The Associated Press: A tough year for sports fans across the state, particularly Wolverines supporters

Coach Rich Rodriguez is desperately hoping 2010 is better for the Wolverines on and off the field.

Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez watches as his team loses to Ohio State, 21-10, Saturday, November 21st at Michigan Stadium, to finish the season with seven straight losses in the Big Ten.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

His is not the only team looking for better times ahead.

Rodriguez and the proud school he represents will begin the new year waiting to hear from the NCAA after a Detroit Free Press report triggered an investigation into the Wolverines’ practice habits.

If the Rodriguez-led program avoids the stigma of major violations, there are reasons to believe his third season in the new-look Big House will be much better than his first two at Michigan.

Quarterback Tate Forcier will be back as a seasoned sophomore and his playing time will be challenged by sophomore Denard “Shoelace” Robinson and highly touted recruit Devin Gardner from Inkster High School.

After Michigan lost to Ohio State for the sixth straight year, ending the season 5-7, Rodriguez bristled when a reporter asked about him being defined by Saturdays.

“This is what we do. It’s not who we are,” he said. “If I’m a bad guy because I lost some games and that’s what people perceive, I can’t help that.”

Michigan State’s football team also will have to bounce back from on and off the field problems.

The Spartans didn’t meet relatively high expectations with a 6-6 season, then created embarrassment when nine players were charged with misdemeanor assault and conspiracy following a dormitory brawl that left them short-handed for the Jan. 2 Alamo Bowl.

“It’s a great challenge, probably the biggest we’ve had yet,” coach Mark Dantonio said. “With the circumstances we have and the team we’re playing, we’ll be very motivated.”

The Spartans also had a runner-up season, enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience of playing in the Final Four — for a nation-best fifth time since 1999 — at home. They beat Connecticut in front of a packed house at Ford Field before losing to North Carolina in the championship game.

Michigan State began this season ranked No. 2, but would have to win the national championship to top being the runner-up in 2009.

“It’s hard to do better than we did last year,” star point guard Kalin Lucas said in October. “But I think it’s possible that we can get back there and win that last game.”

At cross-state rival Michigan, John Beilein raised expectations for the Wolverines after guiding them to their first NCAA bid since 1998. With most of their top players back, they were ranked No. 15 in The Associated Press preseason poll.

But the Wolverines got off to such a lackluster start that they will likely need to win twice as often as they lose in the Big Ten to earn a second straight at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

“I think we’ve played a very difficult schedule,” Beilein said, explaining why the team won just five of its first nine games. “I think we were overrated in the beginning.

“We finished seventh in the Big Ten. It wasn’t like we were a juggernaut last year.”