Now that Jim Harbaugh and Michigan are nationwide champions, Connor Stalions’ title is formally etched into historical past. Every time U-M followers dine out on this title, which they assuredly will do, detractors, haters, run-of-the-mill conspiracy theorists, and others will shout “Connor Stalions!” as if he was Keyser Söze, the second shooter on the grassy knoll, or Bigfoot.
There’ll without end be a Justin Lengthy-sized shadow forged over this championship, and I’m not saying that to take something away from Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, and Co. Scandal was tossed round within the loosest method potential as a result of the phrase “stealing indicators” is catnip to sports activities followers and media.
Because the information of the malfeasance broke, there’s been a false impression that Harbaugh was on some Invoice Belichick-ian stuff. Whereas I’m certain some individuals imagine that — you, state of Ohio — they must pry that trophy from the chilly, useless fingers of the numerous Michigan women and men who will fortunately die on that hill.
Social media and ESPN want one thing to obsess over, and if anybody is culpable for Michigan’s title, it’s the individuals who broke out the pitchforks. The one narrative that mattered was the one which Harbaugh spun. It wasn’t Michigan versus All people till the SEC groups, present and future, acquired bounced, and even then, followers weren’t essentially rooting for Washington; they simply wished the Wolverines to close up about it.
“No person believed in us!” yelled this system that spent all season ranked No. 1, 2, or 3, and was favored in each recreation they performed, together with the postseason.
I believe that’s what makes Stalions’ inseparable connection so humorous. Michigan didn’t have to know what performs Minnesota, Illinois, or Indiana have been operating to beat them. The Large Ten sucked this yr, and so did U-M’s non-conference schedule.
No matter how laborious it was to beat Penn State, on the highway, with out even serious about making an attempt a go within the second half, the Wolverines’ most spectacular feat was surviving half the season with Jim at dwelling in his home khakis. Properly, that or the comeback win over Alabama within the Rose Bowl.
This wasn’t Michigan versus everyone; it was Michigan versus themselves. I imply you must have a reasonably excessive opinion of your self to face Nick Saban within the CFP, and suppose that the whole nation is chanting “Roll Tide.”
The opposite low-key side that’s hysterical: Are you aware what number of people within the historical past of mankind have striven for his or her title to resonate with society for greater than a decade? Simply support and abet a quasi-real faculty soccer dishonest scandal, and voila, legacy cemented.
Possibly if Harbaugh wasn’t so obnoxious together with his persecution complicated, individuals wouldn’t really feel obligated to scream “Connor Stalions!” each time the bespectacled coach hops on TV. Buckeyes followers legit suppose that if they are saying “Connor Stalions” right into a mirror 3 times quick, a slight, prepubescent man will seem behind them with a camcorder and season tickets to the opposite 19 Large Ten colleges.
No, Connor Stalions isn’t the Boogeyman, neither is he the Candyman. He’s just a few man who did somewhat out-of-pocket work for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan that may without end be talked about when speaking in regards to the 2023 faculty soccer season.