2023 Football Schedule Question

Submitted by oakapple on February 20th, 2022 at 9:55 AM

Years ago, the Big Ten mandated that every school must play at least one "Power Five" non-conference opponent. Several teams not in the P5 were allowed to count as P5, including BYU, Cincinnati, and the service academies. UConn was also an exemption, dating from when the Huskies were a good program.

On this basis, Michigan's 2022 non-conference schedule meets the requirement, as it includes Colorado State, Hawaii, and UConn. But I don't recall any exemption for the 2023 opponents: East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green. Did the Big Ten change its scheduling policy?

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MH20

February 20th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^

I don't recall a P5 mandate but I do recall a "no FCS" one. I think that was rescinded, though, because several Big Ten teams have played FCS schools over the past few years.

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UNCWolverine

February 20th, 2022 at 10:43 AM ^

I hate our out of conference schedules so much. I see we tentatively have Texas, Oklahoma, and Washington scheduled in the future, but I'm not holding my breath.

I am 100% interested in having at least one solid OOC opponent each season instead of guaranteeing 3 wins over tomato cans, I'll barely watch those bullshit games.

Joined: 10/06/2008

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Kevin13

February 20th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^

Always nice to get wins early in the season and allow new starters learn on the job before the B1G schedule starts. People will bitch about opponents and then bitch we don’t win enough games. Part of Alabama’s success is they start the year against tomato cans and have the team playing great before SEC games   I say keep the early season games as easy wins 

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SlickNick

February 20th, 2022 at 10:46 AM ^

Wow, I knew the 2022 non conference schedule was easy, but damn. As much as I love the big house, they would have to pay me to attend those 2023 games over drinking on my couch.

Joined: 09/28/2015

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Don

February 20th, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^

Our 2023 non-conf schedule is an insult to the season ticket holders who shell out thousands each season.

If the playoffs were expanded so that P5 conference champions had an automatic spot, the penalty for playing and losing to good P5 teams in other conferences would largely disappear. If the criteria for at-large playoff spots rewarded playing good non-conf teams and downgraded playing shitty non-conf teams, even better. 

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Sopwith

February 20th, 2022 at 1:10 PM ^

If the playoffs were expanded so that P5 conference champions had an automatic spot

And that's the answer to the CFP selection problem as well as the race to the bottom vis-a-vis nonconference scheduling. Make it objective and easy (or at least easier) on the selection committee and say P5 teams are only eligible for CFP if they win their conference. If you didn't win your conference, sorry, only have yourselves to blame.

Now the CFP only has to consider 5 P5 champions,any unusually good G5 champions, plus Notre Dame and pick 4 from that small pool. 

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NittanyFan

February 20th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^

It was a “guideline” and not really a “mandate.”

The B1G as a whole has a better OOC schedule in 2022 than they have had in most recent years.  Maryland is the only school violating this guideline - and they are hosting SMU which really isn’t a terrible opponent at all.

 

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Catchafire

February 20th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^

I'm ok with playing an "easier" non conference schedule.  CFB is different.  It's all about getting more "practice" to beat in conference opponents.

I don't care for scheduling a Bama or other SEC team at the beginning of the year.  At the end of the year, sure.

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cobra14

February 20th, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^

Anyone still complaining about the OOC schedule still has no idea that playing cupcakes is the way to go within the current system to make the playoffs. Wins bring the fan base together not playing ND for no damn reason. 
 

If the playoff expansion occurs you will start to see tougher OOC games because it doesn’t ruin your chance of a playoff birth  if you lose a game to say Texas. 

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AlbanyBlue

February 20th, 2022 at 11:57 AM ^

We play one of the hardest schedules in the country, being in the Big Ten East and always seeming to have difficult West-crossover game(s). We have multiple rivals, to whom our game with them is essentially their most important game. We also have to play another playoff-caliber team every year -- and they have superior depth, so playing them at the end of the season gives them even more of an advantage.

So, I'm fine with an easy OOC schedule. Fine tune everything. Get more players reps. Rest the starters. Avoid injury.

Sure, play tough OOC teams. In the CFP.

Aside from that, do everything you can to get there. 

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DennisFranklinDaMan

February 20th, 2022 at 12:42 PM ^

Surely it can't all be about getting to the playoffs, can it? I know that's important, but ... there have to be some other considerations, surely? Winning your conference? Developing your skills against the pros? Providing a good in-game experience for fans?

Not to mention, not playing anyone, then losing to Ohio State and not going to the playoffs makes for a pretty underwhelming year, no? There may be entertaining games along the way, like Notre Dame in 2009 and 2011. I'm glad we played those.

I'm so old I remember when the National Championship was sort of imaginary/fictional anyway. I, for one, always enjoyed our games against Notre Dame, UCLA, Washington, Florida State, and Miami. Ah, the good ole days ...

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JonathanE

February 21st, 2022 at 12:26 AM ^

That sort of feel-good college football is a thing of the past. Harbaugh is going to be judged on wins and losses. Do you really believe that the fans are going to feel cheated if Michigan plays a bunch of cup cakes and goes 11-1 with a loss to Ohio State but would feel much better with a 10-2 record with a loss to (Baylor-USC-Oklahoma-Florida State-Clemson-Notre Dame [insert your P5 school]) and Ohio State? 

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Harball sized HAIL

February 20th, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^

Big Ten allows independents, AAC teams to fill Power 5 requirement | RSN (nbcsports.com)

 

I didn't remember any mandate but turns out you were partially right.  What or when something changed.......?  I gotta take a little exception with the "dating from when the Huskies were a good program" statement.  They've only been FBS since 2000 and are 101-153 since.  One 10 win season in their history when they were 1-AA.  According to the article (from Sept. 2015) there were exceptions made for games already on the sched.  

Maybe someone more in the know can explain what happened with the OOC for 22' & 23' but they seem to be an anomaly.  If I recall we had a conflict and backed out of a home and home then someone did that to us leaving dates that needed to be filled.  That said, the way the schedule sets up next year anything less than 11-0 going to Ohio will seem like failure.

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NOLA_Blue

February 20th, 2022 at 1:53 PM ^

We backed out of a series with UCLA for 2022 and 2023.
The announcement on mgoblue hilariously announced it in an article titled "Michigan Adds Hawaii and East Carolina as Future Home Opponents." I guess they were hoping nobody would click on the article and realize that the reason for those 2 crappy games was because we were cancelling an actually intriguing series.

I hate that we waste all 3 of our OOC games on "guaranteed wins" (not that it has always worked out that way on the field). The playoff really shouldn't be more important than having an interesting regular season. 1 good OOC game every year please. 

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LSAClassOf2000

February 20th, 2022 at 2:14 PM ^

You can't play FCS schools, but you can schedule three middling to moribund Division I teams to pad the schedule a smidgen, if you so choose. The current playoff structure does not incentivize challenging oneself TOO much in that respect, but you must keep it within the realm of FBS. 

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