The picture there (courtesy of The Derek Bell Yacht Co.) is of the marquee at the venue they were playing yesterday afternoon. The band's name was taken off and replaced with "God Bless Bo." Probably a good idea.

The rise and fall of the Dead Schembechlers has been pretty surreal. And when Schembechler died yesterday, it looked like the band was in a tough spot, and any future appearances would be awkward, to say the least, and could possibly get them killed. But they took it in stride and handled it with as much grace and class as possible. They're more likable now than they were before—and it was impossible not to like any band with a song entitled, ""Schembechler Kicked My Crippled Dog."

Bo's namesake punk group to disband [Detroit Free Press]
R.I.P. Bo Schembechler [The Derek Bell Yacht Co.]

First off, our sincerest regards to the family of former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, who, as has been reported everywhere, died of a heart attack at the age of 77 this morning. Obits are everywhere, so we won't bother you with one here, though there's some good ones floating around the Web. Schembechler had been extremely active in the Michigan community and had been making several appearances in advance of the Ohio State-Michigan game Saturday.

Oh. Yes. That. A game that already seemed wired a little bit too tightly for comfort, with this, is in serious danger of spiraling out of control. (To their credit, the Dead Schembechlers have a nice note about Schembechler on their site.) You have to wonder in what way this will ratchet matters up for tomorrow. If they have a moment of silence, will Ohio State fans boo? Sure, not all of them will ... but it certainly seems possible, right? You think there was going to be some Wolverines-Buckeyes fan conflict before? Wait until a drunk Buckeye fan cracks a Schembechler joke.

It seems strange that they're actually having a game tomorrow, that it's actually happening. We had been doing a post a day about this game before this happened. We can't imagine what Columbus is going to be like tomorrow. It's a good thing it's an afternoon game; we're not sure the Oval would have survived until nightfall.

So yeah: Ohio State vs. Michigan, No. 1 vs. No. 2, the day after Bo Schembechler dies, in Columbus. Our minds are officially blown.

Schembechler Dies Of Heart Attack At 77 [Michigan Live]

Schembechler, who recently expressed amusement at the Ohio State fan punk band The Dead Schembechlers, is 77 years old and recently had a pacemaker installed. He was taken to Providence Hospital at 9:30 a.m.

More on this as it comes, obviously. Yipes.

(UPDATE: Schembechler has died. As if this game needed anything else...)

Bo Schembechler Rushed To Hospital [Detroit Free Press]
Bo Schembechler Gets Meta On Us [Deadspin]

Anyway, with the monstrously huge Ohio State-Michigan, No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup less than two weeks away, it's becoming rather heated over there. How heated? Well, it appears the real Bo Schembechler — who was awfully close to becoming a dead Schembechler himself a couple of weeks ago — has weighed in on the band.

[Schembechler] reminisced about Woody Hayes, talked a little about the showdown Nov. 18 between the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes and No. 2-ranked Wolverines, and had a question, too. "Hey, have you ever heard of the 'Dead Schembechlers'?" he asked. "What the hell is that? "

Schembechler first learned about that so-named Columbus punk band the previous day when shown their Web site, featuring such songs as "Bomb Ann Arbor Now" and "We Don't Give A Damn For The Whole State of Michigan." "Holy smokes, I couldn't believe it," a smiling Schembechler said. "They're all dressed like Woody. I think it's crazy."

So, to recap the events, in chronological order:

• Bo Schembechler coaches the Michigan Wolverines for several decades.
• "Dead Schembechlers" band formed.
• Bo Schembechler almost dies.
• Bo Schembechler finds out about "Dead Schembechlers" and smiles.

We love this world sometimes.

Schembechler In Good Spirits, Back Cheering For Wolverines [Columbus Dispatch]
Dead Schembechlers [Official Site]