Please know I am trying to stay as positive as possible, and I think we have a great shot at winning this game. Indeed, like Vegas, I even believe it is more likely than not we win this game.
Having said that, I am extremely concerned about what kind of damage it will do to our program in the event we do not. We used to say "Ohio Against the World," but that seemed to be more of a mantra designed to combat us being looked at as underdogs, especially against the SEC. Before this year, I never felt any REAL sort of hate or vitriol being directed at us at a national level - just more of the "you can't beat the SEC" normal type of bullshit we are used to hearing. But this year, especially since our loss to Michigan, I have never seen such an outpouring of everything from hate to scorn to mocking jeering - you name it. You even see Tennessee fans with this weird ass unholy alliance with a program who in the not-too-distant-past got busted cheating over three seasons to win a national title.
I guess what I'm saying is that something has really changed and I feel like we are really being clowned on HARD from not just Michigan fans, but everyone, and it is putting this program at a real inflection point. I don't really care - I'm a big boy and can take it. But I DO worry about the affect this has on players' and potential recruits' and transfers' psyches and how attractive a program they think this is. All in all, I truly believe we DESPERATELY need this win tonight, not just for the obvious reasons, but to try and turn around this narrative which, to me, has really spiraled out of control. Feel free to call me nuts if you don't agree. Go Bucks!