Pinch yourself - just not too hard. As bad as you may feel right now, suicide isn't the answer. This past weekend really happened, and I think some people still haven't let it sink in yet. But the first step to moving on is acceptance.

So what's the easiest way to move on? Find someone else to blame, of course. It's the American way.

Nobody wants to accept the fact that, gasp, this team might not be as good as most preseason prognosticators predicted. So whose fault is it? Let's examine some of the favorite scapegoats in a version of the Michigan football blame game:

Lloyd Carr: Who else is there to start with? Within a day of Saturday's fiasco, more than 10 new fire Lloyd Carr groups were started on facebook.com. National sportscasters were saying Carr's job is in serious jeopardy (it's not, and never will be, by the way) and everyone's favorite coach to hate was back in most fans' doghouses. And much of it is warranted. As much as the players claim they were totally prepared, it's obvious after watching the game that they weren't.

"I felt that we were not a well prepared football team," Carr said. "That is my job and I take full responsibility for that."

Whether you think it's overconfidence or just a lack of effort, part of that has to fall on the coach's shoulders.

Is Carr the main reason Michigan lost? Probably not. Carr didn't miss tackles, Carr didn't overthrow receivers and Carr didn't have a Mountaineer defender run by him to block a potential game-winning field goal.

Chad Henne: A fourth-year quarterback starting his 38th straight game is a great asset to have. One who keeps overthrowing Mario Manningham on deep balls and throwing behind other receivers on crossing routes? Not so much. Henne was one of the best reasons for optimism heading into the season, and quite frankly, he played poorly on Saturday. His fourth-quarter interception and fumbled snap cost Michigan the points it needed to prevent the upset.

Is Henne the main reason Michigan lost? Probably not. Dropped passes and some occasional poor protection didn't help matters.

Ron English: If you're still stuck on coaching, you might be better off tossing some blame Ron English's way. I know, even thinking about attaching a negative comment to English's name would be a punishable crime about 10 months ago, but let's be honest: In the last three games, Michigan's defense has been more exploitable than a freshman at a frat party.

Is English the main reason Michigan lost? Probably not. Even though the defense came out flat, English made solid adjustments at halftime that worked.

Jason Gingell: Gingell had a pair of kicks blocked in the final two minutes of the game. Had he made either, Michigan likely would have won. Plus, he's a kicker - the perfect scapegoat for a loss.

Is Gingell the main reason Michigan lost? No. A truck could have driven through the hole in Michigan's offensive line on the final field goal attempt, and yesterday Carr said the first miss was because of blocking miscues, too.

Bad luck: This is a popular excuse among the fans stuck in denial. A freak injury to Hart, Brandon Minor's convenient slip on a two-point conversion try and a botched snap on the other attempt doesn't happen every game. Fans are quick to point out those examples as reasons why Michigan got "screwed."

Is bad luck the main reason Michigan lost? Not even close. If anything, Appalachian State actually experienced more bad luck than Michigan did. Without a dropped touchdown pass by a wide-open receiver, along with a field goal that clanged just off the right upright, the Mountaineers probably would have won by double digits.

Mike Hart: Someone actually suggested to me that Saturday's loss was Hart's fault. Granted, the kid was drunk, but it's still no excuse for stupidity. Suggesting Hart's performance was anything less than heroic is absurd. Sitting out large portions of the second and third quarters wasn't Hart's decision - or even Carr's. The team trainer said he couldn't play. And, following Brandon Minor's fumble, Hart's persistence to get back in the game finally paid off. He came in and carried the team on his back, almost preventing Michigan from enduring the most embarrassing loss in its 100-plus-year history.

Execution: So it's not all the coaches' fault? Then it must be execution, right? A barrage of dropped balls, fumbled snaps, stupid penalties and missed assignments would point to this being potentially the key downfall on Saturday. But let's be honest: It's no fun blaming execution. Fans need a player or a coach to blame. Execution can't be burned in effigy.

So what does this prove? Besides the fact that it's not one person's fault, I guess it also proves that a lot went wrong for Saturday to go the way it did. So before everyone gives up on the season, just take a deep breath and chill.