We play Florida more than 6/7ths of the Big Ten West
By the time 2018 comes to an end, we will have played Florida three times in the last three calendar years:
January 1st, 2016
September 2nd, 2017
December 29th, 2018
Number of times we've played opponents from the Big Ten West division over that same timespan:
Wisconsin: 3
Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue: Once each
Conclusion: Florida is our rival. There should probably be a trophy. I'm thinking we call it the Snowbird Trophy and it should depict a late middle aged couple from Michigan packing their things for their annual winter stay at their condo in Naples.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:58 AM ^
This was posted yesterday, and really what's the point? We are in a league with 14 teams, we can't play everyone.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
We could if we dumped divisions and went with the pod format.
I don't think this division set up is long term healthy for conferences, you end up with schools separating into factions based on their division and you can end up with a situation where there's little loyalty or reason to stick around if the one thing that actually binds the Big 10 and SEC together (money) was to change.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
You still can't play everyone if you play a home and home series and have a few protected rivalries. This is the state of college football when money and tv dictate things.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:53 AM ^
The money argument makes no sense. Florida and Michigan fans will sell out basically any bowl matchup and will all watch the game on TV. The same is true for ~10-15 other teams.
I don't see how there is more or less money involved in these scenarios for anybody:
1) Michigan v Florida & LSU v UCF
2) Michigan v LSU & Florida v UCF
In fact, #2 would be more interesting to a casual fan and certainly everybody in the state of Florida (even the FSU & Miami fans).
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
This game won't sell out...the Citrus Bowl in 2016 basically the whole upper deck was empty.
December 3rd, 2018 at 1:06 PM ^
It might be worth adding that I live in Tallahassee and have considered going to Atlanta, as my family and I do from time to time, seeing friends and taking in the game. But the prospect of sitting in a half-empty stadium when I could watch on TV, in comfort, leaves me cold.
Although other fans may not verbalize their reluctance, I don't think I'm in the minority. MSU's half-empty stadium does not serve as an advertisement for MSU fans. They look in and see no one's going; the decline in numbers may tend to feed on itself.
Michigan's lucky--I'd go and sit with 100,000 people at Michigan stadium to see them play anyone, because of the camaraderie and spirit. I don't expect to feel that in a half-empty Mercedes Benz stadium.
A certain hollowness has crept into the enterprise of college football; long-term it may be malignant.
December 3rd, 2018 at 6:17 PM ^
And you didn't even get around to mentioning the cost.
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:28 PM ^
Not all in one year sure, but in the course of a Michigan student's 4 years at Michigan they could see every single team in their conference play at the Big House with the pod format. Not the case with divisions. Divisions basically sets up two conferences with a scheduling agreement and a 1 game playoff.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^
A pod format with 14 teams? OK
You can get rid of divisions to make the scheduling different. It's still debatable whether it's better to have more teams you play every year or not.
Agreeing on a fair and desirable schedule is a pipe dream. The one setup I saw had Purdue playing Illinois, Indiana and Rutgers every year.
A funny comment about loyalty. Schools look out for their best interests. There's been conference realignment going on forever.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:38 AM ^
I think this effort from a couple of years ago works pretty well. Three protected rivals for each team, play the other teams 3 out of every 5 years.
December 3rd, 2018 at 1:16 PM ^
I think it's quite terrible.
Purdue gets Indiana, Illinois and Rutgers every season. Minnesota gets Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. MSU gets Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State.
How is that fair?
I get that the divisions are unbalanced now. But I'd much prefer that be decided by geography than by however this would get determined. Lobbying? Big Ten politics?
I think this whole idea is addressing a problem that does not exist. We're not playing those teams so rarely because of divisions. We could easily play them all no less than once every three years. We don't because the Big Ten and its schools don't think that's important. Instead we see four year series.
Fans are never going to all agree, but I'd rather play the division teams every year and don't care too much how often we play Illinois or Iowa. All things considered, I'd rather play Nebraska and Wisconsin more often.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:25 AM ^
The point is that the BIG 10 is always scheduling us against THE ONLY historically good team in the West. Everyone else sucks. For anyone else (everyone else) that is a cake win that they get and we don't.
Another case of Jim "I am good at converting Oxygen to Carbon Dioxide" Delaney screwing over Michigan for the billionth time.
December 3rd, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
If you mean Wisconsin, we didn't play them at all between 2010 and 2016.
December 3rd, 2018 at 2:56 PM ^
Understand your point, but mark this, Nebraska will be a good team sooner than we expect.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:58 AM ^
Beating a dead horse. Accept it and move on is my advice.
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:59 AM ^
Beat Florida
again
December 3rd, 2018 at 9:59 AM ^
Now if we could just play Florida in Ann Arbor...
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^
in November. (Finished it for you.)
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^
That's crazy. Did you also hear that Ben McDaniels is now coaching wide receivers? Insane!
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:11 AM ^
Ben McDaniels?! Isn't he our offensive analyst. Maybe our former WR coach was contractually obligated to leave if we played UF again. Coincidence? Hardly!
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Do you think this has anything to do with the rumors going around that Jim Mcelwain might be leaving to coach at a MAC school?
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:10 AM ^
Why do people complain about playing them again? We have never lost to UF. I expect another win. I actually care about bowl games unlike others around these parts. 11-2 is a hell of a lot better than 10-3.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
Yup and a win will likely land us a final ranking in the top 5 (not too shabby!)
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
Oh. My. God. I fucking get it. We have played Florida a lot and no one likes it. Does this need to be the subject of every 3rd post on the board???
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:24 AM ^
Yes.
It shall and it must.
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
Also the NBA sucks and nobody watches and bowl games are meaningless.
-signed repetitive posts that are false
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:12 AM ^
Mich/LSU and UCF/Florida would have been WAYYYYY better matchups, and received better ratings. They really dropped the ball.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
I don't think many people outside of Florida want to see UCF and Florida play on National TV.
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
But Ucf and lsu theres a whopper?
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^
Agreed, but the SEC required the CFP to eliminate any NY6 same-state matchups of P5 vs G5 so there will never be a chance of Florida vs. UCF ... unless it took place in the actual 4 team playoff
I am done complaining about this, time to move on.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:47 AM ^
But Michigan got rewarded by playing so close to home.
In all seriousness, they really fucked this NY6 bowl lineup big time. I guess if Michigan didnt fuck up The Game, they wouldn’t be in this position.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:14 AM ^
We play Wisconsin for the next 2 years. That's something that actually is worth bitching about.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:42 AM ^
Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn St, Notre Dame, Michigan St, and Ohio St, all on next years schedule.
And people thought the team was worn down and beat up by time it got to Ohio St this year.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
They're all at home, right?
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^
Penn State and Wisconsin are on the road
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:59 AM ^
@Wisconsin
@Penn St
and what the heck throw in, @Indiana
I don't know if I've ever seen such a tough schedule.
https://mgoblue.com/news/2017/5/4/Michigan_Completes_Schedules_for_2018_and_2019_Seasons.aspx
Let's see Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Kirby Smart, Brian Kelly, and Dabo Swinney make a schedule like this. Not in a million years!
December 3rd, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
In fairness to ND, this year they had M, Stanford, Pitt, and FSU at home and played at Va Tech and USC. That wasn't so tough this year but historically that would be a tough schedule. Syracuse and NW were also on there FWIW.
December 3rd, 2018 at 8:22 PM ^
Youre right. It is worth something.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^
Maybe we can propose a trophy for this game, since we can't play Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug every year.
Or maybe Brain and Spencer can bet each other every year for new tattoos.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
The trophy should be a wolverine and gator battling for a piece of meat.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:36 AM ^
I can't wait for global warming to really pick up its pace. That way, Florida will be under water, everyone that lives there will be dead, and we will never have to play them again. THAT is how strongly I feel about how we've played Florida too much.
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:40 AM ^
Those Who Stay Will Play Florida
December 3rd, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
I kinda like Florida.
They are one of the more non-SEC SEC teams.
There. I said it.
If they were added to the Big Ten East, I'd be excited about it.
Just be glad we're not playing South Carolina again. All the boredom of the Florida rematches without the "Who's your Daddy?!" success.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
So, you are saying that we should be playing Iowa in the bowl instead of Florida?
not a bad idea.
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
OK , thanks
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:18 AM ^
This is a terrible title. Of course we play Florida more than most of the Big Ten West does.....
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:29 AM ^
I'm actually worried about this game. Every time we get cocky or any sort of confidence in winning a game thr Gods seem to shit on us.
Anyways I wont be watching. Hopefully the basketball team has a game that day
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
No, the basketball team does not have a game that day. They do play Binghamton the next day, though. That game might be more exciting than the game against Florida...
December 3rd, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
Such a joke that we have to play Florida for the third time in four seasons. The bowl committee missed such a great opportunity to set up two great actually exciting matchups, UCF vs Florida and LSU vs Michigan. Instead we yet again get the same tired matchup that no one wants to see again. We got screwed hard.