Before we all dive deep into championship weekend, the Odyssey reflects on three of last week’s rivalry games. The theme: Winning begets winning. Losing begets losing.
Michigan went to Ohio State as a favorite. For the first time in Urban Meyer’s tenure, his Buckeyes were a home dog. This against the Team Up North that had won all of two of their 17 previous battles. The last time Michigan won in Columbus, they were quarterbacked by a hot prospect for the New York Yankees (Drew Henson).
Virginia traveled to Lane Stadium to attempt to wrest the Commonwealth Cup from Virginia Tech. Like Michigan, the Cavaliers were a road favorite against their tormentor. The Hokies had won the previous 14. However, this VPI team had an atypically terrible defense and was limping into its rivalry game with a 4-6 record. Undaunted, the Hokies roared off to a 14-0 halftime lead. Tech won a 34-31 overtime thriller to extend their whammy over UVa.
In August, if you had predicted Washington State would enter Apple Cup week with a 10-1 record, you might have been drug tested. Immediately! Nonetheless, behind their nouveau quarterback superstar, Gardner Minshew, Washington traveled 300 miles east to the Palouse as an underdog. The Huskies had beaten Wazzu in the previous 5 games in no small part due to the continued excellence in their defensive backfield that has stymied Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense. Was a driving snowstorm a major hindrance to WSU last Saturday? Maybe. Worse, the Cougars could not contain Myles Gaskin. Six in a row.
The psychology in all 3 series has become fascinating, no more so than in Ann Arbor. Don Brown has been lauded as a defensive genius. I wonder how many points Ohio State would have scored against a lesser defensive coordinator? Would it have been much more than 62?? Ohio State watched Indiana’s success on shallow crossing routes against the Wolverines the previous Saturday. Guess what Ohio State repeatedly did in the first half with great success. Some tremendous play calling by the Buckeyes.
For Michigan, Virginia and Washington State, the already heavy burden they bear just got a bit heavier.