Rivalry with Ohio State needs to be recharged; Troy Woolfolk still talking about an 8-win season
Stephen Schilling
And every year there appears to be a new twist, although this one is a bit different. Ohio State has beaten Michigan every year since 2003 - when Michigan’s incoming freshmen were in sixth grade.
“In any sports rivalry, if one team is winning all the time, how can you call it a rivalry?” Michigan senior guard Stephen Schilling said. “If you look at the Clippers and the Lakers, they should be rivals, but there is no way the Clippers beat the Lakers. You know what I’m saying.
“It probably has diminished in national attention, and we’d love nothing more than to get that back.”
Ohio State was picked by the media to win the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have won or shared the past five league titles.
Woolfolk sticks with his goal of 8 victories
Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez declines to offer predictions on how many games the Wolverines will win this season. Senior cornerback Troy Woolfolk wasn’t so shy on Monday and Tuesday.
“I made a goal of at least winning eight games,” Woolfolk said. “Anything below that would be a disappointment to me because I have great confidence in this defense and this offense and think that we’re a great team.”
In Rodriguez’s first two years in Ann Arbor, Michigan won eight games combined.
An eight-victory season would mean a three-win jump from 2009 with a tougher non-conference schedule; Connecticut and Bowling Green are expected to be better in 2010 than Western and Eastern Michigan were a year ago.
Rodriguez’s main issue with publicly prognosticating win totals in the preseason is that many things can derail a season. There could be chemistry issues, injuries or unrealistic expectations.
“There’s too many factors to say,” Rodriguez said. “I just want them to get better every week. Win total, it’s kind of, probably unfair to them to try and do that, ask them to do that.”
So then why would Woolfolk do it?
“It is dangerous, but it is just me flaunting my confidence in this team,” Woolfolk said. “Other people might call me crazy but they don’t know what I know, they don’t see what I see. I see the developments in our quarterbacks, and I think we can do it.”
Preparing for Seattle
While the rest of the Big Ten prepares for the football season, Michigan must work toward the school’s meeting with the NCAA Committee on Infractions Aug. 14 in Seattle.
The school’s contingent of requested participants - including Rodriguez - have met to understand exactly what to expect from the committee. The expectation? Questions.
“We’ve done that once as a group,” Rodriguez said. “But there have been others that have done it a couple times in smaller groups.”
For Rodriguez, it is a brief distraction from preparing for the 2010 season - something he’ll immediately begin focusing on when he leaves the undisclosed meeting location in Seattle.
Two-a-day practices begin for Michigan on Aug. 15.
“As soon as we get back on that plane, my mind is going to go back to two-a-days,” Rodriguez said. “As coaches, you get right in the middle of two-a-days, we get in that mode.”
This and that
Rodriguez hired Mike Parrish, who was working at Michigan as a recruiting assistant to recruiting coordinator Chris Singletary, as the new director of football operations, replacing Brad Labadie. Parrish was an administrative assistant for Rodriguez at West Virginia. … Brock Mealer, the brother of Michigan offensive lineman Elliott Mealer, is scheduled to walk Michigan onto the field Sept. 4 for the season opener against Connecticut. Mealer was severely injured in a 2007 auto accident that killed Mealer’s father, Dave, and Elliott Mealer’s girlfriend. … Rodriguez said they are trying to get as many current Michigan alumni in the NFL as possible back to serve as honorary game captains for the opener. The NFL season doesn’t begin until the following week.
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein
Comments
Jaxon5
Thu, Aug 5, 2010 : 2:33 p.m.
Woolfolk did say a minimum of 8 games - I like that line of thinking.
John-Maize Blueblood
Thu, Aug 5, 2010 : 6:01 a.m.
Maybe I have some reading comprehension issues, but if I read Woolfolk's comments correctly, winning eight games is the minimum he hopes to accomplish to not be disappointed, not the ultimate goal he has set for the team. Woolfolk's quote: "I made a goal of at least winning eight games. Anything below that would be a disappointment to me."
Jaxon5
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 6:42 p.m.
NB4B's predictions are realistic. I would add that Illinois has owned Michigan over the last 2 years. And for me, it means the Illinois game should be downgraded to a "gimme minus". TS21's accouting of the OSU - M rivalry is accurate. But that was all in the distant past. As the article above says, UM's incoming freshmen have seen Michigan lose every year since they were in 6th grade. That's no rivalry, that's domination. BforB's prediction of more lopsided victories in M's favor is something I'd like to support, but can't right now. There is no evidence in the recent past that Michigan victories are possible against superior Ohio State teams that are way out of Michigan's league. Azw's assessment of the 8-win goal is spot-on. I can't believe 8 victories is the goal when it should be the minimum. It's astounding how far we've fallen.
Jaxon Boyfriend
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 3:21 p.m.
I think you have to very seriously agree that the posters whom keep posting the same positive Michigan Football information know what the are talking about. Most commenters here are made mostly of msu, osu, and other wannabe's with no knowledge of football at all - only that they want to berate Michigan. So it is with great pleasure to read the (very) few Michigan fans that post here. You can really tell the difference, those hoping UM goes 4 or 5 wins, or those with knowledge of the sport that say 8-10 wins. @ Bowlforblue - by the way, i did look up the Michigan osu rivalry, it is so lopsided in Michigan's favor - if they did say it shouldn't be a rivalry anymore, it would be to save osu from embarassment.
trigg7
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 9:18 a.m.
You would think Wolfolk would keep his mouth shut since the FALL. 6 wins at best,if the pride thing doesnt kick in.
PortageLkBlu
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 6:59 a.m.
Ya, there are some posters that keep repeating the same ol stuff.
Jarhead
Wed, Aug 4, 2010 : 6:08 a.m.
azwolverine Good post and I agree with you. But if Wolfolk had said they're gonna win it all, could you imagine the posters tearing him up? If you notice there are a lot of posters that keep repeating the same Bla Bla Bla, with little or no content. Kinda gets boring, dosen't it?
azwolverine
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 8:53 p.m.
By the way, in addition to the 4 'gimmes' mentioned above, Notre Dame (6-6 last season, new coach and QB), MSU (6-7 last season, weak along the lines, off field issues of their own), Purdue (3-9, 5-7 previous two seasons, 2nd year coach, new QB), and UConn (8-5 last season, big win in OT against same 6-6 ND team UM beat, at HOME!) should all be victories. That's 8 wins right there. That shouldn't be the GOAL for this team, that should be the bare minimum EXPECTED of this team. 8 wins under Bo, Moeller, or Lloyd left fans grumbling, disappointed, and some even calling for thier heads. I'm glad the players are aiming to improve, but seeing a player showing his 'confidence' by predicting 8 wins is extremely disappointing. This is Michigan, the Leaders and the Best...and expectations and demands should be higher than mediiocrity.
azwolverine
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 8:43 p.m.
Rivalries have ebbs and flows, that's why the Bo-Woody 10 Year War was so special: both teams were at their absolute best over that period and they seemed to trade off winning every other year. THAT was a rivalry. Hopefully Michigan can get it back to that point because OSU is and has been at the top of their game in the years since Tressel arrived there. They are a perennial Top 5 team, and that's what it's going to take for Michigan to compete with them again. As for Tressel being fired...that's the same type of 'source' that reported Les Miles was a sure bet to come to UM. I personally want Tressel at OSU so that when we finally do beat them again, we know we are beating the best. Just ask OSU fans, beating Michigan isn't nearly as fun right now when we're not very good.
BowlForBlue
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 7:54 p.m.
This match-up will always be great, even though right know the total wins are lopsided in Michigan's favor, in ten years I'm sure it will be even more lopsided in Michigan's favor....that's life..!
3 And Out
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.
8 wins. My how the bar has dropped in the Rich Rod Error.
Terry Star21
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 3:49 p.m.
Michigan and ohio state will always be a great rivalry, even last year when UM was in last, osu in 1st, it was probably the most watched....and they got their monies worth, 5 - UM turnovers (one on the osu goal line and one on the UM goal line) cost Michigan a victory. Even in the late 80's and 90's when Michigan was 11-3 against osu, I do not EVER remember anyone downplaying the rivalry. It will always be a the best, even if pryor is benched and tressel is fired this year, as 'sources' have said.
NoBowl4Blue
Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 3:05 p.m.
This year doesn't look much different than last but are 4 gimmes: Mass, BG, Indiana and Illionis