MM#66--Special College Football Edition--'The Game'

Welcome to the theory to action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time to help you take action immediately, and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now, here's your host, David Kaiser. Hello, I am David and welcome back to another Mojo minute. And a special college football Mojo minute we have. For we are rounding the last corner and heading down the backstretch of the college football season.

Way back in Mojo minute number 43 We kicked off the college football season with the inspirational words from the the infamous Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes, and his incredible speech pay it forward. So be sure to go back and check out that if you have not listened. But today let us chat about the game. The game what game you might be thinking.
The game man, the incredible annual game. What What do you mean? We don't know about this game you're referring to you don't know about the game man. Bad things, man bad things.
Okay, folks, that was my very best Dennis Hopper impression. And probably it is falling
very badly on your ears. So let's just say the acting and the voiceover work was not my forte in a previous generation.

Now, we are talking about the game though. You know, the game is Michigan versus Ohio State, the 100 yard war, the big one, as they call it. It's one of the oldest college football rivalries around so much so that in late 1999 In celebration of the new century, ESPN studied the greatest rivalries in all of sports and created the top 10 list. The number one choice for the sports for all of sports greatest rivalries was you got it, the Ohio State Michigan football game. This rivalry has now spanned 115 encounters.

It was in 1897 that Michigan first met Ohio State on the gridiron this historic rivalry has resulted in 58 Michigan wins and 51 Ohio State wins and six ties.
In the treasured history, the two teams have combined checked us out two teams have combined for national for 19 national championships and 81 Big 10 conference championships. It has produced 10 Heisman Trophy winners, and hundreds of all Americans.
While many great rivalries have a trophy to symbolize the victory, the prize in the Iowa State Michigan game is simply old school bragging rights. That's right.

Since 2003, those bragging rights have been lopsided, with a high state being 14 and one against the team up north. Which is how Buckeye fans refer to the Michigan football team. Just because every slight you can give a team and knock them down in this rivalry. it's game on.

One of the good books out there to learn more about this rivalry is the 100 yard war. Inside the 100 year old Michigan Ohio State football rivalry by Greg Emanuel written in 2004. So let's as we always do here in the Mojo Academy. Let's check check out a quick story from that book.

Quote, The 1968 game was supposed to be the classic Oh She was ranked number two U of M University of Michigan was ranked right there and number four, with per the usual the big 10 Championship, a Rose Bowl berth and a possible national championship on the line.
Bump Eliot's Wolverine scored first, but then it got away from them the buckeyes and an amazing crop of players being called the quote super sophomores, steamrolled the Wolverines on their way to a national championship. But even the but even the end of the blowout was not without excitement, with the scoreboard reading 4414 and 330 left in the fourth quarter. Michigan had the ball, but it was immediately picked off by
LSU the buckeyes then faced a third and one situation on the Michigan second there on the Michigan's two yard line. And the Ohio State backup fullback Paul Hoff couldn't get a first down or the touchdown.

So Woody Hayes, apparently not satisfied with the 44 points his team had already amassed went back to a star runner Jim Otis, who was already out of the game, and resting after scoring three touchdowns, to get the buckeyes to an even 50 points.

Then he went four from getting what might be considered insurance to a total slicing of the jugular with a Buckeyes holding on, quote, unquote, to a 36 point lead, Hayes went for two more. When asked after the game, why he went for two, Hayes reportedly replied, Because I could not go for three, the conversion failed, but the coach might as well have gotten down on his hands and knees and personally written, quote, take that Michigan fans, unquote and block letters across the diagonal
and indict 1968

The buckeyes would go on to win the national championship.
But in 1969, the game went from a cold war to a very hot war,
and namely because of Woody's 1960s shenanigans, we just write about. And number two, because there was a new gen and Ann Arbor, Michigan,

Wayne Woodrow Hayes known as Woody Hayes started coaching the buckeyes in 1951. The new gen was Glen Edward Schembechler Jr. known to everyone as Bow Bow began coaching Michigan in 1969. Now, folks, the hits the runs, the sacks the completed passes, the interceptions in this game was done with more passion, more intensity and more ferocity.
Because each side had their great general now calling the shots. It was like Ali Frazier, it was like bird magic. An athlete put it was like patent versus Rama. It was more than a game. It was a war. And in fact, it was the 100 yard war. Now be sure to check out the 100 yard war from Greg Emanuel for more details between the incredible rivalry between Bo and Woody.
And Bo did get his revenge in that 1969 game. They beat the 1969 Buckeyes.
So they got their revenge. 

And it was the first one against what he for that going for three comment. Now over the next 10 years Bo narrowly defeated Woody. In the series matchup between high state Michigan five to four to one, five wins four losses in one tie.  But for now, let's fast forward about this rivalry to the 2006 Game of the Century. Number two unbeaten Michigan coming into the horseshoe phases. Number one, the highest State Buckeyes. It was the first time unbelievable as this may sound. It was the first time in this historic rivalry that the teams were ranked number one number two, it was an offensive shootout. And it actually lived up to the pregame height I stayed ended up prevailing 42 to 39 it was viewed by the largest television audience for a regular season game. 

Since 1993. Some 28 point 8 million viewers, you can be sure to check out YouTube for those game highlights are fascinating. And we could go on and on and on because this rivalry is that good. It has everything from very controversial spots of the football to an in your face Heisman pose to even khaki pants of all things. We could even hark back to the 1950 Snowball snowball rather played in temperature of 10 degrees at kick off with a howling wind from the northwest gusting to 28 miles per hour. The yard lines and goalposts were pretty much hard to see. And in the end, Michigan won the game nine to three despite never getting a first down.

Yes, we get everything in this rivalry. And we could like we said go on and on and on. But all the history of this game would not quench our thirst.

And in today's Mojo minute, let us enjoy America's new pastime. College football with no politics involved. Just good clean football that all Americans can participate. Watch and enjoy. And for now while we wait on the kick
Golf.

We might as well just grab a football and go outside and throw it around with some family and friends. Because when it all boils down, we all wish we could play in this game, don't we?
We wish we could play just once in the big game, just once. So for now, enjoy it folks. Ohio State ranked number two, and Michigan ranked number six. It's the greatest rivalry in all of college football.

And go Buckeyes. 

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at T Mojo academy.com where we have everything we discussed in this podcast as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on