Michigan Football, the 2020 Abbreviated COVID Season

[Jeff Buchanan]

I'm told that the most bowl tickets are bought by fans over 40 who can afford the exorbitant costs. I wouldn't even think of attending a bowl game where M is invited. I doubt I'm alone among the over 40 crowd.

I've been to M's losses to Usc - a horrible display of football by M in terrible cold and wet weather 2 years go. I also attended last season's loss to FL. Two distinctly and differently motivated and coached teams. M didn't even play decent football in the same zip code as UF did. It was embarrassing. I'm pretty much done with the cluster fuck Jim Harbaugh has created during his tenure as HC. It's been an unmitigated disaster.

[lineygoblue]

After the cancellation was announced, Harbaugh was asked straight-out in his presser whether he wanted to coach at Michigan next year.

His reply, "Yes, I do".

So, it all begins. Will he sign the extension, or will he fulfill his remaining contract and leave after '21.

Sounds as though no coaching change will be made at this time. Manuel doesn't seem to have the gut for it, and Harbaugh says he doesn't want to leave.

And Columbus rejoices.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I think there's a chance that a smokescreen is being created to allow Harbaugh to leave on his terms. Never mind that a strategy like this that stretches out the process into January will implode recruiting and retention adding to M's woes. That would seem to mitigate against such a strategy but given the CF that M football has been for the last decade plus, I wouldn't put it past the decision makers failing to recognize the downward spiral and driving the idiocy.

Either way, I don't see reasons for hope that M will produce competitive teams let alone a championship level team in the next decade. Two factors contribute: (1) The recruiting hole that's been dug is deep and there are a lot of reasons for that. (2) The past and recent history of incompetence at the highest levels of the M administration in creating a winning culture and managing the football program as the front porch to the U predicts M football will remain irrelevant for the foreseeable future.

There are red-flags all over the place and have been for the last two years. Once a sports program, pro or collegiate, has managed to descend to the level M football has, recovery becomes difficult. You can list a dozen teams across the entirety of sport finding themselves in this predicament. Michigan football has sadly joined that list.

[iam416]

M flat out quit. Herbstreit was entirely correct. There's absolutely zero way M should miss THREE weeks because of Covid. If you scheduled them next week, they'd Surrender Monkey that, too. And the next week. And the next week.

Fucking shameful. Seriously fucking shameful.

[THE_WIZARD_]

...I mean UNL sucked pond shit this year but at least we played all the games we could...and tried to get a game when Bucky pussed out...

Fucking pussies.

HARBAUGH!!!!!

[Jeff Buchanan]

I don't think there's any question that "M flat out quit." What is in question, in my mind anyway, is what precipitated that? It's impossible to speculate about the nature of club-house issues but the signs are there that those are behind it. There's enough evidence that decisions and/or influences above Harbaugh and probably Manuel created the circumstances for coaches and players to just say, fuck it ...... if the administration isn't into letting us play, then that's it. I'm not playing. That pattern of thinking gives a basis for transfer and decommit rumors - who wants to play for a program that it seems for any number of reasons, isn't committed to playing winning football. Not me. I'm done. I'm gone.

18 - 21 year olds are still kids. Most of them won't look rationally at circumstances out of their control and think well, is what it is, can't control it, but I can control how I react and I'm not quitting. Coaches can have an impact and when there's already questions about buy-in circulating, and I think those were present, what they can do becomes limited.

But, I'm of the view that administrators having either direct control of or influence on M football created the circumstances that can produce a highly toxic environment. COVID messaging was and is currently part of that. Kids need a box, parameters, to operate in - that box was so poorly identified, so mismanaged that there just wasn't one. Rumors of Harbaugh being unhappy, unfit, whatever also contribute to the toxicity.

I feel bad for the players so let down by whomever I can finger for doing that. The adults for sure but which ones, both inside and outside the football program, I'm not ready to venture a guess. I'd offer that Harbaugh may be a victim himself although there are things I can point to that make him complicit in the collapse. But, in the big picture, I have no doubt that Schlissel and his political cronies inside and outside the U carry a good portion of the blame for what has transpired. So does the Big front office. Anyone with a brain can see they were never behind playing football. The whole thing just sucks.

[iam416]

Those who stay will become surrender monkeys.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Correct.

Fucking Pussies

[iam416]

M is either Surrender Monkey U, or M is the single worst program at containing covid in the country.

[THE_WIZARD_]

I vote for the former...

[iam416]

Correct

[lineygoblue]

At one time they were among the best in the country in containing Covid. Now, that would have to be Iowa.

Maybe its just my excessive gullibility, but I don't blame this on the players. I think there's enough guys who'd suit up on Saturday at Iowa City to play a football game. They'd get slaughtered, of course, but they'd play. I also believe that M could have suited up a team to go to Columbus last week as well, with the same results. The kids wanted to play.

This has M-administration written all over it. Schlissel, the M medical staff, et al. They established the ridiculous numbers for time that has to be sat out after positives, contact tracing, etc., and they were in on it with the entire conference. This was never intended to be successful as a conference. The season was resumed with the intent of getting a team into the playoffs, because of the massive amount of money that was involved, and the thought of the bulk of that money going to the ACC and SEC was too distasteful for the Big Ten pooh-bahs to swallow. So, they set up this sham of a season, and if there's any "victim", its Ohio State. Fortunately for them, they are good enough to give any of the other suspects a run for their money, and could even win the whole thing.

Like our hero Ilhan Omar says, .. "Its all about the Benjamín's".

[AlabamAlum]

I vote for the former...

Am I the only one who was a bit surprised that Wiz correctly identified former?

[iam416]

My guess is there were lots of opt outs. No one wants to play.

[Mike]

Michigan’s refusal to include actual numbers and data in their public statements only makes them look weaker. Did they have a Covid outbreak? Sure. But to have zero cases going into PSU... lose to an 0-5 team, then suddenly 3 days later they have to cancel their next game because they can’t even field a team? Looks a little hokey.

I don’t think Schlissel is pulling any strings on this stuff. From what I can observe, he doesn’t want anything to do with sports. Doesn’t care. Wants someone else to handle it. Period. IMO, IF Michigan is goosing the numbers as an excuse not to play, it is a 100% conscious effort by Manuel and Harbaugh to avoid further embarrassment while they search for safe harbor.

If they had gone 2-7 with blowout losses to OSU and Iowa, it makes a tough situation (negotiating a new contract/exit) nearly impossible.