[LuckE2Bhere]

Harbaugh is 12-1 in B1G games outside of Michigan St and Ohio St where he is 1-4. Growing up in B1G country, I can assure you that Michigan football fans really only care about beating those two teams

That sounds right, but growing up in Michigan, with a family full of UofM alums and Ann Arbor residents, I would suggest that there is an element of self-delusion to this common refrain...

Of course, they expect to beat MSU, OSU and ND (and, of course, those are much "bigger"/more exciting games), but G*d forbid you "blow the season" with an unexpected loss to an Illinois or something, the fans are just as merciless/unforgiving!  The fact is that, notwithstanding the fact that they've only won 1/2 of a National Championship since 1948 (69 years ago!), Michigan fans (much like Nebraska fans, Notre Dame fans, and many others who "live in the past") often firmly believe that they are entitled to a National Championship essentially "every third year or so" (they don't want to be greedy, of course)! 

In fact, despite having mocked Harbaugh as a "Michigan-wanna-be", when (as Stanford's coach) he constructively called-out their "either/or" approach to football players and academics (relegating him, when he played at Michigan, to a General Studies major that was designed to keep their players on the field and out of the library), my brothers promptly predicted "at least two National Championships in his first seven years" when he left the 'Niners to become their next savior  ::)

They were absolutely furious with me when I reminded them that the great Bo Schembechler won exactly zero national championships.  They also refuse to admit that Lloyd Carr was essentially pushed into retirement a couple of years after committing the sin of losing a 5th game in 2005 (the Wiki definition of Karma should feature a picture of Rich Rod - who was hired in a shameful ethical debacle that led both the AD and President of the school to lie to the public, before settling the case with WVU to avoid depositions under oath). 

I actually believed that Hoke (and certainly Harbaugh) were good hires, at the time, but predicted that the love affair with Harbaugh would not last seven years.  I'm feeling good about that prediction right about now  :(

[LuckE2Bhere]

Harbaugh is 12-1 in B1G games outside of Michigan St and Ohio St where he is 1-4. Growing up in B1G country, I can assure you that Michigan football fans really only care about beating those two teams

That sounds right, but growing up in Michigan, with a family full of UofM alums and Ann Arbor residents, I would suggest that there is an element of self-delusion to this common refrain...

Of course, they expect to beat MSU, OSU and ND (and, of course, those are much "bigger"/more exciting games), but G*d forbid you "blow the season" with an unexpected loss to an Illinois or something, the fans are just as merciless/unforgiving!  The fact is that, notwithstanding the fact that they've only won 1/2 of a National Championship since 1948 (69 years ago!), Michigan fans (much like Nebraska fans, Notre Dame fans, and many others who "live in the past") often firmly believe that they are entitled to a National Championship essentially "every third year or so" (they don't want to be greedy, of course)! 

In fact, despite having mocked Harbaugh as a "Michigan-wanna-be", when (as Stanford's coach) he constructively called-out their "either/or" approach to football players and academics (relegating him, when he played at Michigan, to a General Studies major that was designed to keep their players on the field and out of the library), my brothers promptly predicted "at least two National Championships in his first seven years" when he left the 'Niners to become their next savior  ::)

They were absolutely furious with me when I reminded them that the great Bo Schembechler won exactly zero national championships.  They also refuse to admit that Lloyd Carr was essentially pushed into retirement a couple of years after committing the sin of losing a 5th game in 2005 (the Wiki definition of Karma should feature a picture of Rich Rod - who was hired in a shameful ethical debacle that led both the AD and President of the school to lie to the public, before settling the case with WVU to avoid depositions under oath). 

I actually believed that Hoke (and certainly Harbaugh) were good hires, at the time, but predicted that the love affair with Harbaugh would not last seven years.  I'm feeling good about that prediction right about now  :(