Here was one of the quotes in that day’s newspaper: “‘My record against Michigan speaks for itself. Obviously, it’s awful,’ Cooper said.” He said this in the post-game press conference after Ohio State lost 38-26 to TTUN, bringing his record in The Game to 2-10-1.
November 19 was a Sunday, the day after The Game, and I was still in at least a bit of a funk reading the newspaper account of what had transpired. Ohio State had tried to stage a rally in the second half but fell short. They got within 5 points but that was as close as they got before TTUN scored with roughly a minute remaining.
If someone had come to me in a time machine that day and said, “Listen, you are about to enjoy an incredible run that will last at least half a decade longer than Michigan’s success against Coop and will include two national titles, 10 Big Ten titles, two Rose Bowl victories (out of two Rose Bowl games), and a 16-2 record in The Game—spearheaded by two coaches who have yet to be a head coach at a major college program,” my response would have been, “yeah, right.” And to borrow from that famous line in “When Harry Met Sally,” I probably would have said something to the effect of “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
The bottom line: what has transpired over these past 18+ years didn’t seem possible on November 19, 2000.
And, whatever happens in the future, I will be forever grateful to the coaches and players who made this dream run a reality, and the foundation they have built to help ensure the greatest chance of success going forward. I think it is highly, HIGHLY unlikely that Michigan will ever have another streak of 10-2-1 in The Game, And I just don’t think Harbaugh will ever ultimately have a winning record in The Game, no matter how long he coaches.
Is it possible Harbaugh finishes on top tomorrow? Of course, anything is possible in one game. But I just don’t see any sustained success against the Buckeyes in his or Michigan’s future. And nothing would make me more delighted tomorrow than seeing Michigan’s savior set a new record by going 0-5 in The Game.
