ND +5.5 at Sparty (ov/un 43.5) Sat 8 ET, ABC

[jwinslow]

The last 2 years have shifted my rooting interests for the short term. Hoke was handed the entire state of Ohio and most of the Big Ten on a silver platter before he won the game. That honeymoon lasted even longer than normal due to the fact that he's a great recruiter surrounded by great coaches and Ohio State is a sanctioned mess that dragged out far longer than it should have because of how long it took to get a new coach.

Factor in some of the immature antics by Hoke and especially his recruits, many of which were Buckeye Bound before the calamity, and the need for comeuppance is greatly amplified.

That becomes even more true when a very weak Michigan team backed into a BCS bowl against an even less worthy opponent and like they had most of the year, stole a win they didn't really deserve.



Once OSU is back to full strength, on the field and in the classroom, I will go back to rooting for Michigan over ND. I have respect for that program and their coach even if there are things deserving of mockery or ridicule (what good would they be as a rival without that?)


I have no respect for ND and wish Sparty and Purdue were more prestigious so it would stick it to the Domers when the B1G stops scheduling them.

 

[cincibuck]

The last 2 years have shifted my rooting interests for the short term. Hoke was handed the entire state of Ohio and most of the Big Ten on a silver platter before he won the game. That honeymoon lasted even longer than normal due to the fact that he's a great recruiter surrounded by great coaches and Ohio State is a sanctioned mess that dragged out far longer than it should have because of how long it took to get a new coach.

Factor in some of the immature antics by Hoke and especially his recruits, many of which were Buckeye Bound before the calamity, and the need for comeuppance is greatly amplified.

That becomes even more true when a very weak Michigan team backed into a BCS bowl against an even less worthy opponent and like they had most of the year, stole a win they didn't really deserve.



Once OSU is back to full strength, on the field and in the classroom, I will go back to rooting for Michigan over ND. I have respect for that program and their coach even if there are things deserving of mockery or ridicule (what good would they be as a rival without that?)


I have no respect for ND and wish Sparty and Purdue were more prestigious so it would stick it to the Domers when the B1G stops scheduling them.

Thanks for the detailed answer -- as for your final line - Michigan might drop ND - but I believe that Purdue and Michigan State play that game for an entirely different set of reasons, not the least of which is an FU to Michigan.

I like The Game rivalry. I like the back and forth between players, coaches and fans. I love the national focus that The Game brings to both programs and to the conference. It's that attention drawing capacity that has pushed other rivalries - UCLA - USC, Texas A&M - Texas, Alabama - Auburn to switch dates and playing times to avoid competing.

That focus needs both programs to be healthy.

 

[Zurp]

Normally I root for piss and blue when they play the ding-dongs in South Bend. Last year, I just laughed when Notre Dame blew that lead.

But in Cleveland, in the 90's, I used to see more M*ch*gan fans than Ohio State fans. Yeah - that speaks volumes of Cleveland fans, sports, etc., and you're preaching to the choir. But the point is that since the early 2000's, those M*ch*gan fans have mostly disappeared. Again, volumes about Cleveland fans. And since 2007 or so, it has been GREAT being a Buckeye fan in the area. If the city is going to show false love for one team or the other, at least it's false love for Ohio State.

Every time a M*ch*gan team wins a game, another M*ch*gan fan comes back out of the closet. Get back in there where you belong!!

 

[BB73]

BB73 just embezzles it, so it's always right back.

Does embezzling mean that I spend it all on vBeer?

 

[scott91575]

Does embezzling mean that I spend it all on vBeer?

vBlow and vHookers are better, but hey, whatever you are into.