schedule
Nebraska was moved down. [Patrick Barron]

Updated Big Ten Schedule Released Comment Count

Seth January 12th, 2022 at 12:39 PM

Finally, the Big Ten has updated their 2022 schedules. No more message board threads asking whether the MSU game got moved back to the OSU home/road schedule. It did not, but that flip demanded a bunch of schedule rearranging to fix problems it caused, e.g. Michigan would have had to play its entire November on the road.

The new schedule for 2022:

2022
Date Opp Where
Sep 3 Colorado State Ann Arbor, MI
Sep 10 Hawaii Ann Arbor, MI
Sep 17 UConn Ann Arbor, MI
Sep 24 Maryland Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 1 at Iowa Iowa City, IA
Oct 8 at Indiana Bloomington, IN
Oct 15 Penn State Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 22 Open  
Oct 29 Michigan State Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 5 at Rutgers Piscataway, NJ
Nov 12 Nebraska Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 19 Illinois Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 26 at Ohio State Columbus, OH

And here's the whole conference:

MSU and PSU have bye weeks before facing Michigan. It's Ohio State's turn to have November Maryland. Also starting this year the East-West guaranteed games have rolled over to their second pairing, so Michigan now gets Nebraska while Ohio State is the one locked into Wisconsin for a time.

[After THE JUMP: Discussion. Also, THE JUMP will take you right to this spot now]

Other than keeping September Maryland, it’s not so bad. The Iowa, Maryland, and Ohio State games were kept in place. Everything else got moved around. Here’s a comparison:
Date 2022 Schedule Was
Sep 3 Colorado State -
Sep 10 Hawaii -
Sep 17 Connecticut -
Sep 24 Maryland -
Oct 1 at Iowa -
Oct 8 at Indiana Penn State
Oct 15 Penn State Nebraska
Oct 22 Bye Week Michigan State
Oct 29 Michigan State Illinois
Nov 5 at Rutgers Bye Week
Nov 12 Nebraska at Indiana
Nov 19 Illinois at Rutgers
Nov 26 at Ohio State -

The big boons for Michigan are two home games in November where there were none, a slightly tougher test the week before Ohio State, and a bye week in front of MSU. They still get a game at Iowa that will probably be a night game, and September Maryland, which as we all know is vastly different than November Maryland.

The non-conference slate is weak because a home and home with UCLA was canceled. They would have had UCLA at home this year and played in Pasadena in 2023. Big Ten schedules for 2023 and beyond are still being hashed out, but the mgoblue.com schedule was updated sometime in the last half hour.

Comments

Nickel

January 12th, 2022 at 12:54 PM ^

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2019-10-25/michigan-terminates-agreement-to-play-ucla-in-football-in-2022-and-23

From Michigan's perspective it was to 'get' two home games instead of a home and away, though worth noting that Michigan paid $1.5 million to get out of the deal, and scheduled two pretty crappy teams as the replacements.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 2740

Sione For Prez

January 12th, 2022 at 5:27 PM ^

I looked back today actually. The UCLA games were scheduled in 2013 so definitely a Brandon Era thing. What I find most interesting is that Rutgers and Maryland both had announced in late 2012 they were joining big ten so we likely had an idea we would expand to 9 games and go 5/4 in alternating years. 

Wonder if Brandon just didn't care about 8 home games one year and 6 the next whereas Warde is adamant about having 7 minimum.

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 10674

TrueBlue2003

January 12th, 2022 at 6:18 PM ^

1. I like college football. I love Michigan football.  Hence 10 real games and two "warm ups" is better than 9 games and three "warm ups".  Not sure why anyone that likes football would want to watch less meaningful football. The only reason not to play that game is because you're scared of losing.  That's sad loser thinking.  Why even play or watch if you're scared of losing?

2. The benefits of playing at least one good team outweighs the potential costs.  If Michigan wins, they could still potentially lose to OSU and make the playoffs (the way OSU did in 2016 when they didn't win the division).  As it is, Michigan has no margin for error next year.  They now must win the division with the shit ooc schedule they have.

Joined: 01/05/2010

MGoPoints: 38075

snarling wolverine

January 12th, 2022 at 10:45 PM ^

The benefits of playing at least one good team outweighs the potential costs.  If Michigan wins, they could still potentially lose to OSU and make the playoffs (the way OSU did in 2016 when they didn't win the division).  As it is, Michigan has no margin for error next year.  They now must win the division with the shit ooc schedule they have

I like big OOC games too, but this reasoning is flawed.  History has shown us over and over that an undefeated team will get the nod over a one-loss team - and a two-loss team has absolutely no chance at the playoff.  

If you lose an OOC game, you must run the table in conference, period.  If you went 3-0 OOC, you may be able to afford one conference loss, as we did this season (and OSU did in 2016).  This encourages teams to lighten up their schedules.  Playing a marquee team and losing does nothing for you.  I wish this weren't the case, but it is.

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98351

smotheringD

January 13th, 2022 at 7:01 AM ^

Plus having a legit. opponent early in the schedule adds a sense of urgency to training camp.  I remember when we played ND early and everyone was working intensely to get ready for that matchup.

Conversely, blowing out inferior competition can lead to a false sense of superiority and can also diminish the level of effort put out on the practice field.  The coaches will have to work to prevent that.

And whoever is going to replace Aidan as our adrenaline pump is going to have to step up big time.

Joined: 09/15/2010

MGoPoints: 7586

Sione For Prez

January 12th, 2022 at 1:00 PM ^

We are slated to have 4 home B1G games next year, unless they change significantly with the 2023 reworks as well. So in order to get to our AD's public desire of 7 home games a year we would have needed to have 3 home OOC games. Guessing they tried to switch it and UCLA either couldn't or didn't want to so we canceled. Now have 8 home games this year and 7 next year. 

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 10674

Sione For Prez

January 12th, 2022 at 1:37 PM ^

Definitely agree. I love having interesting out of conference matchups as a fan, even if it makes our road to the playoffs harder. My wife is on board with my desires to go to these cool away sites where we had or have home and homes scheduled. Of course we've canceled UCLA, Arkansas and VT recently, and the Washington game was postponed (had flights and hotels already booked when it was canceled). 

Still hoping the Oklahoma and Texas home and homes get played in the future but who knows with how much things are changing. 

 

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 10674

Sione For Prez

January 13th, 2022 at 10:16 AM ^

I think there's examples both ways but it's telling that we still have not had a 2 loss team make the playoff. If PSU in 2016 plays and wins against a G5 instead of Pitt in the OOC they probably get in over 11-1 OSU who they beat head to head and who didn't win their division. Same with OSU in 2017. If they don't lose to Oklahoma they likely get in over 11-1 Bama who didn't win their division. 

Granted both of those teams had ugly losses in the regular season in-conference which hurt quite a bit but I think the final tipping point in each situation was that 2nd loss. 

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 10674

UM Indy

January 12th, 2022 at 1:37 PM ^

If this Big Ten-ACC-PAC 12 alliance is a real thing, teams are going to have to get on board with Power 5 away games.  Michigan can't sit there and demand 3 non-conference home games every year.  And I assume everyone is on board with this or the alliance wouldn't have been created and announced.  But it's ironic that the very thing that's contemplated for the future (home and home with UCLA) was canceled.  

Joined: 03/05/2009

MGoPoints: 22269

xgojim

January 12th, 2022 at 1:53 PM ^

I attended the last two M-UCLA games in Pasadena.  M won the 1989 game on a last minute field goal after a successful onside kickoff, so quite exciting for us M fans.  The 2000 game was the hottest M game I ever attended.  The temp before the game was 103.  It was John Navarre's second game.  It looked like M's players wilted in the heat.  My wife stayed in the car before the game, and then the entire game because she just didn't want to brave the heat.  I drank three or four large Pepsi's and never had to get to the men's room!  I swear you could have cooked an egg on the aluminum seats.  On our way out of the stadium (after 5 or so) the temp was still reported at 110.  That was a mid-September game.  January 1 much preferred!

Joined: 11/03/2012

MGoPoints: 2325

FrankMurphy

January 12th, 2022 at 3:10 PM ^

I remember that game. The defense did okay against Ryan McCann, but we couldn't get anything done on offense. A freshman John Navarre was thrust in as starting QB after Drew Henson got injured, and he played horribly.

That year, UCLA beat then-No. 3 Alabama and then-No. 3 Michigan and generated a lot of buzz as a national championship contender... but then they lost 5 games and finished 6-6 after a loss to Wisconsin in their bowl game.

Joined: 08/19/2008

MGoPoints: 31969

M-Dog

January 12th, 2022 at 1:02 PM ^

I am very happy not to have Iowa, Penn State, Nebraska, and Michigan State back to back to back to back.

Instead we have Iowa, Indiana, Penn State, and a Bye.  The new schedule is significantly easier. 

Yay!

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 257507

yossarians tree

January 12th, 2022 at 1:03 PM ^

Happy to trade Wiscy for Nebraska for a few years, especially since now Ohio State has them on their schedule for awhile. That's a tough game every year and extremely tough to get a win in Madison for anybody.

Joined: 08/19/2010

MGoPoints: 22292

BeantownBlue

January 12th, 2022 at 1:05 PM ^

Schedule looks pretty favorable except for one item: OSU's tough games are pretty front loaded and their three games leading up to THE GAME are: Northwestern, Indiana, and Maryland.  That's a full month to focus all their energy on revenge.  

Not a huge detail and certainly not worth crying to anyone but thought I would point it out.

Joined: 08/25/2008

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