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Michigan fans ranked among most miserable following Week 1 flop at Notre Dame
By Paul Harvey
Published:
It may have been just one game, but the season-opening loss to Notre Dame did not leave a good taste for fans of the Wolverines.
Expectations were sky high for Michigan under Jim Harbaugh and QB Shea Patterson coming into the season. Unfortunately, the offense sputtered yet again while facing the Irish on the road.
All things considered, a 24-17 loss on the road against a ranked opponent is far from the end of the world. However, beginning the season with a loss really puts pressure on Michigan if they have any hopes of competing for the B1G Championship this season.
Dan Wolken with USA TODAY took time to rank the most miserable fan bases on his “Misery Index,” and the Wolverine faithful came in second to fans of the Texas Longhorns. According to Wolken, Michigan’s offense and Harbaugh’s choices for his coaching staff are among the issues contributing to the misery of Michigan fans:
What does matter, however, are Harbaugh’s puzzling staff choices on the offensive side of the ball. Michigan’s offense looked outdated, slow and lacked any obvious philosophy or purpose last season. But rather than getting rid of Pep Hamilton, Harbaugh added more cooks to the kitchen in Jim McElwain and Ed Warinner, neither of whom were exactly lighting it up at their last destinations.
While no other B1G fans were ranked among most miserable, Penn State was put on alert as a team trending that way. A close scare against Appalachian State brought plenty of panic Saturday:
With 1:47 remaining, you could already hear the takes forming. Was it all Saquon Barkley? Are the Nittany Lions doomed now that Joe Moorhead has moved on to Mississippi State? As it turned out, the panic was unnecessary. Penn State came back late to tie Appalachian State with a quick touchdown, then won in overtime.
There’s still plenty of time left to turn things around this season, but both teams will want to play better moving forward.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.