Warde: ND may be a night game; MSU will definitely NOT be
Good stuff from Angelique's podcast.
“If I was going to guess I would guess (Notre Dame),” Manuel said on the podcast. “We can have one more or we can have none. …If I got a vote we wouldn’t have any.”
Michigan played Michigan State in a night game in Ann Arbor two years ago, but that won’t happen this season because they meet on Nov. 16, which is after the 10th week of the season.
“Both ADs would have to agree (to play it at night), and it’s not even an option,” Manuel said.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:11 PM ^
I honestly wonder why he wouldn't want any. I love having one per year.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:12 PM ^
We open with one.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^
I think he meant a second one/an another night game for the Season.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^
Have you forgotten the already-scheduled night game? The epic, beginning of the season clash, Labor Day Weekend, under the lights, against... uh... MTSU?
August 14th, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
Practically speaking, not a bad idea to have an early season game at night. Likely to be cooler temps during a hot time of the year, less risk of players cramping up, and a better fan experience.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
Practically speaking, I'd rather Michigan didn't play cupcakes.
Although, I'm admittedly part of the problem, because I'm going to go to this game -- which I couldn't do if it were at noon -- even though I don't expect it to be competitive.
August 14th, 2019 at 6:03 PM ^
I just can't ask these guys to play 11 hard games and finish the season strong when every other team plays bums, and people like Alabama schedule their cupcakes for November when their team needs rest. Having some relaxing weeks is good for the players. Lets us focus more on OSU in practice and less on gameplanning for MTSU
August 14th, 2019 at 6:14 PM ^
Iron sharpens iron.
August 15th, 2019 at 5:51 AM ^
There's no little trophy for finishing with the #1 SOS. It is stupid and counterproductive to intentionally schedule more difficult games than we've already got.
August 15th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
It depends upon what you think the purpose of college sports is.
If the purpose is to win the championship at all costs, then, sure, look for the easiest possible route.
If it's to try to mold young men into leaders, they will learn more from taking the more difficult path.
In 1997, Michigan played Notre Dame, Baylor, and Colorado. The only quibble I have with the schedule is that there wasn't a road non-conference game. Baylor might have been a cupcake, but not at the MTSU level.
Now, people are telling me that Michigan has a hard schedule because they play Army? Colorado was a top 10 team. And considering that Michigan plays Rutgers every year, well, I'd say they have their cupcake quotient satisfied.
August 14th, 2019 at 7:40 PM ^
Ridiculous. No one remembers a team going 12 and 0 in big ten and says they need to play no easy games. Not one of Meyer's years as remembered for weak schedule
August 14th, 2019 at 8:41 PM ^
I see what you did there. But if we are truly being practical, no team ever got screwed by the committee because they scheduled one or two cupcakes, as long as they also played and beat some legit good teams. But plenty of teams have been screwed when they chose to schedule too many good non conference teams.
And finally, your own argument is pretty much contradicted by reality anyways. Army and ND as our other non conf opponents make a tougher slate than most other teams chose to schedule this year.
August 14th, 2019 at 11:22 PM ^
Maybe if Michigan had played a more difficult schedule, they'd be toughened up by the end of the year. Playing easy schedules hasn't given Michigan the results we want in a long, long time.
August 14th, 2019 at 11:07 PM ^
I always want a cupcake the first game of the year. Hell, Michigan might beat ND last year if it was week 3. Plus, there's still Army and ND on the schedule. Not worried about it being soft at all.
August 14th, 2019 at 11:06 PM ^
Harbaugh does not like night games either that may be a reason he is saying that
August 14th, 2019 at 4:17 PM ^
What is this program's problems with night games? If we make the B10 championship or the playoffs are we going to demand the games be played at noon? Big time games are played in prime time, this isn't 1985.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:22 PM ^
That's too bad. That 1985 Michigan team was seriously kick ass.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^
Probably Bo's most "tight knit group" he ever coached according to his "Schembechler Years" interview.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^
Don't knock 1985. Probably Bo's best team, finished #2 in the country with only a crappy loss at Iowa (it's always Iowa) keeping them from being undefeated as we beat Notre Dame, shut out MSU and beat Ohio State.
I would love for this year in football to be 1985 all over again.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:35 PM ^
Wasn't illusory, either: Connelly's S&P ranking asserts Michigan was the best team in the country that year.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:51 PM ^
Crappy loss at Iowa and a crappy tie at Illinois....but yes, that '85 Wolverine team was kick ass.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:28 PM ^
Just theorizing:
If you're the only good game at noon, that means higher odds of a national broadcast and therefore more eyeballs on you.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
Also, we lose night games. It's science.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^
Not at home (in non-monsoon weather, anyway).
Night games are logistically tough for a lot of fans, though. Not for me personally (I live in town), but for the guys that drive several hours to get here, they can cause a lot of headaches. Do they get a hotel, or drive in the middle of the night and get home at 5 in the morning?
August 14th, 2019 at 5:06 PM ^
Somehow every other fan base has it figured out. Get a hotel, or plan on getting home at 1AM. I'd rather than then have to leave at 5AM so I can get there in time for any tailgaiting before a noon game.
August 14th, 2019 at 5:35 PM ^
I’d bet other fan bases consider it a pain in the ass too. Getting a hotel is a big extra expense and turns the game into a 2-day event instead of one. At a time when fans are being squeezed for every dollar I can understand people being upset about this. If I were a fan living 3-4 hours away I wouldn’t want to do this multiple times a year.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:46 AM ^
Places in cold weather states hate it (Washington, Utah, Washington State have all said it sucks). Places like LSU like it because you'll melt in the stands at noon and 330 for most of the season.
August 15th, 2019 at 10:02 AM ^
Just one perspective; take it for what it's worth.
As an out of towner, I like night games. I can still put in a full day's worth of work on Friday, catch a later flight, sleep in, show Ann Arbor around to folks I'm with during a beautiful fall day, and cap it all off with a night game.
August 14th, 2019 at 6:15 PM ^
Your profile picture is OF a night game
August 14th, 2019 at 6:40 PM ^
I find it in most cases the biggest supporters of night games don’t actually attend them
August 14th, 2019 at 7:28 PM ^
I find in most cases people talk out of their ass on the internet to support their personal views.
August 14th, 2019 at 11:17 PM ^
Fucking brilliant.
August 15th, 2019 at 8:19 AM ^
Rather than post that reply you could actually *contribute something* for once and take a poll on night game fans and if they actually go to them.
August 15th, 2019 at 9:44 AM ^
Thanks for 'splaining to us how the blog works. Perahsp you could start your own or something since you're such an expert at it.
August 14th, 2019 at 7:48 PM ^
I tend to agree with you on this, WD, although I don't like the idea of MTSU being a night game. If the game goes as it should, we'll have a large halftime lead and 25% or more of the crowd will have left by the start of the 2nd half. By the time the 4th quarter starts, the Big House will be over half empty.
And me? Being one of the die-hards who NEVER leave early, I don't expect to arrive home to SW Michigan until 2am or later.
Not that I never enjoy night games---but anything more than once a year? NO.
I too suspect that most of those who are the biggest proponents of more frequent night games are those who will be watching from their easy chairs with the remote in one hand and an adult beverage in the other.
August 14th, 2019 at 7:57 PM ^
A traditionalist should like the noon kick.
August 14th, 2019 at 10:21 PM ^
Here is a thought, sell your tickets for the game(s) that you find to be too difficult to attend.
I am betting if UM wins that MSU night game, you probably wouldn't care what time you got home.
Went to Under the Lights II, I live an hour from A2, and knew it would be crazy, so I was an adult and got a hotel room 20 minutes out of A2. I partied until late in the night with friends, than got a cab to the hotel. Still the best game atmosphere I've ever been a part of.
If it isn't OSU, noon games are a joke.
August 14th, 2019 at 11:48 PM ^
Wow, fucking 1st world world problems!
August 14th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
Call me dumb but I think our questionable performances in night games stems from the fact that we don't play a lot of them. Since our program (see Warde's comments) schedules as few as possible, essentially the minimum they are required to, we end up with a lot of our night games being on the road, making them even tougher (excepting Rutgers 2016 of course).
August 14th, 2019 at 5:05 PM ^
You might get a higher percentage of eyeballs but I'm pretty sure there is a smaller pool of eyeballs at noon eastern - keep in mind for other parts of the country its between 9 and 11 AM.
August 14th, 2019 at 8:56 PM ^
By that excellent logic, we should see if we can get some 6:00am starts.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:17 PM ^
On a side note, Michigan travels to Penn State the week before and that game also has a high probability for a night game. So Michigan could play back to back night games.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:20 PM ^
There was some scuttlebutt on reddit that Fox is interested in picking up the Michigan/PSU game which would likely put it at noon as part of their Big Noon Kickoff thing. I have no actual information but I would certainly love to have their whiteout game at noon rather than at night.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
I wish this to be true, so I will believe it to be so.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:29 PM ^
If it makes you feel any better, I looked at the slate of games for that week and there are no games currently listed as being on Fox national and the rest of the matchups in the Big Ten, Big XII and Pac 12 are pretty meh. Fox isn't getting ACC or SEC games so those don't matter. It is at least plausible Fox could get the Michigan Penn state game.
Also, worth noting the Pac 12 could have 9 or 10am home kickoffs this year under the Big noon kickoff. I believe both ADs would have to approve but it is a possibility.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:29 PM ^
I thought it was already announced as a night game white out? Or was it just a white out?
August 14th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
Just white out. Everyone assumed it would be at night because it's October and both teams are expected to be good. Game time has not been announced. 2015 white out game against Michigan was played at noon.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:31 PM ^
Good to know!
August 14th, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
White tshirts and zombie nation is such an unfair home field advantage. Good thing craptastic coaching by the Nits means they only win those games half the time.
August 14th, 2019 at 4:21 PM ^
Notre Dame under the lights, the sequel, would be pretty cool.
FWIW UTL I was one of the most fun Michigan games I've ever attended. It's in my personal collection of games I was at that I will always remember. Still to this day cannot believe the goal line fumble bounced directly back to Denard and that we were able to score a freaking Touchdown getting the ball on our 25 with 20 seconds left on the clock.