Those Who Stay...
/It starts with just the name. Michigan-Ohio State. It's not Ohio State-Michigan, and it shouldn't be.
Ninety-nine times before, these two teams have met, most of the time with something on the line. Saturday will be no different. The Ohio State Buckeyes will enter Saturday's game as the defending National Champions of college football. A little hard to swallow. Add on the fact that Michigan is most likely the only thing standing in the way of the Buckeyes getting a chance to defend that crown, and the pressure increases.
Your ears begin to pop when you think about how this game will be the defining moment in the careers of John Navarre, Chris Perry, and perhaps even Lloyd Carr. You find it hard to breathe when you realize that there's a new guy in town, Jim Tressel, who finds ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on a weekly basis. You remember how Michigan dominated the Buckeyes in last years game, only to find themselves riding home on the short-end of a 14-9 scoreboard.
Anticipation started at the end of the first half of the Michigan - Northwestern game. And it has only been building since then. Words can't describe it. It's as if the Buckeyes are getting the advantage, two in a row, which is something you cannot recollect ever happening before. The discomfort that you feel is similar to that which has plagued the Buckeyes for 20 years. Two in a row can be a aberration, three in a row is a bonified streak, and you can't bear to think about what it would be like if it happened. It's like worrying about the Russians taking over during the cold war. You imagined then what it would be like to be forced into drone-like employment, and all the red...damn that red.
Well, I've seen enough red now. It seems there's a few at each of our games, home or away, as if they're scouting out trying to find the weakness in our team, our fans, and our way of life. What is our way of life? It is the dynasty. Not a dynasty in the modern sense of the word, like the Red Wings being a "dynasty", or Michigan State basketball having a "dynasty". In sport, you may look to the New York Yankees to find something comparable. Michigan has been in the Big Ten (AKA the Western Conference from '17-'52) for 95 seasons, and has won nearly half of the championships in that stretch. All-time leader in wins in all divisions of college football, 2nd only to Notre Dame in winning percentage, and last had a losing season in 1967. That's a dynasty.
But dynasties have been known to be vulnerable. The world will be watching, the gameday crew will be on hand. On Saturday, November 22nd, it will be the 34th anniversary of Michigan ending the Buckeye's 22-game winning streak in the first battle between Woody and Bo. And on the biggest stage in the country, Ohio State will be defending its National Championship while Michigan is defending its dynasty. Who wants it more?
