Michigan-Alabama In Dallas In 2012
You probably dismissed the idea of Michigan playing a huge nonconference game against Alabama in two years in Jerryworld as crackpot rumor-mongering of the sort the internet specializes in. Michigan's on the road against ND, leaving a maximum of six home games, it's transparently silly to play a college football game thousands of miles from either college, and Michigan hasn't played a neutral-site OOC game basically ever. It seemed instantly implausible.
But apparently it is happening. The contract is being signed Monday. Which is tomorrow.
The following details are unconfirmed but of interest since they come from an established source:
- Game is happening because a desperate Jerry Jones "overpaid."
- Michigan will be the nominal home team (important mostly for TV rights) and receive more money.
- There's no additional game scheduled and there may not be.
- Jones might be well-positioned to provide some advice on HD scoreboards.
This comes with a set of crazy conflicting emotions. Hurray awesome nonconference game, boo that it's in fricking Dallas in a corporate death star of an NFL stadium and not a home-and-home in Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa. I guess that's what it takes for a lot of actual nonconference games to get done these days, but awesomeness of trip to Dallas to see M play 'Bama <<<<<< awesomeness of M-Bama home-and-home. On the other hand, awesomeness of M-Bama Dallas >>>>>>> awesomeness of M-BGSU anywhere.
[Note on sourcing: in this case I am going with one source, but he is a very established one.]
August 9th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^
I'm looking for a good bar as well. I know "The Wet Spot" near mid-town on West Gray is an MSU bar (real nice owners BTW), but I haven't found any UM bars yet.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:17 PM ^
already there, but please, for the love of god lets field a good team.
also, i hope we can get ryan pflugner to come back for that game.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^
Is right there are alot of transplant people from Michigan here and Jerry World will sell out fast with a large following of Blue! This is awsome for someone who does not get alot of chances to see the Wolverines I am beside myself with JOY and I will be first in line for tickets.
Hail!
August 8th, 2010 at 12:23 PM ^
Not only transplants, but a lot of us are going to fly half way across the country for this game no matter what.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
I would prefer a Home/Home with Bama (or at least maybe a neutral site trade off, say one game in Detroit/Chicago and one in Atlanta/NO), but this is definitely awesome.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
Who thinks Dee Hart and HaHa have a good talk/laugh upon hearing this?
August 8th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^
Finally a good thing comes from living in Texas....I wonder what side of the field Demetrius Hart will be playing on?
August 8th, 2010 at 12:23 PM ^
Is it somehow possible that UM could play:
* Bama
* ND
* OSU
* PSU
* Nebraska
* MSU
* Wisconsin
Or something along those lines? This would be the toughest schedule I have ever seen. Having said that, the national exposure for a good Michigan team against a schedule like that would be huge.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^
That was my initial reaction too. So I went onto MGoBlue.com to look at the future schedules and it appears Penn State falls off the rotation that year. Hopefully, anyway.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^
Probably can't go with future schedules for 2011 and beyond at this point. Adding Nebraska is going to blow all of those up.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^
Especially if we go to 9 conference games, that's what our schedule is going to look like more often than not. MSU and OSU are given. PSU is likely to be annual as well. Nebraska and Wiscy will come off every now and then, only to be replaced by Iowa. Notre Dame is annual except for two years down the road, and I expect them to be replaced by a BCS team in those years.
What makes 2012 a bit rougher is ND and OSU are assuredly away and Bama is neutral site. But we'll have a ton of skill position seniors on offense, a more mature defensive backfield and d-line, and it looks promising that we'll fill and mature our o-line and LB corps by then. So hopefully it'll be a season to remember.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:51 PM ^
...have schedules like this while the other power conferences continue to schedule light, then expect Darth Delany to push hard for a playoff system if we start to see Big 10 teams other than the champion get pushed out of BCS games.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:57 PM ^
This wouldn't surprise me. I remember seeing an article over on Yahoo that theorized the reason Delany has been so anti-playoff was so he could starve the other conferences out of the money they need to stop the Big 10 from expanding
Meh...SEC teams play that kind of schedule every year....just ask them.
[/sarcasm]
August 8th, 2010 at 12:25 PM ^
Thank God this is coming to Dallas, I have been waiting forever for a game to come here. I was hoping that Michigan would of came here for the Cotton Bowl in 2007, but they went to Florida instead.
Anyway, Alabama shouldn't be so loaded as they will be this year. As Bacon said, they wont have Ingram or their QB. and Michigan should be loaded if RR gets something going this season.
By 2012 the 2008 recruiting class will be RS Sr's (#1 recruiting class) the 2009 recruiting class will be RS Jr or true SR (#1 recruiting class) the 2010 recruiting class will be RS SO or True JR's (# 4 recruiting class) the current 2011 class will be RS Fr or true SO (current #3 recruiting class) and the 2012 class will be true Freshman (Which Bama will more than likely land the nations top QB-He is from Alabama)
Alot can happen by then but the QB position is loaded right now with RS AJ McCarron a rivals top 100 player that looks to be a truley great QB in the making.Phil Simms The top QB is last years recruiting class.Jameis Winston (2012's top QB most likely)
Saban has recruited Bama to be a machine and the depth across the board looks much like the QB position a ton of talented players in every area.
...that Bama will be so loaded, because the game should be an epic clash of CFB titans on a huge national stage. Nothing better than that, amirite?
Solid depth is easier to come by when you get 25% more recruits than any other team and can trim those who don't pan out at the college level.
Wait...are you implying that the 15 medical redshirts Bama hands out every year under Saban are NOT legit ?!?!
August 8th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^
Apparently Alabama is already playing Texas Tech at Cowboys Stadium in 2012:
http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2010/03/alabama_and_texas_tech_working.html
2 games at the same neutral site in one year for Alabama? Maybe this one will get moved or something.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^
That game fell through and is not happening. This game would take that spot.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^
i was there when we beat alabama in the orange bowl and i'll be there when we rock them this time. let's roll the tide.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:28 PM ^
Good game, but neutral site kind of sucks, would have been great to see the game in the Big House, then down in Tuscaloosa. Hopefully, M will field a competitive team by then!!
Alabama doesn't have the opening in their schedule for a home-and-home until 2015. Therefore, they have been searching for a neutral site opponent to fill the slot. Michigan is the latest team rumored for the matchup. Previous rumors included Texas Tech, UCLA, and Miami. Let's hope this latest rumor sticks.
Edit: Alabama plays home-and-home versus Penn State in 2010 and 2011; GaTech in 2013 and 2014; and MSU in 2016 and 2017. A home-and-home would have to be separated by 3 years (which would still be acceptable in my book).
August 8th, 2010 at 12:33 PM ^
Brandon could be the best thing to happen to Michigan since Bo. First the night game, then a new mega HD screen, and now huge non-conference game against Alabama. Rodriquez will be in full stride in 2012 and contending for a national title.
Put me on record for loving this and any other huge non-conference game Brandon decides to schedule.
...will ALSO be contending for a national title in 2012.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^
August 8th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^
the Big Ten will go to Texas!
What an intriguing match up. North vs. South, Red vs. Blue, Offensive Genius vs. Defense Genius, Left vs. Right, Right vs. Wrong. Its pretty much God vs. the Devil.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:47 PM ^
I hope we both wear home uniforms
Can you translate?
http://redvsblue.com/archive/?sid=rvb
Watch this instead of negging antoo.
How in hell does your link explain what in hell Antoo meant?
Red vs. Blue is a pretty popular web series/cartoon/show thing. Antoo used a line from the show. I don't see what the big deal is.
Haha, thanks for that. This made my day (outside of Michigan/Alabama of course). Red vs. Blue always cracked me up and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm REALLY looking forward to Halo Reach coming out!
August 8th, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
this is so rad
you're back!
Pretty good for all UM fans living in Texas, I'm definitely going to get tickets!!
I just had one. This is fucking awesome.
I thought that only happened when you looked in the mirror....
If you are female, your comment is suddenly much hotter!
Huge game most likely primetime. Gameday will be there. My facebook is blowing up right now with people wanting to travel down for the game. Were gonna have fans there, a lot of them and we get paid more. I dont understand whats not to like about this.
This is a sweet game, but what about the home schedule? 6 home games.... OSU and ND away...
In terms of revenue I'm guessing they'll make as much or more on this game than they would with a home game. So essentially, it'll be like having 7 home games from a revenue stand point, but season ticket holders will only have tickets for 6 games.
I was at the last 'Bama game at the Orange Bowl, and I plan on being at this one. Sucks that it's not a home and home, but it's not a umass/ emu/ dsu.
Dave Brandon is quickly reaching mythical status
1). This is actually a great recruiting tool for RR—"hey, you come to Michigan, and you'll get to play in a historic game against Alabama in a noteworthy location that will get mind-boggling amounts of national attention."
2). If ND stays on the schedule that year, it's a brutal lineup of games we have. Which makes me wonder if—considering the fact that evidently we don't actually have a signed contract with ND—Brandon is canceling the game with the Irish in 2012 and essentially replacing it with Bama.
Regardless, this is an awesome move.
Guess we'll be seeing him one way or another in 2012.
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