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Michigan Negotiating Home And Home With Texas Comment Count

Brian

Texas Tech v Texas 2hZHvVdS15ll[1]

This has been in the rumble stages for a month or so now, but this is the first mention from an actual reporter in the wild:

They are "working on dates" that are a decade out, so don't book your plane tickets yet. If this comes to fruition it would be the first games Brandon has booked in the aftermath of Notre Dame's cancellation of the series that come close to the wow factor ND provides.

Comments

Everyone Murders

September 9th, 2014 at 4:55 PM ^

I don't always support DB's efforts, but I support this one whole-heartedly.  Great football tradition, mostly great fans, good academic school, and Austin.  Freakin' Austin.

My user name is Everyone Murders, and I approve of this home-and-home!

Joined: 12/14/2010

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salami

September 9th, 2014 at 5:19 PM ^

Not sure if I'll still be in the DFW area in a decade, but if I'm here (or even if I'm not), I would go to Austin to see team 14X play there.

 

My Cool Story Bro:

Actually went to a UT game in Austin about 4-years ago, just when the wheels were beginning to come off the Mack Brown bus.   UT actually lost that day to a mediocre Iowa State squad, and it was amazing how nice and relatively hinged (as opposed to un-hinged) the UT faithful remained.  No boos, jeers, and very few explatives were heard from my section.  Nicest fans I've ever come across.  Not to mention many lovely ladies, excellent BBQ at many tailgates.  And, 6th Street in Austin cannot be beat for post-game libations and revelry.

One thing that did strike me that day...adverts in the stadium.  I never realized up to that point how much it detracts from the in-stadium experience.  Made me understand how much we need to keep up the good fight at UM and keep that part of our game-day experience unchanged.

/end CSB

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cutter

September 9th, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^

Brian must have a pretty high standard concerning "wow" factors IRT teams that are ND equivalents in that respect.  

I would certainly put Oklahoma and Florida in the same "wow" category as Notre Dame, given their success in the BCS era and their program traditions/longevity.  BYU, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Washington and Arkansas (which was scheduled prior to the ND series breakup) would be a level down from all that, but those team's aren't chopped liver (and I wouldn't want to play those first three this season given their success to date).

Outside of the BIg Ten, how many "wow" ND equivalents are out there?  From the Pac 12, I'd say USC and perhaps Oregon (again, given their current levels of success and not decades long traditions).  Stanford, maybe?  The Big XII has Texas and Oklahoma, IMHO.  The ACC has Florida State and maybe Miami-FL, but the Hurricanes have been treading water for awhile now.  Clemson?  

If Florida isn't a ND "wow" equivalent, then who in the SEC hits that mark?  Alabama and perhaps LSU would get Brian's okay.  Georgia?  South Carolina?  Tennessee?  Auburn?  Texas A&M?  I wouldn't mind a home-and-home with any those seven schools (and yes, I wish the UF game was a home-and-home and not in Dallas). 

It will be interesting to see when these games are scheduled.  The link says at some point in the 2020s.  One option would be during the next two "open" years when UM doesn't have a home-and-home in the non-conference schedule, i.e., 2024 and 2027.   The published schedule for Texas goes up to 2023--see http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/big-12/texas-longhorns.php.  A second option might be 2028/9.

The third option would have Texas doubling up with another home-and-home like Michigan has set up or the 2020/1 seasons with Virginia Tech and Washington, but I don't know if that's likely.  UT has a home-and-home scheduled with Ohio State in 2022/3 and I doubt the Longhorns would add a second non-conference series with a second Big Ten team.  That said, Ohio State and Notre Dame just scheduled a home-and-home for those two years, so is OSU going to play both UT and ND those seasons?  If that UT-OSU series is pushed back, then maybe we could see UM playing UCLA and Texas in 2022/3.

Texas and Michigan scheduling one another wouldn't be a surprise.  I was at the Rose Bowl when those two teams met and it was a pretty electric atmosphere.  UT is certainly a ND equivalent, so they have that going for them as well.  Finally, of course, the Big XII has no conference championship game, so it's incumbent for Texas to have a relatively tough non-conference schedule.

If Texas schedules Michigan to a home-and-home, does that mean UM's a national program again?  Or does UT think it's an easy win?  I guess we'll find out next decade.

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markusr2007

September 9th, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^

Michigan vs. Texas.

Brought you by Depends(R) and the makers of Zoloft (R).

If playing Texas is considered by Michigan as an "upgrade" over Notre Dame, then what does playing Notre Dame mean to Texas? I ask because the Longhorns scheduled the Fig Things 4 times over the next several years.

 

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cutter

September 9th, 2014 at 6:28 PM ^

The article linked below states that since Notre Dame scheduled Georgia for 2017 and 2019, the Irish want to push back the 2019 and 2020 games with Texas into the latter part of the 2020s.  See http://www.fbschedules.com/2014/06/notre-dame-wants-to-postpone-2019-20…

I don't know what that means for Texas vis-a-vis Notre Dame, except to acknowledge what we all experienced these past decades, i.e., the Irish act like the narcissicistic, crazy ex-friend from time to time when it comes to all things football related.  

Texas does look like it's scheduling two Power 5 Conference teams per year (if you include BYU in 2014 and all the Notre Dame games) as part of its non-conference schedule.   They could certainly add another Power 5 Conference team in the 2019 through 2023 seasons, so maybe a Michigan-Ohio State duo in 2022/3 could be possible.  But it just doesn't seem likely seeing that the two teams are from the seame conference.

That brings up the next question--is Ohio State going to play both Notre Dame and Texas in 2022/3?  Or are the Buckeyes going to ask to move that game as well now that they have ND on the non-conference schedule those two seasons?

In the end, Notre Dame could drop Michigan and Texas to play Ohio State and Georgia.  Ohio State could drop Texas to play ND and Michigan looks like it's adding Texas as a ND replacement.  This is getting to be like a swinger's convention, but more seriously, that scenario illustrates how crazy the non-conference scheduling process can become.

Having Washington and Virginia Tech as two home-and-home non-conference series was an eye opener.  It obviously means one less home game than normal over the 2020/1 seasons, which means a loss of ticket, parking and concessions revenue, etc.  OTOH, it could be an indicator as to how lucrative the new television contracts are going to be starting in 2017 (and the cynical part of me notes that Penn State is now off probation, etc. about one year before the negotations for those contracts are due to begin).

It might also mean that David Brandon is moving even further to make the home schedule as interesting as possible.  My guess is he feels he needs to have more relatively attractive teams playing Michigan in Ann Arbor to keep the ticket demand and student game attendance up.  Next Saturday's game with Miami (Ohio) will be the last one with a MAC team until 2020 (against Ball State).  The non Power 5 teams are all from the Mountain West (Hawaii, Air Force, UNLV) or the American Athletic (SMU, UCF, Cincinnati).  The home-and-home with Arkansas was scheduled before the ND series cancellation, and he's filled in the open scheduling slot caused by ND's departure with BYU (2015), Florida (2017 neutral site), Virginia Tech/Washington (2020/1), UCLA (2022/3) and Oklahoma (2025/6).  I would say that Florida and Oklahoma are "ND equivalents", but the others programs are certainly attractive enough. 

It will be intersting to see if he has two Power 5 Conference teams on the future non-conference schedules besides 2020/1 and how those games line up against the nine-game Big Ten schedule.

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mgolund

September 9th, 2014 at 5:55 PM ^

I hope I'm still in the DFW area so that I have an excuse to see a team I care about play in Austin. Hopefully, that team is leaps and bounds better than what's been offered the last seven years.

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Sopwith

September 9th, 2014 at 7:00 PM ^

The "How the Fuck Did That Little Podunk In-State Rival School We Used to Routinely Bitchslap Surpass Us" Classic.  Rolls right off the bitter, bewildered tongue. 

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DrewGOBLUE

September 9th, 2014 at 8:05 PM ^

Very, very happy with Dave Brandon on this one. I would absolutely be willing to drop $1000+ to attend an away game and spend a weekend in Austin (Dallas/Ft. Worth and JerryWorld again though...probs not).

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I dumped the Dope

September 9th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^

We are making agreements with the mid south and the west.  I really still want the SEC and B1G to play a few home and homes.  Early fall is fine.  Not asking to play them in November (lol).  But it would straighten out a lot of storylines and provide some great games against good teams.  It seems like Georgia might be reasonable enough to book that.  Enough people in Atlanta metro & Athens are educated and worldly and travel well to make this a nice series.

I'm not trying to make a regional jab here but there are an incredible number of native southerners who are afraid to leave their own zip code and would never, ever, go above the Mason Dixon line.  I lived in Atlanta for 10 years and met a lot of people from surrounding areas who fit this exactly.  Correct me if you have experience otherwise.

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Jacoby

September 10th, 2014 at 12:58 AM ^

As a UT grad I'm very happy about this. Austin is a great adventure and UM and UT are kindred spirits.

UT played OSU in similar fashion a few years ago. The stories from the UT fans are blood boiling. Texan fans who traveled to Columbus had no idea what they were in for. I remember talking to some older UT fans who told me about how UT fans cars were trashed, OSU fans were starting so many fights that the police had to form a protective barrier to escort them out of the stadium.


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