Lloyd Carr and the Michigan Wolverines aren’t the only college football team in America with some big time problems. Yes, they are the only team that lost to a 1-AA program this weekend, but Saturday was a rough day for those on Rocky Top as well. Saturday alone doesn’t bring much comparison between Michigan and Tennessee except for an 0-1 record. Michigan participated in what some are calling the greatest upset in college football, if not sports, history; and Tennessee lost on the road to a good Cal team that was looking for some big time revenge.
As far as history, pride and tradition go, Tennessee and Michigan share elitist status that only a handful of other college football programs can compare with. Both consistently lead the nation in attendance with Neyland and the Big House being the two largest stadiums in the country. National Championship trophies have travelled to Knoxville and Ann Arbor within the last 15 years. Among all this winning and tradition, the two programs share something that have fans on both campuses worried. Both the University of Michigan and the University of Tennessee have football programs whose spirals toward mediocrity have become apparent.
Saturday night when the clock hit zero on the Tennessee-Cal football game fans witnessed the beginning of the end. Never has a Tennessee team opened a year with so many questions on both sides of the ball and never has the answer to those questions been, “no.”
Answers after the jump. (more…)
APIAS 