Time to move on Michigan

Detroit Free Press Photo

It’s almost time to move on from talking about suspensions and personal fouls, and fortunately it seems the Wolverines have despite the press.  It’s been such a focus I wonder if the Schawrtz-Harbaugh handshake didn’t exacerbate the story line.  At any rate Wolverine nation – our beloved team got outplayed by a better team last Saturday, flags be damned.  It just happened to be one of those teams Brady Hoke circles on his big calendar.  To put the exclamation point on it, Gholston did get a one-game suspension and of course it came from outside the program.  Time to move on for the last shot at redemption this season and to prove that Michigan is back to being Michigan.

On to Purdue?

To me this is a “who cares” game because there were really only three on the schedule that should count; Notre Dame, Michigan State and oSU.  With two of the three already in the books that leaves the semi-pro club from Columbus, so why are we even talking about Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska or anyone who’s not sporting a new ride and a fresh tattoo?

Above - part of the salary & benefits package

I mentioned last week and I’ll say it again, these next games should be nothing more than tune-ups for the big one at the end and I’m not even talking bowl games yet.  The Wolverines are at home after the bye week with the 3-3 Boilermakers, followed by road games in Illinois and Iowa.  All three are games they can win.  Beating the new kids in the Big Ten would be a major upset, but I could care less about that game either…we’re talking about the ‘children of the corn’.  Let's face it, there are plenty of seasons to come where we can learn to hate them, but we’ll never hate them as much as that other team wearing scarlet red.

 

I view the next four opponents as opportunities for a major tune up before the one game that matters most.  If the Wolverines focus on positioning the athletes, schemes and plays in a way that culminates on November 26^th then I am good with however the cards fall with the teams they face up to that point.  I’d be fine if at the end of the year Michigan only has seven wins as long as number seven is won on Nov. 26.   

I love the emphasis that Hoke put on a few of these key rivalry games, getting back to the base of the Michigan tradition.  With the loss to Sparty last Saturday his team has a bitter taste in their mouth, after having run the table up to that point.  So why not go all in and focus on oSU?  Anything else and you’re consigned to tasting a horrible filth for an entire summer if you lose to that franchise, even if you win ten games.