Michigan Schedule vs. USC Schedule
I heard coach Rod mention that he would like to have bye weeks in the press conference. After looking at our schedule I discovered that we do not have any bye weeks this year.
My main question is why do we end our season much earlier than other teams. Living in California I always wondered why the USC season is much longer than our. Is this some kind of guideline set by the big10? We start our season 9/5 and end 11/21, on the other hand USC starts 9/5 and ends 12/5. They have two bye weeks throughout their season.
An advantage to our scheduling might be more time to heal and prep for bowl games. This might be a non-factor because bowl games wont be announced until all teams have finished up. A disadvantage might be slipping in polls because of inactivity.
I'm sure reworking our schedule to get more bye weeks might screw things up with "The Game." Would you rather have more bye weeks or have more prep time for bowl games.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:27 AM ^
Well, the biggest factor is the tradition of having the OSU game as the last game of the season.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:34 AM ^
I agree that OSU game should be the last game of the season. USC and UCLA always play the last game of the season as well. The issue seems to be coordinating the schedule together.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:33 AM ^
USC plays Arizona after UCLA this year. I think USC played someone after UCLA last year too.
I also want to say that when USC hosts ND it usually is after the UCLA game - but I could be wrong.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:05 AM ^
I just checked and your are correct about this year, but USC played UCLA for their final regular season game last year.
I guess their rivalry doesn't mean that much to them. I can never see us having another regular season game after playing OSU.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:20 AM ^
Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but didn't Michigan play at Hawaii the week after the tOSU game 5 or 6 years ago (maybe more, I feel old)?
October 13th, 2009 at 3:37 AM ^
You're right, but a little longer ago than that. 1998, to be specific. I remember having a massive headache, sitting up late listening to it on the radio as the A-Train went to town on them. Fun game, but it sure felt weird.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:00 AM ^
"I guess their rivalry doesn't mean that much to them. I can never see us having another regular season game after playing OSU."
playing OSU at the end of the season is a nice tradition for us and i'm not advocating changing that, but assuming other schools rivalries "don't mean as much" because playing last isn't a hardwired part of their tradition is pretty myopic.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:28 AM ^
week again after the 6th game. Move the osu game back a week. I wouldn't even be opposed to moving the osu game back two weeks, adding a bye week after the 6th game, and starting the season a week later than everyone else. Just thoughts.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:21 PM ^
Between Iowa & Penn State, after the 7th game of the season. OSU moves to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/081809aab.html
October 13th, 2009 at 12:40 AM ^
not that this matters to me anymore, now that i am an alum, but that would put the osu game during thanksgiving weekend. as a student, i would not be happy about that.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:42 AM ^
that is a very good point. Didn't even think about that.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:20 AM ^
Go with TMiller's idea of pushing OSU 2 weeks back, have a bye week during the season, then have a bye before OSU. Take Thanksgiving off, and have TWO WEEKS OF UM-OSU HYPE! (and preparation). Then lets see what everyone's talking about when it comes to final poll time...
October 13th, 2009 at 10:56 AM ^
The only problem with pushing it into December is the weather. It will most likely be worse.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:59 AM ^
Ah, it's Michigan-Ohio State. It's for MEN. Bring on the Snow Bowl II!
October 13th, 2009 at 12:48 AM ^
I agree that the Big Ten ends regular season play too early, but one variable I think conference officials or the NCAA may consider is the weather conditions in the Midwest region from late November onward.
Since all of the Big Ten stadiums are outdoors and weather conditions decline in the later part of the season, the Big Ten and/or the NCAA might simply want the games to be played in more favorable conditions. Whereas southern teams (SEC, Big 12, USC, etc) play in more mild conditions during that part of the season.
Needless to say I think the schedule could be pushed back a week or so, and the cold conditions would make an even better scenario for the game.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:12 AM ^
terrible weather exhibit A: northwestern last year
October 13th, 2009 at 11:42 AM ^
Squeak Squeak Squeak Squeak-Squeak,
Squeak Squeak Squeak Squeak-Squeak,
Squeak-Squeak-Squeak Squ-squ-squeak
Squeak Squeak Squeak! "Let's Go Blue!"
Also, does the word squeak look weird to you now after reading it so much, or is it just me?
October 13th, 2009 at 12:59 AM ^
I thought it had something to do with Big Ten rules and the weather (although they may have changed this). I feel like the lack of a bye week has always hurt us.
In contrast, USC always seems to have the week before a big non-conference game off every year. Going back to 2004: they had the bye week before Colorado State, Arkansas, (19) Nebraska, at (14) Nebraska, (5) OSU, and at (25) ND. It has to help them with preparation for these games and while they're not always the biggest games, since they're scheduled pretty far in advance, it's not hard to imagine that they could be. I like the idea of starting the season earlier to get in the bye.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:01 AM ^
For a team with a load of injuries such as Michigan back in 2007 a month off did wonders for Hart and Henne for the 2008 Capital One Bowl Game against the Gators. And look how much of a difference that time off made for Michigan! Hart was running like he was earlier on in the season, Henne was passing often and being able to use his arm to his fullest! You better believe more prep time pays off! We would have beat osu if we were a healthy team that year.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:48 AM ^
but i remember a couple years ago, i believe it was when osu played uf, that everyone was talking about how so much time off between the final regular season game and the bowl game hurt osu and us also since we played usc that year. I don't know, it just seems like the conference would do whatever it took to strengthen the conference, even if that meant adding a twelfth team and having a conference championship and a bye week. there is your 2 week longer season. it is obvious that the conf. champ game helps get a team to the natl championship (SEC and BIG 12) plus keeps them in game mode and makes money for the team and adds publicity for the conference. I don't know about you guys, but I would rather play a 13th game and add to our strength of schedule and be in a realistic shot for a spot in the natl championship than play osu the last game of the season in november. Tradition is great, but not at the expense of success.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:08 AM ^
Is to schedule a November road game against Hawaii, like Wisconsin did last year (and Michigan did about 9 or 10 years ago). That way you can take a mid-season bye, plus you don't get as rusty headed into the bowl game. The drawback, of course, is you have to give up a home game.
Come to think of it, I wonder if there are other mid-major teams (besides Hawaii) in mild climes who wouldn't mind taking a probable late-season L for the big payday. Seriously, if Michigan could get a November game against a San Diego State or Tulane, I'd go. That would almost be like having two bowl games!
October 13th, 2009 at 1:29 AM ^
Well, Wisco is actually playing there this year, but your point is taken.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:54 AM ^
Hawaii is the exception to the rule, because as an incentive to encourage teams to make that long trip, the NCAA gives teams that go there an exemption to schedule a 13th game. So playing at Hawaii doesn't cost you a home game, but does mean that you have to win seven games to be bowl eligible. Maybe not a problem for a typical Michigan team, but it can be risky for the Purdues of the world.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:02 AM ^
The Illini have an odd schedule this season. They had only 2 non-conference games before the B10 season began. Their other non-conf games are at Cincinnati (slaughter) on 11/28 and home against Fresno on 12/5, which follow a bye on 11/21. Oh, and they had a bye on 9/19.
Edit: I don't know why I made this as a reply to your post, I meant it to be a general reply to the OP. Oops.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
Playing Hawaii wouldn't open up a midseason bye. Teams always schedule an extra game when they travel to Hawaii, to recoup the costs.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:36 AM ^
the week after the OSU game in 1998 (a 47-17 win). Keep the Game where it is, but definitely schedule a warm weather creampuff two weeks afterward, this would give you a game sometime around the end of the first week in December, and still allow at least three weeks to prepare for a bowl game.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:45 AM ^
I agree with most of the comments above. I have given this some thought in the past and my opinion on the matter is that the last week of Big Ten play should be moved to the week after Thanksgiving (2 weeks later than it is currently). Yeah, yeah weather might play a factor, but this is football. And I don't think snow or cold would affect the turnout for or the intensity of the Michigan-OSU game. In fact, I like the idea of giving both teams two weeks to get healthy and gameplan for the showdown.
Big Ten teams would then have the option of either taking Thanksgiving weekend off, or filling it in with the Delaware States of the world, allowing them to have a bye week on a different date. Each Big Ten team would then have two bye weeks during the 14 week season.
I think the current format puts the Big Ten at a disadvantage in terms of polls, end of year national perception, and performance in bowl games.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:59 AM ^
The OSU game is moving to after Thanksgiving, which does suck for students, but it will allow us to have bye weeks. Next year it is on October 23, in between the Iowa and PSU games, and after that it will be before conference play starts. The conference schedules in 2011 and 2012 don't include byes, but they don't even begin until October 8 and October 6, respectively, giving teams 5 weeks to play their 4 non-conference games.
I'm not a fan the OSU game going to after Thanksgiving, as I obviously would like to go home for Thanksgiving like I always do. I could come back the next day or on the day of the game if I had to since I'm only a couple hours away, but I can envision a lot of out-of-state students or students who can't go home and quickly come back selling their tickets to this game, especially since it will make them some good money. Some will obviously just stay, but I can see the more casual fans doing this.
What I wish they'd do, like bklein said, is make the week of Thanksgiving a bye for us (other teams can have a bye or schedule a non-conference team if they have to) and just play OSU in the last week of the season. That gives everyone a chance to get healthy, rest up, enjoy Thanksgiving, and it prolongs the season by a week. Not only that, but we would have two bye weeks during the season, which would be more like what USC and other Pac-10 schools do. Plus, conference championship Saturday could get started with Michigan-OSU at noon, which would be pretty cool.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:14 AM ^
Wow, you're right. The OSU game will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2010, 2011 and 2012 (it's up on mgoblue.com right now).
As an alumni from NY (and there are A LOT of us), I think this is terrible. If the game was scheduled after Thanksgiving when I was a student, I would not be able to go. Ever. As in, I would never get to see a UM-OSU game.
I know this sounds stupid, but this just seems wrong to me. College kids should be home with their families for Thanksgiving. Always. This includes members of the team, many of whom are far from home for the first time in their lives. If the Big Ten wants bye weeks, they should push the last game of the season back a week further to the beginning of December (the same week the other divisions have championship games). Weather be damned.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:51 AM ^
That's why I think the week of the conference championship games would be good.
But anyway, in 1995 it was after Thanksgiving, and those of us not in town but still in the state came back for the game after Thursday. Well, Friday night Scorekeepers was PACKED with OSU fans, taking over the place, and the bar was whoring itself to them playing Hang on Sloopy and all that all night long. Outnumbered us like 30 to 1. And they were feeling good, big spread, ready to win Big Ten or more...
Well, suffice to say that they weren't as happy or cocky the next day at the Big House. Thanks, Tim Biakabatuka.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:02 AM ^
You stayed at Scorekeepers through all that?
October 13th, 2009 at 11:13 AM ^
Yeah, the friends I was with wanted to go to Scorekeepers. I never liked the place that much, and liked it a lot less after that. But, I imagine most of the town was like that though. I don't think I had become good friends with the then-owner of Touchdown's yet, so I didn't have a dog in the hunt.
And I kinda LIKE being the opposing fan around the heathens. Road game. Most Bowl games (bar in San Antonio was the worst...). Then coming out the victors. Used to go to Columbus, but the long drive got to be too much to put up with the OSU fans, as they got worse every year. From obnoxious to dangerous. Now THOSE are some stories. ;-P
October 13th, 2009 at 2:09 AM ^
someone is wondering why a team in California plays its final games two weeks after Michigan.......and doesn't know why?
October 13th, 2009 at 8:25 AM ^
1) BigTen Conference rules say no game an be played any later than the weekend before Thanksgiving. The one exception is if you travel to Hawaii. Many teams have done the Hawaii deal, but with Hawaii trying to soften their schedule to make the BCS lately, it hasn't been happening as often.
2) Rule #1 above is being pushed back a week starting next year. It will allow one more bye week.
3) This year was an odd starting time. The college football season starts the Saturday before Labor Day. September 1st fell on a Tuesday, so instead of being able to start games in the last weekend of August, they didn't get started until the first weekend of September. Starting in August, or at least the first few days of September, the last few years has afforded teams an extra bye-week the last few seasons.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:13 AM ^
Does Illinois play @Cincinnati on 11/27 and Fresno State on 12/5 this season? I wonder if they got a waiver or something to that effect.