M-Alabama 2012 Officially Official Comment Count

Brian

Press release:

U-M to Open 2012 Season vs. Alabama at Cowboys Stadium

DALLAS, Texas -- The University of Michigan football team will face the University Alabama in the 2012 College Football Kick-off Event at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 1, 2012. The game will be televised nationally in primetime.

“This is a great way to kickoff the 2012 season with two of the nation’s winningest college football programs,” said Athletic Director Dave Brandon. “We are excited about playing a regular season game in the state of Texas, a region of the country where we have traditionally recruited. Our goal is to get as many Michigan fans to the game as possible to witness this match-up of traditional powers.”

The Wolverines will be the away team with the Crimson Tide designated the home team. The game officials will be a crew from the Big 12 Conference. This will be the fourth time that Michigan faces Alabama in school history, and the first contest played during the regular season by the two programs.

All three previous games between the Wolverines and Crimson Tide were played in bowl games. Michigan defeated Alabama by a 28-24 score in the initial meeting, the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl held in Tampa Stadium. The Crimson Tide got the better of the Wolverines in the second meeting in Tampa, winning a closely contested 17-14 game in the 1997 Outback Bowl.

The most recent match-up between the two schools is arguably the most exciting bowl game in Michigan history. The eighth-ranked Wolverines edged the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide, 35-34, in overtime to claim the 2000 Orange Bowl title. Tom Brady completed 34-of-46 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns in the winning effort. He tossed a 25-yard TD pass to tight end Shawn Thompson and Hayden Epstein converted the PAT as Alabama scored but was unable to convert the PAT in the first overtime session. It was the first-ever overtime game in school history.

With the addition of the Crimson Tide, the Wolverines are looking to fill two slots on their 2012 schedule. Both open dates are scheduled to be played at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 8, Sept. 15 or Sept. 29. The other previously scheduled non-conference game is Sept. 22 at Notre Dame.

Ticket details will be announced at a later date.

Following is Michigan’s current 2012 schedule:

Sept. 1            vs. Alabama (Arlington, Texas)

Sept. 22         at Notre Dame

Oct. 6             at Purdue

Oct. 13           Illinois

Oct. 20           Michigan State

Oct. 27           at Nebraska

Nov. 3             at Minnesota

Nov. 10          Northwestern

Nov. 17          Iowa

Nov. 24          at Ohio State

Off Schedule: Indiana, Penn State, Wisconsin

Comments

mgoblue0970

October 15th, 2010 at 6:21 AM ^

I gotta believe that Brandon is working on something given the ND negotiations.  But with contracts, scehdules, yada yada yada, I don't think he can do it overnight.

I have a lot more faith in Brandon to make it right than Barnacle Bill.  Martin would tell us all to eff off and cite the budget as a reason (even though the department is millions in the black over the PSLs and that MAC and 1-AA shit Martin fed us).

Kal

October 14th, 2010 at 5:30 PM ^

Pretty sure our strength of schedule is going to be one of the toughest in the country come 2012. Senior Denard says bring it on.

oakapple

October 14th, 2010 at 5:34 PM ^

Mitigated only by the fact that Wisconsin and Penn State aren’t on it. And the bye week is during the non-conference part of the schedule, instead of in mid-season where it would be more useful.

Look for the two remaining games to be the softest cupcakes imaginable.

Michigan4Life

October 14th, 2010 at 5:38 PM ^

paid both teams to come to the Cowboys stadium so it's almost a de-facto home game in terms of revenues for both teams.

 

On another note, the schedule looks brutal for Michigan.  Hopefully the defense can finally catch up to the offense just in time for '12 season.

MGoShoe

October 14th, 2010 at 5:41 PM ^

...will ease your mind:

With the addition of the Crimson Tide, the Wolverines are looking to fill two slots on their 2012 schedule. Both open dates are scheduled to be played at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 8, Sept. 15 or Sept. 29.

MAC-rifices will suffice.  A visitor from the Sun Belt Conference would work as well.

Rabbit21

October 14th, 2010 at 6:55 PM ^

I'd like to see one of those games be a medium level MWC or C-USA team just to switch things up a little.  I'm willing to bet that a team like CSU, Fresno State or Air Force would be willing to come up without scheduling a home and home of some type and I doubt they'd be more of a trap than a decent to good MAC team. 

mjv

October 14th, 2010 at 5:42 PM ^

I hope that the seat license I have to pay every season gets discounted for the pile of trash the home schedule is going to look like.  MSU and Iowa are nice games, but neither compares to OSU or ND.  

And only 6 home games with the two unannounced OOC games likely to be a D-1AA and MAC-rifice, that is full on theft against the season ticket holders.

robpollard

October 14th, 2010 at 5:45 PM ^

When you signed for your seat license, did it guarantee or imply a certain minimum number of home games?

I'm honestly asking: Perhaps every person who bought a suite/club seat/seat license assumed there would be at least seven home games (based on recent past history), but I'm curious what, if anything, they put in writing.

mjv

October 14th, 2010 at 5:56 PM ^

I don't recall any language regarding a minimum number of home games.  I'm not arguing that I have any legal grounds to complain.  

Rather, the seat licenses were implemented after the advent of the 12 game schedule and 2012 would be the first time a 12 game season has a home schedule that is only 6 games.  Thus the expectation is for 7 or 8 home games.  

More importantly than the number of games is that the 6 homes games would comprise the worst collection of home games I can remember during my 20+ years as a season ticket holder.  Two of the home games (MSU and Iowa) are good not great games.  Two games (Illinois and NW) are fair, and two (OOC) are almost certainly going to be terrible.

A home and home with Alabama would have been great from the season ticket holder perspective.  Selling a home game during an even numbered year (with ND and OSU on the road) has some very negative aspects.

Yostal

October 14th, 2010 at 5:47 PM ^

Since the last two home slots will likely be a MAC-rifice (is there any MAC team we have not played recently, maybe mix it up a little?  Ohio?  Kent State?  University at Buffalo?) and an FCS team, I renew my push to have any FCS team we play have an awesome band.  See what we can do get play any of the following FCS teams:

Florida A&M (The Marching 100 won the 1985 Sudler Trophy winners)

Grambling (The Tiger Marching Band)

Southern (The Human Jukebox)

Jackson State (The Sonic Boom of the South)

Western Carolina (Catamount Marching Band, winners of the 2009 Sudler Trophy)

Congratulations to all parties who made this happen.  I would have preferred it not be on the fifth anniversary of a certain day in Michigan history, but what are you going to do?

 

a2bluefan

October 14th, 2010 at 5:52 PM ^

Why oh why on earth did they not put Nebraska in the Big House on even-numbered years to balance out the slate of dull-ish even-year home games???  Ugh.

I do wish UM/Bama could be a home-and-home. But at least we get a marquee matchup that many have been begging for.  I may just have to jump on a plane and head down there.

 

cutter

October 14th, 2010 at 6:09 PM ^

The Big Ten has only put together conference schedules for 2011 and 2012.  They should be publishing the 2013/14 schedules shortly so teams can better plan their non-conference games.

I suspect the conference schedules will be balanced out as you suggest in 2013.  Michigan doesn't play Indiana, Wisconsin and Penn State in 2011/12 from the other division.  Ohio State (protected rival), Purdue and Illinois are on the schedule in 2011/12, which means they'll rotate off and two of IU, WI and PSU will replace them.  The conference will continue to schedule eight games through 2014 and is looking at starting nine-game conference schedules in 2015.

Since Notre Dame scheduled Texas to open their season in 2015/16, I imagine those seasons will be mark the next break in the UM-ND series.  On ND's future schedules, Michigan is the second game of the season in 2015/6.  I can't imagine the Irish will want to open the season with UT followed by UM--that's why I think there will be a break in those two seasons.

FWIW, Georgia just cancelled its 2015/6 games with Oregon, so perhaps the Bulldogs would be available those seasons (since Michigan recently played Oregon, I can't imagine they'll be back on the schedule so soon, but the Ducks obviously have open dates those seasons as well).  UGa's athletic director said he didn't want to play major non-conference opponents outside the region and he wanted to make sure Georgia played at least seven home games a season.  With Georgia Tech as a traditional non-confernce opponent, UGa has to make sure its other OOC games are in the right place on the schedule.

ciszew

October 14th, 2010 at 5:52 PM ^

...He'll have his first true senior class, and he has to play that schedule.  As a fan I am excited, but that is a lot to ask of a coach. 

I mean how many other coaches in the history of college football have had to play Alabama in a southern state, in South bend, in Lincoln, and in Columbus all in the same year? 

I sure hope Timmy J, and Sammy W like their visit this weekend b/c we could sure use their help.

Go Blue!

Evelkniebler Elf

October 14th, 2010 at 5:58 PM ^

I just hope that some fresh deffensive recruits pan out and the D is much improved at that point, and that the M-secondary hating God moves on to a different school or subject altogether

bdneely4

October 14th, 2010 at 8:03 PM ^

It is amazing how much I root in bowl games fo the Big Ten to win and the SEC to lose.  Going to school down south has made me this way.  They think they are the greatest division ever to be established.  It has been hard to argue with them the past 4 years.

kvnryn

October 14th, 2010 at 9:18 PM ^

I live in Atlanta and just got back from hitting some baseballs with a friend of mine at a park nearby. They were also having pee-wee football practice, and every team in the league is an SEC team with full replica helmets and uniforms. Ole Miss, Vandy, Bama, Tennesee, UF...they were all there. It was gross.