scheduling
2020 iowa
why
[Patrick Barron]

So There's Going To Be A Football Game Against Iowa? Comment Count

Brian December 14th, 2020 at 11:21 AM

The Big Ten has decided that the most sensible thing to do during "champions week" is to create the following matchups:

The most infuriating thing is that the relegation playoff was right there! 2-5 MSU! 2-5 Nebraska! The grimly entertaining spectacle of the quien es menos macho game was there for the taking, and instead we get MSU-Maryland and Nebraska-Rutgers.

Anyway, as part of this cluster a 2-4 Michigan gets to travel to Kinnick on Saturday night to play 6-2 Iowa. Michigan is a two-touchdown underdog; anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 after the game against… uh… I want to say Penn State(?) will not be eligible because the league has mandated a 21-day sit-out period. That should eliminate 10-20 players; who those players are is unknown.

We do know that Cade McNamara and Joe Milton were both injured but trying to give it ago against (probably) Penn State a few weeks ago. Strong possibility one or both is still not 100%. Also the starting center already transferred. If this game has any value whatsoever it should be clarifying about whether Michigan is inclined to fight for Jim Harbaugh's job.

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Comments

1VaBlue1

December 14th, 2020 at 11:34 AM ^

Well, that tweet is interesting.  I had no idea the B1G made 'Champions Week' look so hard!  That is pretty sad...  As Brian said, it'll be entertaining (in a morbid way) seeing whether the team will put up some effort (like against Ruger?), or not (like against Wisconsin).

Watch'em come out and win a Kinnick Cluster 23-20, thus saving Harbaugh's job for another set of years.

I mean, that would be one of the more 2020-related Michigan things ever, right?  Ugh...

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NYC Fan3

December 14th, 2020 at 11:36 AM ^

The most infuriating thing is that the relegation playoff was right there! 2-5 MSU! 2-5 Nebraska!

How are you able to make comments like this given the performance of our team?

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Teddy Bonkers

December 14th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^

Looks like the perfect match ups if you are an osu fan, set the East up to go 4-1 so your strength of schedule look better.  With the one East loss a team you didn't play, and also the one you hate the most. 

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TrueBlue2003

December 14th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^

Obviously the conference completely threw out the notion of 2 v 2, 3 v 3, etc. but they did it to allow for a couple of locally important rivalry games (IU v Purdue and Minnesota v Wisconsin) to happen that didn't happen during the season so I can understand it and think they probably did the right thing.

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Michigan4Life

December 14th, 2020 at 1:32 PM ^

Yup, B1G logic went like this:

OSU/NW has to be the matchup since it's the championship game.

They need to matchup Purdue/IU and Wisconsin/Minnesota game for rivalry games.

Since Wisconsin/Minnesota is West/West matchup, there has to be one East/East matchup. So that left with Maryland vs. Michigan/MSU since neither team has played Maryland. Rutgers gets Nebraska so B1G took Maryland/MSU game since Iowa/Michigan game might be the only remaining game that hasn't been matchup.

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Mongo

December 14th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^

The B1G = ? conference

This matchup is purely about the money to subsidize the rest of the league.  Making a 2-4 Michigan travel to that armpit to play a December 19 night game in Iowa weather versus the #2 team in the West ?  This is just using Michigan’s brand in prime time on ESPN.  We are being used.  Time to consider leaving this crap place.  

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1145SoFo

December 14th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^

I mean with how disorganized and poorly coached this team is, we have demonstrated we can lose to anybody in the Big Ten. How much does it really matter who we play?

Yes it sucks for us, but that's kinda the product of having a bad team. Objectively, it makes sense for the conference to try to minimize losses by preserving local rivalry games.

Edit: agree with the other posters that we shouldn't be pushing these non-championship matchups with COVID spiking. Shuffling the schedule makes sense to me assuming all games have to be played, but just call them off.

Joined: 11/08/2014

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MClass87

December 14th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^

If there are 10-20 Michigan players out for COVID related issues, why is this game being played?  The B1G conference leadership continues to violate every safeguard they put in place before the season, all for the almighty dollar.  They continue to bend over backwards to ensure the success of the Ohio State program, but it has gotten ridiculous. 

Joined: 01/16/2018

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MadMatt

December 14th, 2020 at 3:31 PM ^

We are not your rival.  1-15 voids the rivalry; we've been relegated to the little 8.  If there is a Big 2, it's Ohio State and Wisconsin.  If there is a Big 3 (because 14 instead of 10), it's Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State.

But let's get real.  The B1G is now the ACC without Notre Dame's open relationship.  It's all Clemson/OSU's world, and the rest of us get to be tackling dummies in it.

Seriously, GTFOH. Go join the SEC; you're a cultural fit.

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treetown

December 14th, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^

After the Nebraska loss to Minnesota, there was talk at that time that the cross over game would match up similar positioned teams - so Michigan Nebraska was possible - and the commentators on line thought it would be interesting since both teams have HC facing disappointed and perturbed fan bases.

If it is a free to do as one please - then getting in the Purdue/Indiana and Wisconsin/Minnesota games have some local logic, but at this point, why?

Left to their own devices, a lot of the athletic director leaders really don't have much sense.

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Tuebor

December 14th, 2020 at 12:20 PM ^

The goal of the Big Ten is to get OSU into the playoff.

1. Setup OSU to play NW for the Championship.  This should give OSU a conference championship and thus bolstering their resume and eliminating a line of argument against them

2. Make OSU's IU win look better by giving IU another W against Purdue under the guise of these two rivals wanted to play.  This is much better for OSU than to have their marquee win be sullied by potentially losing to Iowa, arguably the hottest team in the conference right now.

3. Make NW's win against Iowa look better and give Iowa another win against an underperforming, but still big name program in primetime on Saturday night (Michigan).  This is less directly benefiting OSU, but OSU will have just beaten a team that beat a top 15 opponent.  Iowa has already played MSU and PSU so their only options were UM, Rutgers, and Maryland.  Its a no brainer who to choose...

The rest of the games don't matter to the big ten.  Wisconsin and Minnesota want to play?  Sure, helps give some cover to the IU/Purdue matchup.

 

Big Ten should get a top 4 ranked 6-0 OSU, a top 6 ranked 7-1 IU, a top 15 ranked 7-2 Iowa, and NW will fade a bit probably be a top 20 ranked 6-2 out of all this.  That is one playoff team, one bubble team, and potentially a third NY6 bowl team.  Not a bad season for the conference.

 

Depending on how ND vs Clemson, Cincy vs Tulsa, and ISU vs OU shake out you could have IU vs TA&MU discussion for the 4th playoff spot.  Not likely to go in the hoosiers favor, SEC bias and all, but intriguing.

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Ferg0dsakes

December 14th, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^

I came up with only one alternative schedule, after the rivalry games were renewed/rescheduled... but first how did we get here:

1.  Prime directive:  1v1... 7v7

  1. 4. Ohio (5-0) vs 14. Northwestern (6-1)

  2. 12. Indiana (6-1) vs 16. Iowa (6-2)

  3. Maryland (2-3) vs Minnesota (3-3)

  4. Penn St (3-5) vs Wisconsin (2-3)

  5. Rutgers (3-5) vs Purdue (2-4)

  6. Michigan (2-4) vs Illinois (2-5)

  7. Michigan St (2-5) vs Nebraska (2-5)

2.  Secondary Directive = Eliminate re-matches:  Mary/Minn and PSU/Wisco would be rematches, as would the PSU/Mary so the 3&4 Games should swap only one way.   Rutgers played both Illinois and Purdue.  That should have resulted in this option:

  1. 4. ohio (5-0) vs 14. Northwestern (6-1)

  2. 12. Indiana (6-1) vs 16. Iowa (6-2)

  3. Penn St (3-5) vs Minnesota (3-3)

  4. Maryland (2-3) vs Wisconsin (2-3)

  5. Rutgers (3-5) vs Nebraska (2-5)

  6. Michigan (2-4) vs Purdue (2-4)

  7. Michigan St (2-5) vs Illinois (2-5)

3.  NEW Directive Rivalries revisited/rescheduled:  Minnesota and Wisconsin said, “Our rivalry game was canceled.  Can we play this week?”.  The B1G said, “Sure we’re making all this sh!t up on the fly and WDGAF.  We bent the “rules” for ohio, we can bend them for you”.  Purdue and Indiana said, “Sames! Can we get in on that?”  Rumor has it, ohio asked to play Michigan since the CFP committee was going to give them a bid anyways.  Coach Fitzgerald put up a mild protest.  With rivalries renewed that left us with:

  • Stagg/Champ Trophy:  4. ohio (5-0) vs 14. Northwestern (6-1)

  • Paul Bunyan’s Axe:  Minnesota (3-3) vs Wisconsin (2-3)

  • Old Oaken Bucket:  12. Indiana (6-1) vs Purdue (2-4)

East:  PSU, Maryland, Rutgers, Michigan, MSU

West:  Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois

To rebalance with a WvsW you would have to make a EvsE matchup.  No worries, Maryland had games vs Michigan, MSU, and ohio all cancelled.  So, Maryland vs UofM/MSU was a prime candidate.  Iowa had already played MSU & PSU, so their only options were Maryland, Rutgers, or Michigan.  Nebraska had played PSU and Illinois had played Rutgers. That leaves us with the following (no particular order):

  1. Stagg/Champ Trophy:  4. ohio (5-0) vs 14. Northwestern (6-1)

  2. Paul Bunyan’s Axe:  Minnesota (3-3) vs Wisconsin (2-3)

  3. Old Oaken Bucket:  12. Indiana (6-1) vs Purdue (2-4)

  4. Michigan at Iowa

  5. Nebraska at Rutgers

  6. MSU at Maryland

  7. Illinois at PSU

Here’s the only other option of games with the Championship locked, no rematches, rivalries rescheduled, and Maryland having to play a previously canceled eastern division game (no particular order):

  • Stagg/Champ Trophy:  4. ohio (5-0) vs 14. Northwestern (6-1)

  • Paul Bunyan’s Axe:  Minnesota (3-3) vs Wisconsin (2-3)

  • Old Oaken Bucket:  12. Indiana (6-1) vs Purdue (2-4)

  • Michigan vs Maryland (Swap UofM w/ MSU)

  • Iowa vs Rutgers (only non-rematch option with above selections made)

  • Nebraska vs MSU (only non-rematch option with above selections made)

  • Illinois vs PSU

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Mongo

December 14th, 2020 at 12:55 PM ^

Michigan to Iowa in prime time on ESPN is purely for the money.  We are just being used to ring the register and create a “high profile” gimme for Iowa’s rankings. 

Warde and Jim have basically called the season and I doubt a Covid-raviged team is getting on that plane Friday.  

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Newton Gimmick

December 14th, 2020 at 1:21 PM ^

The other available option would have been to keep MSU/Maryland but have Michigan/Nebraska and Rutgers/Iowa.  Since Rutgers finished ahead of Michigan - guh - that is actual truer to original intent of ordering by finish.

Also, just a note that PSU/Wisconsin would not have been a rematch.  But irrelevant given the Wis-Minn game directive.  It shakes out the same.  

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JBLPSYCHED

December 14th, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^

So if we take that quote at face value...then I don't see an upside to not making this clear 2-3 weeks (or more) ago. I suspect that he will be back, unless he gets a head coaching offer from the NFL, which of course he could, but sort of seems doubtful? Meanwhile if he's actually planning to be here next season then the obvious incompetence wrt how this whole thing has been handled only confirms what we already know: it's more than a Harbaugh problem.

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