College football is my favorite sport. I love everything about it. The energy from the crowd, the excitement of the players, and the potential for upset any given Saturday. As a sports psychology coach I am often asked how a team like Michigan could lose at home to Appalachian St.? The simple answer is leadership; the long answer has to do with motivation and beliefs. When a team is superior in physical talent, yet loses it comes down to mental/emotional reasons. When a powerhouse like Michigan gets on the field with a lowly regarded opponent like Appalachian St. many factors come into play. First, the team gets over confident, second the team looks to next week’s game where the perceived challenge is greater (Oregon) and rests on their resume of being Michigan. Having the strong leadership both with coaching, quarterback, seniors, this seemingly easy game would have been perceived as a chance to take pride in representing the team. Pride in performance will get an individual and team past the perception of the opponent and get the team to stay present, perform at the expected level of the leaders, and dominate less talented teams. As the saying goes, that is why they play the game.