Logistically Speaking Arizona is the Right UM Opponent for Sept 4, 2010
Arizona is already committed to play at Toledo on September 4, 2010. But if you're going to send 85+ players all the way to Toledo, Ohio to play in front of 30,000 fans and a smaller television audience, why not "raincheck" that game for 2011 or later, and instead play in front 108,000+ fans and a national TV audience just 52 more minutes north?
Arizona would be an prominent opponent for the inauguration game of the new Michigan Stadium. Last match up between Michigan-Arizona was 1978 in Ann Arbor, a white-knuckled Michigan victory 21-17.
Don't want to leave Toledo out in the cold here, but it's not like rescheduling for bigger payouts is uncommon these days.
would definitely be a winnable game against a legitimate BCS opponent. I wouldn't mind them playing Virginia either since they have some history in the 90's of playing each other. I think Virginia still has an open date for that 1st week of the season.
Toledo played at Arizona last season, so I'm guessing that this is the return game of a home and home or a 1 for 2.
It's a possibility but probably not very likely. Arizona is on the upswing, so it would be an interesting matchup.
we might even get out of paying for it by agreeing to a future REVENGE GAME.
ZING!
I'm pretty meh about Arizona, honestly. We don't have any real history w/ them, though I guess they do provide a name and fill the date. Color me un-enthused.
There will be no game against a BCS conference team for all the reasons already discussed. Namely, BM won't give up the home date revenue. That might suck, but I'll be the most surprised MGoBlogger out there if he does anything different.
Michigan plays at PSU, OSU, and ND next year, so Bill Martin may decide to schedule another attractive home game for the fans.
Does anyone know when schedules are usually complete? Is there some mandated deadline for finalizing a schedule, or could we realistically be talking about this well into the season?
The 2009 schedule was not complete until February 2009, when they added Delaware State.
Yeah... this could go on for a seeming eternity.
will pull yet another rabbit out of his hat. Book it, Dano.
I would support such a game. Why not?
i know im in the minority ... but we have a nasty schedule next yr with games at psu, osu, and nd ... give me a team i think that we will beat ... I will always rather have a win over a crude team then a loss to a great team
Most of the time I'd disagree with you, but until I've seen the results of the transition come to fruition, I'd rather play a cupcake. Get the W's and convince people we're turning things around.
You would rather sit around and watch some meaningless game against Ball St then get hyped for a Georgia-Michigan match up so you can brag about 9 wins vs potentially 8?? I can't understand your thinking. Do you get pleasure from pushing down little kids?? You must be the type of guys that have won 7 Super Bowls in a row on Madden with and avg score of 88-7 playing on the rookie setting. Competition is king. We should want to play anyone, anywhere. Let Bill Martin figure out the dollars.
i honestly think the worst thing about my first yr at college were those 9 saturdays in the fall .. i honestly was depressed the entire first semester ... than comes second and basketball is winning and it was all good .... mabye its just me but losses stick with me longer than wins in all aspects of life ... also i think the first game of every season should be a cupcake in the lines if a warmup game to get the team confidence and what not
Anyone, anywhere, any year, except the next year or two. If that makes me a wuss, so be it. I wouldn't complain at all if we got a top team to play, but building confidence is important.
I'm pretty sure this falls under Brian's category of "I'm not _____, but here's why I am." Oh well, it happens sometimes.
And yes, that is the type of person I am. I drive real slow behind ice cream trucks until little kids get their popsicles, and just before they go in for the first lick, I hit the gas and run them over. Just to prove that I'm better than them.
I agree. Right now we need to get back to pre-2008 levels. We can worry about scheduling style points down the road.
this game isn't about style points. it's about making the return of the big house a memorable game. one that people will be amped up about
get into a rotational schedule... and schedule in home/home's with SEC/Big12/Pac10/Big East conference champs. I could care less about having to travel every other year and less worried about any impact to the Athletic depts revenue base.... Martin can make it up elsewhere during those years....
I've had season tics now for 28 years..... and although I rarely miss a home game and DESPITE our poor performance against the Toledo's, Appy State...etc...I just dont get into those games at all... they truly are "gimmes".... You can argue with that all you want.... but if you look in the mirror... you must admit....scheduling an EMU or Del. State... that is a gimmee game, nothing more than a " break the sweat" scrimmage.... If... by some unbelievable catastrophe we lose a game like that...it is an apocolyptic event.. but does not increase my "desire" to attend future games like that...... I want to see the Texas', Tex Tech, Oklahoma's, Georgias, Fla and Fla States, USC's, etc... because I want the hype, I love the football environment it creates and adds to the Michigan football experience.
so... save me the games against Div I bottom dwellors or Div II teams... I want a true competitive environment for the home games... and I'll even pay more for the experience. !!!
ellipses aren't your friend.
......
Maybe the period button kept getting stuck.
I hate watching these cupcake games we play. If we win.....well we were supposed to and if we lose....we look lke the laughing stock. I prefer legitimate opponents and if we lose to a great team, at least it will have been fun to watch.
I'm in favor of a "meaningful" opponent here. Someone tougher that has a chance to beat UM. Bowling Green and UMass are already baked with Betty Crocker cupcake goodness.
Also, there's nothing preventing Michigan from turning the tables a bit here and making this Sept 4th game a night game event, for example. I know I'm venturing into fantasy land for a moment, but what if Michigan Stadium with 108,000 fans decked out in dark navy suddenly became a deafening, hostile environment for opponents again?
I know, I know. That's just crazy talk.
There will never be night games at Michigan Stadium. Ever. If Michigan wants to play a night "home" game ever for some idiotic reason, they'll do it at Ford Field.
but I agree that it'll never happen.
Well, yes there is. The stadium is in a residential neighborhood, the negative publicity that would be generated by the complaints of residents is not worth the "ZOMG COOOOOL" of playing games at night.
i strongly disagree. people living near the stadium can't stay up till 11 pm on a saturday? boo hoo for them
It's not about staying up, it's about noise and people walking across your lawns.
There are plenty of mediocre to bad BCS teams who would be willing to do a one off game for enough money. The problem is that a lot of them are booked for that week.
OK, I can understand the desire for a victory over a team whose players are uncouth, ill-mannered, foul-mouthed, and unwashed scalawags, but do you really want a victory over a crappy team too?
The nightgame meme just won't die, will it?
Florida State would be perfect. We would even benefit from the return game by getting to showcase ourselves in Florida where we seem to want to do all our recruiting.
in the month of September. Never. Ever. Maybe, just maybe, the mid-season OC game can be down in sweet iced-tea land.
I would love a game down South in September if we could get a return trip from them in November or December. They can't play in the cold.
We should never play a game in December unless it's a conference championship game.
Swate tay!