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Michigan Football: Losses To Michigan State Hurt the Most

By Grant Dossetto

Oct 17, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive tackle Craig Evans (72) celebrates what he thinks is a goal line stand before a touchdown is awarded to the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive tackle Craig Evans (72) celebrates what he thinks is a goal line stand before a touchdown is awarded to the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Losses to Michigan State hurt more for Michigan football than to any other team, including Ohio State.

The primary rival for Michigan football is Ohio State. There is a reason why their annual matchup in late November is called The Game. With rare exception, Ohio State is a quality team and the contest represents a known hurdle for the Wolverines.

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Growing up during the John Cooper years, it was a game Michigan football won far more often than they lost. Yet, now that the tables have turned, a loss to Ohio State doesn’t needle.

OSU defeats have never stung like Michigan State. MSU was always supposed to be a win and a defeat took away Michigan’s birthright, a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Losing Pasadena to Robert Smith or David Boston is respectable. It makes sense in accordance with the vast unknown rules that govern college football fandom.

Losing it to TJ Duckett on obvious cheating from the man now known in lore as Spartan Bob? “They stopped the clock when they shouldn’t have!” If you listen closely, you can almost hear the threads of cosmic order fraying until they snap.

The Hoke years rarely saw Michigan football get trounced by Ohio State. The Wolverines had a shot, even if you knew it was doomed to be a repeat of so many other Saturdays in that frustrating era.

Hoke never stood a chance against MSU though. The heart still aches for Devin Gardner. Seven sacks and -48 rushing yards as a team wasn’t just a loss, it was a demoralization of the fan base.

Losing to Ohio State just means Michigan football needs to improve and fight to return to that level. Getting decimated by State made Wolverine fans question if that was ever possible.

The Game is aspirational in nature even if bitter in the press clippings. Michigan State is almost childish among the fans by comparison. “Little brother” and Dantonio’s smirky digs in postgame press conferences are so different from Woody refusing to stop his bus in the state. But a loss to the Spartans tears down Michigan.

Which is where last year comes in. The play. A muffed punt with seconds left returned to stun a crowd the size of a major city. Roars reduced to silence.

Michigan wasn’t the same after that game. Sure they won, but rarely was it pretty or easy. Minnesota, Indiana, those games didn’t leave good tastes in people’s mouths.

Then came the blowout loss to Ohio State. The only blowout defeat Michigan faced all year. Proof that Michigan was not yet Michigan again but it was met with something far different.

The Game snapped Michigan out of its swoon. Without it, Michigan probably does not rout Florida on New Year’s Day. Ohio State has always pushed Michigan higher.

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Michigan State doesn’t, in victory or defeat. That’s a good reason to hate this game.

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