OOC Games Against Texas and Oklahoma
Should we keep them or replace them?
2024 home vs Texas
2025 at Oklahoma
2026 home vs Oklahoma
2027 at Texas
In my opinion, there's no incentive to keep them. Even with the 12 team playoff, seeding matters especially if we end up with a QB injury like FSU. With the new Big Ten schedule they should be replaced with cupcakes.
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:56 PM ^
Keep them
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:32 PM ^
Yeah why not, a win would be awesome, and even losing to Texas apparently helps teams make the playoff anyway
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:36 PM ^
Those could be marquee games - lots of eyeballs on the TV. Money matters
December 3rd, 2023 at 2:58 PM ^
Don't care as long as our starting QB doesn't get injured
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:04 PM ^
Yep, the key is to keep your starting QB healthy and Travis got hurt against a cupcake so it doesn't matter if you replace strong OOC teams with cupcakes or not. The second key is to have a good 2nd stringer, which can be problematic keeping backups happy, ask OSU.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^
especially if we end up with a QB injury like FSU.
Travis's injury was simply the fig leaf needed to sneak an SEC team in the top four. If the Alabama QB had broken his leg, they'd still be in.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
Sad, but true
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:13 PM ^
It amazes me people can't see this.
"Precedent" only works when it helps darlings.
This is what actual cheating looks like.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^
Let's worry about this season.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:04 PM ^
We don't play any games for a month so why not talk about it?
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:11 PM ^
Also, WE don’t play any games period. So why not talk about it?
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
Exactly. Beat Iowa
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:02 PM ^
Don’t know how we could get rid of Texas next year. Seems too late for that
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:17 PM ^
Pay The Citadel or Florida A&M a few million. They'll play us.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:44 PM ^
Oregon St or Washington St might have some availability.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:05 PM ^
seeding matters especially if we end up with a QB injury like FSU
Let’s not forget that injury happened against an FCS opponent.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
I didn’t know that. Thanks…
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
Agreed, however my point is that they dominated LSU at a neutral site and still got left out due to a QB injury. Therefore, their win against LSU was meaningless.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:14 PM ^
Technically their whole season was.
Every. Single. Win.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:21 PM ^
I would like to disagree here. It's devastating, but they're still Conference Champions. That does mean something. Michigan is a Conference Champion. That means something. Especially with the advent of super-conferences, it should mean even more.
Let's not forget how great of an accomplishment a Conference Championship is!
December 3rd, 2023 at 6:03 PM ^
Tell that to those kids who got cheated out of a chance of a national championship.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:06 PM ^
With the new super conferences, there is no reason to schedule anything but MAC teams to start the year, and a D2 team before rivalry week.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
Zero incentive.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:08 PM ^
Michigan will be lucky to be 10-2 next year.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:36 PM ^
9-3 probably sees us in the playoff. 8-4 unlikely but with the right losses who knows. Do we even know how they will rank/select the teams? Will it still be this CFB playoff committee shenanigans?
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:08 PM ^
I say now that I wish that we keep them on schedule. Beat up on the SEC and change the narrative
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
Keep them
But I bet we won’t see anymore games like this ever again in the OOC besides the ND games happening years from now
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:10 PM ^
More reason to have them now. A loss is not season-crippling, but a win insulates you against a loss elsewhere. Michigan will have Texas, UW, Oregon, USC and Ohio State on the schedule. 3-2 in that group gets them in the playoff, and even 2-3 gives them a chance. LSU almost would have made it this year with 3 losses and their only good win is Mizzou.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:22 PM ^
There's no way Texas is in the playoff this year without the non-conference win against Alabama.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:10 PM ^
With the influx of good teams into the Big Ten, they are not necessary, but I'm not sure it would be easy to shed them.
Our schedule will be hard enough going forward.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:10 PM ^
Replace them
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:11 PM ^
as someone living in OKC, with lots of friends that want to bring me along to these games, I'm all for keeping them.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:13 PM ^
With 2 or 4 teams, a tougher schedule with more losses might knock you out, with 12 teams I don't think it hurts you as much. And even this year it goes both ways: if Texas didn't play a strong OOC schedule and beat Alabama, I don't think they're in the playoffs this year. Next year we have a gauntlet in the Big Ten, but I'm generally in favor of more real games.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:14 PM ^
Adding the Pac teams will make our regular season a murderer's row. Our OOC schedule should consist of Eastern, Western, and Central from now on.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:38 PM ^
Look up, look right, look left, those are your opponents.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:16 PM ^
Cancel immediately
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
This is a legitimate question to ask. Especially with USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon going to the B1G and OU & Texas going to the SEC. Theres no incentive playing these games. The conference schedule is going to be enough. The extra W isn't worth the risk of an extra L. Now, I'm not saying have a non conf schedule like the did this year, but schedule a low end P5 non conference opponent, a regional Mac-ish opponent or something along those lines. No need to go out and schedule these high end opponents because it's not going to help.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:28 PM ^
As much as I would love to actually see these teams in person (again, in the case of Texas - I've seen us play Texas in my lifetime), I ask myself as well if the new look Big Ten makes it difficult to justify keeping these matchups, at least the ones that wouldn't be too troublesome to shift or cancel. Part of me would want to ditch them for selfish reasons, but I hesitate because the new playoff format means we can stumble once, maybe twice and still get in with the correct resume. It comes down to what allowable risk would be, in Michigan's estimation, I would guess.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:32 PM ^
FSU’s qb jury happened against a cupcake. I don’t follow your reasoning.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:37 PM ^
See my reply above
FSU dominated LSU and still was left out due to QB injury. Therefore their win over LSU was meaningless.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:33 PM ^
The 2024 schedule includes:
- Texas
- USC
- @Wash
- Oregon
- @OSU
This year, the 12 vs 13 rankings cutoff just about coincides with the 2 vs 3 loss line.
I think dropping Texas with that schedule and all of the departures to the NFL would increase the chances of making the playoff.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:57 PM ^
It’s actually 11 vs 12. A G5 team gets an auto bid and they’re likely to be ranked lower
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:54 PM ^
I’m all for these home and home series. Big games in the big house. No one wants to sit and watch another MAC slaughter. Ticket prices on the secondary market prove this.
December 3rd, 2023 at 3:59 PM ^
As a fan, I say keep them. As someone watching the cfp, drop them.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:16 PM ^
Keep them
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:21 PM ^
Get rid of them
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
I vote for better football. This 10 game preseason was awful.
If you want to be the best, you gotta beat the best.
December 3rd, 2023 at 4:53 PM ^
I hate how football fans want to set up horrible football games. Play games against good teams. So what if we are not national champions. We could go join the MAC and dominate all our opponents. There are way too many weak opponents in the B1G as it is.
December 3rd, 2023 at 5:04 PM ^
The rational decision would be to drop them. But I would rather risk losing a game once in a while than play a bunch of boring-game cupcakes. I'm really looking forward to next year's home slate. It is a solid improvement over some of the dreck I sat through this year.
December 3rd, 2023 at 5:26 PM ^
Given that Texas and Michigan was important enough to Fox to get the order of the games flipped so that Michigan hosted in 2024 so Fox could televise the game, thus allowing Texas to move a year early to the SEC, I do not see how Michigan is going to get out of this game.