[Patrick Barron]

An Obligation Comment Count

Brian December 2nd, 2019 at 9:38 AM

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:

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.

Comments

befuggled

December 2nd, 2019 at 9:46 AM ^

I have a program from the 1996 Ohio State game in Columbus; my late father-in-law went to that game (which I didn't know about until well afterwards).

You know how he usually got Ohio State tickets? He called up the visiting school's athletic department and got some of their tickets. So he was almost certainly sitting with Michigan fans when he watched the game.

TheCube

December 2nd, 2019 at 10:18 AM ^

The funniest part of this resigned apathy towards The Game is that Brian n co think that suddenly paying players will make them actually perform on game day. Like there isn’t a mental block in Schembechler Hall. 
 

OSU coaches almost killed themselves in a blizzard to go to DPJ’s house in order to snag him away from us in 2017 and what does he do in crunch time? Drops the ball. What does Bell do at Penn State with the season on the line ? Drops the ball. Kemp untying shoes and getting caught like a Spartan. Metellus getting burned 24/7 and Hudson, our best ST player, hopping offsides on 4th and 4. 
 

Harbaugh himself playing conservative to the point of pain. Only plays aggressive when he knows he has the better team against MSU running up the score. Ultimate front runner in those games. Complete wussy in games with equal footing. Sad field goals galore. This is a Michigan since Brady and Woodson have been on the roster. 
 

This shit is as much mental as it is talent. 

M

December 2nd, 2019 at 10:31 AM ^

Not going to argue too much about the mental aspect, you may be onto something there, but the point about paying players is off the mark.

Paying players is not about motivation on game day, it's about motivation to come to Michigan in the first place. It's about building depth. Yeah, OSU wanted DPJ, but they wanted him in addition to their already stacked roster. If he didn't perform in games, they could turn to similarly talented options 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. It's the same thing other elite programs like Clemson and Alabama do and how they get 5 stars to sign and sit behind other 5 stars instead of starting at "lesser" programs.

TheCube

December 2nd, 2019 at 10:40 AM ^

Clemson was recruiting at Michigan’s level (and still have been until these past two years) before Deshaun Watson came and lifted their program. Before that, Tajh Boyd and Dabo would lose in embarrassing fashion on the big stage. They didn’t have Bama or OSU depth. They found their ace in the hole with Deshaun Watson who finally beat Bama in the title game and willed their way to dominance setting up for the machine they have now. 
 

Even the Bama machine has lost to Auburn 4/10 times. There is no excuse being humiliated THIS badly year after year. 
 

We all thought Harbaugh would find THAT player here like he did at Stanford. He has not yet. Here’s to JJ McCarthy being that guy. 

RJWolvie

December 2nd, 2019 at 11:51 AM ^

Let’s say I bought all of your points, so then you say: “No excuse...”

...and forgot the “except we haven’t found Deshaun Watson, of course.”

...and also that Dabo Saint Swinney lost his first 5 years to their biggest rival, in-state and usually unranked, never higher that high-teens ranked, USCjr as you call them. Oh but he won his division in year 3, you say: yeah, a butt-horrible division with a record of 8-5...

Nah, Brian is right. NCAA football is now a sport with enormous disparity between the top 4 and everyone else, so we may get lucky and win one every so often, but more than 1in5 ain’t happening unless we get our breakthrough, and odds are getting worse as the disparity at recruiting keeps widening, and 0 for 5 (with one 2OT close) is way more than within error. Brian is right: is what it is, ain’t going to change. He could have added: and if you change coaches, it will almost certainly get worse. Fine if you want to change anyway, hoping to get hit by lightning, just so long as you’re fine with FAR more likely going downward than upward.

micheal honcho

December 2nd, 2019 at 8:20 PM ^

Joe Milton is most similar to Watson. But yes. We need a fucking alpha male at QB first and foremost. Henne was the last real “I’ll get in your fucking face and call you out cuz I’m 6’5” and 240 lbs of MAN and I’m not afraid to fight your ass if you question my leadership” guy we’ve had. Granted he lost his share of big games too but those teams were without question the best M teams of this century to date. Those kind of leaders inspire their teammates to play above themselves cuz if this dude is in the fight on my side I’m all in and let’s fucking brawl!! 

MRunner73

December 2nd, 2019 at 11:51 AM ^

Yes, attitude has a lot to do with it. How much more can we say about this? The attitude thing is a real issue. Add culture, OSU vs Michigan, big difference.

Would like to see Harbaugh take a more aggressive game plan for OSU.  Guess it worked for one quarter of the game and by halftime, it was over. What is the definition of insanity? We'll need to make more changes, ie; the defense and getting a new DC.

Cali Wolverine

December 2nd, 2019 at 1:28 PM ^

When our last defensive coordinator before Don Brown was consistently losing to Ohio State too, did you want to get rid of him?  And where did he wind up eventually?...oh yeah...Ohio State.  
 

Before this season, if Ohio State had their choice of Defensive Coordinator...it was Don Brown...he stayed at Michigan.  The issue isn’t Defensive Coordinator. ?‍♂️

Cali Wolverine

December 2nd, 2019 at 7:56 PM ^

So if Ohio State got their wish and Don Brown had gone to the Buckeyes and was their Defensive Coordinator this year for the Game, and we had our choice of available BIG defensive coordinator at the beginning of the season, you really think the result on Saturday would have been any different?  We would have stopped this Ohio State team’s Offense with a different coordinator?  And Don Brown’s Ohio State Defense would be any worse?

Reasons are all over the place...disparity of talent, overall coaching on both sides of the ball, Ohio State ethics, and shitty timing...Harbaugh came to Michigan right when Ohio State was building a powerhouse/dynasty level program in the BIG...just like Clemson in the ACC, Alabama in the SEC, USC used to have in the PAC.  All dynasties come to an end...hopefully Harbaugh will be here when Ohio State’s does.
 

 

MGrether

December 2nd, 2019 at 10:01 PM ^

I will simplify this: Defensive Tackle Recruitment. This year we were fine EVERYWHERE else. Our DBs were running with their WRs. Our LBs were flying to the ball. Our Offense was moving the ball effortlessly (in the first half... yay for drops in the second). However, when OSU lined up to run the ball down the middle... we had nothing to stop them without drastically changing alignment to become unbalanced elsewhere #WideOpenReceivers. No DTs = No stopping their O = Having to be PERFECT everywhere else, and we were not. Imagine if this team still had Solomon and Gary (and 4* Hudson Or if 4* Jeter had become something). But, Missing on Solomon AND Jeter AND Hudson in that class PLUS no DTs in the following class at all... == Epic Beatdowns until we get consistently great DT play that can nutrialize their interior run game without extra blitzes or 3-3 stacks. 

The Oline and Dline are what separate the good from the great. 

burnett0351

December 3rd, 2019 at 8:10 AM ^

Absolutely.  And, we have to give credit to OSU for recruiting well in those positions.  If you look back at the last several games, Michigan has been unable to run the ball against OSU, and have also been unable to stop the OSU run game.  It really isn't that difficult to understand that the best lineman make even average skill players much better.  The problem is, how do we recruit those good lineman?  That is the million dollar question.  How do you get those kids to want to come to Michigan.  I don't know that it is going to happen under Harbaugh, but I really have no idea.  Even the kids that are recruited under Harbaugh don't seem to play well.  Look at Rashan Gary last year vs OSU.  How many pressures did he have??  Lol.  Some coaches just seem to be able to get a lot out of their players, and it doesn't seem that Harbaugh has that ability.  Hell, Dantonio consistently did better with less talent.  There is something going on with the entitled culture that is going on with Michigan.  Hopefully it gets resolved.

Marvin

December 2nd, 2019 at 9:57 AM ^

How is this the message you take from Brian's post? He is not "complaining about doing his job." He is lamenting the current state of college football, in which some schools (Ohio State, for example) have completely dispensed with the idea that their players are student-athletes, and sold their souls for football success. 

Other Andrew

December 2nd, 2019 at 10:45 AM ^

Similar comment from LSU's quarterback and soon to be Heisman Trophy Winner:

https://247sports.com/Article/lsu-joe-burrow-online-classes-student-section-celebration-senior-night-video-139620247/

"Obviously, I don't go to class because I take online classes so I don't get to see any of those people."

Obviously I'm not really a student...

Buckeye9Strong

December 3rd, 2019 at 9:57 AM ^

Where was everyone in 2017 when Iowa starting speaking about online courses for its players? This news is so old that Michigan already offers its players but online courses. Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana, Ohio State...why would athletes be held to a different standard than you or I?? University’s offer online courses and a lot of schools are tacking advantage of it across the nation. It’s 2019...what are you going on about? Justin Fields has offers to Harvard and Yale...yet you portray him as some mercenary dumb ass. This false narrative is disgusting..but what should we expect from a fan base that’s fallen so far.

Castroviejo

December 2nd, 2019 at 2:23 PM ^

I agree.  One if the major charms about college football is that the football players were actual students.  Real students.  I used to see Harbaugh, Jaime Morris, Greg McMurtry, Jumbo Elliot, and even Desmond towards the end of my time in Ann Arbor. They hung out at the same hangouts on South U that everybody else did, they had friends that weren’t athletes; it was so compelling to go to the games to root for those guys.  They were one of us.  I think it’s still similar to that now at Michigan. My daughter graduated in 2018, and she knew several members of the football team.  It obviously isn’t like that at LSU or OSU.  In the early 20th century there was a big scandal about the use of mercenary players who had no connection to the universities they represented.  A lot of reforms were instituted to combat that, and some of the more draconian measures that still exist now relate back to that era. It seems the notion of mercenary players representing the university has returned.  If that is the case, what and who exactly are we rooting for?  The minute the athletes aren’t real students anymore, the distinction between the NFL and the NCAA is gone, and college football becomes irrelevant.  I think ultimately the solution entails that the NFL runs its own farm teams, and people who are interested only in football don’t have to go through the facade of going to school and pretending they give a shit about education, other students, or their institution.

HuronForest

December 3rd, 2019 at 9:34 AM ^

NCAA should also mandate taking notes in actual notebooks, learning to use a slide rule, and to be eligible all student-athletes must subscribe to cable and maintain a landline phone number.

This whole line of thinking is so out-dated and foolish. This isn't about academics; not with us and not with them. I am pretty certain I don't want to see an IQ challenge between these teams. 

Oh sure, we can have fun at OSU's expense, but let's not look like fools in so doing.

The gap here is plain and simple. Harbaugh's staff, including himself, is unable to develop talent, of which they get plenty. 

MgerBlerg

December 2nd, 2019 at 12:38 PM ^

Yes this but I also very much agree that he acknowledges his lamentation is from the point of view of a Michigan fan in that we have a self-imposed "prim and proper", high-horse viewpoint of the world that's not necessarily more noble than the alternative and ultimately putting us at an insurmountable disadvantage on the field.

"Student-athletes" at the highest levels of competitive football are basically forced to add the "student" designation in a broken system.  A 5-star player out of high school probably has expected lifetime earnings well into the 7-figures and overall monetary value to the sport significantly higher than that.  To be able to play professionally and capitalize on that value, that player basically has no other choice than to go to school, at least for football, where he's not technically allowed any real compensation despite real risk to his extremely valuable future (see: Tagovailoa, Tua).  Yes having an education is great but for this very small talented subgroup, it's arguably irrelevant to maximizing future earnings.  It could be argued that for them, anything that takes energy away from improving as a player is sub-optimal, including academics.

So on the one hand, a "responsible" school can reasonably see it has an obligation to adhere strictly to NCAA rules and provide an honest education to everyone in the student body.  On the other hand, it's likely optimal from the athlete's point of view to focus on their craft and seek compensation, in any manner available, for risking their extremely valuable future.  From that perspective, "cheaters" such as OSU, Alabama, etc. are actually doing a better job looking out for the best interest of the players.

Mich4Life

December 2nd, 2019 at 12:47 PM ^

He also treats the OSU game review like its worthless trash... the fans are an extension of the team and I'll be remembering his punting on these columns (game review, UFR), in the summer while I visit the site less often than I have in years past. 

I care about this game the most but please just ignore the aftermath, individual player review, scheme review, silver linings, game theory, coaching points, future projections - you know the stuff that I'm most interested in as a fan and why I come to this blog, not like its important in the grand scheme of things as I won't ever be donning a helmet again.