Let's Go Blue!!

Here in the heart of Buckeyedom, the beloved men of the fighting nuts are off to a less than stellar start. Granted, they're 2-0, but taking down Youngstown St and following it up with a 20-2 shellacking of Akron isn't enough to keep the natives from getting mildly restless.

But, look!! Over there!! MICHIGAN IS SUCKING!!!

Like the allure of something shiny, watching the Wolverines drop their first two games has kept many scarlet and gray fans pretty happy. Sure, there are a few that spew out the hooey that they want Michigan to be undefeated going into The Game...spare me. Find me a Buckeye fan who shed a tear over Appalachian St taking down big blue a couple weeks ago. Search Buckeye Nation for a guy who tuned in hoping and praying that Oregon would roll over and play dead. These people - if there are more than one - are in the vast minority.

Additionally, there are the people who want the win "so the conference doesn't appear weak." Appear weak? Um, too late for that one folks...ignoring last year's stellar BCS and bowl performances by the Big 10 (and that mess in the desert still stings yours truly), it appears Bowling Green might be the best team in the Big 10 this season. Forgot, they're not in the league. OK, we'll give it to Penn State for now...but Wisconsin's domination of UNLV, the aforementioned slow start by the Bucks, Michigan's impression of the Duke football program, and Minnesota's toubles with all things MAC aren't speaking well of the Big 10 so far. Maybe Iowa will finally step above poser status this season. (If they do, they'll still get questioned about it without Ohio State or Michigan on the schedule.)

But I digress...this is supposed to be about michigan's futility thus far. And my glee in said futility...

I enjoyed the Appalachian St upset, not only because it was Michigan, but because seeing one of the big programs go down at the hands of one of those teams used to "fill out" the schedule was fun to see. (Since it wasn't Ohio St. it was fun to see.) Add in that App St. was only going to the Big House because the NCAA expanded the schedule for that extra game to make a few more dollars off their storied programs, and it just gets better. (Never mind that we can't have a playoff because we don't want the "student-athletes" playing too many games.) I had to chuckle every time they showed the shocked faces in the crown at Michigan Stadium...and they showed those faces a LOT, so I got a lot of chuckling in.

So, I tuned in to the Oregon game in the same manner you drive by a car accident...it's there, you don't really want to look, but you could catch a glimpse of some carnage. Maybe even some blood, or a severed limb. Oregon didn't disappoint, and the game wasn't nearly as close as the 39-7 score would indicate. The blood came in the form of boo birds in the Big House. The severed limb? The Bronx cheer when Chad Henne appeared to be leaving the game injured. (Before he finally did leave the field injured.)

So, no need wiping that grin off your face, Buckeye fan. Boeckman may not be setting the world on fire, but you're 2-0 and not the punchline of jokes such as: How many batteries does it take to shock a Wolverine?

1-AA.