On the first day of 2008, the Michigan Wolverines football team gathered in front of their jubilant fans to sing a rousing chorus of "The Victors". Despite the turmoil caused by their recent coaching search, fortunes for the Michigan program seemed rock-steady after their 41-36 defeat of Urban Meyer's Florida Gators and Heisman-winner Tim Tebow.
It's 2010 now, and that moment in the late afternoon sun of the Capital One Bowl seems about as far away as a bike ride to Orlando. The Wolverine football program bid farewell to a 32-year Bowl streak and its string of 41 straight non-losing seasons, and last year's 1-7, 10th place finish in the Big Ten has pushed the most faithful of maize-and-blue backers to the brink of depression/madness/despondency (cross out one).
Hardest of all to stomach are the streaks that have emerged since 2008. Put aside the obvious ownership of Wolverine pride by the Ohio State University, who have won eight of their last nine meetings. Michigan is in the midst of a two-season-long tailspin against several conference foes they once dominated:
o two straight losses to Purdue, including the first home loss to the Boilermakers in over 40 years;
o two straight drubbings at the hands of Illinois and its petroleum-slick quarterback, Juice Williams;
o two woodshed-style beatings by JoePa's Nitany Lions--who had not defeated Michigan since 1996--in which they've been outscored 58-0 after halftime.
Humiliating as these streaks have been to college football's winningest program, none compare to the one administered by the school 90 minutes to their northwest.
Michigan State has its first football winning streak of any kind over the Wolverines in nearly a half century. And a rivalry that had grown dormant with whippings like the one in 2002 (see my illustrious scoreboard pic) has come to life. Since 2004 there have been three overtime contests, the most Michigan has played against any opponent. All but one game since 2003 has been decided by a touchdown or less, and that happened to be the Spartans' 45-20 torture of the Wolverines in their last Big House visit two years ago.
Sitting at 5-0, Michigan is just a win away from returning to bowl-eligible status and poised to commence Operation Payback. First this Saturday against an equally perfect Michigan State team whose coach may be watching the game from a room at the nearby University of Michigan Heart Center (see Schembechler, Glenn E.). Then, October 30 at Happy Valley opposite a good yet very beatable Penn State squad. Then a week later at the Big(ger) House when Illinois pays a visit. Then the following week as the team travels to Purdue for a healthy dose of revenge. And finally, phase five: the final week of the season at Ohio State.
If they get to Columbus having accomplished the previous four missions, they'd be arriving at the 'Shoe with no less than a 9-2 record. The next 40-year string of winning seasons has to start somewhere, right?
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