Two more football non-conference home/home series being announced this week
August 13th, 2014 at 3:21 PM ^
Simply a question, not trying to pile on here, but why do National Champions count as the only criteria that wouldn't make Texas "Top Tier"? I'd think there are about 10+/- schools that are top tier because of history, facilities, current and past records. Texas is definitely in that group. Along with Michigan, ohio, Florida, FSU, USC, Oklahoma.... just to name a few
August 13th, 2014 at 5:59 PM ^
All time Texas owns the head to head match up with Oklahoma, 57-43-5. If you're going to be in the "upper tier" all time while your single rival isn't, shouldn't you beat your all time single rival most of the time?
August 13th, 2014 at 3:13 PM ^
August 13th, 2014 at 2:59 PM ^
The problem is that you're thinking of it as 1-5 top tier and 6-10 second tier. You just can't do that. There are 10 or so programs which have everything -- the name, wins, national title, big name coaches, history, tradition and so on. Texas is one of them.
August 13th, 2014 at 5:45 PM ^
as to how Notre Dame can make your top tier while Texas and Ohio State are second tier. And I'm in high school so this isn't a grumpy 'get off my lawn' type either. Texas and OSU have undeniably had more success than Notre Dame as of late and have equally solid footing in the landscape of recruiting, facilities, etc.
August 13th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
Texas isn't top tier like Michigan? Stop posting
August 13th, 2014 at 3:27 PM ^
I know you may or may not have meant that but you won't see me around here very much longer, anyways.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^
Is class starting soon?
August 13th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
That, work and my number of posts becoming (or already were) annoying and essentially useless.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^
I like most of your posts and what you bring to the board. Don't work too hard.
August 13th, 2014 at 6:07 PM ^
August 13th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^
August 13th, 2014 at 2:43 PM ^
The news came from a meeting with Brandon. So, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he's going to announce games with Pepperoni State and the University of Mushrooms!
August 13th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
Illitch would sponsor that junk..
August 13th, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^
Hey, Wossamotta U!
August 13th, 2014 at 2:44 PM ^
August 13th, 2014 at 2:47 PM ^
For those interested, here's what we have scheduled now:
.
2014: Appalachian State, @ Notre Dame, Utah, Miami (OH)
2015: @ Utah, Oregon State, UNLV, BYU
2016: Hawaii, UCF, Colorado
2017: Florida (in Dallas), Cincinnati, Air Force
2018: Arkansas, SMU
2019: @ Arkansas
2020: Ball State, Virginia Tech
2021: @ Virginia Tech
2022: UCLA
2023: @ UCLA
2024:
2025: @ Oklahoma
2026: Oklahoma
August 13th, 2014 at 2:48 PM ^
2024 is going to be a neutral site game, I'm guessing.
Meadowlands? Sun Life? The new Atlanta stadium?
Please no more Jerryworld.
August 13th, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
Be nice to have a big home game against a real marque program like USC or Texas in 2019 and 2021 with the road dates in 2018 and 2020.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
It does look like Michigan's immediate need is a home non-conference game in 2019 and 2021. Whether the road dates are 2018 & 2020 or 2020 & 2022 doesn't really matter much.
On the other hand, assuming that the OSU/MSU rotation is permanently set now, and we will be hosting both of them in odd years and playing both on the road in even years, so it might not be too surprising if we add yet another premier game in an even year.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:06 PM ^
I would think with OSU and MSU on the road in even years, DB would try to line up the better non-conference home and home's to be in Ann Arbor in the even years.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:26 PM ^
I would think we would need to add home teams in the odds years when we have 4 home conference games.
The 2018 schedule is actually pretty good. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State and Arkansas at home- those are some decent teams. Then SMU, Indiana and Maryland.
Whereas right now for 2019, we only have Iowa, Rutgers, State and Ohio at home. While we have our two rivals, with at Arkansas lined up, we need two more home games.
August 13th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
2018: 7 home games, 1 open date.
2019: 4 home games, 2 open dates.
2020: 7 home games, 1 open date.
2021: 4 home games, 2 open dates.
2022: 6 home games, 2 open dates.
2023: 4 home games, 2 open dates.
2024: 5 home games, 3 open dates.
2025: 4 home games, 2 open dates.
2026: 6 home games, 2 open dates.
2027 (and remaining odd years): 4 home games, 3 open dates
2028 (and remaining even years): 5 home games, 3 open dates.
Michigan's biggest needs are for 2 home games each in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025. If they don't get 2 home games for their 2 open dates each of those years, that would leave only 5 home games total--and I can't imagine that would be anywhere close to acceptable.
August 13th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
for giving us easily the best breakdown of all regarding Michigan's upcoming scheduling needs.
VERY well done and informative!
August 13th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
for some reason @ Utah scares me a New starting QB plus the altitude...
August 13th, 2014 at 4:16 PM ^
this year scares me
August 13th, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
have Wisconsin, Nebraska, and ND as options. I do realize that with the realignment, we will not be playing Wisconsin and Nebraska every year, but wasn't it established as an OOC series?
August 13th, 2014 at 3:09 PM ^
August 13th, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
Virginia and Miami, FL
August 13th, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^
I hope that it's somebody who sucks, until we can prove that we aren't going to get completely embarrassed by the LSUs or Alabamas of the world while listening to the "S-E-C" chant all night long. Come to think of it, I don't want to play any SEC West teams at all until oversigning has been addressed meaningfully and our own players are getting comparable compensation.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^
Ole Miss and Arizona
August 13th, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^
that tagged these games as 'huge'?
If it's Brandon, that could mean anyone. He thought App St was a good team to schedule for a game. Granted if it's a home and home, the other team I would assume has a decent sized stadium.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:18 PM ^
We did play at UConn and I think their stadium was pretty small.
August 13th, 2014 at 4:55 PM ^
Brandon didn't set up that home and home, Martin did. In fact, Brandon tried like hell to get it moved to a bigger venue (i.e. Giants stadium) but UConn didn't budge. I agree that with Mr. "Brand", he's going to want a large stadium with lots of people watching, so I imagine it will be 2 solid teams with solid tradition/history.
August 14th, 2014 at 5:06 AM ^
UConn had been using the "play in Boston or New York" carrot to secure home and homes with major teams and presumably used that line on us. Only to have the state government (rightly, imo) intervene and force them to play a set number of home games in the stadium the taxpayers had built for them.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^
Please!!!!!
August 14th, 2014 at 8:26 AM ^
The Figthing Chickens should never be on UM's schedule ever again. Hell the even somehow duck MSU this year.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:14 PM ^
Please no more Oregon States or Colorados. Yes I get that we're not much better than them right now, but our name brand alone should get us some high level marquee matchups.
August 13th, 2014 at 4:24 PM ^
I am not on the Stanford bandwagon. If we could schedule them in the next 4-5 years yes. There is no guarantee they will stick around and be good in 10-15 years when these games are likely to be scheduled. When Harbaugh got there they were the Northwestern of the 1970s.
Everyone else on your list yes. And everyone on earth wants Texas but they are scheduled WAY out and can have their pick of the litter - they are the kingmakers right now.
August 13th, 2014 at 4:27 PM ^
This. Stanford's history is pretty unimpressive until 2010. They are at a historical high right now that will be really hard to maintain because of some natural disadvantages that they have.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
see it happening. LSU already has their games with Wisconsin and Penn State. They also have Oklahoma and UCLA in their futures. Les will be gone whenever this game rolls around so it isn't like we'd be bringing in the former M coach back into the Big House. I'm counting LSU out. Alabama definitely maybe but we did just play them.
I'm not counting out a mid tier SEC team like South Carolina. That would be "Big" in the sense that it isn't Kentucky from the SEC. I'm going to eliminate the SEC though as I just don't see it happening.
DB wants the big game in a big market so I wouldn't be shocked to see Stanford or USC, that would be a primetime game in LA so that seems plausable. Stanford doesn't really have any marquee future games except ND and BYU if you want to count them. USC has Texas, ND Tennessee and also BYU.
If we didn't already add the awesome Rutgers game I'd definitely be looking towards a team like Syracuse, because they are "huge" right? I'm eliminating the east coast teams.
A Texas school makes real sense. The Longhorns have a lot of big names in their future schedules, USC, ND, Ohio State. I'm going to eliminate them. I don't think anyone would say Houston, Texas Tech or SMU would be "huge" home and homes. I'm ruling out a Texas school.
So now I'm thinking a Florida school. Miami would seem logical, but they are already playing State in the future and I don't think Brandon wants to shower the M fans with "hey, look, we're playing the same tough OOC schedule as Sparty!" Miami is out. Florida State has Miami and Boise in their future. That isn't much.
My guess, Stanford, gives us the west coast market. Florida State gives us another game against a Florida school and there are plenty of M alumni down there. DB likes that, and FSU just won a National Championship so there will be luster in announcing that game. Those are my picks if DB actually means "huge home and home" series. If he doesn't, then Houston at Jerrywold and South Carolina.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^
two schools that don't exist yet but will have plenty of time to develop strong programs.
August 13th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
Washington, Stanford, FSU, USC, the other USC (SCar)
or maybe schools like
Mizzou, A&M, Tennessee, Ok.St., Oregon, Clemson
lots of choices really
August 13th, 2014 at 4:58 PM ^
for some reason big time schools rarely schedule either for anything other neutral site (non-con) games. I'd be surprised if we got a 'blue blood' to do a home and home
August 13th, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
Stanford and Duke
August 13th, 2014 at 3:57 PM ^
Michigan could realistically have the two additional home-and-home series in the 2018 through 2021 seasons.
In 2018, Michigan opens with Arkansas and plays SMU two weeks later. There are five home conference games that year: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State, Maryland and Indiana. For 2018, it would make sense to play that first home-and-home on the road with the return date for 2019.
In 2019, Michigan starts the season at Arkansas and has two open non-conference game slots. The home B1G games are Ohio State, Michigan State, Rutgers and Iowa. It makes sense for UM to schedule two home games in the non-conference portion of the schedule to get that total up to six.
The same dynamic goes for 2020 and 2021 with Virginia Tech on the schedule (along with a home game against Ball State in 2020). Michigan goes on the road for one non-conference game in 2020 and hosts the second part of the home-and-home in 2021.
What teams that are high profile are avaialble, i.e., have legimate open dates in their future published schedules? LSU, Auburn, Miami-FL and California are four that I was able to pickt out from looking through the major conferences. Other schools either have one or two major opponents scheduled in 2018 and/or 2019 and aren't likely candidates unless they alter their schedules.
I have seen on report going around the boards that it could be Duke and Stanford. If that is correct, I could see UM at Duke in 2018 and then hosting the Blue Devils in 2018. Michigan then heads to Palo Alto in 2020 (the same year UM hosts Virginia Tech) and plays Stanford at Michigan Stadium in 2021 (when UM goes to Blacksburg to play the Hokies).
We'll see what happens in a few days, but keep one thing in mind. Stephen Ross gave $100M to the UM Athletic Department and he owns the Miami Dolphins. Could I see the Hurricanes as one of the home-and-home opponents? Yep.
August 13th, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
Why would Duke be in any way a "huge" matchup? They've gotten better. But they're nothing to get excited about, and their football fanbase is tiny.
August 13th, 2014 at 6:51 PM ^
Has the program gotten respectable under David Cutcliffe? Yes, but saying a Michigan-Duke matchup in football is huge would be a mistake.
I didn't listen to the interview, so I dont' know if "huge" is a word Brandon used or not. If he did say it and Duke is one of the two teams, then I think he needs to rethink the usage of the word "huge".
If there is an ACC team I think might be a possibility and still be considered "huge", it'd be Miami-Florida. I realize they aren't the same program they were two decades ago, but they have major name recognition and are in a state with a lot of recruits. I'd also add something else--Stephen Ross who just gave U of M $200M is the owner of the Dolphins.
We'll see what happens, but if there is a second home-and-home series to go along with Arkansas in 2018/9 and Virginia Tech in 2020/1, then I think adding a combination of Miami-FL and Stanford to the group would easily give Michigan one of the best non-conference schedules in those four seasons.
August 13th, 2014 at 9:39 PM ^
August 13th, 2014 at 4:08 PM ^
When you’re projecting Michigan’s future non-conference football schedules, sometimes it’s good to check with what those potential future opponents have on their calendars. LINK
Among the schools mentioned as possible future opponents for Michigan, Stanford’s got Northwestern in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Texas has some strong oppenents scheduled through 2023 (with USC in 2017 and 2018, Notre Dame in 2019 and 2020 and Ohio State in 2022 and 2023), but they're open after 2023. Alabama's got Wisconsin in 2015, USC in 2016 and Colorado State in 2017, but they're open after 2017. Florida State’s got Florida from 2015 through 2018 and Boise State in 2019 and 2020, but they’re open after 2020. LSU has UCLA in 2021 and 2024 and Arizona State in 2022 and 2023, but they’re open in 2018 and 2019. Georgia’s got Georgia Tech every year through 2019 and Notre Dame in 2017 and 2019, but they’re open after 2019. Florida’s open after 2018. Washington’s got Wisconsin in 2018 and 2021 and Rutgers in 2016 and 2017.
For the hoops/lax connections, Duke has Northwestern from 2016 through 2018; Syracuse has Notre Dame in 2016, LSU in 2015 and 2017, Maryland in 2019 and Penn State in 2020 and 2021.