>>>>> " " == Greg Berge <[log in to unmask]> writes:
 
 > I'd be interested in whether other teams which fit this profile
 > have had a similar "post-title syndrome".  The recent national
 > champions don't seem to fit the profile, except perhaps Bowling
 > Green.  MSU seemed to go downhill soon after their title, but that
 > is definitely not a one-team town.  Colgate and SLU had hard times
 > on the heels of title game losses, but there is a big difference
 > between runner-up and actually winning the title in the fans'
 > psyche; just ask the Bills.
 
 > Greg Malden, MA Let's Go Red!
 
 
I can't really speak to what happens after winning a championship,
since UM teams, although sometimes great, always seem to choke the
important games.  In fact, it is this propensity for choking big games
that has conditioned me to become used to disappointment (Michigan
football's Bowl Game record, or Michigan Hockey's playoff performance
from last season, for example).
 
I think it's only when a Michigan team does more badly than expected
during the regular season that people get upset.  Post season defeats
are the rule and not the exception, and we are all resigned to it.
 
 
-Alan Harder
 [log in to unmask]
 Go Blue!
 
The above commentary, which does not *even* represent the opinion of
the American Mathematical Society, is sold by weight, not by volume.
Some settling of the contents may have occurred during shipping.