Michigan's 2016 Schedule
Our "soft" schedule, as perceived at the beginning of the year, ends with us having played NINE bowl eligible teams
exceptions were 3 of our B1G rivals - MSU, Illinois and Rutgers
Hawaii, at 6-7, is bowl eligible
7-2 vs. Bowl teams is nothing to sneeze at
3-2 against top 25
3-1 against top 10
November 29th, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^
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November 29th, 2016 at 12:33 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 12:33 PM ^
Their opponents get a 13th game, if they visit Hawaii, in part to recoup travel costs. Only makes sense they would to. Particularly in the year they go to Sydney. And Navy will play 14 games before their bowl.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:37 PM ^
Hawaii: "Our travel costs are too high. So we're going to play a game in Sydney!"
November 29th, 2016 at 2:09 PM ^
what the Sydney game was worth to them. Anyone know the answer to that?
November 29th, 2016 at 12:43 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 1:01 PM ^
Within the last 10 years, MSU played in Hawai'i and had another game scheduled there. After the first game, they backed out of their second game. The reason was not given, but was almost certainly the officiating by the MWC refs in that first game (and in other non-conference games played by other teams there).
Hawai'i has gotten a reputation for having a home field advantage in non-conference games that has nothing to do with crowd noise.
November 29th, 2016 at 3:47 PM ^
SOUR GRAPES. THERE IS NO HOME-FIELD OFFICIATING BIAS.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:19 PM ^
Good recruiting tool (you get to go to Hawaii)
I don't think they stay there long enough to do much, though, and it means two long plane trips in a short amount of time.
It's better in basketball with the Maui Invitational - teams are there several days.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:25 PM ^
If it's a week before opening day, are they even in school at that point? Couldn't they extend the trip by a few days?
November 29th, 2016 at 2:08 PM ^
prepping for the season, not going to stay and sit on the beach for a few days. This isn't a recruiting tool. It sounds like a fun vacation for us, but it is not for them.
Re: SOS. Having Hawaii on the schedule hurts your SOS, generally. Definitely no reason to schedule them unless you knew they'd have one of their randomly good years.
And yes, there are injury concerns with playing a 13th meaningless game.
There aren't many, if any, good reasons to play a 13th game at Hawai'i for a team like Michigan that doesn't need the money.
November 29th, 2016 at 2:34 PM ^
So game reps don't matter?
And to imply that Michigan doesn't need the money, while true, discounts that Michigan would gladly take every penny of that money. If they played Hawaii before the season opened, the number of eyeballs on that game would be disproportional to the actual quality of the game. I'm not sure if TV rights for a 13th game would be negotiated separately, but either way, there'd be several million dollars to be had. I'm sure that could fund a new broom closet or something...
I get that there are negatives, but I think it's pretty ignorant to suggest that there are basically no positives.
Also, I am no stranger to conditioning and two-a-day's. It's been a long time, but I can safely assure you that I would have had no complaints about doing them in Hawaii. They may not go out and surf all night, but beaches are pretty relaxing places.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:41 PM ^
Having been to Hawai'i, it sounds absolutely miserable to fly all the way there, play a football game, and fly all the way back, likely in a period of about 48 hours. I believe when they played us here they flew in and left within that timeframe.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:48 PM ^
Knowing Harbaugh, if he agreed to do it, he'd do it a week before classes began and he'd take the team there for a full week including the obligatory trip to Pearl Harbor and a day at Waikiki surrounding practices.
November 29th, 2016 at 2:44 PM ^
I can't really see him doing it at all. The week before the season you're trying to fine-tune everything and don't really want a quasi-vacation to disrupt your routine.
The best time to go to Hawaii was at the end of the regular season, which we did in 1986 and 1998. But now the Big Ten Championship game is that week and you're not going to play it after that.
November 29th, 2016 at 3:49 PM ^
I hate the B1G Championship. Worthless.
November 29th, 2016 at 2:34 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 12:52 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 1:19 PM ^
8 team playoff you mean would be the ideal option. Not too many teams, no teams get a bye, only 3 games for the final 2 teams during Xmas break and at the start of semester and a month off to heal up and get ready. I can see this happening. Yet, there are still a bunch of old fashioned idiots in positions of power that got those positions from kissing ass or knowing someone. Not the people you want at the helm, yet this is common in today's underdeveloped society everywhere you look. That being said, it'll probably be a four team playoff for twenty more years.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:36 PM ^
not sure how to delete
November 29th, 2016 at 12:36 PM ^
They have some exemption because of the travel distance. I forget the logic why but I know the Alaska schools in D1 hockey have similar exemptions to play more games
November 29th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^
I believe they get an extra home game due to all the travel they have to accommodate for.
Its the same reason that any non-conference opponent they face that comes out to Hawaii to play a game is granted an extra home game of their own. I presume its to help some of those smaller schools offset the costs of flying a whole football team, coaching staff, and equipment halfway across the Pacific Ocean.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^
Our win over them is a huge boost for us and a decent boost for the Big Ten in general. The only reason we even have a prayer of a CFP spot right now is because people nationally have actually taken notice of how good our schedule ended up being
November 29th, 2016 at 2:52 PM ^
our SOS metrics still aren't great. It's been very top heavy, thanks to Wisconsin, PSU and Colorado all being better than expected. But MSU has been way worse. The only team that's not really good or bad is Iowa. Yes, I'm counting Maryland, UCF and IU as bad, because they are bad. IU and Maryland both played pathetic non-conf schedules and neither beat a top 50 team. I'll give IU some credit for at least keeping games within two scores, but Maryland is an embarrassment.
So that's why our overall metrics aren't great, but we look good in the committee's eyes (and the country's) for having a top heavy schedule because they take simplistic view of focusing on records against arbitrarily chosen cutoffs like top 10 or top 25.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 12:37 PM ^
Asking for a friend.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:39 PM ^
Asking for myself.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:49 PM ^
That one's on Dad. Mom snapped him out ok, but his head slipped through Dad's hands.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:50 PM ^
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November 29th, 2016 at 12:47 PM ^
Then, probably......theres a 82.4 % chance they did
November 29th, 2016 at 12:54 PM ^
Why does everyone bring this up? Immediately after the fumble, Michigan stopped Ohio St. and OSU attempted the fake punt, giving Michigan great field position. Michigan then scored on that possesion, so the fumble didn't cost UM a touchdown, since they got one off the turnover. The fumble didn't give OSU points. Why do people make that out to be such a big deal? Either way, the score became 17-7. Momentum didn't swing after the fumble.
November 29th, 2016 at 2:15 PM ^
What if Michigan scored a TD instead of fumbling on the 1 yard line?
Then kicked off to OSU and OSU went 3 and out and still tried that stupid fake punt at the exact same point in the game because they still saw the same punt block alignment from Michigan that triggered the punter to take off and Glasgow still stopped him and M still scored ANOTHER TD?
Then Michigan would have 24, right?
Sure, there's no way it would all play out the same, but just because we scored at a later point in the game doesn't make it okay that we fumbled on the 1. You may be happy with 17-7. I would have preferred a hypothetical opportunity to make it 24-7. Call me crazy.
November 29th, 2016 at 2:26 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 3:08 PM ^
Your argument suggests the fumble was no big deal because M scored on 1 of 2 offensive opportunities anyway. Scoring on both of those opportunities would have been better.
2/2 > 1/2
Math!
November 29th, 2016 at 12:54 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 12:54 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 1:14 PM ^
The refs didn't turn the ball over three times and they also didn't fail to wrap Curtis Samuel up when he ran 10 yards backfield and still managed to scramble down for that fateful 4th and 1.
Those are all on Michigan, my friend. If any one of those plays are removed, Michigan wins.
Michigan beat itself.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:39 PM ^
the Ohio State offense was much better at wrapping up, than the Michigan defense on that play.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:46 PM ^
Unfortunately, that is actually true. They had way more jersey in their hands than we did.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:33 PM ^
out to me. If Colorado beats Washington, correct me if I'm wrong, Michigan will be the ONLY team to have defeated TWO POWER 5 Conference Champions. I don't know how far back this goes, and I'm not willing to look it up. But I can't remember another year where one team defeated TWO Power 5 Conference Champions....let alone another division winner. I just don't understand how anybody else's resume, outside of Bama and OSU even compares to ours as long as Colorado defeats Washington.
November 29th, 2016 at 12:42 PM ^
I know they're undefeated and get the benefit of the doubt because they're obviously Bama but this is their resume right now.
Wins over Top teams:
None
Wins over Top 25 teams:
#18 Auburn
Alabama has played no one. Their reputation and the lingering reputation of the SEC from 5-10 years ago is propping them up. I'd love to play them because I think we'd have a great shot
November 29th, 2016 at 12:42 PM ^
but as you said, "Bama being Bama" gets them in. Especially since they are undefeated!
November 29th, 2016 at 12:43 PM ^
bang me anyways....
November 29th, 2016 at 12:45 PM ^
They did also beat USC by about 100 in the season opener, so that's another top 25 win. The fact that the SEC sucks so badly seems to go overlooked when talking about Alabama though, I agree.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:40 PM ^
forgot about USC
November 29th, 2016 at 1:20 PM ^
November 29th, 2016 at 1:42 PM ^
You mean the team that thought a transfer QB from Purdue was their savior? We would paste that team
but yes USC is a very good looking win now. I noted Auburn. And I am not impressed with Florida. The SEC East sucks more than the Big Ten West.
November 29th, 2016 at 5:46 PM ^