Going Out on Top

Two years ago Michigan won their first National Championship since 1997. I was in 3rd grade when they won in 1997 and not yet a huge college football fan. The 2023 Natty was the culmination of years of ups and downs and a long journey back to the promised land.

It was also the last real national championship before the sport changed forever. The opening floodgates of player payments, unbridled commercialization of the sport, free agency via the transfer portal, NIL collectives, additional TV timeouts, playoff expansion and private equity all have changed the sport to the point where it is vastly different than the sport I fell in love with as a kid. The sport where amateur athletes played for the pride of their school. Some of these changes - player compensation - were needed, however they still changed the sport.

When Michigan won their National Championship two years ago I told friends that I could ride this high for a decade, and even if they were bad for a long time, I could hang my hat on that one special year. I had seen friends who were Alabama fans win the National Championship and immediately start talking about if they could win another one next year. I'm not that greedy, and with that Natty came a deep exhale.

No longer does every game seem of critical importance. I still cheer, I still go to at least 1 game each year, and I still really enjoy us winning, but being a casual fan is so much more enjoyable. I no longer worry each offseason if our coach will leave, or if a player will transfer/go pro.

This step-back timed with the degradation of the sport overall has caused me to care less about the college football. I still watch a ton of college football, but with less intensity.

Tomorrow Michigan will take on Ohio State. The best rivalry in sports. And one that Michigan has won 4 in a row. Each of those wins were special with their own storyline, but this edition is is essentially the same story as last season with Michigan playing a spoiler. It would be fun to upset them again, but if we get beat by the better team it's not going to ruin my day.

We got to the top of the mountain just before it started crumbling. I don't care who is at the top of the rubble. 

Go Blue!