RIP, Bo: College Football Loses a Legend

By Rhonda Reigstad

With the biggest game of the Big Ten and college football season on November 18, an unexpected passing makes the game all that more important. That and more from one of the last weekends in Big Ten football.

There are rivalries and then there are rivalries. Sports has a number of them in every league. Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears, New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox, University of North Carolina-Duke University, USC-UCLA , Florida - Florida State and the list goes on. This past weekend matched up two teams in the Big Ten- Michigan and Ohio State -that everyone knows will go out and give one of the best games of the year in college football.

Many great players have played for both teams and had great professional careers. Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Eddie George. Archie Griffin, Terry Glenn, Dan Wilkinson, Jim Harbaugh, Charles Woodson are some of the names that come to mind. Their coaches have been as impressive with Woody Hayes, John Cooper, Jim Tressel, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr. One of the most remembered is Bo Schembeckler.

Bo passed away unexpectedly the day before the biggest game of the year. Schembeckler built the Michigan program as one of the best in the country in his 20 years as head coach. Thirteen times his teams either won or shared the Big 10 title. Fifteen times they were in The Associated Press Top 10 to end the season and in 1985 they were number two. Amazingly, for as good as his teams were, he didn't fare so well in bowl appearances. They went to bowl games 17 times and were 5-12 overall and 2-8 in the "Granddaddy of them All", the Rose Bowl. He was well respected not only in the Big Ten but across the country.

Ohio State was ranked number one and Michigan ranked number two in the country in many polls. It was the first time in this storied rivalry that the teams were one and two coming into the game. Many have anticipated that these two teams will meet in the Bowl Championship game in January no matter the outcome from Saturday.

The game started out in typical fashion with an up tempo game and going at each other from the start, the way Bo and Woody would have liked it. The end result didn't come out the way Michigan would have liked it as they lost, 42-39. It was Ohio State 's first outright Big Ten title since 1984.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was quoted, "We gave up too many big plays. Those are mistakes in a game like this, in any game, that will get you beat."

Even though the result didn't turn out the way Michigan would have liked, if they do make it to the championship game, you have to wonder if Bo will help lead the team to the national championship in his own way.

The Wisconsin Badgers kept on marching along with an easy victory over the University of Buffalo , 35-3. Coach Bret Bielema became the first coach in Big Ten history to have 10 or more wins in his first season. Many are whispering Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and if he doesn't get it, there will be many angry Badger fans.

Coach Joe Paterno returned to the sidelines for Penn State University after the injury he sustained on the sidelines at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison , WI . Penn State narrowly beat Michigan State , 17-13. The University of Iowa kept on their losing ways as they lost to Minnesota , 34-24. Purdue University beat Indiana University , 28-19 and Northwestern University beat their instate rival, Illinois , 27-16.

Wisconsin is almost a lock for the Capital One Bowl on January 1 and Michigan and Ohio State look to be going to the National Championship game. What other teams will be bowl bound hasn't been determined. We all hope for a good showing in the bowls to prove that the Big Ten is as much of a powerhouse conference as many others across the country.

 

[Top] [Print this Page]