How Should I Feel About Michigan Football Being Back

I watched the entirety of my first college football game this past Saturday night. I haven't been watching much because of the pandemic, the use of these kids as pawns for the universities, the fact that the NCAA is corrupt, that there are no fans and it is eerie and because the Big Ten had not started.

Well that changed on Saturday. The Big Ten kicked off their shortened season. I am surprised that I only watched one full game, and the end of another, waiting for the Michigan game. I figured I would tune in to the other Big Ten games, but I really didn't. I did other things. I hung out with my family in the morning. I ran to the store to get some essentials. I went for a run by myself. I did what I have been doing all fall pretty much. But I knew that Michigan was going to kick off at 6:30pm my time, and I knew I would watch. I also knew that my mom and dad would come over, they have been a part of our little bubble this whole pandemic, and that my dad and I cannot resist watching Michigan. So, we tuned in to the end of the PSU-Indiana game, which was, given the circumstances, a pretty exciting game, and waited for Michigan to start. Before the game I did not have the usual feelings I have had every year since I became obsessed with the Wolverines. I wasn't waiting all day, I found things to do. My mind wasn't focused on who was going to play, and what the team may look like. I didn't have that usual pit in my stomach right before kickoff. I was relaxed enough to eat eight big chicken wings and a full size salad we ordered from a local pizza joint. That never really happened before for me. And I should be happy about that. I should feel like there has been some kind of growth and maturity that has come with age. But really, it was the fact that this season is, and will continue to be, so very weird.

The pregame ramp up seemed familiar, and when I saw the Wolverines warming up, it looked normal enough. There is hardly anyone in the stadium an hour prior to most games, so it didn't seem different at first. But then the game started. This was when it felt odd. There were less than 600 fans in attendance. This is a good thing too. I'm not complaining, or comparing it to a Marlins game. The Big Ten has strict fan attendance rules, and they are only allowing certain people to watch the games live. But this meant you could hear everything that was being said on the field. I could hear QB's make checks, players talk to one another and the hits were crisp. It was surreal. Usually the crowd drowns that out, but not on Saturday night. I will say, the fans in attendance were fully masked, and seemed to be following the proper safety protocols. The coaches were as well. There were only a few times I said aloud, "why isn't that coach wearing his mask?". Both head coaches were masked the whole game, only flipping it off to bark out instructions, which I thought was good. As for the game on the field, both teams were missing starters, Minnesota was missing more, but it was not what I expected. I thought this was going to be a hard nosed, low scoring defensive affair. It was not. Minnesota blocked a punt and scored in under 3 minutes. Michigan answered with a 70 yard TD run on the very next play. Then Michigan got a strip sack for a score right after that. From there on out, it was an offensive battle. Michigan had 35 points at half, which was wild. Joe Milton looked solid and in control, the run game was good and very, very deep, the young receivers and skill players did well and it was clear that Minnesota missed their starters much more than Michigan did.

When it was all said and done, Michigan won 49-24. They got a solid road win against a ranked opponent when a lot of people picked against Michigan. It was nice to see them play again too. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to see them play until next fall, and this was a nice surprise. And I did have times where I cheered long runs and defensive stops and was happy that they won going away. But it was weird. I felt icky at times watching the game. I am worried for the kids and I hope they continue to follow proper protocols. I will continue to watch because I love Michigan, but this is going to be as weird a season as I have ever witnessed. I'm glad they won, and I hope they get to play with few, possibly no, postponements, but time will tell. Either way, glad they won, but it was a very bizarre experience. This is like nothing I have seen, or even my dad for that matter.

This will be an odd year for sure.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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