There is nothing worse than to be projected to win a game that is basically a “cupcake.”   That is what happened this past Saturday with Michigan losing to Appalachian State by only a few points.  People are saying that it is the worst upset in football history.  Ouch!  How do you recover from that?

Who is Appalachian State?

What is Michigan doing in terms of PR?  Well, Coach Carr is admitting that they have a lot of things to fix up, and that they did make a lot of mistakes during the game.  Saying “oops, we messed up!” is probably one of the hardest things for people to do in many ways.  It doesn’t fix the fact that they lost to Appalachian State, but it shows the fans and everyone that they will try to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.  The worst thing that Michigan could have done was try to ignore the issue and make no comment– that would be a complete PR Nightmare!

But this should not only be a wake up call for Michigan, but for the rest of the NCAA powerhouse football programs.  Things happen, and you never want to completely underestimate the other team– funnier things have happened!  That is why it is SO important to have a PR game plan before the game and prepare for a situation like this to occur.

In many ways, Michigan has a lot to do to try to overcome this situation. Yes, it is very embarrassing for the team, but life moves on!  They of course have to deal with the questions from the media, boosters, alumni, students, and community– but they also have to say that the football season is just beginning, and that they are moving forward and being proactive to make sure that this doesn’t happen again!

On a side note, congrats to the USC Trojans for their win on Saturday versus Idaho (38-10).  I was sad that Tennessee lost to Cal :(, but hey– the season is still young and I am sure that they will be ready to go for their home game opener this upcoming weekend! 🙂

So, I hope that you all are having a great Labor Day and take care!

Best Wishes,

Karen