Hail_Yes

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:28 PM ^

I may have missed it but what happened to VA Tech?  I thought we were supposed to play the Hokies in a home and home in 20/21, and quick internet research backs that up.

Mike Damone

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:53 PM ^

this be a mistake, or a premature announcement with negotiations still taking place?  You are absolutely right, both Michigan and Virginia Tech are still showing the game, and no other news outlet has announced or confirmed this game.

Was a rumor that the Washington series might not happen - but these dates don't match up.

Something seems to be amiss here...

tlo2485

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:29 PM ^

per mgoblue: 

2 0 2 0
Sept. 5 Washington at Washington
Sept. 12 Ball State BALL STATE
Sept. 19 Virginia Tech VIRGINIA TECH
Sept. 26 Wisconsin WISCONSIN*
Oct. 3 Penn State PENN STATE*
Oct. 10 Michigan State at Michigan State*
Oct. 17 Minnesota at Minnesota*
Oct. 24 Purdue PURDUE* (HC)
Oct. 31 spacer Bye Week
Nov. 7 Maryland MARYLAND*
Nov. 14 Rutgers at Rutgers*
Nov. 21 Indiana INDIANA*
Nov. 28 Ohio State at Ohio State*
Dec. 5 Big Ten Big Ten Championship Game

 

So are we cancelling VTech also?

LSAClassOf2000

March 22nd, 2018 at 5:12 PM ^

I will never understand the hurried need to get Notre Dame back on the schedule. That seemed like a good filler game, maybe once every few years if there was a hole in the schedule, but I didn't really like the rush to re-introduce them as a semi-regular deal. It just wasn't that important. 

UM Fan from Sydney

March 22nd, 2018 at 3:00 PM ^

Woof. That is a tough road slate with Washington, MSU, and OSU. Those three home games with VA Tech, Wisconsin, and PSU might not be easy, either. 2020 might be a very tough season.

WolverineHistorian

March 22nd, 2018 at 5:00 PM ^

That would be ironic given how the athletic department announced this home and home a couple years ago. They gave us a teaser and then waited multiple days to reveal who the opponent was.

Granted, Washington is a nice opponent. But I never understood the point of dragging it out for a big reveal when we've played several home and home's with them over the years.

Now it might not even be played? Lame.

robbyt003

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:33 PM ^

So are we going to continue to schedule home and homes with teams, and then pay the teams to cancel those series?  This is a bold fianancial strategy cotton.

Tuebor

March 22nd, 2018 at 6:57 PM ^

Well...we scheduled the these tough home and homes with P5 teams when the CFP committee said that it would reward teams for scheduling those tough out of conference games.  4 years of CFP seeding results have shown that strength of schedule is trumped by having fewer losses.  With the big ten east being the toughest division in college football we don't need 2 P5 non conference games a year.

buddha

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:43 PM ^

There are not enough downvotes on the board for you after this post.

There are THOUSANDS of UM alum in the Pacific Northwest area that are completely stoked to see the team up close in Seattle (plus the thousands of fans that would fly to Seattle for the game because the city is freaking amazing). Selfishly, I will / would be pissed if the UW series is cancelled.

samdrussBLUE

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:35 PM ^

a bit disappointing from a fan/maximum entertainment perspective, but the correct and best action strategically.

There is no need to have Washington and Va Tech on the schedule in the same year. The downside is much greater than the upside. One good out of conference game and then take care of busness in conference will always get you in the playoff.

In reply to by Maize4Life

robpollard

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:53 PM ^

SEC programs have shown, time after time, you can get into the Final 4 with one loss.



It does no one, including Michigan, any good to play at Washington, home against VA Tech, and then against MSU, Wisky and Penn State in the first six games.



Even if we go 3-2 in those games (which would be pretty good), we'd be out of the hunt before Halloween.

tlo2485

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:37 PM ^

If we are indeed cancelling either VaTech or Washington to switch to Arkansas State, after also cancelling Arkansas recently, I'm not really liking this trend. The optics of just having Arkansas State on the schedule after originally having Arkansas (I know they werent directly related) looks dumb. Especially dumb when you consider much of this is done to bend over backwards to accomodate Notre Dame, who screwed us with the end of our last contract with them.

Also, how much money are we going to spend to cancel contracts with peer schools and then offer millions to pay other schools to replace them? 

Sleepy

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:44 PM ^

B1G teams now play nine conference games.

UM wants at least seven home games per season.

UM needs all three non-conference games to be home games in odd-numbered years.

The cancelled Arkansas series was for 2018 (in Ann Arbor) and 2019 (in Fayetteville)

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NOTRE DAME.  DAVE BRANDON FUCKED EVERYTHING UP WHEN HE BENT OVER AND LET DELANY SEND MICHIGAN TO EAST LANSING IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS.

trueblueintexas

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:40 PM ^

From the same article:

The contract, signed Feb. 16, surpasses the $1.7 million that Alabama pledged to pay ASU to play the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 8 this year, and it matches the reported $1.8 million contract with Georgia in 2019.

This is brilliant!!! Michigan outbidding the SEC to gaurantee their path to the championship in 2020. 

tommya14

March 22nd, 2018 at 2:45 PM ^

as Alabama proved last season playing 8 league games, a FBS team compare to B1G playing 9 league games.  They had far fewer quality wins.  Heard over and over the "eye test" is how they made it into the playoff instead of who they actually beat.  Playoff started out by committee saying they would reward teams playing tougher opponents but they have proven a team with more losses is tougher for them to reward when all is said and done.  By the way I think Washington would be a much better city to visit but Michigan has played there several times before so I would rather play at Va Tech if only playing one of those two.

Wolverine Devotee

March 22nd, 2018 at 3:06 PM ^

Scheduling more than one P5 team in non-conference while playing 9 conference games is suicide and for idiots because the common theme of recent national champions is play one big non-conference game and the rest be bodybag games. 

 

crg

March 22nd, 2018 at 4:14 PM ^

As a season ticket holder, I have zero interest in watching a bodybag game. As someone who supports Harbaugh's mantra of "iron sharpens iron", I find this type of move hypocritical and disappointing. At least Arkansas was replaced with Notre Dame when the AD dropped them.

Wolverine Devotee

March 22nd, 2018 at 4:45 PM ^

How about we actually start beating the teams on our schedule annually before we worry about adding more "iron" to the schedule. 

Scheduling ND was really dumb considering we now have 3 rivalry road games in 2018.

Wanna know why it was dumb? Check back with me in November. 

NYC Fan3

March 22nd, 2018 at 4:18 PM ^

Pretty sure the common theme of recent national champions is to have a top offense and defense and beat each opponent.  Had Wisconsin snuck into the playoff by a crap schedule last year, they would have been blown out in the 1 vs 4 matchup.  Unless your sole goal is to just get into the round of 4, schedule accordingly.

Do you truly feel that Alabama last year and Clemson the year before were National Champions based off of their schedule?  What programs were better than them but scheduled more difficult games?