS controversies, conference title games and shifting bowl alliances, Michigan-Ohio State endures, relatively untouched.
This is why: Because it still means absolutely everything, even when it doesn't mean absolutely everything.
There will not be a national championship contender Saturday in Michigan Stadium. There might not even be a Big Ten champion crowned. That could happen in East Lansing, where Penn State will try to complete its amazing revival and cap Michigan State's stunning collapse.
Yet Michigan-Ohio State remains the best, most bankable rivalry in college football because it rarely changes. The sky turns gray, the holidays approach and whatever happened all season suddenly doesn't matter.
For everything the Wolverines (7-3) accomplished the past month, winning big road games, shaking that 3-3 start, resuscitating what appeared dead -- all would be wiped out with a loss to the Buckeyes (8-2). I hate to be so harsh, but the truth is, even those most affected agree.
I asked Lloyd Carr if one game, this game, could make or break a season. Any other week, the response would be classic coach-speak. This week? Carr paused about a half-second.
"Yeah, I think for both teams," he said. "I think this season would be a major disappointment with a loss. I can't think of anything less, because there is a lot at stake and that's what this game is."
Always has been. And this season, the split isn't quite equal -- there's more at stake for U-M.
Go back a year, to the Wolverines' visit to Columbus. U-M was 9-1; OSU was 6-4 after a 3-3 start. OSU coach Jim Tressel was getting hammered, his offense was a mess, his quarterback was a mystery. And then Troy Smith shredded U-M's defense, and the Buckeyes won, 37-21.
Now here the Wolverines sit, their turn to salvage. At stake? Still almost everything. They still could land the Big Ten's BCS bowl bid, with a victory and a Penn State loss. A victory at least would ensure U-M a New Year's Day bowl (actually, Jan. 2) for a 10th consecutive season.
Of all the storylines that never change, the coaching drama remains the most compelling. A rivalry that spiked in 1969 with the arrival of Bo Schembechler, who went 5-4-1 against Woody Hayes, doesn't stray far from the coaches, and the attendant pressure.
Carr and Tressel don't have the personalities of Bo and Woody but they have comparable records, and each has a national title. And despite their resounding success, each is still judged against the accomplishments of the other.
Right now, Carr's 1-3 record versus Tressel is merely notable. If it turns to 2-3, it's a non-issue. If it turns to 1-4, it becomes a trend. (Note to antsy U-M fans: Calm down, Carr is 6-4 overall against the Buckeyes).
U-M and OSU coaches are scrutinized every game, but completely dissected on only one. As proof, I merely offer facts. John Cooper won plenty in 13 seasons with the Buckeyes, but his 2-10-1 record against U-M was unfathomable, and impossible for OSU to ignore.
Carr, meanwhile, saved a few seasons by beating the rivalry-hapless Cooper.
How do you think Carr's career might have veered if he hadn't beaten OSU his first three tries? In 1995, U-M was 8-3 heading into the finale and won, 31-23. In 1996, U-M was 7-3 and a huge underdog against the 10-0 Buckeyes, and won, 13-9.
In 1997, the Wolverines marched toward their national title with a 20-14 victory.
You could argue Carr weathered rough times early as coach primarily because he started 5-1 against OSU.
That's why the annual debate about U-M's biggest rival always is pointless, and why Carr, in a rare moment of reflection the other day, admitted about the Buckeyes, "I don't think you ever stop thinking about them."
The MSU game is big, but it's early. Notre Dame is big, but also early. OSU is the biggest because it's the last game, often the decisive game in the Big Ten, always the ultimate measure of how each team has persevered, and is perceived.
"Coach Carr is pretty consistent throughout the season, but I think (this week) you can kind of tell there's something different from the look in his eyes," defensive tackle Pat Massey said.
"We're not looking to pat ourselves on the back for winning a couple of games in a row. We're thinking about Ohio State. ... Yeah, they're always in our minds."
Always in each other's minds, always in each other's sights. Carr and his staff and his players deserve loads of credit for battling back. How far they really rebounded will be determined now.
You can reach Bob Wojnowski at
[email protected].
