Oh, sweet, glorious hatred. There are few things in life more joyous than the vengeance-fueled destruction of one’s enemies. With that in mind, I set out to decide who it is that most makes my blood boil and I most enjoy seeing prostrate and defeated. For me, this was not an easy question to answer – so much to despise. To make this determination, I basically sat down, watched a few old games and stewed for a bit. After much deliberation (and several overly creative uses of the word “motherfucker”), I came to a conclusion: I loathe the Michigan Wolverines.
I know that many of you are thinking, “but, Brawling, how can USC not be ND’s top rival?” Rest assured, there is ample disdain in my puny, black pebble of a heart for the Trojans. To be honest, USC epitomizes all that is wrong with college football. The program is corrupt, the player’s are stupid and the “fans” are front-running douches who bear far too close a resemblance to the cast of Laguna Hills City, or whatever that show is called. Throw in the fact that, over the last decade, they have given Notre Dame the “new guy in an episode of Oz” treatment, and I can completely see why people would choose these bastards. And yet…
Michigan and Notre Dame began playing one another in 1887 (ND football’s first); which is a full 39 seasons before the Irish and Trojans set foot on the same field. The series continued until ND figured out how to play this confounded sport and actually won a game, in 1909. It was at that point that the Wolverines called off the series. Deciding that using “they’re better than us” as an excuse would be a show of poor sportsmanship; UM coach, Fielding Yost, fell back on anti-Catholic rhetoric (which had gone out of fashion about 40 years prior) and some contrived nonsense about ineligible players to justify no longer playing the Irish and excluding them from Michigan’s conference as well. It’s really a shame, had Notre Dame been allowed in the Big Ten, they’d have their own TV network by now…oh wait.
The series resumed in 1942 and 1943, with each team claiming a victory. After the Irish won the 1943 tilt, Michigan coach, Fritz Crisler (another anti-Catholic jackhole) once again called off the series. The two teams would not play again until 1978, when yet another fuckwit of a Michigan coach (Bo Schembechecler) grudgingly took on the Irish yet again. Since that time, the two programs have played nearly every year; with short breaks from 1983-1985 and 2000-2002. During this era, ND and Michigan have engaged in some remarkable battles which, for both better and worse, have defined the success of each (Gillette’s missed FG in ’88, Rocket’s returns in ’89, Desmond Howard’s antics in ’91, etc). Given that the two also play each other early on in the year, a setback can most definitely ruin or bolster the chances of either team for that season.
A series dating back to the beginning of Notre Dame football, religious prejudice, contesting regional supremacy and a host of classic games; truly, this series has it all. While USC may be the best intersectional rivalry enjoyed by the Irish, Michigan is their top rival overall.
And to continue the theme of a post-post video, The Subway Domer shall insert one here- sadly without sound. Damn copyrights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atjXMt2P114&w=420&h=240]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
