Bo Knows Motivation

Dr. X posts this from the cyclotron that is the grave of Woody Hayes:

"I loathe college football, but this, this could be a big game. First of all, Ohio-Michigan is one of those insane midwestern rivalries (Nebraska-Oklahoma is another) where caravans come from every corner of the hinterlands, and they put 100,000+ people in a stadium to scream their lungs out. Important? It makes the Super Bowl look like strong episode of Family Ties.

"So there's a history. And this game was already shaping up to be a big one for the series. Alumnae in the NFL were trash-talking one another. The two teams are undefeated. 'I'll tell you how big this game is,' says former Ohio State coach John Cooper 'The loser is going to the Rose Bowl.' The winner will play for the national championship.

"Woody Hayes, the ultimate Buckeye, is long gone, but with a game of this magnitude, you knew former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler would step up and motivate the underdog Wolverines. And he did.

"He died.

"A masterstroke.

"Now listen here. There has never been a football game, in the history of the college sport, where there was so much at stake. The (#1 ranked) Ohio State Buckeyes are there to make themselves champions, and earn their rightful place as the heirs to the Woody Hayes dynasty. The (#2 ranked) Wolverines are there to unseat their hated rivals and honor the memory of their greatest leader.

"If you're a Wolverine and lose this game you might as well move to Libya, because there's no place for you here, son. If you're a Buckeye and you let them Wolverines hi-jack this championship with a cheap stunt like that, well, you might as well join that expedition to Antarctica, because everyone in Bucyrus just forgot your name.

"It's going to be a big game. No, let me rephrase that. It's going to be THE big game. In 18 hours, 20 minutes, and five-four-three-two seconds, these two teams are going to show you what it means to be an American.

"And why I live in California."