Harbaugh: Discussions being had on return of yearly Michigan-ND game
Just now on the Inside Michigan Football Radio Show.
This Saturday's game is the last scheduled meeting between Michigan and ND for the foreseeable future. Both teams schedules are loaded with marquee match ups with P5 opponents throughout 2020s.
Jon Jansen asked Harbaugh about the possible return of the series on a yearly basis soon.
I know you're down near Warde's office. There's been some discussions. We'll see what happens. I think it's good for college football.
Michigan took a $4.6M bath cancelling the Arkansas series that was supposed to have taken place on Sept. 1, 2018 in Ann Arbor and August 31, 2019 in Fayetteville, AR.
Arkansas went 2-10 in 2018 and is currently 2-5 this season.
Michigan cancelled the 2020-2021 home and home with Virginia Tech (also horrible this season), paying the $375,000 fee. We would've had two P5 non-conference opponents to go along with 9 B1G games so I can see why that was done.
But here's the thing: Michigan has a P5 non-conference opponent on the schedule every year from 2020-2027. Home and home series with Washington (2020-2021), UCLA (2022-2023), Texas (2024 & 2027) and Oklahoma (2025-2026). If those discussions become reality..........farewell to those exciting matchups.
October 21st, 2019 at 7:56 PM ^
F Notre Dame.
We should win this Saturday and close the series for 2 decades so we have bragging rights for a long time.
And cancelling Arkansas was dumb. Not only did we take a financial penalty, it also cost us two easy wins over overmatched Chad Morris Arkansas teams.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:03 PM ^
We are not beating Notre Dame. The Harbaugh myth will continue to fade. He will be out-coached by Brian Kelly. Expect 35-21 at best. Ian Book is so much better than Sean Clifford. Harbaugh will won’t have the team ready to play. Just who he is.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:45 PM ^
Found Brian Kelly's burner account
October 22nd, 2019 at 12:03 AM ^
I never say this joke but: username checks out. You sir are toxic.
October 22nd, 2019 at 6:08 AM ^
I'm not 100% defending how the Harbaugh era has gone, but the goal posts are constantly being moved on him. How long ago was it that Iowa was 'the game that will define Harbaugh's tenure' and then he went out and won it and everyone is like "Well ok but Iowa reeeally sucks so that doesn't mean anything". People constantly amplify the failings and totally write off the wins.
Michigan has always been pretty solid in Ann Arbor under Harbaugh. Notre Dame got in a fight at home with a pretty meh USC program. It's certainly a winnable game
October 22nd, 2019 at 11:17 AM ^
This argument always confuses me, why wouldn't we reevaluate Iowa after they played more games? Washington was ranked #14 to start the season and are now 5-3 and unranked, should they still be ranked #14 in the interest of not 'moving the goalposts'?
October 22nd, 2019 at 8:04 AM ^
October 22nd, 2019 at 5:41 AM ^
I don't get why this school has a hard on for scheduling Notre Dame. They quit the series when Hoke was here. Let them go.
October 21st, 2019 at 7:57 PM ^
I was thinking about if Michigan would add another P5 opponent in 2022, 2023 with UCLA being as "meh" as they are.
October 21st, 2019 at 7:58 PM ^
Knowing our luck, Chip Kelly will have UCLA looking like Clemson East by the time those games roll around.
Edit: It should read Clemson West. Brain fart.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:56 PM ^
OK but Clemson East? I must be messed up with my sense of direction.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:10 PM ^
No no, just keeeeeep going east.
You'll hit California eventually.
October 21st, 2019 at 11:27 PM ^
I'll post my reason:
Clemson was a sleeping giant. (Danny Ford showed what it could be in the 80s.) Dabo Swinney re-awakened it.
UCLA is a sleeping giant. Chip Kelly might awaken it.
Hence, I said Clemson West.
Edit: It should read Clemson West. Brain fart.
October 21st, 2019 at 11:41 PM ^
That's all great, but you understand UCLA is west of Clemson, no?
October 21st, 2019 at 11:53 PM ^
I stand corrected.
Will fix.
Complete brain fart. It's an especially embarrassing mistake on my part considering I lived in SoCal and coached HS football there for a few seasons.
October 21st, 2019 at 10:11 PM ^
Shouldn’t we be building a program ready to take on the best college football team? And not hope and pray they suck when we play so we can get our coveted 10 win season.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:01 PM ^
They may not be meh at that time with Chip Kelly as a coach. If they are good at that time, it would stink to have ND as well. What I hate about them is they always demand what they want from everyone. Just like this year, we get them week 8 instead of the first 3 games. They didnt have a problem last year playing it early at home. Screw them!
October 21st, 2019 at 7:58 PM ^
If Oklahoma, UCLA, Texas and Washington are taken out for ND, that’d be a damn shame.
also, to hell with ND
October 21st, 2019 at 11:35 PM ^
ND is kind of redundant with OSU, PSU, MSU, Wisc . . . yet another big midwest-ish team we play.
And it does nothing to expand our recruiting footprint.
We need to branch out beyond the midwest / mid-atlantic.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:21 PM ^
Was logging in to post this exact gif. Beat me to it.
Notre Dame is fun to play.... but only in moderation. I say once every 4 years so every class, if they stick around, gets to at least play them once.
But give me more variety in the schedule FFS. I would've rather played Arkansas just because we never play Arkansas.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:37 PM ^
...or at most, two home-and-home series per decade, with a 3-year gap in between. No way do I want to make it a yearly thing!
October 21st, 2019 at 11:25 PM ^
That's more often then we see actual members of our conference
October 22nd, 2019 at 9:34 AM ^
We should schedule ND twice every 15 years, just like Illinois.
October 21st, 2019 at 7:59 PM ^
I’d rather watch any of those other home-and-home series than to schedule ND again. Even UCLA, who sucks right now, since it would be a chance to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 15 years.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:45 PM ^
So let's have a maize out. Problem is our fanbase will sell their tickets to domers and 60% of those that actually attend will wear blue or whatever.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:19 PM ^
Please do not sell your tickets to opposing team fans... sometimes life is about more than a few dollars either way
October 21st, 2019 at 7:59 PM ^
2028 UTL comes back!
October 21st, 2019 at 8:00 PM ^
Our 2019 schedule would've been this had the Arkansas game not been cancelled. This is what it was according to MGoBlue back in 2015-
8/31- at Arkansas
9/7- vs Army West Point
9/14- Open Date
9/21- at Wisconsin
9/28- Bye Week
10/5- vs Iowa
10/12- at Illinois
10/19- at Penn State
10/26- vs Rutgers
11/2- at Maryland
11/9- Bye Week
11/16- vs Michigan State
11/23- at Indiana
11/30- vs Ohio State
12/7- B1G Championship
Sure would've been nice to have Rutger at home this weekend.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:38 PM ^
Damn. Arkansas is one of five states I've never visited. Would have been a fun road trip.
Instead we get half a stadium full of Rod and Todd Flanderses screaming "yay!"
October 21st, 2019 at 10:59 PM ^
I drove through Arkansas once. You aren’t missing much, unless you have an unhealthy obsession with chicken farms.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:42 PM ^
Maybe we need an AD with smarts. And why is ND playing Big14 hockey? ND plays the system with zero skin in it. And our leadership and the BIG14 "leaders" walk off the cliff.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:00 PM ^
What the fuck is his obsession with playing notre dame? Fuck notre dame I would trade them to play any of the teams listed. My goodness
October 21st, 2019 at 8:33 PM ^
He said it's good for College Football. Maybe college football is his obsession. He did leave the NFL for it.
October 21st, 2019 at 11:41 PM ^
It's good for college football in September when there are a lot of meh OOC cupcake match ups.
College football does not need it in October.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:01 PM ^
Fuck Notre Dame! Book some MAC teams til you can figure out how to stop being outscored BADLY in the first quarter vs ranked road teams!
October 22nd, 2019 at 1:40 AM ^
You are wrong. I have run stats on this. UM slightly underscores opponents on the road and slightly outscores opponents at home.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:02 PM ^
No, thank you.
Let's play twice in a row (or zero is fine) and keep these more unique and new matchups. Washington and Texas are exciting games. Plus, I live in Houston so I'll be in Austin (awesome city).
October 21st, 2019 at 8:03 PM ^
Definitely against contingent the series. Does us no good at all, especially a mid-year game. Time to move on from ND
October 21st, 2019 at 8:07 PM ^
Nope. Dont like it at all. Should have played Arkansas instead of these fucks.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:05 PM ^
Since we have some Big12 and Pac12 games coming up, I'd rather play an ACC school than ND. Be nice to play FSU or Miami. Dont want any of Clemson right now.
October 21st, 2019 at 9:36 PM ^
But ... Notre Dame is an ACC school. ;)
October 21st, 2019 at 8:07 PM ^
I'm fine with this if the plan is to schedule ND in 2028. Otherwise, not good.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:08 PM ^
Fuck notre dame. I'd rather go to VT and Arkansas, could be interesting trips for a fan. All those games coming up are awesome. I'd hate to lose one to playing ND.
I seriously think every big ten team should boycott ND in all sports. Let them join the ACC.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:13 PM ^
I would much rather play Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas than Notre Dame. I was happy when the series ended. Tired of the PI-flag shitshows in South Bend every two years. Let them build their rivalries with NC State and Georgia Tech.
I hate OSU and MSU because I'm a Michigan fan. I hate ND because I'm a college football fan.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:59 PM ^
Couldn't agree more Newton.
We need to move on from them, especially after they cancelled the original contract. Playing these other schools is exciting for our fanbase.
F#*k Notre Dame ???
October 21st, 2019 at 8:14 PM ^
My thought on getting nd back on a regular basis....
October 21st, 2019 at 8:16 PM ^
Let's win this one and then take our ball and go home.
October 21st, 2019 at 8:16 PM ^
Michigan should get out of every P5 OOC game between now and 2026. Playing a marquee OOC opponent doesn't make much sense in the playoff era when 1) B1G already plays 9 conference games and 2) SOS isn't being rewarded like it was supposed to be.
In 2021 for example UM has to play at Nebraska, at Wisconsin, and at Penn State, along with home games against MSU, Ohio State, and Washington. That's insane. It's not fair to ask our student athletes to have to play such a daunting schedule, especially when no other program in the country is doing so. B1G is hard enough as is, let's not make trying to get to the CFP any harder on ourselves than it needs to be.
October 21st, 2019 at 11:54 PM ^
I'm guessing you're not a season ticker holder.