Michigan's loss to Ohio State can pretty much be summed up in one word...inevitable. Like Thanos would spew in the direction of the Avengers after each one of his successes, it is what Michigan fans should have expected. They're non-showers in previous games against Oklahoma and USC should have been a precursor to what would happen on Saturday afternoon. Should Wolverine fans truly have expected any other outcome?
This Michigan football team, as currently constructed, is not ready to compete with the powerhouses of the Big Ten. Maybe beating Maryland and Michigan State would excite other fanbases, but it does nothing for the Michigan one. It was another disappointing season in year two for Sherrone Moore. Say what you will, but other college football coaches have been fired for less.
What was most disappointing about the Wolverines' 27-9 loss was that unsportsmanlike penalties ravaged through the game like a poisonous alga through the ocean, and the only thing anyone seemed focused on was getting the last word in. Even so much so that the Wolverine players didn't leave the field after the game, afraid that the Buckeye players would plant the flag in the middle of the field, as the Wolverine players had done the year before. But that is the difference between Ohio State and everyone else in college football. They let their winning do the talking. They have won so much that everything else pales in comparison. And it was shocking, at first, to notice all the crimson red and silver in the Big House during the game, but maybe not. Ohio State knew they had the better team; Ohio State fans travel well, and more importantly, they revel in any opportunity to one-up the Michigan Wolverine fans. That holds true for this bitter rivalry's history.
Now, the Michigan Wolverines will find themselves in some random bowl game with a weird name that nobody will remember and maybe get to carry a plate trophy home or something like that. Such slightly different hardware than the glistening football, which marks being a national champion. It's only been three years, and Michigan seems so far away from that that it feels like a decade ago. But there's one problem with that. One big, glaring problem.
Sherrone Moore doesn't have another three years to turn it around. That's not how college football works. There is no such thing as loyalty in this sport anymore. So, when both sides continually try to outsmart the other, someone ends up being the loser.
Isn't that why it takes such skill to be good at chess? You always have to anticipate your opponent's next move. In this world of college football, who can anticipate anything?