There were a lot of bad things that happened during the Rich Rodriguez/Brady Hoke years for Michigan football. But maybe one of the most damaging, was allowing the program to take a back seat to Michigan State.
Many Michigan football fans are thinking of a conference championship or even a berth in the College Football Playoff. But the reality is, until the Wolverines re-claim the state of Michigan, neither of those things will be possible.
For years, the Big Ten was about Michigan and Ohio State. Sure teams like Penn State or Iowa or Michigan State had good runs every few years, but the two most significant teams in the league, were always the Wolverines and the Buckeyes.