An Obligation
11/30/2019 – Michigan 27, Ohio State 56 – 9-3, 6-3 Big Ten
Afterwards, Justin Fields said that he thought Ohio State took things more seriously:
I asked Justin Fields and JK Dobbins why Ohio State has had more success in this rivalry.... #OhioState
— Justin Rose (@JRoseWXYZ) November 30, 2019
“We take it more seriously than they do.” #Buckeyes #Wolverines #TheGame pic.twitter.com/Z4Hlj4OumE
He's probably right. This September he told the world that he took nothing but online classes. Fields was part of a university community in the same way someone in jail next to it is:
“From what I have seen, the campus is beautiful and the people around are great,” Fields said.
Even in relatively good circumstances online classes are often jokes. A lot of small liberal arts schools are scrambling to get together joke online masters degrees in a hopefully-futile bid to survive in the face of declining enrollment. Those programs exist only to give people bullshit credentials they hope will pass muster in an environment that doesn't really care to examine them.
Those are for people for whom the diploma they receive might actually mean something at some point. For an Ohio State quarterback? If Fields even does any of his own work, spelling his name will suffice to pass. I don't have many illusions about the academic standards placed on Michigan players, but I'm dead certain they actually show up on campus because I know many people who have taught or been in classes with Michigan football players. So you wonder at which point the dubious nature of college football becomes outright fraud.
"How far is too far?" is not a question that's ever troubled anyone at Ohio State. The NCAA is a joke to be exploited. Classes are a joke to be avoided. Anything not related to beating Michigan is a joke.
And, okay, you win. Whatever. Good one.
[After THE JUMP: slightly more of this]
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Michigan's not going to do that stuff. This isn't a value judgment. For a guy like Justin Fields, classes are a stupid distraction. It's reasonable to treat them like that. Michigan isn't going to do that, because the institution thinks things like going to class are important. This is also a reasonable thing to think.
What it does mean is that this is going to continue. Ohio State faced a potential reckoning point when some idiot emailed Jim Tressel about Terrelle Pryor. Gordon Gee said he hoped Tressel didn't fire him, eventually did fire Tressel when it was inevitable, and then everyone treated him like he'd martyred himself for orphans. They took their bowl ban, changed nothing, and continued beating Michigan.
That's literally all that matters in Columbus. When Fields said his bit about online classes the local paper rushed to defend him like he'd been caught lying four separate times to the NCAA. To describe their media as bootlicking does an injustice to bootlickers, who may have ill feelings about the boot in question.
Meanwhile Michigan's athletic department is so prim and proper it won't even try to dissuade hordes of Ohio squareheads from filling the seats around me every other year.
So that's how it is, and how it's going to be. Michigan's going to pretend to dignity and Ohio State's going to beat their ass. Nothing is going to change. You can be done with Don Brown all you want. Michigan can hire Super Robot Lombardi as their defensive coordinator, and Ohio State will beat his ass. Not one emotion you might have matters. You can agitate on a message board all you want and even if you get your heart's fondest desire, Ohio State is going to beat that guy's ass.
Maybe at some point Michigan will win one of the games that happens to end up close, and hooray for that. Not one thing you say or think or care about is going to change the situation.
So okay. The only thing I'm annoyed with this Monday is that I have to spend time writing this instead of talking about the basketball team, which is good and fun, because of some lingering sense of obligation. What is the optimal point at which I have discharged this duty in a way that will be minimally satisfying to the insane 20% of the fanbase who wanted a full hour of football talk on the podcast? At what point do the wishes of the 50% who asked for zero minutes of football take primacy?
Right about… now.
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:33 PM ^
Here's your summary:
- our DL got owned.
- we lost the TO battle
- we had coverage mistakes by HUdson, Metellus and McGrone, Glasgow was JAG
- OSU QB was off in 1st QTR, on fire for the rest with no pressure. Got RPS'd plenty but that's what good modern offenses with talent do to you in 2019
- WRs dropped the ball. So did Shea. Other than that he was good to excellent
- We couldn't run but could pass. RPS was plus on this side of the ball.
- Mistakes are on the players mostly making mistakes and not being 1st round draft picks generally
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:45 PM ^
It's his business.
December 2nd, 2019 at 6:58 PM ^
He can lament all he wants, he didn't show how Fields is a better QB because he doesn't attend class. Does he similarly believe that if Patterson, DPJ, Nico Collins, et al didn't attend classes they would have performed better on Saturday?
22 years ago the Buckeyes had a LB that famously didn't go to class and posted a GPA in the 1.0 range. In 1997 he won the Butkus Award and as a sophomore was a consensus All American. All of that didn't help Andrew Katzenmoyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes from keeping Michigan out of the endzone.
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:43 PM ^
you mean this guy?
https://www.10tv.com/article/former-ohio-state-buckeye-katzenmoyer-arrested
It's all about character son. And succeeding at life. . .Not choosing to pay your lot rent money on a #45 jersey.
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:57 AM ^
What can he do when there's just nothing left to say? In the past I'll admit, Brian's lack of a full write up on these games bugged me. But you know what? Now that I've seen the light a bit, I think the dude was just ahead of the curve.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:06 AM ^
I was one of the guys who voted for 60 mins on the podcast. I think our football team is worth talking about. We have one game left this year. I hope you all can enjoy it as much as I will.
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:10 PM ^
It's both. I love Michigan football. Can't wait for the bowl game and I'll be reading up on everything related to it - including the development of young players, etc - as it comes along in the next several weeks. Auburn would be an outstanding opponent.
But the context here is Ohio State. There's no reason to talk about this game. We're very far away. Lightning strikes and time are required to catch up (and this is coming from a guy who predicted the worst OSU team in years preseason - I even wrote stupid-ass board posts about it). If the former happens, excellent, we may begin to watch the sands drop on the latter. But there's nothing to talk about this Monday.
Celebrate the wins. Crushed two rivals, beat a good Iowa team at home, and buried a good Indiana team on the road. OSU discussions? Wave them away and concede*. For like a year, at least, and likely many more. That's what Brian is doing. It makes complete sense.
*no the players should not do this, and won't; we are not players
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:00 AM ^
You do a lot of complaining for something that’s FREE.
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:12 AM ^
Cell phone plans are not free, most internet sites are free.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:03 AM ^
You sure sound like an assclown a lot.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:44 AM ^
Except it's not "his job." He makes a living at it but has no obligation to do so, unlike the rest of us with bosses
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
I think Brian as owner of this enterprise is better at defining what “doing your job” is than you, anonymous shitposter.
December 2nd, 2019 at 1:05 PM ^
I mean . . . my name, birth year, and likeness are available at an immediate glance, so I'm not sure about the anonymity comment. Given that I know about as much about Brian, our levels of transparency seem about equal. Unlike Brian, though, nobody cares what I have to say about Michigan football. He is a sports writer who has willingly taken on a role in shaping the program's narrative. This blog has survived because it's about more than "Well, I dunno. Fuck it." Thousands of people come here to attach meaning to the escapist diversion that is college football, and the best writing on this site has always been the post-loss reaffirmation of the meaning we construct here. Without that, what the hell are we doing here? These increasingly frequent jaunts into nihilism betray the whole point of the blog. Arguing that I'm not allowed to care because I'm not the sole proprietor of the site is kind of reductionist. Michigan football is more than Jim Harbaugh, and MGoBlog is more than Brian Cook.
Regardless, first world problems, amirite?
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:32 PM ^
MGoBlog isn't an institution in which you're a stakeholder; it's a project by Brian Cook, and it is whatever he says it is. If it isn't living up to your expectations, you're free to go elsewhere or start your own project.
But you do raise a good question: What the hell are you doing here?
December 2nd, 2019 at 3:44 PM ^
Buddy, I've been following this blog since the early days. I'm here for that good, good, juicy content. Not this defeatist hogwash. I'm entitled to my own opinion, and I'm entitled to share it on MGoBrianCook'sPersonalMessageBoard:SycophantEdition all I want.
December 2nd, 2019 at 4:23 PM ^
You pay for nothing, you're entitled to nothing. Buddy.
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:57 PM ^
Think about that for a minute though. Do you think MGoBlog would have started if the internet had gotten going 20 years later? I don't think it would have, at least nowhere to the degree it exists at the present.
When Brian launched MGoBlog in 2004 Michigan was 9-5-1 vs OSU in the previous 15 years. In the 15 years the blog has been around Michigan is 1-14 (and a finger-tip overthrow from 0-15). That's one single UFR of the most important game in the blog's history!
So it makes total sense that 15 years later, the objective and goals have changed. OSU is now simply an obligation to deal with and get past.
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:43 PM ^
Mjoe, you're a cry baby. And go pay for your Michigan content somewhere else, loser.
December 2nd, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
Jesus, dude. I make one statement you disagree with and I'm a crybaby and loser? Have a cookie and get fucked. You seem a little keyed up.
December 2nd, 2019 at 1:34 PM ^
No kidding. No one expects him to be happy but what a bunch of emo bullshit.
"No value judgment" he says in the middle of his multi paragraph rant on Fields taking online classes. That's what you are reduced to whining about???
Geez. Never mind the kid had a 3.9GPA and along with the usual big names he had offers from Northwestern (his first), Harvard and Yale. You know schools that can legitimately look down their noses at UM academics (possibly Duke too of which he also had an offer.
UM ran an ad for their ONLINE MBA program DURING the game for crying out loud.
Refs one year, online classes this year......what will be the reason UM loses next year?
December 2nd, 2019 at 3:23 PM ^
1. MBA online courses are in a whole different ballpark from online courses to stay eligible.
2. Refs in 2016 were either blatantly incompetent, pressured by conference or scarlet biased. This year's game had DPI and targeting criteria altered to allow a team that would bring in $$$ to avoid shooting themselves in the foot. Michigan receivers were being mugged the entire game hence the 9 drops.
3. Smelling salts. Have a friend with sideline pass who saw numerous players using smelling salts.
4. Steroids and creatine. Michigan does not allow creatine in weight room, Ohio does.
December 2nd, 2019 at 3:53 PM ^
My mind almost broke on your last one. I'm sorry but creatine and steroids shouldn't even be used in the same sentence. And if the Michigan S&C staff doesn't allow creatine supplementation for their athletes, which I highly doubt and I think you completely made up, they are stupid as fuck and the S&C staff should be fired. Unless on the off chance they felt that was causing the massive cramping epidemic we had last year, at which point you would have to argue it isn't an advantage for Ohio State or anyone else.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:13 PM ^
1. I acknowledge the difference in the 2 but still.......
2. BS Take. The ball literally had to just touch the 15 yard line for the first down. With the Video evidence, it is hard to say if it did or not. Why? The angle of the camera was definitely a factor but also because it was that damn close. One of the users on this very site did a thread and figured that Barrett did in fact make it based on mathematics and angles of view, etc..... Yes, you get to complain about the 2 early missed DPI's but are you actually saying that led to 9!!!! drops. You have watched UM cornerbacks play since Brown was hired right? They get away with a ton. Also, you probably would not have liked if they called every time Young was held. One of the most blatant was on the DPJ TD. The targeting criteria?? You actually believe that was targeting on Fuller? Even the worst homers probably don't believe that.
3. What?
4. What again?
December 3rd, 2019 at 3:21 AM ^
No, the 2016 game was bullshit, anyone with eyes saw that.
December 3rd, 2019 at 9:49 AM ^
the 2016 game was in 2016. let it go.
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:49 AM ^
i had this exact discussion this morning (ohio = SEC north, we aren't going to win any/many) and they still want don brown fired. they just don't get that it won't make any difference who we hire if brown does leave.
and one other point: a few weeks ago i brought up the 'fields takes on-line classes, what a joke' and there were some here the rushed to defend that. hey, i get it, some on-line stuff can be good. but seriously, you are talking about ohio. give it a rest.
go integrity, go blue, in the end integrity is preferred over cheating. at least by michigan.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:01 AM ^
If it wasn’t for practice, he’d probably still live in Georgia.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
This is the best comment here. So true. Lol at people who think otherwise.
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:10 AM ^
If it wasn’t for practice, Aubrey Solomon would still be here.
Some kids don’t want it to be egalitarian because when you’re a star it shouldn’t be. You have to know who you are catering to...
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
And when you hire someone...
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:38 AM ^
I wish the FBI would investigate the NCAA for corruption. Dead serious.
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:26 AM ^
Seriously. Burn it down, like FIFA (which still has a lot of problems but at least it shook things up a bit).
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:25 PM ^
FBI, along with a dozen other government entities can be trusted as far as you can throw them. FBI has enough of their own problems.
An independent investigation with people who had skin in the game would be better. Former AD's, Coaches, and maybe even university presidents who are appalled at what is going on (yet most of them probably get greased pretty good to look the other way)
December 2nd, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
Oh Mannix, your mediocre show was canceled while I was still in grade school.
Oh, and No Politics!
gtfo
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:48 PM ^
I agree, but I feel that Congress should act to get Treasury involved. College athletics is worth billions now and it's all tax free.
All you need to do for the NCAA to clean up their act is to threaten their tax exempt status. That would clean house.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:45 AM ^
There is getting beaten, and then there is getting whomped by 30. While it's true OSU will likely always be better, there not one single reason in Brian's post or anywhere actually, why we should get humiliated often
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:02 PM ^
Did you read the FFFF? Every position group has multiple NFL 1st day draft picks, many 2 deep, also the projected 1st & 5th overall, and that doesn’t even count QB & RB, who probably will be back to kick our asses again next year. And we went for it on 4th & appreciable at our 20, and 4th & 11 at our 40, as we should, because you take your only shot to get back into it, rather than punt and keep it less embarrassing. (And Hawkins out: we saw already last week made us vulnerable in D backfield.) So, yeah, there’s every reason for this best OSU team in my lifetime (I’m 50) to have beaten us badly. We needed a perfect game to have a shot. We didn’t come close to perfect
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:07 PM ^
Our recruiting is not as good, that's factual. But our talent level categorically is not 30 pts a game lower, period.
December 2nd, 2019 at 1:01 PM ^
it is when their worst misktake is a fumble that bounces right back in the RB hands without any loss of momentum for a 20 yard run and we have an offsides on a punt that 2 plays later is a TD and the QB drops an easy snap at the 8 yard line for a TO. and a missed PAT. that's a 15pt swing right there and that's just the 1st fucking half.
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:30 PM ^
Not to rub it in, but that fortuitous bounce resulted in a 41 yd run I believe. Weird how the ball didn't bounce like a basketball when Shea dropped it.
December 3rd, 2019 at 1:15 PM ^
Yes but how does that support your point about talent? You've described luck and poor execution, which again are not talent based
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
Online classes are great because you can give your login information to anyone and there is literally no way to prove it wasn't you logging in and doing the work.
And you know what? I wish that Michigan would have the option for our players. If a guy wants a legitimate degree (DPJ) then give him all the resources he needs. But if he doesn't come to play school then don't make him?♂️
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
Then what's the f'n point of having "Student Athletes"? If he doesn't come to play school, then he shouldn't be in school. The whole damned thing is a sham.
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:58 AM ^
A lot of us still care that our Michigan degrees still stand for something.
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:01 PM ^
It doesn't devalue anyone's degree if football players making millions of dollars for the university aren't forced to do the same work as the general student body.
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:18 PM ^
hmmm... agree to disagree.
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
Okay, let me rephrase: since Michigan ALREADY LOWERS ITS ACADEMIC STANDARDS for its athletes, how would it make any difference if it lowered it a little more?
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:43 PM ^
We lower our admissions standards for them, yes. (We also have more generous admissions standards for non-athletes for other reasons, too - in-state, legacy, etc.)
But we still ask everyone to show up to class. That should never be negotiable. We're not a diploma mill.
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:57 PM ^
I see what you're saying, and that makes more sense.
Well then I have no idea. I'm done trying to figure it out, mostly because all I'll do is get frustrated and it's not like my opinion will change anything the AD does anyway.
December 2nd, 2019 at 12:52 PM ^
There's a difference between lowering admissions standards and breaking all academic standards for the enrolled athletes.
If you lower admissions to get a kid in, but he actually goes to class, works hard, does his work, learns, and gets a degree, there't not only no harm to the degree, but you've done something great for the kid.
But if you lower admissions to get him in, give him all online classes, keep him from the campus, maybe have someone else use his login info, and give him a degree which he is not qualified for, you devalue the degree and you hurt the kid himself.
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