Piece by: Thomas DeMeo
You know what sucks about being a loyal fan. You open yourself up to pain. Unless you're an Alabama or Clemson fan, in the world of college football you're bound to suffer at one point for your team being awful. Now don't get me wrong, finally seeing your team become successful is one of the greatest moments in sports. I remember when my Army West Point team ended a fourteen year losing streak to arch rival Navy. Seeing a team go from 2-10 to 11-3 in just three years. This is why we stay loyal, for moments like that. But then there are the situations where loyalty only brings you pain. A pain where you question to yourself. "Why do I keep doing this to myself?"
That brings me to my second favorite college football team. The Michigan Wolverines. While not born a fan of them, I took pity on the team during the Rich Rodriguez years and have followed them ever since. I wish I could go back in time and slap my younger self, for I had no idea what I would get myself into. For those blissfully unaware let me take you on a journey of my time with this team.
Take yourself back to 2011. First year head coach Brady Hoke has led his team to an 11-2 record. Not only giving Michigan it's first ten win season in five years, but also giving them they're first BCS bowl win since 2000. This was just the first year, clearly this team is coming up strong. The future is bright here in Ann Arbor.
But instead the team saw the light and decided to pull an Icarus and crash and burn. The following year was filled with false hope and expectations. Going 8-5 where the most memorable part of the season is Jadeveon Clowney nearly killing a man on a football field. The hit symbolizes Michigan fans feelings, just switch Clowney with reality.
Maybe they can bounce back though, you start 2013 with three straight impressive wins, one being against Notre Dame, maybe last year was a fluke? No, you spend the next two weeks having to pull off come from behind victories against Akron and UCONN… Great. They go from 5-0 to 7-4 heading against Ohio State. Just crush us already… except Michigan finally realizes their potential and plays up to one of the best teams in college football. As all fans wonder why they couldn't play like this all year, Michigan puts together what looks like a game tying drive, but they want the win. The offense goes for two with under a minute to play. If they pull this off, all the past sins will be forgiven. Except Ohio State does not believe in such penance and they intercept the pass. Honestly though I'm not upset, I like the call, you have an opportunity to upset not only one of the best teams in the country, but also your biggest rival. The play wasn't bad either, Ohio State just stayed disciplined. In an alternate world that pass is complete and Brady Hoke is once again seen as a hero and Ohio State never lives it down. Maybe they can ride this momentum into next year?
Or just lay down and die, that's fine too. They go 5-7 and flashbacks to Rich Rodriguez haunt the whole state. Enough is enough, Brady Hoke has failed us for too many years now, our next coach needs to be great, not some former group five commoner. This team needs a real winner. Enter Jim Harbaugh.
I, like many fans, saw Jim as a savior of the team. A man that had proven himself at every level. He turned Standford into a perennial powerhouse and made the 49ers one of the most dominant teams in the NFL. It was a match made in heaven. The once great Michigan quarterback returning to his alma mater to turn around a now struggling program.
But it was all a sham. I know what you're thinking, his teams have been very highly ranked, he's had many ten plus win seasons, he has had some of the best recruiting classes in recent memory, what's wrong here? Allow me to explain.
The year is 2015. Jim Harbaugh's first season with the team. It got off to a rough start, losing at Utah, mostly because Jake Ruddock threw three interceptions. But it's alright, it's just one game and Utah did turn out to be pretty good that year. The next five games were a thing of beauty, all blowout wins, only giving up a total of fourteen points, including three straight shutouts. Going into Michigan State it looked like they had another statement win in the bag, until the punter dropped the ball and now there needs to be a trigger warning before highlights of the game.
But again, it's just one game and it was a fluke, just finish out the season strong. Or you can struggle and look unprepared every week and struggle (with the exception of Rutgers) to beat mediocre big ten teams and get bitched slapped by Ohio State, please don't make this a trend (spoiler it does). But you finish strong in and blow out Florida in the Citrus Bowl. Overall not a bad first season, figure things out in the off season and come back stronger.
It's a new year (2016), expectations are high for you after last year and you are fulfilling them in big ways. You are in control of every game and are dominating your opponents. That defense is still strong and your offense looks like it's coming together. Your only blemish is an upset from Iowa, but honestly they pull wins like that all the time, they must have some dark magic surrounding their stadium, write it off as another fluke. But now it's your time to shine. If you beat Ohio State you're not only going to the Big Ten championship, you also have a strong chance of making the playoff. This is your year.
Or Wilton Speight can choose now to literally throw the game away. How about throwing a pick six, fumbling the ball at the Ohio State one yard line and then throwing another interception to get the Buckeyes back in the game. But that defense is keeping you in the game, Ohio State just missed a game tying field goal. The offense just needs to get a couple first downs and that'll end it. Or go three and out, that works too. Your defense manages to hold Ohio State out of the endzone again, but this time they hit the field goal. On to overtime. Yes we all know that controversial ball spot, but honestly it was very close and could've gone either way.
The real problems were that one this game should've been over in regulation and second the very next play after that review, the defense was terribly unprepared and immediately gave up a touchdown. I get the call didn't go your way but you need to have your team refocus and move on. That's on the coach, how do I know, the whole press conference was spent complaining about the refs. Oh and Florida State keeps you in your place in the Orange Bowl. It's fine though, you're still showing improvement, next year is the year.
I'm not going into detail for 2017. You came out flat as a map, the offense looked terrible, you got trampled by every half decent team on your schedule, Rutgers was competitive against you… Rutgers! You go 8-5, get trounced by Ohio State and again lose your bowl game. It's only been three years, can we please get a functioning offense.
You've declared 2018 your revenge tour. You lose a tough game to Notre Dame in week one, but you have bounced back greatly. Ten straight wins, blowing out Big Ten opponents. The sins of the past can once again be forgiven. Redeem yourselves and bring us back to glory. Or once again get bitch slapped by Ohio State. Oh and just lay down and die against Florida in the Peach Bowl.
2019 is when we all started to see through the mirage. Take the game against Army. Shea Patterson tries his hardest but Army matches his mistakes with it's own. Tied and fourteen and the defense playing great, why kick a field goal and take the lead, let's go for it on a fourth and two. They miss, why not try it again on the very next possession, giving Army prime field position to try for a game winning field goal.
If that kick goes in Jim Harbaugh is fired on the spot. At least against Appalachian State those years ago was an FCS powerhouse who played an outstanding game. Army played Ohio State two years prior and the Buckeyes won 38-7, that year Army went 10-3. The year Michigan survived them, Army went 5-8. How did the rest of the season go? Just more blown potential. Yes they finished 9-4. But got smacked in every game that actually mattered. That's when it dawned on me Jim Harbaugh had become a modern Bo Pelini.
Putting up on the surface solid to great seasons, but when actually looked at you see this team just beat down lesser competition and couldn't compete against quality opponents. He turned this team into the college football equivalent to the Houston Rockets. Tease fans with hope for years only to squander it in unprecedented ways.
2020 cemented all that we had come to realize the year prior. That Jim Harbaugh was wasting talent. How many top quarterback recruits come here to die. How many future NFL draft picks has this man had, only to vastly underperform. How many times are we gonna see this team, either play down to competition and rely on talent to win or just collapse after a loss. That's on the head coach. It's his responsibility to have this team prepared every week, but they're not. At first glance his new contract seems like a bad one, but upon close look it's very incentive based and the buyout clause decreases every year. He is on the hot seat. I give him one more year and if nothing big happens I can guarantee him and Michigan will "mutually agree to part ways"
Brady Hoke might have been in over his head with this job, but you know what at least he was competitive against Ohio State, yes he only beat them once, but aside from his last year, every game was decided by one score. Harbaugh has only had one close game and still blames the refs for it. Hoke also didn't blame everyone else for his failures, he was a man and owned up to it.
I'd say I'm hopeful that a new coach could come in and have this team fulfill its potential, but I just know that they're gonna go name chasing again and give us someone like Gus Malzahn and have the team keep treading water for the next decade. This is the life of a Michigan fan, we know nothing but pain and teasing, if you know a Michigan fan please check up on them. We all need some support going into the new season.