It All Comes Down to This

The 2007 season that Michigan has experienced has been perhaps the biggest roller coaster ride in the program's history. Coming into this season, hopes of a national championship were on the minds of every player, coach, and fan. With a team that had so much talent, anything less would be a disappointment.

To open the season, the only word that can be used to describe what happened on September 1st is shock. Michigan lost to Appalachian State after a last-second field goal attempt was blocked, giving the Mountaineers one of the biggest upsets in sports history. From the instance that kick was blocked, the next couple of weeks were pure pandemonium. Fans were calling for Lloyd Carr to be fired, you could not escape hearing about the biggest loss in program history no matter what you were doing, and most importantly, any chance of a national championship was killed on day #1 of the season.

Things wouldn't get any better a week later. Looking to rebound from the stunning loss to ASU, Michigan got absolutely demolished at home against Oregon. This was rock bottom for the Michigan football program in my mind. At halftime with the game out of reach, fans were calling for Ryan Mallett, boos echoed throughout Michigan Stadium, and Oregon actually took its foot off the gas, otherwise the score could have been even uglier than what it was.

Even with the horrific start to the season, Michigan could still salvage things to put together a run at the Big Ten title, which was the only thing left playing for. With that in mind, Michigan got its winning streak going by easily beating the worst Notre Dame team I can ever remember. Even though ND was so bad, the win built up momentum for a winning streak that eventually would reach 8 straight wins.

Throughout the winning streak there were many moments of concern. Actually, every game featured its own moments of concern except for the Notre Dame one. Against Penn State to open the Big Ten, Chad Henne didn't play due to an injury he suffered against Oregon, and Ryan Mallett stepped in as Michigan won 14-9. Then, a week later at Northwestern, Michigan actually trailed going into the third quarter before Chad Henne, who still wasn't completely healthy, finished the game (played only the first possession before playing in the final two quarters) and led U-M to a victory. Things wouldn't look any better when Michigan returned home a week later as the Wolverines struggled against Eastern Michigan and only won by 11 points.

The one Big Ten game during the winning streak where there was little to no concern in the sense that losing was a possibility came against Purdue. Michigan played a near perfect game and won easily, but Mike Hart was injured near the end of the first half, and he still is not fully recovered. With Hart out the next week against Illinois, Michigan really was in trouble. And that was before Chad Henne hurt his shoulder. Despite the injury, he returned to the game to lead Michigan to a win, but boy, there were a lot of times when I thought U-M had no chance at making a comeback.

With a bad Minnesota team coming to Michigan Stadium following the win over Illinois, most figured the Maize and Blue could pick up an easy win even with Hart and Henne sitting out to get healthy. In the end, that would be the case once the lead was extended to a comfortable margin, but after offensive struggles led to a 10-0 deficit early on, there was great concern on all of the faces in Michigan Stadium. Since Hart and Henne did sit out, they were able to play a week later against Michigan State. You want concern? Just look at the score with 7 or so minutes to go and watch the play when Ryan Mallett fumbled. Mike Hart thankfully picked the ball up and ran for a first down, eventually giving Michigan momentum to score back-to-back touchdowns to win the game, but had he not done that, MSU probably would have won the game.

As you can see, nearly every game during the winning streak was scary at one point or another. Eventually living on the edge did get to Michigan after a comeback fell short against Wisconsin, but in hindsight the loss did not mean much for two reasons. One, Hart sat out the entire game and Henne only played a couple possessions, so Michigan was not at its best. And two, Michigan is still playing for a Big Ten title, so the loss did not affect that goal too much.

All of these games talked about above lead to one final showdown in the Big House. Tomorrow, when Michigan takes on Ohio State for the 104th time in this rivalry's history, a Big Ten title and a trip to Pasadena are on the line. Despite the horrific 0-2 start that included the worst loss in Michigan history, this season can still end up being one that did end with success. No, it will not be ending with a national title, but that has been the case since September 1st. Instead, the success of winning the Big Ten can be felt if the Wolverines are able to prevail over the Buckeyes.

The winner of this game will be the Big Ten champion and gets to play in the Rose Bowl, but looking further into the meaning of this game, the impact it will have for years to come is quite large. For starters, a loss now really makes you wonder how long it will be until Michigan beats Ohio State. Currently, U-M has lost the last 5 out of 6 games to OSU, and if the Wolverines don't win now, then when? With the possibility of Lloyd Carr retiring looking more and more realistic as the days go by, this entire program will likely be in for a big change. Some will say that is a good thing as Carr just can't beat Ohio State anymore, but even so, changes could be for the good or the bad. Recruits may be lost, players may transfer, and if the wrong coach is hired, games against OSU could be uglier than usual despite how hard that may be to believe.

Looking at this game tomorrow from a legacy standpoint, there is a lot on the line. If Michigan doesn't win, then this senior class will be 0-4 against Ohio State. That means that players like Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Jake Long, who will be remembered for their great achievements for decades to come, could end up never beating their biggest rival. That, folks, is a scary thought. A legacy that will follow someone like Mike Hart will be one that includes the record for the most rushing yards in school history, a running style where he never seems to go down after being hit, and above and beyond all, being known as someone that gave it his all every week when the team needed it most. Despite how great all of that sounds, one record that could tarnish his legacy, along with the other seniors, is 0-4. That would be the record against Ohio State in their career if tomorrow ends in a loss, and trust me, people will remember that more than anything else.

Moving from a player's legacy to a coach's, Lloyd Carr likely will coach his final regular season game at Michigan Stadium tomorrow. I know, I know, everything out there right now is just rumors, but there is no denying how many different people have relayed similar messages about him retiring. Imagining that tomorrow is his final game at home, what better way to end a great career than by defeating OSU one more time? Considering Carr has lost the last 5 out of 6 to the Buckeyes, a win has to happen if he doesn't want to always hear about how Jim Tressel owned him so much. Not only that, people tend to remember coaches for what they did lately, so even though that national championship back in 1997 will never be forgotten, a potential 1-6 record in his final 7 games against Ohio State will be remembered just as much if not more.

With all of that being said, the ideal thing to happen tomorrow would be this: Michigan wins as Hart and Henne play great. Lloyd Carr is carried off the field as the final seconds of the game tick off. With the 43rd Big Ten title coming to Ann Arbor for football, the players celebrate in the locker room, putting all of the negative things that have happened out of their minds for one afternoon. The fans, celebrating the Big Ten title, a trip to Pasadena yet again, and a win over Ohio State rush the field to all come together as one. Finally, and most importantly, Lloyd Carr is able to go out on top. Sure, a bowl game still waits to be played, but for the time being, Carr gets to leave Ann Arbor on a high note.

All of that sounds great, doesn't it? Of course, I want everything mentioned above to happen, but I would also like a million dollars and a national championship - neither of which are going to happen by Saturday. Unfortunately, what we as Michigan fans dream of is only that - a dream. When it comes down to it, Michigan just has to be the better team on one day. In a season where upsets have been the main storyline, how fitting would it be for Michigan to finish that story tomorrow? Really, the Wolverines unfortunately began this trend of upsets that we have seen, so why not be on the winning side of it for a change? Ohio State is the favorite, and an upset here would give us all something to be happy about.

With kickoff tomorrow, each player and each coach will have to ask themselves how much they really want it. In the heat of battle in this fierce rivalry, it comes down to the heart of each team. The seniors have many things they are playing for, but the main one is to avenge a winless record against Ohio State. The coaches, specifically Lloyd Carr, will be out there trying to avenge a 1-5 record against Ohio State since 2001 that has left fans disappointed at the conclusion of every season. With all of those negative things hanging over their head, can they turn it into a positive?

On Saturday when this game begins, forget Appalachian State, forget Oregon, forget Wisconsin, and forget all of the wins Michigan has had so far this season. The only thing that matters is beating Ohio State, something that has to be done for the players, the coaches, the fans, and the program in general. No one really knows just how different things could be in Ann Arbor in only a couple of months, but for one day we do know something, and that is that Michigan has to beat Ohio State. When 3:30 rolls around tomorrow, I want all of us Michigan fans out there to be able to celebrate the accomplishments that come with a victory over OSU. There are the things like a Big Ten title, a trip to the Rose Bowl, and bragging rights that come with a victory, but Michigan has to beat Ohio State just because. Words are unable to describe the magnitude of this rivalry and this game, so the team just has to win because.

Forget the past, because tomorrow can change the future. With that change, it can go one of two ways. We have seen the negative way in the last 5 out of 6 games that have ended with a loss to Ohio State, so it is without a doubt time for the change to be positive. Instead of dreading the next week at work or school because you have to listen to the trash talk that comes with a loss, imagine being able to talk the trash yourself. It sounds nice, no doubt, but it will all depend on the outcome of tomorrow's game.

To the team, I say win one for yourselves, win one for Lloyd Carr and the other coaches, win one for the fans, win one for the program, and overall, just win. Your time has come to be victorious, so beat the Buckeyes and Go Blue.