Coach Carr's record vs. OSU: Putting it in perspective

There continues to be a low but persistent buzz surrounding the Michigan football program regarding the status of Coach Carr. The thinking in some circles is that Coach Carr is on the proverbial "hot seat" this year due in large part to U of M's 1-4 record vs. OSU over the past five years. However, there is no reason to panic because of a bad stretch versus one opponent even if the opponent in question (Ohio State) is the Wolverines arch-rival. Coach Carr's detractors just need to put things in a little bit of perspective.

First of all, Coach Carr has a winning record vs. Ohio State. He is 6-5 during his 11 year head coaching tenure. He started out by winning 5 of his first six games in this series. Coach Carr's detractors who only look at the last five years are being very myopic. While I understand the "What have you done for me lately" attitude, I think it is only fair to judge Coach Carr on his entire coaching career. Achieving a winning record in the series vs. OSU is no small accomplishment. Coach Schembechler was 5-5-1 in his first 11 games vs. OSU and, thus, Coach Carr's 6-5 record does not look so shabby in comparison.

Secondly, history tells us that teams are going to go on small runs in the U of M/OSU series. Even Bo went 0-3-1 in the series from 1972-1975 while OSU made 4 straight Rose Bowl trips. Just as it appeared that OSU was gaining the upper hand, Michigan won the next three games from 1976-1978. Under Coach Carr, as noted above, Michigan went 5-1 before OSU made their run winning four of the last five games. Although U of M would like to dominate the series all the time like it did during the "John Cooper years", I think that was an aberration and the series will continue to be a back-and-forth struggle between the two power schools of the Big Ten Conference. The fact that OSU has made a small run should have been anticipated and it is certainly not a reason to put Coach Carr on the "hot seat."

Those who ignore history lose perspective and act irrationally. Michigan need only stay the course and this to shall pass. Coach Carr's detractors are going to have to come up with a better reason than his record against OSU to run Lloyd out of "The Big House." Go Blue!